Search
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Raising Steam: (Discworld Novel 40) in Books
Nov 25, 2019
Raising Steam is another Diskworld book by Pratchett and I have to say I enjoyed it immensely.
The main plot is twofold, firstly concerning steam trains being created (with a nice nod to Reaper Man) and spreading across the Sto Plains and secondly the continuation of the story of the Dwarves from The Fifth Elephant and Thud. There is also some continuation of the Goblin thread from Snuff. As Moist von Lipwig is the main hero (of a sort) there are also references to Going Postal and Making Money (which is also where the title comes from - this is a Moist book).
The main plots only converge towards the end of the story but this doesn't really matter. The train story is fun and fast moving, some nice little nods to the steam pioneers on Roundworld thrown in, plenty of one liners and puns. There are also more than enough references to previous books and Rincewind makes an appearance (although Death only has a cameo and there's no Librarian which is a little disappointing). The Dwarf plot concerns the machinations of the Deep Downers in trying to preserve Dwarven ways and not to modernise.
Both have impetus and are just enough entwined that one plot didn't get left behind. The writing was crisp and well paced - Pratchett seems to have finally adapted to speaking the books rather than physically writing them.
Overall I enjoyed this immensely, certainly the one I've enjoyed the most since Going Postal. Certainly there are some flaws - Drumknott is subverted from being a dry dusty administrator and the railway is simply built too quickly - but these can easily be overcome by the reader.
Recommended for any Discworld fan. Possibly not a good introduction as there are too many knowing nods and references to previous works.
The main plot is twofold, firstly concerning steam trains being created (with a nice nod to Reaper Man) and spreading across the Sto Plains and secondly the continuation of the story of the Dwarves from The Fifth Elephant and Thud. There is also some continuation of the Goblin thread from Snuff. As Moist von Lipwig is the main hero (of a sort) there are also references to Going Postal and Making Money (which is also where the title comes from - this is a Moist book).
The main plots only converge towards the end of the story but this doesn't really matter. The train story is fun and fast moving, some nice little nods to the steam pioneers on Roundworld thrown in, plenty of one liners and puns. There are also more than enough references to previous books and Rincewind makes an appearance (although Death only has a cameo and there's no Librarian which is a little disappointing). The Dwarf plot concerns the machinations of the Deep Downers in trying to preserve Dwarven ways and not to modernise.
Both have impetus and are just enough entwined that one plot didn't get left behind. The writing was crisp and well paced - Pratchett seems to have finally adapted to speaking the books rather than physically writing them.
Overall I enjoyed this immensely, certainly the one I've enjoyed the most since Going Postal. Certainly there are some flaws - Drumknott is subverted from being a dry dusty administrator and the railway is simply built too quickly - but these can easily be overcome by the reader.
Recommended for any Discworld fan. Possibly not a good introduction as there are too many knowing nods and references to previous works.
Heroes and Castles Premium
Games and Entertainment
App
The Undead Horde and their Orc and Goblin allies are at your castle gates, the King is on the brink...
Clash of Clans
Entertainment and Games
8.1
Rate It
App Watch
Join millions of players worldwide as you build your village, raise a clan, and compete in epic Clan...
Dungeon Roll
8.0
Rate It
Tabletop Game
The Dungeon lies before you; you’ve assembled your party of hearty adventurers and have a few...
Merissa (11869 KP) rated Stray (Outcast Mates #3) in Books
Sep 1, 2022
Leonas is a panther shifter who hates water. Can Jeno show him the pleasures of it?
STRAY is the third book in the Outcast Mates series, and I would highly recommend you read it as such, rather than a standalone.
I had said previously that I wanted Leonas' story and I'm happy to say, I got it. He meets a young vampire called Jeno, who has a troubled history with opium addiction. Ivaz thought he'd got rid of the nasty goblin but, instead, it just looks like he moved to a different town. The town where The Twig and Berries reside. That puts it on Leonas' radar, and he, in turn, brings Sebastian and Dominus back into the story.
I found this story to be delightful but it just didn't quite tick all the boxes for me. There were parts I loved - Leonas' hate of baths, for example - that I thought were brilliant, but there were also other parts that frustrated me. Jeno's lack of anger with Leonas was one. Yes, I agree there's no need for unnecessary angst but this WAS NECESSARY!!!!! Leonas didn't give him a chance to explain and basically kicked him out when he was needed the most. I expected at least five minutes of anger but there was nothing. This was more insta than the others and I missed the slow-burn feeling I got with the previous couples.
This is a great addition to the series and I'm really glad I've read it. I highly recommend the series, and have no hesitation in recommending this book as part of that.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
I had said previously that I wanted Leonas' story and I'm happy to say, I got it. He meets a young vampire called Jeno, who has a troubled history with opium addiction. Ivaz thought he'd got rid of the nasty goblin but, instead, it just looks like he moved to a different town. The town where The Twig and Berries reside. That puts it on Leonas' radar, and he, in turn, brings Sebastian and Dominus back into the story.
I found this story to be delightful but it just didn't quite tick all the boxes for me. There were parts I loved - Leonas' hate of baths, for example - that I thought were brilliant, but there were also other parts that frustrated me. Jeno's lack of anger with Leonas was one. Yes, I agree there's no need for unnecessary angst but this WAS NECESSARY!!!!! Leonas didn't give him a chance to explain and basically kicked him out when he was needed the most. I expected at least five minutes of anger but there was nothing. This was more insta than the others and I missed the slow-burn feeling I got with the previous couples.
This is a great addition to the series and I'm really glad I've read it. I highly recommend the series, and have no hesitation in recommending this book as part of that.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated Tempest Rising (Jane True, #1) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
Horror, Romance, Mystery, Urban Fantasy? None of those really, though it falls under the UF genre.
I'm not quite sure why TEMPEST RISING is categorized as horror (fantasy - yes, horror - no), as there is nothing horrific at all about the book, except maybe a little bit of violence. The book was slow to start and, sadly, it never really got very far, and ended up more boring than not. The world building was good, and learning about the different species was interesting, but most of it was, at best, just okay.
The character development was next to nil. Jane starts off decent enough, could be fairly witty, but as the book progressed she became less likeable and her inner monologue started to grate on my nerves. Even though she's had some tough experiences, overall she came across as rather juvenile and I wasn't very impressed with her. And how many 'duh' moments could one person possibly have? Yes, she's new to the 'supe' world, yes, she doesn't know all there is to it, but c'mon, use some smarts girl, it's not that hard to put two and two together. So now it comes to Ryu. Oh, Ryu, ye of no personality. You may be hot, but that's all you have going for you. Talk about a flat character, he was pretty darn boring, which was unfortunate because he took up a big part of the book, and I just plain didn't like him. I got pretty sick of Jane and Ryu going at it like rabbits all the time, which would have been better used by giving him some much needed personality. Along with that, maybe an explanation of how Ryu's Japanese (I'm guessing because of his first name and almond eyes) and who also just happens to be a baobhan sith, which is a type of female vampire, from Scotland at that. The most interesting characters were Anyan, and the town pariah's (that's Jane) many friends, both human and non. How a social outcast has so many friends is beyond me, but you know Jane is despised by her woe-is-me attitude and the two people who hate her. Despite what she thinks, I highly doubt the town revolves around her.
Some of the author's descriptions are confusing and I had to reread them to 'get' it. How can something be both squat and tall (pg. 216), pray tell? I'm still pondering that one. Also, the descriptions and analogies could be really odd, and not in a good way, more in a 'where in the world did that come from?' and 'what the heck?' sorta ways. Like what was up with Ryu's laugh? Barking like a seal, giggling like a choking Pomeranian, and whatever other weird ways he laughed. I'm sorry, but that's not very attractive, but I guess it was supposed to be funny and endearing. Editing problems arose when I couldn't figure out if a certain creature was a goblin or gremlin (there is a difference). I finally figured it out when goblin edged out gremlin for the lead. A mistake dealing with the Porsche's trunk was another minor detail that I picked up on, but most people would probably miss it. I only noticed because I've wanted a Porsche since I was ten. :P
The end does show some promise that Jane might actually get some grit, being a half-selkie is a nice change from the supernatural usual after all, and Ryu just might not be featured as much. So, even with all the problems I had with the book, which did unfortunately top what I did like about the book, I probably will check out the next book in the series.
I'm not quite sure why TEMPEST RISING is categorized as horror (fantasy - yes, horror - no), as there is nothing horrific at all about the book, except maybe a little bit of violence. The book was slow to start and, sadly, it never really got very far, and ended up more boring than not. The world building was good, and learning about the different species was interesting, but most of it was, at best, just okay.
The character development was next to nil. Jane starts off decent enough, could be fairly witty, but as the book progressed she became less likeable and her inner monologue started to grate on my nerves. Even though she's had some tough experiences, overall she came across as rather juvenile and I wasn't very impressed with her. And how many 'duh' moments could one person possibly have? Yes, she's new to the 'supe' world, yes, she doesn't know all there is to it, but c'mon, use some smarts girl, it's not that hard to put two and two together. So now it comes to Ryu. Oh, Ryu, ye of no personality. You may be hot, but that's all you have going for you. Talk about a flat character, he was pretty darn boring, which was unfortunate because he took up a big part of the book, and I just plain didn't like him. I got pretty sick of Jane and Ryu going at it like rabbits all the time, which would have been better used by giving him some much needed personality. Along with that, maybe an explanation of how Ryu's Japanese (I'm guessing because of his first name and almond eyes) and who also just happens to be a baobhan sith, which is a type of female vampire, from Scotland at that. The most interesting characters were Anyan, and the town pariah's (that's Jane) many friends, both human and non. How a social outcast has so many friends is beyond me, but you know Jane is despised by her woe-is-me attitude and the two people who hate her. Despite what she thinks, I highly doubt the town revolves around her.
Some of the author's descriptions are confusing and I had to reread them to 'get' it. How can something be both squat and tall (pg. 216), pray tell? I'm still pondering that one. Also, the descriptions and analogies could be really odd, and not in a good way, more in a 'where in the world did that come from?' and 'what the heck?' sorta ways. Like what was up with Ryu's laugh? Barking like a seal, giggling like a choking Pomeranian, and whatever other weird ways he laughed. I'm sorry, but that's not very attractive, but I guess it was supposed to be funny and endearing. Editing problems arose when I couldn't figure out if a certain creature was a goblin or gremlin (there is a difference). I finally figured it out when goblin edged out gremlin for the lead. A mistake dealing with the Porsche's trunk was another minor detail that I picked up on, but most people would probably miss it. I only noticed because I've wanted a Porsche since I was ten. :P
The end does show some promise that Jane might actually get some grit, being a half-selkie is a nice change from the supernatural usual after all, and Ryu just might not be featured as much. So, even with all the problems I had with the book, which did unfortunately top what I did like about the book, I probably will check out the next book in the series.
Pimp Your Name 2 - More Backgrounds with YOUR Name
Lifestyle and Entertainment
App
Create wallpapers with your name! * NEW VERSION * * Many more design fonts and lettering styles! *...
The Oxford Book of English Verse
Book
Here is a treasure-house of over seven centuries of English poetry, chosen and introduced by...
The Mind
6.0
Rate It
Tabletop Game
The Mind is more than just a game. It's an experiment, a journey, a team experience in which you...
BoardGames CoopGames 2018Games