Grace Ausley

Another hit from Okorafor!

Revisado: 02-05-21

I love Nnedi Okorafor. I discovered her with “Binti” and this one is just as fresh and engrossing. It’s quite unlike anything I’ve read before and just draws you into her world. She has an masterful narrative voice and a writing style that miraculously makes you really feel part of the life of a young African girl from a small village who comes across strange alien powers.

What really makes this story shine is the narration. Adjoa Andoh’s performance is masterful, lending voice and emotion to the character in a way that is music to the ears. I would put her in my top ten narrators I’ve heard. I highly recommend this short tale as well as all of Nnedi Okorafor’s work!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 6 personas

One of my All-Time Favorite Sci-Fi Novels

Revisado: 03-30-18

This was actually my first audiobook listen ever, and I was enthralled by the story, the writing and by John Lee's narration. It is also my favorite book by Alastair Reynolds, and one I can hardly even believe is a standalone novel. This could have been a trilogy in itself, the universe is so deep and complex, the characters so fascinating, and the technology and scope so advanced. I would love to see sequels to this book or an entire spinoff series from it. Highly recommended.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 4 personas

Some Good, Some Not So Much

Revisado: 03-30-18

Some authors excel at long form stories and some are best in the short story. A few are great at both. Hugh Howey is interesting because most of his books are comparatively short, and even his most famous work (Wool) was published as a series of novellas.

This series of short works covers most of Howey’s short stories collected in one place, and as you may expect, it’s hit or miss. There are some good ones and some that miss the mark, and a few new Wool stories too. None are overly long.

While not one for the annals of Howey’s best works, it should appeal to his fans and fans of his other series.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 7 personas

A Short Classic

Revisado: 03-30-18

Considering all the similar work that has been produced over the last few decades, this book certainly feels ahead of its time. It’s easy to see how it was the inspiration for some big movies that it was based off of. In a lot of ways the book is probably better than the films. But it is still a very bleak story and outlook on life. This book focuses a lot more on what’s happening to the main character internally, his psychology and what it would be like to be the last person alive on earth. While it certainly does not break any new ground especially by today’s standards, it’s still hunting expedition that holds up to time fairly well.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Great Intro to the Witcher

Revisado: 03-30-18

A collection of short stories about Geralt, all loosely tied together though I’m not sure if they are in chronological order. None of the short stories are particularly memorable or noteworthy, although we do learn quite a bit more about some of the main characters and more details about the world. I read these first because I saw it had been recommended to read before getting into the main series. I have a feeling that this book is not really necessary to read in the context of the whole series, but is mainly just filler material. I’m looking forward to getting into the main series after this.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Tired of this series.

Revisado: 03-30-18

Some of these episodic style stories about Royce and Hadrian have been fairly enjoyable, but this one falls flat. Feeling like a Halloween special, while pushing a modern day issue as one of the chief themes, and it has all the drawbacks of some of the authors other works, including an almost popcorn horror style of characters doing incomprehensible things simply to advance a lackluster story. I think that I’m done after this.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Not what I expected.

Revisado: 03-30-18

I think what surprises me most about this series is that it isn’t your run of the mill media tie in, full of swords and sorcery. That’s probably because the books came first, before the games and other media. So don’t going to the series expecting as much action as you get in the games. Therefore as a high fantasy book, this is just average. This is a much slower paced book, with a lot of sections that seem to drag and involve tertiary characters. There also isn’t nearly as much action as you might expect. Like the last book, this one feels like simply another episode in a much larger story, without any real closure. So just be aware of that, since you’ll probably have to read the entire series in order to finish the tale.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 13 personas

Part of a much larger story

Revisado: 03-30-18

To me this book was kind of average. It gives a good opening to the characters and setting the overall story themes, but it starts to drag in some places and also jumps around between some minor character POVs, and in general feels like a longer version of one of the short stories in the series. Also, it doesn’t really have any closure; it just ends as though on another chapter break and just runs right into the next book. I hope they pick up in intensity after this.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Solid, Original and Riveting

Revisado: 03-30-18

This is a solid 3 1/2 stars rounded up, military style fantasy novel that is very character focused. My second standalone novel from the author, this is another solid book that demonstrates a strong understanding of character.

Guns of the Dawn demonstrates the horror of war for the sake of a ruler or a nation’s pride, and how often misinformation controls the conflict and how a misled people can fanatically follow a cause simply out of sheer willful belief. It strongly demonstrates the evil that one person can cause when an entire people follow them blindly, and the injustice that can come from such a following.

The main characters felt very real and fleshed out, and the author did a great job of depicting the female POV in my opinion, making the main character a warrior without losing their femininity. The ending is definitely not your typical heroic fantasy fare, yet feels very satisfying.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 6 personas

Didn't live up to the first book

Revisado: 03-30-18

2.5 stars rounded up. This book was a jumbled mess, jumping all over the place. It wasn’t so much a sophomore slump as it was just too much happening. Each of the four main characters is following their own arc, with so much going on, there isn’t much time to really digest what is going on in this world. Threats come and go, enemies are dealt with, and people are jumping around all over the place.

I lost count how many times the main characters are captured or knocked unconscious. It seems like every other chapter someone either gets knocked out or passes out, meanwhile the author’s favorite phrase seems to be “shaking his/her head to clear it”. Do people even do that in real life?

A lot of this book is spent rediscovering Caden’s memories, although this gets old after a while. Is also really confusing, and by the end of the book I don’t have a clue who is on the right side, what anyone’s plans are, and in general I kind of dislike everyone because they aren’t very good people.

Considering how long it took this book to come out, I would expect it to have been a little more heavily edited in terms of keeping a cohesive plot together.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña