Challenge: 50 Books discussion
Finish Line 2014
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Jim E's reads for 2014-DONE! Let's go for 75
2. The Eye of Minds
Spoilers included:
I listened to the audio version of this book. I will say the actor did a serviceable but unspectacular job reading the book. As for the book itself, it was a significant drop-off from Dashner's Maze Runner series. The book takes place largely in a virtual reality environment. I have recently read several books set in VR environments (the Insignia series and Ready Player One) and this book pales in comparison to both in how it makes use the VR environments and, more importantly, story telling. I frequently found myself having trouble visualizing parts of the story which became more difficult by the droning "we're walking, we're walking, oh there's a bad guy, now fight" plotting. The story leaves tons of unresolved plot points and borders on new incomprehension. As for the "twist" at the end, while I didn't see it coming, Michael takes the news in such a casual, "oh, it makes sense now" manner, that it makes the reader care even less at the revelation. I will frequently read following books in a series out of a dedication to complete a story but I have no intention of reading the following books in this series. The author did a poor job telling a story that I would care to learn more about, even with the "answers" still to come. Considering how many poor series (Ashes, Immortal Nicholas Flammel, etc) I've continued to read just to finish the story, that should speak volumes for how bad this book is.
3. Star Wars- Empire and Rebellion: Razor's Edge This book was pretty good. It was a very Leia centric novel with Han playing a side role and Chewie and Luke making little more than cameos.
Includes spoilers:
Some of the things I enjoyed about this book was the growing relationship dynamic between Leia and Han pre-ESB. Not many other Rebellion era novels have really explored how their relationship blossomed but this one did, at least in the beginning. It took a back seat later in the novel as the action grew. It was also interesting to see Luke portrayed as a bit of his New Hope smuckness. It is a drastic comparison to how he is in the FOTJ/LOTF novels when he is the all powerful grand master jedi. It was quite a change looking back at him at a time when he knew very little about the force and we still much a wide-eyed, naive farmboy. The only drawback is the book was short. I wish it would have been much longer. I wait so long for a new Star Wars novel to come out and then I'm done with it in days. Wish the enjoyment would have lasted longer.
4. The Trap
I didn't really care for this book. I listened to the audiobook version and the actor was really dry and near monotone in his performance. I'm not sure if it was because Gene is meant to be largely emotionless or if the guy is just that dull as a reader. It certainly made the book harder to listen to. Also, I felt the writing was not done with straight-forward language. For example, people didn't try to escape or break free from someone's grasp but they tried to "extricate" themselves from the person. I think extricate is used about a dozen times. A lot of the other writing is like that was well where they use a thesaurus type word rather than normal language. I personnally don't care for the literary type novel, especially in YA or vampires. As for the story, I will give it credit for answering at least 90% of the loose ends. However, I just didn't really care about the results. It may be because vampires aren't really my thing (i prefer zombies) or that I never felt a strong connection or empathy for Gene. I think I largely read Prey and the Trap because I had read the first book and the second two were both on audio. I definitely wouldn't have continued if I had to pay for the books.
This year has not started off well. Only one of these books got more than 2 stars. Ugh.
5. Unfed
may include spoilers:
The book was interesting and moved at a quick pace. The book is very action packed. However, because it is so action packed and short (270 pages), there is very little else. There is virtually no character development or plot development. The story just jumps from one action sequence to the next. Alice, Smitty, Pete, and Bobby's mom are largely just charictures with no depth. Smitty is the wise-ass, Alice is the annoying, popular girl, Pete is the uber-smart geek. At one point in the book, they make a comment that they have checked on the kids parents and they are fine and alive. Bobby realizes she hadn't even thought about her friends families at all. I'd go even further to say the author didn't even think about these supporting characters at all. They are little more than window dressing, occasionally used to help move from one point of action to another.
The other thing I didn't really care for was the gimmick of ending with a cliffhanger, which was done in the first novel as well. I don't mind leaving a story with more story to be told, but don't like a novel to not finish its internal story arc. Each novel in the series should have an internal story arc, that is completed in that novel, while advancing the series arc at the same time. For example, the Harry Potter series. Each book has its own story arc (chamber of secrets, tri-wizard tournament, etc) that concludes at the end of the book. However, each book also contributes towards the series arc, Harry vs. voldemort, that is concluded in the last book. Undead and Unfed have no internal story arc but only a series arc that is told in pieces. when broken up this way, I feel it is a gimmick in order to sell more books (a trilogy vs one large book). I would prefer one, complete story rather than pieces. Some may argue that Bobby searching for Smitty and her mom are this books internal arc, but I would disagree. That is just a continuation from the first book. there is no separate internal story, just the larger series arc of which this is the next phase.
Still, the book is fairly witty and entertaining. I'll read the next book when it comes out, at my library, not the bookstore.
6. Steelheart
This was a very good book, the best so far this year. I'm glad I stumbled across it in the library. It was a lot of fun to listen to. The actor did an exceptional job performing the book making it all that more enjoyable. I grew up on comic books so I liked the superpowered themed story but the story is more about the characters than the powers.
Spoilers ahead:
I don't want to actually give any spoilers but will state there are several revelations that occur during the last chapter or two in the book. Once you hear/read them, you will recall all the subtle hints left by the author throughout the book that support each of them without giving them away. I had hints at several of them but didn't realize them fully until revealed. Then quite a few of the story points made more sense. I will say that the hints are largely subtle and need to be pieced together which is great. I've read some books where the hints were as subtle as a brick over the head and everyone but the main character was able to guess the big secret (Article 5 comes to mind). I will definately be on the watch for the rest of this series, especially in audio format.
7. The Reluctant Assassin (W.A.R.P. 1)
This book was okay but at times it was a bit childish in its writing. The story is probably best geared for pre-teens as opposed to young adults. I will say that the author has an annoying writing style regarding POV. Normally, a story is either told from one character's POV (either internally, I, or externally, like in Harry Potter). I have no problem with either. With regards to the third person narrative, though, the author should remain relatively consistent as to whose head they are inside of. A proper writer will change POV perspective in different chapters or have a line break in the story so you can be prepared to switch perspectives. In this book, the author frequently changes POV from one character to the next within the same paragraph. One line will be from Chevie's POV, then you'll just to Riley's mind the next line, followed by Garrick's in a third. It gets very confusing because characters are so different and you're rapidly changing thinking styles in the middle of the story. Chevie is a modern day teenage girl, whereas Riley is a 19th century slum kid. Those mindsets and thought styles are not the same and switching so quickly makes you focus on the writing mechanics rather than the story. The POV perspective should be cleaned up and kept consistent.
8. The Dragon Factory
An entertaining book but far from great literature. A pure action novel at its best. Captain Ledger is a bit unbelievable as essentially the toughest, baddest man on the planet. He seems to be perfect at everything, including getting his butt kicked. The novel is fast-paced and interesting. It had a unique premise, though slightly unbelievable, was still fun and made for a good story. Don't look for a lot of character development. You get a little bit from time to time for Joe Ledger but nothing for the rest of the characters. The bad guys are simply there to do bad things and give someone for Joe to shoot at. They are in line with Bond level villains for wanting to destroy the world. Bunny and Top are simply there to shot things and blow crap up. I'm still trying to figure out how Top is 6'2" and 170 pounds of lean muscle. He should be a lot heavier than that at that size given his strength. Mr. Church is interesting but only serves the purpose of telling Joe where to shoot and to be mysterious. Bug and Dr. Hu are fun but are mostly comic relief and exposition characters. If you like lots of detailed described fighting and violence, this is a pretty good book. But don't look for any depth of character because any of that is buried under all the rumble from the explosions these guys cause. Still curious if these books will lead to the opening developments of the Benny Imura series.
9. Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi- Into the Void
This was a good book but not great. I'm not a huge fan of that time period of Star Wars so I didn't have a strong committment to the characters and storyline. I seemed to serve more as a large background book for the beginning of the jedi. It was interesting seeing certain characters within the book that are extreme minorities in the Empire/Rebellion era onward (Noghri, Sith). It seemed odd having those characters are part of the story knowing how rare they become. I was waiting for the author to introduce a Fosh and a character that was green and about 3 feet tall. Okay book but there is a reason it took me months before I read it even though I bought it in the first couple weeks of sale.
10. 39 Clues: Unstoppable- Nowhere to Run
This was a quick entertaining read. I enjoy these books because you get a little bit of history and they are action packed, mindless fun. The only thing I didn't care for was Amy's attitude. I understand she feels as if she is responsible for everyone but part of being a leader isn't trying to control everyone. She needs to provide the others with all the information and let them make an informed decision about whether they want to take the personal risks or not. She can't control their lives or safety herself, it needs to be up to them. Let them know what they are in for and let them decide if it is worth the risk or not.
11. 39 Clues: Unstoppable- Breakaway
Still an interesting book but I am losing compassion for Amy. They are starting to make her very annoying thinking she has to save the world herself rather than letting other people make decisions for themselves. I think there were some inconsistences in this book. At one point they mention Nellie dyed her hair brown when in the previous book I could have swore she just washed out the white streaks to make it back to its normal black. Also, I think there is too much emphasis on using Jake and Atticus at the expense of the rest of the Cahills. Jonah, Hamilton, and Ian are virtually bystanders and Madison and Reagan have been written out all together. I guess training for the olympics is more important than saving the world. I like the addition of Pony though (but could do without the lame Outsiders references. I may get them because I'm old enough to remember the movie but the target age demographic is going to be lost on them.)
13. Star Wars Legacy Vol 1-8
This is actually a review of the first 8 volumes of the Legacy series. I found the story enjoyable and appreciated the ties to the earlier eras of the Star Wars universe. the artwork is well done (though is there a female character in the story that is not incredibly busty?). I'm not a huge fan of Cade as a skywalker or of Emperor Fel. Neither of them seems to be someone you really want to cheer for. The stories are fun and enjoyable if lacking in character development, especially of the supporting characters (not surprising for comics).
14. Reviver
This is not a type of book that I would normally read. It was a good book and I would be interested in the sequel which it appeared to set up well. The characters were interesting and enjoyable to follow. The only thing I didn't like about this was some of the grammer. The book was originally published in England by an English writer. However, the book is set in Virginia. This in itself isn't a problem, except the author uses the British english version of many words (i.e. colour instead of color). I feel this should have been corrected in the American version. Also, some of the characters use some british english phrases or terms that you would not hear from Americans. This was only a problem because it was disruptive to the story flow because you realized it wasn't the way an american would talk but a brit. Beyond this, the book was good.
15. Independent Study
Includes spoilers:
This book was good and was a quick read. It was a bit short and probably could have done with a bit more action. After reading the book, I thought the first book in the series would make a good movie based on its action and suspense. This book, however, probably would not make a good sequel on film. It was lacking in action and the realistic threat of danger to the hero. When reading YA novels with a female heroine, it is difficult to not compare them to the Hunger Games, so I will do so. Just like in Tris in Divergent, we are consistently told that Cia is in danger. However, you never really feel like there is a threat to her life, at least not one greater than that posed by Damone. In the Testing, you were seeing kids die constantly for failing tests and there was a legitimate threat. In Independent Study, there was no constant threat to her life. By comparison, in the Hunger Games, you know Katniss's life is in danger because that is the nature of the Hunger Games. There is a legitimate and perpetual threat to her life, not just her comfort or identity.
In another comparison between the three books, I am a little tired with the teenager must save the world alone approach. In Divergent, Tris takes on this role despite very little involvement in the overall scheme of events. Sure, she is divergent and can't be mind controlled but that does not necessarily equate to her being the leader of the rebellion. In Independent Study, Cia has even less requirement for getting thrust into this role as leader of the coming rebellion. Sure, she remembers a few things from the testing and knows about Symon but that does not make her responsibile for saving the Commonwealth. Katniss, on the other hand, developed into her role slowly. First, she was just fighting to save her life. Next, she was fighting for the lives of her family. When it finally came time for rebellion, she wasn't meant to be the leader of the rebellion, but the figurehead of the rebellion. This makes sense because based on her performance and presence on a nationally televised event (twice) the country is already aware of who she is and she has developed a following. She isn't leading the rebellion but is a marketable symbol for it. Tris and Cia do not have that weight of authority brought about by a televised performance nor is Katniss thrust into a leadership role. Her role is the rebellion is more realistic than that of Tris or Cia and thus make the books more believable and enjoyable.
16. Inferno
Includes spoilers:
Was this a suspense novel or an art history text book. I have read all of Dan Brown's other books I maybe I just don't remember them as well but I don't recall there being so much art history exposition disrupting the story as there was in this one. Especially in the first half to 2/3 of the novel, the action was constantly being disrupted by Langdon's musings on different art facts. It repeatedly killed the flow of the story and at times was completely unrealistic. There are scenes were Langdon is being chased then all of a sudden he starts giving details on some painting and then begins telling a story about a lecture he gave on the painting. Meanwhile, the reader is like, "hey, you are getting shot at. would you really be reminiscing about that painting right now?" while I enjoy the detail and research Brown puts into his books, he needs to utilize that knowledge in a way that doesn't destroy the flow of the narrative. At least he kept it to a minimal amount by the time he got to the climax of the story.
Otherwise, the book was enjoyable. I find it "interesting" that in each of his books, Langdon is also teamed with an attractive, young female. You'd think just once he might be teamed up with old history professor. Some of the biological warfare parts of the book seem a bit unrealistic (such as how quickly a portable PCR machine works, those things are not instanteous readers but take a little time). You'd also think that by now with all the different crap Langdon gets involved in with the law and his little adventures, word would have spread through the international law enforcement community about him now. I'm surprised he's not on an international watch list anytime an art related crime takes place.
17. Monsters
Includes spoilers:
Oh, how much did I hate this book. Let me count the ways. This book was horrible and painful to finish. Let's start with this. When I started reading the book, I was beginning to wonder if I had read this series before because so many of the characters were unfamiliar. At one point, I did a web search to find a synopsis of the previous book to remind me of what happened. I found the author's website that said "So it's been a year since you've read Shadows". I thought that would be a good way to remind myself what happened (I found this same info in the back of the book later). While it did provide a recap of where the major characters were at the end of shadows, none of those characters were the ones that were the primary focus of about the first 1/3 of the book. People who were minor characters in shadows were now in the forefront (Pru, Aiden, Greg, Hannah, etc) and you have no idea who these people are. I would suggest reading Monsters only if you have just completed Ashes and Shadows back to back. It might decrease the confusion. When our normal heroes of Tom, Alex, Peter, and Chris show up, 3 of the 4 of them are dying/insane. This becomes an issue because the book is told from first person POV. Normally that isn't a problem except when you are in the head of a insane/drugged/fighting for your life person. At this point, the book becomes largely incomprehensible. This continues through most of the book. When it gets to some action scenes, Bick decides to have everyone get attacked at once and you end up bouncing back and forth between three different combat scenes in different locations with different characters. That works in Star Wars but is poorly executed here. Other times, main characters disappear for large parts of the book, Tom disappears for about 150 pages at one point.
I heavily criticized the first two books because I hated the cliffhanger endings and didn't feel as if they told a complete story. the result is a near 700 monster that tries to tie things up because the stories before them were so incomplete. Many of the characters mentioned in the "it's been a year" recap barely have any role in the final chapter.
Overall, this was a painful trudge through near incomprehensible ramble that had me wishing for numerous hours of my life back.
18. Star Wars Omnibus Clone Wars Vol 2: The Enemy on All Sides
I suppose this was okay. The clone wars are not my favorite star wars era and several of these stories just seemed like outlets to kill off large numbers of random jedi. Some of the artwork was decent but some of it was mediocre(the general grievous story). Good for the star wars completist.
19. Star Wars Omnibus Clone Wars Vol 1: The Republic Goes to War and 20. Star Wars Omnibus Clone Wars Vol 3: The Republic Falls
I actually preferred this collection to the previous two. I'm not a huge clone wars era fan. I think the part I enjoyed most was seeing Order 66 get played out a bit more than it was in the movie. I enjoyed seeing what happened to a few of the other jedi beyond those in the film.
21. Insurgent
Includes spoilers:
I am not sure what I think about this book. It was decent but not exceptional. The relationship between Tris and Four seems like typical teenage unreasonableness. I think it is funny when Four gets upset with Tris for not telling him all his secrets and then she reminds him that he didn't tell her everything either. What I don't like is how everyone keeps making references to Tris's affinity for Eridite even though she makes some pretty stupid decisions. It she is supposed to have a pre-disposition for intelligence, why isn't she able to figure out that Janine wants one of the divergent in order to study them to better figure out how to control them. I suppose intelligence doesn't overcome a teenagers lack of common sense. Also, if she is so smart, why does she keep running into situations half-cocked without thinking them through.
when the information is finally revealed at the end, it really stretched the bounds of reality as to how things started in the first place and trying to make them make sense. It almost seems as if the faction system set-up didn't seem to fit the intent portrayed in the book. I'll listen to the next book but it will be curious how the author will try and make this make sense. I also don't see how they are going to make this into an interesting movie. I have trouble seeing how Divergent could be a decent film and this one doesn't seem a much better fit.
22. Star Wars Omnibus: At War with the Empire Vol 1
this book was interesting. Some of the stories were better than others and some of the artwork wasn't very good. I like the story with Leia visiting her old boyfriend but preferred the artwork in the story about the newbie maintenance tech getting caught up with Han and Leia. Good stories but not sure how much they added to the overall scheme of things in the expanded universe.
23. Hunger Games
This is part of my annual re-read of the series. this is about the 4th time I've read it since 2012. That should give you an idea of what I think of the book.
24. Deadline
this was a good book and moved along at a quick pace. While Shaun is reasonably entertaining (even more so since he is borderline insane), I prefer Georgia. I have to admit that it had been quite some time since reading the first book in the series which left me wondering at different parts as I tried to recall specific plot points. The plot twist at the end was something I had predicted easily once Kelly made it clear how she had gotten to Shaun's apartment. Overall, the book was good and entertaining. I'll probably try and get the third one read rather soon before I forget the plot. It looks to be setting up a good conclusion.
25. Star Wars Omnibus: At War with the Empire Vol 2 
I suppose this omnibus was good but I have already forgotten most of the storylines. The Ahakista Gambit was good and I liked the story linking back to Jabim. It had good artwork at least. Most of the other stories were pretty forgetable though I like the introduction of Deena Shan in Small Victories.
26 and 27. Catching Fire and Mockingjay
Part of my annual re-read of the series.
28. Star Wars Omnibus: Early Victories
The biggest thing I remember about this omnibus is that the stories and dialogue were very cheesy. The dialogue in Splinters of a Minds Eye was so childish is was almost unbearable. The tales from mos eisley bit was dull and didn't include any major characters nor tales from the book version. Good for the star wars completist but rather uninspiring.
29. Star Wars Omnibus: Shadows of the Empire
This collection was okay. Shadows of the Empire was decent but it shortened the story from the book so much that it wasn't very enjoyable. The Mara Jade story was good but a little disappointing. The second Shadows of the Empire story was the best. It had an interesting story and the best art. My only complaint on it was Guri's expression never changed. She is drawn with the same look on her face in almost every panel. I think the author might have chalked this up to her being a droid. However, she is meant to be a human replicant droid and therefore should adjust her expressions appropriately.
30. Zombie Survival Guide
This is a great book. I really enjoyed reading it and it had lots of practical advice. If only more movies followed the rules in here, they might be more entertaining. I was recently in a course teaching people to be instructors and my 20 minute lecture was how to survive the zombie apocalypse based on the guidance in this book. I actually disagreed with the author on a few points. First, I think a bow and arrow can be a good weapon if you are already trained in it. It can provide a silent kill at a distance. Also, you can recover your ammo if used appropriately. try that with bullets. Additionally, when everyone else is raiding the local sporting goods store of guns and bullets, the archery supplies will go untouched. I also disagree about how great the Katana sword is. I think a lot of his justification is on how cool a katana sword is. However, if you are not trained on how to fight with a sword, you're more dangerous to yourself than zombies. A machete is a better choice. It's practical and multi-functional. Plus, any idiot can use a machete. Overall, a great book.
Update: 2014- I listend to the audio version. It was good but I think the actor was overly dramatic compared to other readers.
31. Star Wars: Honor Among Thieves
I really enjoyed this book. It was great to see the early dynamic between Han and Leia taking place while they were still figuring each other out. Scarlett was a great character to introduce and I would have liked to seen more of her. Maybe we'll get lucky and she'll get picked up by the official canon. My biggest complaint about the book was how short it was; less than 300 pages. I look forward to my star wars books so much and they come so rarely that I like them to last a bit longer. This one was too quick. Still a fun book.
32. 39 Clues: Unstoppable- Countdown
Generally I like these books because they have a bit of history as well as some adventure. However, they are getting a bit annoying. Amy's actions are so ridiculous that she has become a very annoying character. I also don't like a "good" leader being presented as someone who makes the decisions for the people that work for them. What I mean is her insistence on not allowing Jake and Atticus to decide for themselves if they want to risk their lives for the antidote. She needs to provide them the information and let them make their own decision as to their involvement. She shouldn't try to control them out of fear.
Most of the time the book is fun for all ages but other times it reads too much like a little kids book. One point where this shows up is with Nellie in her disguise as an organic chemist expert. The interaction between her and the suspicious co-worker is implasible. She gets the guy fired because of gnomes and the company responds with an instant promotion to VP. WTF? Its like saying, "you passed your driver's test, congratulations, you're now President of the United States".
the authors have done a good job of making both Dan and Amy protaganists you don't really like anymore. The most interesting characters are Pony and Atticus. The rest of the Cahills are underused.
33. Zoo
This was a good and enjoyable book and a super quick read. The plot is a bit implausible so you need to not over think it because the science in it is pretty thin and disconnected. If you want good science supporting a book, read Critchon or Richard Preston. However, if you want a book with an interesting premise that is fun, this is a good one.
I was going to make a comment about wondering how much James Patterson actually writes of these books he co-authors because they seem so much better than the books he writes alone (i.e. Women's murder club is much better than Alex Cross novels... I stopped reading them because they got so stupid and poorly written). However, while doing a quick web search, I found an article where Patterson admits that he doesn't actually write the books he co-authors. He comes up with characters and a plot and about a 60 page story treatment and then hands it off to someone else to write. That being said, I think Michael Ledwidge does a good job crafting an interesting story. I would suggest readers who enjoy this book to check out more of his solo titles as opposed to James Patterson's titles since I think Ledwidge is doing most of the plotting and story telling.
On a negative note, I don't think either author has much of a science background because the scientific explainations seem like 1) a hodgepodge of marquee environmental topics (cell phones, petroleum emissions) and 2) fancy scientific words (pheromones and hydrocarbons) that don't really go together or make any sense. Really, radiofrequency waves having a synergistic effect with airborne chemicals to create a biological aftereffect? Not so much. Still, if you can ignore that, the book is fun.
34. Star Wars: Old Republic- Annihilation
The book was good and moved at a quick pace. However, it wasn't anything exceptional. I'm not a huge fan of the Old Republic series of books. I also am not a huge fan of books based on the games. Since I don't play the games, it feels like I'm missing out on a lot of the backstory.
35. Rule of Three
includes spoilers:
This book was okay and had an interesting premise, however, things seemed to work out just a little too perfectly for the little band of people. Herb is a great character, but being the know-all/end-all for everything just makes things too neat and stretches the realism to the point of disbelief. The biggest part I didn't like about this book was the ending. It seems as if it is meant to be part of a series. However, the ending was extremely abrupt. I think it could have done with a bit more epilogue to explain where things were headed next. The book basically had the climatic battle for the climax of the book and then ended immediately afterwards. The main characters were still on the battlefield and the enemy had just been defeated and wham!! the book ends. For instance, imagine if Star Wars had ended immediately after the death star had been blown up. Not even before they started flying back but immediately after the explosion. It is too abrupt. There needed to be just a little bit more to set up where the rest of the series is going.
Now, this all assumes the book is the first in the series. If it is meant to be stand-alone than it sucks even more. You would have a complete red herring regarding their dad going on and all sorts of unresolved plot lines.
36. Star Wars Omnibus: Emissaries and Assassins
This collection wasn't that great. The back story on A'Sharrad Hett was pretty interesting. However, I didn't care for the Emissaries to Malastare story. The attitudes of the Jedi seemed to conflict with everything else available on them. Jedi are always presented, especially pre-clone wars, as a bit more serene and thoughtful. However, in that story, they were pretty much jerks and openly antagonistic. It wasn't just one of them (such as Master Piell which would make sense because of his personal connection) but all of them. Adi Gallia, Mace Windu, Mundi. Everybody was openly trying to start a fight and be a jerk. Considering they were meant to be a peaceful force to come in and aid in negotiations, this seemed counterproductive as it looked like it would make things worse. The back story on Jango Fett was the best piece. The Phantom Menace pieces were ok but Padme's was a bit over the top and unbelievable.
37. Blackout
This book was okay but not anything exceptional. I would have enjoyed a lot more backstory on how the country got into the terrorist environment they were in and what was going on. The little bit given at the end of the book regarding the master planner was a bit short and abrupt. Having read some of Well's other books, I'm not surprised that he left out lots of detail. He did that in the Variant series too. The story had an interesting premise but I think it was unfulfilled. The climax was disappointing.
SPOILER!!!!
You had been following Jack and Audrey for the entire book and the climax comes, and they aren't even part of it. Its a big fight between Lori and Dan that left me wondering what the hell happened. That was a letdown. The epilogue type scenes with Russia invading the US despite all the terrorist stuff was kinda WTF? I see that the author wants to escalate the scale of the book for the sequel but I think it would be better served if it dealt with the lambdas as opposed to traditional warfare with another nation. That seemed more random than the military specifically targeting the rogue lambdas effectively. That fight never got resolved and I was pretty confused what was going on with it and Alec at the end of the book. Let's just say I'm glad I got it at the library.
38. Fragments
This book was okay but largely forgettable. There wasn't anything specifically bad about it but neither was there anything specifically good about it. It was just there. I would suggest reading Partials right before reading Fragments because some of the characters can get confusing. These are mainly the other youth back in Long Island, Xochi, Haru, Ariel, etc. These characters are not fleshed out really well and its nearly impossible to tell most of them apart, especially the girls. I know they were better explained and used more Partials so a fresh memory may make them more distinguishable rather than just random people that appear periodically in the book with no strong connection to the plot. They are more like props than characters.
39. Star Wars Omnibus: Menace Revealed
Most of the stories in this volume were rather uninspiring. The Starcrash story was pretty poor. The Jango Fett/Zam Wesell stories were actually pretty decent with some of the better artwork. The Bounty Hunter: Aurra Sing story was annoying as it showed little originally, simply using the same locals that had been used in the movie (apparently Endor and Hoth were regular places frequented by others before the original trilogy. Curious as to why either the rebellion or empire would set up secret bases on such popular places). Not one of the better collection of stories either writing or artistic wise.
40. Star Wars: Maul- Lockdown
This book was interesting and its nice to see different takes on the Star Wars universe (i.e. a horror novel). However, I felt like it was mostly done in order to kill a bunch of random, unimportant characters in gruesome ways. the plot line with Darth Plagiues and Sidious seemed like a bit of a stretch. It was interesting to see more of Darth Maul but you don't really get a lot of character development out of him. He is basically a focused killing machine with little personality. The ending of the book was a bit of a letdown and not nearly as climatic as it could have been. I also found myself getting caught up on some of the inconsistencies with star wars language/earth language. In all other books, the common drink is Caf. However, this book referred to it as Coffee. There were a few other "earth" terms as opposed to star wars. The plotline involving a "nuclear" device seemed to earthy to me. Also, I got a bit annoyed when the author threw big "scary" sounding words together and demonstrated a clear misunderstanding of science. The nuclear device is made of weapons-grade depleted uranium. By definition, depleted uranium is not weapons-grade. It has depleted to the point where it is not weapons-grade.
I also listened to the audio version of the book. It was not read by Marc Thompson who reads most of the other star wars novels and is awesome. This guy was passable though his character voices were inconsisent. His Darth Maul was good and close to the movie but at times he would use a different "voice" for Maul or use Maul's voice for other characters. Plus, the characters voices were too similar without enough differentiation.
41. Apocalypse Scenario #683: The Box
First off, this is billed as a short story. By my definition, a story (short or long) has three components. A beginning, a middle, and an end. This short story is missing two of those three components. It is essentially a prologue. There is the set-up for a story but then it stops with no resolution or action. That being given, I think this would be a good prologue and set-up for a much larger story. I would be interested to read a story based on the background used here. I was just disappointed in that the story never got concluded. It started, then fizzled into nothingness just as it was getting interesting.
42. Blackout
Includes spoilers:
this book was good and interesting. The writing is clever and the characters are fun and interesting. I particularly liked Becks and Mahir. The book is very action packed and moves at a high speed chase throughout. It was nice having Georgia back in the book. I don't really care for the way it was done. I think Grant did an interesting thing killing off her main character in the first book. That really took a chance. However, resurrecting her from the dead at the end of the last book, even as a clone was a bit of a cop out. Georgia is a great character but I think things went a little comic book bringing her back. Also, while the book hints at a huge conspiracy throughout the second and third books, it is discovered and revealed a bit too quickly. Basically comes in the evil villain monologue. Still the book was interesting and a good read. Nice conclusion to the series.
43. Countdown
Decent. Adds a bit of backstory to how the viruses were developed and Kellis-Amberlee started. Really more of snippets with all the actual action summerized in end of segment briefs that are only about 3-4 lines long. Would have been more interesting if those sections had been expanded into a narrative rather than summaries. I have not been impressed by Grant's novellas and short stories. They are too incomplete.
44 and 45. Star Wars: In the Shadows of Yavin and From the Ruins of Alderaan
This series was interesting and it had much better artwork than a lot of the Star Wars comics I've seen. The story did seem to contradict a bit of the history in the rest of the EU novels. I don't recall any novels ever demonstrating that Leia had any particular skill as a star fighter pilot especially being one in the class of Wedge. That seemed pretty opposite of everything else written about her. The only times I really remember her piloting a ship is when she co-piloted the Falcon. The story itself was pretty interesting and much better than a lot of the Clone Wars storylines. Luke seems a bit cockier than I remember him especially since the Zahn novels from that era portray him as a bi more of a newb and farmboy in the great big city.
46. Darkest Path
This book falls solidly in the category of "eh". It wasn't good, it wasn't bad. It just was. I never really felt for the main character of Cal and most of the other characters passed through so quickly with little development (even Nat and James) that you barely got to understand them. I'll commend Hirsch for not joining the trend of making every book a part of a series but this book is just like his other two, totally forgettable. Six months from now, I'll barely have remembered reading it or what the plot was.
47. Zombie Fallout
This book was funny and entertaining. I had heard this actor read before and he was very dull and unemotional. Apparently that was because of the material because he was much more animated with this novel. The novel itself was quite enjoyable. There were a few minor errors where Mike referred to himself in the third person and Travis and Justin were nearly impossible to tell apart. The story approach having Mike provide a post incident recording is a similar approach to other blog/journal approaches (Day by Day Armaggedon, Allison Hewitt is Trapped), however by doing it as a recording, you get the rest of Mike's humorous rambles as he speaks aloud rather than just what he writes down. It is a lot more entertaining. There are a couple of instances where there is unnecessary exposition at the wrong time (learning of Mike's near infidelity while Tracy is being attacked, learning the history of Mike and Paul). The author needs to come up with a better plot device to get that material into the book rather than a lengthy flashback in the midst of battle. Some of it was probably unnecessary and unimportant to the overall plot. I will definately be reading the next book in the series, preferably on audiobook.
Woo hoo, three more to go to reach 50. I got one audiobook that should go quick but #50 is probably going to end up being the first Game of Thrones book. That might take awhile to finish.
48. Divided
This book was okay. The problem with it is it isn't really necessary. It is a sequel to Dualed but it doesn't have a natural progression of story. It feels to contrived compared to the first story, kinda like the author didn't really have an idea for a series but decided to build one after the fact when the first book was "successful". It didn't really fit.
Spoilers:
West is also a bit of a moron. Or at the very least, severely lacking in situational awareness which would be out of character for a Striker/assassin. When she comes across Odden, it takes her awhile to realize he's a complete. Even when she does, she never really questions that if he is a complete and not an alt of a board member, what does that mean about the first two she was hired to kill. This is stuff that is blantantly obvious to the reader but takes West forever to figure out. It is frustrating that she is so dim considering all her other character traits and portrayals.
49. Boneshaker
I suppose this book was okay. The problem is steampunk isn't really my thing. It was well written and the action certainly increased and was enjoyable in the final quarter of the book. The problem is it just never really connected with me, largely out of personal preference than any specific failing of the author. I mainly read it because my son had and I thought it would be nice if we both tried to read the same book. I doubt I will be rushing out to read any more steampunk in the near future, but maybe someday.
50. I Hunt Killers
This was a very interesting book. I normally don't tend to read a lot of suspense/detective style novels. This one was pretty enjoyable. Jas is very much an imperfect and flawed protagonist but at the same time, not totally annoying for being a teenager. Some YA book teens are written so realistically as teens you want to choke them (I have a teen so I know how annoying they can be sometimes). Howie was a very entertaining side character. Overall, a pretty good book. I'll be continuing the series.
Challenge: 50 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Avengers vs X-Men: It's Coming (other topics)Iron Man: Civil War (other topics)
Civil War: Captain America (other topics)
Civil War: A Marvel Comics Event (other topics)
The Road to Civil War (other topics)
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A largely uninspiring book. To give you a hint, I usually can read a book I really enjoy in a couple of days. I had to force myself and sit down and finish this one. I managed to finish it while watching the NFL playoffs since I was already up watching the game. It is possible the characters are a bit too real with regards to the teenagers. They are largely selfish and self-absorbed, ignorant, and annoying. There are five main teenagers that are the main focus and none of them really has any redeeming qualties that makes you want to pull for any of them. Lexi is marginally positive but still so self-absorbed and socially clueless that you don't really like her. Spoilers ahead.....
Ryan is equally selfish and thinks too much of himself. He thinks he is saving the two children in the car because he brings them a little bit of food once a day. Even when one of them is sick, he still barely checks on them or gets them anything but considers himself their savior. If he really cared about them, he would at least stick around to check on them for awhile and try and comfort them. He doesn't do jack but thinks he is some sort of hero. I think he's a punk. Strangely, the only person worth pulling for is the Senator because she is at least trying to keep some semblance of order and security while trying to take care of people the best she can.
Let's just say, I'm glad I got the book from the library and didn't pay for it.