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peanutscratch's Reviews (15)
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
It's a hard read
At first because of the subject matter and just how dark it is, and then later on because it just becomes a deluge of dates and historical battles, almost like a textbook.
Was thankful when it was over but I might come back to reread it when I have the time to comb over the information.
At first because of the subject matter and just how dark it is, and then later on because it just becomes a deluge of dates and historical battles, almost like a textbook.
Was thankful when it was over but I might come back to reread it when I have the time to comb over the information.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A fun read, but the story is so much better when it's about the characters interacting and talking with each other so why does the setting spend so much time keeping our main character isolated?
I didn't love the ending, would have much preferred to see him go back to Earth and deal with the changes that had been wrought. Though it was cute that he stayed a teacher
Also the mid-2000s sitcom-esque dialogue does get a bit grating.
Loved Rocky though!
Also the mid-2000s sitcom-esque dialogue does get a bit grating.
Loved Rocky though!
adventurous
emotional
funny
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 is technically my second time reading it because the first time I got really hung up on how the magic system was very poorly defined and a little hard to wrap your brain around, and as someone who is really interested in language and linguistics I think that bit of world-building would have been so fun to dive into.
I think the book is at its strongest when you see the 4 friends interact with each other, and when you see the dialogue between the teachers and students. It feels real and it honestly takes me back to undergrad. The second-best part is when it talks about revolution and organizing and striking tactics, where you can tell there is passion and interest going in.
The weakest points of the book then are the asides and heavy-handed explanations of how the empire is bad, always needing to hit you over the head with how it's important to remember that racism is bad and colonialism is murder and slavery is evil. It feels like the book does not trust itself or it's characters to get this message across through their lived experience and subtext, and so the book just outright tells you in plain text. The footnotes are maybe the worst realization of this, (exacerbated greatly by the fact that I read this as an audiobook and so had to sit through all of them)
Not Only are they constantly pulling you out of the plot of the story, but sometimes you actually have to take a step back to figure out if this footnote is referring to a real historical event in our world or to the speculative fiction of the Oxford of Babel.
The latter third of the book feels as if it's paced completely differently, and the ending leaves something to be desired. No resolution, no outcome of the action, just a vague set up of a sequel story with a new main character.
I think the book is at its strongest when you see the 4 friends interact with each other, and when you see the dialogue between the teachers and students. It feels real and it honestly takes me back to undergrad. The second-best part is when it talks about revolution and organizing and striking tactics, where you can tell there is passion and interest going in.
The weakest points of the book then are the asides and heavy-handed explanations of how the empire is bad, always needing to hit you over the head with how it's important to remember that racism is bad and colonialism is murder and slavery is evil. It feels like the book does not trust itself or it's characters to get this message across through their lived experience and subtext, and so the book just outright tells you in plain text. The footnotes are maybe the worst realization of this, (exacerbated greatly by the fact that I read this as an audiobook and so had to sit through all of them)
Not Only are they constantly pulling you out of the plot of the story, but sometimes you actually have to take a step back to figure out if this footnote is referring to a real historical event in our world or to the speculative fiction of the Oxford of Babel.
The latter third of the book feels as if it's paced completely differently, and the ending leaves something to be desired. No resolution, no outcome of the action, just a vague set up of a sequel story with a new main character.
