Personally, I found the Obelisk Gate to be the least engaging of the trilogy (and it’s still good!), but it helps to set up the third book, and the pay off is worth it.
Eq0
joined 1 year ago
It is important to the story, but you are not the first one I heard that had troubles with it. I didn’t struggle with it at all, but it does add a lot
Thanks! I’ll look them up!
I know it’s a dumb meme… but girls acting weak to get hit on is a horrible mental construct!
“Successful record attempts have employed a variety of tactics for evading traffic law enforcement.”
Same! Worth every penny and every second of your time!
A more precise review, mainly because you asked for feedback:
I enjoyed the concept, and I think it was well explored. I really got a kick out of the precise changing of words, in particular the main character being referred to as “potter” at the beginning and “Necromancer” at the end, together with some other more subtle word developments.
I think the first paragraph could be more appealing, I was a bit put off by the lack of details coupled with plenty of suspension dots. I find it odd how some precise details (about the religion, the urns, the desert) are woven in a very general, almost parabolic, story line.
Some emotional components are also a bit unpolished, just given as facts. In particular his love for his family seems to be an “on-off” switch, and it appears only when needed but doesn’t affect his decisions otherwise. So the conclusion doesn’t hit as hard as it could, in my opinion. In a similar way, it is not really justified why he searches knowledge, or goes to the graveyard, while the previous steps are made extremely compelling.
Overall, really good! After the first paragraph, the story flows well, the main character is not only believable but compelling. I like how he does what needs to be done and hardly ever reconsiders his actions.
Glad to be of help!
“Why we’re polarized” was a great explanation of the ideological divide between Democrats and Republicans in the US.
It explores the history from the 60s-70s onwards, and the politics that unwittingly developed the extremism we see today. It also discusses the identification of the voters with their party.
Relatively short and well written. Highly recommend it.
Here is my assortment of recommendations.
The greatest classic of the genre: Ivanhoe. Written in the 1800s, it feel its age, but to some (i.e. me and hopefully others) it just add to the charm. So much adventure on a very romanticized medieval background.
The Arthurian cycles: if you are not looking for historical accuracy are are fine with a little magic sprinkled around. Many authors retold the legends, there are the old french novels (by Chrétien de Troyes - a bit stiff at times and formulaic) or the more modern ones. My personal favorite is the cycle by Mary Stewart, but “The Once and Future King”* is also really good.
An adventurous take on the fall of the Roman Empir: The last Legion by V M Manfredi*.
A view on the life of common people during the middle ages, developed around a compelling plot: the quadrilogy by Valeria Montaldi.
The ones you can’t overlook: Pillar of the Earth by Ken Follett and Cathedral of the Sea by Idelfonso Flacones. Flavor-wise I felt they were very similar, a broad cast of characters with strong emotions moving on the backdrop of the gothic revolution. Particularly good if you like architecture.
*: YA, all others are “adult” novels.
Personally, I really liked the spotlight post for banned book week! (And banned books are not specifically something I’m interested in)
If you are up for it, I’d love more spotlight threads, of any theme.
It’s a bit confusing: the big number is not the index but the world wide ranking if the country. It’s made extra confusing because a big index is good, but a bug ranking is not…