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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
Enjoyable enough. I'm not usually a fan of books about magic, but this one is treated with enough tongue in cheek so it was still quite enjoyable. One trope that I am beginning to hate in sci-fi novels is the obsession with acronyms. D.O.D.O. is the new poster child of this phenomenon. Stephenson is at a disadvantage because I read this just after finishing Craig Alanson's Expeditionary Force series, and this was a pain point for me there too.
Finally! A time travel book that didn't make my head spin.
I enjoyed this but it felt like a toned down Stephenson. The flair was there, but muted.
On the plus side, I thought the development of Erzsabet's character was very well done. Also, as someone who recently was working for a small company (< 50 employees) which was bought out by a multinational with 10s of thousands of employees, I found the middle third of the book absolutely hilarious. Every powerpoint, every policy, every bit of political manoeuvring was spot on .
On the negative side, it has a classic Stephenson ending. That is, it just stops rather than ends.
On the plus side, I thought the development of Erzsabet's character was very well done. Also, as someone who recently was working for a small company (< 50 employees) which was bought out by a multinational with 10s of thousands of employees, I found the middle third of the book absolutely hilarious. Every powerpoint, every policy, every bit of political manoeuvring was spot on .
On the negative side, it has a classic Stephenson ending. That is, it just stops rather than ends.
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Sci-fi meets “The Office” in this entrancing, chucklesome and loveable story of magic, time travel, kafkaesque bureaucracy and science.
All the acronyms and “The Lay of Walmart” were particularly fantastic comical additions.
All the acronyms and “The Lay of Walmart” were particularly fantastic comical additions.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wanted to love this but it was just too long. I had to read it in two different chunks because I really just got tired of the people after awhile. The second half was better than the first. Some editing would have helped, IMO.
Had high hopes since this was recommended by Mike Flores, but although there were some high points that I enjoyed, overall just didn't do it for me. Too much technology and not enough mystical witchery or somesuch.
4,5
Chvílemi zdlouhavé až nudné, ale celkově spokojenost.
Chvílemi zdlouhavé až nudné, ale celkově spokojenost.
This novel has a different approach on the situation with "modern" Magic than "Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell" but is obviously primed for a sequel. Don't really get the purpose of the raid on a WalMart and think an episode into a library with INTERNET access would have sufficed!
Probably 3.5 stars. One problem I'm running into these days is that I can't tell if I'm not enjoying a book based on the book itself, or if it's because of how long it takes me to get through a book these days. A few years ago, this book never would've taken me just over a month to read, but rather a week at most.
But overall, this book was fun and entertaining. The premise is very interesting and involves witchcraft, time-travel, and multi-verse theory. I think my biggest complaint is that the pacing did get bogged down every once in a while with tangents that get a bit long-winded. A good, solid, book but quite on the level of other Stephenson books like Cryptonomicon and Seven Eves.
But overall, this book was fun and entertaining. The premise is very interesting and involves witchcraft, time-travel, and multi-verse theory. I think my biggest complaint is that the pacing did get bogged down every once in a while with tangents that get a bit long-winded. A good, solid, book but quite on the level of other Stephenson books like Cryptonomicon and Seven Eves.