smartflutist661's reviews
1373 reviews

Dying of the Light by George R.R. Martin

adventurous

• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Dirk was both a bit pathetic and occasionally too familiar, but he did get a lot of character growth over the book. Very reminiscent of Andre Norton from a similar period, for me. The rogue planet was very cool, all of the characters had a strong voice, and there were real stakes to everything—Martin's raw talent was definitely on display here. Would recommend to any fans of this era of sci-fi.

Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut

3.0

The fact that Vonnegut didn't seem to like the 50s much kept this very 50s-esque book from being even worse. But overall, while there were strong, clear themes, as a story it fell down a bit. Basically, 2.5 stars for being thematically interesting, an additional half a star for... kind of having a single character?

You Sexy Thing by Cat Rambo

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes

3.5

Pirates! Living spaceships! ... werelions? The writing was occasionally clunky, which lost it a half star or so, but it did get better (or I noticed it less) over the course of the book, and the science-fantasy world was interesting enough that I'm definitely going to continue. Though this I would also have liked it if this book were about twice as long so it could go into more depth with the worldbuilding.

The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal

mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

A very solid murder mystery, with some good twists and turns. And as I've come to expect, a protagonist who is uniquely but realistically broken in some way. I would have liked more of Tesla's backstory, but I also don't think not having it detracted from the book, since it wasn't really about her. Feels like the potential for a good prequel, though.

White Hot by Ilona Andrews

fast-paced

3.0

Annnnndddd...

they're together now

. I knew it was inevitable, but I think it took away some of the uniqueness. But it's still enjoyable, and based on the back of the book, the underlying plot only runs for a trilogy, so I'll probably wrap it up, at least. Probably read the rest next time I need some brain candy, though might check out Kate Daniels preferentially.

Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews

fast-paced

3.5

What stood out most to me here was that

they don't get together by the end

. Which made a lot of sense, but was moderately unexpected. A fun conspiracy-laden urban fantasy, overall.

Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City by K.J. Parker

funny tense medium-paced

4.5

Love a good desperate siege, plus, as a mid-ish career engineer desperately trying to minimize the number of days spent entirely in meetings, sometimes too relatable. In the end, I can't resist a book where being clever saves the day, or where someone walks into the halls of power, realizes everyone else is gone, and says "well, shit... I guess I have to be in charge now". I was a little bit disappointed by the abruptness of the end—would have liked a bit more foreshadowing. But will definitely be checking out more.

(Also, if you want the real Roman empire, this is it. Corruption, nepotism, cowardice, lethargy, it's all there.)

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

mysterious fast-paced

4.5

An excellent murder mystery, with hints of a much deeper corruption in the foundations of the Empire scattered throughout. The comparison to Holmes and Watson is very apt, and I never felt like the mystery was so obvious that Din was just an idiot for not getting it, especially given his idealism. I hope the sequels explore the Leviathans a lot more.

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

adventurous tense medium-paced

4.0

Took a few dozen pages to get into, but I continued to enjoy the classic heisting plot once it got going. I was disappointed in

Matthias's death, which I thought was a bit shoehorned in just so that everything didn't end all sunshine and rainbows

, but the aftermath was extended enough that it wasn't a total waste. And maybe someday Kaz will even be less of a right bastard.

Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie

medium-paced

3.75

Still not sure how I feel about this one. Much more straightforward than book 1, which might have been a weakness in this case. But I still enjoyed it, and the genderless society was an interesting contrast with Too Like the Lightning's "genderless" society, which I also read recently.