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the_gandy_man's reviews
94 reviews
The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson
3.75
Very interesting magic system, which is the focus of the story. I like how it talks about the philosophical implications of the magic and shows different perspectives on the morality of it. The characters are good and the plot is tight all the way through. I was hoping the ending would elevate the story to one of Sanderson's best, but instead I found it to be predictable. It was a good ending, but it wasn't anywhere near some of Sanderson's others, which was disappointing.
The Eleventh Metal by Brandon Sanderson
3.5
As the second of Sanderson's short stories that I've read, I liked this more than The Hope of Elantris. This story expands Kelsier a bit and shows us a character that we never actually got to see in the Mistborn trilogy. It's got a little too much exposition, since it's meant to be accessible to someone who hasn't read Mistborn. It's good though.
The Hope of Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
3.25
It's fine. I don't know that it really adds anything, but it's a pleasant little read.
Caliban's War by James S.A. Corey
4.0
Great book. It's not as good as the first one, primarily in that the central plot and mystery is not nearly as intriguing as the first book. The characters are great. Holden's arc feels a little forced, but it works. It still makes me really excited to keep reading this series.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
3.0
I dunno it's fine I guess. It's got all the themes and whatnot and that's all good, but it doesn't feel like it has anything new to say. I'm sure it was groundbreaking stuff in 1925, but for me today it feels weak. Like oh wow they're racist and classist and sexist I've never seen this one before. Again, that's not the books fault. In fact, I'm sure The Great Gatsby helped to inspire all of the places I've seen these themes done better. It doesn't change the fact that I didn't find the book especially compelling. It's also kind of boring in that old book kind of way. The first 60% or so of the book feels like we're just setting up for something interesting to happen.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
3.5
Good book, but it didn't really blow me away. It's solidly good all the way through, but rarely does it reach "great", in my opinion. The characters are where the book excels; the father and son both feel incredibly real. The plot doesn't really interest me all that much. It feels very samey all the way through. We're low on supplies and starving and what are we going to do and then we find supplies and we're happy and then something horrifying happens and we do it all over again. And when we finally achieve the one objective we've had the whole book, getting to the sea, it doesn't really matter . This all contributes to align the reader with the characters very effectively, but it also made me less interested in what was going on. The book is very immersive, but not as interesting as I'd like.