9. Wintersmith, Terry Pratchett
Can't stop, won't stop. Tiffany Aching is one of Pratchett's most likable characters and I'm going to be sad when I've finished everything that he's put out about her.
10. The Windup Girl, Paolo Bacigalupi
This is a good book that I ultimately didn't care for. Part of the issue is how nihilistic it is - and if I'd known that going in, I would have been better prepared for it. It's pretty seriously depressing, which in and of itself isn't a deal breaker for me - but that combined with other elements that didn't work for me (3rd person, present tense narration, a seriously chaotic prose style) added up to a final product I wasn't crazy about. It's a seriously dystopian story about the dying days of a city, and there's a lot to like here (if Bacigalupi had introduced his epidemic subplot sooner I would have been more on board, I do love a good disease story) but it wasn't for me.
11. The Looking Glass Wars, Frank Beddor
This was a whole lot of MEH. It's kind of an interesting concept - a retelling of the Alice in Wonderland story, where Alice (or Alyss) is a princess of Wonderland and heir to the throne, ousted by her evil aunt Redd and escaped into our world for a time. The second half involves Alyss returning to Wonderland to lead a rebel army against Redd and reclaim her throne in the name of White (good, as opposed to the evil Black) Imagination. But the writing is not good, you guys. All the exciting moments, of which there are many: assassination attempts, chase scenes, epic battles; they all fall flat due to a lack of description. Apparently this is the first book of a trilogy, but I won't be reading the others.
Can't stop, won't stop. Tiffany Aching is one of Pratchett's most likable characters and I'm going to be sad when I've finished everything that he's put out about her.
10. The Windup Girl, Paolo Bacigalupi
This is a good book that I ultimately didn't care for. Part of the issue is how nihilistic it is - and if I'd known that going in, I would have been better prepared for it. It's pretty seriously depressing, which in and of itself isn't a deal breaker for me - but that combined with other elements that didn't work for me (3rd person, present tense narration, a seriously chaotic prose style) added up to a final product I wasn't crazy about. It's a seriously dystopian story about the dying days of a city, and there's a lot to like here (if Bacigalupi had introduced his epidemic subplot sooner I would have been more on board, I do love a good disease story) but it wasn't for me.
11. The Looking Glass Wars, Frank Beddor
This was a whole lot of MEH. It's kind of an interesting concept - a retelling of the Alice in Wonderland story, where Alice (or Alyss) is a princess of Wonderland and heir to the throne, ousted by her evil aunt Redd and escaped into our world for a time. The second half involves Alyss returning to Wonderland to lead a rebel army against Redd and reclaim her throne in the name of White (good, as opposed to the evil Black) Imagination. But the writing is not good, you guys. All the exciting moments, of which there are many: assassination attempts, chase scenes, epic battles; they all fall flat due to a lack of description. Apparently this is the first book of a trilogy, but I won't be reading the others.
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