Scan barcode
nisaak's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. I’m hooked. And there are three more seasons! It’s an intense series though so I’m going to take a (short) break before starting Season 2. This is the second series I’ve read through Serial Box. I love the concept and the writing is really good.
imyril's review
adventurous
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? Yes
5.0
AAAAAAAAH!
I have a new obsession and no regrets.
Articulate review may or may not follow.
Update: I found some words! Full review
I have a new obsession and no regrets.
Articulate review may or may not follow.
Update: I found some words! Full review
tvoritvorog's review
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
vailynst's review against another edition
5.0
*Review Later Today
Notes:
Well crap! Was that last bit a dream or the real deal? Also, the author write-ups at the end are great and made me laugh while informing me a bit about the writers. =)
Have you ever written a story with a group of friends? I've done that a few times. It's a lot of fun and you never quite know what's going to happen even after you write out the main outline. That's part of the fun. Which makes me wonder how much fun this crew had writing S1 of Bookburners. I had so much fun with the tail end of Season One. Holy crap! It was good. Gotta let it sit a bit and then I'll write my review.
Notes:
Well crap! Was that last bit a dream or the real deal? Also, the author write-ups at the end are great and made me laugh while informing me a bit about the writers. =)
Have you ever written a story with a group of friends? I've done that a few times. It's a lot of fun and you never quite know what's going to happen even after you write out the main outline. That's part of the fun. Which makes me wonder how much fun this crew had writing S1 of Bookburners. I had so much fun with the tail end of Season One. Holy crap! It was good. Gotta let it sit a bit and then I'll write my review.
cupiscent's review against another edition
3.0
Reading a book designed to be episodic, like television, was an interesting experience. I had a lot of frustration in the early-middle about the enclosed monster-of-the-week nature of the sections, and the interruptions that put in the way of the smooth development of character stuff. But the broader plot arcs started to show themselves before long, and all in all I'm pretty satisfied.
Overall, this is not quiiiiite my thing - urban fantasy heavy on the horror, and in a biblical/demonic direction that I'm not particularly fond of. But the Gladstone-esque complexity to it covers a multitude of mehs. I appreciate that there was a lot of ground to cover in here, but I would've liked slightly more exploration of the diverse origins of the crew - Grace's backstory ep was one of my favourites, and I'm dying to know more about Asanti's life. That said, I'm not sure I'm going to read on into season 2, because like I said, not quite my thing. An interesting - and successful! -
exercise in format, though.
Overall, this is not quiiiiite my thing - urban fantasy heavy on the horror, and in a biblical/demonic direction that I'm not particularly fond of. But the Gladstone-esque complexity to it covers a multitude of mehs. I appreciate that there was a lot of ground to cover in here, but I would've liked slightly more exploration of the diverse origins of the crew - Grace's backstory ep was one of my favourites, and I'm dying to know more about Asanti's life. That said, I'm not sure I'm going to read on into season 2, because like I said, not quite my thing. An interesting - and successful! -
exercise in format, though.
paladinboy's review against another edition
5.0
Imagine some fabulous writer's got together and decided to write a paranormal TV series. Except They did it as a set of books, and it recorded it as an audiobook, but recorded as a weekly tv series. If you can imagine that this book was One part John Constantine graphic novel, One part Joss Whedon Buffy-verse and three parts more awesome you'd have Bookburners. Involving Mur Lafferty and the ever amazing Max Gladstone made this a lock for me, but the episodes by Brian Francis Slattery and Margret Dunlap were equally good.
Read my friends.
Read my friends.
detailsandtales's review against another edition
4.0
This book started off slowly, with each chapter feeling like a self-contained episode. It seemed like the writers were trying to find their footing. But by the second half of the book, the story gelled into a single, compelling thread, and by the end, I didn't want to put it down because I needed to know what would happen.
jayshay's review against another edition
4.0
Season 1 of Bookburners! I will definitely tune in for season 2. Modeled much like a on-going serial tv show with the four writers rotating duties with novella length episodes of the team of Vatican employed misfits tracking down evil books that allow demons into the modern world.
Light and fun, very addictive reading. I don't like giant books but this felt like I was mainlining a Netflix season. A bit monster of the week in the intial episodes which would have been helped by more character work. But by the end the over-arching story had kicked in and really propelled the story along.
Margaret Dunlap's early sections felt choppy but got better as the book went on. Brian Francis Slattery was a stand out and Gladstone and Lafferty were very solid for this type of adventure writing.
Light and fun, very addictive reading. I don't like giant books but this felt like I was mainlining a Netflix season. A bit monster of the week in the intial episodes which would have been helped by more character work. But by the end the over-arching story had kicked in and really propelled the story along.
Margaret Dunlap's early sections felt choppy but got better as the book went on. Brian Francis Slattery was a stand out and Gladstone and Lafferty were very solid for this type of adventure writing.
cpeel's review against another edition
3.0
This was a fun, fast-paced read. Given my allergy to religion I was wary of the "Vatican-backed squad" but it is delightfully religion-free. Instead, it is full of interesting characters with interesting backstories and unexpected twists.
In case it isn't clear, each chapter of the book is written by one of the four authors but they do a really good job of writing with one voice. Some chapters are better / more engaging than others but there was zero correlation to which writer wrote it.
In case it isn't clear, each chapter of the book is written by one of the four authors but they do a really good job of writing with one voice. Some chapters are better / more engaging than others but there was zero correlation to which writer wrote it.
coolcurrybooks's review against another edition
4.0
Bookburners is a new story from Serial Box, a service that aims to bring the serial story into the 21st century. Thus Bookburners is really a collection of sixteen “episodes,” each with its own plot arc, akin to a TV series.
Sal Brooks is an ordinary New York City detective with a younger brother who dabbles in the occult. When her brother gets in over his head, Sal is drawn into the world of the supernatural. She soon joins the Bookburners – a secret Vatican team that acquires and locks down books with the ability to bring demonic forces into our world. They are all that stand between humanity and otherworldly forces.
I picked up Bookburners because of Max Gladstone. I’m a huge fan of his and have loved everything he’s written. However, with the format of Serial Box, there are multiple writers writing, each of whom tackle different episodes. While this has the possibility of creating jarring changes in narrative style, it worked very well for Bookburners. The collaboration felt seamless, and I enjoyed every single one of the episodes. While I’m not familiar with the other authors who worked on the series, I think I see some of Gladstone’s influence when it comes to the demons.
Sal Brooks joins Team Three of the Vatican’s black ops. Team One is a military unit who goes in to subdue out of control situations. Team Two runs PR, misdirection, and exorcisms. Team Three seeks out books with the potential to open a gateway to our world and let demons loose and stores them safely into a secret archive. The team is a motley collection of characters who we gradually get to know over the course of the season. I really liked all of the characters but my favorites were probably the priest who leads the team and Grace, the martial arts powerhouse with a mysterious backstory. I particularly liked Grace and Sal’s growing friendship.
The beginning of the season felt more episodic, but just wait. There is definitely an overarching story line to Bookburners. The episodes built to a thrilling conclusion that I wouldn’t have expected. While this season finishes its own a story arc, there is plenty of room left open for season two. I can’t wait!
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
I received an ARC of Bookburners from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for a free and honest review.
Sal Brooks is an ordinary New York City detective with a younger brother who dabbles in the occult. When her brother gets in over his head, Sal is drawn into the world of the supernatural. She soon joins the Bookburners – a secret Vatican team that acquires and locks down books with the ability to bring demonic forces into our world. They are all that stand between humanity and otherworldly forces.
I picked up Bookburners because of Max Gladstone. I’m a huge fan of his and have loved everything he’s written. However, with the format of Serial Box, there are multiple writers writing, each of whom tackle different episodes. While this has the possibility of creating jarring changes in narrative style, it worked very well for Bookburners. The collaboration felt seamless, and I enjoyed every single one of the episodes. While I’m not familiar with the other authors who worked on the series, I think I see some of Gladstone’s influence when it comes to the demons.
Sal Brooks joins Team Three of the Vatican’s black ops. Team One is a military unit who goes in to subdue out of control situations. Team Two runs PR, misdirection, and exorcisms. Team Three seeks out books with the potential to open a gateway to our world and let demons loose and stores them safely into a secret archive. The team is a motley collection of characters who we gradually get to know over the course of the season. I really liked all of the characters but my favorites were probably the priest who leads the team and Grace, the martial arts powerhouse with a mysterious backstory. I particularly liked Grace and Sal’s growing friendship.
The beginning of the season felt more episodic, but just wait. There is definitely an overarching story line to Bookburners. The episodes built to a thrilling conclusion that I wouldn’t have expected. While this season finishes its own a story arc, there is plenty of room left open for season two. I can’t wait!
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
I received an ARC of Bookburners from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for a free and honest review.