Samuel Hudnet

Wind and Therapy

Revisado: 01-11-25

The plot developments, additional backstory, and voice acting were excellent as always. The conclusion to this arc was particularly satisfying as most things including wondering how things got this way were tied up amazingly!

But even more than in previous books it felt like Brandon used POV character thoughts to air different sexual identities and mental or physical conditions rather than using a character with those aspects in a way that serves the greater narrative and enhances the story.

My sons have autism and I have suffered from depression and I find Brandon very good at being sensitive to those perspectives in a way that is helpful for the average person to tap into them, but it often seemed so forced. With Rysn it was engaging in how much her disability shaped the plot of Dawnshard. But this time I came to dread some POV's because they had more distraction than parts of the story.

And it seemed like the ultimate solution to every problem was just "be yourself" or to be heard by our budding super-therapist. CBT and other types of therapy are extremely helpful to a range of problems, but this seemed so suggest that self-expression or being heard can solve everything, which is a far cry from therapy at its best.

It is inspiring seeing broken people mended throughout this book, but it felt a bit like Deus ex therapy as a plot device.

I'll still be reading more and the plot was 10/10, but I'd say 7.5/10 overall.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Excellent Perspective

Revisado: 07-28-24

The content of this book offers fresh insight for anyone reading the New Testament, with a focus on the teachings of Jesus.

It is clearly well researched and the author is himself immersed in the culture of the Middle East such that he is able to spot where Western interpretation of the Bible is simply wrong due to a lack of what would have been common knowledge of those who lived in Jesus' day in the region in which he taught.

The author not only catches things lost in translation, but those lost across cultures and time. With great clarity and insight he recovers some of what was lost to Western Christians following the separation of Eastern and Western churches so many years ago.

This book is for you if you have any interest in the Bible. If you are a teacher in the church this is especially for you.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

A Mutually Beneficial Conclusion

Revisado: 04-24-24

This was a great series! I work in marketing and am a fantasy fan, making me an excellent fit for the target audience of this tale, but seriously it’s great humor and a much more fantastical ending than I expected - really great stuff.

It manages to poke fun at modern economics in a way that remains hopeful rather than cynical, which is a rarity among fantasies that touch on modern politics and such these days. I stuck with this series for the great humor, but it delivers both a thought provoking development of moral reasoning of the sort Lewis and Tolkien did (a classic fantasy with real lessons to learn) and an engaging plot. I certainly got more than I bargained for!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

The Stage is Set

Revisado: 04-18-24

At first I wasn’t drawn in, but now after finishing I’m excited for this new arc of greatcoats stories!

I’ll say this is definitely a heavier title of De Castell’s due to the setting in a society full of vice, corruption, and death. The MC, who’s a bit weak willed then irritatingly bold at the worst moments, didn’t have enough humor to offset the gloom fully, but the level of honor and camaraderie among the characters does cast back the gloom.

One thing this story has plenty of is intrigue, making it into something of a grimdark fantasy. While you will find some use of magic it isn’t that overt until the end, and only with a price.

If you find the start tedious, stick with it as the story gets very good!

Joe Jameson is excellent as usual - my complaint being that some of the voices are hard to distinguish from each other.

All in all a solid read, but if this is your first greatcoats story then go start with the first series rather than here, as there are references you won’t be able to pick up otherwise!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Distracting Calvinist Theology

Revisado: 12-01-23

John Piper is a brilliant theologian and writer and I loved his thesis in this book — Yet as he goes through each of the three people in which he explores his thesis roughly half of it took the form of a lecture on Calvinist theology rather than an exploration of the themes he set out to cover. It was, at best, distracting from the actual exploration of the beauty and rightness of eloquent and imaginative expression of spiritual truths and at worst came across as a bit heavy-handed.

Even as someone who shares much of the same theology as Piper, though admittedly not all, it seemed to detract from the focus of the book. Still an interesting read if nothing else to see the lives of these three great Christian heroes from the perspective of their forms of expression, but not Piper’s best work.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Solid Finish - Less Ideology & More Story

Revisado: 11-28-23

Very satisfying finish to the series with some solid plot development, less use of thought monologues to convey ideology in ways that didn’t add to the story (tho still some), and even some new facets revealed about the Skyward universe.

The plot shifts to revolve significantly around Braid, which gave some interesting character development and created interesting perspective shifts as the story progressed. Sanderson also answered more but not all of the big questions about the universe, even teasing a few new loose ends to get wrapped up in the forthcoming Skyward Legacy series.

Narration was excellent as usual, but with some of the character’s voices sounding a bit too similar for me to distinguish easily.

Overall worth the read/listen both as a book and a series, though get ready for some YA style gender and emotional processing oriented MC monologuing (esp. in the middle books).

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Like the Original Trilogy (or better)

Revisado: 10-26-23

With a reduced scope of POV characters focusing primarily on Darrow and Lysander’s narratives, Pierce Brown managed to recapture much of the thrill, excitement, and wonder from the original trilogy.

If you’re like me and found books 4 & 5 a bit hard to get through, definitely give this one a chance. No more ponderous development through too many narratives or short bursts of action with little seeming development between. Light Bringer recaptures all the good points of the original trilogy and then some, with the added POV’s enhancing the story as you get both sides of the central conflict this time.

10/10 would recommend

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Thrilling Story, Ending Felt Rushed

Revisado: 09-26-23

While this was an excellent novel and I'd 10/10 recommend reading the whole series to anyone who enjoys fantasy, the pacing of the plot felt a bit rushed towards the end.

Around the 2 hours to the end mark it was clear where things were going for their conclusion, and the ending did end up tying everything together in a wonderful twist. But the end felt abrupt given this was the end to a trilogy with a large amount of backstory and multiple plot threads. There was nothing like an epilogue and the final duel, as it were, felt less developed than the conflict in the opening chapter of the book. Still finish the series if you've read the first two novels!

John Lee was excellent, but with a slightly more limited variety of voices than other narrators that makes it difficult to differentiate minor characters.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

So many questions answered

Revisado: 08-25-23

This is the book that ties three series' together. It was a great story on its own - great characters, suspense, humor, and a peak into the fantasy world we've come to know from a new angle. But the real thrill was in so many references to previous titles that come both before and after it in the timeline.

This book is like the fulcrum of all the interconnected plots and that makes it a must read if you've gotten this far. If you've read Michael J. Sullivan's other titles then please don't pass this one up. If you've only read this particular series then it's still a great read, but please come back to re-read it after you finish more of his other works, as it will make this one really come alive.

And Tim Gerald Reynolds did an excellent job on the narration as usual, including matching voices for characters that tie the various series' together. Awesome consistency given the many years' gap since some of the earlier titles.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Well-rounded view of MBTI

Revisado: 08-12-23

While the history Ellen Archer discloses does rightly cast doubt on the validity of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, she is also careful to point out positive features of it as well.

For someone whose stated opinion from the start of the book was to discredit and expose dangers of the MBTI, the pains to which she goes to point out counter points are helpful in really understanding the strengths as well as shortcomings of the MBTI. Given that it's likely to stick around to some extent whether we like it or not, this understanding of the inherent limits as well as the potential benefits and intent of MBTI is the real takeaway for me, though the history itself was definitely interesting.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña