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Geek Sublime: Writing Fiction, Coding Software
Book
This is a great novelist on his twin obsessions: writing and coding. What is the relationship...
Kristina (502 KP) rated Behind Closed Doors in Books
Dec 7, 2020
It was a little difficult to get past the "proper" tone of voice, but I've noticed that books with *English?British* spelling - such as favourite and realise, instead of favorite and realize - all have that certain way of writing. This isn't the fault of the author, so much as me being used to a more informal perspective when it comes to books. Despite this, I really, truly enjoyed Behind Closed Doors. I started it around 10 o'clock at night, wanting to read something to pass a couple of hours away without getting too interested, and found myself reading until it was finished. It was a quick read, not too short, but also not as long as other novels. Not necessarily fast paced, the story kept up a steady stream of surprises. I found myself intrigued and desperate to know how Grace would escape Jack, while saving Millie in the process. Granted, I was able to predict most of what would happen by the last 3-4 chapters, I was still very interested in seeing exactly how everything would play out. Behind Closed Doors wasn't dark and mysterious, but it had me figuratively biting my nails in curiosity over what would happen next. I thoroughly enjoyed my first B A Paris experience.
Donna C (199 KP) rated The Art of Death in Books
Jan 18, 2021
Read in 2 days!
I knew I was going to like this book from the First Impression. I read quite a few crime novels and some can be quite "samey" but this was a bit different. The concept of murder victims displayed as artworks by the killer was an interesting twist on the genre. Also unnerving was the way he chose his victims by stalking them on social media and dating sites. It makes you think about what you put online.
Several characters could have been the killer. You decide who it is and then some small action or comment makes you think "Hang on, they just did........ maybe it's actually them?"
The two main police officers were well written, and I would like to see them again in another book. I really wanted to know Detective Inspector Grace Archer's back story from when she was a child and you do get to find out, but perhaps this will be explored further in future?
(A bit of a niggle is the number of typos in the text, at least 10-15!)
Overall, easy to get into, keeps your interest and I'd definitely read more by this author.
Several characters could have been the killer. You decide who it is and then some small action or comment makes you think "Hang on, they just did........ maybe it's actually them?"
The two main police officers were well written, and I would like to see them again in another book. I really wanted to know Detective Inspector Grace Archer's back story from when she was a child and you do get to find out, but perhaps this will be explored further in future?
(A bit of a niggle is the number of typos in the text, at least 10-15!)
Overall, easy to get into, keeps your interest and I'd definitely read more by this author.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Kraken Wakes in Books
Sep 5, 2019 (Updated Sep 13, 2019)
Wyndham's second catastrophe novel isn't up to the same standard as Day of the Triffids, but is still a solidly crafted and (perhaps) eerily prophetic read. Aliens colonise the Earth and begin trying to displace the human inhabitants - but the twist is that they live somewhere almost totally inaccessible to human beings (at the bottom of oceanic trenches) which makes them rather difficult to strike back at.
Despite Wyndham's very reserved style, it's difficult to read The Kraken Wakes now and not interpret it as a novel about climate change: there is the predictable inability to agree on what to do about the crisis to begin with (many key players refuse to admit there is even a problem) and when the invaders make their final move (they melt the icecaps, causing rises in sea level and widespread flooding) the response of world governments leaves a lot to be desired. Many vivid sequences; the tone feels peculiarly light in parts, but the final third of the book is very powerful (though let down a bit by a somewhat bungled conclusion - the original, considerably more accomplished but much darker ending was changed at a late stage). Not one of Wyndham's strongest novels, but still one many authors would have been proud to write.
Despite Wyndham's very reserved style, it's difficult to read The Kraken Wakes now and not interpret it as a novel about climate change: there is the predictable inability to agree on what to do about the crisis to begin with (many key players refuse to admit there is even a problem) and when the invaders make their final move (they melt the icecaps, causing rises in sea level and widespread flooding) the response of world governments leaves a lot to be desired. Many vivid sequences; the tone feels peculiarly light in parts, but the final third of the book is very powerful (though let down a bit by a somewhat bungled conclusion - the original, considerably more accomplished but much darker ending was changed at a late stage). Not one of Wyndham's strongest novels, but still one many authors would have been proud to write.
David McK (3576 KP) rated Treason (Star Wars: Thrawn #3) in Books
Oct 7, 2019
The third Thrawn book written in the 'new' Star Wars canon (i.e. after Disney's buyout of the Star Wars brand), this is different than the previous (Star Wars: Thrawn: Alliances) in that it is set entirely within one timeframe (early days of the Empire, round about the time of the fourth season of the Star Wars: Rebels cartoon), and that it does not skip character about per chapter.
Like the previous novel, however, it does take efforts to portray threat of the Gryssk, even (at one point) going so far as to insinuate that they are behind the Rebellion, with Thrawn himself becoming embroiled in a dispute between Director Krennic (see Rogue One) and Grand Moff Tarkin and with the future of his own TIE Defender programme on the line.
While Star Wars: Rebels may have shown his more ruthless side, these novels take great pains to show his loyalty to his crew and, in return, their loyalty back to him. The Treason of the title may be slightly (purposefully?) misleading, with Thrawn himself also uncovering a conspiracy as his own loyalty - and that of his protégé from the first 'new' novel, who is now seconded to work with the Chiss - is called into question.
Like the previous novel, however, it does take efforts to portray threat of the Gryssk, even (at one point) going so far as to insinuate that they are behind the Rebellion, with Thrawn himself becoming embroiled in a dispute between Director Krennic (see Rogue One) and Grand Moff Tarkin and with the future of his own TIE Defender programme on the line.
While Star Wars: Rebels may have shown his more ruthless side, these novels take great pains to show his loyalty to his crew and, in return, their loyalty back to him. The Treason of the title may be slightly (purposefully?) misleading, with Thrawn himself also uncovering a conspiracy as his own loyalty - and that of his protégé from the first 'new' novel, who is now seconded to work with the Chiss - is called into question.
A Bleaker Predicklement
Games
App
The year is 1884 and Victorian London is ready for the greatest Adventure ever told. Part story,...
The Witchwood Crown
7.0
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Book
New York Times-bestselling Tad Williams' ground-breaking epic fantasy saga of Osten Ard begins an...
Epic story
Christine A. (965 KP) rated The Apartment in Books
May 22, 2020
The Apartment by K.L. Slater is a creepy novel that shows if something is too good to be true then it is.
I am a fan of K.L. Slater. If you have not read any of Kim's work, start with her most well-known work, Blink. All of her novels average between 3.69 and 4.00 on Goodreads.
While I did enjoy this fast-reading story, it was not an original one. However, that does not make it inferior to those that have come before. Many reviewers compared this to Riley Sager's Lock Every Door. They both are mysteries involving an apartment building where people have been known to disappear. If Sager's novel had not been released so close to this book, I do not think as many people would make the comparison.
Slater's The Apartment is a slow burn. Many reviewers want instant gratification, instant suspense, instant terrors, etc. Not all books are going slam you in the face. Not all books should.
It is those differences that make this book, and any book, worth reading. You can take the view of Mark Hunter in Pump Up the Volume or you can embrace both the similarities and differences in an author's work.
I am a fan of K.L. Slater. If you have not read any of Kim's work, start with her most well-known work, Blink. All of her novels average between 3.69 and 4.00 on Goodreads.
While I did enjoy this fast-reading story, it was not an original one. However, that does not make it inferior to those that have come before. Many reviewers compared this to Riley Sager's Lock Every Door. They both are mysteries involving an apartment building where people have been known to disappear. If Sager's novel had not been released so close to this book, I do not think as many people would make the comparison.
Slater's The Apartment is a slow burn. Many reviewers want instant gratification, instant suspense, instant terrors, etc. Not all books are going slam you in the face. Not all books should.
It is those differences that make this book, and any book, worth reading. You can take the view of Mark Hunter in Pump Up the Volume or you can embrace both the similarities and differences in an author's work.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Bag of Bones in Books
May 9, 2020
Enjoyable but not the best
As always I have to state that Stephen King is my all time favourite author so I probably always look at his books with rose tinted glasses. That said whilst I enjoyed Bag of Bones, it definitely isn't one of his best.
The story and plot in this are almost your typical ghost story, but with your usual King flair and horror thrown in. The characters are well developed and likeable yet flawed, and the writing is as superb as always. I think my main problem with this book was it didn't half ramble on a bit. It comes in at just over 500 (hardback) pages and this is far too long. A fair amount of this book could've been cut out without impacting drastically on the story. And also the name of the lake house in this is "Sara Laughs" - whilst there is an explanation for this in the books, I still think it's a ridiculous name for a house and it irritated me every time it was mentioned.
Overall this is still an enjoyable King story, but definitely not his best and not one I'd recommend with there being so many other amazing and better novels of his out there.
The story and plot in this are almost your typical ghost story, but with your usual King flair and horror thrown in. The characters are well developed and likeable yet flawed, and the writing is as superb as always. I think my main problem with this book was it didn't half ramble on a bit. It comes in at just over 500 (hardback) pages and this is far too long. A fair amount of this book could've been cut out without impacting drastically on the story. And also the name of the lake house in this is "Sara Laughs" - whilst there is an explanation for this in the books, I still think it's a ridiculous name for a house and it irritated me every time it was mentioned.
Overall this is still an enjoyable King story, but definitely not his best and not one I'd recommend with there being so many other amazing and better novels of his out there.
What it Means When a Man Falls From the Sky
2.0
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Book
A stunning collection of short stories from Caine-Prize shortlisted and Commonwealth Writer’s...
Fiction