jamestomasino's reviews
1811 reviews

Magician: Apprentice by Raymond E. Feist

3.0

Simple, but readable for a first novel, or half of one. Moving on to Magician: Master now. I'll hold judgement until I complete that.

The First Jesuits by John W. O'Malley

4.0

Magician: Master by Raymond E. Feist

3.0

Geist by Philippa Ballantine

4.0

A little fantasy, a little steampunk, a unique world & magic system and wonderfully strong characters all come together to make a great read. Solid through and through. I'll read a sequel.

The Bancroft Strategy by Robert Ludlum

3.0

Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss

4.0

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

3.0

The Black Company by Glen Cook

3.0

I'll stand my my earlier opinion. It was disjointed and very loosely plotted. The only real set-up of interest is in the aftermath of the book in the final chapter. I don't think it'll be enough to carry me forward in the series, though.

A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.

4.0

Still an absolutely wonderful book. I could quote so many pieces of it (and probably will). It's what a dystopian, post-apocalyptic novel should be.

Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson

3.0

1) Definitely dense, but with a lot of action. I think Erickson did a fine job introducing us to his world without too much exposition. Granted, it was a little confusing in parts, but by the time things really came to a head, I had it pretty well sorted out.

2) His characters are fairly strong, which is good since there are so many.

3) The balance of the "epic" scale was a little skewed. It was really hard to tell which God or God-like being was going to suddenly be more powerful. In this it reminded me a bit of Dragonball Z, with the characters suddenly powering up and showing new hidden strength, but with Malazan, it was harder to tell which was actually more powerful. Perhaps further reading will reveal that balance a bit more.

4) Meh... I'm bored of reviewing. :)