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icarusabides's reviews
574 reviews
The Truth by Terry Pratchett
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Going Postal by Terry Pratchett
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Bringing Home The Rain by Bob McGough
Did not finish book. Stopped at 9%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 9%.
"The squawking of an infant was piercing out from within it somewhere and I cringed. I had forgotten about the latest little fuck trophy."
Lovely main character we have here...
Lovely main character we have here...
Mickey7 by Edward Ashton
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The Black God's Drums by P. Djèlí Clark
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Feels like this is a book that will likely improve upon a reread as it's something of a departure from the other books in the series, both the wider Discworld and the Death focused entries. The focus is mostly on a few new characters, although Lu Tze has played a minor part in other stories before, as it follows the story of Jeremy, Lobsang, and the history monks which somewhat wrong footed me in terms of what I'd expected going in. The Death books tend to vary in just how much they actually feature Death themself but this one seems particularly light on the character and even Susan is sidelined for the cast majority until the plot requires her to take charge later on, something that is pretty jarring.
It's still very funny in parts as the Horsemen are great, Lu-Tze's constant dispersing of Mrs Cosmopolite's wisdom is wonderful, and the Auditor traps have become pretty iconic but overall the pacing seems uneven. I can't tell if there needed to be less book or more but the rather front loaded adventure of Lobsang and Lu-Tze plus Jeremy and Igor (who are both more or less ditched afterwards) doesn't seem to quite fit together with Susan coming to the fore later on, perhaps would have been better had there been more of Susan in the earlier parts investigating the clues Death had laid down for them.
It's still very funny in parts as the Horsemen are great, Lu-Tze's constant dispersing of Mrs Cosmopolite's wisdom is wonderful, and the Auditor traps have become pretty iconic but overall the pacing seems uneven. I can't tell if there needed to be less book or more but the rather front loaded adventure of Lobsang and Lu-Tze plus Jeremy and Igor (who are both more or less ditched afterwards) doesn't seem to quite fit together with Susan coming to the fore later on, perhaps would have been better had there been more of Susan in the earlier parts investigating the clues Death had laid down for them.
Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky
adventurous
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A good and pretty pacey read that's something of a cross between the Expanse and Wayfarers series. A small crew fighting against the odds on their fairy dishevelled ship to survive in a universe full of imaginatively drawn alien species, world's, and cultures. All while the threat of colossal moon sized beings with a penchant for making origami out of planets looms in the background.
It's a book that maintains a near constant breakneck pace throughout that rarely lets up as the crew lurch from one event to another. This takes a little getting used to, especially early on, as just when one crisis seems to have abated another immediately kicks in. Something which does also unfortunately mean it rarely slows down enough to really hit the character beats as a result and downright robs some moments of their catharsis.
Overall decent. It's full of creativity from the myriad different alien species, and they don't come much more different than those contained in this book, to the really imaginative use of gravitic weaponry and engines that adds a unique element to the combat and space flight but the character work is a little flat. It's a story that could definitely have done with taking some time to look around a little every once and a while.
It's a book that maintains a near constant breakneck pace throughout that rarely lets up as the crew lurch from one event to another. This takes a little getting used to, especially early on, as just when one crisis seems to have abated another immediately kicks in. Something which does also unfortunately mean it rarely slows down enough to really hit the character beats as a result and downright robs some moments of their catharsis.
Overall decent. It's full of creativity from the myriad different alien species, and they don't come much more different than those contained in this book, to the really imaginative use of gravitic weaponry and engines that adds a unique element to the combat and space flight but the character work is a little flat. It's a story that could definitely have done with taking some time to look around a little every once and a while.
The Pariah by Anthony Ryan
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The Pariah starts off quite well, the writing is good and Alwyn as a character has a good narration for conveying the story but the rest of the characters are quite flat, there's far too much plot contrivance with Alwyn running into important characters from his past too often and too conveniently for the plot, and there's just nothing particularly unique about the world to make it stand out. It's a pretty standard medieval feudal system setup with some off-brand Vikings thrown in for good measure and a dash of religious schism.
The story starts over a lot too which becomes pretty tiring by the third time the set up has been ditched once more and Alwyn is discovering a new setting and mentor to follow. Something that contributes heavily to the rather meandering pace of the book as it tends to hit a lull each time Alwyn begins anew.
Most of the story is fine, if unremarkable, but Alwyn being so utterly good at everything while constantly talking about how fortuitous he's being to get away with whatever the plot requires becomes tiresome. Ah the incredibly observant thief and master linguist with a knack for discerning lies and emotions who can translate ancient texts for a heathen people who couldn't manage it themselves, skilled enough to become a worthy swordsman in the space of mere weeks and who also just happens to solve a mystery that has confounded scholars for hundreds of years... Yawn.
By the time he's randomly captured for a chapter towards the end of the book for no other reason than to tie up a plot point with a character from earlier in the book before finding exactly what he was after and going on with his day I was ready to be done with this book.
The story starts over a lot too which becomes pretty tiring by the third time the set up has been ditched once more and Alwyn is discovering a new setting and mentor to follow. Something that contributes heavily to the rather meandering pace of the book as it tends to hit a lull each time Alwyn begins anew.
Most of the story is fine, if unremarkable, but Alwyn being so utterly good at everything while constantly talking about how fortuitous he's being to get away with whatever the plot requires becomes tiresome. Ah the incredibly observant thief and master linguist with a knack for discerning lies and emotions who can translate ancient texts for a heathen people who couldn't manage it themselves, skilled enough to become a worthy swordsman in the space of mere weeks and who also just happens to solve a mystery that has confounded scholars for hundreds of years... Yawn.
By the time he's randomly captured for a chapter towards the end of the book for no other reason than to tie up a plot point with a character from earlier in the book before finding exactly what he was after and going on with his day I was ready to be done with this book.
The Expert System's Brother by Adrian Tchaikovsky
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
It's okay, the concept is fairly interesting but it's also just not one of Tchaikovsky's best and the pedestrian plot coupled with flat characters really made for distinctly average read. There's just not a lot to remark on in general, it definitely had some promise which it ultimately squandered and while not terrible by any stretch it's bleh.
Walking to Aldebaran by Adrian Tchaikovsky
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a fun read. Really cool interesting and fascinating concept with the vast labyrinthine seemingly never ending pathways linking different planets and parts of space together paired really well with a main character full of sardonic wit. Tonally it's just a delight to follow Gary's progress through the artefact as the story flips between his on going exploration and the origins of how he first ended up becoming lost and alone in such an alien place. Possibly would have been nice had it been longer but as a snapshot into this mysterious space and how Gary is changed by his adventure there it works well and makes for a very enjoyable self contained reading experience.