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lynguy1's review against another edition
4.0
I won the kindle e-book version in a Goodreads Giveaway. This book is the first in a series by Mark Lawrence and my first by this author.
This well-written story is gripping, captivating, touching and insightful with a side order of the futuristic. It starts in January 1986 in London with Nick Hayes and his mother talking with a doctor. Nick finds out that he has a form of cancer.
With this bit of information, the story unfolds with a little something for most readers. It encompasses dealing with chemotherapy and its side affects, playing Dungeons & Dragons, learning to dance, racism, first kisses, friendship, quantum mechanics, family, murder, bullying, drugs, gangs, a mysterious stranger, time travel and so much more.
The characters had depth with a good mix of somewhat geeky personalities. While some may quibble over some of the time travel aspects, I did not let this deter my enjoyment of the book. There is some foul language in the book that I could have done without, but it probably won't bother others and there were a few editing errors. This book is well worth reading and there are two more books in the series.
This well-written story is gripping, captivating, touching and insightful with a side order of the futuristic. It starts in January 1986 in London with Nick Hayes and his mother talking with a doctor. Nick finds out that he has a form of cancer.
With this bit of information, the story unfolds with a little something for most readers. It encompasses dealing with chemotherapy and its side affects, playing Dungeons & Dragons, learning to dance, racism, first kisses, friendship, quantum mechanics, family, murder, bullying, drugs, gangs, a mysterious stranger, time travel and so much more.
The characters had depth with a good mix of somewhat geeky personalities. While some may quibble over some of the time travel aspects, I did not let this deter my enjoyment of the book. There is some foul language in the book that I could have done without, but it probably won't bother others and there were a few editing errors. This book is well worth reading and there are two more books in the series.
dromwald's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this new book by Mark Lawrence. Nostalgic in much the same way the Ready Player One was but perhaps less emphasis on the nostalgia and more emphasis on story and characters. I imagine this is YA but I enjoyed it nonetheless even though I was 21 when this story was set and the main characters are all around 15 or so - still made me smile bringing back the memories it did. I look forward to the next book in the series.
songwind's review against another edition
5.0
I've read Mark Lawrence's fiction before, so I was braced for the gut punch, but it still delivered.
This book manages to pack a lot into a single fairly short novel without feeling overcrowded or shallow about any of them.
Friendship, young love, mortality, illness, and time travel all manage to put in an appearance, frequently simultaneously. It's handled deftly; Lawrence is sure to give you enough information and description to make his characters and events feel believable, without belaboring anything for too long.
This book manages to pack a lot into a single fairly short novel without feeling overcrowded or shallow about any of them.
Friendship, young love, mortality, illness, and time travel all manage to put in an appearance, frequently simultaneously. It's handled deftly; Lawrence is sure to give you enough information and description to make his characters and events feel believable, without belaboring anything for too long.
is_book_loring's review against another edition
4.0
Nicely executed, the concept was creative but plausible. I don't understand much about quantum mechanic, but the writer managed it in an easy enough way to comprehend. Highly enjoyable read.
shawniebooks's review against another edition
4.0
This was a fun look back into 1986 when I was in high school and played D&D like this group of friends did. Looking forward to book 2!
tauwillow's review against another edition
2.0
The plot was a predictable contrivance that offered nothing new or interesting. The characters, while likable enough, felt more like slaves to the barely sci fi story device, than fully fleshed characters.
twocents's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
1980s setting + D&D + sci-fi, what's not to love?
What a sucker punch of an ending though.
embee007's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
"The magical power of D&D to draw together people who knew things. Who cared about questions that didn’t seem to matter."
Quick read revolving around quantum mechanics, multiverses, time travel, friendship, school bullies, love, cancer, a heist, & D&D.
"You wanted someone to hear you. We all do really."
"We might live in a multiverse of infinite wonder, but we are what we are, and can only care about what falls into our own orbit."
Quick read revolving around quantum mechanics, multiverses, time travel, friendship, school bullies, love, cancer, a heist, & D&D.
"You wanted someone to hear you. We all do really."
"We might live in a multiverse of infinite wonder, but we are what we are, and can only care about what falls into our own orbit."