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hlau's reviews
115 reviews
The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company by Robert Iger
4.0
There are multitudes of corporate philosophy books and Iger's is not different in that regard. But notable parts include his more detailed tellings of Disney's strategy, acquisitions and the dual sided coin of success and humility. There's something to be said for forthrightness in business, which Iger describes going hand in hand with respect. True to its title, the book offers lessons from his career and they're worth reading. If for nothing else, learn the story of how Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm and 21st Century Fox were acquired (and integrated) on his watch. Any one would've been a laudable achievement for a Fortune 500 CEO, let alone 4 that totaled almost $100 billion.
Ashes of Victory by David Weber
2.0
It was boring.
I tried to like it. I held out hope it would be as good or better than the last. In the end, I was disappointed.
There's alot to like normally but this one feels like the rebound boyfriend or girlfriend; it had to happen and is best forgotten quickly.
Honor escapes Hell, frees a half a million people, and sails them home in ships she commandeered from the enemy. You'd think that'd be a great setup for some epic payback stories. But no, not really.
Instead we get a process book, with Tom Clancy-level dissertations on Havenite politics and military intrigue (which I wish was intriguing), missile tech, political parliamentary procedure, development of sign language, a contrived and fully implausible deus ex machina to put Honor in harm's way and a far too simple sidelining of the main character for every chapter except the last two.
And that's saying something after 8 previous books that each had elements present here, but at least spread out.
We're 8 books in and i know enough about Haven to despise them as much as Elizabeth III does. Do we really need yet more musings on their paranoia, cruelty and unlikeable qualities? You'd think a book with two substantive nuclear detonations in it would have more bang, but it just falls flat.
I tried to like it. I held out hope it would be as good or better than the last. In the end, I was disappointed.
There's alot to like normally but this one feels like the rebound boyfriend or girlfriend; it had to happen and is best forgotten quickly.
Honor escapes Hell, frees a half a million people, and sails them home in ships she commandeered from the enemy. You'd think that'd be a great setup for some epic payback stories. But no, not really.
Instead we get a process book, with Tom Clancy-level dissertations on Havenite politics and military intrigue (which I wish was intriguing), missile tech, political parliamentary procedure, development of sign language, a contrived and fully implausible deus ex machina to put Honor in harm's way and a far too simple sidelining of the main character for every chapter except the last two.
And that's saying something after 8 previous books that each had elements present here, but at least spread out.
We're 8 books in and i know enough about Haven to despise them as much as Elizabeth III does. Do we really need yet more musings on their paranoia, cruelty and unlikeable qualities? You'd think a book with two substantive nuclear detonations in it would have more bang, but it just falls flat.
How to Hide an Empire by Daniel Immerwahr
4.0
Premise starts out very strong, with insights that will twist and turn and provide tidbits probably previously unknown. In all things context is king, and this is certainly true here. The "Greater United States" has new meaning after consuming this. The last chapters are a bit of detour that makes you wonder if you're still in the same book but the meandering comes back to round out the definition of 'empire.'
Babel by R.F. Kuang
5.0
For fans of linguistics, imagine a blend with Harry Potter/British boarding school fantasy, against an anti-colonial backdrop. It's such a unique blend that is hardly ever seen that makes it so enticing. For those who find themselves on the post-colonial descendant side of the story, it's heartbreaking, infuriating and devilishly clever. It is imbued with just enough historical fact that blurs the story in a well rendered suspension of disbelief.
Imperial Twilight by Stephen R. Platt
4.0
Initially I was not inclined to read this, as Western authors have been widely prejudicial on the topic, with few exceptions (it is also true that Eastern authors have been equally heavy handed and biased). I was surprised to find Platt's treatment to be even handed, though. A step by step accounting of the attempts at diplomacy on both sides, the sheer audacity and gall; the misinterpretations and the scale of influence from private individuals is documented incredibly well. One thing I never knew that Platt provided, was the stunning public rebuke at home in Britain, savaging the pro-war crowd for staining the honor of the British Empire with a war that would make them, in modern terms, a narco-military state peddling drugs to further their economy. They argued that the stain would taint their relations with China for the next hundred years. And they were not wrong.
It's rare to be surprised by a book on this topic. But this was very well done and worth the time to consume.
It's rare to be surprised by a book on this topic. But this was very well done and worth the time to consume.
Starter Villain by John Scalzi
5.0
Scalzi, ever reliable for nerdy, thoughtful, logical and funny writing has come through again.
For a standalone, Starter Villain is a lot fun in all the ways it begins to unravel. For any deep cut scifi reader, the inclusion of cetacean operatives is a nice nod, and the breakdown of villainy is as much fun as watching the first couple Despicable Me movies, if you liked them. That at least is where my brain went. But the book goes further and is delightful as it does.
For a standalone, Starter Villain is a lot fun in all the ways it begins to unravel. For any deep cut scifi reader, the inclusion of cetacean operatives is a nice nod, and the breakdown of villainy is as much fun as watching the first couple Despicable Me movies, if you liked them. That at least is where my brain went. But the book goes further and is delightful as it does.
Resurrection by Ryk Brown
3.0
I've liked Ryk Brown's Frontiers saga enough to get to this point and I plan on finishing it out. There's plenty to like here, getting the band back together, the eventual emotional highs and lows. But there's also a little bit of the rebound boyfriend/girlfriend set up. I know it's setting the stage for a return and big fight, but there's a part of me that wonders if we needed it in a standalone story.
Overall though, it's worth it to get to the last scene.
Overall though, it's worth it to get to the last scene.