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sambora's reviews
314 reviews
White Sand by Brandon Sanderson, Rik Hoskin, Isaac Stewart
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? It's complicated
3.25
Well... I finally got around to reading White Sand! I can finally say I've fully caught up on the Cosmere.
The White Sand omnibus smooths out a lot of the issues the individual volumes had, but even revised as it is, it is far from perfect.
The world-building and magic system(s) are, as usual, where Sanderson shines. No surprises there.
The characters were good too.
While the protagonist, Kenton - bless him, is a bit cliché at times, the cast of secondary and tertiary characters really were strong and stood out far more to me.
Ais and Aarik were both brilliant conflicted characters, and seeing Baon and Khriss' Cosmere origins was a lot of fun too.
We get occasional glimpses of the Shard of Autonomy, and even a very brief glimpse of Hoid, which was pretty neat.
The plot was fun, but it's easy to see this is very early Brandon plotting.
It was a tad repetitive, and I was left wondering multiple times why this story was chosen as the one to get a graphic novel adaptation - there is a lot of politics, a lot of travel, and while the magic is flashy... It's sand! It's all one colour! It really didn't make for a huge spectacle, even on the full page pieces - but I digress.
Generally speaking, I liked the story, the ticking-clock worked well, and I appreciated the way perspectives and inner monologues were handled and depicted. Quite clever.
Where White Sand falls short, in my estimation, is still primarily in the artwork.
The art is good. It's good! Not amazing, but definitely serviceable... But the consistency on the other hand! Sheesh! It's all over the place!
I know this isn't something the Omnibus could have easily fixed, but cripes, it really could have done with a bit more reworking.
Changing art mid-chapter? Having chapter 12 alone look like a children's book? Was there really no way of redoing these sections?
Despite this omnibus already taking far far too long to produce, I honestly think it would have been worth going over these bits again.
That said, the additions we got here were good, and the edits were definitely appreciated. I liked the journal entries and the prologue... Both were great. But overall these graphics novels just left me excited for the revised and fully canonical prose version, which is apparently in the works, so I'll look forward to that.
3.25 starmarks, for White Sand. RIP to the boombox.
I hope we get to see Darkside at some point, be it in graphic or prose. Despite my mixed feelings towards this story, it'd be a shame to not revisit Taldain and see what else it has to offer.
The White Sand omnibus smooths out a lot of the issues the individual volumes had, but even revised as it is, it is far from perfect.
The world-building and magic system(s) are, as usual, where Sanderson shines. No surprises there.
The characters were good too.
While the protagonist, Kenton - bless him, is a bit cliché at times, the cast of secondary and tertiary characters really were strong and stood out far more to me.
Ais and Aarik were both brilliant conflicted characters, and seeing Baon and Khriss' Cosmere origins was a lot of fun too.
We get occasional glimpses of the Shard of Autonomy, and even a very brief glimpse of Hoid, which was pretty neat.
The plot was fun, but it's easy to see this is very early Brandon plotting.
It was a tad repetitive, and I was left wondering multiple times why this story was chosen as the one to get a graphic novel adaptation - there is a lot of politics, a lot of travel, and while the magic is flashy... It's sand! It's all one colour! It really didn't make for a huge spectacle, even on the full page pieces - but I digress.
Generally speaking, I liked the story, the ticking-clock worked well, and I appreciated the way perspectives and inner monologues were handled and depicted. Quite clever.
Where White Sand falls short, in my estimation, is still primarily in the artwork.
The art is good. It's good! Not amazing, but definitely serviceable... But the consistency on the other hand! Sheesh! It's all over the place!
I know this isn't something the Omnibus could have easily fixed, but cripes, it really could have done with a bit more reworking.
Changing art mid-chapter? Having chapter 12 alone look like a children's book? Was there really no way of redoing these sections?
Despite this omnibus already taking far far too long to produce, I honestly think it would have been worth going over these bits again.
That said, the additions we got here were good, and the edits were definitely appreciated. I liked the journal entries and the prologue... Both were great. But overall these graphics novels just left me excited for the revised and fully canonical prose version, which is apparently in the works, so I'll look forward to that.
3.25 starmarks, for White Sand. RIP to the boombox.
I hope we get to see Darkside at some point, be it in graphic or prose. Despite my mixed feelings towards this story, it'd be a shame to not revisit Taldain and see what else it has to offer.
Utopia by Thomas More
challenging
funny
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Part science-fiction, part manifesto, part political satire... Utopia was a fascinating read.
I am not quite sure of this book's context in a historical sense, but the text itself was very interesting.
The first half (of this admittedly quite short book) was a bit of a slog for me, and it took a dozen pages or so for me to find my flow with reading the old English of the 1500s.
Once that clicked it made for much smoother reading, and going into the second half, the description and world-building of this Island of Utopia, had me far more engaged.
4 stars
Additional note; the Everyman Library edition of this book is beautiful. Very well put together little hardback
I am not quite sure of this book's context in a historical sense, but the text itself was very interesting.
The first half (of this admittedly quite short book) was a bit of a slog for me, and it took a dozen pages or so for me to find my flow with reading the old English of the 1500s.
Once that clicked it made for much smoother reading, and going into the second half, the description and world-building of this Island of Utopia, had me far more engaged.
4 stars
Additional note; the Everyman Library edition of this book is beautiful. Very well put together little hardback
Aliens: Phalanx by Scott Sigler
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
This was good! To be clear; not outstanding or amazing, but good.
Aliens: Phalanx was a bit of a breath of fresh air from the usual Alien plots we get.
This story was a lot more focused on world-building, and the quasi-primitive society created here, as well as their relationship to the Xenomorphs (or "Demons", as they refer to them). It really was quite unique and I enjoyed that element a lot.
Scott Sigler clearly did a lot of research for this book. The armour, weapons, flora and raw materials all felt balanced and believable for the world we were inhabiting.
On the topic of "inhabiting", I'll briefly mention my feelings regarding the characters; I didn't care much for them, which was a real shame, but that's where this story fell short for me.
All of them felt like shallow YA protagonists - acting either super-childishly or perfectly mature, whichever suited the needs of the story best, regardless of how the character had been set-up and shown to us previously. There was very little consistency and it robbed me of any connection I should have felt toward them.
As for the connections to the bulk of the franchise - almost all of it happens in the last 50 pages or so, which was fine with me.
It doesn't use the films as a crutch, it felt happy to be it's own, self-contained thing, and for the most part it worked.
I'd recommend it for Alien fans, and for those who like to see sci-fi and fantasy merge a bit.
Also, the whole way through, the setting and the world and the aesthetic all reminded me of Horizon: Zero Dawn/Forbidden West, so if you are a fan of those games, I'd also say this is worth a read.
3.5 stars, rounded down for the pretty naff characterisations.
Aliens: Phalanx was a bit of a breath of fresh air from the usual Alien plots we get.
This story was a lot more focused on world-building, and the quasi-primitive society created here, as well as their relationship to the Xenomorphs (or "Demons", as they refer to them). It really was quite unique and I enjoyed that element a lot.
Scott Sigler clearly did a lot of research for this book. The armour, weapons, flora and raw materials all felt balanced and believable for the world we were inhabiting.
On the topic of "inhabiting", I'll briefly mention my feelings regarding the characters; I didn't care much for them, which was a real shame, but that's where this story fell short for me.
All of them felt like shallow YA protagonists - acting either super-childishly or perfectly mature, whichever suited the needs of the story best, regardless of how the character had been set-up and shown to us previously. There was very little consistency and it robbed me of any connection I should have felt toward them.
As for the connections to the bulk of the franchise - almost all of it happens in the last 50 pages or so, which was fine with me.
It doesn't use the films as a crutch, it felt happy to be it's own, self-contained thing, and for the most part it worked.
I'd recommend it for Alien fans, and for those who like to see sci-fi and fantasy merge a bit.
Also, the whole way through, the setting and the world and the aesthetic all reminded me of Horizon: Zero Dawn/Forbidden West, so if you are a fan of those games, I'd also say this is worth a read.
3.5 stars, rounded down for the pretty naff characterisations.
The Witcher Volume 4: Of Flesh and Flame by Aleksandra Motyka
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
While the art style here wasn't my favourite style - it being rather plain (reminding me of budget "visual-novel" video games) the story I quite enjoyed. It ties in with the Hearts Of Stone DLC from The Witcher 3, and is our first glimpse of Ofir, which was pretty cool.
Geralt and Dandelion are involuntarily whisked away and brought before the King of this far off land. There are murders, curses and court intrigues, and the perspective jumps between our two characters at a brisk-pace.
While this story has a lot of the typical Witcher tropes and clichés, I thought it was fun, and while the artwork as a whole didn't appeal to me, the full page monster artwork was awesome.
Also, I liked the way the in-world language translation was handled. It would have been easy to skip it and not address it, but the stilted language really added to the feeling of being far away from everything familiar and comforting. So props for that.
Overall though this was rather middle of the road for me. Quite fun, a few great little easter eggs and nods to smaller moments from elsewhere in the series, but nothing staggering or philosophical or particularly thought provoking.
Geralt and Dandelion are involuntarily whisked away and brought before the King of this far off land. There are murders, curses and court intrigues, and the perspective jumps between our two characters at a brisk-pace.
While this story has a lot of the typical Witcher tropes and clichés, I thought it was fun, and while the artwork as a whole didn't appeal to me, the full page monster artwork was awesome.
Also, I liked the way the in-world language translation was handled. It would have been easy to skip it and not address it, but the stilted language really added to the feeling of being far away from everything familiar and comforting. So props for that.
Overall though this was rather middle of the road for me. Quite fun, a few great little easter eggs and nods to smaller moments from elsewhere in the series, but nothing staggering or philosophical or particularly thought provoking.
The Sword of the Lictor by Gene Wolfe
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
The Kraken Wakes by John Wyndham
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I didn't enjoy this one nearly as much as the other two Wyndham books I've read.
In short; strange things started falling from the sky and landing in the deep waters of the world, the seas became dangerous as ships and boats started disappearing, then weird things started coming out the water and attacking people on land, society almost collapses, then the book ends.
It felt to me as though there was all too much talk regarding things happening elsewhere, our characters hearing news about things that have happened, or speculating about the how, the where and the why of events... All the while not much actually happened "on-screen", as it were.
Initially the book set itself up as a kind of retrospective, biographical look at the life of someone involved, but this structure didn't really go anywhere and was never really committed to.
Our two main characters were... fine? Not very interesting, but a suitable enough couple.
It's a shame. I really wanted to enjoy this one. Twas not to be.
I will without a doubt be reading more Wyndham books at some point, and I'll be hoping they are more the quality of Cuckoos and Triffids.
In short; strange things started falling from the sky and landing in the deep waters of the world, the seas became dangerous as ships and boats started disappearing, then weird things started coming out the water and attacking people on land, society almost collapses, then the book ends.
It felt to me as though there was all too much talk regarding things happening elsewhere, our characters hearing news about things that have happened, or speculating about the how, the where and the why of events... All the while not much actually happened "on-screen", as it were.
Initially the book set itself up as a kind of retrospective, biographical look at the life of someone involved, but this structure didn't really go anywhere and was never really committed to.
Our two main characters were... fine? Not very interesting, but a suitable enough couple.
It's a shame. I really wanted to enjoy this one. Twas not to be.
I will without a doubt be reading more Wyndham books at some point, and I'll be hoping they are more the quality of Cuckoos and Triffids.
The Golden Fool by Robin Hobb
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-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
2.75
Everyone knows at this point just how great Robin Hobb is. Her characters are some of the most life-like, multi-faceted and believable in fantasy fiction. But...
*This will be a Spoiler-Free review.*
The Golden Fool is definitely the second book in a trilogy, thus it suffers from many of the trappings #2's tend to do.
It has a lot of weight to carry, dealing with ramifications from book 1 - because my lordy that was a ride, all the while setting up the climax in the finale.
So yeah, this is definitely a bridge-book, but still an unquestionably enjoyable one.
It is beautifully written, there are some great character moments and a bunch of easter-eggs, crossovers and revelations...
But unfortunately I think it all came at the cost of the plot somewhat. There was a lot of the same thing happening again and again here - walking into town, trying to repair a relationship or spying on a conversation... One of these basic things happened in almost every single chapter.
Exciting? Often! But still repetitive.
This somewhat leads into my next minor complaint - the passing of time is a bit garbled here. According to the end of this book, less than a year has passed since the first book started, but multiple times quite substantial chunks of time have been told to pass, seasons change... It left me quite confused because it certainly felt like multiple years had come and gone. Maybe this is just me though.
Lastly, and I WILL be keeping this spoiler-free; something was missing from this book, and those that have read it will know what that is.
I am sure it's deliberate, Hobb without a doubt wants us to feel like it's missing, but still, it was certainly made lesser because of it.
I shall say no more on that.
But otherwise, my gripes aside, this was still a great read. I feel as though I learned a lot about the world and it's systems, as well as the timeline and how this story intersects with the other stories in the world.
Very enjoyable, but a little flawed and missing one of the core components that make these books so special.
*This will be a Spoiler-Free review.*
The Golden Fool is definitely the second book in a trilogy, thus it suffers from many of the trappings #2's tend to do.
It has a lot of weight to carry, dealing with ramifications from book 1 - because my lordy that was a ride, all the while setting up the climax in the finale.
So yeah, this is definitely a bridge-book, but still an unquestionably enjoyable one.
It is beautifully written, there are some great character moments and a bunch of easter-eggs, crossovers and revelations...
But unfortunately I think it all came at the cost of the plot somewhat. There was a lot of the same thing happening again and again here - walking into town, trying to repair a relationship or spying on a conversation... One of these basic things happened in almost every single chapter.
Exciting? Often! But still repetitive.
This somewhat leads into my next minor complaint - the passing of time is a bit garbled here. According to the end of this book, less than a year has passed since the first book started, but multiple times quite substantial chunks of time have been told to pass, seasons change... It left me quite confused because it certainly felt like multiple years had come and gone. Maybe this is just me though.
Lastly, and I WILL be keeping this spoiler-free; something was missing from this book, and those that have read it will know what that is.
I am sure it's deliberate, Hobb without a doubt wants us to feel like it's missing, but still, it was certainly made lesser because of it.
I shall say no more on that.
But otherwise, my gripes aside, this was still a great read. I feel as though I learned a lot about the world and it's systems, as well as the timeline and how this story intersects with the other stories in the world.
Very enjoyable, but a little flawed and missing one of the core components that make these books so special.
To Live Forever by Jack Vance
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I found the sociology, politics and world-building here more interesting than the actual plot, and if I'm to be honest, the characters as well.
This is my first Jack Vance and despite this one not quite engaging me fully, the writing, structure, themes and core concepts all have me excited to check out more of his works in the future.
This is my first Jack Vance and despite this one not quite engaging me fully, the writing, structure, themes and core concepts all have me excited to check out more of his works in the future.
The Claw of the Conciliator by Gene Wolfe
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
"There is no magic. There is only knowledge, more or less hidden."
Claw is unquestionably great, but it undoubtedly has a few more repetitive beats than the first entry; our characters being captured, held, only to escape and flee multiple times throughout the story.
Despite this, the actual meat of the book - the lore and the world-building, as well as the characters, the riddles and set-pieces... All were fantastic!
There also seemed to be much more cryptic and subtle foreshadowing here than in Shadow, which I am aware will enhance my experience once those promises pay off, as well as on rereads, but made the page-by-page experience this first time through a bit of a waiting game, however exciting that wait is.
There are so many memorable scenes in this entry, looking back it's hard to believe how much happened in just these few hundred pages. It makes it feel so epic and dense.
A short aside; I really hope we see Jonas again! No spoilers though please! He was such an intriguing character that, while Severian was slow to pick up on the clues about his origin, I was not, and to have him whipped away before learning more was a real tease narratively.
"All time exists. That is the truth beyond the legends the epopts tell. If the future did not exist now, how could we journey towards it? If the past does not exist still, how could we leave it behind us?"
I'm am thoroughly enjoying my time with this series so far! I will certainly be starting book 3 very soon.
I also want to mention, the Folio editions are absolutely stunning, and the artwork is mesmerising and intriguing. Serious props to Sam Weber and the Folio Society for putting together such fantastic pieces.
Please can we have a Folio Edition of the Hyperion Cantos next?
Anywho. A strong 4 stars for The Claw of the Conciliator! Very very good.
Claw is unquestionably great, but it undoubtedly has a few more repetitive beats than the first entry; our characters being captured, held, only to escape and flee multiple times throughout the story.
Despite this, the actual meat of the book - the lore and the world-building, as well as the characters, the riddles and set-pieces... All were fantastic!
There also seemed to be much more cryptic and subtle foreshadowing here than in Shadow, which I am aware will enhance my experience once those promises pay off, as well as on rereads, but made the page-by-page experience this first time through a bit of a waiting game, however exciting that wait is.
There are so many memorable scenes in this entry, looking back it's hard to believe how much happened in just these few hundred pages. It makes it feel so epic and dense.
A short aside; I really hope we see Jonas again! No spoilers though please! He was such an intriguing character that, while Severian was slow to pick up on the clues about his origin, I was not, and to have him whipped away before learning more was a real tease narratively.
"All time exists. That is the truth beyond the legends the epopts tell. If the future did not exist now, how could we journey towards it? If the past does not exist still, how could we leave it behind us?"
I'm am thoroughly enjoying my time with this series so far! I will certainly be starting book 3 very soon.
I also want to mention, the Folio editions are absolutely stunning, and the artwork is mesmerising and intriguing. Serious props to Sam Weber and the Folio Society for putting together such fantastic pieces.
Please can we have a Folio Edition of the Hyperion Cantos next?
Anywho. A strong 4 stars for The Claw of the Conciliator! Very very good.
The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
John Wyndham doesn't miss.
I recently re-read The Day of the Triffids, which was up until that point the only Wyndham book I'd read, and I enjoyed going through it again so much that I thought it about damn time I visit his other works, and I am very glad I did!
The Midwich Cuckoos is the story of a quiet little English village whose inhabitants all pass out at the same time, and anyone who even momentarily steps foot across the border of the village also passes out.
After a while (a couple of days, if I'm remembering correctly) the people all simultaneously awake with no immediate ill-effects. The villagers start putting their lives back in order and they morn the few friends and family that died in the strange incident due to poorly-timed accidents and poor health.
It's isn't until a little while later that, as a community, they realise that all the women of child bearing age that were unconscious during the event, about 60 women in total, are now mysteriously pregnant.
This premise had me absolutely hooked, and the setting being so eerily similar to the small English village I myself grew up in only went to immerse me all the more.
The style, language, humour and tone in The Midwich Cuckoos were all quite similar to what was oh-so-crucial to my immense enjoyment of The Day of the Triffids, and it seems to me that it may all be a consistent trademark of most/all of Wyndham's writing, which suits me just fine.
I'd definitely recommend this to anyone looking for an easy to read, somewhat strangely comfy-cozy, British sci-fi mystery.
This isn't a horror story, but there are obviously sinister elements, and the themes of bodily-autonomy are superbly handled.
It really is very very well put together novel.
4.5 stars
I look forward to reading more of Wyndham's books soon, although I'm not yet sure which one to try next; The Kraken Wakes seems to be speaking to me at this early stage, but if any Wyndham fans have any recommendations then I'm open to them!
I recently re-read The Day of the Triffids, which was up until that point the only Wyndham book I'd read, and I enjoyed going through it again so much that I thought it about damn time I visit his other works, and I am very glad I did!
The Midwich Cuckoos is the story of a quiet little English village whose inhabitants all pass out at the same time, and anyone who even momentarily steps foot across the border of the village also passes out.
After a while (a couple of days, if I'm remembering correctly) the people all simultaneously awake with no immediate ill-effects. The villagers start putting their lives back in order and they morn the few friends and family that died in the strange incident due to poorly-timed accidents and poor health.
It's isn't until a little while later that, as a community, they realise that all the women of child bearing age that were unconscious during the event, about 60 women in total, are now mysteriously pregnant.
This premise had me absolutely hooked, and the setting being so eerily similar to the small English village I myself grew up in only went to immerse me all the more.
The style, language, humour and tone in The Midwich Cuckoos were all quite similar to what was oh-so-crucial to my immense enjoyment of The Day of the Triffids, and it seems to me that it may all be a consistent trademark of most/all of Wyndham's writing, which suits me just fine.
I'd definitely recommend this to anyone looking for an easy to read, somewhat strangely comfy-cozy, British sci-fi mystery.
This isn't a horror story, but there are obviously sinister elements, and the themes of bodily-autonomy are superbly handled.
It really is very very well put together novel.
4.5 stars
I look forward to reading more of Wyndham's books soon, although I'm not yet sure which one to try next; The Kraken Wakes seems to be speaking to me at this early stage, but if any Wyndham fans have any recommendations then I'm open to them!