Showing posts with label sci fi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sci fi. Show all posts
Dune is the type of classic sci-fi novel that people either love or hate. It's a book that changed the science fiction genre into what we know today. Any book as innovative as this one is is going to have mixed feelings about it. But I'm glad to say, I absolutely loved it, and I don't think it's because my admiration of the movie influenced my opinion. Yes, I was happy to find the movie stayed very true to the book, but there was a lot more to the characterization and world-building in the novel.
The way the book was written and structured is exactly my taste. Multiple perspectives with a third-person omniscient sort of narration to guide us through the story. It makes you feel like you're solving a puzzle, given pieces of each character's point of view at a time to learn the bigger picture of what's happening. In some other reviews I've read, I've seen people think this writing style is too slow, but I really did not mind how slow some parts could be. For the most part, I thought the pacing was great.
I was also blown away by how I became so attached to the characters. I especially thought Jessica's storyline and overall character was so interesting. The only character that I surprisingly didn't connect with was Paul. Even though he is our main character, he was kind of bland and didn't have much of a personality. In some ways, I can understand why the author did this, but if the whole book had been told from his perspective I don't think I would have enjoyed it nearly as much as I did.
My only other issue was with some of the time jumps. The first half of the book has a very steady pacing. It's a slow build up with a lot of world building. However, once the action gets started there will be giant time jumps skipping over full years. It helps to move the plot along, but I personally would have loved to see more of what happened in the time skipped. It may just be something that only bothered me, but I found it a bit jarring.
Despite these very minor criticisms, I have absolutely nothing but overwhelming praise and awe over this story. The writing and overall world-building are some of the best I've ever read. Frank Herbert is a master, and I think it is well deserved to be considered the classic that it is. I have never been a huge science fiction reader, but Dune may very well change that.
Rating: ★★★★
"Deep in the human unconscious is a pervasive need for a logical universe that makes sense. But the real universe is always one step beyond logic." -- Frank Herbert, Dune
The Book of M by Peng Shepherd is a book I've been interested in reading for awhile, if not for it's incredibly unique premise, because of how polarizing the reactions to this book are from fellow reviewers. This seems to be a story that people either love or hate, and I'm always curious to find out what my thoughts are on a book when there are so many different opinions out there on it.
I thought The Book of M was one that had a lot of potential to be one I would absolutely love! It follows the idea of memories being connected to our shadows, and what would happen if people then began to lose their shadows, and therefore their memories with them. The shadowless pandemic begins to sweep the world and the main characters are forced to make alliances and find their way to a sanctuary where there's hope for a cure.
Out of all the dystopian/survival stories I've read, this one is a lot more in the realm of magical realism. There is no explanation or imaginary scientific evidence given for why memories are connected to shadows in this version of our world, or why the shadows are beginning to disappear. You just have to suspend your disbelief while you're reading. In this way it reminded me of books like Station Eleven and Bird Box as it was really vague about the condition and deals more with the characters and how they survive.
If you don't like it when books make you do that, you probably won't like this one at all. I typically don't have a problem with imagining a different reality, so I didn't mind that aspect. But despite that, this book was a downward spiral of a reading experience for me. It wasn't the lack of explanation or world building that threw me off, it was just how extremely confusing the structure of this story was and the way the interesting concept was executed.
It started off well enough, even if the multiple perspectives were all occurring in different points in time, some before the shadows started to disappear while others were going through the repercussions of society falling apart as people lost their memories. I was able to follow along pretty well at the beginning because I was invested in the characters and was so curious to see how they got where they were and where they would go in the end.
The characters were another strong aspect that I loved in this book. They all had very clear motivations and backstories that were interesting. They were all from such different phases in life and I was excited to see how they would all inevitably come together in the climax of the story.
But, unfortunately, after I hit the half way point everything fell apart for me. Maybe I wasn't paying as much attention as I thought and accidentally missed something, because I got incredibly confused. The timeline became so twisted and I couldn't tell how much time was passing in between events. Also, some characters I thought were important either became unnecessary or very unsettling.
The most confusing aspect of everything came at the end with the climax in the "One Who Gathers" storyline. This was the point that all the magical realism stuff started to go way over my head. I don't want to spoil anything, but that whole last bit of the book made me uncomfortable for some reason.
I will say that the plot twist took me off guard. I didn't even realize it happened until I finished the book and read a different review that explained it. It was a good twist, but for me at least, it got drowned out in the straight up weirdness going on.
In the end, this book just left me feeling sad because it had so much potential to be great. If the structure could have been smoothed out and the weirdness toned down, it could've been a favorite. But I'm sure there are plenty of people who will love this book regardless of my personal problems with it.
Rating: ★★
"There's a difference between when the mind forgets and the heart does." -- Peng Shepherd, The Book of M
11/22/63 is a book that has spoken to me from the moment I bought it until I turned the final page. This story follows Jake Epping, a man who's life is falling apart when he is given the opportunity to travel back in time to the 1960's to stop the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. This basic premise was enough to hook me before I even started reading. I love alternative histories and time travel books, and I was excited to see how someone would pull this idea off whether it was written by Stephen King or not.
Even though I had a strong suspicion that I would enjoy this book, I didn't expect how much it would make me feel. Something that I have learned about Stephen King's writing through reading this book is how he makes you connect with his characters so much. He puts you in their head and shows every part of them, flaws and all. They feel like real people, which adds to the suspense in the story as you truly care about what happens to them.
The ending hit me so much harder than most books I've ever read because I cared so much. I teared up no less than three times reading the last fifty pages, and even writing this review my heart can't help but ache remembering how perfect and beautifully this plot culminated in the end.
There were some areas of this giant tome that I initially thought were slow, but upon looking back I realize how the "slower" sections were there for a reason. Whether to develop characters, establish relationships and internal conflict, or to build up to something huge, every page felt important. The writing was also engaging and fast paced the whole way through, even during the slow parts, which made the pages of this huge book just fly by.
The overall atmosphere of this book is done in such a way that makes you feel nostalgic for the '60's, but doesn't romanticize it. The issues of the time are brought up in a subtle way that doesn't take you out of the main story you're reading, but still makes you think about how the times have changed a lot in the past fifty years. From the time travel elements to the historical detail, I could tell that King put so much care and thought into the research for this book. He combined everything so beautifully, and it left me speechless.
Since 11/22/63 is a sci-fi thriller rather than King's typical horror, many fans may not think this was the best story to start my exploration. However, I am so so so glad I decided to pick this one up when I did. If you enjoy masterfully plotted time travel stories, history, and strong characters, I cannot recommend this book enough! I truly wish I could go into spoilers and really delve deep into the different themes and events that were explored in this book. It's so rich! I'm already excited for the opportunity to reread it sometime in the future and to pick up other books by Stephen King, horror or not.
Rating: ★★★★★
"The past is obdurate." --Stephen King, 11/22/63
Worlds Beneath is the second installment in the epic young adult sci-fi/fantasy trilogy, The Blood Race. It's a dual perspective, action-packed adventure following flawed characters as they struggle with finding strength and purpose while overcoming dark pasts. The series is full of other worldly dimensions, superhuman abilities, and themes that will lead you to think deeper.
The second book follows where the first one left off. There are new characters and secrets that are revealed. This book also has a lot more political intrigue and world building that adds so much more to the series as a whole!
I loved this continuation! And I'm so excited for everyone else to finally be able to read it too!
I have followed Kate's journey through her blog, The Goodness Revolt, for a long time. Something that has always struck me when reading her work, on her blog and in her novels, is how her stories relate so much with struggles that everyone experiences in their own lives. I almost feel like I get to see Kate's faith and vulnerabilities first hand through her writing.
Her stories are deeply allegorical and are knitted together with so much Biblical truth and hope. I know it has inspired me, as well as many of her other readers and followers.
In celebration of Worlds Beneath's release and blog tour, I asked if Kate would be willing to share a little insight into how her faith in particular has influenced her and what she does.
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| | goodreads | ★★★★★ |
I read this book for the first time a couple years ago, and ever since I finished it I have been dying to have the time to give it a reread. It has wowed me both times I've picked it up and I can't rave about it enough!
V.E. Schwab is able to put together some of the most unique plots I have ever read. They're not predictable or boring, and you could be stuck reading for hours and hours just to find out what will happen. That's a tricky thing to do.
The world of EOs and the city of Merit takes what everyone knows and loves about the classic superhero stories, but gives it a new twist that makes it so much more. The characters are also some of the best I've ever read. They're flawed and believable and their motives are clear. You root for them, you cry for them, and you want to smack them all at the same time.
The action is very well paced, and I was able to keep up with everything that was going on very easily, which can be somewhat difficult for me sometimes. There is a bit of swearing though, which pushes this book toward a more adult audience.
I think this is a book that is best to go into blindly. In order to fully immerse yourself, you shouldn't have any expectations. I do, however, believe that this is a story that most anyone can get something out of and enjoy. And it has great messages of friendship, jealousy, and evil woven into the whole plot.
If you find yourself in the need for superheroes, villains, and action this time of year like I do, I would highly recommend giving this one a go!
“Plenty of humans were monstrous, and plenty of monsters knew how to play at being human.”
― Victoria Schwab, Vicious
I have been following Kate Emmons on her blog The Goodness Revolt for a long time. She never ceases to amaze me with her beautiful, insightful writing and poetry. I always knew that someday she was going to go somewhere with her writing, and when I heard that she was releasing her debut novel, The Blood Race, I was so incredibly proud and excited for her.
Today I am beyond honored to be a part of her launch team and to contribute a post to the awesome blog tour hosted by Kate's sister, Abbie, from her blog Abbiee, and Grace Anne from Totally Graced.
You should go and give these ladies all the love because they deserve it!
He’s spent his life running from who he is. She’s been trying to escape her past for 100 years…
Born with unexplainable abilities he struggles to control, college student Ion tries desperately to integrate into his new school and finally put his dark past behind him. But after making a serious enemy, which leads to an accidental rendezvous with the mysterious old man next door— and his hauntingly beautiful but troubled young protégée Hawk, Ion realizes his life will never be normal again.
Late one evening, Hawk drags him by the hand into a closet-turned-rabbit-hole to an extra dimension, and Ion finds himself stumbling involuntarily into a secret society of training for “anomalies,” teenagers with a special set of abilities. Just like him.
As they train to become Protectors of future Earth, battling each other as well as their own demons, both Ion and Hawk begin to realize that they are far more alike than they realized. Unsettlingly so.
When the Dimension is shaken by an unthinkable betrayal, will an ancient prophecy bring Hawk and Ion together—or will a deadly threat hidden in plain sight cost them both their powers… and their lives?
Trust is a superlative. The result is never lukewarm: it is either an extreme producer of life, or death.I love stories like this one. Fresh stories about superhumans and different worlds are undoubtably the best, and K.A. Emmons was able to execute it so well in The Blood Race. I got so many X-men/Miss Peregrine vibes while I was reading, but not in a bad way at all. The author was able to take the familiar concepts and make them her own flawlessly.
-K.A. Emmons, The Blood Race
I could tell that great care and detail were put in developing the universe of dimensions and Sliders, but I still found myself confused from time to time, trying to keep up with explanations or new, complicated aspects of the world. But that's pretty usual for me when starting a new fantasy series. I was able to catch on to what was going on eventually.
I really enjoyed learning about and immersing myself in this new world. This is definitely a first book in a series though, because, while there was a plot, much of the story was spent world-building and explaining how the system works instead of following a lot of action.
This book is very fast paced and filled to the brim with beautifully written descriptions and great characters.
I really loved Hawk. I don't usually care for the dark and mysterious type of characters, but I found that I was more intrigued with her chapters than Ion's. Ion got extremely frustrating sometimes. I didn't hate him necessarily, I just really wanted to lock him up in a basement somewhere so that he would stop messing things up. The secondary characters were also memorable. I adored Fin so much! And I became interested in Sensei as well. I would love to read a book about his backstory.
There are incredible themes of trust and redemption woven throughout the whole story that were amazing! It wasn't until the exciting climax of the book hit that I realized it was an allegory. There were some crazy powerful scenes towards the end --especially between Hawk and Sensei-- that made the reader reflect on their own life without being preachy. It reminded me of a modern, sci-fi, teenage Narnia in a way.
I'm so excited to see where the series will go from here and how K.A. Emmons will grow in her writing and story telling. After that cliff hanger I'm dying for more!
I received a free ARC from the author in exchange for an honest, unbiased review
GET THE BLOOD RACE
Be sure to get yourself in on the action. Buy a copy of The Blood Race on Amazon out today and add it on Goodreads!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
When she's not hermiting away in her colorfully-painted home office writing her next science fiction, passionate story-teller and adventurer Kate Emmons is probably on the road for a surf or hiking trip, listening to vinyls, or going for a power run. Emmons lives in the often-snowy hills of rugged Vermont with her husband and dog named Rocket.
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