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manatad's Reviews (31)
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Διάβασα το δεύτερο βιβλίο του Βάρτζακ Πο πρώτη μου φορά και το διάβασα στα ελληνικά. Δεν ήξερα που υπήρχε δεύτερο βιβλίο μέχρι που το είδα στη βιβλιοθήκη.
Ήμουνα πολύ ενθουσιαμένη να διαβάσω το Βάρτζακ Πο: γάτος εκτός νόμου, αλλά δεν μ' άρεσε τόσο πολύ όπως το άλλο τελικά. Μάλλον πιστεύω ότι η μεγαλήτερη ανάπτυξη του Βάρτζακ συνέβη στο πρώτο βιβλίο. Στο πρώτο βιβλίο έγινε ο Βάρτζακ Πο. Στο δεύτερο δυκσολεύτηκε πάλι με την αυτοπεποίθησή του, αλλά στο τέλος γίνεται όπως ήτανε πριν · κι όχι χωρίς τη βοήθειά των φίλων του φυσικά.
Το κάλο για το Βάρτζακ Πο: γάτος εκτός νόμου είναι ότι η πλοκή του είναι πιο ευθιά. Δεν τριγυρίζει όπως κάνει λίγο στο πρώτο βιβλίο, και κάθε κεφάλαιο προχωρά τη πλοκή. Επίσης, ο εχθρός είναι γνωστός και παρόντας καταρχήν. Δεν είναι κάποιος μύστικος όπως στο άλλο. Νομίζω ότι αυτό το κάνει πιο απειλητικό. Θα έλεγα ότι και γενικά η ιστορία είναι ίσια σκοτεινή και βίαια, ίσως ακόμα και λίγο παραπάνω, όσο στο άλλο.
Η ιστορία έχει και ωραία μυνήματα όπως είχε το προηγούμενο. Πρόκειται πάλι για τη σημασία της φιλίας και αφοσίωσης, και το πώς μας δυνανώνουν οι φίλοι μας.
Είναι καλό συμπέρασμα της ιστορίας του Βάρτζακ, και χάρηκα που το διάβασα επιτέλους.
Ήμουνα πολύ ενθουσιαμένη να διαβάσω το Βάρτζακ Πο: γάτος εκτός νόμου, αλλά δεν μ' άρεσε τόσο πολύ όπως το άλλο τελικά. Μάλλον πιστεύω ότι η μεγαλήτερη ανάπτυξη του Βάρτζακ συνέβη στο πρώτο βιβλίο. Στο πρώτο βιβλίο έγινε ο Βάρτζακ Πο. Στο δεύτερο δυκσολεύτηκε πάλι με την αυτοπεποίθησή του, αλλά στο τέλος γίνεται όπως ήτανε πριν · κι όχι χωρίς τη βοήθειά των φίλων του φυσικά.
Το κάλο για το Βάρτζακ Πο: γάτος εκτός νόμου είναι ότι η πλοκή του είναι πιο ευθιά. Δεν τριγυρίζει όπως κάνει λίγο στο πρώτο βιβλίο, και κάθε κεφάλαιο προχωρά τη πλοκή. Επίσης, ο εχθρός είναι γνωστός και παρόντας καταρχήν. Δεν είναι κάποιος μύστικος όπως στο άλλο. Νομίζω ότι αυτό το κάνει πιο απειλητικό. Θα έλεγα ότι και γενικά η ιστορία είναι ίσια σκοτεινή και βίαια, ίσως ακόμα και λίγο παραπάνω, όσο στο άλλο.
Η ιστορία έχει και ωραία μυνήματα όπως είχε το προηγούμενο. Πρόκειται πάλι για τη σημασία της φιλίας και αφοσίωσης, και το πώς μας δυνανώνουν οι φίλοι μας.
Είναι καλό συμπέρασμα της ιστορίας του Βάρτζακ, και χάρηκα που το διάβασα επιτέλους.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Torture, Violence, Blood
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
After reading the Greek translation of Varjak Paw, I felt inspired to read another book featuring a cat as the protagonist. My search for such books lead me to The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents. It was also my first Terry Pratchett novel, so I didn't know what to expect. I realized that I seldom read silly, lighthearted books like this one.
My first impression at least was that it would be a silly, goofy story, and it is. Some of the jokes are very childish, but it is mostly full of the kind of sarcasm I associate with British humor. Beneath all the silliness though, there is definitely a message meant to be imparted to young readers about the importance of cooperation and open-mindedness. It was a little difficult for me to enjoy the book at first because I hate rats, but the rats turn out to be the best part of the story. I think that's kind of the point. I have to admit that I was actually moved by the rats' narrative and all the new philosophical and ethical quandries they found themselves in after becoming intelligent.
The edition I read also contained a transcript of an interview with Pratchett regarding his experience writing this book, and it was interesting to look at. I learned that Pratchett primarily wrote books for adult readers, and The Amazing Maurice is one of the only children's books he ever wrote. I thought it was great; it definitely surprised me and surpassed my expectations, and that makes me curious to read more of his work eventually.
The Amazing Maurice might be too silly for most adult readers. It is also very British, if I may say such a thing without sounding derisive. I only mention it again because it may make it harder for American children to relate to. I don't know. I can't think of anyone in my personal life who I would earnestly recommend this book to. I enjoyed it a lot, but I seem to be in sort of a phase right now where I'm very interested in children's literature. It was a lot of fun, anyway, and unexpectedly thoughtful.
My first impression at least was that it would be a silly, goofy story, and it is. Some of the jokes are very childish, but it is mostly full of the kind of sarcasm I associate with British humor. Beneath all the silliness though, there is definitely a message meant to be imparted to young readers about the importance of cooperation and open-mindedness. It was a little difficult for me to enjoy the book at first because I hate rats, but the rats turn out to be the best part of the story. I think that's kind of the point. I have to admit that I was actually moved by the rats' narrative and all the new philosophical and ethical quandries they found themselves in after becoming intelligent.
The edition I read also contained a transcript of an interview with Pratchett regarding his experience writing this book, and it was interesting to look at. I learned that Pratchett primarily wrote books for adult readers, and The Amazing Maurice is one of the only children's books he ever wrote. I thought it was great; it definitely surprised me and surpassed my expectations, and that makes me curious to read more of his work eventually.
The Amazing Maurice might be too silly for most adult readers. It is also very British, if I may say such a thing without sounding derisive. I only mention it again because it may make it harder for American children to relate to. I don't know. I can't think of anyone in my personal life who I would earnestly recommend this book to. I enjoyed it a lot, but I seem to be in sort of a phase right now where I'm very interested in children's literature. It was a lot of fun, anyway, and unexpectedly thoughtful.
reflective
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
This was my third novel by Ursula K. Le Guin and I'm happy to say that my expectations have been exceeded once again; although, it is a bit different than the other two I had read previously (The Dispossessed and The Left Hand of Darkness). The shorter length of the novel made for characters with somewhat less development and depth, which is something that makes The Lathe of Heaven apparently a bit less popular with some fans of Le Guin's work, but did not bother me at all. It reads somewhat more like a typical science fiction novel of its time, more ideas-focused than character-focused, but still contains that wonderful touch of humanity and linguistic intrigue that is so characteristic of Le Guin's writing style.
I was immediately captivated at the beginning of the novel by the description of the dreamer drifting in the depths of his unconscious mind as a jellyfish drifting in the open ocean. I found the story's hook gripping and the events that unfolded afterward thrilling. Le Guin seems to reference Taoism as a central theme of this book, as she supposedly does in many of her works, a subject that I regrettably am almost entirely ignorant about. Being ignorant regarding many of the story's influences and references, I am incompetent to write an analysis here on the moral messages contained within it. Plenty of other reviewers have done so already. Suffice to say I understand that the central conflict of the story is between the Western "activist" way of interacting with the world and the Eastern "passivist" way. And, of course, the chaos that ensues when men try to play God.
It is a brilliant novel and one that I suspect will linger in my mind for days to come. I would recommend this short, accessible novel to all lovers of science fiction.
I was immediately captivated at the beginning of the novel by the description of the dreamer drifting in the depths of his unconscious mind as a jellyfish drifting in the open ocean. I found the story's hook gripping and the events that unfolded afterward thrilling. Le Guin seems to reference Taoism as a central theme of this book, as she supposedly does in many of her works, a subject that I regrettably am almost entirely ignorant about. Being ignorant regarding many of the story's influences and references, I am incompetent to write an analysis here on the moral messages contained within it. Plenty of other reviewers have done so already. Suffice to say I understand that the central conflict of the story is between the Western "activist" way of interacting with the world and the Eastern "passivist" way. And, of course, the chaos that ensues when men try to play God.
It is a brilliant novel and one that I suspect will linger in my mind for days to come. I would recommend this short, accessible novel to all lovers of science fiction.
Content Warnings
Minor: Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, War
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ο Βάρτζακ Πο ήταν ένα από τα αγαπημένα μου βιβλία όταν ήμουνα μικρή, και το να διαβάσω ξανά στα ελληνικά ήταν πραγματικά μια μαγική εμπειρία.
Είναι ένα πολύ ωραίο βιβλίο για παιδιά που αγαπούνε τα ζώα. Παρόλο που είναι σκοτεινό, κάπως βιαίο, και ίσως λίγο τρομακτικό για ένα παιδάκι, είναι και ταυτόχρονα μια πάρα πολύ τρυφερή ήστορια. Έχει ωραία και θετικά μηνύματα σχετικά με την ταυτότητα, φιλία, και τη Πίστη στον Εαυτό σου.
Το πώς ήταν ο Βάρτζακ στην αρχή του βιβλίου μου θύμισε πως ένιωθα έγω ως παίδι · ήσυχη, επιφυλακτική, ανασφαλής, και γενικά διαφορετική από που «υποτέθηκε» να είμαι. Η προσωπική ανάπτυξή του με έμπευσε πολύ. Μου ήταν μεγάλος ήωρας, και ακόμα είναι.
Το καλύτερο για το βιβλίο όμως είναι η φανταστική εικονογράφηση του Dave McKean, που παίρνει τον Βάρτζακ Πο από το καλό απλώς και το κάνει αξέχαστο. Ήταν το πράγμα που θυμήθηκα το περισσότερο από που ήμουνα μικρή.
Δεν θα έλεγα ότι είναι κάλο βιβλίο για περισσότερους ενήλικες. Η γραφή είναι πολύ απλή και ευθιά, και χώρις χιούμορ. Πιστεύω πως η γοητεία του Βάρτζακ Πο θα τους άρεζε καλύτερα στα παδιά. Ή ίσως και στους κάποιους μαθητές της ελληνικής γλώσσας, όπως εμένα.
Ρε το Βάρτζακ το πούστη...
Είναι ένα πολύ ωραίο βιβλίο για παιδιά που αγαπούνε τα ζώα. Παρόλο που είναι σκοτεινό, κάπως βιαίο, και ίσως λίγο τρομακτικό για ένα παιδάκι, είναι και ταυτόχρονα μια πάρα πολύ τρυφερή ήστορια. Έχει ωραία και θετικά μηνύματα σχετικά με την ταυτότητα, φιλία, και τη Πίστη στον Εαυτό σου.
Το πώς ήταν ο Βάρτζακ στην αρχή του βιβλίου μου θύμισε πως ένιωθα έγω ως παίδι · ήσυχη, επιφυλακτική, ανασφαλής, και γενικά διαφορετική από που «υποτέθηκε» να είμαι. Η προσωπική ανάπτυξή του με έμπευσε πολύ. Μου ήταν μεγάλος ήωρας, και ακόμα είναι.
Το καλύτερο για το βιβλίο όμως είναι η φανταστική εικονογράφηση του Dave McKean, που παίρνει τον Βάρτζακ Πο από το καλό απλώς και το κάνει αξέχαστο. Ήταν το πράγμα που θυμήθηκα το περισσότερο από που ήμουνα μικρή.
Δεν θα έλεγα ότι είναι κάλο βιβλίο για περισσότερους ενήλικες. Η γραφή είναι πολύ απλή και ευθιά, και χώρις χιούμορ. Πιστεύω πως η γοητεία του Βάρτζακ Πο θα τους άρεζε καλύτερα στα παδιά. Ή ίσως και στους κάποιους μαθητές της ελληνικής γλώσσας, όπως εμένα.
Ρε το Βάρτζακ το πούστη...
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Violence
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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:
No
I've finally reached the end of The Demon Princes series -- tuthfully, the first book series I have read to completion in several years.
I wasn't very excited at the beginning by The Star King (I believe this is the weakest book in the series), but now that I've reached the end, I have to admit I was hooked. The Book of Dreams may be my favorite, although I would consider it the most dark. While reading we become rather intimately familiar with the villain, whom I personally regard as the most heinous of the five, in contrast to the other books, where the villain is usually mysterious and distant. Side characters play a more important role in the plot, and even Gersen's love interest partakes. The ending sort of defies expectations as well.
Jack Vance's greatest strength as a writer is very clearly his worldbuilding. In every book, Gersen travels to various foreign planets, each one unique and memorable due to its detailed climate and human culture. It's a wonderfully diverse, fantastic, bizarre, brutal, and barely civilized universe. I also enjoy Vance's writing style very much. It's hard to describe why that is exactly, because there is nothing extremely distinct or characteristic about it. The vocabulary he uses is what I would consider quite advanced, but his writing is not flourishing or "flowery" at all. There are no unnecessary descriptions and nothing graphic or disturbing, even though the books are full of violence, crime, slavery, and killing. It's sort of -- dare I say -- classy, which may or may not be conventional to the science fiction and fantasy genre of the time. (I don't know.) Some of my favorite bits of writing were the literary, poetic, and encyclopedic excerpts from various books within The Demon Princes universe that precede every chapter. They show lots of different writing styles that Vance is capable of and some of them express interesting, philosophical ideas. I really appreciate those kinds of added details to a SFF book. I also just have to mention how much I relish reading about an envisioned future where men can fly through outer space and visit tens of colonized worlds, but they still wear hats and watches (chronometers, sorry) and communicate using telephones.
All that being said, I would only recommend this series to really hardcore retro sci fi lovers. There are a lot of character traits and plot points in these books that feel cliche and trope-y by today's standards. I would also not recommend these books to most female readers, especially the types who can't stand reading about helpless damsels-in-distress, since that is basically every female character in every one of the books. Really none of the characters in any of the books are very deep, relatable, or sympathetic, so a person who loves to read character-driven stories would probably not enjoy this one. Overall, I found the books very fun and engaging to read, and I'm definitely going to read more of Vance's work in the near future. I haven't had enough yet.
I wasn't very excited at the beginning by The Star King (I believe this is the weakest book in the series), but now that I've reached the end, I have to admit I was hooked. The Book of Dreams may be my favorite, although I would consider it the most dark. While reading we become rather intimately familiar with the villain, whom I personally regard as the most heinous of the five, in contrast to the other books, where the villain is usually mysterious and distant. Side characters play a more important role in the plot, and even Gersen's love interest partakes. The ending sort of defies expectations as well.
Jack Vance's greatest strength as a writer is very clearly his worldbuilding. In every book, Gersen travels to various foreign planets, each one unique and memorable due to its detailed climate and human culture. It's a wonderfully diverse, fantastic, bizarre, brutal, and barely civilized universe. I also enjoy Vance's writing style very much. It's hard to describe why that is exactly, because there is nothing extremely distinct or characteristic about it. The vocabulary he uses is what I would consider quite advanced, but his writing is not flourishing or "flowery" at all. There are no unnecessary descriptions and nothing graphic or disturbing, even though the books are full of violence, crime, slavery, and killing. It's sort of -- dare I say -- classy, which may or may not be conventional to the science fiction and fantasy genre of the time. (I don't know.) Some of my favorite bits of writing were the literary, poetic, and encyclopedic excerpts from various books within The Demon Princes universe that precede every chapter. They show lots of different writing styles that Vance is capable of and some of them express interesting, philosophical ideas. I really appreciate those kinds of added details to a SFF book. I also just have to mention how much I relish reading about an envisioned future where men can fly through outer space and visit tens of colonized worlds, but they still wear hats and watches (chronometers, sorry) and communicate using telephones.
All that being said, I would only recommend this series to really hardcore retro sci fi lovers. There are a lot of character traits and plot points in these books that feel cliche and trope-y by today's standards. I would also not recommend these books to most female readers, especially the types who can't stand reading about helpless damsels-in-distress, since that is basically every female character in every one of the books. Really none of the characters in any of the books are very deep, relatable, or sympathetic, so a person who loves to read character-driven stories would probably not enjoy this one. Overall, I found the books very fun and engaging to read, and I'm definitely going to read more of Vance's work in the near future. I haven't had enough yet.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Gore, Pedophilia, Murder
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was easily one of my favorites in the series so far. It had all the best that The Demon Princes has to offer (cool, detailed foreign worlds populated with peculiar races of people) with the addition of what is probably my favorite set of characters out of all the books. I even found Gersen himself at his most likeable here because he was more capricious than I'm used to expecting. This was also the most humorous book overall, which made it lots of fun to read.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault, Violence, Murder
Στεναχωρήθηκα πολύ να το παρατήσω αλλά είναι πάρα πολύ δύσκολο βιβλίο για μένα.
adventurous
mysterious
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:
No
I was excited to start this book, but my enthusiasm waned the further along I read. It's hard for me to describe exactly what it is that I didn't like about it as much. It might have simply been that it featured my least favorite cast of characters yet, with Viole Falushe being my least favorite of the demon princes so far. I guess he was the most human compared to the rest in the way that he had the most immature and emotional motivations for his crimes, and that made him even more detestable to me. I was also not very enthralled with the story mostly taking place on Earth in northern Europe, since I love reading about Gersen's excursions to other planets. For me, the most entertaining part of the novel was Gersen's little stint in acquiring Cosmopolis magazine. And as a side note I was a little uncomfortable with how much every teenage girl was desired by the older male characters, but I also found it unsurprising in this storyline with its themes regarding power and ownership of women. Anyway, The Palace of Love didn't quite hit the spot for me in the same way the previous two installments in the series did, but I am still eager to start the next one.
Content Warnings
Minor: Slavery, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Murder
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I enjoyed this book significantly more than The Star King, the first book in the series. I found the story, the settings, and the characters more intriguing and a bit less flat than in the previous book. Even Gersen himself was a bit more likeable. I suppose the romantic subplot serves to show a more amusing side of his character. The book starts pretty slow, but by the time I reached the second half, it was hard for me to put it down. I feel eager to read the next book now.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Murder
Minor: Rape
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Άλλη μια σπουδαία πρόταση απ' τη δασκάλα μου. Ήταν και η πρώτη μου φορά διαβάζοντας ένα βιβλίο του Ρόαλντ Νταλ παρά το γεγονός που είναι ένας από τους πιο διάσιμους παιδικούς συγγραφείς της αγγλικής γλώσσας, αλλά τέλος πάντων...
Η Ματίλντα είναι πραγματικά φανταστική και αστεία ιστορία που έχει κάποια από τα πιο γοητευτικά και τα πιο απαίσια πρόσωπα που έχω ξαναδιαβάσει ποτέ σε κανένα βιβλίο. Απορρίφτηκα εντελώς στο υπέροχο μυαλό της Ματίλντα, τις πονηρές της τιμωρίες και την επιθυμία της να κάνει πάντα το σωστό και το δίκαιο. Το μύνημα που πήρα απ' το βιβλίο είναι πόσο σημαντικό είναι το να φερόμαστε σε παιδιά με τρυφερότητα και κατανόηση, κι επίσης το να μην τα υποτιμάμε ποτέ.
Η Ματίλντα είναι πραγματικά φανταστική και αστεία ιστορία που έχει κάποια από τα πιο γοητευτικά και τα πιο απαίσια πρόσωπα που έχω ξαναδιαβάσει ποτέ σε κανένα βιβλίο. Απορρίφτηκα εντελώς στο υπέροχο μυαλό της Ματίλντα, τις πονηρές της τιμωρίες και την επιθυμία της να κάνει πάντα το σωστό και το δίκαιο. Το μύνημα που πήρα απ' το βιβλίο είναι πόσο σημαντικό είναι το να φερόμαστε σε παιδιά με τρυφερότητα και κατανόηση, κι επίσης το να μην τα υποτιμάμε ποτέ.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Suicide, Death of parent