Jared Ainsworth

Delightful, Start to Finish!

Revisado: 04-28-25

Fantastic, fun, and sincerely heartwarming! It's an excellent performance, and some of the best use of music and SFX I've seen in dramatized version so far.

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War of the Worlds + Zombie Survival Guide in a Scaly Trenchcoat

Revisado: 04-08-25

Is it terribly original? Eh.
Is it deep? The acting is powerful and evocative and the narrative is tightly wound, but as great as the character writing is, the core premise of draconic devastation isn't actually explored as much you'd think it'd be (probably because of the short length).
But this production oozes passion, and the love for the genre and dragons shines like a beacon! So if you love disaster fiction, giant lizards, and the title of this review tickles you as much as it does me, you're going to have a great time!

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The Best Post-War Halo Book

Revisado: 12-10-24

It's smart and engaging, and leaves me wanting more of this fractured, Cold-War era of the setting where the chickens this franchise was built on finally come home to roost.
Travis did an excellent job deepening the setting and paving the way for 343 Industries, it's just a shame they fumbled the ball when she gave them such an excellent board to spring from!

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Starts Strong, Fizzles Out...

Revisado: 11-29-24

I adored this book for about 70% of it's run-time. The narrator still has an incredible voice, even if a few characters have awkward delivery. Some of the battles are bloated, but this book has the strongest body of the trilogy, and I love that we finally get to see the love and warmth that drives these hard men and women to struggle and survive. There's a lot of richly emotional writing, and it doesn't get undercut by grimdark cynicism.

But man, you can tell Mr. Gwynne was tired by the end. The final act is a sprint to the finish line, with sloppy resolutions and barely any time given to the state of the world, the new paradigms at play, or to unpack several loose threads left dangling. I was debating returning the book for a refund, but hearing the terrible struggle the author pushed through to make this gave me a fresh appreciation for the piece.

I'm terribly sorry for your loss Mr. Gwynne. I really enjoyed the series overall, and I'm so happy to hear you got the support you deserved.

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Beautifully, Wonderfully Human

Revisado: 10-11-24

Pargin's deep understanding of the human condition has shone through his work since the Cracked days, and this book is the ultimate expression of that. It can be dark and cynical, but also empathetic and optimistic, it captures the breadth and depth of mankind in the digital age better than most media.

I firmly believe this book and the Zoey Ashe series should be required reading for people growing up in the internet age. I came away richer for the experience, and I can't praise it highly enough!

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Excellent World, Characters, Pacing, and Politics!

Revisado: 06-22-24

Firstly, this isn't Fourth Wing. Fourth Wing is for readers who don't engage with media beyond the words in front of their noses.

This story has a soul, it has thought, and care, and research, and questions to dissect. Besides a few minor issues with the military structure and schizo-tech, the world makes sense. The characters care about their place in their society, rich relationships are formed between multiple people, and a compelling tale and stirring questions unfold at a good pace.

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Solidly Written, but Felt Hollow

Revisado: 06-10-24

There's a lot to love here. The drama and character writing were as rich as ever, and the pacing had the steady, powerful buildup of a boulder gaining speed downhill.
But much of it felt empty. The Heroes fight boring, generically evil goons that die by the thousands. The enemy's schemes are powerless before the might of plot armor. The most impactful loss the good guys suffer as they race to save the world from an (allegedly) grave threat is a horse.
It's not bad by any stretch though, and if you've made it this far, you're gonna finish. This trilogy started to loose it's punch by the
end of the last book, and compared to Tamas's struggle, it's toothless.

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Solid, but Somewhat Troubling

Revisado: 05-09-24

The book is amazing, and the quality is still at a level most authors cant maintain over two books, let alone 5. The intrigue, world building, and character writing are sharp as ever, and I loved it!

I have two main issues however:

First, the pitched battles feel like afterthoughts. Our heroes are so utterly, overwhelmingly powerful and their opponents so doddering and stupid that I feel nothing during combat. Lone mages can cut down whole armies without consequence, disorganized and outnumbered calvary can sweep their enemies away like paper, elite assassins are tossed like toys, and like the last series, the only tactic the bad guys have is "crush them with bodies".

Second is the use of blood magic. (Mild Spoilers) Manipulating others is characterized as a deeply horrific violation, literally likened to r*pe by one character. But our supposed heroes use it without a thought, and without the weight I think something like that deserves. Maybe I'm being too sensitive, but that bothered me.

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A Uniquely Solid War Story

Revisado: 04-13-24

It's a very good read, with strong pacing, charming characters, and a fantastic non-human perspective. But what really grabbed me was it's focus on the aspects of war that take place away from the field. I've deployed twice, and seeing a story effortlessly capture the stress, growth, and comradery that takes place during the 99.9% of time you spend not fighting was something I didn't know I needed. This isn't the deepest story on my shelf, but I absolutely adore it!

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Great Story, but a Little Contrived

Revisado: 02-19-24

This books is excellent, hands-down. The pacing is fantastic, the characters are excellently realized with a combination of colorful writing and pitch-perfect voice acting, and the way the plots unravel keep you engaged. There are some silly beats that don't feel quite right, but this is a great tale!

My biggest issue is actually the climax. A mysterious foreign enemy replete with sorcery, berserkers, and infiltrators gets turned to an "Alien Bug Army".
You know the one.
Where a hoard of worthless mooks zerg-rush until the heroes take out their Queen/Nexus/Mothership/Whateever?

it made the final act feel dull, but the story around it was still well worth the price of admission!

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