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A review by catbooking
The Stone in the Skull by Elizabeth Bear
2.0
If I had to sum up this book, and my feelings on it, in one line it would be “The rest of the f*cking owl.” There were really interesting bits, chapters that had me glued to every page, and there were very boring bits, where I kept checking to see when the chapter would end. But worst of all, all the bits that I wanted to know more about happened off the page or were dismissed with a single line. That's where the owl comes in. I would get all eager for the 'tires to hit the road' and would instead get a single dismissive line before moving on to more boring things.
The other issue I had was being surprised by character actions. I am not sure how much it was my fault for zoning out during boring parts or how much it was the fault of the author for not communicating something to me well enough, but on more than one occasion I had to ask why this or that character was doing what they were doing. Like “Why are they flirting” and “Why are they flirting?” and “Why is she acting like that? Is she hiding something?” Being surprised by character actions means that I either missed massive sections of character building or the author just did not tell me about them. In either case, it is a sign that continuing the journey is not worth it.
I am a bit sad to quit at this point. I really enjoyed the previous trilogy and was reluctant to leave the world. But this book just left me confused and disoriented and not interested in digging deeper to see if anything is worth salvaging.
PS: I wish the authors would start numbering their series and 'extra' content written in the same world. Or at least make a note if something needs to be read before the 'main' books. There are short stories set in the same world and I feel like maybe I should have read those before I picked up this book. But then other readers say it is not necessary. It would be nice to have the author speak with authority on the topic instead of forcing readers to search for answers or take their chance.
The other issue I had was being surprised by character actions. I am not sure how much it was my fault for zoning out during boring parts or how much it was the fault of the author for not communicating something to me well enough, but on more than one occasion I had to ask why this or that character was doing what they were doing. Like “Why are they flirting” and “Why are they flirting?” and “Why is she acting like that? Is she hiding something?” Being surprised by character actions means that I either missed massive sections of character building or the author just did not tell me about them. In either case, it is a sign that continuing the journey is not worth it.
I am a bit sad to quit at this point. I really enjoyed the previous trilogy and was reluctant to leave the world. But this book just left me confused and disoriented and not interested in digging deeper to see if anything is worth salvaging.
PS: I wish the authors would start numbering their series and 'extra' content written in the same world. Or at least make a note if something needs to be read before the 'main' books. There are short stories set in the same world and I feel like maybe I should have read those before I picked up this book. But then other readers say it is not necessary. It would be nice to have the author speak with authority on the topic instead of forcing readers to search for answers or take their chance.