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hank's review against another edition
3.0
Meh. I wasn't in love with this one. Good but it felt flatter than the first. Second book in the series, moved the story forward but without much cool factor. Will read the third but somewhat less excited and I won't grab it right away in hopes a break will make it more cool when I pick it up.
shesagift's review against another edition
5.0
I had to start this as soon as I finished book 1, and dare I say it, book 2 could very well be better than book 1. A Better World digs deeper in the world of the Brilliance Saga. We get the perspective of Nick Cooper, and Shannon, and Natalie, and the President, Owen Leahy, and Ethan Park (am I missing any?), all of whom end up playing important roles in the overall plot of the book. Sakey took a brilliant premise and has turned it into a masterwork of suspense, action, and political intrigue. I am on the edge of my seat to find out what will happen in book 3.
posie's review against another edition
4.0
Liked this one better than the 1st book because I t had more action. Still could use more character development, but I just settled in and enjoyed it for what it is.
reneesmith's review against another edition
4.0
Action-packed story. A new young family, in which the father is key to the saving of the world, introduced. A long-awaited reunion of some sweet characters & freeing of Brilliant children. The main character is now in a love triangle besides trying to save the USA & the world for his kids. Enjoyable! (Some strong language.)
Kindle Unlimited, Read & Listen
Kindle Unlimited, Read & Listen
cortjstr's review against another edition
2.0
I didn't enjoy this nearly as much as the first book in the series. It sort of reminded me of Dune where the first book introduces a complex but corrupt world then finishes with a sea change and the next book focuses on the aftermath of that change. I've always felt most readers are happier stopping after the first book. Yes, a big event like that would have complex repercussions but that just doesn't interest me as much, I guess.
I might read the third just to see what happens but will likely only do so if it's in the Prime Lending Library.
I might read the third just to see what happens but will likely only do so if it's in the Prime Lending Library.
zimb0's review against another edition
4.0
A substantial improvement over the first novel, where the first novel centered on a single character, it's disjointed and trope-lain narrative is radically better with multiple points of perspective. A mystery and action film rolled in one, it does what the likes of 24 does in that no one is actually safe and the dangling bits of "the shit could hit the fan" truly do come to fruition, as opposed to a "just in the nick of time" save.
rick_k's review against another edition
3.0
A Better World picks up right where [b:Brilliance|17171909|Brilliance (Brilliance Saga, #1)|Marcus Sakey|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1372505433s/17171909.jpg|23599367] left off, but doesn't stand alone as a novel. Too much of the book is directly recounting specific scenes from the first book, not just re-establishing the world building, characters and relationships, but leaning on the previous book. None of the characters develop a meaningful arc, just continue to be the people we assumed them to be. Some plot points are revealed and agendas and alliance set, but A Better World is just a bridge and preamble to larger story. I still like these characters and this world, so will be on board for the next chapter, but the leash did shorten just a bit.
barlinsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Note: I received an advance copy of this novel from NetGalley.
In A Better World, Marcus Sakey continues to explore the characters and situation we came to know and love in his excellent 2013 novel Brilliance. The book picks up immediately where Brilliance left off, in an altered version of our current world. In 1980, 1% of the population started showing signs of abnormal characteristics, or “brilliance”. These are primarily mental abilities –- enhanced perception, advanced pattern recognition, etc. – and the powers create a rift in society between “norms” and “abnorms”. The abnorms (those with powers) have a distinct advantage: will they use it for good or evil?
My expectations were high for this follow-up. Brilliance was one of my favorite books of 2013, and the one I most consistently recommended to friends since it wasn’t typically found on many “best of” lists. The plot of Brilliance was excellent, the action sequences expertly written, and the characters well developed. A Better World has many of the same characteristics, but not at quite the same level of excellence. Where Brilliance barrels along, continuously picking up steam all the way through a thrilling climax, I was a good portion of the way through A Better World before I felt like it was finally finding its way. There are moments of, well…brilliance, but this book feels like more of a bridge to the third book in the series. Sakey had to set up the rest of the story, and unfortunately that took a long time, to A Better World’s detriment.
Brilliance focused on Nick Cooper and his “Sean Archer vs. Castor Troy” style battle with John Smith, and while Cooper is still a focus, Sakey introduces additional characters, most notably a scientist named Ethan Park. Despite being a central figure, we don’t know why we should care about Park until well into the novel, other than he’s a caring husband and father of a young baby. Combine this with Cooper being somewhat in limbo after the events of Brilliance, and I spent most of the novel waiting for these characters to find their way.
Overall, I enjoyed A Better World…just not as much as Brilliance. It was a fun return to a set of characters I truly like, and good further exploration of an interesting moral dilemma (how would our current society deal with something like the rise of brilliants?). Some reviewers have noted that you don’t need to have read Brilliance to enjoy this novel, and while I agree with that on the surface (Sakey quickly fills in the basic plot points from Brilliance), I would certainly recommend reading Brilliance first. Besides it being a superior novel, the character development and more thorough backstory allow the reader to be more fully immersed in A Better World. I’d recommend A Better World, but temper your expectations; while it shows a few flashes of brilliance, Brilliance it is not.
In A Better World, Marcus Sakey continues to explore the characters and situation we came to know and love in his excellent 2013 novel Brilliance. The book picks up immediately where Brilliance left off, in an altered version of our current world. In 1980, 1% of the population started showing signs of abnormal characteristics, or “brilliance”. These are primarily mental abilities –- enhanced perception, advanced pattern recognition, etc. – and the powers create a rift in society between “norms” and “abnorms”. The abnorms (those with powers) have a distinct advantage: will they use it for good or evil?
My expectations were high for this follow-up. Brilliance was one of my favorite books of 2013, and the one I most consistently recommended to friends since it wasn’t typically found on many “best of” lists. The plot of Brilliance was excellent, the action sequences expertly written, and the characters well developed. A Better World has many of the same characteristics, but not at quite the same level of excellence. Where Brilliance barrels along, continuously picking up steam all the way through a thrilling climax, I was a good portion of the way through A Better World before I felt like it was finally finding its way. There are moments of, well…brilliance, but this book feels like more of a bridge to the third book in the series. Sakey had to set up the rest of the story, and unfortunately that took a long time, to A Better World’s detriment.
Brilliance focused on Nick Cooper and his “Sean Archer vs. Castor Troy” style battle with John Smith, and while Cooper is still a focus, Sakey introduces additional characters, most notably a scientist named Ethan Park. Despite being a central figure, we don’t know why we should care about Park until well into the novel, other than he’s a caring husband and father of a young baby. Combine this with Cooper being somewhat in limbo after the events of Brilliance, and I spent most of the novel waiting for these characters to find their way.
Overall, I enjoyed A Better World…just not as much as Brilliance. It was a fun return to a set of characters I truly like, and good further exploration of an interesting moral dilemma (how would our current society deal with something like the rise of brilliants?). Some reviewers have noted that you don’t need to have read Brilliance to enjoy this novel, and while I agree with that on the surface (Sakey quickly fills in the basic plot points from Brilliance), I would certainly recommend reading Brilliance first. Besides it being a superior novel, the character development and more thorough backstory allow the reader to be more fully immersed in A Better World. I’d recommend A Better World, but temper your expectations; while it shows a few flashes of brilliance, Brilliance it is not.
yoav's review against another edition
2.0
Not as good as the first one, the books keeps on going back and details the plot of the first book. The story was a fit too far fetched in my taste.