manuphoto's reviews
871 reviews

The State of the Art by Iain M. Banks

adventurous emotional funny medium-paced

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

4.0

Like all short stories collection, it's uneven. But here the range is from good to excellent. I enjoyed all of them, except for the very last one (which is only a few pages long).

A couple of the stories were very funny, some quite dark. The main story, the novella "The State of the Art" was truly excellent. 

It's not as strong as the Culture novels but it's worth reading nonetheless.

A Time of Changes by Robert Silverberg

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This novel is more of a philosophical tale than anything else. 

 

In the first part of the book, we follow our main character through his travels, in which he seeks to discover more about himself and his world. It is written as an autobiography, which is an interesting choice. Silverberg seems to be a very capable writer, so the story works on a sentence-by-sentence basis. However, I did have some issues early on. 

 

This book is very much a product of its time. Our protagonist is some sort of übermensch—tall, strong, hairy, and handsome, but also deeply insecure. He also categorizes women by breast size and attractiveness…and "beds" most of them, to quote him. I’m not shocked, mind you, but after a couple of occurrences, I found it uninteresting and repetitive. I’ve encountered this issue in other works from the late 60s and early 70s. The protagonist is essentially describing a sexually open society with some bizarre abstract rules. Okay, I get it—no need to remind me every ten pages or so. 

 

The second part of the story is triggered by an encounter with an Earthman and, because it’s the 70s, drugs! I must say, I enjoyed how this change of pace was introduced and actually welcomed it, as the novel was starting to feel like a slog, despite its relatively short length. However, between the overly sexualized characters and the use of drugs to "broaden one’s horizons," I couldn’t help but roll my eyes a bit. 

 

That being said, Silverberg writes very well, and this novel is enjoyable to read on a sentence-by-sentence basis—especially considering the grammatical complexity he imposes on himself by having the main character say "one" instead of "I" for part of the story. 

 

He touches on very important themes: culture, self-image, oppression, religion, society’s structures, and so on. I appreciate the exploration of these themes, but I was left a bit cold by the vessels chosen to explore them. It’s mostly a "me" problem, but I never found the protagonist’s society to be particularly original or interesting. The obvious parallels with the Catholic Church, the Inquisition, or other such things felt a bit too heavy-handed for my taste. 

 

A well-written novel that deals with important and relevant issues, but treated in a way that feels very dated, somewhat inefficient, with pacing issues and occasionally inconsistent characters. I’m glad I read it, but I can’t say I enjoyed much of it—though I did enjoy parts of it, especially in the second half.

Valérian et Laureline l'Intégrale, volume 2 by Pierre Christin, Jean-Claude Mézières

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Les dessins sont toujours très bons et les concepts originaux et fascinants. D’ailleurs, ils ont été maintes fois copiés (par George Lucas, DC Comics, et d’autres).

Certains éléments ont mal vieilli, comme la façon dont Valérian traite Lauréline (il l’appelle souvent « petite » par exemple), encore que j’ai trouvé son personnage mieux mis en valeur par ses actions que dans le tome précédent.

Au final, cette bd a ses failles mais demeure bien faite et avec une portée remarquable jusqu’à aujourd’hui.

Use Of Weapons by Iain M. Banks

adventurous emotional medium-paced

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

5.0

An excellent read. The more I read Banks, the more I appreciate his style and imagination. 

Use of Weapons has a unique structure—one that could easily have been a disaster in the hands of a lesser writer. But Banks pulls it off magnificently. The two narratives involving Zakalwe are extremely well interwoven and very gripping. Banks also manages to weave in a fair dose of humour to make the whole experience more palatable, despite some very dark and brutal passages.  

The dynamics between the Culture and other civilizations are fascinating, but this novel is truly about its characters, and they are superb. The entire cast is well-drawn, but Zakalwe, in particular, is both original and deeply troubling. I thoroughly enjoyed this and can’t recommend it highly enough.  

Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks

adventurous emotional fast-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

4.0

On the surface, this book is a classic space opera. Lots of action, we follow Horza and a group of space pirates in the midst of a war between the Culture and the Idirans. Nothing fancy here, right? Well, think again.

Consider Phlebas has many strengths. First, Banks' writing chops. The man just knew how to tell a compelling story. He grabbed me in the first few pages and took me all the way to the end of the book. The pacing is great, the action scenes fantastic (and sometimes quite gruesome), the characters well-defined, and the whole thing is just a pleasure to read. The main characters have arcs, and we actually care about them. Just don't get too emotionally attached…

The second great aspect of this novel is its universe. We hear of the Culture, we are told about the Culture, we see glimpses of it, but we are never in it. This book is an appetizer for what's to come in the series. We meet this fantastic thing that Banks has created and are immediately curious to know more. And he did that in a space opera with lots of explosions, some snarky drones, and three-legged giant aliens. I just can't wait to read more in the series. Between Banks' writing and the scope and creativity of this universe, it's going to be tremendous.

Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh

adventurous emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I’m a bit conflicted on that one. The premise is good, with Earth having been destroyed by aliens during a major conflict and our protagonist being raised on a station, living to fight another day. It does feel like Starship Troopers meets Everything is Kill meets District 9 meets Avengers. Bear with me….

The novel manages to tackle societal issues, especially on gender identity, sexual orientation, misogyny and patriarchy. Quite remarkable honestly, as it could easily have felt totally out of place. Emily Tesh manages to make those issues part of the story and the characters’s arcs, so that’s excellent. Sometimes she would tell us "this behaviour is bad" but most of the time she would show us through her characters and story, which is much better. I don’t want the narrator or character to explain to me why being sexist is bad, I want the novel to show me why it is bad. Luckily, Tesh favours that approach.

I’m not entirely sold on her prose or the way she brings twists to the story however. Although she writes well, I was sometimes a bit confused by the setting, especially during the action scenes. She also tends to use repetition to put emphasis on certain points, something that I dislike (but it’s maybe more a "me" issue). The story does take a couple of left turns, but they always felt forced never earned. It’s "character finds themselves in an impossible situation… miraculous option appears!". The ideas were often neat, but their implementation less so.

Kyr is a very interesting character. She faces challenges that would destroy most people, both physically and psychologically. But, at least to me, these issues got resolved a bit too quickly and easily, the tension never really grabbed me. There is also a feeling that nothing is really important, as they can fix situations that shouldn’t be fixable. It lowered the stakes a lot for me.

That’s why I say I’m conflicted on that book. On one hand, it’s a fun read, with lots action and yet a very powerful social commentary, good characters and some neat sci-fi tropes. On the other, it can lack subtlety, it has a lot of repetition and it’s not always thrilling. It also feels like a mishmash of sci-fi tropes from other books and movies. Then again, it’s Tesh’s first novel, so I can pardon some of it. It’s already quite an achievement.

Despite some drawbacks, I did like it, I recommend people reading it for the important social commentary and the fun of the story, but I can’t say that it’s my top tier Hugo winning novels, it’s more mid-tier. Which is not bad, really.

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

adventurous 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? Yes

4.0

Ha, so the British had help from magicians to defeat Napoleon. This explains a lot! I’ll have to revise my podcast episodes on the emperor’s fall.

Of course, I’m only kidding, but I must say the historical setting of this novel was both captivating and instructive. Susanna Clarke wrote it in a way that I found readable, entertaining, and engaging.

First, I have to admit that I’m usually not fond of magic in books. I often find it gratuitous and more about wowing the reader than advancing the story. But that’s not the case here. Clarke integrated magic in a clever, plot-driven way that I enjoyed immensely. It’s the exact opposite of some other novels set in the 19th century that I’ve read, where magic is sparse and, when it does appear, isn’t very engaging (looking at you, Babel). Here, it’s engrossing, well-executed, and propels both the plot and character development.

In many ways, this novel feels quintessentially British. I mean, the Duke of Wellington and Lord Byron make appearances—could it be more British? This might be off-putting for readers less familiar with English literature or at least the English relationship with literature and history. While it doesn’t prevent enjoyment of the book, having some familiarity with English culture and history certainly adds to the experience.

Is the novel too long? Perhaps, but I didn’t mind it. It’s well-structured, with short, organized chapters, making it surprisingly readable despite the dated vocabulary and the many, many footnotes. On that note (ha!), I didn’t particularly care for the footnotes. While they provide interesting information and expand the universe, I found them distracting, and they didn’t always mesh well with the storytelling.

On the other hand, the cast of characters worked very well for me. Every single one had a purpose and was distinct, making it easy to visualize the people and situations.

Overall, an excellent fantasy novel with strong characterizations, a well-developed plot, and top-notch writing. I enjoyed it more than I expected—quite rare for an almost 900-page book. Highly recommended.

Le Comte de Monte-Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

adventurous hopeful sad medium-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? Yes

5.0

Un délice à lire. Le style de Dumas allié à une intrigue remarquable et des personnages savoureux font de ce roman un pur chef-d’œuvre.

La vengeance d’Edmond Dantès, le tribu qu’il paye et fait payer, le sort de ses ennemis et de ses amis, chaque aspect de l’histoire est méthodiquement calculé et superbement raconté. On ne peut s’empêcher d’admirer Dantès, tout en le trouvant parfois dur et sévère. On ne peut s’empêcher non plus de sourire devant le sort réservé à ceux qui l’ont trahi. Et enfin, on ne peut s’empêcher d’être touché par les imprévus et dommages collatéraux qu’une si terrible vengeance provoque, aussi bien calculée soit-elle.

Dumas réuni tout ces éléments avec fougue, intelligence et style. Malgré sa longueur, ce roman est d’une grande facilité à lire, même à dévorer. C’est un classique de la littérature française et je dirais même, de la culture mondiale. Le Comte de Monte-Cristo est, je le pense, une œuvre majeure qui doit être étudié par les gens de tous pays et de toutes cultures. D’abord parce que Dumas y traite lui-même des différences culturelles entre différents peuples, mais parce qu’il y aborde des sujets profondément humains qui sont encore vibrant d’actualité. En toute chose, lors de toute épreuve, il s’agit d’attendre et d’espérer.

My Musical Notes: A Journey in Classical Piano between the World Wars and Beyond by Gaby Casadesus

informative sad medium-paced

4.5

A very interesting read on a remarkable family. The Casadesus were astonishing artists and led lives on a completely different level than most of us. The stuff of legends.

A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine

adventurous emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Arkady Martine took a risk with this novel. She kept the framework of her first book, but decided to look outward instead of inward. Hence, we see a lot less of Teixcalaan but we are indeed treated to a story of war, espionage, first contact, and hot sex. Question is: does it work?

In one word: yes. The structure here is a lot more complex than in A Memory Called Empire. Instead of following ambassador Mahit most of the time, we follow her, Three Seagrass, the emperor, the heir to the empire, and a fleet captain. They alternate perspective regularly. Martine manages to make that effortless; I was never confused by the setting. I always knew which storyline I was following, who was guiding me, and what aspect of the story mattered at that juncture.

Despite this added complexity, I actually found the novel better structured than its predecessor. Everything felt tighter, more important. It didn’t suffer from the weird pacing issues that afflicted part of AMCE.

The plot itself is good, although the real focus of the story is in its characters. Yes, there are aliens, a first contact plot (quite well done too!), but we mostly care about what happens to our main protagonists. As for the rest of the known universe… we’ll see.

I can see that as being a bit off-putting for some readers who would like to know more about these aliens. To me, they are basically plot devices. They are neither really interesting nor original. I’ve read enough sci-fi by now to not be that easily wowed by strange aliens. I have to say that Martine did a good job in recognizing the difficulty of communicating with aliens. She acknowledged that the sheer concept of language ought to be different, and that establishing common ground should be difficult (looking at you Axiom’s End...). Despite this, it’s not the real focus of the story.

Also, the whole biological aspect, which becomes a major plot device in the middle of the book, just doesn’t work. It's barely an easy, TV-like scenario. It’s a minor gripe, but still, it can be distracting.

I don’t want to spoil anything, so I won’t go into details, but overall, I quite enjoyed this one despite the science in it being bad. It’d be a bigger issue if the book focused more on that, but it doesn’t, so it’s OK I guess. I was still happy to find out what would happen with the main characters and Teixcalaan (and to a lesser extent, Lsel Station). Martine’s prose made this very readable, something that we shouldn’t overlook. A solid if not stellar Hugo winner.