dana_naylor's reviews
487 reviews

Book was published in 1993, so some homophobic language that's reflective of the times. 
I didn't enjoy the book very much at first, but towards the end I liked it lots more.

Of the time allusions:
It's set in 93, so Michael Jackson and Thriller video make appearances. It's interesting to see what seems like it would need to be annotated now and what wouldn't. The kids do research at the library on microfilm viewers. Local radio call-in shows don't seem to exist in the same way - and I don't know that current radios are made with tuning knobs so you get static.

Quotes I loved:
"It's just history. It has nothing to do with . . . well, with now." (p73)
"Ignorance is very important! It is an absolutely essential step in the learning process!" (p117)

I likely will read the next book in the series, but this may be where it jumps the shark.

Threatened by a serial killer who took the place of his cousin while giving birth in the wilderness…..yeah…no.

I still enjoy the characters, but my suspension of disbelief couldn’t hold through the book.
Definitely not a book to enter the series with!

I think I enjoy these books more every time I reread them. I think this is my third time reading this one, and spending some time with my favorite misanthropic depressed Murderbot just helps cheer me up.

The start of a series. Horror is light but analogies she uses are wonderfully creepy and there was one good jump scare for me. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Felt really rushed at the end. I was expecting it to end on a cliffhanger, but it didn't - just a bit of handwaving and time jump. That really dropped my enjoyment of the book.

Writing is smooth. My problem is with the main character and some of her choices/thought processes.

I don't mind having a character who lies some. My problems were with Ember's work environment and her choices there. There's an official no dating policy, so she wants to keep her relationship quiet - fine. But don't then hook up in an office closet at work.

I empathize with her choices with her brother and father - but her thinking is so wrong when

she chooses to meet blackmail demands and then whines as if she bears no responsibility for her choice: "Why was I always being punished for just trying to do the right thing, no matter what fucked-up way I had achieved it?" (p301) Assisting in theft by using a signature stamp to get money in no way can be justified as "trying to do the right thing". Choosing to check only one box with your ethnicity - perfectly fine. Lying about a degree - less fine, but if you're able to do the job, okay-ish. Theft - outright wrong.

I love the author's voice and may try another of her books. I just want more self-awareness from the characters.

Started as an April Fool’s Joke on their website that resulted in the book being written.
I love that they manage to take a character as awful as Hugh and make him sympathetic.
Website is getting posts of the next book in the series and I am loving it! Wanted to reread this one again. I have just adored all the characters they write. 

I don't know if I'd have enjoyed this more if I weren't also fighting a cold as I was reading it. It's okay but not great. Even the main character exploring the derelict liner says it's more like a hotel than an abandoned ship. Some interesting ideas here but I guess I wanted more.

This was my first time reading any of the Johnny Maxwell books.
I've checked book 2 out from my library already.
No footnotes (other than one in the introduction).

The book was published in 1992 and features the first Gulf War and computer games of war (space battles). Fascinating to see online gameplay mentioned before it was available. I also didn't find any terribly cringe-worthy language or themes even when including a preteen female gamer. 

Obligatory link to Annotated Pratchett File at lspace for the book:
https://www.lspace.org/books/apf/johnny-and-the-dead.html

The chapters on the plague and the Great Fire of London were excellent. I was fascinated to learn more.
The chapters on the war with the Dutch were far less interesting to me. We had too many sailor/noble/ship names for me to keep up - or to care. More of the book was devoted to the naval war than to the fire or plague. The bits about Charles II and his court were also interesting. I may want to read/learn more about that time period.

Some sentence structure was clunky through the book and I would have appreciated a paragraph or two situating us in the politics of the time to help with the transition. I think a reader is expected to know background of the Restoration Period before reading this and I don't have that background.

Still, no regrets on reading it. Thanks so much to Interlibrary Loan resources so I was able to get a copy to read!