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dirk_bannion_author's Reviews (157)
I'm a big fan of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, and I consider their co-written books to be among the best in the genre. This Preston solo effort was right up to that standard, although I have to say I think Lincoln Child may reign Preston in just a bit in a few areas, to his credit.
Without spoiling a fun and rip-roaring plot, I'll just say I was initially bummed out by the first "twist", thinking it was a bit too generic, but what he did with that twist in the last few pages more than made up for that temporary disappointment. All in all, a great way to spend a few hours immersed in another world. Highly recommended.
Without spoiling a fun and rip-roaring plot, I'll just say I was initially bummed out by the first "twist", thinking it was a bit too generic, but what he did with that twist in the last few pages more than made up for that temporary disappointment. All in all, a great way to spend a few hours immersed in another world. Highly recommended.
It's been a very busy week, and I haven't had nearly enough free time for reading. So far, I'm only on page 58, but I'm still reading, which is a good sign. I tend to decide very quickly if a book isn't worth my time, and I'm relatively ruthless in that regard. I don't like wasting my time with a book I'm not enjoying.
The Company is starting slowly, but not slow enough to stop. It's more the slowness of the opening hill on a roller coaster. Sure, if the whole ride was like this, it would suck. But you know it's not, so it's ok for anticipation-building.
My only bummer-reaction is that the author relies pretty heavily on flashbacks to fill the background. I know it's sometimes necessary, but in this case the alternating present-past scene shifting gets a little tiresome and confusing. I'm hoping that's just an introductory plague that will lessen or disappear once the main plot gets chugging along.
******
Final verdict: I ended up decided I couldn't finish the book. Its characters lost me about 2/3 of the way through, and it saddened me. But not enough to waste any more time. Sorry K.J. Parker. I know you invested months of painstaking effort bringing this book to birth. It's just not for me.
The Company is starting slowly, but not slow enough to stop. It's more the slowness of the opening hill on a roller coaster. Sure, if the whole ride was like this, it would suck. But you know it's not, so it's ok for anticipation-building.
My only bummer-reaction is that the author relies pretty heavily on flashbacks to fill the background. I know it's sometimes necessary, but in this case the alternating present-past scene shifting gets a little tiresome and confusing. I'm hoping that's just an introductory plague that will lessen or disappear once the main plot gets chugging along.
******
Final verdict: I ended up decided I couldn't finish the book. Its characters lost me about 2/3 of the way through, and it saddened me. But not enough to waste any more time. Sorry K.J. Parker. I know you invested months of painstaking effort bringing this book to birth. It's just not for me.
I finally finished [b:Dragonworld|415463|Dragonworld|Byron Preiss|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174538290s/415463.jpg|404648] yesterday, and I took the remainder of the day to digest it.
This was a truly well-written fantasy novel with all the right pieces to the puzzle. The heroes (there are several) were flawed and real, the villians (there were also several) were sympathetic and entirely three-dimensional. The plot was large enough to fill the space without getting out of hand or too mired in itself to enjoy.
In the end, it was a perfect self-contained epic fantasy which left the door open for sequels, but neither needs nor demands them.
I've read in various places online that Dragonworld is a children's book. I can't find any indication by the authors that that was the intention, and I don't notice it to be immature in the least. But, then again, the very best literature is often able to transcend artificial age barriers, as is evidenced by some of the most enduring, classic titles in fantasy: Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia, Alice in Wonderland, and so many others.
So, in closing, I'd definitely recommend reading Dragonworld, and I'd like to know what you think about it too!
____________________________________________
Reading Progress
05/08 page 300
54.0% "The book's just getting better and better. I definitely recommend Dragonworld for any pure fantasy aficionados. I especially like the fact that magic is an exceptionally understated factor in the story. While it's obviously going to be there (it is a Fantasy novel, after all) I think some authors rely so heavily on it, magic becomes a huge, ugly crutch on which everything leans."
05/01 page 168
30.0% "It's been slow going, but only because my writing work has been very busy lately. I'm very impressed with Dragonworld: subtle yet deep world-building with familiar but not cliched characters and situations. The political intrigue is interesting without being overbearing and the building drama of two nations at war for no reason keeps the plot plunging forward at a good pace.
I'm looking forward to finishing it!"
04/21 page 1
0.0% "So, since I couldn't make it through The Company, I decided on a completely different flavor for my next book to dive into. I'll let you know how it goes!"
This was a truly well-written fantasy novel with all the right pieces to the puzzle. The heroes (there are several) were flawed and real, the villians (there were also several) were sympathetic and entirely three-dimensional. The plot was large enough to fill the space without getting out of hand or too mired in itself to enjoy.
In the end, it was a perfect self-contained epic fantasy which left the door open for sequels, but neither needs nor demands them.
I've read in various places online that Dragonworld is a children's book. I can't find any indication by the authors that that was the intention, and I don't notice it to be immature in the least. But, then again, the very best literature is often able to transcend artificial age barriers, as is evidenced by some of the most enduring, classic titles in fantasy: Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia, Alice in Wonderland, and so many others.
So, in closing, I'd definitely recommend reading Dragonworld, and I'd like to know what you think about it too!
____________________________________________
Reading Progress
05/08 page 300
54.0% "The book's just getting better and better. I definitely recommend Dragonworld for any pure fantasy aficionados. I especially like the fact that magic is an exceptionally understated factor in the story. While it's obviously going to be there (it is a Fantasy novel, after all) I think some authors rely so heavily on it, magic becomes a huge, ugly crutch on which everything leans."
05/01 page 168
30.0% "It's been slow going, but only because my writing work has been very busy lately. I'm very impressed with Dragonworld: subtle yet deep world-building with familiar but not cliched characters and situations. The political intrigue is interesting without being overbearing and the building drama of two nations at war for no reason keeps the plot plunging forward at a good pace.
I'm looking forward to finishing it!"
04/21 page 1
0.0% "So, since I couldn't make it through The Company, I decided on a completely different flavor for my next book to dive into. I'll let you know how it goes!"
Here's hoping this Preston novel is as fantastic as the last. I'm only on page 7 so far, but I've got high hopes!
So I finished The Codex in record time, but not for the reason I would hope. See, I was sick for a few days so I pretty much did nothing but sit and read and cough and blow my nose and read some more.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the book, but I've kind of developed a Douglas Preston addiction of late and the book kind of felt a touch anti-climatic to me. Maybe it's just a matter of being a hair too long. The ending felt predictable when it finally came, even though now that I'm looking back on it, it was full of really great moments. So maybe Preston just needed to apply the old red grease pencil a little more liberally and cut it down to 350 taut pages instead of 404 pages with a few extra pounds on them.
All in all, though, I still recommend The Codex as a good read on a rainy day. And I hope someone makes a movie of it at some point. It seems photogenic to me.
So I finished The Codex in record time, but not for the reason I would hope. See, I was sick for a few days so I pretty much did nothing but sit and read and cough and blow my nose and read some more.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the book, but I've kind of developed a Douglas Preston addiction of late and the book kind of felt a touch anti-climatic to me. Maybe it's just a matter of being a hair too long. The ending felt predictable when it finally came, even though now that I'm looking back on it, it was full of really great moments. So maybe Preston just needed to apply the old red grease pencil a little more liberally and cut it down to 350 taut pages instead of 404 pages with a few extra pounds on them.
All in all, though, I still recommend The Codex as a good read on a rainy day. And I hope someone makes a movie of it at some point. It seems photogenic to me.
OK... I'm probably a terrible reader and writer for saying this, but... I didn't get it.
Now, let me temper that statement by saying that I had no problem at all finishing the book. I wanted to know what was going to happen, if for no other reason, than to figure out how all the weird disparate details fit together in the end.
But once it was finally over, I just really didn't get what the actual story or theme or moral, or whatever it was supposed to do for me, was.
There were moments in which I laughed out loud. And there were moments where I noted brilliance without a doubt. But I guess I'm just no on Vonnegut's plane when it comes to "satirical wit and black comic perception" as advertised on the back of the book. The book just didn't do much for me.
That being said, I've never claimed to be a connoisseur. Just a lover of reading and writing good stories that take me away for a fun ride outside myself. "Cat's Cradle" did that to a certain extent. I'm hoping the next one does even better.
What about you? Have you read Cat's Cradle? What did you think of it?
Now, let me temper that statement by saying that I had no problem at all finishing the book. I wanted to know what was going to happen, if for no other reason, than to figure out how all the weird disparate details fit together in the end.
But once it was finally over, I just really didn't get what the actual story or theme or moral, or whatever it was supposed to do for me, was.
There were moments in which I laughed out loud. And there were moments where I noted brilliance without a doubt. But I guess I'm just no on Vonnegut's plane when it comes to "satirical wit and black comic perception" as advertised on the back of the book. The book just didn't do much for me.
That being said, I've never claimed to be a connoisseur. Just a lover of reading and writing good stories that take me away for a fun ride outside myself. "Cat's Cradle" did that to a certain extent. I'm hoping the next one does even better.
What about you? Have you read Cat's Cradle? What did you think of it?
What can I possibly say about Treasure Island that hasn't already been said?
It's a classic of the action/adventure genre, written back before there was such a thing as "genre". It's a rip-roaring read from back before "rip-roaring" was an acceptable adjective. It's one of the first books I specifically remember reading, loving and re-reading just for the sheer joy of it. And I'm proud to have passed it along to my own kids too.
Bravo, Mr. Stevenson.
It's a classic of the action/adventure genre, written back before there was such a thing as "genre". It's a rip-roaring read from back before "rip-roaring" was an acceptable adjective. It's one of the first books I specifically remember reading, loving and re-reading just for the sheer joy of it. And I'm proud to have passed it along to my own kids too.
Bravo, Mr. Stevenson.
Another classic King novel which has a particular resonance with me: I can't stand clowns. Scared of them. They freak me out. Therefore, this novel scared the living bejezzuzz out of me.
I will say (very minor spoiler alert) the final version of Pennywise was a hair over the top. Made me wonder if King ran out of solid ideas but hadn't hit the word-count he was shooting for yet. That being said, though, I gladly read the whole thing and would strongly recommend it to any King fan who hasn't discovered it yet.
Fun, creepy read.
I will say (very minor spoiler alert) the final version of Pennywise was a hair over the top. Made me wonder if King ran out of solid ideas but hadn't hit the word-count he was shooting for yet. That being said, though, I gladly read the whole thing and would strongly recommend it to any King fan who hasn't discovered it yet.
Fun, creepy read.
I'm a huge King fan, as you can certainly tell by now, and this is one of his absolute best.
The plot is sprawling and fun, even the expanded addition. (I've read both and didn't feel the extended version was too wordy.) Some of his books did fall into that trap (like Insomnia, for instance,) but this isn't one of them.
It's admittedly been a while since I last read The Stand, so I'm not going to attempt a thorough review. This is just to confirm, in case you haven't given it a chance yet, The Stand is well worth the time it'll take to read it.
The plot is sprawling and fun, even the expanded addition. (I've read both and didn't feel the extended version was too wordy.) Some of his books did fall into that trap (like Insomnia, for instance,) but this isn't one of them.
It's admittedly been a while since I last read The Stand, so I'm not going to attempt a thorough review. This is just to confirm, in case you haven't given it a chance yet, The Stand is well worth the time it'll take to read it.
This is the first volume of what finally became the Dark Tower series.
I have to say that, if I'd run across this book early in my Stephen King fan days, I would probably have been fairly disappointed. It's a bit dry, a bit contrived, all-in-all not up to the standards of the few novels that proceeded it in King's repertoire.
But, fortunately for me, I never tried reading any of the Dark Tower series until it was "complete". (I put that in quotes because the 8th book was supposed to be the end, but a "prequel" of sorts called [b:The Wind Through the Keyhole: A Dark Tower Novel|12341557|The Wind Through the Keyhole A Dark Tower Novel|Stephen King|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1328001524s/12341557.jpg|15678889] just landed on my To Read list... :)) And so, viewing it strictly as the introduction to what evolved into a truly beautiful, exciting and satisfying epic fantasy series, The Gunslinger holds up just fine.
That being said, I still only gave it 4 stars because I'm guessing that, given the chance 30 years later, King would probably go back and make it much better.
I have to say that, if I'd run across this book early in my Stephen King fan days, I would probably have been fairly disappointed. It's a bit dry, a bit contrived, all-in-all not up to the standards of the few novels that proceeded it in King's repertoire.
But, fortunately for me, I never tried reading any of the Dark Tower series until it was "complete". (I put that in quotes because the 8th book was supposed to be the end, but a "prequel" of sorts called [b:The Wind Through the Keyhole: A Dark Tower Novel|12341557|The Wind Through the Keyhole A Dark Tower Novel|Stephen King|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1328001524s/12341557.jpg|15678889] just landed on my To Read list... :)) And so, viewing it strictly as the introduction to what evolved into a truly beautiful, exciting and satisfying epic fantasy series, The Gunslinger holds up just fine.
That being said, I still only gave it 4 stars because I'm guessing that, given the chance 30 years later, King would probably go back and make it much better.
I loved this book, mostly because it's a straight-ahead fright fest that doesn't rely on any of the monster or paranormal contrivances. Instead, it's just a crazy lady doing crazy things and just one heart-stopping escape effort after another.
The story-inside-a-story motif, which King has used before as well, works really well here since (mild spoiler alert) the crazy lady is keeping him hostage in order to extort a new bodice-ripping romance novel out of him. The novel he's writing is intentionally cheesy and the excerpts King gives us made me smile.
The story-inside-a-story motif, which King has used before as well, works really well here since (mild spoiler alert) the crazy lady is keeping him hostage in order to extort a new bodice-ripping romance novel out of him. The novel he's writing is intentionally cheesy and the excerpts King gives us made me smile.