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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
4.5 Stars. I loved it. I kinda wish there was a sequel but it was one of the best time travel/stand alones I have ever read.
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
the book switches pace and style about halfway through in a way that makes sense with the storytelling but can be a little disruptive
Amusant, soms haast kluchtig avontuur rond magie, heksen, wetenschap en tijdreizen. Alleen al de in rap tempo toenemende afkortingen waarmee de fantatische premisse in bureaucratische dekens wordt gehuld is al het vermelden waard. Typisch Stephenson qua tempo en verhaal, maar met een vrolijke twist - vast door de coproductie met Galland. Eigenlijk wel een 4,5 maar die bestaat niet. Is overigens geknipt voor een fijne serie, maar dat wordt een prijzige productie...
adventurous
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I wanted to like this more. Nothing wrong with the author or the ideas in the book I was just so damn bored when the book focused on the most mundane topics at time. This book has sections loaded in so much detail that it slows it down with very short burst of interesting things happening that I struggled with this. High chance I am not the intended audience of Stephenson's work
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is fun and interesting but, like most Neal Stephenson works, incredibly dense and heavy on details. Not necessarily a flaw -- It remains engaging for the most part but some of it did feel like a bit of a slog for me.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
When I read the book jacket for this story, I wasn't impressed. It sounded hokey and like a forced mashup of things that won't really go well together (like peanut butter, mayonnaise, and coffee grounds)... but I found myself in B&N with a gift card, this book was on sale and if nothing else I've always enjoyed the characters in Stephenson's novels (Hiro Protagonist, YT, Nell, Dinah & Ivy, et al) so I went ahead and bought it.
The basic plot boils down to the fact that magic waned as technology became prevalent and finally vanished completely in the mid 1800's. A super-secret government program (obviously put together but someone who knows nothing about such things) is created to investigate this and figure out how to bring magic back (or something). Time travel ensues, lots and lots of really stupid things happen, and the story ends.
The characters were so stereotypical they could have come from central casting... there was really nothing memorable about most of them. We have the gung-ho young soldier, the plucky young (cute) historian, the befuddled professor who invents the "thing", the femme fatale, the blow-hard general, the self-important bureaucrat, the HR manager, the hooker with a heart of gold, the hipster barista, etc.
And oh my god... the acronyms. Someone, somewhere, decided that because this was a "government" program (funded by the equivalent of an employee bake sale) there had to be acronyms and acronyms of acronyms and then memos and senatorial budget hearing transcripts. Maybe it was meant to be satirical, but it was mostly annoying and boring.
I wish I had a time machine so that I could go back and not buy this book.
The basic plot boils down to the fact that magic waned as technology became prevalent and finally vanished completely in the mid 1800's. A super-secret government program (obviously put together but someone who knows nothing about such things) is created to investigate this and figure out how to bring magic back (or something). Time travel ensues, lots and lots of really stupid things happen, and the story ends.
The characters were so stereotypical they could have come from central casting... there was really nothing memorable about most of them. We have the gung-ho young soldier, the plucky young (cute) historian, the befuddled professor who invents the "thing", the femme fatale, the blow-hard general, the self-important bureaucrat, the HR manager, the hooker with a heart of gold, the hipster barista, etc.
And oh my god... the acronyms. Someone, somewhere, decided that because this was a "government" program (funded by the equivalent of an employee bake sale) there had to be acronyms and acronyms of acronyms and then memos and senatorial budget hearing transcripts. Maybe it was meant to be satirical, but it was mostly annoying and boring.
I wish I had a time machine so that I could go back and not buy this book.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No