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Ross (3284 KP) rated The Liar's Key in Books

Mar 30, 2018

The Liar's Key

Mark Lawrence | 2015 | Science Fiction/Fantasy

7.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

Reading Mark Lawrence books, while seeing the outpouring of adoration for his works on facebook and goodreads, is quite a complicated situation to find yourself in.
I love Mark Lawrence's writing style - that is, his flowing prose and sense of humour. I love the world of the Broken Empire - a post-apocalyptic version of the world after the use of nuclear weapons (all very much implied) and where the sea level has risen, changing the geography of Europe. I like most of the characters (in that I like all aspects of some of them and some aspects of the rest of them if that makes sense).
The tricky thing is, I have mixed feelings about the way Lawrence lays his books out - to my understanding he has a high level idea of the plot but then just ... writes. He just lets it happen. Now, this isn't a car crash like it might sound, there are enough hints and pointers strewn throughout the book (or trilogy) to make it all hang together, but at times things happen that just don't quite feel right. I'm not sure if its a deus ex machine type thing or just his characters being spontaneous, but at times I found that the right thing happens despite no suggestions this should be so. Characters making illogical decisions etc.
This has been the case throughout all 5 of his books I have read now and it is starting to become an irritant. The thing is, I tend to enjoy the overall story and am glad I have read them, it's just that at times I don't enjoy the journey.
That was very much the case here - the book is considerably longer than its predecessor but without any tangible benefit from that extra word count. The first half of the book is quite a slow boring journey and except for meeting two new characters/companions and some minor plot points, there is very little purpose to it. Snorri, my favourite character from the Prince of Fools, is almost absent here - just a massive, injured, sulking lump. This puts the focus on Jalan, our thoroughly detestable narrator.
The second half sees Jalan separate from the group and head home, only to run off once again, almost without reason. There then follows a very dull section of the book where he seems to be getting ahead at last, making money on the derivatives exchange (makes Phantom Menace trade quota discussions seem positively riveting).
The conclusion of the book is excellent and points to an exciting third book.

Kudos

Alison Pink (7 KP) rated The Sixth Man (King & Maxwell, #5) in Books

Jan 15, 2018

This is the first of the Michelle Maxwell & Sean King series that I have read. I'm not normally someone who picks up a book from the middle of series...I like to read all the way through starting at book 1. However, not knowing any of the "back story" didn't harm my enjoyment of this book at all.
The premise of the book is very cloak & dagger stuff...Dept of Homeland Security, Cabinet memebers, federal prisoners, etc. There were a few places in the book that dragged a bit, but all in all it was a page turner from the outset. Maxwell & King are dynamic lead characters with more twists & turns than you can imagine. There is also a strong chemistry/attraction between them. Baldacci does a great job of putting that aspect out there without making it too sappy, something I hate in spy/action novels.
All told I really look forward to reading more books in this series, even if it means I have to read them out of order!