Michael Sands > Recent Status Updates

Good Abercrombie so far.

The last book ends with a damaged but likeable character with very high stakes for their world. The second book's first half has been dominated by a mostly unlikable, terribly ineffective and deeply flawed main character, only overshadowed by an even more dull coating of weak military fiction. There are themes that would have been incredibly interesting, and sometimes actually are, but so far this has been a slog.

Yo this is actually hella dope. I'm hooked.

Yeesh.

Liking this so far and the east Asian inspired setting is a good change. Also, the audiobook is read by Panam's voice actor from Cyberpunk so I'm a fan.

I really appreciate Cole's direct accounts and data based approach. Having lived in many of the same places he has grown up i can say I am not at all shocked by his experiences accounted thus far. Looking forward to the rest of the book and discomfort it will create/support in my own backyard.

Liking the eastern European feel. Feels like a simple yet mature fairytale but has a depth of character so far that is surprisingly well handled. Enjoying it it.

This better have a good payoff because the middle of this book is a slog.

Maybe its me, but I expected this to be far more interesting based on the premise and setting. So far we have borderline wooden character work and lots of cool unexplored concepts and their potential implications. I have hope this will dig deeper but its a fleeting hope at this point.

This is starting out well. No real sense of whether any of the characters are intriguing but the setup so far has been good. Genes are cool.

This story is talking about some pretty damn important things but i keep getting hung up on 'placed' nerd stuff. Nothing horrible but just feels a bit forced.
One of the characters, however, made a decision i think was completely out of character and either says they are not as loyal as they think they are, or was sloppy writing for character consistency. Unfortunately i think it might be the later. Still good though

So far a decent beginning. Some of the 'nerdy' shoutouts are feeling a little forced but not out of place per-se. Some of the flow i can hear in my head, and others would translate a lot better in movie form. The audiobook version isn't doing it justice for any of the complex flow that is mimicking existing tracks like pun's deep cover but I'm super happy that track got a reference.

Equal parts fascinating, disturbing and only partially dry. Lots of really interesting and challenging statements about how we make our judgements and decisions in daily life. Anchoring and Priming effects are horrifying when applied to important decisions like those in the justice system. Really good read so far but gets a little technical at times.

Glued to this story but I have a rising feeling of dread. My heart can't take this lol.

Ah man I love this.

I feel at home in this book but am waiting to be as entertained as I was in the novellas.

Almost entirely build up and character work up to this point. Can't say I'm bored at all though so that's saying a lot. I'm seeing some of the same elements in the world building that made ASOIAF so believable but the similarity stops with the setting and some set pieces. The tone is very different. I'm looking forward to the rest since I already trust Joe by default.

I've laughed out loud multiple times so far. I am absolutely loving this book.

I already love this.

The story slowed a fair bit if you find court intrigue tedious but still finding ways to keep me going.

What a lovely mess this is becoming. Exactly what I needed to keep the story fresh and interesting.

Despite my generally positive feelings for the first book i didn't expect to be enjoying this one as much as I am. It's almost like the author improved or i didn't fully appreciate his style until now. The pace is also much faster, the stakes are higher and there is still time to wax philosophical so I cant complain at all.

Grit Scores, Deliberate Practice, CBT/outcome based self-talk. All good stuff. The book promises to tell how 'grit' can be learned but it feels more like a mixture of all the good ideas ive heard before. Angela is an excellent voice on the subject but I really want some magic sauce or effective tips on how to bring it all together.

Vacation nightmare mixed with steampunk and a painfully naive protagonist. Feels like a cartoon more than anything at this point but not in a bad way.

I only started this out of a random whim after reading some good things about it. It's entirely not what I expected and i'm enjoying it quite a bit.

I find the relationship between effort and talent to be compelling but society's fascination with talent over all else is absolutely true. Good stuff so far.