koberreads's reviews
110 reviews

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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

5.0

Book review: Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

Short Review:
Truly one of the best high fantasy long form series (Literally long because each book is not a 300 plus which most fiction books are, or even 600 plus even Stephen book average length of fiction 800 pages but a thousand pages. 1,000 pages plus, EACH BOOK!) to give a short review or even summarize this first book is truly understates how great it would be but in a nutshell it is the most unique compared to other highfantasy, and the magic system is intricate like no other which is a main allure for potential readers. But the complex politics, and deep well-written numerous characters is often what you stay for.


Spoilers!!







I am honestly shifting from giving it a 4.5 to 5 start review. I was about to give 4.5 stars because I got annoyed with Shallan. But somehow she did redeem herself in the end. Somehow. 


Part two: 
Chapter: Words
One of the best chapters because it is both action packed and also unexpectedly so effectively heartwrenching. Syl makes your soul twist and wrench so much. I honestly felt like truly running towards Kholin house and its soldiers to help them regardless of the clearly highrisk of not only losing your own life but losing the life of your dear friends who have been trusting and fighting a long side with you. Something about great unexpected betrayals even not done unto you but once you see it done to others, makes it still so terrible and makes you want to do something. Brandson Sanderson, made me realize a of sense of honor is latent within me. 

Ending chapters (Last 4 chapters)
Although, even though has great plot twist and revelations felt a bit underwhelming althought it should be shocking for me. 

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
Did not finish book. Stopped at 9%.

I realize I am not yet ready for this book and I am craving a long form fantasy kind of read. Rather surreal mystery that Murakami often provides. Reading Murakami is fun if you want to experience getting “high” by reading surreal things but I get tired of it after a while and would like to make sense of the story for a while rather than keeping putting me in emotional cliffhangers in the end that are not so fulfilling and are often creating too many question in the end rather than answering things.

Murakmai will continue to be giving us mysteries that make us reflective and have more questions in life but he rarely gives sufficient answers or satisfying endings

You read Murakami to experience mystery and oddity rather than to discover answers or experience clarity in one aspect of your life. Even temporary clarity is rarely experienced while reading AND after you read one of his books. Exception is maybe one of his non-fiction books. For example “Underground” a journalistic writing regarding a true horrify tragedy in Japan (The subway gas attack.) A form of writing that gives better light and info compared to what the info that the news broadcast during that time.

Killing Trail by Margaret Mizushima

A good mystery book overall but I am not in a mood for small reclusive mountain americantown murder mystery for now

Men Without Women by Haruki Murakami
Did not finish book. Stopped at 6%.

I read this years before. I would like to read this again in the future l.

Psych 101: Psychology Facts, Basics, Statistics, Tests, and More! by Paul Kleinman

I was not feeling it but it might be my next read to give my mind a bit of a break from Fantasy

Station Eternity by Mur Lafferty
Did not finish book. Stopped at 17%.

I find the alien characters and alien setting is undermined by the self-importance and self -absorption of our female heroine and her ability to inspire murder in other people and her ability to solve it (which is more satire andal comic relief to me rather than actual impressive skill or actual superpower.) I would like the book to focus on how amazing the living alive alien space station is but no this heroine just too absorbed being blamed for everything else that is not her fault.. the typical she cares too much what other people think of her even though she doesnt like other people at all.. but still cares for what they think of her

The Waste Lands by Stephen King

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense 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

5.0

One of the oddest and best one’s yet. Cant believe Roland wrote this in 1991 because his assumptions about technology and everything else on how the world might turn post apocalyptic and how computers/AI might be so different later on is so true.







Spoiler alert

Now I understand why some people leave it a low score due to the clinghanger at the end and unresloved things

The Gunslinger by Stephen King

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

The Dark tower the Gunslinger By Stephen King

Sadly not one of his more fast paced novels or gripping novels and sadly not the most compelling to pull

you into the great series but nonetheless beautifully written and always odd and mysterious as Stephen King novels is. I intended to read all the novels in this series (since volume 2: The drawing of the tree. Got me hooked on the series truly.) 

I just hope that new readers have the patience to read thru this one so that their journey could be set in its course.

Spoiler warning needed:
DONT GO DOWN unless YOU ARE PREPARED

But you do have to read it because Stephen King is the guy who probably started the concept of the multiverse that is so trending today. So reading this is homage or to honor him for making the idea of the multiverse a trend or an aweinspiring talked about concept

The most interesting part for me (Sparked my interest again), even more interesting than the fight/action scenes it itself is when the man in black gets oddly but apt scientific and philisophical for a magician/sorcerer (well they say magic is simply science we dont understand or technology we havent made or discovered or created yet. If I told a person soldier in world war 1. That we have handheld computers that can simulate a pretend gun fight thru what is called a video game that soldier would either call me either crazy or a magician). And Stephen King write about this so well and the connections in such an early time at 1982! Damn. Where computer shit or internet is not so famous yet. Because of the multiverse speech of the Man in black (The purpose of this speech is discourage Roland in his quest for the tower to show how insignificant he is in the grand scheme of things.) is a good consolation for an ending I expected to be more climatic gun fight with the Man in black (I guess the movie or film “The Dark Tower” adaptation of Stephen Kings novel truly did give me false hopes. Because the ending there is truly superb and it explained how the heck Roland the last best sharpshooter from another world could miss or not hit. In the movie man in black because of his magic can catch the bullets. He is that fast. Here the magic of the man in black is more poetic. I have to give that movie new credit because it gave this novel a new perspective in how the book could and end inspired me to read this book and rest of the series. Because of the book now I understand how could Roland reload and shoot faster than the quasi monster men with machine guns because he is literally other worldly shooter. He is not the cowboys of our old western times. He is literally of equal regard and respect as we would treat a person if we discovered he is a knight. I wish they explained this more in the movie so I can enjoy more of the action scenes. This is beautiful damn.)

Gemini gave me a good andwe as well:

Stephen King already wrote about the concept of Multiverse when he first published “the gunslinger” even before it became trending today?

Yes, Stephen King's concept of a multiverse predates the current trend. The Dark Tower series, which began with "The Gunslinger" in 1982, features a multiverse where Roland Deschain, the protagonist, travels across different worlds on his quest to the Dark Tower. This concept of interconnected worlds and characters has become a hallmark of King's work, influencing many other writers and contributing to the growing popularity of the multiverse idea in contemporary fiction.

The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

One of the best of Stephen King, not only in the Dark Tower series but I believe the rest of this novels ever made. (I have yet to read his other dark towel novels first though so I am prepared and happy to be proven wrong by Stephen King)

I do suggest if you find the first book(Volume 1: The gunslinger) a bit of slow story, do advice to be patient enough to read through book 1 so you can reach book two where you will find the real voice of whole series. Even Stephen King recommended this himself in the intro of Volume 1. Or do what I did just skip to book 2 and realize how good it is (I was brave enough to do so because I watched the Dark tower movie adaptation first before reading any of the books)

I truly cant guess what would be appearing or who would be appearing in all of the doors which sets up mystery and tension a lot. Eddie surprisngly is one of the most redeemable and lovable character of all even though I didnt like him at first because he was or still is a junkie. (Never took drugs in my life before) Odetta and Detta and Susannah is the most unexpectedly plot twist I got as well. If the scenes are not action packed almost all scenes are tense and dark. I do think now Stephen King is the forefounder or the father of the multiverse concept. He was writing about it before even Marvel made it famous

Death's End by Cixin Liu

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

A beautiful end, not the most perfect ending for anyone, but it is beautiful and a must read if you read both the previous books. This book is the most immense and awe inspiring, conclusion to a scifi universe that is already so vast and complex based on the previous books, but this book immensely out played the other books in its vastness of time and space. 

I honestly would give it a 4.5 because I did not like the ending so much but made it 5 after realizing, I cant write a perfect ending as well on this grand scale Triology. I have nothing but respect and awe for Cixin Liu and hope he lives a long and happy life. And I hope as well that the films adaptations in netflix and future adaptation would give these 3 books the justice it deserves. Of course they cant copy or replicate all the scenes in the book into a film but at least bring out the best ones and hopefully they give the rest of the characters a more fulfilling end roles. But the books alone for me are enough of an ending. 

I would have appreciated as well, and do not mind if the book gets longer because of this, that there is a great focus or exploration of the different "other" aliens in the universe, especially the master race, but turns out we only get glimpses of stories about this Aliens that can be considered "Gods" because they can manipulate the laws of Physics and mathematics. Love the part about the "Singer" the sniping, sentimental singign alien from a a highly advanced world. I wish Cixin Liu could have given more of that and introduced a new alien, in a new way. But so far the only aliens we get in this complex and almost proustian length trilogy are two alien races and other vaguely described godly ones.

I wonder what happened to Dashi and his son? I hope they lived a long happy life even before bunker era commenced.

SPOILER COMMMENTS BELOW!!!! 

The ending left me thinking that me and my family could be seperated by immense millions years of time and I could never get to see them grow old. Which is the saddest and most heartfelt thing for any one to experience. A after reading the ending last night, the next morning I wanted to watch marvel movies with my siblings and parents (because that is one of the things we do as a form of "family time") because I cant stop thinking no matter how irrational and probable it is that we get seperated by immense vast swats of time later or in the future.