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matt_and_cheez's Reviews (493)
I give the last book in this series a 3.75. Overall, the world building in this series is excellent, the pace is fast and never dull, and the characters are memorable. The biggest flaw I found was that the villains are not very three-dimensional. It seems like the "Excisioners" or magicians who work with human flesh and blood, are evil for evil's sake. We don't get a glimpse into the backstories of two of the three main villains. It would have been satisfying to understand what motivated them all to become what they did. But it's still a fun series and quick to finish.
This series really grew on me. I think out of the four books (the first three being their own trilogy, this one being stand-alone), this one was my favorite. It was less intense, but retained the whimsical Harry Potter-esque magic of the world. I can't help but compare it to HP but this world has its own flavor so it's not a negative comparison.
What I particularly enjoy about the world in this series is the seamless merging of magic and "the real world" into one. Unlike HP, non-magical people live intertwined with the magicians, and even make use of what they create. The technology is still mostly at the level of the early 20th century, but life is made easier using magical devices.
Unlike the first 3 books which mostly explore the magical media of paper and organic matter, this one explores plastic and the novelty that this material had in the early 1900s. Pretty cool stuff, and very quick reads. I'm hoping there will be more to come in this series.
What I particularly enjoy about the world in this series is the seamless merging of magic and "the real world" into one. Unlike HP, non-magical people live intertwined with the magicians, and even make use of what they create. The technology is still mostly at the level of the early 20th century, but life is made easier using magical devices.
Unlike the first 3 books which mostly explore the magical media of paper and organic matter, this one explores plastic and the novelty that this material had in the early 1900s. Pretty cool stuff, and very quick reads. I'm hoping there will be more to come in this series.
My first feeling about this book before even reading it was hesitation. From what I had heard, it was very difficult to read, both for its complexity and its content. It did take me a month to read, as it did and should be read carefully. For those used to the western-inspired fantasy realms a la Tolkien, Le Guin, and Martin, James' creation will be something refreshingly complex and new. I'll break down my review as follows:
THE WORLD: Incredibly rich, full of mythological reference that was mostly over my head, but so, so intriguing. From what I understand, James draws on African myths and characters, of which I know very little. The world itself is vibrant and hallucinatory, and also violent and scary, adding to the overall dark tone of the novel.
The setting is both dream-like and realistically brutal. The way magic is intertwined in the story is not superfluous or kitschy in my opinion. The societies depicted are complex and varying, with respect to race, class, gender, species, etc. I also loved the way James turned usual paradigms on their head- for example, evil and darkness were often depicted as white rather than black.
THE CHARACTERS: Luckily James provides a cast list that can be referred to, as I did several times. Admittedly that adds a challenge to the reading experience, but if you could understand A Song of Ice and Fire with its enormous character list, then this should be relatively painless.
The main protagonist, Tracker, is a very well-written anti-hero. He is motivated ultimately by vengeance, and isn't afraid to commit violence when he feels it necessary. His counterpart, the Leopard, is wild, sarcastic, with untamed sexuality that adds to a problem many had with the story (I will touch on this). The supporting characters were all unique and memorable in their own ways. Their stories interwove to a masterful degree, and the homosexual romance factor was exciting to see in mainstream fantasy.
THE PROBLEMS: It should be known that this novel does NOT hold back. It is violent and graphic, depicting horrid acts of physical and sexual violence against men, women, and sometimes minors. Virtually no taboo is left untouched, and I can see why this is off-putting. But for me, I was able to push through the difficult scenes and enjoy the story as a whole.
I have also heard complaints about the novel's grand complexity of language and structure. It does take a good deal of concentration, as it is told by Tracker as a story within a story within a story. The prose is dream-like and complicated, but also quite beautiful. I guess ultimately these challenges did not greatly hinder my reading experience and my enjoyment of the novel.
There's so much more to say about this story, but I will stop here. If you are a lover of fantasy, I recommend giving this a try, knowing you need to be prepared for difficult moments and concentration. I would rate this more than five stars if I could.
THE WORLD: Incredibly rich, full of mythological reference that was mostly over my head, but so, so intriguing. From what I understand, James draws on African myths and characters, of which I know very little. The world itself is vibrant and hallucinatory, and also violent and scary, adding to the overall dark tone of the novel.
The setting is both dream-like and realistically brutal. The way magic is intertwined in the story is not superfluous or kitschy in my opinion. The societies depicted are complex and varying, with respect to race, class, gender, species, etc. I also loved the way James turned usual paradigms on their head- for example, evil and darkness were often depicted as white rather than black.
THE CHARACTERS: Luckily James provides a cast list that can be referred to, as I did several times. Admittedly that adds a challenge to the reading experience, but if you could understand A Song of Ice and Fire with its enormous character list, then this should be relatively painless.
The main protagonist, Tracker, is a very well-written anti-hero. He is motivated ultimately by vengeance, and isn't afraid to commit violence when he feels it necessary. His counterpart, the Leopard, is wild, sarcastic, with untamed sexuality that adds to a problem many had with the story (I will touch on this). The supporting characters were all unique and memorable in their own ways. Their stories interwove to a masterful degree, and the homosexual romance factor was exciting to see in mainstream fantasy.
THE PROBLEMS: It should be known that this novel does NOT hold back. It is violent and graphic, depicting horrid acts of physical and sexual violence against men, women, and sometimes minors. Virtually no taboo is left untouched, and I can see why this is off-putting. But for me, I was able to push through the difficult scenes and enjoy the story as a whole.
I have also heard complaints about the novel's grand complexity of language and structure. It does take a good deal of concentration, as it is told by Tracker as a story within a story within a story. The prose is dream-like and complicated, but also quite beautiful. I guess ultimately these challenges did not greatly hinder my reading experience and my enjoyment of the novel.
There's so much more to say about this story, but I will stop here. If you are a lover of fantasy, I recommend giving this a try, knowing you need to be prepared for difficult moments and concentration. I would rate this more than five stars if I could.
*Maybe spoilers?*
Out of the Robert Langdon series, I'd rank this third behind Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons. Sure it's a formula at this point- a grand secret that will shake the foundations of religion, Langdon getting wrapped up in this controversy, a violent murder by a religious nut from an underground organization, a beautiful (foreign) female sidekick, and a major twist. But... this clearly works.
I quite enjoyed the theme of futurism and technology in this installment. Having an AI as another "sidekick" to Langdon felt fresh in an otherwise already-used plot template. As usual, the writing was fast-paced, the plot exciting and suspenseful. I finished it easily in two days, but I could see this being a one-day read.
I would have given Origin 5 stars, and was about to... until the reveal of the secret that would "destroy all the world's religions." The revelation just wasn't as fulfilling as in, for example, The Da Vinci Code. Similarly, the final twist which we discover within the last 50 pages of the novel was predictable, at least to me. I already came to the realization with maybe 100 pages to go. There *was* one final revelation about a couple characters that I was not expecting, but I found it rather irrelevant to the story. That being said, 4.5 stars would be my final rating.
Totally recommend this to Dan Brown fans. A beautifully detailed portrayal of Barcelona, a thrilling chase, plenty of political intrigue, and several profound philosophical questions await the reader.
Out of the Robert Langdon series, I'd rank this third behind Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons. Sure it's a formula at this point- a grand secret that will shake the foundations of religion, Langdon getting wrapped up in this controversy, a violent murder by a religious nut from an underground organization, a beautiful (foreign) female sidekick, and a major twist. But... this clearly works.
I quite enjoyed the theme of futurism and technology in this installment. Having an AI as another "sidekick" to Langdon felt fresh in an otherwise already-used plot template. As usual, the writing was fast-paced, the plot exciting and suspenseful. I finished it easily in two days, but I could see this being a one-day read.
I would have given Origin 5 stars, and was about to... until the reveal of the secret that would "destroy all the world's religions." The revelation just wasn't as fulfilling as in, for example, The Da Vinci Code. Similarly, the final twist which we discover within the last 50 pages of the novel was predictable, at least to me. I already came to the realization with maybe 100 pages to go. There *was* one final revelation about a couple characters that I was not expecting, but I found it rather irrelevant to the story. That being said, 4.5 stars would be my final rating.
Totally recommend this to Dan Brown fans. A beautifully detailed portrayal of Barcelona, a thrilling chase, plenty of political intrigue, and several profound philosophical questions await the reader.