I had a lot of expectations going into this book. The first four books were spectacular. The last book TL:DR An awesome end to a near perfect series.
I had a lot of expectations going into this book. The first four books were spectacular. The last book ended on one hell of a cliffhanger, and so I didn't know how St. Elmo was going to wrap this up. I envisioned a lot of scenarios where he fumbles the ending, and in those scenarios, I am left wanting and bitter. However, I have learned that Raymond St. Elmo can pen any part of a story with masterful poise. If you couldn't tell, I loved it.
Where to begin? The prose is, as always, musical and a pleasure to read. The plot was enticing, romantic, suspenseful, and filled to the brim with action. Rayne tugs at my heartstrings with his mix of rugged empathy and swashbuckling attitude. I enjoyed the supporting cast as well (although it would spoil it if I was to list them), and the setting was an unexpected rollercoaster that I would love to ride again. With this fifth book, St. Elmo has cemented himself as one of my favorite authors of all time.
As an aside, there is not much I can write without spoiling the series, and that's rather frustrating. I want to talk about this book! I implore anyone who comes across this review to please, please, PLEASE read this series. You will not be disappointed....more
TL;DR An excellent book. Poetic, lyrical, and fun. 5/5 stars, I cannot recommend this book enough.
Raymond St. Elmo does it again. I felt that the seriTL;DR An excellent book. Poetic, lyrical, and fun. 5/5 stars, I cannot recommend this book enough.
Raymond St. Elmo does it again. I felt that the series was going to be mildly less entertaining after reading The Harlequin Tartan, which I gave 4 stars, but St. Elmo flexed his literary muscles in this one. Our favorite spadassin Rayne Gray deals with the titular Clockwork Tartan, and get thrown into a weird, vivid timeline story. He jumps into pasts, futures, presents, and everything in between. Raymond St. Elmo keeps his tone, poetic, lyrical, and magical while writing even the tensest action sequences. The romance felt like the true focal point of the story, and I thought it was well-done (a compliment coming from me, a "romance is a side plot" type of reader). I have a lot of good to say about this one. The plot? Excellent. The writing? Superb. The characters? Top quality. If I had to pick something I didn't like, the end setting was not my favorite, but 1) that is such a minute nitpick that it is no even worth mentioning, and 2) getting Gray's POV there was a pleasure to read. It's funny, it's fast, the magical realism is beautiful - what's not to love here?
If you couldn't tell, I thoroughly enjoyed this one, and resultingly I have bittersweet feelings about reading the final book. On one hand, I am deeply invested in the series and wish to see what happens next. On the other hand, I am deeply invested in the series and do not want it to end. Regardless, I will march into The Scaled Tartan with the excitement, wariness, and vigor that this series demands. Please pick this one up....more
TL;DR Fun, comical, and lighthearted - everything you can expect from a Discworld book. 3.25/5 stars.
I like Discworld. It is a nice palate cleanser foTL;DR Fun, comical, and lighthearted - everything you can expect from a Discworld book. 3.25/5 stars.
I like Discworld. It is a nice palate cleanser for when I need to reset my reading. I can pick it up and put it down without much thought, but I can also peel away the veneer of comedy to reveal deeper themes. Under its sitcom-esque outer layer, "Mort" deals a lot with death (although not in the way many will expect), relationships, the concept and perception of the afterlife, and fate. We follow Mortimer, aka Mort, as he finds an apprenticeship with Death. Not an undertaker, not a mortician, the actual robed, scythe wielding Grim Reaper. As Mort learns the ins and outs of the job, he alters fate in a huge way while Death is out on vacation (an interesting subplot in it itself) and must figure out a way to fix it. It's simple, and seems like it has been done before, but Pratchett does an excellent job of subverting expectations.
I don't have too much to say about this one - it is good, and what you expect from Terry Pratchett. I liked it, although it is not my favorite. Death "finding himself" was my favorite part of the book. However, it overshadowed the main plot for me. I found myself caring less and less about Mort, and more about what Death was doing next on his little vacation. It isn't a huge deal, but I would've preferred to enjoy the main plot more than the side plot. Other than that, I don't have a lot to talk about. It is a good, fun read, and I highly recommend Discworld as a palate cleanser....more
TL;DR While not personally my favorite in the series, it is a damn solid read with a lot to love. I recommend.
Raymond St. Elmo continues to impress. TL;DR While not personally my favorite in the series, it is a damn solid read with a lot to love. I recommend.
Raymond St. Elmo continues to impress. Rayne Gray is living his best life, but something seems amiss. He's got the feeling that something is missing, and he wants to find out what it is. The romp that follows is exciting, fun, and memorable. It still holds all the same appeals that St. Elmo has brought in the previous installments. He's a consistently great writer, and it shows.
I gave this book a 4-star rating simply because it is my least favorite out of the 3 I've read so far. That does not mean, however, that it was in any way a disappointment. The plot is unique and interesting, the writing is poetic, witty, and unrelenting. In fact, I'm not quite sure why I don't give it a 4-star rating other than personal taste and my mood at the time. When comparing it to the previous two, I found that I enjoyed the others marginally more. I don't have too much to say about this that I haven't said about the other books in the series - give it a shot if you haven't read it. It's excellent, and you won't be disappointed. I look forward to reading the next book....more
TL;DR My favorite installment of the series thus far, and by a long shot. I still thought it was overhyped, but I didn't find it nearly as slow as theTL;DR My favorite installment of the series thus far, and by a long shot. I still thought it was overhyped, but I didn't find it nearly as slow as the previous two books.
I am famously in the "John Gwynne is overhyped" camp. Malice and Valor were slow, with decent payoffs. They were exciting or interesting to me, and I oftentimes forced myself to read them. This one was a bit easier to read. It was faster paced than the previous two, and there were some hard hitting scenes to end the book. This installment also ended on a pretty big cliffhanger, so I am looking forward to starting the final book.
With all that being said, I still didn't find it to be the action-packed, groundbreaking series that everyone hypes it up to be. The action scenes were well-written, the characters are decent, and there were some tense moments. Overall, though, I still think the series is overhyped. John Gwynne is a good writer (I would read these ginormous books if he wasn't), but he isn't in my top 5 or even my top 10, which seems to be an unpopular opinion. It's a good book, so if you're into fantasy (especially Norse settings) I recommend it. ...more
TL;DR Better than the last one. If you are on the fence about this series, please give it a shot.
The Moon Tartan was somehow a more enjoyable reading TL;DR Better than the last one. If you are on the fence about this series, please give it a shot.
The Moon Tartan was somehow a more enjoyable reading experience than the previous installment to the series. We continue our adventure with the philosophical, witty spadassin Rayne Gray as he returns south to wrap up some unfinished business. The result is a funny, yet captivating story filled with intrigue, violence, and romance.
I don't really know how to go about reviewing this book besides gushing about how much I enjoyed it. St. Elmo's writing is superb. Rayne Gray's voice is distinct and refreshing, which, now that I think about it, seems to be a trend. The action scenes are well-written without being over the top, the fantasy elements are just subtle enough to leave the reader wanting more, and the characters feel alive and full of depth. I even liked the romance, which is very rare for me.
There is so much to like about this book. Is it perfect? No, everyone has their own personal preferences. But I will stand by my statement that this series is criminally slept on. Raymond St. Elmo is slated to become one of my all-time favorite authors, and as soon as my paycheck hits, I'm ordering the next book. Please try them out. ...more
TL;DR More of the same as Malice; beginning was okay, but ending was good. Overall better than the first installment.
I have returned! I took a brief TL;DR More of the same as Malice; beginning was okay, but ending was good. Overall better than the first installment.
I have returned! I took a brief hiatus from writing reviews for several reasons. I've started a new job, I've been exploring other hobbies, and I was frankly getting kind of burnt out on it. However, I once again seek to terrorize Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ with my mediocre opinions. I intend to keep the next few reviews relatively short, since I am busy trying to navigate my new schedule and lifestyle.
I picked up Valor with a lot of hesitance. These are big books, and if it drags, it takes a L O N G time to read. And that's how I felt about this one. The beginning, much like the first installment in the series, was pretty lackluster. Te plot dragged and I didn't feel a huge sense of urgency. However, around the middle point, the story took off, and I found it much easier to pick up the book after this shift. The ending was good, although not jaw-dropping like so many people have told me, and there are a few storylines that I am definitely invested in. We still get hints of John Milton's Paradise Lost throughout this one, but thematically I found that it didn't do much for me. Do I think it is worth the read? Yes. Do I think it is overhyped? Also yes. Don't bust your TBR because you've heard this book is great, but I'd give it a shot if you haven't read it....more
**spoiler alert** TL:DR A heart-wrenching ending to the best series I have ever read. 5/5 stars.
I don't get emotional in books. I just don't. I can**spoiler alert** TL:DR A heart-wrenching ending to the best series I have ever read. 5/5 stars.
I don't get emotional in books. I just don't. I can connect with the characters, immerse myself in the plot and worldbuilding, and deeply appreciate the themes of the book, but I do not get emotional when I read.
The final scenes of Fiddler playing Anomandaris for Korlat, and later fishing off the docks of Malaz City, brought me a hair's breadth from tears, and cause a lump in my throat every time I think about it.
It feels like I'm leaving my friends behind. In the one-and-a-half years I've been reading this series, there have been drastic upheavals in my personal life. I often looked to the characters within this book for strength (particularly Itkovian, Karsa, and Fiddler), and seeing the end of this story is just... sad. Perhaps I am being melodramatic, but Malazan has been a huge part of my life for a while now, and I do not want to see these characters go. I definitely intend to read the supplementary books by Erikson and Esslemont, and I will reread this series, but the emotions of finishing that first read won't be the same. I loved this book. I loved the characters, the story, the world, and everything else about it. It's the best series I've ever read, and I'm fumbling around lost trying to figure out what to do with myself.
I hope you, dear reader, also felt the same way about it. ...more
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