Passage
If this book had just been shorter, or quicker paced it would have received a much higher mark from me.
The book follows Doctors researching into Near Death Experiences based in a General Hospital somewhere in the USA. One of them develops a way to safely replicate NDEs under lab conditions in volunteers and the other has been recording the testimony of real life NDE patients.
Essentially what should be a snappy medical mystery/science fiction novel gets bogged down in the detail of Near Death Experiences and generally makes you think "this is going nowhere, do something to advance the story"
It's extremely well written and some of the characters are great (especially the ultra pragmatic, disaster obsessed, pre-teen heart patient Maisie), and generally what happens is quite satisfying - I just felt it took too long to get there.
I think I'm going to take a break from Willis' books - I've been struggling with the audiobook of Blackout for months now and lost the will to listen to it anymore!
A Princess of Roumania
This alternate world fantasy novel came to me highly recommended by a friend.
While I certainly found it contained some very original twists on familiar fantasy tropes and I enjoyed reading the book, I just can't see myself reading any further in the series.
I'm not motivated to find out what happens next.
As a side note I described the plot and a couple of the characters from the story to a Romanian friend of mine and he found it hilarious...
So, in summary, it's well-written and has some fresh ideas but somehow lacking that magic ingredient that keeps you wanting to learn more.
Mercury Falls
Satiric apocalyptic fantasy. A pleasant enough read but absolutely nothing extraordinary.
I Shall Wear Midnight
Another excellent outing for Tiffany Aching.
I hate to spoil a single second of it - so many great moments.
OK the book really does need you to read all the Aching stories before it carries it's full weight but it will work as a standalone.
As always - if you don't read Pratchett do try him out.
If you do - buy this.
Wyrd Sisters
This, the 5th Discworld book, is the first where Pratchett really finds the style and tone that he would use for the majority of the rest of the series.
A brilliant parody of Shakespeare, Witch stories and fantasy in general it also happens to be the first book in the Witches sub-series (Granny Weatherwax appears earlier in Equal Rites but that's more of a standalone DW book).
If you've never read it before I very highly recommend it.
It's a great wee book that I've knocked down the score of because there are better Pratchett books out there now and I'm way too familiar with the book now and have rung much of the humour out it - even though I've not read it in at least 7 years.
Whip It
Originally known as Roller Girl, this is the book that the recent Drew Barrymore directed, Ellen Page starring, film is based on.
The book is a lot of fun, but really quite slight.
The film manages to improve on quite a lot of the book, especially the ending, which is rather trite in the book
Agent To The Stars
What if, instead of making first contact by arriving on the White House lawn and demanding to see the President, friendly TV-informed aliens decide they need a Hollywood agent to boost their image before they make proper contact.
A very readable and enjoyable book from Scalzi. It doesn't quite hit the heights he reached later but still well worth reading.
A booklog
Recent Posts
Authors
Bands
Blogs
Boards
treefell
Recently Listened
- Emma Pollock – Adrenaline
- TV on the Radio – Golden Age
- The Shortwave Set – Repeat to Fade
- Pixies – Ain't That Pretty at All
- The xx – Intro
