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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
This was a massive 'meh' to me. When you use a romance as 90% of a character's motivation to drive the entire main plot of a book, that romance needs to be thoroughly fleshed out and not simply mentioned in passing.
It's also hard to empathize with a spoiled brat who gets his will in the end.
It's also hard to empathize with a spoiled brat who gets his will in the end.
As I am overly fond of saying in reviews, hard sci-fi is almost never my jam. (I’m way more into dragons and wizards than spaceships and space tech.) But Garth Nix gets me on a spiritual level and he fills everything he does with such a hopepunk kind of energy that this space empire story about being born to incredible privilege and learning to love and respect those you’ve been taught are inferior just... really worked for me. This felt a lot like reading The Giver for the first time (and just as bittersweet) but ultimately much more uplifting.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Bottom Line: Fun redemption tale that flips some SF tropes and tells a pretty good story while sneakily examining deeper ideas.
Three word reviews:
Pros – exciting, quick, unpredictable
Cons – indulgent, slight, bratty
This short book by Garth Nix is set in a one-off universe that he crafts well – maybe too well, as the milieu is practically a character. The protagonist is one part hero and one part brat, and that may be attractive to some but I had to suspend some extra disbelief to get past his attitude (which admittedly is part of the point of the story).
I was rooting for the hero by the end though, and his arc was entertaining, surprising, and twisty. This is a good book for a rainy weekend – you can plow through it pretty fast and have a good time doing it. An added bonus is that the story is complete in this book – no waiting for sequels.
ETA: SO MANY NEOLOGISMS.
Three word reviews:
Pros – exciting, quick, unpredictable
Cons – indulgent, slight, bratty
This short book by Garth Nix is set in a one-off universe that he crafts well – maybe too well, as the milieu is practically a character. The protagonist is one part hero and one part brat, and that may be attractive to some but I had to suspend some extra disbelief to get past his attitude (which admittedly is part of the point of the story).
I was rooting for the hero by the end though, and his arc was entertaining, surprising, and twisty. This is a good book for a rainy weekend – you can plow through it pretty fast and have a good time doing it. An added bonus is that the story is complete in this book – no waiting for sequels.
ETA: SO MANY NEOLOGISMS.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Now this is the Nix I was hoping for when I read Mister Monday! Not quite up to Sabriel standards but still a very interesting and well written one-off novel. Khemri is a very interesting character because throughout the novel you get to experience his own evolution from arrogant ass hat to actual person. Though he seeks the fame and status of becoming the ultimate ruler of the universe, he comes to understand that the world(s) is not what he was always led to believe and starts to question his own ambitions. The world Nix created with this story is really very interesting and I hope he ventures there again for another story in the future. You should read it.
I re-read this recently and was again annoyed to discover that this basically the only scifi Garth Nix has ever written :P
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A space opera with some interesting politics and meditation on inheritance. I think Nix is a great writer so I think that if you like space operas, it's worth a try.
It is more than a little YA in that there's a romance that feels unnecessary, but I enjoyed the tech and other stuff going on around it enough to just kind of ignore said romance.
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A space opera with some interesting politics and meditation on inheritance. I think Nix is a great writer so I think that if you like space operas, it's worth a try.
It is more than a little YA in that there's a romance that feels unnecessary, but I enjoyed the tech and other stuff going on around it enough to just kind of ignore said romance.
What a thoroughly enjoyable read. It is a YA novel with a general similarity to Enders Game. I loved the world, the themes, the characters and the wonder. This book makes me feel like a teenager again, it triggers your imagination and really draws you in. I am a big fan of Garth Nix's books and this is a great new installment. He infused the world with a spanning history, a sprawling, polished and powerful empire that is trying hard to hide that it is cracking at the seams. Highly recommended and is a nice break from his Abhorsen novels
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes