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altef 's review for:
The Darkness That Comes Before
by R. Scott Bakker
I did it! I finished it. Let me tell you, it was a tough road. I tripped all over the first two percent - and almost called the whole thing off before I really even got started. I strongly disliked the writing there.
It lightens its conceits after that, enough to make it bearable in short bursts. But push too far and skimming becomes requisite.
Come on, Brad, I said to myself. You're robbing yourself of context and style by skimming. Unfortunately that doesn't turn out to be true.
The problem, I think, is that it has such trouble getting to the point. It's a list of proper nouns, similar in composition, thrown at the page to see which stick where to give the veneer of complexity. That, and people whining internally. Incessantly.
The characters were unlikable. Plainly, they were irritating. Which can be fine, assuming they're interesting. In bulk, they were not.
It wastes your time with endless repetition, to the point where there are pages you could read a single sentence from and take enough from it to skip the rest.
It's not all bad. By about 78% I got into it a bit. The idea of reading the next one even crept up on me. But by 78%... Is that just Stockholm syndrome? Can you get that from a book?
I feel bad about this. I don't think I've ever written a review this harsh. It wasn't bad. I've read worse. Many times. It's a book. It's a story. It's not a particularly good or interesting one, I can't recommend it, but it did manage to coax a strong reaction from me. That's saying something in its favour, right?
I can't remember a book annoying me this much since The DaVinci Code, or Game of Thrones. People love those books. Maybe that puts it in good company, just not for me.
P.S. R. Scott Bakker, if you somehow happen upon this review, don't feel bad. You can obviously write. What you've done is an achievement and you should be proud of it. I respect what you've accomplished. It's just not for me.
It lightens its conceits after that, enough to make it bearable in short bursts. But push too far and skimming becomes requisite.
Come on, Brad, I said to myself. You're robbing yourself of context and style by skimming. Unfortunately that doesn't turn out to be true.
The problem, I think, is that it has such trouble getting to the point. It's a list of proper nouns, similar in composition, thrown at the page to see which stick where to give the veneer of complexity. That, and people whining internally. Incessantly.
The characters were unlikable. Plainly, they were irritating. Which can be fine, assuming they're interesting. In bulk, they were not.
It wastes your time with endless repetition, to the point where there are pages you could read a single sentence from and take enough from it to skip the rest.
It's not all bad. By about 78% I got into it a bit. The idea of reading the next one even crept up on me. But by 78%... Is that just Stockholm syndrome? Can you get that from a book?
I feel bad about this. I don't think I've ever written a review this harsh. It wasn't bad. I've read worse. Many times. It's a book. It's a story. It's not a particularly good or interesting one, I can't recommend it, but it did manage to coax a strong reaction from me. That's saying something in its favour, right?
I can't remember a book annoying me this much since The DaVinci Code, or Game of Thrones. People love those books. Maybe that puts it in good company, just not for me.
P.S. R. Scott Bakker, if you somehow happen upon this review, don't feel bad. You can obviously write. What you've done is an achievement and you should be proud of it. I respect what you've accomplished. It's just not for me.