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nlord's reviews
321 reviews
The Lord of Castle Black by Neil Gaiman, Steven Brust
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
The Horror on the Links by Seabury Quinn
Did not finish book. Stopped at 27%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 27%.
I feel, even for the time there were better contemporary characters with much better writing (Manly Wade Wellman comes to mind for example).
Every story is like a whodunit-speedrun, with mystery established, Jules de Grandin going somewhere, then returning to give a long-winded explanation to his friend & us of how did he solved the mystery (usually, in a very boring, straight-forward kinda manner).
Second-to-last story I've listened to was about "strange N@groes", who turned out to be "vengeful Hindu", so unreasonably upset by a perfectly civilized massacre of the resistance by the British Company and hypnotizing seeming random British tourists to death.. the last story I've read was solved by the detective asking the police to check for fingerprints on the weapon, left literally at the crime scene - I get that it was, like, 1930s, but still.
Every story is like a whodunit-speedrun, with mystery established, Jules de Grandin going somewhere, then returning to give a long-winded explanation to his friend & us of how did he solved the mystery (usually, in a very boring, straight-forward kinda manner).
Second-to-last story I've listened to was about "strange N@groes", who turned out to be "vengeful Hindu", so unreasonably upset by a perfectly civilized massacre of the resistance by the British Company and hypnotizing seeming random British tourists to death.. the last story I've read was solved by the detective asking the police to check for fingerprints on the weapon, left literally at the crime scene - I get that it was, like, 1930s, but still.
The Paths of the Dead by Steven Brust
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Imaro by Charles de Lint, Charles R. Saunders
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Swords Against Wizardry by Fritz Leiber
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Queen of Sorcery by David Eddings
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-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? Yes
4.25
Nifft the Lean by Michael Shea
adventurous
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Five Hundred Years After by Steven Brust
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.5
I've finished the audiobook on autopilot. It's not that it is bad necessary, but it did just completely failed to grab my attention in any meaningful way. There are too many nearly indistinguishable characters, wrapped inside of a very standard fantasy story.
The Phoenix Guards by Steven Brust
adventurous
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75