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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
Some neat ideas, let down by ham-fisted plotting (e.g. characters being unbelievably incompetent, when necessary for the plot).
absolutely cracking good time. i'm sure i could critique it if i cared to, but at the moment i'm just glad this book exists.
Overall I quite enjoyed this book.
I have tried Neal Stephenson a few times before with no luck but this one just really appealed to me and I'm glad I picked it up.
I really enjoyed the characters, the premise and how the book was laid out having snippets of documents and diaries to back up what the narrator was saying.
So then why 3 stars?
This is a monster of a book. At 750+ pages it is quite an undertaking. I don't mind that at all if I feel the 750+ pages are necessary. However, some parts of this book seemed like they could have been shortened by a great deal and still produced a great book.
And because of the ending sadly. It's okay as far as an ending goes, but for a book of this size I expected more.
That being said people who enjoy time travel would enjoy this book I feel and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. Just be warned - it is quite big and you may not feel that content "everything is wrapped up nicely" feeling when this book is done.
I have tried Neal Stephenson a few times before with no luck but this one just really appealed to me and I'm glad I picked it up.
I really enjoyed the characters, the premise and how the book was laid out having snippets of documents and diaries to back up what the narrator was saying.
So then why 3 stars?
This is a monster of a book. At 750+ pages it is quite an undertaking. I don't mind that at all if I feel the 750+ pages are necessary. However, some parts of this book seemed like they could have been shortened by a great deal and still produced a great book.
And because of the ending sadly. It's okay as far as an ending goes, but for a book of this size I expected more.
That being said people who enjoy time travel would enjoy this book I feel and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. Just be warned - it is quite big and you may not feel that content "everything is wrapped up nicely" feeling when this book is done.
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
When I bought this book I didn't realise it was Sci-Fi, I actually didn't realise it until I started reading. I'm not a fan of Sci-Fi.
That being said, I found this one rather entertaining.
It's an entirely different writing style; than what I'm use to, so I struggle a lot to keep everything together and had a bit of going back and forth at times. In the beginning it was a lot of work for me to read.
But as the story progresses and I got more comfortable with the writing style, I found I quite enjoyed it.
And with that ending I'll need to get the second book; but maybe I'll look for the audiobook.
That being said, I found this one rather entertaining.
It's an entirely different writing style; than what I'm use to, so I struggle a lot to keep everything together and had a bit of going back and forth at times. In the beginning it was a lot of work for me to read.
But as the story progresses and I got more comfortable with the writing style, I found I quite enjoyed it.
And with that ending I'll need to get the second book; but maybe I'll look for the audiobook.
This book had some great moments and the humor was on-point. It's a great spoof of governmental bureaucracy, but it occasionally bogs down the story with that same spoofing by becoming mired in acronyms, military terminology and memos to illustrate its point. The story structure was compelling; I definitely wanted to keep moving forward, but there were some weaker plot points that fell along the same trappings of a Dr. Who storyline. Some of the issues were solved "because, time-travel." Definitely a fun read and fans of Dr. Who, alternate histories and books with magic will enjoy it.
3.5, A good read but it was hard to get into it from the start.
I never want this to end.
(Later)
It ended. DAMN IT ALL TO HELL! I don't remember when I enjoyed a book so much. The "Lay of Walmart" is freaking gold.
(Later)
It ended. DAMN IT ALL TO HELL! I don't remember when I enjoyed a book so much. The "Lay of Walmart" is freaking gold.
