Take a photo of a barcode or cover
cody_'s reviews
95 reviews
Shorefall by Robert Jackson Bennett
3.5
With its pragmatic prose, an instant and demanding conflict, an identifiable camaraderie, and a versatile magic system, this sequel felt brisk to read.
The introduction of a conflict requiring exigency to be taken care of from the onset creates some problems for me. Due to the immediate conflict which lasts throughout the book, the characters do not have time to breathe, which by no means is bad. The characters and environment shine in a time in where action is at its forefront. The stipulation that needs to be followed up, however, is I need to feel attached to the characters in order to allow the plot to not ring hollow. This works fine with most characters, as enough background is given for Sancia, Gregor, Crasedes, and Orso to feel invested. The problem lies with Berenice for me. I am not sure if the author still has some cards up his sleeve with her, but she is the most undeveloped of the bunch, and being underdeveloped hurts when the plot relies so much upon her. It makes her like more like a crutch for the plot than a key player we were supposed to root for at times.
While I can't say I could have predicted how the novel was going to end from the beginning, I unfortunately predicted a good bit of the minor plot twists. If, within the book, somebody (especially when it is one of the Foundrysiders) asserts vague information that they believe is true... It's not. The plot structure stays relatively the same throughout the book, so the books lacks any revelations (outside of one twist at the end of the novel which follows a similar structure but allows for many factors to obfuscate the possibility) for these minor twists which did not do much for me.
I do like the character work present in the novel. Sancia and Orso receive less focus than what they received in Foundryside, but the two characters shows progression from their past, to what they believe in Foundryside, and to now in Shorefall. Gregor and Ofelia perhaps receive the most focus in matters lying outside of the main conflict itself, and their role allows the novel to be coherent yet unpredictable. They draw the most sympathy out of me, which eliminates this novel from being a empty action-fest.
That is not to say the bringer of conflict, Crasedes, fails to draw my attention. While I believe the themes the novel brings would have naturally brought up, regardless, Crasedes still brings the themes of the use of power and government structures up to light. He is the philosophical adhesive to this plot-oriented novel. His power is evident but restrained (by means that come through scriving that's a plus), so it allows the ante in the overarching plot and in scriving. Next, his goals and his utilitarian way of accomplishing them shows wit but brings the right amount of unease to make the novel's themes to develop but not finalize. Finally, his characterization manages to draw sympathy akin to Gregor and Ofelia while not feeling one-note. In short, I like Crasedes for how is able to develop the series in multiple fronts despite his abrupt appearance.
Shorefall feels like a slight downgrade to Foundryside. The plot structure requires a certain amount of character work to be effective, and I don't think Foundryside gave enough information regarding some of the characters. The events that transpired almost worked, however I do wish there something in between the end of Foundryside and the inciting conflict of Shorefall. I am not going into this last novel pessimistic, as Shorefalls still plays off of some of the series' strength, but I do hope the finale improves. If not, then I may end of disappointed.
The introduction of a conflict requiring exigency to be taken care of from the onset creates some problems for me. Due to the immediate conflict which lasts throughout the book, the characters do not have time to breathe, which by no means is bad. The characters and environment shine in a time in where action is at its forefront. The stipulation that needs to be followed up, however, is I need to feel attached to the characters in order to allow the plot to not ring hollow. This works fine with most characters, as enough background is given for Sancia, Gregor, Crasedes, and Orso to feel invested. The problem lies with Berenice for me. I am not sure if the author still has some cards up his sleeve with her, but she is the most undeveloped of the bunch, and being underdeveloped hurts when the plot relies so much upon her. It makes her like more like a crutch for the plot than a key player we were supposed to root for at times.
While I can't say I could have predicted how the novel was going to end from the beginning, I unfortunately predicted a good bit of the minor plot twists. If, within the book, somebody (especially when it is one of the Foundrysiders) asserts vague information that they believe is true... It's not. The plot structure stays relatively the same throughout the book, so the books lacks any revelations (outside of one twist at the end of the novel which follows a similar structure but allows for many factors to obfuscate the possibility) for these minor twists which did not do much for me.
I do like the character work present in the novel. Sancia and Orso receive less focus than what they received in Foundryside, but the two characters shows progression from their past, to what they believe in Foundryside, and to now in Shorefall. Gregor and Ofelia perhaps receive the most focus in matters lying outside of the main conflict itself, and their role allows the novel to be coherent yet unpredictable. They draw the most sympathy out of me, which eliminates this novel from being a empty action-fest.
That is not to say the bringer of conflict, Crasedes, fails to draw my attention. While I believe the themes the novel brings would have naturally brought up, regardless, Crasedes still brings the themes of the use of power and government structures up to light. He is the philosophical adhesive to this plot-oriented novel. His power is evident but restrained (by means that come through scriving that's a plus), so it allows the ante in the overarching plot and in scriving. Next, his goals and his utilitarian way of accomplishing them shows wit but brings the right amount of unease to make the novel's themes to develop but not finalize. Finally, his characterization manages to draw sympathy akin to Gregor and Ofelia while not feeling one-note. In short, I like Crasedes for how is able to develop the series in multiple fronts despite his abrupt appearance.
Shorefall feels like a slight downgrade to Foundryside. The plot structure requires a certain amount of character work to be effective, and I don't think Foundryside gave enough information regarding some of the characters. The events that transpired almost worked, however I do wish there something in between the end of Foundryside and the inciting conflict of Shorefall. I am not going into this last novel pessimistic, as Shorefalls still plays off of some of the series' strength, but I do hope the finale improves. If not, then I may end of disappointed.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
3.25
I'm not Christian, so everything regarding religion was interesting, but I could only sympathize with the issues, not empathize with them. The romantic arc was fresh for me, and I appreciate how it was structured. However, verbosity of the language between Jane and Mr. Rochester made their chemistry only detectable on a surface level, but not inviting to observe. In addition, I was never a big fan of the pastoral descriptions despite them showing great technical skill, so it felt like the second third of the story dragged. I do like Jane. She carries wit and perseverance while still being dynamic. When she hones in on a topic (instead of just expositing which is something I wasn't a big fan of), I felt immersed. In summary, there were a collection of ideas that I mildy disliked, and the collection of ideas that I did find interesting had a hard time evoking anything potent. Despite this being an impressive novel, I don't think this novel was for me.
Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga
4.25
I hate to say I came into this book with a few unfair preconceptions. Ironically and stupidly, my prejudices originates from Jane Eyre, a eurocentric novel. The booked is marketed as a staple for African, postcolonial, and feminist literature, which are three groups that continue increasing in popularity in literature circles. From my knowledge with Jane Eyre, the blurb of Nervous Conditions, the Bildungsroman slant, and the famous first line of “I was not sorry when my brother died”, I made myself believe that this novel was going explore its themes with a boring and one-note approach: Even with the horrible systems and people that oppress minorities, a protagonist who is a paragon of foresight, determination, and independence can overcome such obstacles in order to achieve happiness and become a role model for their minority group. I know of my callousness adopting this disdain for such novels, but I started to get concerned that novels depicting minorities were homogenizing in approach to the point where it felt less of an actualization of an artistic mission and more of an activist's attempt to inspire political change. Let me note that authors can inspire political change. However, without a certain artistry, certain messages can ring hollow even if they come from the good of the writer's hearts.
Nervous Conditions subverts, and thus, purges my mentioned prejudices. For example, I thought I grasped Tambu’s essence in Chapter 1: independent, prudent, and determined. That's what I thought I would see throughout the novel. However, as the novel progresses, readers can start to notice how outside forces start to influence her character. The progression starts subtly, but the latter half of the novel addresses her changes in personality with a tone of alarm. The reader can see that Tambu is going down a tragic path, but thanks to Tambu’s foil, Nyasha, the reader knows how even adopting different but equally as respectable attitudes can lead down a painful road. Through a myriad of intriguing characters that deal with the control of those with power and privilege, the reader can know how submission can affect a person’s character in nuanced yet extensive ways. While it is a coming of age story, it lacks that self-centeredness that I expected in exchange for a more rounded storyline.
Instead of embracing and identifying identity, the novel, with its postcolonial slant where a dominant cultural force feeds its victims, distorts and questions it. Through certain origins and mixings, there are diverse but unified forces that tug and pull characters like Tambu and Nyasha in certain ways that makes one puzzled about the identity of oneself and the culture they reside in. Honestly, the dynamic between Tambu and Nyasha is amazing. They share such differing perspectives and personalities, but they share so many similarities that seeing how the connections play with each other is both in need of analysis but one where one can immediately recognize as complex.
Honestly, due to my cultural background, I don’t think I can tackle and address its themes insightfully as it deserves. I will say, however, that there are themes that I can extract from the book and compare them to my life. The book surprised me in that I could relate to some of the themes with such intimacy despite how seemingly different my background is with the novel’s setting. There are some books where I can sympathize but not empathize while maintaining an opinion of respect, but Nervous Conditions manages to feel close despite its distance in time and setting.
I’m going to leave on an odd note because Nervous Conditions did the same thing to me. It’s an incomplete work, as it is the first book of a trilogy. I know people are given this book to read as a stand alone, and, if viewed as a stand alone, it feels inconclusive. Not inconclusive as like a compliment that some literary works receive when they tackle topics in such a manner that sparks discussion due to ambiguity. No, it feels inconclusive in the way that it lacks a conclusion with no real reason. Apparently the sequels took a while to get out, and I heard of mixed reception towards the two books. I will not say that the elapsed time made for a worse book, but I have to wonder how this book would have been if the whole series was released in one book.
Nervous Conditions subverts, and thus, purges my mentioned prejudices. For example, I thought I grasped Tambu’s essence in Chapter 1: independent, prudent, and determined. That's what I thought I would see throughout the novel. However, as the novel progresses, readers can start to notice how outside forces start to influence her character. The progression starts subtly, but the latter half of the novel addresses her changes in personality with a tone of alarm. The reader can see that Tambu is going down a tragic path, but thanks to Tambu’s foil, Nyasha, the reader knows how even adopting different but equally as respectable attitudes can lead down a painful road. Through a myriad of intriguing characters that deal with the control of those with power and privilege, the reader can know how submission can affect a person’s character in nuanced yet extensive ways. While it is a coming of age story, it lacks that self-centeredness that I expected in exchange for a more rounded storyline.
Instead of embracing and identifying identity, the novel, with its postcolonial slant where a dominant cultural force feeds its victims, distorts and questions it. Through certain origins and mixings, there are diverse but unified forces that tug and pull characters like Tambu and Nyasha in certain ways that makes one puzzled about the identity of oneself and the culture they reside in. Honestly, the dynamic between Tambu and Nyasha is amazing. They share such differing perspectives and personalities, but they share so many similarities that seeing how the connections play with each other is both in need of analysis but one where one can immediately recognize as complex.
Honestly, due to my cultural background, I don’t think I can tackle and address its themes insightfully as it deserves. I will say, however, that there are themes that I can extract from the book and compare them to my life. The book surprised me in that I could relate to some of the themes with such intimacy despite how seemingly different my background is with the novel’s setting. There are some books where I can sympathize but not empathize while maintaining an opinion of respect, but Nervous Conditions manages to feel close despite its distance in time and setting.
I’m going to leave on an odd note because Nervous Conditions did the same thing to me. It’s an incomplete work, as it is the first book of a trilogy. I know people are given this book to read as a stand alone, and, if viewed as a stand alone, it feels inconclusive. Not inconclusive as like a compliment that some literary works receive when they tackle topics in such a manner that sparks discussion due to ambiguity. No, it feels inconclusive in the way that it lacks a conclusion with no real reason. Apparently the sequels took a while to get out, and I heard of mixed reception towards the two books. I will not say that the elapsed time made for a worse book, but I have to wonder how this book would have been if the whole series was released in one book.
Meditations, Objections, and Replies by René Descartes
2.5
DNF... kinda. Our course finished the Meditations and went over a few objections. I don't feel motivated to finish the other objections. I have no idea how the philosopher with the most notorious quote in philosophy proceeds to write prose which was basically an almost indecipherable slog to go through. I thought it was just me being dumb at first, but then Hobbes' objections were breeze to read.
Outside of the writing style, there was not a lot I agreed on. Not even "ego sum, ego existo". The saving grace is that it's facilitative for philosophical/class discussion.
Outside of the writing style, there was not a lot I agreed on. Not even "ego sum, ego existo". The saving grace is that it's facilitative for philosophical/class discussion.