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geekyjack's Reviews (283)
4.5 *
"A warrior is nothing if she has nothing to fight for." ~ Skyward, Brandon Sanderson.
This morning I finished Brandon Sanderson's latest book, 'Skyward'. It was my first ever Sanderson read, although I've always heard good reviews for his books. I'm glad to say I was not disappointed at all. This book was a fun, rip-roaring sci-fi adventure that kept me gripped from start to end and already has me excited for the sequel. Throughout the book I was reminded of 'Top Gun' and 'Ender's Game' which is no bad thing.
The world that Sanderson has built is both fantastic and intrguing with plenty of unanswered questions and mystery, some of which are slowly revealed throughout the story. I found myself gripped to this book because I just wanted to know more about the mysterious past of this world, the main characters and the relentless alien force.
As for the characters, I found Spensa (Callsign: Spin) to be a great protagonist that really develops and grows, although I did feel she could be a little whiney and immature at times. I also loved her relationships with the rest of the Skyward Flight, her trainer, the Admiral and, of course, M-Bot, who I found to be the comic relief in the book.
This book is by no means perfect. There were parts that I found to be slightly predictable, characters that were sometimes irritating and some parts a little repetitive, but Sanderson's writing always kept me engaged through these parts and the characters and mysteries were always engaging.
I will definitely be picking up more of Sanderson's books in the future, and I dare say I will be pre-ordering the sequel to this as soon as possible.
"A warrior is nothing if she has nothing to fight for." ~ Skyward, Brandon Sanderson.
This morning I finished Brandon Sanderson's latest book, 'Skyward'. It was my first ever Sanderson read, although I've always heard good reviews for his books. I'm glad to say I was not disappointed at all. This book was a fun, rip-roaring sci-fi adventure that kept me gripped from start to end and already has me excited for the sequel. Throughout the book I was reminded of 'Top Gun' and 'Ender's Game' which is no bad thing.
The world that Sanderson has built is both fantastic and intrguing with plenty of unanswered questions and mystery, some of which are slowly revealed throughout the story. I found myself gripped to this book because I just wanted to know more about the mysterious past of this world, the main characters and the relentless alien force.
As for the characters, I found Spensa (Callsign: Spin) to be a great protagonist that really develops and grows, although I did feel she could be a little whiney and immature at times. I also loved her relationships with the rest of the Skyward Flight, her trainer, the Admiral and, of course, M-Bot, who I found to be the comic relief in the book.
This book is by no means perfect. There were parts that I found to be slightly predictable, characters that were sometimes irritating and some parts a little repetitive, but Sanderson's writing always kept me engaged through these parts and the characters and mysteries were always engaging.
I will definitely be picking up more of Sanderson's books in the future, and I dare say I will be pre-ordering the sequel to this as soon as possible.
"Those whom the Gods wish to destroy, they first make bored," ~ Ian Fleming, 'From Russia with Love'.
'From Russia with Love' by Ian Fleming is the fifth Bond novel in the series and possibly my favourite after 'Casino Royale'. The world famous super-spy finds himself at the centre of an assassination plot by the Russian SMERSH spy agency that are intent on killing him and bringing scandal to MI6.
Like all of the Bond books I've read to date, this is very different from the movie of the same name, and like all the others, I much preferred the plot of the book to the movie. Fleming's writing kept me engaged throughout, from his descriptions of the locations and people to his action scenes, I always enjoyed Fleming's writing.
The one downside of all of these novels for me is the sexism and racism that are littered through them. If the novels were written and published in today's world, I'm not sure that I would be able to bare it. But they were written in the 50's, at a time when sexists and racists ruled the world. While it doesn't make these parts any easier to read or any less uncomfortable, it does make you realise how much times have changed.
It's a testament to Fleming's writing that we don't even see our hero arrive onto the pages until over a third of the way through, but I never once thought, 'Give me some Bond.' I never once found myself bored and was just so intrigued to find out the rest of the plot and how 007 was inevitably going to win... Which is why the end came as such a huge surprise to me.
Overall, another great Bond book with a cliffhanger ending that's making me want to pick up 'Dr No' even sooner.
'From Russia with Love' by Ian Fleming is the fifth Bond novel in the series and possibly my favourite after 'Casino Royale'. The world famous super-spy finds himself at the centre of an assassination plot by the Russian SMERSH spy agency that are intent on killing him and bringing scandal to MI6.
Like all of the Bond books I've read to date, this is very different from the movie of the same name, and like all the others, I much preferred the plot of the book to the movie. Fleming's writing kept me engaged throughout, from his descriptions of the locations and people to his action scenes, I always enjoyed Fleming's writing.
The one downside of all of these novels for me is the sexism and racism that are littered through them. If the novels were written and published in today's world, I'm not sure that I would be able to bare it. But they were written in the 50's, at a time when sexists and racists ruled the world. While it doesn't make these parts any easier to read or any less uncomfortable, it does make you realise how much times have changed.
It's a testament to Fleming's writing that we don't even see our hero arrive onto the pages until over a third of the way through, but I never once thought, 'Give me some Bond.' I never once found myself bored and was just so intrigued to find out the rest of the plot and how 007 was inevitably going to win... Which is why the end came as such a huge surprise to me.
Overall, another great Bond book with a cliffhanger ending that's making me want to pick up 'Dr No' even sooner.
"You fundamentally misunderstand the hierarchy of the army, Sergeant. It is I, a colonel, who define your duties, not you, a sergeant, who define mine. I say to a man go, and he goeth." ~ Colonel McCandless, 'Sharpe's Triumph's by Bernard Cornwell.
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'Shrapes Triumph' is the second book (chronologically anyway) in Bernard Cornwell's epic historic fiction saga spanning 24 books and over 20 years of the British Empires most bloody battles. This book takes place in India during 1803 and features at its core the Battle of Assaye in which General Arthur Wellesley (aka the Duke of Wellington) defeats an army of 100,000 men with a mere 10,000.
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While the main battle and an earlier siege in the book are all based on historical fact, the main character is entirely fictional. Sharpe is a loveable rogue throughout this book with witty remarks and a bad attitude. It's hard not to enjoy his presence. As for the rest of the characters, they're brilliantly imagined. Sgt Hakeswill continues to be detestable Colonel McCandless is a charming old man.
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This book, like the one before, has it all. It has humour. It has epic action. It has history. And it has heart. You can tell the author has taken great care to get the history right, from major tactics during the battle to minor details like the type is weapons that were in use by the British at the time. As a huge fan of history, these books are written in a way that come across as educational but also entertaining with the embellishments made. I also appreciate the fact that Cornwell adds Historic Notes at the end of the book to explain just which areas are embellished and which were entirely accurate.
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I'm certainly looking forward to picking up 'Sharpe's Fortress' in the near future to continue this journey.
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⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️/5
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'Shrapes Triumph' is the second book (chronologically anyway) in Bernard Cornwell's epic historic fiction saga spanning 24 books and over 20 years of the British Empires most bloody battles. This book takes place in India during 1803 and features at its core the Battle of Assaye in which General Arthur Wellesley (aka the Duke of Wellington) defeats an army of 100,000 men with a mere 10,000.
.
While the main battle and an earlier siege in the book are all based on historical fact, the main character is entirely fictional. Sharpe is a loveable rogue throughout this book with witty remarks and a bad attitude. It's hard not to enjoy his presence. As for the rest of the characters, they're brilliantly imagined. Sgt Hakeswill continues to be detestable Colonel McCandless is a charming old man.
.
This book, like the one before, has it all. It has humour. It has epic action. It has history. And it has heart. You can tell the author has taken great care to get the history right, from major tactics during the battle to minor details like the type is weapons that were in use by the British at the time. As a huge fan of history, these books are written in a way that come across as educational but also entertaining with the embellishments made. I also appreciate the fact that Cornwell adds Historic Notes at the end of the book to explain just which areas are embellished and which were entirely accurate.
.
.
I'm certainly looking forward to picking up 'Sharpe's Fortress' in the near future to continue this journey.
.
⚔️⚔️⚔️⚔️/5
