marcus

What is there to say?

Revisado: 05-20-19

What is there to say? If you're here at book 8 of this series you are most likely already going to get it. Definitely do continue! It's worth it. If you haven't started yet, do yourself a favour and go back and give "Storm Front" a listen. The series keeps getting better as it continues, the potentially wobbly things about the first couple books are gone by this point, and it's just a solidly great time to be drawn into these characters and stories.This is a particular favourite. Harry clashes with the White Council and the Merlin in particular. I think a valid comparison could be if a Jedi actually recognized the problems with the Jedi Council's bureaucratic ways and how they were not enough for meeting the challenges of the current times and actively tried to correct that and find loopholes and find justice in the face of overwhelming opposition.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

great!

Revisado: 05-20-19

It's a great little story. I got it based on the movie and wasn't disappointed. Very relatable if you tend to daydream for escaping life. I finally found something fitting the "poignant" descriptor. It's very poignant!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

satisfying pirate book

Revisado: 05-20-19

It's a nice finale for the previous two books in the series and largely able to stand on it's own aside from that. There is a new narrator from the previous two books, which I initially disliked, but eventually appreciated how Steve West brings his own talents and I'd listen to him read a book again. The sea battles were a great time and all the good stuff about the characters and crew was back in full swing. I haven't yet been able to try Pathfinder in a tabletop setting but based on time in D&D it felt like the magic had all the rules and limitations the tabletop game would. Although characters, creatures, and magic were challenging nothing felt unreasonably overpowered. It's nothing especially deep story wise but it's a genuine easy fun listen and not superficial or dumb.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

adds impact and sense of consequence

Revisado: 04-11-19

Like others have said it takes things from the movie that feel overly sentimental, cheesy, awkward, and uncomfortable and turns them around to feel impactful, consequential, and even enjoyable. The romance between Anakin and Padme actually felt real and made some sense in this.
The book allows a more interesting presentation of the character of Anakin. It's an opportunity to see the character without having it be filtered through the actor's take on him in the movie.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

builds the story out into something more

Revisado: 04-10-19

I hope to read more by Matthew Stover after this. He adds detail and perspective and nuance that builds out the story into something that feels like what the movie was trying to be but fell short of.

He adds perspective from characters like Master Windu that gives a lot more emotional depth to plot points and makes the story much more impactful. The writing is not just strong but even haunting and beautiful in parts. Jonathan Davis once again does a great job bringing it all to life.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

nice little action piece

Revisado: 04-09-19

Another fun Cain story. It's well produced. The sound effects add a lot of atmosphere without overpowering the voices. Overall I prefer "The Devil You Know" but this is worthwhile as well, especially if you know the character already. If you don't I suggest starting with "The Devil You Know" or "Ciaphas Cain: For the Emperor".

I like how Sandy Mitchell writes Cain in such a way that you understand the character's though process and why he is so effective at his job. He is a great reluctant hero type. This story is good but it does end a bit abruptly.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Grim and Glorious.

Revisado: 04-08-19

I came to this after the Eisenhorn books. Ravenor continues the fight! He is an equally (for me sometimes even more) excellent and compelling hero as Eisenhorn. I like how he is incredibly formidable, yet limited at the same time though being forced to survive in a support chair. It gives his staff more of a chance to shine, and creates some unique dynamics that separate this trilogy from the Eisenhorn one in an interesting way.

Ravenor inherited some team members from Eisenhorn so familiar faces are back. There are new members too so it's cool to see the familiar characters within this new ensemble while also appreciating how much fun the new people are. It's not just a rehash of the Eisenhorn books.

Toby Longworth is so super good as a narrator. It's an easy and satisfyingly intense experience to listen to his read of this. I liked the presence of Xenos as well as Chaos elements in the book and the mix of on the ground and ship based action.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 17 personas

the nature of reality

Revisado: 04-08-19

This is an elegant and great little SF/detective story. The nature of reality is a theme and the big idea is if you could create a copy of reality that was so good you wouldn't be able to tell it was a copy if you didn't already know, what does that say about the meaning and substance of people's lives in the copy? Morally how should one act within the copy?

The story and characters are satisfying. The narration adds to that. The ideas are interesting. The various aspects are balanced very well and a lot is achieved for impact and enjoyment within a short amount of time.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Elegant, inviting, relentless

Revisado: 04-08-19

I'm left in awe. Please try it. This was really great. All expectations were exceeded. The story combines power, identity, family, legacy, politics, and loss in very satisfying way. The action scenes were gripping. The characters felt understandable and relatable. The setting feels like a real place. I haven't read a setting this clearly articulated and felt in a long time. There was a ton of atmosphere.

The central concept of a type of jade that bestows heightened abilities on those who wear it was handled in a compelling and intriguingly layered way. Jade isn't just a one dimensional power booster. It can damage just as much or more than it gifts if not handled the right way. There are dangers to wearing it, and inborn senstivity as well as level or lack of training affects one's capacity to use it. It can make people godlike martial artists but also destroy their lives. It's hard to sum up in a quick way but it worked very well as a focal point for character struggles and action sequences and the way it informed the culture of the country the story happens in.

There are a lot of POV character changes from chapter to chapter. It was reminiscent of the Game of Thrones books in that way, but with a smaller cast of characters and everything feels much tighter because POV characters are dealing with connecting situations within one city.

There looks to be a degree of criticism around people not being able to relate to the characters but I never found it a problem. Certain characters are more sympathetic than others of course but even ones harder to connect with are well written and who they are and why they do what they do was very understandable. I could see the switching of perspectives could potentially make it hard to bond with any single character but for me that's subjective to one's taste and not a problem of the book itself. I never found it an issue.

The narrator is trustworthy. He manages the different voices well. There were only a very few times I was unsure who was speaking and it never lasted long. He's easy to listen to and some of the character voices in particular suit who they are for quite well.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

just everything I wanted and more

Revisado: 04-05-19

This proved an unexpectedly good listen. There are distinct and compelling characters both badass and mundane, well developed interesting worlds, intense action sequences, a tone of grimdark moral greyness that adds depth to characters and story instead of just being there for shock value, and a satisfying conclusion.

Eisenhorn is awesome. I love the underdog trope and the unique ways he embodies it. I like how there is a cast of characters in his support team and the dynamics that come with that. The TV show Firefly is often a touchstone comparison for that type of thing. There are very superficial similarities but this book has content and vibe entirely it`s own.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña