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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
adventurous
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The right book at the right time - I needed something entertaining and fun, and this fit the bill. The story was full of action and adventure, and fairly creative; it was just a little predictable at points. Bronson Pinchot gave a terrific vocal performance, and I'll be looking for other books that he has narrated.
Superbly written and delightfully inventive. I particularly enjoyed the unique way magic worked in this world.
I couldn't get into the story because the backstory of the main character and the events happening were hard to follow
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is great, I've only read 2 of Tim Powers' books but I really like his style. Darn shame that he isn't a household name.
Anyway, here and in Declare, Powers portrays a secret history where the historical record is the same as ours (i.e. Blackbeard dies at the same time in the same way) but Powers fills in the gaps in the historical narrative with a fantastical story.
But On Stranger Tides in particular portrays magic as working in the New World (with a really interesting explanation of why magic has disappeared from the Old World) and the Caribbean pirates in particular are using magic to aid and abet their activities. Which is built up to in a cool way because if I'm recalling right, magic is introduced by two guys basically making themselves bulletproof and it's gradually explained through the novel how the magic actually works. And I like how we're left to piece together what's actually happened based on later revelations.
And, side note, Jack Shandy is a legend. By the end of the novel, I think he's been awake for 3 days straight, lost a crap ton of blood and been running through sword fights and gun battles that whole time. What a boss.
Anyway, here and in Declare, Powers portrays a secret history where the historical record is the same as ours (i.e. Blackbeard dies at the same time in the same way) but Powers fills in the gaps in the historical narrative with a fantastical story.
But On Stranger Tides in particular portrays magic as working in the New World (with a really interesting explanation of why magic has disappeared from the Old World) and the Caribbean pirates in particular are using magic to aid and abet their activities. Which is built up to in a cool way because if I'm recalling right, magic is introduced by two guys basically making themselves bulletproof and it's gradually explained through the novel how the magic actually works. And I like how we're left to piece together what's actually happened based on later revelations.
And, side note, Jack Shandy is a legend. By the end of the novel, I think he's been awake for 3 days straight, lost a crap ton of blood and been running through sword fights and gun battles that whole time. What a boss.
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I absolutely LOVED this novel. My Fiancé was listening to it and I heard an excerpt on a car-ride, then quickly demanded he restart so I could hear the whole story. I have never heard of Tim Powers, but am subsequently placing a few of his novels in my “to read” list for how exquisitely this story was written. The characters had such depth, the imagery is rich, and the story was ever-surprising. The only negatives I have are such: Beth Herwood was basically worthless, and the story resolution felt very sudden. In fact, the resolution took place in the epilogue, lending to the speed with which the story wrapped. I could have easily read several more chapters of development for a satisfying finale. However, the story is just so compelling, I still give it the above score.