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trevert's reviews
295 reviews
Practical Demonkeeping by Christopher Moore
3.0
This was Christopher Moore's first book, IIRC, and also the first of the Pine Cove series. It's fun, but not as much fun as the later Pine Cove books - A great deal of time is spent just introducing characters that could just as easily have wandered in and out unheralded. Still, even medium-grade Christopher Moore is better than most other humor authors, and the demon is a hoot.
Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King
4.0
This was fantastic. Excellent characters that I enjoyed spending time with, a cool plot, and believable unfolding of events with both fallible protagonists and antagonists. I enjoyed that the serial killer was not portrayed as an invincible Lector-like supervillain, and that the heroes had plenty of problems themselves. It's a straight crime thriller, not a horror novel, FWIW, and I hope Mr. King writes more of them.
Contest by Matthew Reilly
2.0
It's the book equivalent of one of those modern action movies that hurl stuff in your face constantly, at full volume and breakneck pace. This keeps it entertaining and never boring, but also covers up the fact that there's very little characterization or story. Ergo, it falls into the weird category of "Book that are fun to read, and at the same time not very good."
Afterparty by Daryl Gregory
4.0
Complex, chaotic, and creative. Think 1 part "Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas", 3 parts Bladerunner, 4 parts Makerbot culture, and 1 part roadtrip mystery, and you have this book.
The Amulet by William Meikle
3.0
Lots more fun than my 3 star review might suggest. It isn't high literature or anything, but it's good fun pulp fiction, HP Lovecraft meets Raymond Chandler as narrated by Billy Connolly. I'll definitely read more of this series.
Cat Out of Hell by Lynne Truss
4.0
Fun, weird, quirky, and clever. It's an enjoyable mixture of fantasy, mystery, and horror, all wrapped up in a cozy package. Cats are evil.
Blue Remembered Earth by Alastair Reynolds
4.0
Long, slow, fascinating... This is NOT the book to read if you're looking for a slambang blasters & space battles SF story. It's very "real" sci fi, set in a near future where humans have colonized part of the solar system, and reads more like an SF version of Da Vinci Code than a typical SF story. Our heroes uncover an elaborate planet-spanning riddle in the wake of their famous aunt's death, which sets off a puzzle-solving tour of this future solar system where robots fight arena battles on Mars and modified people form nations underwater. It's relaxed and fascinating, and makes a marvelous tour of a possible future.