icarusabides's reviews
574 reviews

Thud! by Terry Pratchett

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medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.
"If you can hide a five year old, you can can hide a ponzi scheme"
Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky

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medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

UnCharles is somewhat endearing if also frustrating, the post-collapse world is interesting, and The Wonk is quite funny but beyond that Service Model is just rather bland and lifeless. Inoffensively mediocre. Confirmed. 
A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett

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2.5

Norwood by Charles Portis

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2.0

Eyes of the Void by Adrian Tchaikovsky

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Decent follow up to Shards of Earth and one that expands a lot on what the first book set down but it's also lacking for anything great in terms of characters or stakes. There's some decent mystery with the overarching plot but the political machinations are pretty rote and there's no sense of genuine peril for the characters, who themselves are quite bland. 
Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett

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medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Existentially Challenged by Yahtzee Croshaw

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adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Decent follow up to Differently Morphous featuring a solid central mystery and some expansion of the world. The most interesting aspect is still the overarching plot involving Diablerie of which there is some movement but it's clearly being piecemealed out across the series. 
House of Open Wounds by Adrian Tchaikovsky

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adventurous challenging funny 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

4.5

Cracking follow up to City of Last Chances that's bold enough to change things up and move away from the characters and City that was itself such a character in the previous book. So much so that it would work as a standalone. It's a little jarring at first as it Introduces a swathe of new characters and the setting of a medical corps in a travelling military camp but does it well and is intriguing from the off. 

It's interesting to see more of the world outside of Ilmar and a Paleseen army on the march but the exploration of various types of healing magic being deployed practically in a fantasy is what really stands out, something that's all too rarely looked at with any real depth in fantasy novels.
A Practical Guide to Conquering the World by K.J. Parker

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slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

Starts off fairly interesting but quickly descends into a competency power fantasy of a unlikeable character getting whatever he wants, mostly by hoodwinking silly savages with his genius, and with little to no stakes at any stage. It's just here's the problem, here's the solution, ah it worked what luck.