explikator's reviews
69 reviews

Blankets by Craig Thompson

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

5.0

The Ember Blade by Chris Wooding

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

 A 800 page High Fantasy epic, just as they used to be, long ago, when Elves and Dwarves and Trolls ruled over our planet? To get lost into a strange, new world where heat is produced by firestone and kindle and not by the climate crisis - wouldn't that be worth your time?

"The Ember Blade" promises exactly this and partly it delivers, too. 1) This book is 800 pages long. 2) It tells the good ole "Chosen One" trope anew. 3) It doesn't tire to tell you that it's situated on another planet: "Two moons! Take this, Middle Earth!" 4) There seem to be other typical Fantasy races, but ... we don't meet them. At least not in this part of the trilogy.

That said: It was an entertaining read, even though sometimes LOTR shone through too bright. I really didn't care too much about Aren, even less for Cade and Grub was just a very stereotypical barbarian. The female characters had the following roles to play: Unreachable upper-class idol. Hyper-intelligent, but very angry mastermind. Tough, but neurotic girl, which is thankful for the heroes attention.

Two characters were interesting: Vika, the druidess and Klyssen, the bad guy. Vika is confronted with the fact that her special brand of wisdom is eradicated from the world and Klyssen, the torturer, loves his children and his grumpy cat. There's something.

"The Ember Blade" is written very professionally and it flows nicely. The changing POVs are not jarring and flashbacks are short and useful. It is structured like a trilogy in itself (like LOTR!), consisting of an escape story, and adventurous travel with unlikely companions and a heist at the end. I will pick up the next series of books once Chris Wooding has told this trilogy.

 

Beckoning of the Gate by Benjamin J. Ryan

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Let's say this book is classical High Fantasy. We got the Hero's Journey with all the needed elements. The used archetypes here: The wise mentor, the Animus, the Shadow and that Santha, the heroin, has to solve the conflict inside herself, too. "Use the Force, Santha!"

I like the telepathic dog-fox and the fact that there's not an evil villain, just the usual impending doom. That said: The story fluidly told and a very entertaining read. I was happy to be back in Fantasy again and afterwwards immediately searched for a Tolkien clone I haven't read yet .

More than solid work above average Fantasy and I hope Benjamin Ryan invests a little more time in my favourite genre in the near future.

There's one thing that unsettles me a bit. It's a proper ending to the book when Santha looses her ego in the Gate. But the epilogue brings her back instantly, I guess for book number two. Mr. Ryan, don't write book two, please! Tell a new story! Please!

 

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

adventurous hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

 I don't think I'm a pedant, but this book gave me a huge problem right on the first page. Ryland Grace (Twin of Watney from 'The Martian') wakes up, can't move a muscle, especially states that he can't move his head, can't look around - but immediately knows he's lying on a bed with an oval shape. How?

I'm sorry, but I think this book was written in one go by the author and then massively edited afterwards by at least two different editors. My copy is filled with typos, exclamation marks and a lot of "hecks", and "what the hell". And the way that Ryland is NOT using swear words - unlike Watney - is very synthetical.

Mild spoilers ahead.

That said "Project Hail Mary" was an entertaining read - I like first contact stories - and who can resist the dry sarcasm of a talking giant spider like Rocky? 

In fact the alien creature is the most human character in this book, every human is a caricature. Russians are always stern and constantly drink wodka and even Stratt, who'd had enough time to develop, is not a living being with a soul.

Something with the pacing of this book is off the rail. The first problem are the chapters with his memories, constantly cutting the progress of the story in pieces. Second problem: The suspense is built by throwing technical problems at Stan and Ollie - sorry, Grace and Rocky, so the reader has to struggle to whole chapters of techno babble of the worst sort

The first third of the book are a little bumpy, the middle part is very entertaining and I was willing to forget my first impression, but the last third was just too far stretched, too much techno and not enough soul for me. Sorry.

 

The Pursuit of William Abbey by Claire North

adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 Wow, did this one grab me! For the first hundred pages I thought I'm reading a new masterpiece. The language, the pacing, the mystery of it were breathtaking. Then things slowed down after that. 
Newly introduced characters stayed rather blank and the ending was a dissapointment. "William Abbey" started with a deep message about death, identity and race and ended with outworn topics like revenge and murder. There was endless potential in Claire North's primary idea, but it was spent rather conventionally.
It reminds me of "Flatliners", that horror movie of the eighties. Cool locations, brilliant casting, fresh ideas - but ends like a dark Disney musical.

Thus said: I loved the first chapters so much! This is writing of today! Claire North has got talent and her very own voice. I really liked "Sudden Appearance of Hope", too and I will certainly check out every new book she'll write!

One personal thing:

The love between Margot and William was one of the center topics. Yet, when he indirectly kills her, all the emotional response we get are some words in capitals. Yes, she turned into a monster, and it's explained why, but I didn't feel any desperation. Neither from Margot, nor from William.

 

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

 "The king is pregnant". This book must have been like a revolution for Science Fiction, back when it was published in 1969. It's not "hard" sci fi at all, its concept is a thought experiment. What if there was an androgynous human race on another planet, where everyone is not a he or a she, but both? What if they develop libido only on three days a month?
This is the topic which made "The Left Hand of Darkness" so famous in its time. Now, fifty years later, where we discuss gender on a new level, its conclusions have not lost their appeal. One critic on this work was, back in 1969, that the protagonist labels everyone he meets as "he", even though "she" would have been sufficient, too. That's a good point, I guess. But 1969 was before the second wave of feminism and the heroes in science fiction still were mostly manly men. Other books published that year were "2001: A Space Odyssey", "The Man in High Castle", Slaughterhouse Five" ans "A Clockwork Orange" - no female characters with their own agency in these, yet they are called classics.

Soft spoiler:

I was even more fascinated by the religion that had developed in Karhide and by the love story between the Terran named Ai Genry and Estraven. Their love was only possible because they were different. It's not a deep understanding of each other or a sexual tension binding them together, but the respect of the fact, that each one of them is an alien to the other.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 The first page I opened features a map. Which is unreadable on a kindle. Then there is a family tree which means there are a lot of characters in this story. That made me very suspicious!
But the story is told from the perspective of one narrator only and easily enough to follow. It is told in the convincing voice of a sixteen year old girl called Candace, heir to the famous Sinclair family. Soon you anticipate something very dark hidden behind her ramblings and her crippling migraines. And you are right. 

This was a very surprising read for me and very gripping. The story is well written and constructed with great expertise. You always get just that bit of information you need in that specific moment. At the end everythings explains itself perfectly. It's a whodunnit in a sense and the fact that it's classified as YA undermines its potential as a psychological thriller.

There is one problem: Because you can not trust anyone while the mystery unravels, you don't relate to them as you should. This ruined the emotional ending of the book for me.

Massive spoiler:

Candace is an unreliabe narrator, because she suffers from a massive trauma. When her family begins to crumble, she and her cousins and her lover - the liars - decide to burn down the homestead itself. This seems to work, but in the end we learn that this rebellion did cost the lives of everyone involved but Candace.

 

MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

 "Please don't sing!". This is the best part of the trilogy, but the differences are small. When the first part was female and the second one male, part three is craker. Or pigoon. The world is not ending, something new is emerging. MaddAddam is a book about how spirituality is a part of conscience. Believing comes naturally. If they cannot sing, they are not intelligent.

As much as I liked the writing and the concept, I also have to admit, that the pacing was uneven for me. It's as if Atwood's work was bent to fit into Campbell's story structure by sheer force. "Margaret, you do need a showdown. You need a final confrontation with the bad guys."

 

The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

 

Since the first book was told from the pov of the scientists, this one tells about the cult of the Gardeners. Its protagonists, Toby and Brenda, are female, as Crake and Jimmy were male. When the human world dies in a man made pandemic, everyone is sent off to a very different journey. In the end the paths submerge. Their is a third book to be read.

Thoroughly plotted, masterfully told and with great characterization of everyone that plays a role. Even supporting acts like Lucerne work really well. The only thing that irritated me was the pacing. Up to 75% into the book I really didn't know why I should be invested into Ren or Toby, just as I didn't care too much for Crake or Jimmy in the first book. 
But I guess that's only me. Still the best dystopia since 'Parable of the Sower' last year. If only all books that I read were written stylistically so well!

 

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

 

A dystopian meditation about scientists that try to save the world by killing all homo sapiens and replacing them with their own creation. Human 2.0.

Masterfully crafted and with a slow burn and an open end. Without any question the best of all the dystopian novels I read since Octavia Butler last year. I've no idea why so many found their way into my list, but right now I'm more than saturated.

Maybe this is why I can only give a 3.5 for Margaret Atwoods work here. But I will find my way through the whole trilogy - I expect it to get better. I trust her.