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sasstronaut's Reviews (195)
My favorite thing about this book would have to be the richness and diversity of characters. Even those that may be enemies to each other are not portrayed as two-dimensional "bad guys", but all with depth. I have found that I can feel with all of them and I admire this in the writing. I was very surprised to see such detail in what are seen as minor characters as well.
Obviously there is a great dynamic in reading from the characters' pov and I very much enjoyed that you saw through the eyes of quite a few in the book. However, even those characters that are not directly experienced seem alive and I was never bored in this world.
It kept politics interesting rather than dull, shone in its tender moments, and swept me up in the scenes of battle - all clearly painted with just enough details to be fascinating without bogging you down.
I'd heard many things about this series from others and took it with a grain of salt, yet I was still entranced with this book. One that I made excuses to read and was loathe to put down. I devoured it and was crushed when it was over. Bought the next that day.
This has become one of my favorite books.
Obviously there is a great dynamic in reading from the characters' pov and I very much enjoyed that you saw through the eyes of quite a few in the book. However, even those characters that are not directly experienced seem alive and I was never bored in this world.
It kept politics interesting rather than dull, shone in its tender moments, and swept me up in the scenes of battle - all clearly painted with just enough details to be fascinating without bogging you down.
I'd heard many things about this series from others and took it with a grain of salt, yet I was still entranced with this book. One that I made excuses to read and was loathe to put down. I devoured it and was crushed when it was over. Bought the next that day.
This has become one of my favorite books.
This one took me a bit longer to get through because I've never been one for reading the battles. There's a lot of fighting in this one and while I appreciate the detail Martin goes through for it all, I tend to zone out after too long.
I felt like I never got enough about Daenerys, or to be more precise, I always felt like I wanted more, which in all honesty is much better than wishing you never saw a character.
Very much enjoyed the increased amount of Tyrion in this book as well as all the political intrigues between characters. It can be easy to confuse at times but it is fascinating all the same.
I still find the characters and writing to be very strong, but I was less taken away as I was with A Game of Thrones. It seems like less happened in this book, but it seems to be a ramping up of things to come, and not so much a story you can simply jump into; can't stand without the others in the series.
All that said, I have already bought A Storm of Swords and will definitely be reading the rest of the series. I must find out what happens to Winterfell!
I felt like I never got enough about Daenerys, or to be more precise, I always felt like I wanted more, which in all honesty is much better than wishing you never saw a character.
Very much enjoyed the increased amount of Tyrion in this book as well as all the political intrigues between characters. It can be easy to confuse at times but it is fascinating all the same.
I still find the characters and writing to be very strong, but I was less taken away as I was with A Game of Thrones. It seems like less happened in this book, but it seems to be a ramping up of things to come, and not so much a story you can simply jump into; can't stand without the others in the series.
All that said, I have already bought A Storm of Swords and will definitely be reading the rest of the series. I must find out what happens to Winterfell!
I was really glad to see the battle action decreasing and the other action in this book coming up to the forefront. As always, I find Tyrion interesting, but surprisingly, I found myself coming to like Jaime. Once again, I'm eagerly awaiting grabbing the 4th book so I can continue on with the adventure.
Something I find most notable about this series, is that Martin does a good job of surprising you. There are a number of times when I thought I'd had something figured out, but it went an unexpected way. It keeps me coming back and keeps the characters interesting.
Something I find most notable about this series, is that Martin does a good job of surprising you. There are a number of times when I thought I'd had something figured out, but it went an unexpected way. It keeps me coming back and keeps the characters interesting.
I was intrigued at first by the idea and though I found it predictable, it piqued my interest enough to at least see how it played out.
Nothing grand in the story, however you do get the Herbert philosophy and depth in the end. A good enough light read. Take it or leave it.
Nothing grand in the story, however you do get the Herbert philosophy and depth in the end. A good enough light read. Take it or leave it.
The only thing I enjoyed about this book was the main subject matter and over-arching story.
It was very hard for me to get through the writing and the completely vapid thoughts of the main character. I found her annoying and completely unintelligent.
I think it would have played better if the love interest was a grown woman or at least one of a more substantial character.
It was very hard for me to get through the writing and the completely vapid thoughts of the main character. I found her annoying and completely unintelligent.
I think it would have played better if the love interest was a grown woman or at least one of a more substantial character.
This has really been one of my favorite adventures in a long time!
I've noticed that knowing the outcome can be a detriment in a lot of books, but it didn't feel that way in this one. Cline managed to throw some great twists in his story and his setting allowed for some fun shenanigans. being a fan of games and geekery myself, none of it stressed the boundaries of belief. I had a lot of fun throughout the entire endeavor.
I have to say, I am very interested in learning more about that world, if that were possible. One to collect.
I've noticed that knowing the outcome can be a detriment in a lot of books, but it didn't feel that way in this one. Cline managed to throw some great twists in his story and his setting allowed for some fun shenanigans. being a fan of games and geekery myself, none of it stressed the boundaries of belief. I had a lot of fun throughout the entire endeavor.
I have to say, I am very interested in learning more about that world, if that were possible. One to collect.
The focus here is on King's Landing and not so much those characters existing outside of its sphere of influence. This one was a bit harder for me to get through, owing to the fact that we deviated so sharply from characters that we were used to and perhaps to what I consider more "wartime" - or in this case, alliance - tedium.
I was very glad to see things from Jaime's viewpoint and see him grow into a much more interesting character while his twin trips over herself.
Arya is alwatys fun to read, no matter where she is or which name she takes.
I don't find this one boring, but it is certainly not as exciting as the others and seems to focus more on the long journeys of the characters. One great thing this installment has for it is that you can finally see all the pieces start to come together and it lends itself to an excitement of what will be in store for the future.
I was very glad to see things from Jaime's viewpoint and see him grow into a much more interesting character while his twin trips over herself.
Arya is alwatys fun to read, no matter where she is or which name she takes.
I don't find this one boring, but it is certainly not as exciting as the others and seems to focus more on the long journeys of the characters. One great thing this installment has for it is that you can finally see all the pieces start to come together and it lends itself to an excitement of what will be in store for the future.
I have a sneaking suspicion that this is one of those situations in which expecting one thing yields another. If I say this is rubbish and that's what you are expecting, then you may find you enjoy it, and so, reading this review may raise your expectations too far.
Either way, I'd still recommend it. A middling book, it's a quick read - a lazy day if you have the time - and something to muse over afterwards as you finish your drink.
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This has been on my mental to-read list for years and despite expectations, I was not underwhelmed. This book is quite short and you already know the whole story by reading the description; however, I do not find this to be detracting in the least.
The invisible man is at first presented as a brilliant, if eccentric scientist with one seemingly unknown goal that he pursues with a singular passion. His temperament does nothing to ingratiate himself to those he meets and he prefers it that way.
This is not a unique character to the world of sci-fi or fantasy but that's not really the most interesting.
This character is placed in the countryside where he is greeted by overzealous curiosity common to those areas. Even today, behavior is much different in rural areas than in urban environments and I think this lends a modern credibility to the book.
Regardless of the fact that his invisibility and how he came upon it are scientifically implausible, the theme of the mad genius and social responses to the kind of results that yields are very relevant. It certainly started then, but I find Wells to be rather brilliant to have noticed that even then we were on a trajectory that would pit ourselves against our knowledge. This still creates problems today, over 100 years later.
It's very interesting that Wells chose to add certain details of the titular character - hints that may allude to why he is the way he is - only later in the book, once we've already established a baseline about this character. You can't really identify with him by this point, as his eccentric behavior gives way to a violent and nearly pathological nature, but after learning more about it, you can guess why perhaps he was so driven a man. Our society still admires such ambitious personages and seen apart from the rest of his behavior thus far, he seems an identifiable character. It's certainly clear that he has no one else.
But only for a moment. The rest of the story takes place as expected, but I was still drawn in the adventure. Thoroughly enjoyed much more than I thought I would.
Either way, I'd still recommend it. A middling book, it's a quick read - a lazy day if you have the time - and something to muse over afterwards as you finish your drink.
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This has been on my mental to-read list for years and despite expectations, I was not underwhelmed. This book is quite short and you already know the whole story by reading the description; however, I do not find this to be detracting in the least.
The invisible man is at first presented as a brilliant, if eccentric scientist with one seemingly unknown goal that he pursues with a singular passion. His temperament does nothing to ingratiate himself to those he meets and he prefers it that way.
This is not a unique character to the world of sci-fi or fantasy but that's not really the most interesting.
This character is placed in the countryside where he is greeted by overzealous curiosity common to those areas. Even today, behavior is much different in rural areas than in urban environments and I think this lends a modern credibility to the book.
Regardless of the fact that his invisibility and how he came upon it are scientifically implausible, the theme of the mad genius and social responses to the kind of results that yields are very relevant. It certainly started then, but I find Wells to be rather brilliant to have noticed that even then we were on a trajectory that would pit ourselves against our knowledge. This still creates problems today, over 100 years later.
It's very interesting that Wells chose to add certain details of the titular character - hints that may allude to why he is the way he is - only later in the book, once we've already established a baseline about this character. You can't really identify with him by this point, as his eccentric behavior gives way to a violent and nearly pathological nature, but after learning more about it, you can guess why perhaps he was so driven a man. Our society still admires such ambitious personages and seen apart from the rest of his behavior thus far, he seems an identifiable character. It's certainly clear that he has no one else.
But only for a moment. The rest of the story takes place as expected, but I was still drawn in the adventure. Thoroughly enjoyed much more than I thought I would.
Very fast-paced. So much happens to Ender in so short a book that at times I felt that I should have slowed down, even having precious little time to read in the first place. This was very hard for me to put down.
I enjoyed the characters here, even those we see only glimpses of. Card wrote each character deftly and I felt I knew them all, in Enders eyes at least.
Unlike some other opinions about this book, I find the kids acting, behaving, -thinking- in very adult and harsh ways, to be completely plausible. Too many people underestimate how much certain circumstances can create children too old for their age and if nothing else, we see peripherally what kind of world it is in Ender's time. I've seen first hand what bad circumstances can do, and the life these kids leads from day 1 is a far cry from what many children now experience.
Despite the story itself being predictable, there were moments surprise interlaced with the simple enjoyment of a well written narrative. Everything after the main struggles of Ender, and especially after the climax, did seem a bit too rushed, however it did leave me wanting more.
This has become a science fiction classic to me and one for the permanent bookshelf.
Looking forward to the next one.
I enjoyed the characters here, even those we see only glimpses of. Card wrote each character deftly and I felt I knew them all, in Enders eyes at least.
Unlike some other opinions about this book, I find the kids acting, behaving, -thinking- in very adult and harsh ways, to be completely plausible. Too many people underestimate how much certain circumstances can create children too old for their age and if nothing else, we see peripherally what kind of world it is in Ender's time. I've seen first hand what bad circumstances can do, and the life these kids leads from day 1 is a far cry from what many children now experience.
Despite the story itself being predictable, there were moments surprise interlaced with the simple enjoyment of a well written narrative. Everything after the main struggles of Ender, and especially after the climax, did seem a bit too rushed, however it did leave me wanting more.
This has become a science fiction classic to me and one for the permanent bookshelf.
Looking forward to the next one.