Saturday, December 4, 2021

Book Review: Cytonic by Brandon Sanderson

Cytonic is the third book in the Skyward series by Brandon Sanderson, following Skyward and Starsight. For some reason I thought this was a trilogy but it is at least 4 books long. There's also a handful of collaborative novellas in this universe as well, though I have yet to read those. Regardless, this is a very interesting sci-fi series from an author better known for fantasy.

As part of a series, the prior books are fair-game when it comes to spoilers, but I'll avoid major ones here.

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

Book Review: The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan

This is the third book in The Wheel of Time and, with a title of The Dragon Reborn, you know this book is one of the big turning points in the series. Following several months after the events of The Great Hunt, we find our characters facing new threats and learning new secrets as the mysteries of the Prophecies of the Dragon unfold.

Read on for my review. As before, prior books in the series are considered fair game in terms of spoilers.

Saturday, October 9, 2021

Book Review: The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan

This is the second book of The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan (and finished by Brandon Sanderson). I'll probably read at least the first 3 to mentally prepare myself for the new TV series. This one follows straight after The Eye of the World and continues the adventures of Rand, Perrin, Mat, and the others in their struggle to stay alive and figure out why the Dark One is hunting them.

Read on for my review. I avoid major spoilers for this book, but assume you've read the prior ones.

Tuesday, September 28, 2021

Book Review: The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

I have read The Eye of the World, the first book of The Wheel of Time, probably 3 times since I first discovered it more than a dozen years ago. It's stayed with me all this time and with the announcement of an actual TV series based on it (not the vague rumors from years ago), I knew I had to at least re-read the first book to re-acquaint myself with the characters and the legend of the Dragon. One of the largest Epic fantasy stories of modern times, it deserves to be read by fans of the genre.

Read on for my spoiler-free review.

Sunday, September 12, 2021

Book Review: Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov

This is the third book of the original Foundation trilogy. There are actually a few more (Foundation's EdgeFoundation and Earth) which I've also read before, but my copy was a hardcover containing the first 3 books. This then is the culmination of the main arc of the Foundation story, revolving all around the mysterious Second Foundation.

Read on for my spoiler-free review.

Friday, August 13, 2021

Book Review: Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov

Foundation and Empire is the second book in the Foundation series and follows a few decades after its predecessor. It continues the epic journey of the Foundation across generations as it struggles to establish itself amidst a decaying Galactic Empire with threats from outside and inside.

Read on for my spoiler-free review.

Sunday, August 1, 2021

Book Review: Foundation by Isaac Asimov

Foundation is an old classic science fiction novel I read many, many years ago. Recently, I picked up an omnibus version containing the first 3 novels in the series. This is a review for the first book, a story about ideas, a story about a Galactic Empire that falls and the mathematical principles that allow humanity to pave the way for a new one.

Read on for my spoiler-free review.

Friday, June 4, 2021

Book Review: All Systems Red by Martha Wells

All Systems Red is the first of The Murderbot Diaries, a series long recommended by a good friend of mine. I finally got the chance to check it out and after the last book it was a palette cleanser in terms of being a very short, self-contained story. 

As for other novellas, I'll forgo my usual setup and just write out some of the highlights. More after the jump.

Sunday, May 30, 2021

Book Review: Ten Arrows of Iron by Sam Sykes

Ten Arrows of Iron follows Seven Blades in Black in the series The Grave of Empires by Sam Sykes and continues the story of Sal the Cacophony. Being a fan of the first one I had to check out the second. Here's the Goodreads blurb:

The second novel in an epic fantasy trilogy that follows an unforgettable outcast mage caught between two warring empires.

Sal the Cacophony-outlaw, outcast, outnumbered-destroys all that she loves. Her lover lost and cities burned in her wake, all she has left is her magical gun and her all-consuming quest for revenge against those who stole her power and took the sky from her.

When the roguish agent of a mysterious patron offers her the chance to participate in a heist to steal an incredible power from the famed airship fleet, the Ten Arrows, she finds a new purpose. But a plot to save the world by bringing down empires swiftly escalates into a conspiracy of magic and vengeance that threatens to burn everything to ash, including herself.

Read on for my full review.