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dingakaa's reviews
71 reviews
Esio Trot by Roald Dahl
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
True love is a tortoise heist.
The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
adventurous
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Another banger from Sanderson. He has impeccable pacing centered around very cool characters. He dresses well-worn fantasy tropes in original outfits. This is as fresh as it gets.
The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I'd say Sanderson successfully landed the plane with this one. Because my first exposure to Sanderson was the Wheel of Time, I was ready for a plot-only trilogy, but he did a great job with the characters in this one. They're far deeper than I imagined, and he developed them in "only" three books. Typically, it takes fantasy authors multiple trilogies to get the same depth.
This is my first Sanderson-only work. A few things I was struck by:
-How mechanistic he is; he goes to great lengths to make his magic system understandable. Even if you don't fully understand physics, his laws of allomancy make intuitive sense. He also takes the time to weave in political theory and statistics in a way I haven't seen other authors do. It makes it all very tangible which is such a departure from other magic systems I've read.
-His use of deus ex machina is very selective, and completely made up for by how masterfully he hides well crafted plot points throughout the entire trilogy. He also utilizes a fair bit of diabolus ex machina as a way to balance what you're hoping will be a happy ending.
-He does a reasonable job addressing sexism, racism, sexual abuse, and imperialism which I think will age more or less okay.
Overall, I'd say you should read this book if you consider yourself a fan of fantasy books.
This is my first Sanderson-only work. A few things I was struck by:
-How mechanistic he is; he goes to great lengths to make his magic system understandable. Even if you don't fully understand physics, his laws of allomancy make intuitive sense. He also takes the time to weave in political theory and statistics in a way I haven't seen other authors do. It makes it all very tangible which is such a departure from other magic systems I've read.
-His use of deus ex machina is very selective, and completely made up for by how masterfully he hides well crafted plot points throughout the entire trilogy. He also utilizes a fair bit of diabolus ex machina as a way to balance what you're hoping will be a happy ending.
-He does a reasonable job addressing sexism, racism, sexual abuse, and imperialism which I think will age more or less okay.
Overall, I'd say you should read this book if you consider yourself a fan of fantasy books.
Waking Up Screaming: Haunting Tales of Terror by H.P. Lovecraft
Did not finish book. Stopped at 62%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 62%.
adventurous
dark
emotional
3.5
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
TLDR: I'm hooked.
Regarding this installment:
- This was widely recommended as the first book to read to get into Sanderson; it was for me. Without knowing anything about the rest of his work, I think this is a suitable starting point. The inception of the book's plot comes at the beginning of a few storylines, so you're oriented very quickly.
- As with any fantasy writing, there has to be some explaining of lore/mechanics/relationships for plot points to make sense. Bad authors use the omnipotent author to speak directly to the reader, or thinly veil a character's dialogue. Good authors integrate their explanations into the plot (e.g. Sazed explaining some feature of Terrisman religion to Vin that is immediately relevant to the final battle, but also crucial for the reader to understand Sanderson's wider world.) Sanderson is very good at doing this throughout the book so as to feel natural.
- I knew Sanderson was a plot-driven writer by how he wrapped up the Wheel of Time. However, this is on full display in Mistborn. Lovers of Tolkien and Jordan be warned. This isn't grandad's fantasy. The story MOVES. The upside is fast plot progression; the downside is fast plot progression. I wonder if this is why he has become the preeminent fantasy writer of our time...
Regarding the broader series:
- It is so refreshing to see, even in the first installment, a completely different magic then what I've been used to in Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, LOTR, and WOT. While all those stories have their differences, they rely on a typically-supernatural source of power that sorcerers and/or wizards can channel; the magic is often elemental; magic-wielders are rarely melee fighters; the source of magic is intangible. Mistborn changes the game in all those respects. It's so much fun.
- A point that's been made before, but it bears repeating here: Mistborn takes place in a world where the bad guy has already one. Another trop discarded!
- For how different the story is from WoT and LOTR, there are still striking similarities. The good guys are converging on the bad guys' stronghold to get A Thing; Rashek is the negative of Sam Gamgee; Inquisitors are Nazgul; the Hero of Ages is Rand al'Thor; The Deepness has flavours of The Blight, but how it compares remains to be seen. He even put a glossary at the end! Very WoT.
My one complaint
Sanderson has taken on the Herculean task of making the mechanics of his magic very tangible. In so doing, he has made it far easier to question its internal logic, and therefore, find flaws. There aren't many, and at this stage, they may be explained in a later book. But for now, I wonder about:
1. How the metal that absolutely FILLS an Inquisitor's body is not subject to Allomantic powers. The reader actually gets a ton of "education" on how all the metals work, and their limitations are explored in quite some detail as Vin trains. She asks a ton of questions, which is great for the reader. How can we not have explored why we can't simply fling Inquisitors away? We spend a ton of time dreading confronting them because of their power. How could this not have been a question Vin asked?
2. How the Lord Rule combined Allomancy and Ferruchemy to live forever? We get an explanation at the end of the book and I swear I read it ten times and still don't get it. Either I'm dumb, or Sanderson bit off a bit more than he could chew.
3. There are a few allusions to Mistings actually being better than Mistborn at their particular skill. This is on full display with Breeze and Marsh's training sessions with Vin. We should have got explanations as to how this was possible. Are Mistings as powerful as Mistborn, but are just confined to one metal? Or are they usually more powerful because they practice for a lifetime with one metal? This one feels like it will clarify itself in future books.
Regarding this installment:
- This was widely recommended as the first book to read to get into Sanderson; it was for me. Without knowing anything about the rest of his work, I think this is a suitable starting point. The inception of the book's plot comes at the beginning of a few storylines, so you're oriented very quickly.
- As with any fantasy writing, there has to be some explaining of lore/mechanics/relationships for plot points to make sense. Bad authors use the omnipotent author to speak directly to the reader, or thinly veil a character's dialogue. Good authors integrate their explanations into the plot (e.g. Sazed explaining some feature of Terrisman religion to Vin that is immediately relevant to the final battle, but also crucial for the reader to understand Sanderson's wider world.) Sanderson is very good at doing this throughout the book so as to feel natural.
- I knew Sanderson was a plot-driven writer by how he wrapped up the Wheel of Time. However, this is on full display in Mistborn. Lovers of Tolkien and Jordan be warned. This isn't grandad's fantasy. The story MOVES. The upside is fast plot progression; the downside is fast plot progression. I wonder if this is why he has become the preeminent fantasy writer of our time...
Regarding the broader series:
- It is so refreshing to see, even in the first installment, a completely different magic then what I've been used to in Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, LOTR, and WOT. While all those stories have their differences, they rely on a typically-supernatural source of power that sorcerers and/or wizards can channel; the magic is often elemental; magic-wielders are rarely melee fighters; the source of magic is intangible. Mistborn changes the game in all those respects. It's so much fun.
- A point that's been made before, but it bears repeating here: Mistborn takes place in a world where the bad guy has already one. Another trop discarded!
- For how different the story is from WoT and LOTR, there are still striking similarities. The good guys are converging on the bad guys' stronghold to get A Thing; Rashek is the negative of Sam Gamgee; Inquisitors are Nazgul; the Hero of Ages is Rand al'Thor; The Deepness has flavours of The Blight, but how it compares remains to be seen. He even put a glossary at the end! Very WoT.
My one complaint
Sanderson has taken on the Herculean task of making the mechanics of his magic very tangible. In so doing, he has made it far easier to question its internal logic, and therefore, find flaws. There aren't many, and at this stage, they may be explained in a later book. But for now, I wonder about:
1. How the metal that absolutely FILLS an Inquisitor's body is not subject to Allomantic powers. The reader actually gets a ton of "education" on how all the metals work, and their limitations are explored in quite some detail as Vin trains. She asks a ton of questions, which is great for the reader. How can we not have explored why we can't simply fling Inquisitors away? We spend a ton of time dreading confronting them because of their power. How could this not have been a question Vin asked?
2. How the Lord Rule combined Allomancy and Ferruchemy to live forever? We get an explanation at the end of the book and I swear I read it ten times and still don't get it. Either I'm dumb, or Sanderson bit off a bit more than he could chew.
3. There are a few allusions to Mistings actually being better than Mistborn at their particular skill. This is on full display with Breeze and Marsh's training sessions with Vin. We should have got explanations as to how this was possible. Are Mistings as powerful as Mistborn, but are just confined to one metal? Or are they usually more powerful because they practice for a lifetime with one metal? This one feels like it will clarify itself in future books.
The Years by Annie Ernaux
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
A worthwhile read that triggers contemplation.
The ability to translate a work like this, specifically from French to English, is a feat deserving of an award; much praise to Strayer.
4.75, and not 5.00, because I felt the last ten pages, where the book itself was explained, took away from the beauty of the artwork itself. The entire book is a sort of dual autobiography, constantly alternating between a story of the author herself, and a collective autobiography of France and/or women in France. By spending the last ten pages discussing the inspiration/design/inception of the book, the perspective snaps exclusively to Ernaux's and we lose the collective point of view. In addition, it's always nice to go behind the scenes and see how and why iconic art was made, but I would prefer that the pulling back of the curtain on this book's creation not be part of the artwork itself.
Then again, this book won a Nobel Prize and I'm just an idiot with a keyboard. You should read this.
The ability to translate a work like this, specifically from French to English, is a feat deserving of an award; much praise to Strayer.
4.75, and not 5.00, because I felt the last ten pages, where the book itself was explained, took away from the beauty of the artwork itself. The entire book is a sort of dual autobiography, constantly alternating between a story of the author herself, and a collective autobiography of France and/or women in France. By spending the last ten pages discussing the inspiration/design/inception of the book, the perspective snaps exclusively to Ernaux's and we lose the collective point of view. In addition, it's always nice to go behind the scenes and see how and why iconic art was made, but I would prefer that the pulling back of the curtain on this book's creation not be part of the artwork itself.
Then again, this book won a Nobel Prize and I'm just an idiot with a keyboard. You should read this.
How To Be Famous Or The Great In A Nutshell by Theodora Benson
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
3.75
Just, lol.
Suture by Nic Brewer
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Wonderful and heartfelt, this is a completely unique way of representing the journey, and toll, of creating something. My one gripe is that Brewer decides to use sci-fi/fantasy as a vessel to do so, and she ignores the most important rule of the genres: the mechanics of your supernatural phenomena have to either be explained, or our collective lack of understanding of them has to be acknowledged and written into the story.
Brewer leans on the aspect of literally using up one's body to create art, which is impossible the way she writes it. However, there is no explanation whatsoever how, for example, someone can remove a lung to create art, stay alive, and then put it back when finished. While it is mildly unsatisfying to leave these questions unanswereed, what it also led to was a lack of understanding sometimes of WHAT the art actually was. This left me unfulfilled. If I'm to care how making art takes a toll on the artist, I want to fully understand what they are creating.
Brewer leans on the aspect of literally using up one's body to create art, which is impossible the way she writes it. However, there is no explanation whatsoever how, for example, someone can remove a lung to create art, stay alive, and then put it back when finished. While it is mildly unsatisfying to leave these questions unanswereed, what it also led to was a lack of understanding sometimes of WHAT the art actually was. This left me unfulfilled. If I'm to care how making art takes a toll on the artist, I want to fully understand what they are creating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Blood, and Self harm
Luster by Raven Leilani
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I have only ever thought one book was perfect (Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro). This is now the second. You should read it immediately and don't spoil it with skimming reviews or summaries. Just go.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Racism, Medical content, Miscarriage, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Physical abuse and Blood
Minor: Abortion and Animal death
Wittgenstein for beginners by John Heaton, Judy Groves
challenging
slow-paced
3.0
There was no distinction between the author's explanations and Wittgenstein's thoughts which made for very confusing reading. This wasn't so much an explanation as relaying of ideas, and as such, it was quite opaque for a philosophy newbie.