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romankurys's reviews
493 reviews
Four: A Divergent Story Collection by Veronica Roth
5.0
I'm not sure why I absolutely love this book.
I'm also not sure why I absolutely love these series.
Everything in my brain is telling me I should not.
Veronica Roth just has a way with words that create just enough tension to not want to stop reading. I basically couldn't stop reading and kept going.
Great to see Inside Four's mind and I have to admit, I did not like him as a character while reading the first two books. Getting his perspective on things has changed my mind.
Overall a fun read that fits in between Divergent and Insurgent. Definitely suggest reading.
Roman
I'm also not sure why I absolutely love these series.
Everything in my brain is telling me I should not.
Veronica Roth just has a way with words that create just enough tension to not want to stop reading. I basically couldn't stop reading and kept going.
Great to see Inside Four's mind and I have to admit, I did not like him as a character while reading the first two books. Getting his perspective on things has changed my mind.
Overall a fun read that fits in between Divergent and Insurgent. Definitely suggest reading.
Roman
Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
3.0
So I finally decided to try Brandon Sanderson's stand alone work.
He certainly engineered a whole new world, different from the usual fantasy world. It has its own nations, it's religions, it's political struggles and its own version of magic.
It is very well thought through and very well done. Story flows smooth but there are so many typos that I can't help but find it hard to get fully immersed. I don't think I have ever read a book with this many typos. It almost seems like no one looked through before it went to print. I don't mind a misspelled word or two, but it's hard to stay immersed when I stumble over words trying to figure out what it was trying to say. Immersion breaking, so that's a star off.
Second star I took off because I found that the first 80% of the book I was sort of taken along for the ride and was learning the world more so then anything else. I love fantasy novels and I love getting immersed into new worlds, so that is not it, I'm used to flipping Back and forth from text to glossary. It was just that I could put the book down at any point. Mid chapter, end of chapter, one page into the chapter. At any point. And I wouldn't long to find out what happens next.
Now the ending was simply fabulous! It made up for a droll that the rest of the book was. It was explosive, well done, eventful, adrenaline pumping, tying everything together, giving a glimpse of the future. It's was great! But it was only about 10% of the book. The rest was still a bit boring.
I suspect once I come back to Sanderson's World, I'll immerse a lot quicker and find it more exciting right from the get go. (Or at least I hope so), but all in all Elantris was just an ok read. Not great, not bad. It was ok. I can see good potential, so will definitely come back for more Sanderson.
Try if you're in a mood for exploration ;)
Roman
He certainly engineered a whole new world, different from the usual fantasy world. It has its own nations, it's religions, it's political struggles and its own version of magic.
It is very well thought through and very well done. Story flows smooth but there are so many typos that I can't help but find it hard to get fully immersed. I don't think I have ever read a book with this many typos. It almost seems like no one looked through before it went to print. I don't mind a misspelled word or two, but it's hard to stay immersed when I stumble over words trying to figure out what it was trying to say. Immersion breaking, so that's a star off.
Second star I took off because I found that the first 80% of the book I was sort of taken along for the ride and was learning the world more so then anything else. I love fantasy novels and I love getting immersed into new worlds, so that is not it, I'm used to flipping Back and forth from text to glossary. It was just that I could put the book down at any point. Mid chapter, end of chapter, one page into the chapter. At any point. And I wouldn't long to find out what happens next.
Now the ending was simply fabulous! It made up for a droll that the rest of the book was. It was explosive, well done, eventful, adrenaline pumping, tying everything together, giving a glimpse of the future. It's was great! But it was only about 10% of the book. The rest was still a bit boring.
I suspect once I come back to Sanderson's World, I'll immerse a lot quicker and find it more exciting right from the get go. (Or at least I hope so), but all in all Elantris was just an ok read. Not great, not bad. It was ok. I can see good potential, so will definitely come back for more Sanderson.
Try if you're in a mood for exploration ;)
Roman
Dragons of Winter Night by Margaret Weis
5.0
Rarely does this happen but wow! While Part one of this trilogy was just ok, This one blew me away.
Character, setting, story just worked for me. I found myself kept remembering the first book and often thinking how quickly did Weis and Hickman improved in their story telling.
Obviously, you would need to read through the first book, Dragons of Autumn Twilight before picking this one up as it follows as a direct sequel.
Well worth it. Il be reading the next part for sure!
And...Ohhh....ill just say... Kitiara!!!!!!!!!!!
Roman
Character, setting, story just worked for me. I found myself kept remembering the first book and often thinking how quickly did Weis and Hickman improved in their story telling.
Obviously, you would need to read through the first book, Dragons of Autumn Twilight before picking this one up as it follows as a direct sequel.
Well worth it. Il be reading the next part for sure!
And...Ohhh....ill just say... Kitiara!!!!!!!!!!!
Roman
Capitanul Pamphile by Alexandre Dumas
4.0
So I didn't know what to make of this book at first.
I had a feeling that it was not supposed to be funny but it really was so that part was good. Well, maybe I'm just evil...Ull see. The ending of the frog story...had me giggling.
A good amount of confusion was happening at first when we're jumping back and forth between all the animal stories and Captain Pamphile and at times it felt like there were just multiple, unrelated to one another storylines. Especially James 2nd...so that part I wasn't a big fan of. Even in the end it all just felt unnecessary.
The ending though!!! That made it all worth it. Totally unexpected and totally made my day! That alone deserves an additional star to what otherwise was a pretty mediocre book.
Roman
I had a feeling that it was not supposed to be funny but it really was so that part was good. Well, maybe I'm just evil...Ull see. The ending of the frog story...had me giggling.
A good amount of confusion was happening at first when we're jumping back and forth between all the animal stories and Captain Pamphile and at times it felt like there were just multiple, unrelated to one another storylines. Especially James 2nd...so that part I wasn't a big fan of. Even in the end it all just felt unnecessary.
The ending though!!! That made it all worth it. Totally unexpected and totally made my day! That alone deserves an additional star to what otherwise was a pretty mediocre book.
Roman
Hans of Iceland by Victor Hugo
5.0
What a great read!
I remember reading "Hunchback from Notre Dame" and giving up from boredom after 52nd page of scenery descriptions...
Now given I was 15, so maybe not the best age to read a classic like that but I has spoiled Victor Hugo for me since then.
Now 2 decades later I find I enjoy Hugo immensely. First Bug Yargal and Now Hans of Iceland. Brilliant.
You don't often get to call a classic work "page turner". Well, this was. And I loved it.
Maybe now I'm ready for "Hunchback" Take2?
Definitely give this book a try. This might be the easiest way to get a start with reading classic authors.
Plus Hans himself is just....awesome!
Roman
I remember reading "Hunchback from Notre Dame" and giving up from boredom after 52nd page of scenery descriptions...
Now given I was 15, so maybe not the best age to read a classic like that but I has spoiled Victor Hugo for me since then.
Now 2 decades later I find I enjoy Hugo immensely. First Bug Yargal and Now Hans of Iceland. Brilliant.
You don't often get to call a classic work "page turner". Well, this was. And I loved it.
Maybe now I'm ready for "Hunchback" Take2?
Definitely give this book a try. This might be the easiest way to get a start with reading classic authors.
Plus Hans himself is just....awesome!
Roman
Ignorant Armies by David Pringle
4.0
After reading Wolf Riders, I knew what to expect from Warhammer which might be why Ignorant Armies felt like a better compilation.
Although, it might just be a better compilation in any case.
I thought stories picked were pretty fun to read, and gave a really god insight into a dark, brooding world, a world full of magic and all sorts of evil that just seems to be everywhere. World I would not really want to live in.
As I kept reading something stroke a personal note, as I recognized Kislev territory being based on KievanRus, territories right next to it based on Viking lands of ages past and for some odd reason after having made that connection these stories just felt better. Message struck home.
Overall, if you're into Warhammer or enjoy a dark
fantasy, this is a good book to read.
Roman
Although, it might just be a better compilation in any case.
I thought stories picked were pretty fun to read, and gave a really god insight into a dark, brooding world, a world full of magic and all sorts of evil that just seems to be everywhere. World I would not really want to live in.
As I kept reading something stroke a personal note, as I recognized Kislev territory being based on KievanRus, territories right next to it based on Viking lands of ages past and for some odd reason after having made that connection these stories just felt better. Message struck home.
Overall, if you're into Warhammer or enjoy a dark
fantasy, this is a good book to read.
Roman
Страна багровых туч by Boris Strugatsky, Arkady Strugatsky, Борис Стругацкий, Аркадий Стругацкий
3.0
Really a pretty darn good book.
Most interesting part was reading sci-fi written in the 60's to see how the future would be imagined and seeing glaring holes.
Something like, interplanetary travel but communication with Earth is done with letters which are written with a fountain pen.
Really comical small every day details that they just could not imagine as reality fifty years ago.
Characters are amazing. Story developments are great, although un-surprising (if that's a word).
While it is certainly true the inevitable soviet propaganda is all throughout the book, it still was interesting to see what was idealized back in those days.
All in all I enjoyed the read. Definitely looking forward to some more Strugackie.
Roman
Most interesting part was reading sci-fi written in the 60's to see how the future would be imagined and seeing glaring holes.
Something like, interplanetary travel but communication with Earth is done with letters which are written with a fountain pen.
Really comical small every day details that they just could not imagine as reality fifty years ago.
Characters are amazing. Story developments are great, although un-surprising (if that's a word).
While it is certainly true the inevitable soviet propaganda is all throughout the book, it still was interesting to see what was idealized back in those days.
All in all I enjoyed the read. Definitely looking forward to some more Strugackie.
Roman
The Druid of Shannara by Terry Brooks
4.0
Having read Part of of the Series I kind of had an idea of what to expect.
Glad to say the book did not disappoint.
Pretty good darn story takes over where Par and Coll leave in Scions of Shannarah and follows Morgan Leah and Walker Boh along their quest to restore Paranor to its former glory.
I really enjoy adventuring in the world of the Four Lands and this book is no exception. In fact I feel Brooks gets better and better with each book.
The only reason it's a 4 and not a 5 stars is that I feel like in any travelogue the mid point of the story it gets a little stale for me and I take a week off, effectively approaching the book as two separate parts. 420 pages of Travelogue in a row is a bit too much for me.
I want to emphasize that I enjoy Brooks writing immensely, I love his characters and I enjoy spending time in the Four Lands world he created. It's really just my preference, as I did the same with all three of Lord of the Rings, and pretty much all the Robert Jordan books I've read this far. Loved them, just needed to take a break and split them in half. Odd, am I alone here?
All in all, Im definitely reading Part 3 of the series :)
Roman
Glad to say the book did not disappoint.
Pretty good darn story takes over where Par and Coll leave in Scions of Shannarah and follows Morgan Leah and Walker Boh along their quest to restore Paranor to its former glory.
I really enjoy adventuring in the world of the Four Lands and this book is no exception. In fact I feel Brooks gets better and better with each book.
The only reason it's a 4 and not a 5 stars is that I feel like in any travelogue the mid point of the story it gets a little stale for me and I take a week off, effectively approaching the book as two separate parts. 420 pages of Travelogue in a row is a bit too much for me.
I want to emphasize that I enjoy Brooks writing immensely, I love his characters and I enjoy spending time in the Four Lands world he created. It's really just my preference, as I did the same with all three of Lord of the Rings, and pretty much all the Robert Jordan books I've read this far. Loved them, just needed to take a break and split them in half. Odd, am I alone here?
All in all, Im definitely reading Part 3 of the series :)
Roman
Red Storm Rising by Tom Clancy
4.0
Wow. A pure rush of a book!
I would have easily given it a full 5 stars if not for an excessive amount of technical information. I had to looks up lots of military tech code names to be able to understand the details in full.
On the other side of that, it made for an extremely realistic read. Being able to visualize specific planes/submarines/tanks/infantry moving against their soviet counterparts on a real geographical terrain was a stunning exercise in realism.
I could almost believe this had really happened...except when I lift my head from these chapters I know that WW3 didn't happen in the 60's...
I am definitely going to read some more of Clancy work. It seems that he co-wrote this with one of his friends as well, and I couldn't help by think to myself how much fun they must have had writing this together.
Made me want to write something. Maybe this NaNoWriMo I'll actually put in a real effort.
Anyways, if you enjoy realism + military fiction + war story, then absolutely go and read this book.
Roman "Ragnar"
I would have easily given it a full 5 stars if not for an excessive amount of technical information. I had to looks up lots of military tech code names to be able to understand the details in full.
On the other side of that, it made for an extremely realistic read. Being able to visualize specific planes/submarines/tanks/infantry moving against their soviet counterparts on a real geographical terrain was a stunning exercise in realism.
I could almost believe this had really happened...except when I lift my head from these chapters I know that WW3 didn't happen in the 60's...
I am definitely going to read some more of Clancy work. It seems that he co-wrote this with one of his friends as well, and I couldn't help by think to myself how much fun they must have had writing this together.
Made me want to write something. Maybe this NaNoWriMo I'll actually put in a real effort.
Anyways, if you enjoy realism + military fiction + war story, then absolutely go and read this book.
Roman "Ragnar"
The Empire Strikes Back by George Lucas, Leigh Brackett, Lawrence Kasdan, Donald F. Glut
4.0
Decided to get this in as my weekend read.
Just for fun.
I mean....it's Star Wars. The original.
That's it.
If someone still needs a review of how this goes...
Roman "Ragnar"
Just for fun.
I mean....it's Star Wars. The original.
That's it.
If someone still needs a review of how this goes...
Roman "Ragnar"