Attempted - failed - it was my fault (not the author's) to accept this abstracted way of writing.Attempted - failed - it was my fault (not the author's) to accept this abstracted way of writing....more
Since I have read/enjoyed Ben Bova in decades past, I assume the reason Space Station Down is such a terrible read is because he's about 88 years old Since I have read/enjoyed Ben Bova in decades past, I assume the reason Space Station Down is such a terrible read is because he's about 88 years old and Doug Beason is a bad writer.
The flaws which drove me away from finishing this book and from ever reading Beason or Bova ever again:
- Being treated like I have a terrible memory and forgot specific details which were already provided on pages earlier. - Needing to review (and return to) a first-page sketched map of the space station while reading. Any competent writer can describe movement thru a series of rooms and corridors without confusing readers . . . not here. - Highschool-level, clunky, foreshadowing; with all the subtle ways to insinuate and hint, these authors chose to bludgeon the reader with a page 2 zoom close-up. - Cliched adjectives, bland descriptors, outdated/sophomoric poor-quality writing. - The worst offense of all was the author(s) constantly using the words 'she thought to herself' or 'she reminded herself' or many other unnecessary phrases which ALWAYS pull/throw the reader out of the scene. She thought. Full stop. Why constantly include 'to herself'? Because this book was never edited before it was published. ...more
What do most readers want as much if not more than quality, intelligent writing? Consistency. After Ms Leckie's good-to-great Ancillary trilogy, what What do most readers want as much if not more than quality, intelligent writing? Consistency. After Ms Leckie's good-to-great Ancillary trilogy, what I looked for is a continuation of well-written characters, engaging story, and consistent quality.
Unfortunately, the author (or maybe it's me, I may have changed; my brain - maybe - has gotten soft in the last few years and, in my older age, I can no longer grasp what I could) chose to go to a level of complexity and abstruse story and/or plot that lost me. And I lost interest in the character(s).
If this was the first book I'd ever read of Leckie's, I would have quit reading much sooner. But I kept reading for hundreds of pages beyond the "I do not care about these characters" point.
That is where this fell apart.
I was hooked by the main character -- in Ancillary -- on page 1. Then, slowly, I was hooked by secondary characters, and the plot, and the, and the, and the...
In this book, I never got hooked to the main character, nor did I like the second character enough (who she breaks out of prison) but -- I did begin to like the third "secondary character" (the pilot of the ship) and then he seems to disappear. Not completely gone, just the reason I liked him was gone.
That was where this fell completely off its wheels (or rocket boosters, or horse shoes).
I can hate a character and still be hooked by the author enough to want to see where the story takes hzr. But a writer fails when they cause me to either get so tangled in the writing that I have lost interest or to not give a shit if the author kills the main character off on the next page. Both of these things happen in Provenance.
Unfortunately, Leckie is now in my "Patrick Rothfuss pile" which is labelled: can not be relied upon, do not purchase, wait for an available library book!
Note to Leckie: You intentionally made your story too complicated. All the tangles in your plot were self-inflicted. You wrote the characters to be both confusing and unlikable and then . . . you want your readers to stay along for the ride even though it becomes a very uncomfortable ride? You should go back and read your own Ancillary book #1 -- capture that majick -- we never stop caring about the protagonist in Ancillary. ...more
(The back of many mass-market paperbacks bear a "tab") FILE UNDER
Humorless Homophobic & misogynistic Rife with cliches poor grammatical editing Plot holes(The back of many mass-market paperbacks bear a "tab") FILE UNDER
Humorless Homophobic & misogynistic Rife with cliches poor grammatical editing Plot holes around every corner Unbridgeable gaps in continuity Cringe-inducing attempts at suspense POV jumps from 3rd Person objective to omniscient, to limited, back to objective Massive failures of in-world physics/research/common-sense
There are probably more reasons to dislike this author but I only read three chapters.
If the author wrote that sentence: "That is just the tip of the iceberg. More than likely, there are a kiloton of more reasons to dislike the author - Wesley Chu - but I could only make it through the first three chapters before I had to put it down!" ...more
The biggest problem with reading about philosophers and their ideas is the author ("biographer") has to understand his source material, which is - forThe biggest problem with reading about philosophers and their ideas is the author ("biographer") has to understand his source material, which is - for the most part - very dry, academic, dense, and in many cases rife with poor grammar, old syntax, and many times filled with hidden meanings or ideas that only someone who lived in that time might fully understand.
Not only has this author not made understanding Peirce's ideas easier to learn, he has added his own confusions into the mix.
Who would have thought that translating American English into American English (with less than 200 years between the source material and the biography) would have been so difficult?
I would not recommend this to anyone who wants to understand Peirce's pragmatic philosophy.
The engaging plot is hamstrung by the author's inclination to TELL and not SHOW.
Almost every (about 80%) incident in this story -- which would be / haThe engaging plot is hamstrung by the author's inclination to TELL and not SHOW.
Almost every (about 80%) incident in this story -- which would be / has been handled by more adroit writer(s) like Scott Lynch or Patrick Rothfuss or Joe Abercrombie, using a handful of pages of exposition, suspense, and action -- is explained to the reader through dialogue between two characters over a handful of paragraphs.
Dialogue is usually construed as exposition (and normally is); not in most of this book. The one-character-telling-another what happened is highly overused. The only benefit is that it does move the plot forward faster. Less pages. Time elapses faster relative to the size of the book. However, nothing good is gained. (Unless the reader is reading this book to learn about economics in politics.
Albeit I did enjoy learning some of the information shared, the reason I did not finish this book is because the authors are not writers who know how Albeit I did enjoy learning some of the information shared, the reason I did not finish this book is because the authors are not writers who know how to talk to readers, they are scientists. They should have hired an author who knows how to keep the reader interested (e.g. Mary Roach) when discussing esoterica....more
I made it 3/4 of the way through. Which is where this book requested I retire my endeavors at running my eyes over the signs, scribbles, words, lines-I made it 3/4 of the way through. Which is where this book requested I retire my endeavors at running my eyes over the signs, scribbles, words, lines-of-words, pages of semiotics...because I had reached my end of the book.
Your end may be sooner.
Your end may be when the writer (writer?) stopped authoring.
You may pine for more after this.
I differ from you.
As it was. As it should be.
Abstraction rules. (Rules!)
Where would we be without.
Still here.
Under this line is a checkable-block for me to mark if I wanted to 'hide entire review because of spoilers'.
It makes me laugh.
It is impossible to spoil any abstract work of art.
"Tell me how it ends" she whispers with her lips mere winters away from my side-burn.
It ends when you tire of learning from it.
"There is no plot to ruin" I shout into the springs.
I loved it I hated it. I give it the middle number of stars which mean nothing.
This sequel lost my attention when the author's quirky premise (write chapters using 'found photos from antique stores' as basis for exposition) got iThis sequel lost my attention when the author's quirky premise (write chapters using 'found photos from antique stores' as basis for exposition) got in the way of the characters....more
I once loved VACHSS - consumed everything he wrote in decades past. I can no longer understand why. He has become a terrible writer who is so painfullI once loved VACHSS - consumed everything he wrote in decades past. I can no longer understand why. He has become a terrible writer who is so painfully in need of an editor that I wonder if he is even the same person. I will never read another Vachss....more
Couldn't stay on the page. Not poorly written -- but the plotting and characters and dialogue made it impossible for me to want to keep reading. Ever Couldn't stay on the page. Not poorly written -- but the plotting and characters and dialogue made it impossible for me to want to keep reading. Ever have a book that seems to be something you would like? There is some bones in this book that I am drawn to . . . but all the flesh and character and plotting suck and force me to shelve it unfinished....more
Why is this such a recommended book? Size? Age? Is there an element of "respect your great-great grandfather?"
This metaphor-laden tale was a massive cWhy is this such a recommended book? Size? Age? Is there an element of "respect your great-great grandfather?"
This metaphor-laden tale was a massive chore to read (for someone who wants to learn while being entertained -- like myself).
I suspect that I should feel at least a small amount of guilt when I say it was not a good story...I don't. It was not worth the weeks of time trying to read it (and I only was able to read 1/4 of the book). ...more
Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters is a wonderful little story that should be read by any and all Frannie and Zoe fans (and who isn't a Frannie and Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters is a wonderful little story that should be read by any and all Frannie and Zoe fans (and who isn't a Frannie and Zoe fan?). A more apropos title for Raise...HtRB...Carp would be: Seymour's Wedding Day, but Mr. Salinger was in love with titles which could be "solved" by reading the article.
Seymour, An Introduction is too stream-of-conscious for me. Too experimental. Too conceptual. I got lost on the way to giving a shit if I ever got introduced to Seymour.
Four stars for the first story. One star for the second. Average for the book two stars. ...more
I was not read Pooh as a child, and decided since my only experience was with the cartoons - and since it is on many "must read / bucket lists" I deciI was not read Pooh as a child, and decided since my only experience was with the cartoons - and since it is on many "must read / bucket lists" I decided to give it a go.
No, it's not filled with insights and tender life lessons with children in mind but tempered with the knowledge that the adult who is reading it aloud will enjoy it as well. It is just plain boring for adults.
HOWEVER, if I had a precocious five year old who could read at an eight-year old level, I'd give her this book and - after she quit reading it - ask her to explain why she didn't like it. (And then I would probably use words like: unhappyfully filled-to-muchly with simple, dullish, sadness....more
Could not get it into my brain. It was not written for someone like me. Too verbose. I'm sure it is a great work of art, but I could not slog through Could not get it into my brain. It was not written for someone like me. Too verbose. I'm sure it is a great work of art, but I could not slog through it. 3 stars because it was not the writers fault (writing was fine) it was all my inability to crack the code....more
Oh, Mr. Gaiman. Everybody loves you. You can write no wrong in most of everyone's opinion. I have read at least six of your books and loved or liked tOh, Mr. Gaiman. Everybody loves you. You can write no wrong in most of everyone's opinion. I have read at least six of your books and loved or liked them all. I hate this one.
If I didn't know better, I would say that Mr Gaiman "phoned this one in". The scenes are always a half-step off. The exposition has been done better and with more suspense and with better characters in...all...your other work. ...more
Not sure what has happened with Mr Koontz. This story is a slightly altered combination of two of his previous books; the characters are almost identiNot sure what has happened with Mr Koontz. This story is a slightly altered combination of two of his previous books; the characters are almost identical, and the plot is almost the same, including the back-story and the setting.
One more incident of Koontz plagiarizing himself and he will join the long list of 'author who once was good, but no longer is worth reading'....more
I have a thing - a bias some might say (others might just call it weird) - whenever an author "pauses" his story to "add a bit of character developmenI have a thing - a bias some might say (others might just call it weird) - whenever an author "pauses" his story to "add a bit of character development" or to "change the tone" by including the lyrics of a song, the lines of a poem, or if a character says, "...about this dream I had last night...". I skip ahead. I never read the song or the poem or learn about the dream.
I was once asked why. The best answer I can give is I don't like to downshift reading speed. I read a non-fiction book at a medium to slow speed (to absorbing facts); a pulpy novel VERY fast; a poem or lyrics VERY slow (to savor the undercurrents) and I never read dreams. Never. I don't enjoy attempting to decipher what is - in real life - always going to be open to interpretation and - in a book - intentionally vague and indecipherable.
SPOILER ALERT: After getting pretty far into this (otherwise not-badly written) book, I gradually came to realize that MORE THAN HALF of the story is going on inside the unconsciousness of the main character. And it was the half with all the fantastical characters. While it was not in a dream, it was the same thing for me. So, it was impossible for me to care anymore about the plot.
If you have made it this far in my review: You may not be put off by this story-gimmick. If I were not, I would have finished the book and given it a three-star rating. ...more
I read this because Adam Rex's 'The True Meaning of Smeckday' is a five-star, read aloud, fun-for-the-whole family, intended for kids (but adults willI read this because Adam Rex's 'The True Meaning of Smeckday' is a five-star, read aloud, fun-for-the-whole family, intended for kids (but adults will love it too) kind of a book. This, however, is only for kids. And not for kids who like the depth of Harry Potter (and Smeckday) but more for slower, ADD-riddled, younger, stupider, kids.
This story is less thought out, less deep, and the characters are less developed than Smeckday. The plot, that is the only thing that is more....more confusing.
I'm actually amazed that this book is allegedly written by the same author.
I have serious doubts that it was.
Based on reading these two books I think the only way they were written by the same person, is if he had his sense of humor surgically removed and replaced with the belief that what makes a character interesting is a funny costume and a strange voice.
That, or he spent years writing and polishing and re-writing Smeckday, got a big paycheck. And later received a massive advance on a series of books which he has decided to pound-out as fast and with as little thought as possible.
Or...he's a bad author who got lucky with Smeckday.
Have I said that you and your kids should read Smeckday enough?...more
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