Michael Sands > Recent Status Updates

Get em Locke.

When your 'magic' system is mathematics based, it would help to give a little more detail as to how that system actually works. There was maybe one scene that tried to illustrate it but stopped short. So far its just been this for the most part: 1) do a fantastical thing, 2) because math, 3) completed.

Any book that can actually make an old man like me laugh out loud, even if once, gains points.

The set pieces are increasingly more epic but I feel like I'm losing interest in the characters or world. Not sure why except that, although some of the world building has been very good for what it has set out to reveal, the characters have not really been developing outside of the main two or 3. The antagonists are under developed and I have a hard time caring about their motivations.

First 40 pages are just an intro to concepts. Nothing very useful yet.

I still like this series but i'm clearly starting to flag on it. I don't know why but it could just be because ive taken too many large gaps between reading sessions.

Still fun. A little strange to follow with the timeline jumping back and forth but it isn't hard to keep up with after a few chapters.

Fun times so far but hope it maintains the pace and ups the banter a bit.

Sometimes i feel like she spends more time on explaining the theories that are being generally believed by the old guard than actually refuting them.

Steady goes it. Getting into post-apocalyptic middling now with a dash of weird.

How is everyone racist in this book... Makes this Black Junta scene feel really out of touch and unbalanced. I get that this is an older book but it feels like Stephen King didn't have any POC as friends at this point. Good book so far despite the unsettling level of ignorance baked into the fabric of the tale.

The first book, Sword of the Lictor has left me wondering if I'll ever be able to fully enjoy this series. So many interesting things but put forward in such a minimalist manner (while also stretching vocabulary to its limits). There is no doubt that the writing is deliberate in its style and approachability (like the two books before). The world is far more interesting than its plot unfortunately.

When does a new parent get to actually read a book? This good reads goal is looking daunting this year.

Well... this just became a lot more important to start working my way through. Thanks Zoë...

Expecting an interesting resolution. Binti is still a great character.

Not at all what I was expecting. Love the universe and the concepts being described for the clashing societies but not sure why its written through a bumbling pirate crew. So far its decent. Only one part felt unnecessary for the story but the characters, outside of the mains, are a mixed bag.

So far, so good. Strangely compelling. It is also taking way more time than I expected with themes of trauma from the first book while moving forward with other new themes.

She might be saving the best stories for last, or her style is growing on me. Cant tell. Narcomancer was compelling and Stone Hunger was good so hope the rest are equally well written.

Stone Hunger was good but I think it is based in the world of her Broken Earth series so it makes sense that it would have more to make it feel like a completely developed story.

Plus side is it makes me want to read Jemisin's novels more.

OK some decently strange ones that feel like they kept my attention at least. The scifi elements are starting to speak a little louder and I think that's contributing the increase in my enjoyment levels. Still not blown away by any of it yet.

I'm pretty tired of Fantasy characters being written as entirely driven by their sexual impulses. If there is anything i'd remove from the genre's history, it's old men trying to write realistic or, worse yet, 'fantasy' harem bullshit relationships between men and women. Why can't i just have a good character written in a believable way that also has believable female counterparts in my fantasy world. Too rare IMO.

I want to like this more but the concepts so far have been mediocre. The last one with the ringworld was good enough. I'm struggling to connect with any of the characters though. Could be that it wasn't really written for 'me' but i don't accept that that is all there is to it.

Finally done the first half of this two volume novel. It's got a great world with hints of science fiction but it really is just following a character around with seemingly random events at this point. That being said, he's a decent enough character with some depth to him. I could do without every woman desiring the main character but he is just awkward and inexperienced enough to make it less cringe worthy.

Although I like his style and approach I cant help but feel it's a one sided conversation that would easily devolve vs any well read skeptic. He stops short, just enough to not be countered outright, where a lot of his ideas are presented as near conclusions when they are merely just thought experiments. I'll keep going.

Figured might as well read this one too. So far, so good.

Finally getting back to this. Hope it starts getting more interesting, and it is leaving a few hints that it may do so soon...

Basically everything you want from Zombie fiction. It'd actually be really hard to get so many interesting takes and perspectives in any other story format so this is probably peak zombie.