If you see my reviews on the other books in the series, this one follows pretty much the same pattern, with these exceptions.
1. The writing ...moreIf you see my reviews on the other books in the series, this one follows pretty much the same pattern, with these exceptions.
1. The writing is finally more concise 2. He does not give in to the trap of becoming sentimental and maudlin with his main characters. All do not live happily ever after. All questions are not answered. 3. Paolini finally is learning how to craft female characters that don't look like weak male characters or two-dimensional. 4. The descriptions and settings have matured. 5. This is by far the best written book in the series. It is also the most expertly edited of the four.(less)
This is the first of her two-part series called "All-Clear". It is the story of time travelers who are historians, people whose vested inter...moreThis is the first of her two-part series called "All-Clear". It is the story of time travelers who are historians, people whose vested interest in time travel is to clarify the past. The two books were originally written as one, but we can assume that Willis' publisher thought no one would attempt to read a 1400 page novel. There are a few of us (note the popularity of Stephenson) but they appear to be correct on this one. I had to take a breather between volumes. Therefore, I will treat the two volumes in one review.
These two books both won Hugo awards for Science Fiction. In reality, all of her books on time travel (save one) have won at least a Nebula award if not the Hugo. They definitely deserve the accolades. Her characters are well-drawn, thoughtful and concise in their efforts. The settings are well-drawn (perhaps too-well drawn. There are moments I got lost in the minutia of WW2 bombings and people movements). This is Sci-fi/fantasy near its highest level.
The story focuses on people traveling from the year 2060 back to the time in London's history when the Nazis were blitzing the island with bombing run after bombing run. There is no question this is meticulously researched. Some of the curious incidents mentioned in this story (such as the rules for boarding houses, laying claim to a piece of carpet in the Underground rail stations and plays performed for evacuees) all have the taste of accuracy that can only come from a writer who has done their homework.
Specifically, the story follows three historians who travel back to the Blitz and then cannot find their way back to the present time. They explore every detail of life in the war, traveling to and fro looking for their way of escape. The real beauty of these books is the two-fold combination of building suspense and quaint mundane living in an extraordinary situation. As the travelers make their way through the events of each day, they take on the personna of the brave Londoners who conquered the Nazis through their grit, determination, blood, sweat and tears.
The book does get tedious at times, but this is the chance one takes when trying to capture the lives of common people thoroughly enough to grip and envelope the reader. The story moves along enough to capture the imagination of most readers, although some who are used to shorter stories and more action might fall to the wayside. Endure my friends. The end is a victory of sorts for the reader. (less)
This is written by my close friend, so I will not comment very much. It is a great effort by a first-time author. It does have too much "folk...moreThis is written by my close friend, so I will not comment very much. It is a great effort by a first-time author. It does have too much "folksy" language without any context for why it is there.
Otherwise, his observations on what is like to sit in the pew and observe church life is a perspective not often written from.(less)
Like most of Cloud's books, he has a basic premise that is outstanding. In this case, the basic idea is that some things need to be completed, brought...moreLike most of Cloud's books, he has a basic premise that is outstanding. In this case, the basic idea is that some things need to be completed, brought to a close. This may apply to everything from firing someone to throwing out old tuna salad in the fridge.
But, as with all Cloud's books, he takes something that is essentially as complicated as a few articles rather than enough content for a book. However, Cloud does make it interesting enough to help a reader get all the way through. It is a slow read because of all the repetition of the main idea.(less)
Shirkey has made a compelling case for how and why loose bands of Internet users can change culture and make a difference. He wrote this book just as ...moreShirkey has made a compelling case for how and why loose bands of Internet users can change culture and make a difference. He wrote this book just as Twitter was coming online and Wordpress, Facebook and Goodreads hadn't really made a splash. But he anticipates the emergence of these networks well and his point is even better taken. It starts out slow, but picks up speed as he reaches a crescendo in his descriptions of Open Source Software (a favorite topic of mine).(less)
People who like this series have an "over-the-top" love affair with it. Those like me who have read many, many sci-fi/fantasy series probabl...morePeople who like this series have an "over-the-top" love affair with it. Those like me who have read many, many sci-fi/fantasy series probably shrug their shoulders and say "it's nothing I haven't heard before in the writings of 100 other authors." I don't play role-playing games (takes too much time, not grounded in any reality, borderline too intense), but this book series has the feel of that sort of game. I can even see George Martin taking some of the scenarios played out in a Medeival RPG and adding them to his books.
Without giving away any spoilers, let's say that this book has many characters, most of whom we find it hard to feel sympathetic toward. The book really has no focal character. Martin chooses to use the Floating Point of View, otherwise known as the Intermittent Third-person Omniscient. That is, Martin follows the thoughts and actions of a different character with each chapter. He does do a good job at carrying along a complex plot through this POV. But the result is we often wait for a third of the book to pick up again on particular characters.
His female characters are much more likable than their male counterparts. All but a few of the men are misogynists, and not a single male character is monogamous. Two females are the heroic archetypes (Arya and Dany), but neither of them is particularly feminine. This points out an unusual pattern in Martin's writings: The more likable the female, the less feminine and the more feminine the more stupid. This is endemic to all his writings. His men are more complex than that.
The book is plot-driven, violent and devoid of all moral values. Ethical values are much more prominent, but not necessarily consistent, even with the main characters. The dwarf, for instance, values those who tell him the truth. But he sees no reason to return the favor. He respects those who keep their oath, hates those who break them, but is instrumental in breaking a number of oaths himself.
I recommend this book for young men who want to see how a plot can be written. Women will most likely hate this book, unless they hate women. (less)
A tremendous book dedicated to personal mentoring in triads (groups of three). It may be an excellent book except for the tendency to become too acade...moreA tremendous book dedicated to personal mentoring in triads (groups of three). It may be an excellent book except for the tendency to become too academic (Ogden is a doctorate theology prof). (less)
Later on in his career, Brin will learn how to fashion together a plot, to make characters that have depth and to understand how to blend science in w...moreLater on in his career, Brin will learn how to fashion together a plot, to make characters that have depth and to understand how to blend science in with a believable world. This novel was written in 1984 and does not have any of those elements.
There is one intriguing plot twist and I will reveal it right here: What happens if we reverse the Second Law of Thermodynamics? This book is a lame attempt at trying to explain what would take place if nothing falls apart but actually improves over time (except people).
This is obviously the work of a young David Brin. The dialogue is contrived. No one talks this way. The two primary characters fall in love but there is no explanation of why. The girl is good looking and this is the extent of the attraction between them. Yet, they are willing to be in a relationship with an alien based on a few passing glances and an improbable ride on a glider turned single-engine aircraft. The battles have no drama in them. The main character knows all about all of science and almost never follows a wrong hunch. The primary foil character is almost as likeable as the main guy and the evil villain gets thwarted way too easily. There is no quest, no self-discovery and very little suspense to hold the story together.
To top all of that off, the ending makes no sense at all. Even if it did make sense, it has no point to it. The only point I could conjure was wondering if the hero becomes his own ancestor.
There is so much Deus Ex Machina that I wonder if Brin himself believed his book would improve over time. All this book proves is that the second Law of Thermodynamics applies to this novel. It looks very weak, even after all these years.(less)
This book is an enigma. Until the final forty pages, it is a page-turner. Yet, I could not give it more than 3 stars and probably don't recommend it t...moreThis book is an enigma. Until the final forty pages, it is a page-turner. Yet, I could not give it more than 3 stars and probably don't recommend it that highly. At the end, I will mention what groups of people I do think should buy the book and read it. But first, a very brief analysis of the book.
Dugard is the woman who was kidnapped in Lake Tahoe at age 11 and then kept as a sex slave by a man and his wife for 19 years. During that time, she became pregnant twice and gave birth to two girls. In 2009, she was discovered and released from captivity by police. Her captivity is brutal, nauseating, psychologically twisted and is designed to provoke horror in the readers.
Before analyzing the contents of the book, let me observe the overall approach the author takes. There are numerous grammatical, stylistic and word choice mistakes, common with young writers. I suspect Dugard had maximum control over the book's content. It is not polished like you would expect if a ghost writer had written it and not laid out with the common approaches most editors use. She explains in the Forward of the book that she had no intention of sticking with a chronological approach to the narrative. She jumps from the past to the present often. She does this well and though it at times gets annoying, it is never confusing. It is certainly much easier to follow than Time Traveler's Wife. She also decided to make the rape scenarios more graphic than is usually found in tell-all books. I suspect the presence of a therapist in this. It is obvious to me as a counselor that she has a lot of problems with burying her feelings and never allowing anger and pain to come to the surface. Therefore, there is a lot of catharsis in this book's pages.
I have several criticisms of the book's contents. First, she throws in a great deal of animosity toward her step-father, but the anger seems misplaced. She doesn't like how he gets angry because she doesn't brush her teeth. She keeps coming back to his insistence on rules and how he cancels play-dates because she lies to him. It is likely she finds it impossible to completely deal with her anger toward the Garridos (her captors) and so focuses part of it on her step-father. She also spends a great deal of time in the book telling how law enforcement failed to find her when they easily could have done it. Though this is true (and Diane Sawyer makes this her focal point in the Dugard interviews on ABC), the accounts of these are not woven into the book. They seem thrown in to emphasize the her grief. She also spends page after page after page reprinting journal entries that essentially show her caring for dogs and cats in minute detail. So little attention is paid to her daughters in the book that one would think she cared more about the animals than her girls. I know this cannot be true, and I suspect she does this to protect the identity and privacy of her daughters, but the over-emphasis on the animals does seem strange.
She does a number of things well. She analyzes her emotional state at each stage with credibility. I suspect a lot of this is due to the work of her therapist who is given a lot of credit with helping restore her to sanity at the end of the book. She also makes herself eminently quotable as she emphasizes how she refused to hate the Garridos, or even to be bitter over the pain they caused. She is very realistic and accurate in her descriptions of Garrido's flaws and sick behavior, not excusing any of it while analyzing how his drug use and sexual fetishes are not the result of mental illness but actually the other way around. I love how she does not paint her victim state with bright colors and will not allow the reader to see Garrido as a victim of mental illness either. In reading the book, I felt she was fair with all parties concerned, except perhaps her step-father whose only flaw seems to be his mildly unfair discipline of her.
I recommend the book for therapists, people helpers, law enforcement officials, civic leaders and anyone who is given the responsibility to help society rid ourselves of sexual predators. I also recommend this for parents who have raised their children and would like to be involved with helping others raise their children safely. Parents of small children - this book could give you nightmares or thrust you into becoming Helicopter parents if you're not careful. By no means should children read this book until they are in their late teens at least. Warning: The book contains a few highly sexual references and wording which will offend some.
I wish she would have allowed a ghost writer to help her weed out some of the weaker points and this would have been a better book. I am glad she had a chance to do this for herself. I hope it helps. (less)
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