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sambora's reviews
314 reviews
The Only Harmless Great Thing by Brooke Bolander
5.0
This is such an amazing story. It is at once heartbreaking and beautiful, reflective and brutal.
A short story that wastes no words, that flows like poetry and brought tears to my eyes multiple times.
The perspectives are fresh, the details of the wider world are minimal but just enough to give you room to imagine further and the descriptions of the various pains and aches made me feel them myself.
A very powerful look at how we treat other sentient beings and the destructive tendencies of humans.
A short story that wastes no words, that flows like poetry and brought tears to my eyes multiple times.
The perspectives are fresh, the details of the wider world are minimal but just enough to give you room to imagine further and the descriptions of the various pains and aches made me feel them myself.
A very powerful look at how we treat other sentient beings and the destructive tendencies of humans.
The City & the City by China Miéville
3.0
This was a good read that's been in my backlog for a while.
This review is going to go a little into the format of the plot but won't discuss the details or conclusion.
The concept of the two cities occupying the same space was metered out at a brilliant pace. The idea of these zones in which the cities merge and overlap is fantastic and the level of imagination behind the politics, the borders and "breach"; when someone illegally interacts with someone or something currently in the opposite city to them... well it's all great. I really enjoyed the setting, the world (city) building and the politics and factions of the said cities.
On the other hand however; the characters, most of whom were police or law enforcers of one type or another, were somewhat rigid and bland, without much development. The plot itself, although made somewhat fresh by the setting, is a boiler-plate murder mystery and it's almost completely linear with very little change of perspective. I know these things aren't inherently bad, but for me, with a setting such as this, a lot more could have been done with the story.
I don't know what other people compare this novel to, and I know others don't like comparisons at all, but the concept of fear and control, the city itself, the constant feeling of having to "unsee" things and being watch all the time just made me think of Orwell's '1984'.
Breach and the mysterious Thought Police are quite similar. The act of "breaching" and committing "thoughtcrimes" are treated with the same stigmatized fear and mysterious consequences.
Another comparison I would make, slightly more tenuously however, would be Richard Morgan's 'Altered Carbon'.
Obviously the era in which it takes place is very different (AC taking place in a future further away) but the plot, the mysterious death, the detective following a linear line of events and happenstance, forming allies with others from different detective/police backgrounds, coming against various underground factions or gangs throughout the city with their own agendas, be them personal or political. All of it just seemed to ring familiar to me.
I didn't much like the protagonist of Altered Carbon; Takeshi Kovacs (at least until I read the other two books of the series). The picture of him painted in the first book was that of as a sullen, action-man, anti-hero, f**king-machine with physical and sensory upgrades and a convoluted, dark and twisted past... But in The City & The City we get Inspector Borlú who is a pretty decent detective... And that's about it! We don't know anything about him or his history. We don't know anything of his family, childhood, how he came into his job or anything outside of it... Nothing. Which, to me, was a real shame.
Anyway, this has been my honest review. I gave it 3 stars, meaning I thought it was good and that I would be comfortable recommending it to those who enjoy the sheer imagination of a story's setting and world-building OR to those who enjoy crime novels and murder mysteries and don't mind them with a touch of science-fiction.
This review is going to go a little into the format of the plot but won't discuss the details or conclusion.
The concept of the two cities occupying the same space was metered out at a brilliant pace. The idea of these zones in which the cities merge and overlap is fantastic and the level of imagination behind the politics, the borders and "breach"; when someone illegally interacts with someone or something currently in the opposite city to them... well it's all great. I really enjoyed the setting, the world (city) building and the politics and factions of the said cities.
On the other hand however; the characters, most of whom were police or law enforcers of one type or another, were somewhat rigid and bland, without much development. The plot itself, although made somewhat fresh by the setting, is a boiler-plate murder mystery and it's almost completely linear with very little change of perspective. I know these things aren't inherently bad, but for me, with a setting such as this, a lot more could have been done with the story.
I don't know what other people compare this novel to, and I know others don't like comparisons at all, but the concept of fear and control, the city itself, the constant feeling of having to "unsee" things and being watch all the time just made me think of Orwell's '1984'.
Breach and the mysterious Thought Police are quite similar. The act of "breaching" and committing "thoughtcrimes" are treated with the same stigmatized fear and mysterious consequences.
Another comparison I would make, slightly more tenuously however, would be Richard Morgan's 'Altered Carbon'.
Obviously the era in which it takes place is very different (AC taking place in a future further away) but the plot, the mysterious death, the detective following a linear line of events and happenstance, forming allies with others from different detective/police backgrounds, coming against various underground factions or gangs throughout the city with their own agendas, be them personal or political. All of it just seemed to ring familiar to me.
I didn't much like the protagonist of Altered Carbon; Takeshi Kovacs (at least until I read the other two books of the series). The picture of him painted in the first book was that of as a sullen, action-man, anti-hero, f**king-machine with physical and sensory upgrades and a convoluted, dark and twisted past... But in The City & The City we get Inspector Borlú who is a pretty decent detective... And that's about it! We don't know anything about him or his history. We don't know anything of his family, childhood, how he came into his job or anything outside of it... Nothing. Which, to me, was a real shame.
Anyway, this has been my honest review. I gave it 3 stars, meaning I thought it was good and that I would be comfortable recommending it to those who enjoy the sheer imagination of a story's setting and world-building OR to those who enjoy crime novels and murder mysteries and don't mind them with a touch of science-fiction.
A Time of Blood by John Gwynne
4.0
*SPOILER FREE REVIEW*
First, a thank you to Pan Macmillan for the proof copy.
As expected, 'A Time Of Blood' follows on from exactly where 'A Time Of Dread' left off.
This chapter in the world of the Banished Lands feels like the huge breath taken before being totally submerged in freezing water. It's so tense and engaging. The characters we are following (Drem, Riv, Fritha and Bleda) are all being fleshed out and, over the course of this book, go through changes and (I feel) become "complete". I would like to say more but I do not wish to spoil anything. Let me just say that there are so many satisfying revelations and happenings transpiring in this second installment; the unearthing of lies and betrayals of huge consequence.
Gwynne has really nailed what I love about classic fantasy. Heroes and villains living black and white lives, wearing red and white clothes with all different shades of grey bluring their motivations and backstory. Interwoven character arcs with distinct protagonists and the ability to keep the combat and fight scenes fresh.
There were certain enemy "encounters" within this second book that at first I was dubious of, not quite seeing the reason that they were being used (or RE-used). BUT I should have trusted Gwynne. Within a very short amount of time he made it new and what could have been an easy and predicable plot device became something altogether more twisted and fit with the themes of this newer series magnificently.
For those of you who have devoured Gwynne's previous books, this one will be no different.
The book will be available from April 18th 2019.
#TruthAndCourage
First, a thank you to Pan Macmillan for the proof copy.
As expected, 'A Time Of Blood' follows on from exactly where 'A Time Of Dread' left off.
This chapter in the world of the Banished Lands feels like the huge breath taken before being totally submerged in freezing water. It's so tense and engaging. The characters we are following (Drem, Riv, Fritha and Bleda) are all being fleshed out and, over the course of this book, go through changes and (I feel) become "complete". I would like to say more but I do not wish to spoil anything. Let me just say that there are so many satisfying revelations and happenings transpiring in this second installment; the unearthing of lies and betrayals of huge consequence.
Gwynne has really nailed what I love about classic fantasy. Heroes and villains living black and white lives, wearing red and white clothes with all different shades of grey bluring their motivations and backstory. Interwoven character arcs with distinct protagonists and the ability to keep the combat and fight scenes fresh.
There were certain enemy "encounters" within this second book that at first I was dubious of, not quite seeing the reason that they were being used (or RE-used). BUT I should have trusted Gwynne. Within a very short amount of time he made it new and what could have been an easy and predicable plot device became something altogether more twisted and fit with the themes of this newer series magnificently.
For those of you who have devoured Gwynne's previous books, this one will be no different.
The book will be available from April 18th 2019.
#TruthAndCourage
Abaddon's Gate by James S.A. Corey
4.0
Just as good as the previous two installments of the series. We see less of the main crew; Holden, Naomi, Amos and Alex which is a shame... BUT the supporting characters are so strong and well developed that I can see that it's needed to keep the story fresh.
On the same note, our main crew are very much "locked in" at this point. I feel as though there needs to be some long term additions or, dare I say it, a death. The crew just feels too safe. They all get hurt and broken and injured but I felt as though I can always count on them being ok. That needs to be pulled out from under me; adding some vulnerability isn't a bad thing, particularly when developing what is meant to be a very dangerous situation.
Otherwise I really really liked Abaddon's Gate.
It made me feel very small multiple times, and knowing that by the end of this book the universe has grown and civilization is spreading further than before is very exciting. The politics between factions is still somewhat hanging in the balance too, but I'm excited to see where it goes when I finally get around to reading book four!
On the same note, our main crew are very much "locked in" at this point. I feel as though there needs to be some long term additions or, dare I say it, a death. The crew just feels too safe. They all get hurt and broken and injured but I felt as though I can always count on them being ok. That needs to be pulled out from under me; adding some vulnerability isn't a bad thing, particularly when developing what is meant to be a very dangerous situation.
Otherwise I really really liked Abaddon's Gate.
It made me feel very small multiple times, and knowing that by the end of this book the universe has grown and civilization is spreading further than before is very exciting. The politics between factions is still somewhat hanging in the balance too, but I'm excited to see where it goes when I finally get around to reading book four!
The Dispatcher by John Scalzi
3.0
*Audible exclusive Review*
This was a pretty good listen! Scalzi did a great job at keeping it short and Zachary Quinto did a decent job in the reading too.
It's only a couple of hours long and free on Audible.com. It's fairly light on the science fiction but the concept is certainly a unique one. It is worth checking out for existing fans of Scalzi or to those who have an Audible account that are looking for a quick listen.
3.5 Stars
This was a pretty good listen! Scalzi did a great job at keeping it short and Zachary Quinto did a decent job in the reading too.
It's only a couple of hours long and free on Audible.com. It's fairly light on the science fiction but the concept is certainly a unique one. It is worth checking out for existing fans of Scalzi or to those who have an Audible account that are looking for a quick listen.
3.5 Stars