dreynoldsbook's reviews
106 reviews

The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch by Philip K. Dick

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dark mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

My least favourite of the PKD novels I’ve read recently. The characters were flat and not really sympathetic and it wasn’t as amusing. Also, it didn’t make sense to me that Barney would feel the need to atone for not helping out Leo, especially as Leo’s experience apparently lasted a second of real time so he couldn’t have done anything anyway!
Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation by Octavia E. Butler

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.
Did t like the clumsy art style and the time travel didn’t interest me. Maybe should have tried the novel instead.
Saturn's Children by Charles Stross

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.
Seems like more of a parody or satire than straight SF. It did have its moments and wss quite amusing  but I wasn’t in the mood for it.
Baumgartner by Paul Auster

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funny reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

I enjoyed the ‘here and now’ passages about Baumgartner’s current life. They were nicely observed and endearing. I wasn’t so keen on the reminiscing and tangential stuff of which I thought that was too much for a quite short novel.
The Trespasser by Tana French

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mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This is the second time I’ve tried Tana French and not finished it. I find her style grating. She tries too hard to be hard. Although she’s not a bad writer,
Maigret's Holiday by Georges Simenon

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mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Maigret drinks a lot of  pouilly fuisse and ignores people in this novel but he gets there in the end. Authentic as ever but Maigret can be a bit too dour.
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick

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

4.5

In a world where barely anything lives Rick Deckard is a bounty hunter who ‘retires’ androids to make money to buy a real life animal. It’s another Dick novel that addresses question of what is real and what is fake. It’s full of ideas, amusing and thought provoking. Such as a machine that can set your mood.

I didn’t care for the last part of the book. The climax of the android story seemed rushed and the whole Mercer thing wasn’t my favourite aspect to the novel.
Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said by Philip K. Dick

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mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Another fascinating and compelling novel by PKD. Full of Intriguing characters (male and female) and dialogue with memorable philosophical passages. Not least the one regarding Emily Fusselman’s rabbit!

The narrative in PKD’s novels always confounds your expectations. He avoids the obvious or predictable.
Ubik by Philip K. Dick

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funny mysterious reflective medium-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? It's complicated

4.5

A mind bending often amusing satire. On what I’m unsure! Sometimes it seemed a bit random. I suspect Dick wrote it as ideas came to him and went with the flow. 
Inhibitor Phase by Alastair Reynolds

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adventurous 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

2.5

I read a few of this author’s novels in the early 2000s. I’m sure they were better than this! I enjoyed the first 50 pages. But once the initial mystery was revealed it went downhill quickly.

Miguel de Ruyter might have a swashbuckling name and mysterious past but he’s dull as ditchwater. He’s wrenched away from his family and is really annoyed about it apparently. You wouldn’t know it. The dialogue is stilted and it’s full of cliches. The science is completely OTT and may was well be magic. Making everything mind bogglingly beyond belief is no substitution for a good plot and fully developed characters.