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joemacare's review against another edition
2.0
Not sure why this got slammed compared to the first one - it's much the same, except actually slightly streamlined. Still a bit of an indulgence, but I would like the chance to find out what happened next.
lazygal's review against another edition
2.0
DO NOT read this if you have not read the first book, The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters - it will take you too long to get into the book, to pick up the narrative thread and sort out the characters. The writing style is Victorian florrid, with many italicized words and overwrought description. But if this is your genre, enjoy!
drewdaimonia's review against another edition
3.0
Dahlquist has his own, distinct - no, idiosyncratic - a term wherein no judgement is passed, neither good nor bad - writing style, halting, broken - and yet fast-paced, like a derailed train that nonetheless careens with reckless speed towards its final destination - marked by frequent use of dashes and ellipses, complex sentences which interrupt each other - and, of course, interrupt their interruptions - and dialogue that flows equally as wildly... each character's speech or thought cut short as another begins, and given additional flavour by erratic use of italics on seemingly random words...
There are positives, of course - the descriptions are vivid and lush, like the dark-green moss and pernicious weeds that grow upon the grey stone of neglected graves... using a slightly dated, archaic, formal vernacular which colours the alternate-history period setting... indeed, it feels wholly appropriate - and every scattering of pages he drops an astoundingly specific metaphor - like the maternal gift of a rain-bloated worm into the yearning mouth of a fledgling thrush - at such a quality and frequency I am not sure I have seen employed by another writer.
It's a shame about the plot. This sequel starts well enough - our protagonists re-scattered, confused, each untangling their own mystery, facing their own corresponding villains - but ultimately there is nothing new, just a tidying up of the previous book's loose ends, and as such it works more as an extended epilogue than a story in its own right. It's an enjoyable read, crammed with the same barrage of unlikely rescues and escapes from one perilous situation after another, but here the stakes feel lower, the central intrigue less interesting, than if a new plot and new villains were introduced to stand on their own two feet.
There are positives, of course - the descriptions are vivid and lush, like the dark-green moss and pernicious weeds that grow upon the grey stone of neglected graves... using a slightly dated, archaic, formal vernacular which colours the alternate-history period setting... indeed, it feels wholly appropriate - and every scattering of pages he drops an astoundingly specific metaphor - like the maternal gift of a rain-bloated worm into the yearning mouth of a fledgling thrush - at such a quality and frequency I am not sure I have seen employed by another writer.
It's a shame about the plot. This sequel starts well enough - our protagonists re-scattered, confused, each untangling their own mystery, facing their own corresponding villains - but ultimately there is nothing new, just a tidying up of the previous book's loose ends, and as such it works more as an extended epilogue than a story in its own right. It's an enjoyable read, crammed with the same barrage of unlikely rescues and escapes from one perilous situation after another, but here the stakes feel lower, the central intrigue less interesting, than if a new plot and new villains were introduced to stand on their own two feet.
brettp's review against another edition
2.0
Finished "The Dark Volume" by Gordon Dahlquist. I did not realize this was a sequel to another book! (Such is my curse, it seems.) Not having read the predecessor did not detract from this book much, though. I loved the world he created, and the "science" of the clay and glass. Mr. Dahlquist's prose describes a scene so efficiently that it sometimes takes a couple passes through to really understand all the nuances he has presented. Not to say it is bad - just that I couldn't keep up! He certainly had some pet words (scruple & snort!), and used more analogies than he really should have, but the writing was generally solid. On the other hand, the story itself was a bit hard to follow. I had a tough time keeping track of everyone and what they were doing and with whom, especially when some were using aliases and others were "remembering" things that someone else had experienced. The story ended with a cliffhanger, which I really did not appreciate. I would have liked some things to be wrapped up a little better.
rscribbles's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-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? It's complicated
4.0
librarianonparade's review against another edition
4.0
This book isn't as good as the previous one, which is disappointing. It's a lot more confusing, for one - not as complicated but more...muddled. It very much feels like the middle book in a trilogy, which I'm pretty sure it is, even though I can't find any information about the final book, if it does indeed exist. I hope it does, because this one ends on a very bleak note, and I wanted it fixed! It seems almost all of the characters are dead, and I can't believe that could be true. Or perhaps I just don't want it to be true. Either way, I hope there is another book, because if this is the end it's very dark and depressing and unfinished.
tangleroot_eli's review against another edition
4.0
Like [b:The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters|44930|The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters|Gordon Dahlquist|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170271749s/44930.jpg|292054], I devoured The Dark Volume. Since (or because of) Glass Books, Dahlquist's prose has become more polished and his plot-lines more controlled. But control comes at a price: Dark Volume doesn't reach Glass Books's level of jaw-dropping imaginative recklessness. Dahlquist's over-fondness for italics continues unabated, and, as one of the great joys of Glass Books was the curious alliance of Temple, Svenson, & Chang, only having them appear on-page together for about 1/10th of a 500+-page book was disappointing. However, the continued development of the Contessa's character and the further machinations of the Cabal, as well as Dahlquist's unerring sense of pacing make this another gripping read.
raelovestoread's review against another edition
3.0
I loved the glass books of the dream eaters. It didn't need a sequel. I knew it didn't need a sequel. I was expecting this to be tosh.
Halfway in, I was re-immersed in the world and enjoying it, despite some rather atrocious similes, sloppy sentences and the sense that this was more of the same.
I find it very difficult to dislike the way Dahlquist writes. Being generally quite picky in my prose, there is lots to complain about. I love words though. I love over-the-top metaphors, words plucked from the thesaurus and lots of detail. I'm not saying it's clever, but it has appeal.
By the end, the scenery blurred, it became easy to lose track of who was poisoned by what, who was shooting who, who was still alive... Although Dahlquist does a good job of recapping, it's easy to get lost in the layers and layers of superfluously detailed plotting.
It's a shame because for the first part, it seemed like the narrative had been somewhat streamlined. The info-dumping showdown at the end caused more stress than excitement though and for the final third, it dragged. For some reason some of the later settings were a lot trickier to visualise than the pseudo-Victorian city, the warped cathedral, the rustic outposts and majestically gothic Harschmort. Perhaps a bit of trimming and tinkering could have licked it into shape, but I'm not left with the same feeling of pure literary pleasure that I got with the first one.
There just wasn't enough here to keep it fresh. The first instalment was a stonking 800+ pages. IT DIDN'T WARRANT A SEQUEL. You can only drag a single story so far without it stagnating.
Am I going to read the third one? Hell yeah, I am. Will it be a cracking disappointment? I'm going to guess yes.
The three star rating reflects my frustrations. I still love he steampunk-esque world, the colourful characters and the sense of adventure and intrigue - it resonates with me a lot more than some other books I've rated three stars. I am feeling very crabby with it, however and it wouldn't be fair for me to give it any more. Even if I did like the idea of a naked man made of fluid blue glass.
Halfway in, I was re-immersed in the world and enjoying it, despite some rather atrocious similes, sloppy sentences and the sense that this was more of the same.
I find it very difficult to dislike the way Dahlquist writes. Being generally quite picky in my prose, there is lots to complain about. I love words though. I love over-the-top metaphors, words plucked from the thesaurus and lots of detail. I'm not saying it's clever, but it has appeal.
By the end, the scenery blurred, it became easy to lose track of who was poisoned by what, who was shooting who, who was still alive... Although Dahlquist does a good job of recapping, it's easy to get lost in the layers and layers of superfluously detailed plotting.
It's a shame because for the first part, it seemed like the narrative had been somewhat streamlined. The info-dumping showdown at the end caused more stress than excitement though and for the final third, it dragged. For some reason some of the later settings were a lot trickier to visualise than the pseudo-Victorian city, the warped cathedral, the rustic outposts and majestically gothic Harschmort. Perhaps a bit of trimming and tinkering could have licked it into shape, but I'm not left with the same feeling of pure literary pleasure that I got with the first one.
There just wasn't enough here to keep it fresh. The first instalment was a stonking 800+ pages. IT DIDN'T WARRANT A SEQUEL. You can only drag a single story so far without it stagnating.
Am I going to read the third one? Hell yeah, I am. Will it be a cracking disappointment? I'm going to guess yes.
The three star rating reflects my frustrations. I still love he steampunk-esque world, the colourful characters and the sense of adventure and intrigue - it resonates with me a lot more than some other books I've rated three stars. I am feeling very crabby with it, however and it wouldn't be fair for me to give it any more. Even if I did like the idea of a naked man made of fluid blue glass.
pelevolcana's review against another edition
4.0
This is a sequel to The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters and don't let the beginning of the book convince you otherwise. The book starts where the last one left off, includes the same protagonists and most of the same antagonists as the original struggling over the same thing.
It's delicious in the same way the original was. It has wonderful descriptions. The story is still told from the 3rd person omniscient focused on one of the three protagonists in turn. And there continue to be some interesting mysteries.
That being said, it ends on a cliffhanger. I think it's even more of a cliffhanger than the first book which could have been said to be fairly complete on it's own.
This is the first book I read on Precious (my nook) and I loved it.
It's delicious in the same way the original was. It has wonderful descriptions. The story is still told from the 3rd person omniscient focused on one of the three protagonists in turn. And there continue to be some interesting mysteries.
That being said, it ends on a cliffhanger. I think it's even more of a cliffhanger than the first book which could have been said to be fairly complete on it's own.
This is the first book I read on Precious (my nook) and I loved it.