Michelle @ In Libris Veritas

Enjoyable

Revisado: 04-25-22

3.5 Stars

This was such a fantastic ending, though a bit unexpected in more than a few places. I do feel like there was a bit too much in a single book, and felt my attention wavering about mid-way but I'm glad I finally go around to finishing the series.

The narrator did a fantastic job given the number of characters, but also Hvam generally always hits it out of the park.

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Willing to Give the Series a Try

Revisado: 03-07-22

As I have not read any part of this series aside from this, my review is based on that lack of knowledge.
It's a fairly standard plot in terms of characters, with some really interesting world-building at play that makes me curious enough to continue the series. I enjoyed the writing style well enough, and the audio version has a good narrator. I just think the downfall is how short this is and how it doesn't give a ton of time to truly get to know the characters involved.

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And Okay Listen

Revisado: 03-05-22

I started this for the book club before I knew about the situation regarding Bradley, and I was only a 3rd of the way in when I did find out. It honestly highlighted some of the more troubling aspects of this.

I appreciated the feminist look at Arthurian legend and the way she chooses to weave in (her version of) druidism in with Christianity's growing presence. It gave me plenty to think about, but I honestly have very little to say about it as a whole. Enjoyable in areas, a slog in others...and very uncomfortable in more than a few. The narration of the audio is fantastic however, and I really enjoyed Davina's protrayal of the characters.

I recommend looking up all the content warnings for this one, for they are numerous.

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Another Fantastic Read

Revisado: 03-05-22

This series is so much fun, I'm still irritated at myself for not attempting to get to it back when they were still new. The humor and sass alone keep me wanting to come back to it, add in all of the awesome myths and the inventive ways they appear and it's just pure magic.

The audios for these have been awesome as well, and I really dig how much the narrator gets into it. I'm a little worried about the next book as I think there is a narrator change, but hopefully, it's still an easy listen.

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Fantastic script and acting

Revisado: 03-05-22

I wouldn't call myself a fan of the Alien series though I do enjoy them, so this is a bit of an odd choice for me but the full cast and promise of fantastic quality pulled me in. I have to say it was pretty fantastic. It's a well-scripted piece with really quality voice actors, sound effects, and pacing...and honestly made me want to revisit the movies.

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Such an Imaginative Ride

Revisado: 08-10-20

What a bizarre read, and one that I don't think I can properly summarize without some level of confusion either by me or for you. However, I do think this will be a book that on some level is going to be a hard sell for most. It's not a bad read, it's just...confusing in an odd way that makes sense once you understand the shape of it but it's hard to really see that shape until you've made your way into the meat of the story itself. It reads a bit like a children's fable, fittingly like a slightly more logical Wizard of Oz and Wonderland, and like those stories, there is an edge to it that makes it something else entirely.
I seriously love the ideas that were at play here, and I love the complicated way that McGuire chose to express those ideas. It does make it hard to approach, hard to sink into, but the end result is something that stands out as completely unique. The only book I can think of that has some grain of similarity in terms of actual storyline and scope is The Library at Mount Char.

I'm definitely curious to see where this story leads us, and what more McGuire has to share about this version of our world she has given us.

Notes on the audiobook: Overall I wasn't entirely fond of Benson's choices in terms of individual voices, especially when it came to Reed and Leigh. Even at the speeds I normally listen to 2.5x or 3x, those two voices were still incredibly odd on the ears. Other that than I found the narration decent, with good pacing.

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A Perfect Companion to the Game

Revisado: 12-08-18

Nexus Uprising serves as a prequel to the video game Mass Effect: Andromeda, taking us to the time before your character, Ryder, arrives in the ark to find the space station badly damaged and behind schedule. We get a glimpse into what exactly happened to the people aboard and why there is so much for you to "clean" up when you get there. There may be some spoilers for the game in the following review, I will not mention any major plot points, however, some characters' and events within the book directly lead to plot points in the game. 

Right off the bat, I was intrigued with Nexus Uprising. I am a Bioware fangirl and I adore Mass Effect, however, the real draw for me was the fact that we'd be getting a chance to see Sloane Kelly BEFORE she becomes who she is within the game. The story itself spans several different characters, giving you a lot of insight into each one of them and their motivations. I think this is a pretty successful prequel novel. While it doesn't feel fundamental to the storyline, because you can piece together some of this with the in-game dialogue and 'lore', it does feel like I gain a lot of new information that broadens the overall story's scope. The story is slow to build and we get to see the Nexus the moment the first pods open, where the trouble begins immediately and people not prepared to lead are thrust forward to make decisions.

While playing the game I had mixed feelings about pretty much everyone in this book excluding a few (Kesh - Love, Tann- HATE, Spender - HATE), but Nexus Uprising really fleshes out how they became the people we interacted with. I appreciated getting to know more about Sloane, who is painted as a badass but dangerous person in the game. She is still a badass and more than a little dangerous if need be in NU, but she has a focus on getting things done the correct way. I love a woman who can talk her way out of a problem but can also punch her way out when she has to. Tann is still the same little spineless twerp we all get subjected to in the game, but we see his appointment to the director and his turning points along the way. Addison is the one that doesn't seem to get a lot of character arc development, she does grow more spine throughout everything but she remains the same, which isn't to say she's a bland character more that her inevitable strength and determination to see things to the end is something that develops early on in the story.

I was extremely frustrated in the game when I found out about the rebellion and the consequential divide between the crew, and while that frustration hasn't gone away I do understand why it occurred. A new galaxy fraught with unexpected issues and the danger of their own home failing them, it pushes people to limits that hadn't previously expected to see. On top of the issues, we also have old scars that still linger even after 600 light years are placed between them and it's origin. We have classism and inherent racism that most try to overcome in some way, though more than few fail. It kind of makes you all wonder, just what the hell all these people were thinking when they signed up to leave the Milky Way and head to Andromeda.

A small note on the audiobook, it is read by Fryda Wolff who provides the voice for the female Ryder in the game. She really does an excellent job with the range of voices and really taps into each of the races little mannerisms really well.

Overall I think that if you enjoyed the game, then this is one to check out for sure! It provides some much-needed context for the situations surrounding Tann, Spender, Clan Nakmor, and Sloane, and really solidifies what makes the ME series so strong; the relationships built between allies and enemies.

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A New Favorite

Revisado: 10-22-18

Have you ever read a book and when you finished it you find yourself just sitting there staring at the back of the book with a goofy smile on your face? That was how Contact concluded for me. A sense of awe, wonder, and utmost appreciation.

Contact is a book that proudly dances on and across the line between logical science and brilliant wonder. It’s both realistic and hopelessly optimist about the vastness of our universe and I need that in my life as often as possible. Contact is at its heart a first contact story, that centers around a woman named Ellie as the Earth finds itself on the receiving end of radio waves from another star system. However, it actually presents a lot more than that. We get glimpses at science vs religions and how there is a possible marriage between the two, and even how when separate they can evoke the same feelings. We see detailed looks at human relationships and how we can be so busy focusing on the ‘big picture’ that we tend to forget the here and now, and how we miss out on things important to us if we don’t take a step back now and then. It holds a scope so massive and yet it spends a good deal of time showing those small important moments that really make a person. The science part of this can be dense and dry, but I honestly have a love of science so I didn’t mind it at all. I thought it was pretty fascinating. However, I think even if someone kind of zoned out during those moments the story would not be lost on you.

The plot of this was quite surprising to me. I went in somewhat blind, as I haven’t seen the movie or even looked at reviews, and I am so thankful for that. It’s such an unconventionally beautiful book. Sure it’s dry and can be very dense in areas, but it kind of wormed its way into a portion of mind devoted to childlike wonder for space. I don’t necessarily think this is an easy read, and I had to listening to the audiobook while following along in my print copy just to make sure I was processing it. It certainly has its issues, but this is one of those cases where it just pressed all the right buttons for me. The first contact storyline was compelling and interesting, full of detail and reflection, and the look at Ellie’s personal life and thoughts brought so much more to table.

Overall I think this is one to try out if you are a fellow sci-fi nerd. I do recommend trying it out first, perhaps through the library or a sample before committing to it fully.

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A Complex Sci-Fi Mystery

Revisado: 10-22-18

Ten Thousand Thunders is a complex sci-fi mystery with plenty of intrigue and action, and more than a few intensely cool ideas.

I do not find myself venturing into hard sci-fi territory often, as much as I love the genre I have my limits in terms of attention span. Thunders tested those limits quite a bit. I really enjoyed most of the set up that Trent gave us, with a very intriguing ‘solution’ to the problem of mortality. I love the idea of an ‘extra life’ where you get a second chance (or third, or fourth) to live with a new body altogether. The history of Earth, Luna, and Mars was also quite interesting and I liked seeing how things had developed and changed, even if some of it was a bit quirky. We were even treated to quite a bit of action, some intrigue, and some badass ladies to boot. The style of the book, however, is what solidified this as a 3 star read for me. It has a very cut and dry style that makes it harder to digest and for me harder to focus on. All of those really cool ideas were kind of lost in the very matter of fact way it was presented, and I had to take more breaks than I normally do with it. Much of the world building is presented very quickly, along with a whole host of characters, and with multiple story threads to follow. It can be quite overwhelming at first, but as the story moves forward and the stories start to merge a bit it becomes much easier to handle and much more enjoyable.

Our main character is Gethan, who has had a rather long and interesting life. He works as an investigator and as a result ended up dying in an explosion while on a case. He’s certainly quick-witted but found him rather bland overall. He is very much a main focal point but I often found myself more intrigued with those around him. We do get chapters that also focus on a wide range of other people, and while this is initially confusing by the end of the book I found myself sad to see some of them go. Celeste and Keiko were definitely a highlight for me, but I think my favorite character was certainly Jonas, a young boy who finds himself tangled up in the web of schemes. Where the other characters had moments where they would be lost in the ongoings of the story, Jonas stood out and felt fully realized everytime he appeared.

While the story can be very dense I really liked the overall storyline, I just wish it had been a bit easier to digest and paced a little better in terms of information output. There are a ton of strong ideas to be had in this, but at a lower page count, it often felt like too much in conjunction with everything else. I, however, would be interested in seeing more from this author in the future as he definitely has some really intense ideas that are worth reading.

If you enjoy sci-fi and are not scared off by denser reading material, then this one is definitely one to check out! There is a fair bit of violence and some mature content as well, for those who might wish to shy away from such things.

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An Excellent Follow Up

Revisado: 08-29-18

Spoiler Warning for book one! This review may have spoilers for the first book, Ink and Bone, if you are interested in starting the series I recommend checking out my review of that book instead.

At the end of Ink and Bone, we find Jess and his friends more awake to the harsh reality of the Great Library. Jess has been a sheep amongst wolves since day one, but now things have gotten worse but he finds himself with unexpected allies.

Ink and Bone focus on the group training to become Librarians, but Paper and Fire we see them in the roles assigned to them and thrown into a situation where they are trying desperately to find a way to save one of their close friends. It’s a high stakes story where it definitely seems like a cat and mouse game played by the Library and Jess. It’s incredible to see a world where books play such a large part in the power balance, but it’s chilling to see how far people are willing to go to maintain the heavier side of that balance. It can be nightmare fuel for those of us who love books and basically worship the idea of being able to share all knowledge with each other. I do love the unlying theme of hope however when it comes to the Library and the fact that this doesn’t seem to be the typical ‘destroy the government and start over’ kind of story. Many of the characters still see the good of the Library and hope to change it from the inside outward, and while we don’t see much of that story angle other than the desire for it I do really hope we get to see some of that in later books.

Jess continues to be a fantastic lead to follow, and I enjoy seeing his wit and charm as he navigates something almost impossibly large. In the first book we see him struggle against growing too close with anyone in the group of postulates, but in this one we see those relationships form up even tighter and that he grows to consider them family. His relationship with Morgan, especially after the end of Ink and Bone, is an interesting one as he feels (and is) responsible for her current predicament and their struggles to find a place of trust. I love that their relationship isn’t perfect and has small little fractures that they have to figure out if they are willing to fix or shatter completely. We also get to see him form a friendship with Glain, who in the previous book seemed to isolate herself away from Jess and now they are forced to work closely together. She is a badass, pure and simple. She’s loyal and willing to face any danger to protect her friends and charges. I love that while she has a very strict sense of duty, she isn’t unwilling to open her eyes to the horrors of the Library.

If you are considering the audios for the series I whole-heartedly encourage you to check them out. Julian Eiffier is the narrator and he does such an excellent job of presenting the story. I think I much prefer the audio experience than simply reading it, so I will most likely grab book three as an audio as well.

This turned out to be an excellent continuation of the series, and I can’t wait to dive into the third installment. It has such a wonderful mix of historical and fantasy elements that it doesn’t feel too heavy on either, while still feeling fresh and unique. It’s definitely a series to check out if you already haven’t.

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