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romankurys's reviews
493 reviews
The Wishsong of Shannara by Terry Brooks
4.0
A great ending to the Trilogy that started world of Shannara. This sure was a great read, and I am happy that Terry Brooks decided to follow his gut and write it. I really enjoyed all three books thoroughly, although if I had to pick, I'd say Elfstones (Part2) was my favorite.
Only reason for 4 stars rating instead of 5 is that I think Terry Brooks gets a little carried away with his over abundant and over detailed descriptions of everything and too little of dialogue to carry the story forward. It's a double edged sword there, since it really at times made for a difficult, in-easy read for no reason.
There really is no political intrigue, no Royal houses, no history to study, just a pure adventure of a group of people. You'd think they would talk more, but instead we are described they're thought mostly and environment they're in. Don't get me wrong, it was very detailed and very beautiful and my imagination ran rampant, but it did take a very quiet room to really be able to immerse into Brooks' world.
By no means is his a book for someone who's looking for action or a quick paced thriller, it's very much a slower kind of read. If you enjoy Lord of the Rings, I have a feeling you'd like Shannara. They're really seem very similar to me, just take away Tolkien's linguistic inventions and most of his history of the ages, and just focus on the adventure.
In all honesty, first book felt like I was reading Lord of the Rings "Light", if you will, but that feeling is quickly extinguished once you progress through Book 2 and 3.
All in all, I'd highly recommend it, I will surely be reading the next installment, just be mentally prepared for a very solid wall of text hitting you in the face the entire journey. So grab a nice glass of scotch, a quiet room...and go on a journey of your life!
Roman
Only reason for 4 stars rating instead of 5 is that I think Terry Brooks gets a little carried away with his over abundant and over detailed descriptions of everything and too little of dialogue to carry the story forward. It's a double edged sword there, since it really at times made for a difficult, in-easy read for no reason.
There really is no political intrigue, no Royal houses, no history to study, just a pure adventure of a group of people. You'd think they would talk more, but instead we are described they're thought mostly and environment they're in. Don't get me wrong, it was very detailed and very beautiful and my imagination ran rampant, but it did take a very quiet room to really be able to immerse into Brooks' world.
By no means is his a book for someone who's looking for action or a quick paced thriller, it's very much a slower kind of read. If you enjoy Lord of the Rings, I have a feeling you'd like Shannara. They're really seem very similar to me, just take away Tolkien's linguistic inventions and most of his history of the ages, and just focus on the adventure.
In all honesty, first book felt like I was reading Lord of the Rings "Light", if you will, but that feeling is quickly extinguished once you progress through Book 2 and 3.
All in all, I'd highly recommend it, I will surely be reading the next installment, just be mentally prepared for a very solid wall of text hitting you in the face the entire journey. So grab a nice glass of scotch, a quiet room...and go on a journey of your life!
Roman
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
4.0
So I started reading this book with very low expectations based on reading reviews on here and just hearing general chatter on social media, etc etc.
I have never seen the movie series and got this book at one of my local library book sales simply because it was a book about vampires for $1.
Now, with that out of the way. Yes, I am a straight male of 35 years and Yes I actually REALLY enjoyed this book.
I found that I got immersed into it almost immediately and the only thing that was immersion breaking for me we're all the gushy over the topic romantic moments. At times I felt like I was reading a romance novel, but then again...main antagonists here are 17 year olds in love. Their first love. Ever.
I remember that magical time in my life a couple of decades ago...and I will always remember it. It's one of those thing you just always tend to remember for ever. (Now I went ahead and made myself nostalgic here)
Anyways, so did Meyer maybe went a bit over the top in this department, yes! But the rest of the book is pure page turning enjoyment. I found myself giggling out loud while reading (especially all 7353627 mentions of Edward's perfect chest) and in general just had pure fun reading.
No, it is not a serious read.
No, it is not as well written as, I don't know, Dickens or Anne Rice.
But I don't really think it was supposed to be.
Talking about Anne Rice, I don't get all the comparisons of Twilight to Interview With The Vampire. These two books are not similar at all, not in the slightest bit. They just both happen to be emotionally driven stories about vampires. Style, feel, writing all of it are completely different. Twilight is clearly going to be a lot more appealing to YA reader, I feel.
But I guess everyone has their own cup of tea they like best. It felt to me that Stephenie Meyer wrote a book for herself, and that's all I can ask for from an author. I enjoy reading books that feel genuine, but corny much more then a calculated, graphed, planned piece of perfect English literature, so my bets are in her corner and I'll definitely be reading the next part sometimes in the near future!
Roman
I have never seen the movie series and got this book at one of my local library book sales simply because it was a book about vampires for $1.
Now, with that out of the way. Yes, I am a straight male of 35 years and Yes I actually REALLY enjoyed this book.
I found that I got immersed into it almost immediately and the only thing that was immersion breaking for me we're all the gushy over the topic romantic moments. At times I felt like I was reading a romance novel, but then again...main antagonists here are 17 year olds in love. Their first love. Ever.
I remember that magical time in my life a couple of decades ago...and I will always remember it. It's one of those thing you just always tend to remember for ever. (Now I went ahead and made myself nostalgic here)
Anyways, so did Meyer maybe went a bit over the top in this department, yes! But the rest of the book is pure page turning enjoyment. I found myself giggling out loud while reading (especially all 7353627 mentions of Edward's perfect chest) and in general just had pure fun reading.
No, it is not a serious read.
No, it is not as well written as, I don't know, Dickens or Anne Rice.
But I don't really think it was supposed to be.
Talking about Anne Rice, I don't get all the comparisons of Twilight to Interview With The Vampire. These two books are not similar at all, not in the slightest bit. They just both happen to be emotionally driven stories about vampires. Style, feel, writing all of it are completely different. Twilight is clearly going to be a lot more appealing to YA reader, I feel.
But I guess everyone has their own cup of tea they like best. It felt to me that Stephenie Meyer wrote a book for herself, and that's all I can ask for from an author. I enjoy reading books that feel genuine, but corny much more then a calculated, graphed, planned piece of perfect English literature, so my bets are in her corner and I'll definitely be reading the next part sometimes in the near future!
Roman
The Scions of Shannara by Terry Brooks
5.0
So while I though the first Trilogy good, this has been GREAT! A fantastic ride through a good adventure courtesy of Terry Brooks.
I really love how he continually brings up events from the last 3 books in a non invasive manner that flows well with the story and also at the same time serves as a reminder of the times in the past. This has made it much easier to get immersed in the story and plenty of times I found hours slip by unnoticed and had to make myself stop reading to go on about my day.
This books continues in the manner that made the previous trilogy great. If you're looking for deep political intrigues of Dune or lots of backstabbing ways of the Song of Fire and Ice, this series is not it.
However, if you're looking for a good adventure with plenty of unexpected turns in plot and just pure raw Essence of an adventure, this right here, is worth the time.
I learned to appreciate Brooks' ability to entwined descriptions, thoughts of characters and dialogue into a seemless story telling that is very immersive and at the same time does t require a dictionary every 5 pages.
If you like fantasy genre, this is definitely a great read, and I'll definitely be reading the next part in my future reading adventures ;)
Roman "Ragnar"
I really love how he continually brings up events from the last 3 books in a non invasive manner that flows well with the story and also at the same time serves as a reminder of the times in the past. This has made it much easier to get immersed in the story and plenty of times I found hours slip by unnoticed and had to make myself stop reading to go on about my day.
This books continues in the manner that made the previous trilogy great. If you're looking for deep political intrigues of Dune or lots of backstabbing ways of the Song of Fire and Ice, this series is not it.
However, if you're looking for a good adventure with plenty of unexpected turns in plot and just pure raw Essence of an adventure, this right here, is worth the time.
I learned to appreciate Brooks' ability to entwined descriptions, thoughts of characters and dialogue into a seemless story telling that is very immersive and at the same time does t require a dictionary every 5 pages.
If you like fantasy genre, this is definitely a great read, and I'll definitely be reading the next part in my future reading adventures ;)
Roman "Ragnar"
Vlčí jezdci by David Pringle
3.0
So I didn't know what to actually expect from this book. This was my first foray into the world of Warhammer and at the end of it all, I think it was ok.
This is a compilation of 8 stories that are not really related to one another in any way other then they are all happening in Warhammer world. I think the book is aimed at people who have played Warhammer games or painted the figures or have basic understanding of Warhammer. I didn't, but after looking through the map included with the book and reading the stories it really gives you a general idea what Warhammer is all about.
A pretty morbid fantasy world with a strange system of government and secular authorities acting on their own, with magic being very alive and well.
William King's "Wolf Riders" and Jack Yeovil's "No Gold in the Grey Mountains" definitely made the book for me. Those two stories made the book worth reading.
Other stories were mediocre at best.
Pulg's Grand Carnival doesn't even feel like a finished tale, just kind of just ends as if author couldn't think of how to continue.
Overall I feel 3 stars was what this book deserved, given 25% of it I enjoyed greatly, 50% was ok, and last 25% were a waste of time.
Wouldn't suggest reading unless you're into Warhammer or trying to get more lore about Warhammer. Personally, I'm interested to see more about the lore, so will probably read some more Warhammer books sometimes later in the year.
Roman
This is a compilation of 8 stories that are not really related to one another in any way other then they are all happening in Warhammer world. I think the book is aimed at people who have played Warhammer games or painted the figures or have basic understanding of Warhammer. I didn't, but after looking through the map included with the book and reading the stories it really gives you a general idea what Warhammer is all about.
A pretty morbid fantasy world with a strange system of government and secular authorities acting on their own, with magic being very alive and well.
William King's "Wolf Riders" and Jack Yeovil's "No Gold in the Grey Mountains" definitely made the book for me. Those two stories made the book worth reading.
Other stories were mediocre at best.
Pulg's Grand Carnival doesn't even feel like a finished tale, just kind of just ends as if author couldn't think of how to continue.
Overall I feel 3 stars was what this book deserved, given 25% of it I enjoyed greatly, 50% was ok, and last 25% were a waste of time.
Wouldn't suggest reading unless you're into Warhammer or trying to get more lore about Warhammer. Personally, I'm interested to see more about the lore, so will probably read some more Warhammer books sometimes later in the year.
Roman
The Spy by James Fenimore Cooper
4.0
What am interesting read was The Spy! Since I read classics in the order in which they were published, I didn't expect what I got after "Precaution".
A pretty good tale of personal struggles during the time of America becoming independent from Britain. While I originally rated the book as a solid 3, I ended up with a 4 star rating simply because I have learned more about US history from reading this, then I have from going to school.
Admittedly, I never liked history as a subject, so partially it is my fault, but I simply enjoyed learning history more through a tale rather then a compilation of dates and events I would have to study and remember.
It did take a bit of getting used to the general language in which the book is written, but the same could be said about any classic, so you just expect to have a dictionary link handy already before starting this as well as expecting sentence structure and grammar to be very different as well. So something to expect before hand. This will not be a very fast paced read, even will feel at times like not even really fully English.
Now, the rest of it was very enjoyable, Fenimore Cooper did a good job with characters and pace of the tale, and as always it was just enjoyable to see the "old school" customs and the subject of one's honor described first hand.
Given that I work in NYC and commute from home by train, it made this tale a bit more special since the areas he's describing and where the action occurs I pretty much pass through every day, so I found myself pulling out Google Maps while on the train and looking for specific place he's describing as the train moved through the general area. That was actually pretty awesome!
Also, I definitely thought Harvey Birch was a real person and scoured the Internet looking for some more info on him to find that I wasn't the only one fooled, or maybe not fooled. We'll never know I suppose.
A sign of a good book is me getting attached to characters, and feeling a bit sad as the pages ran out, but such is life. Well done, Fenimore Cooper, well done!
Roman
A pretty good tale of personal struggles during the time of America becoming independent from Britain. While I originally rated the book as a solid 3, I ended up with a 4 star rating simply because I have learned more about US history from reading this, then I have from going to school.
Admittedly, I never liked history as a subject, so partially it is my fault, but I simply enjoyed learning history more through a tale rather then a compilation of dates and events I would have to study and remember.
It did take a bit of getting used to the general language in which the book is written, but the same could be said about any classic, so you just expect to have a dictionary link handy already before starting this as well as expecting sentence structure and grammar to be very different as well. So something to expect before hand. This will not be a very fast paced read, even will feel at times like not even really fully English.
Now, the rest of it was very enjoyable, Fenimore Cooper did a good job with characters and pace of the tale, and as always it was just enjoyable to see the "old school" customs and the subject of one's honor described first hand.
Given that I work in NYC and commute from home by train, it made this tale a bit more special since the areas he's describing and where the action occurs I pretty much pass through every day, so I found myself pulling out Google Maps while on the train and looking for specific place he's describing as the train moved through the general area. That was actually pretty awesome!
Also, I definitely thought Harvey Birch was a real person and scoured the Internet looking for some more info on him to find that I wasn't the only one fooled, or maybe not fooled. We'll never know I suppose.
A sign of a good book is me getting attached to characters, and feeling a bit sad as the pages ran out, but such is life. Well done, Fenimore Cooper, well done!
Roman
Insurgent by Veronica Roth
5.0
As many sure do, I originally associated Divergent series with "Hunger Games". That was until I read 2nd books of both. Although both are, obviously, dystopia, and a strong willed main heroine, that is where similarities end.
I think the movie version of this trilogy simply did not do he book justice because of a lot of things described in the book that are just darn difficult to act out.
I am not a huge modern Young Adult reader, as you can see from my books read, but this one specifically, Insurgent is a pure 5 Stars for me. I just couldn't put the book down, does not happen very often but it did with this one.
As you might expect it is a non stop action packed thrilling ride from cover to cover with a bit of a love story mixed in. Plot twists nicely keeping you in suspense (or at least keeping me in suspense) the entire time wanting to know what happens next.
Absolutely recommended read!
Roman
I think the movie version of this trilogy simply did not do he book justice because of a lot of things described in the book that are just darn difficult to act out.
I am not a huge modern Young Adult reader, as you can see from my books read, but this one specifically, Insurgent is a pure 5 Stars for me. I just couldn't put the book down, does not happen very often but it did with this one.
As you might expect it is a non stop action packed thrilling ride from cover to cover with a bit of a love story mixed in. Plot twists nicely keeping you in suspense (or at least keeping me in suspense) the entire time wanting to know what happens next.
Absolutely recommended read!
Roman
The Sworn Sword: The Graphic Novel by Ben Avery
4.0
The Hedge Knight comic
Pretty fun read, great artwork and easy to follow story.
This did feel a bit too simple and straight forward and felt very average for a Game of Thrones. First part was a lot more interesting, I thought, although I did like it, it was not more then like, hence 3 stars.
Roman
Pretty fun read, great artwork and easy to follow story.
This did feel a bit too simple and straight forward and felt very average for a Game of Thrones. First part was a lot more interesting, I thought, although I did like it, it was not more then like, hence 3 stars.
Roman
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
5.0
This was a gem. Clearly tailored towards someone who is or is thinking of dabbing into the craft of writing.
It's easy, to the point and answers all the questions a beginning writer might have.
While very encouraging, and motivating, King is also very brutal with some of his feedback. I thought that was useful, flowery praises from family can only get you so far. Sometimes a little grounding is nice.
I feel like I've peeked inside a brain of one of my favorite writers and even that alone was worth it.
Highly recommended for King fans and aspiring or beginner writers.
Roman
It's easy, to the point and answers all the questions a beginning writer might have.
While very encouraging, and motivating, King is also very brutal with some of his feedback. I thought that was useful, flowery praises from family can only get you so far. Sometimes a little grounding is nice.
I feel like I've peeked inside a brain of one of my favorite writers and even that alone was worth it.
Highly recommended for King fans and aspiring or beginner writers.
Roman
Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar by Edgar Rice Burroughs
4.0
Reading this as a kid I was completely mesmerized. It was a literary masterpiece and I believe it still is.
A very fun read, this chapter took us back to Opar and then all hell broke lose. The mighty Tarzan, Lord Greystoke is back in full glory and non stop action ensues.
If you've read previous four installments of these series you know exactly what to expect and if you enjoyed the previous four installments you will doubtless enjoy this one as well.
Good reading!
Roman
A very fun read, this chapter took us back to Opar and then all hell broke lose. The mighty Tarzan, Lord Greystoke is back in full glory and non stop action ensues.
If you've read previous four installments of these series you know exactly what to expect and if you enjoyed the previous four installments you will doubtless enjoy this one as well.
Good reading!
Roman