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chrisbiss's reviews
461 reviews
Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett
4.0
I'm reading all of the Discworld novels in order.
I was convinced that I hadn't read this before, even though I knew I've owned it for years (in an omnibus edition alongside *Equal Rites* and *Witches Abroad*), but the second I read the opening sentence I knew that I was wrong. Part of me is annoyed at myself for forgetting it, but the rest of me is really happy that I effectively got to read this for the first time, a second time. This is definitely my favourite of the series so far, and by a pretty wide margin.
Something I'm noticing as I work through these books is that here in the early installments Pratchett is often revisiting ideas, like he wants to have a second run at things that didn't quite work the first time. *Wyrd Sisters* feels like a second run at some of the things they didn't quite work in *Equal Rites* (and, to an extent, *Sourcery*). We've got a child with a strange destiny that may or may not manage to be fulfilled, we've got the Ramtops as a setting, and - of course - we've got Granny Weatherwax, who's put to really great use here. She feels much more fully realised as a character than she was in *Equal Rites*, and she's also elevated by the addition of and juxtaposition with Nanny Ogg and Magrat. We've previously been told that all witches do things their own way, and getting to see three very unique and very personal practices butting up against one another is fantastic. The three characters work brilliantly together and I'd happily read a hundred more books about them.
The novel itself seems better constructed than those that have preceeded it, too. The plot actually works without any weird deus ex machina shenanigans; characters take action and drive things forward constantly,; the stakes are real and impactful, big enough to risk impacting the wider Discworld (which seems to be the scale Pratchett prefers to work on) but small enough to feel personal and like they can be influenced by ordinary people. And it really is in his ordinary people with relatively mundane problems that Pratchett shines (and I largely count his witches amongst the group "ordinary people with mundane problems", unlike his wizards). The humour is becoming more refined and more focused too, and it works so much better than some of the earlier installments. It probably helps that a gentle satirising of Shakespeare is very much aimed at my interests, but I think in general it feels a lot tighter and better executed than in earlier books.
*Mort* showed an early sign of the brilliance of Discworld. *Wyrd Sisters* feels like Pratchett's ability as a writer and a storyteller finally starting to catch up to his potential.
4/5 An outstanding work in its genre. Enthusiastically recommend. I say things like "this is my new favourite book".
I was convinced that I hadn't read this before, even though I knew I've owned it for years (in an omnibus edition alongside *Equal Rites* and *Witches Abroad*), but the second I read the opening sentence I knew that I was wrong. Part of me is annoyed at myself for forgetting it, but the rest of me is really happy that I effectively got to read this for the first time, a second time. This is definitely my favourite of the series so far, and by a pretty wide margin.
Something I'm noticing as I work through these books is that here in the early installments Pratchett is often revisiting ideas, like he wants to have a second run at things that didn't quite work the first time. *Wyrd Sisters* feels like a second run at some of the things they didn't quite work in *Equal Rites* (and, to an extent, *Sourcery*). We've got a child with a strange destiny that may or may not manage to be fulfilled, we've got the Ramtops as a setting, and - of course - we've got Granny Weatherwax, who's put to really great use here. She feels much more fully realised as a character than she was in *Equal Rites*, and she's also elevated by the addition of and juxtaposition with Nanny Ogg and Magrat. We've previously been told that all witches do things their own way, and getting to see three very unique and very personal practices butting up against one another is fantastic. The three characters work brilliantly together and I'd happily read a hundred more books about them.
The novel itself seems better constructed than those that have preceeded it, too. The plot actually works without any weird deus ex machina shenanigans; characters take action and drive things forward constantly,; the stakes are real and impactful, big enough to risk impacting the wider Discworld (which seems to be the scale Pratchett prefers to work on) but small enough to feel personal and like they can be influenced by ordinary people. And it really is in his ordinary people with relatively mundane problems that Pratchett shines (and I largely count his witches amongst the group "ordinary people with mundane problems", unlike his wizards). The humour is becoming more refined and more focused too, and it works so much better than some of the earlier installments. It probably helps that a gentle satirising of Shakespeare is very much aimed at my interests, but I think in general it feels a lot tighter and better executed than in earlier books.
*Mort* showed an early sign of the brilliance of Discworld. *Wyrd Sisters* feels like Pratchett's ability as a writer and a storyteller finally starting to catch up to his potential.
4/5 An outstanding work in its genre. Enthusiastically recommend. I say things like "this is my new favourite book".
Sourcery by Terry Pratchett
2.0
I'm reading all of the Discworld novels in order.
I've realised - possibly for the second time in my life, given that I historically avoided Rincewind books - that I don't particularly like Rincewind as a main character. He's very passive, with things happening to and around him rather than being driven by him, and that bothers me. Sourcery very much suffers from this problem. Rincewind does become a little more proactive towards the end, but by that point it's too little, too late.
I really wanted this book to be about Coin and the staff that contains his father's soul, which is what the opening section promises us. And it is about that, but because it's shown to us through the point of view of a character who spends most of his time running away and actively trying not to be a protagonist, we don't really get to see any of the interesting stuff. I get that that's sort of the point of Rincewind as a character - he's very much an anti-hero in a Pratchett sense, rather than the general meaning of that term - but it just doesn't work for me.
I think this is the first book in the series I'm going to say I actively disliked. It isn't bad, and it probably suffers from coming s raight off the back of a top-tier novel like Mort, but it's definitely (for me, anyway) the weakest of these first few books even when we account for how rough and prototypical The Colour Of Magic and The Light Fantastic are.
2/5. It's fine.
I've realised - possibly for the second time in my life, given that I historically avoided Rincewind books - that I don't particularly like Rincewind as a main character. He's very passive, with things happening to and around him rather than being driven by him, and that bothers me. Sourcery very much suffers from this problem. Rincewind does become a little more proactive towards the end, but by that point it's too little, too late.
I really wanted this book to be about Coin and the staff that contains his father's soul, which is what the opening section promises us. And it is about that, but because it's shown to us through the point of view of a character who spends most of his time running away and actively trying not to be a protagonist, we don't really get to see any of the interesting stuff. I get that that's sort of the point of Rincewind as a character - he's very much an anti-hero in a Pratchett sense, rather than the general meaning of that term - but it just doesn't work for me.
I think this is the first book in the series I'm going to say I actively disliked. It isn't bad, and it probably suffers from coming s raight off the back of a top-tier novel like Mort, but it's definitely (for me, anyway) the weakest of these first few books even when we account for how rough and prototypical The Colour Of Magic and The Light Fantastic are.
2/5. It's fine.
Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett
3.0
I'm reading all of the Discworld novels in order.
I'm fairly confident that I'd read this before but, as with the first two novels, I don't really remember any of it. This is another step up from The Light Fantastic and we're firmly in "these are good now" territory.
In a lot of ways this feels like a second run at the some of the themes of The Light Fantastic, with a more active (and likeable) main character and much more confidence in the way Pratchett presents the world. Some things that will go on to become staples of the series - the difference between witch magic and wizard magic, headology, Granny Weatherwax in general - are established here and it's really fun to see them in their nascent form.
We're already well away from o. Any genre pastiche here, and it feels like Pratchett is spending less time reaching for jokes and more time just being organically funny. The writing is much more assured and deliberate and it's an absolute joy to read.
The only problem, really, is they the climax feels a lot like the climax of The Light Fantastic and the big central conflict is largely one that doesn't have much to do with Esk. Existential, world-ending threats are fun but they can't be where you go every time or they stop being impactful. This felt much less awe-inspiring than it probably should have been because we'd already seen the Things from the Dungeon Dimension trying to force their way into the world via a wizard dabbling in things beyond his control in the earlier novel. If I remember right, though, Mort (the next book in the series) has quite different stakes, and I'm definitely ready for a change.
3/5 Above average. I liked it. "Solid 6/10".
I'm fairly confident that I'd read this before but, as with the first two novels, I don't really remember any of it. This is another step up from The Light Fantastic and we're firmly in "these are good now" territory.
In a lot of ways this feels like a second run at the some of the themes of The Light Fantastic, with a more active (and likeable) main character and much more confidence in the way Pratchett presents the world. Some things that will go on to become staples of the series - the difference between witch magic and wizard magic, headology, Granny Weatherwax in general - are established here and it's really fun to see them in their nascent form.
We're already well away from o. Any genre pastiche here, and it feels like Pratchett is spending less time reaching for jokes and more time just being organically funny. The writing is much more assured and deliberate and it's an absolute joy to read.
The only problem, really, is they the climax feels a lot like the climax of The Light Fantastic and the big central conflict is largely one that doesn't have much to do with Esk. Existential, world-ending threats are fun but they can't be where you go every time or they stop being impactful. This felt much less awe-inspiring than it probably should have been because we'd already seen the Things from the Dungeon Dimension trying to force their way into the world via a wizard dabbling in things beyond his control in the earlier novel. If I remember right, though, Mort (the next book in the series) has quite different stakes, and I'm definitely ready for a change.
3/5 Above average. I liked it. "Solid 6/10".
The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett
3.0
I'm reading all of the Discworld novels in publication order.
I was - still am, in fact - sure that I'd read this before, but it must have been so long ago that I've forgotten literally all of it. Reading it today was like coming to it for the first time, which was fun.
Where The Colour of Magic feels sort of half-formed, The Light Fantastic feels almost exactly like the Discworld we know and love. Gone is the picaresque structure. We have an actual honest-to-god plot this time, and we're no longer dabbling in pastiche of other series (Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser, Dragonriders of Pern, etc.). This is very much its own thing, and it's much better as a result of that.
I don't really love Rincewind as a main character, if I'm being honest. The picaresque structure may have gone but Rincewind is still very much a picaresque-style hero. The events of the book largely happen to and around him rather than being driven or directly influenced by him. That's fine but it's not the kind of story I'm drawn to, and for me the book suffers as a result of that. That's not to say that there isn't plenty to like here, though. The Luggage is a delight, and the aging barbarian Cohen is wonderful. It's also very fun to see glimpses of characters who will be important in later books (namely Death's daughter Ysabell, and Mort - who is mentioned but never actually seen). I don't know if Chancellor Galder Weatherwax is ever mentioned again in the series but it's fun to see that name pop up so early, too.
This is a definite step up from The Colour of Magic and really feels like the first "proper" Discworld book. It's a shame, really, that you probably do need to know the history of Rincewind and Twoflower to get the most out of it, because if it worked well as a standalone I think I'd happily advise people to start here. I think Pratchett's decision to largely write standalone novels rather than direct sequels from this point on was a smart one.
Very excited to move on to Equal Rites next.
3/5: I liked it. "Solid 6 out of 10".
I was - still am, in fact - sure that I'd read this before, but it must have been so long ago that I've forgotten literally all of it. Reading it today was like coming to it for the first time, which was fun.
Where The Colour of Magic feels sort of half-formed, The Light Fantastic feels almost exactly like the Discworld we know and love. Gone is the picaresque structure. We have an actual honest-to-god plot this time, and we're no longer dabbling in pastiche of other series (Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser, Dragonriders of Pern, etc.). This is very much its own thing, and it's much better as a result of that.
I don't really love Rincewind as a main character, if I'm being honest. The picaresque structure may have gone but Rincewind is still very much a picaresque-style hero. The events of the book largely happen to and around him rather than being driven or directly influenced by him. That's fine but it's not the kind of story I'm drawn to, and for me the book suffers as a result of that. That's not to say that there isn't plenty to like here, though. The Luggage is a delight, and the aging barbarian Cohen is wonderful. It's also very fun to see glimpses of characters who will be important in later books (namely Death's daughter Ysabell, and Mort - who is mentioned but never actually seen). I don't know if Chancellor Galder Weatherwax is ever mentioned again in the series but it's fun to see that name pop up so early, too.
This is a definite step up from The Colour of Magic and really feels like the first "proper" Discworld book. It's a shame, really, that you probably do need to know the history of Rincewind and Twoflower to get the most out of it, because if it worked well as a standalone I think I'd happily advise people to start here. I think Pratchett's decision to largely write standalone novels rather than direct sequels from this point on was a smart one.
Very excited to move on to Equal Rites next.
3/5: I liked it. "Solid 6 out of 10".
End of Story by A.J. Finn
3.5
Well written and gripping but relies on a twist that the reader has no way of spotting, which goes against much of the genre fiction it's paying homage to.
Murder Road by Simone St. James
4.0
I added this to my TBR at the start of the year and by the time I picked it up I'd forgotten everything about it. I went in without bothering to reread the synopsis or remind myself why I'd wanted to read it in the first place.
What a pleasant surprise this was. It's not amazing - the two main characters don't really struggle to achieve their goals or face any huge setbacks - but it's well written, brilliantly paced, kept me guessing, and surprised me, and I cared about the characters and the stakes. That's all I want from a thriller, and I'm glad I read this.
What a pleasant surprise this was. It's not amazing - the two main characters don't really struggle to achieve their goals or face any huge setbacks - but it's well written, brilliantly paced, kept me guessing, and surprised me, and I cared about the characters and the stakes. That's all I want from a thriller, and I'm glad I read this.
The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton
2.0
I've started to call Turton the M Night Shyamalan of fiction. His books are very high concept and start really strongly but lose themselves in the pursuit of a surprising twist that manifest as a messy third act that more or less ruins the book for me.
This is definitely better than The Devil and the Dark Water for the most part, but the final 20% is a hot mess that I read more out of a sense of obligation than any sort of enjoyment. And it's a shame, because up until that point I was really enjoying it. It's an interesting mystery, and there's some novel stuff going on here. I particularly liked the clever way of making an omnipotent third person narrator actually be a meaningful character in the narrative (though it stops being clever when you realise that Abi knows everything that happened the entire time and that the plot is driven largely by her refusal to ever tell anyone, for reasons that are sort of addressed but not in a satisfying way).
I have a laundry list of complaints and things that bugged me about the final section of the book that range from big structural things to minor annoyances like "you lost track of the geography of your own setting", but I won't list them here. I really wanted to enjoy this. I loved The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle despite not caring for the ending (in that case I simply didn't like it rather than thinking it was Bad) and wanted to see Turton return to that form after missing on Dark Water, but this is another miss for me. There are some great ideas here and a very gripping first half but ultimately it just doesn't work.
This is definitely better than The Devil and the Dark Water for the most part, but the final 20% is a hot mess that I read more out of a sense of obligation than any sort of enjoyment. And it's a shame, because up until that point I was really enjoying it. It's an interesting mystery, and there's some novel stuff going on here. I particularly liked the clever way of making an omnipotent third person narrator actually be a meaningful character in the narrative (though it stops being clever when you realise that Abi knows everything that happened the entire time and that the plot is driven largely by her refusal to ever tell anyone, for reasons that are sort of addressed but not in a satisfying way).
I have a laundry list of complaints and things that bugged me about the final section of the book that range from big structural things to minor annoyances like "you lost track of the geography of your own setting", but I won't list them here. I really wanted to enjoy this. I loved The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle despite not caring for the ending (in that case I simply didn't like it rather than thinking it was Bad) and wanted to see Turton return to that form after missing on Dark Water, but this is another miss for me. There are some great ideas here and a very gripping first half but ultimately it just doesn't work.
Eon by Greg Bear
2.0
I was really into this when it was about humans exploring an alien megastructure and trying to figure out what the hell was going on but that didn't last. Once it became about galactic politics I quickly lost interest. The mildly racist portrayal of Chinese people and weirdly shoehorned-in sex scenes didn't help, either.