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josiah17's reviews
241 reviews
1984 by George Orwell
Certainly a thought provoking book, and a harrowing dystopian setting. The power of propaganda, indoctrination, government/corporate control; all very relevant to today's world. But the overall read was not as impactful as I was hoping considering I don't care for the characters whatsoever. It merely felt like an exploration of haunting concepts, which is great and all. But I'm simply not someone who reads fiction for just concepts. I need other elements to pull me in and make me feel engaged and intrigued. I felt those elements were absent here and therefore the narrative feels almost hollow in a sense, in addition to some other off-putting undertones. But ultimately it is still an important book, one that I want to reread sometime when I'm older despite it not being entirely my taste.
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
"In this game that we're playing, we can't win. Some kinds of failure are better than other kinds, that's all."
Certainly a thought provoking book, and a harrowing dystopian setting. The power of propaganda, indoctrination, government/corporate control; all very relevant to today's world. But the overall read was not as impactful as I was hoping considering I don't care for the characters whatsoever. It merely felt like an exploration of haunting concepts, which is great and all. But I'm simply not someone who reads fiction for just concepts. I need other elements to pull me in and make me feel engaged and intrigued. I felt those elements were absent here and therefore the narrative feels almost hollow in a sense, in addition to some other off-putting undertones. But ultimately it is still an important book, one that I want to reread sometime when I'm older despite it not being entirely my taste.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture and War
Minor: Sexual content
Howling Dark by Christopher Ruocchio
To be honest, I really wasn't enthralled by the first half of this book. I found myself less excited about the worldbuilding and Ruocchio's exploration of the Exalted and Extrasolarians. Nor was I as excited about the prospect of Hadrian's character arc as I had been after Empire of Silence. A big part of that being the massive timeskip between the two books which I had not know about, and apparently there's one for almost every book. Considering I'm not generally a fan of timeskips whatsoever, this quickly defeated a lot of my enthusiasm. Plus I think the timeskip was simply quite jarring too, enhancing my decrease in enthusiasm.
However, roughly the last half of this book...is incredible. Everything took off for me after Hadrian is given visions from this strange creature from a bygone era. I was enraptured, fully locked in. I loved just about everything that transpired from that point on.
In particular, I'm continuously impressed by Ruocchio's worldbuilding—despite being initially uncaptivated—and what he's created in the Cielcin and the Quiet. He may be at his strongest as a writer when delving into the nuances of this alien race and their behaviors, language, social structure. The Cielcin are so complex; both so human in many ways and utterly terrifying in others. And the Quiet provides an excellent mystical fantasy quality to this space opera series. There's still so much I want to know about them.
I must also mention than in hindsight, I do appreciate the beginning of the book more. I believe I found the tone really surprising and unexpected. But I appreciate what Ruocchio did in introducing these wider parts of the galaxy in such an unsettling and almost revolting manner. This book is really sci-fi horror in a lot of ways. And I especially have a greater appreciation for Kharn Sagara who's a great and incredibly intriguing character.
This book is not perfect though. I still have my qualms with the first half. The pacing really wasn't very fluid. Nor do I believe the side characters—in what's supposed to be Hadrian's closest crew—are very strong right now besides Valka (who I love!!!) and possibly Bassander Lin. Pallino's got potential too. But in the end I did thoroughly enjoy this book. And I can't wait to see where things go from here. Just when I began to think I was becoming much less excited and eager to read this series and experience the complicated tale of Hadrian Marlowe the Halfmortal, Ruocchio pulled me right back in.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
"Man's inhumanity. What could be more human?"
To be honest, I really wasn't enthralled by the first half of this book. I found myself less excited about the worldbuilding and Ruocchio's exploration of the Exalted and Extrasolarians. Nor was I as excited about the prospect of Hadrian's character arc as I had been after Empire of Silence. A big part of that being the massive timeskip between the two books which I had not know about, and apparently there's one for almost every book. Considering I'm not generally a fan of timeskips whatsoever, this quickly defeated a lot of my enthusiasm. Plus I think the timeskip was simply quite jarring too, enhancing my decrease in enthusiasm.
However, roughly the last half of this book...is incredible. Everything took off for me after Hadrian is given visions from this strange creature from a bygone era. I was enraptured, fully locked in. I loved just about everything that transpired from that point on.
In particular, I'm continuously impressed by Ruocchio's worldbuilding—despite being initially uncaptivated—and what he's created in the Cielcin and the Quiet. He may be at his strongest as a writer when delving into the nuances of this alien race and their behaviors, language, social structure. The Cielcin are so complex; both so human in many ways and utterly terrifying in others. And the Quiet provides an excellent mystical fantasy quality to this space opera series. There's still so much I want to know about them.
"We are beasts of burden, Hadrian , we men. We struggle, and by that struggle are filled, and so define ourselves. That is the way."
I must also mention than in hindsight, I do appreciate the beginning of the book more. I believe I found the tone really surprising and unexpected. But I appreciate what Ruocchio did in introducing these wider parts of the galaxy in such an unsettling and almost revolting manner. This book is really sci-fi horror in a lot of ways. And I especially have a greater appreciation for Kharn Sagara who's a great and incredibly intriguing character.
"The poets say that one's fears grow less with trial, that we become men without fear of tried enough. I have not found it to be so. Rather, on each occasion we are tested, we become stronger than our fears. It is all we can do. Must do. Lest we perish for our failings."
This book is not perfect though. I still have my qualms with the first half. The pacing really wasn't very fluid. Nor do I believe the side characters—in what's supposed to be Hadrian's closest crew—are very strong right now besides Valka (who I love!!!) and possibly Bassander Lin. Pallino's got potential too. But in the end I did thoroughly enjoy this book. And I can't wait to see where things go from here. Just when I began to think I was becoming much less excited and eager to read this series and experience the complicated tale of Hadrian Marlowe the Halfmortal, Ruocchio pulled me right back in.
"The price of life is death. With what will you pay, Halfmortal?"
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Xenophobia, and War
Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I liked the foundational concept of this novella, juxtaposing two viewpoints of reality from these characters. But unfortunately that's all I really liked. I suppose the depiction of Nyr's depression was written alright, but there was not enough compelling character development or intrigue within the short page count—besides Nyr's tower in the very beginning—for me to really appreciate and enjoy this little story.
The Lesser Devil by Christopher Ruocchio
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This novella was alright. It provides some insight on Crispin's points of view, and I liked getting a quick glimpse of Devils Rest after the years that pass during Empire of Silence. I really don't like Crispin's characterization much, especially because he continues acting like a teenager at 55 years old. However, the character development by the is somewhat serviceable. I hope he appears more in the series because he could become someone I'm more interested to read about.
Another criticism I have is how almost "preachy" this story is. Most of the novellas takes place in a Catholic village where the Priest is pretty adamant about expressing his beliefs. Even as someone mildly religious, I simply don't want to be preached to in a sci-fi story, especially in a novella. Additionally, I thought the prose felt more wonky and unpolished compared to Empire of Silence. I don't know if that's due to editing since this novella is self-published or if it's because Hadrian is supposed to be a more elegant writer with his memoir. Either way, I found the prose to be a little underwhelming after loving Ruocchio's writing in the first Sun Eater book.
Otherwise the action was cool I suppose. I liked seeing Crispin putting a highmatter sword to use. I also enjoyed a little more of Kyra and the introduction of Sabine, even though this novella really didn't try to flesh her out at all.
Another criticism I have is how almost "preachy" this story is. Most of the novellas takes place in a Catholic village where the Priest is pretty adamant about expressing his beliefs. Even as someone mildly religious, I simply don't want to be preached to in a sci-fi story, especially in a novella. Additionally, I thought the prose felt more wonky and unpolished compared to Empire of Silence. I don't know if that's due to editing since this novella is self-published or if it's because Hadrian is supposed to be a more elegant writer with his memoir. Either way, I found the prose to be a little underwhelming after loving Ruocchio's writing in the first Sun Eater book.
Otherwise the action was cool I suppose. I liked seeing Crispin putting a highmatter sword to use. I also enjoyed a little more of Kyra and the introduction of Sabine, even though this novella really didn't try to flesh her out at all.
The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Another very enjoyable Discworld book. I wasn't sure it'd be a favorite as it kinda starts slow, but the prospect of traveling to Uberwald as Vimes (reluctantly) takes on his diplomatic responsibilitkes had me super excited. I quickly became enthralled in all the shenanigans to follow and the exploration of Uberwald and it's quirks, especially all the Igor's. This was also the most political entry in the series so far which was a delight. Overall less emphasis on evoking laughter, but still humourous and fun. My only major complaint is not enough Inigo Skimmer because he's so great.
No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I had kind of a really rough start with this book because I felt such a lack of intrigue and suspense having already seen the film. I felt little to no motivation to read because my understanding was the book and film are almost identical, so I knew how the plot was going to play out. But it did turn out to be a good read, and I found satisfaction in my reading experience regardless of knowing what was going to happen. Plus there were actually some scenes not included in the film which were nice to experience, and it almost made me appreciate the ending more (but I still don't like it).
This is one of those rare cases where I think an adaptation is superior to the source material, but this is still a solid book, especially worth reading if you haven't seen the movie yet.
This is one of those rare cases where I think an adaptation is superior to the source material, but this is still a solid book, especially worth reading if you haven't seen the movie yet.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Blood
Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio
My favorite part of this book is overwhelmingly the worldbuilding. Christopher Ruocchio has a brilliantly creative and expansive mind. He's set such a massive scope for this universe and I felt it immediately. The universe is lived in, futuristic, treacherous. You see enormous class differences, the operations and traditions of royalty. The political machinations and subtlety is fantastic. The tech is cool and echoes other sci-fi worlds that Ruocchio clearly took inspiration from. I LOVE the Cielcin and all the obscure extraterrestrial elements explored and introduced. The Chantry is interesting in their censorship and violent enforcement of religion. All of the worldbuilding is simply so so sooooooo good. I was completely captivated by it.
And to further address Ruocchio's inspirations...many people have deemed this series highly derivative or too closely inspired to other works of fiction. Dune, Book of the New Sun, and Name of the Wind being the ones I hear the most about. There's surely some Star Wars and the film Gladiator in here too. But it really doesn't feel derivative to me. Sure, Ruocchio has his own version of "Fear is the mind-killer" from Dune, but this book is definitely not Dune. It feels thoroughly different to me, nor does it feel derivative of Star Wars and Gladiator. Now I have yet to read Book of the New Sun and Name of the Wind, so I can't speak on how closely written this book is to those. It surely could be more derivative in regards to those, but it seems highly unlikely.
As for Ruocchio's actual writing, he is quite the wordsmith sometimes. His prose was overall quite good, and I found myself copying down several passages in my notes as I was reading. I did find the dialogue to be pretty clunky early on, mostly when Hadrian was talking with Crispin. But the dialogue smoothed out nicely for the most part as the book progressed. I also had a few instances where perhaps Ruocchio's prose was a bit too distracting from whatever he was trying to describe, making it difficult for me to visualize the scene in my head. That was mostly during the Calagah section though, otherwise he was great at painting the picture of a scene. And sometimes that difficulty is just a general sci-fi/beginning-new-series type of thing for me where I'm trying to absorb everything I can (and I certainly was, I read this very slowly lol).
Ruocchio's character work was good as well. Hadrian is the standout as he should be considering he's the narrator. And it's clear in his narration that he's a different person than his younger self. While younger Hadrian is a good character, full of warm intentions but plenty of flaws, it's really the clear growth of his older self that propelled me through the story. It made it easier to handle younger Hadrian's stupidity and naivety. Even through his melodramatics, narrator Hadrian showed self awareness, humility, and regret that promises me he'll be someone who matures and thoroughly sees the world. Someone that will be shaped by tragedy and triumph to come. It promises me that I will root both for and against him. I was quite impressed by Ruocchio's manner in assuring this type of complexity from Hadrian, and I'm confident he'll deliver. Now besides Valka, who's amazing, the side characters are not quite as strong. But there are some standouts like Pallino, Switch, Sir Elomas, and especially Gibson and Uvanari. I also greatly look forward to getting to know Bassander Lin and Jinan Azhar as Hadrian points out in his narration that these two are eventually a large part of his journey.
As for some other criticisms, the pacing was a bit erratic. There was a slower portion around the middle that was not the easiest to read because of the meandering and slower nature of the writing in that section, but it was still an important piece of Hadrian's development in this book. And this all makes sense considering Ruocchio never plotted the book out. But I did eventually find myself simply so enthralled by the worldbuilding and Hadrian's narration that the pacing didn't bother me. Additionally, parts of the ending kinda lost me. Perhaps there was a little convenience involved. But it was still a good ending; I couldn't put the book down for the final 100 pages. So many revelations and some tricky maneuvering by Hadrian.
Altogether, Empire of Silence is a great first book to the Sun Eater series. Rolling with a 4 star rating for now, but it could go up in the future, maybe as soon as tomorrow (it did). I think I've said most of what I wanted to for this review, although it feels like I'm leaving something out. And this whole thing might be more disorganized than I was hoping. Oh well. I'm just extremely excited to continue the series and exceedingly fascinated to see what becomes of Hadrian. Plus I hear Ruocchio's writing only improves going forward, which I very much look forward to. Onto Lesser Devil and then Howling Dark (have I mentioned how awesome the titles of these books are?).
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This has been one of my most anticipated books/series for a while now. I've previously had massive expectations, but recently became unsure if I would actually like Ruocchio's space opera based on some mixed reviews. I really didn't want this to be another case of a tremendously hyped series letting me down (Jade City). However, I'm happy to say the hype seems merited for Sun Eater.
The first page and half or so immediately grabbed my attention. I was honestly chuckling in amazement because it presents so much promise and intrigue for Hadrian's arc throughout the course of the series. I was already fairly invested in seeing the following books through just to experience the kind of devastating deity Hadrian comes to be. Sun Eater seems exactly like the kind of grand and intricate sci-fi I've been craving recently.
The first page and half or so immediately grabbed my attention. I was honestly chuckling in amazement because it presents so much promise and intrigue for Hadrian's arc throughout the course of the series. I was already fairly invested in seeing the following books through just to experience the kind of devastating deity Hadrian comes to be. Sun Eater seems exactly like the kind of grand and intricate sci-fi I've been craving recently.
""I have had many names. During the war, I was Hadrian Halfmortal and Hadrian the Deathless. After the war, I was the Sun Eater. To the poor people of Borosevo, I was a myrmidon called Had. To the Jaddians, I was Al Neroblis. To the Cielcin, I was Oimn Belu.'"
My favorite part of this book is overwhelmingly the worldbuilding. Christopher Ruocchio has a brilliantly creative and expansive mind. He's set such a massive scope for this universe and I felt it immediately. The universe is lived in, futuristic, treacherous. You see enormous class differences, the operations and traditions of royalty. The political machinations and subtlety is fantastic. The tech is cool and echoes other sci-fi worlds that Ruocchio clearly took inspiration from. I LOVE the Cielcin and all the obscure extraterrestrial elements explored and introduced. The Chantry is interesting in their censorship and violent enforcement of religion. All of the worldbuilding is simply so so sooooooo good. I was completely captivated by it.
"You never know which men are snakes and which are mongeese. Not until you bite—or have been bitten."
And to further address Ruocchio's inspirations...many people have deemed this series highly derivative or too closely inspired to other works of fiction. Dune, Book of the New Sun, and Name of the Wind being the ones I hear the most about. There's surely some Star Wars and the film Gladiator in here too. But it really doesn't feel derivative to me. Sure, Ruocchio has his own version of "Fear is the mind-killer" from Dune, but this book is definitely not Dune. It feels thoroughly different to me, nor does it feel derivative of Star Wars and Gladiator. Now I have yet to read Book of the New Sun and Name of the Wind, so I can't speak on how closely written this book is to those. It surely could be more derivative in regards to those, but it seems highly unlikely.
As for Ruocchio's actual writing, he is quite the wordsmith sometimes. His prose was overall quite good, and I found myself copying down several passages in my notes as I was reading. I did find the dialogue to be pretty clunky early on, mostly when Hadrian was talking with Crispin. But the dialogue smoothed out nicely for the most part as the book progressed. I also had a few instances where perhaps Ruocchio's prose was a bit too distracting from whatever he was trying to describe, making it difficult for me to visualize the scene in my head. That was mostly during the Calagah section though, otherwise he was great at painting the picture of a scene. And sometimes that difficulty is just a general sci-fi/beginning-new-series type of thing for me where I'm trying to absorb everything I can (and I certainly was, I read this very slowly lol).
"'The world's soft the way the ocean is. Ask any sailor what I mean. But even when it is at its most violent, Hadrian...focus on the beauty of it. The ugliness of the world will come at you from all sides. There's no avoiding it. All the schooling in the universe won't stop that.[...]But in most places in the galaxy, nothing is happening. The nature of things is peaceful, and that is a mighty thing.'"
Ruocchio's character work was good as well. Hadrian is the standout as he should be considering he's the narrator. And it's clear in his narration that he's a different person than his younger self. While younger Hadrian is a good character, full of warm intentions but plenty of flaws, it's really the clear growth of his older self that propelled me through the story. It made it easier to handle younger Hadrian's stupidity and naivety. Even through his melodramatics, narrator Hadrian showed self awareness, humility, and regret that promises me he'll be someone who matures and thoroughly sees the world. Someone that will be shaped by tragedy and triumph to come. It promises me that I will root both for and against him. I was quite impressed by Ruocchio's manner in assuring this type of complexity from Hadrian, and I'm confident he'll deliver. Now besides Valka, who's amazing, the side characters are not quite as strong. But there are some standouts like Pallino, Switch, Sir Elomas, and especially Gibson and Uvanari. I also greatly look forward to getting to know Bassander Lin and Jinan Azhar as Hadrian points out in his narration that these two are eventually a large part of his journey.
"Strange, the way the larger world casts its shadow on our own, our moments fleeting and small when measured against the roaring thrust of time."
As for some other criticisms, the pacing was a bit erratic. There was a slower portion around the middle that was not the easiest to read because of the meandering and slower nature of the writing in that section, but it was still an important piece of Hadrian's development in this book. And this all makes sense considering Ruocchio never plotted the book out. But I did eventually find myself simply so enthralled by the worldbuilding and Hadrian's narration that the pacing didn't bother me. Additionally, parts of the ending kinda lost me. Perhaps there was a little convenience involved. But it was still a good ending; I couldn't put the book down for the final 100 pages. So many revelations and some tricky maneuvering by Hadrian.
Altogether, Empire of Silence is a great first book to the Sun Eater series. Rolling with a 4 star rating for now, but it could go up in the future, maybe as soon as tomorrow (it did). I think I've said most of what I wanted to for this review, although it feels like I'm leaving something out. And this whole thing might be more disorganized than I was hoping. Oh well. I'm just extremely excited to continue the series and exceedingly fascinated to see what becomes of Hadrian. Plus I hear Ruocchio's writing only improves going forward, which I very much look forward to. Onto Lesser Devil and then Howling Dark (have I mentioned how awesome the titles of these books are?).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Torture, Xenophobia, and Blood
Five Silver Rings by Zack Argyle
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
Quick standalone short story I've been meaning to read for a while. Enjoyable, as well as honestly tragic and emotional for how short it is.
I do quite enjoy how visual Zack's writing is, and I'm excited for whatever he releases next.
I do quite enjoy how visual Zack's writing is, and I'm excited for whatever he releases next.
Artificial Condition by Martha Wells
Murderbot is literally me.
This novea was a little more enjoyable than the first one, mostly thanks to the addition of ART. Murderbot and ART's interactions were fun, and they made a nice duo. Another pretty bland plot, but a more eventful and exciting ending this time. Looking forward to the next Murderbot installment!
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
"Interacting meant talking, and eye contact. I could already feel my performance capacity dropping."
Murderbot is literally me.
This novea was a little more enjoyable than the first one, mostly thanks to the addition of ART. Murderbot and ART's interactions were fun, and they made a nice duo. Another pretty bland plot, but a more eventful and exciting ending this time. Looking forward to the next Murderbot installment!
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
More wonderful writing from Ray Bradbury. This is a nice collection of short stories displaying primarily humanity's destructive nature, but also some of our strengths as well. Bradbury's writing is haunting, melancholic, yet beautiful and poetic. He simply never ceases to amaze me with how well he understood the human soul and where that would take us in the future.
Also, "There Will Come Soft Rains" is one of my all-time favorite short stories and I had not realized it was included in this collection, so that was a nice surprise to revisit.
Highly recommend for everyone to read some Ray Bradbury at some point in their life, and this would be a solid choice.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
"We earth men have a talent for ruining big, beautiful things.”
More wonderful writing from Ray Bradbury. This is a nice collection of short stories displaying primarily humanity's destructive nature, but also some of our strengths as well. Bradbury's writing is haunting, melancholic, yet beautiful and poetic. He simply never ceases to amaze me with how well he understood the human soul and where that would take us in the future.
Also, "There Will Come Soft Rains" is one of my all-time favorite short stories and I had not realized it was included in this collection, so that was a nice surprise to revisit.
Highly recommend for everyone to read some Ray Bradbury at some point in their life, and this would be a solid choice.
"There will come soft rains and the smell of the ground,
And swallows circling with their shimmering sound;
And frogs in the pools singing at night,
And wild plum trees in tremulous white;
Robin's will wear their feathery fire,
Whistling their whims in a low fence-wire;
And not one will know if the war, not one
Will care at last when it is done.
No one would mind, neither bird nor tree,
If mankind perished utterly;
And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn
Would scarcely know that we were gone."
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and War
Minor: Body shaming