The TRS Book Challenge Review Thread

[iggystar]

Some of you are already finished with reading your books, however, to complete the challenge you must submit a relatively brief, spoiler free review as well.

Hopefully this thread will make it easier to sift through the reviews. :)

I think it would be OK if we wanted to comment on the review, if we keep the comment brief. What do you guys think?

[joedubbs]

I'll go first so I can keep the bar really low. My choice was Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone. I had been an anti-Harry guy, typical alpha male - "those books are for kids". But clearly the series has been received by unprecedented audiences and I was surprised how many adults really anticipated each release. I recently found out that a buddy of mine was a huge Potter fan so that made it okay. So I asked him if I could borrow the book. I got the book on Thursday and I had finished it by Monday afternoon. I couldn't put the book down. It made me feel like I did when I read as a child. I ate up every bit of adventure and fantasy.

I really look forward to continuing the series.

[iggystar]

Thanks joedubbs for participating and being the first to complete the challenge. I've always wondered about the Potter series and you did a great job explaining why an adult should be interested. :)

[gglynn00]

Thanks for getting this up so early...I will gather my thoughts and post sometime tomorrow morning...I'm usually full of thoughts and words, but this book(The Golden Compass) kinda left me speechless.

[nshady]

I hope in a good way!

[magunwarrior]

Yeah, I'm only early on in the book, and I'm getting that same feeling really, I am surprised how dark it is for a "children's novel".

[gglynn00]

I’ll try to keep this brief b/c I realize that this is a forum. Here’s my review of The Golden Compass. First, I am glad that I had the opportunity/excuse to try a different author/genre. The Golden Compass is well written and very deep, and a bit dark, for a “children’s novel.” I think that a lot of authors and other types of entertainment media creators have taken the Pixar/J.K. Rowling approach and are creating something that is entertaining enough for young people but deep enough for adults; and this is a good thing. This book follows a protagonist named Lyra and her daemon Pantalaimon (Pan).

The book is divided into three sections and each section is dedicated to a central event that takes place within that section. This allows for a fluid flow of the book and allows the author to sort of “gear up” and start over in the next section. The first few chapters of the book has a lot of foreshadowing that the reader must accept until further in the book. To me, I felt that the author used this device well. The foreshadowing was given by using Lyra as a device. Lyra would overhear conversations that an 11 year old girl would not fully understand and therefore would have to associate at a later time.

The book was a sort of look at the innocence of youth. For example Lyra’s daemon is named Pan and is obviously a reference to Peter Pan to drum the reader’s images of that story. Also, within each of the sections of the book, Lyra explores different groups of people and desires to be one of them. Again, the nature of youth was at play by showing the desire of Lyra wanting to fit in.

Overall the book was a good read. A problem that I had was with the cruelty that a select few of the adults showed to the young people, a bit much for a children’s novel. Also, even though this book is part of a trilogy, it ended a bit abruptly for my taste. It seemed the author was trying to finish the book but instead, should have created a fourth section so that the ending events could have come to fruition a lot cleaner. Thanks for tagging along, Gary

[iggystar]

Thanks for that review, very informative. :)

[gglynn00]

Thanks for that review, very informative. :)

Thanks. I know it's odd, but I find it easier to express myself through explanation that to just say, "I liked it." :D

[stringtheory]

The Atrocity Archives - Charles Stross

Wow. Assuming the main demographic at Revision3 are open-mindned technogeeks with a taste of cyberpunk, this is "the" book for you. Stross is making an impact on Sci-Fi comprable to the way Gibson did it in the 80s.

TAA follows the life of an "IT Guy", Bob Howard, at what could be any large, bureacratic company. There are plenty of references to the IT world and could be best summed up as 'Dilbert on Crack'. Stross' personal experience working in IT definately shines here. The underlying theme is somewhat akin to the movie "Office Space" in the begrudging attitude towards boring and routine work day to day.

However, Bob does not work for any generic company. He works for a super secret branch of government responsible for keeping things hush-hush. More interesting? The hush-hush is an incredibly harmonious blend of mathetmatics and the occult. Weird huh? In a nutshell, probability-based mathmematics yields unexpected results (ie. space-time continuum meddling) and the world is now in constant peril.

The tagline describes this book better than any review I write could: Saving the world is Bob Howard's job.. there are a suprising number of meetings involved.

Read it!

[gglynn00]

The Atrocity Archives - Charles Stross
Read it!

Cool...Is it deep into the IT stuff or just a backdrop to the character?...Cause I think I would get lost in the deep stuff. Very interesting review/book.

[iggystar]

You guys who are finishe can be thinking of the next theme of the challenged. I'm so glad it was suggested to keep this as a monthly activity because quick readers would have been so bored waiting two months.

[stringtheory]

Cool...Is it deep into the IT stuff or just a backdrop to the character?...Cause I think I would get lost in the deep stuff. Very interesting review/book.

not to deeply at all. the references are crafted in such a way as to make the most sheltered IT nerd smile, without losing the interest of the casual reader.

if you're half-way intelligent and have at least some computer knowledge, you'll be able to follow along nicely.

so i guess character backdrop it is.

[joedubbs]

You guys who are finishe can be thinking of the next theme of the challenged. I'm so glad it was suggested to keep this as a monthly activity because quick readers would have been so bored waiting two months.

I'm actually going to keep reading the series.

[gglynn00]

I'm actually going to keep reading the series.

Yeah, I think I'll finish the next two books in my series and move on...I think the next genre could possibly be Suspense/Mystery. It don't matter to me...

[nshady]

I’ll try to keep this brief b/c I realize that this is a forum. Here’s my review of The Golden Compass. First, I am glad that I had the opportunity/excuse to try a different author/genre. The Golden Compass is well written and very deep, and a bit dark, for a “children’s novel.” I think that a lot of authors and other types of entertainment media creators have taken the Pixar/J.K. Rowling approach and are creating something that is entertaining enough for young people but deep enough for adults; and this is a good thing. This book follows a protagonist named Lyra and her daemon Pantalaimon (Pan).

The book is divided into three sections and each section is dedicated to a central event that takes place within that section. This allows for a fluid flow of the book and allows the author to sort of “gear up” and start over in the next section. The first few chapters of the book has a lot of foreshadowing that the reader must accept until further in the book. To me, I felt that the author used this device well. The foreshadowing was given by using Lyra as a device. Lyra would overhear conversations that an 11 year old girl would not fully understand and therefore would have to associate at a later time.

The book was a sort of look at the innocence of youth. For example Lyra’s daemon is named Pan and is obviously a reference to Peter Pan to drum the reader’s images of that story. Also, within each of the sections of the book, Lyra explores different groups of people and desires to be one of them. Again, the nature of youth was at play by showing the desire of Lyra wanting to fit in.

Overall the book was a good read. A problem that I had was with the cruelty that a select few of the adults showed to the young people, a bit much for a children’s novel. Also, even though this book is part of a trilogy, it ended a bit abruptly for my taste. It seemed the author was trying to finish the book but instead, should have created a fourth section so that the ending events could have come to fruition a lot cleaner. Thanks for tagging along, Gary

I'm glad you enjoyed it - just two things to point out here. First, I think the book is not for children - more teenagers and 'young adults', as the bookstores like to put it. The film was made to appeal to a wide audience, but, as you've noticed, the original source material is quite dark.

Secondly, I can understand where you're coming from with the complaint about the ending (another reason why it's not for children - and worth thinking about why they took it out of the movie) and how it looks there's more to happen. However, if you go on to read the other two books in the series, which I hope you want to, you'll discover that the division at that point in time is very significant and relates particularly to the events of the second book.

All in all, I hope you want to go on and read the others!

[gglynn00]

All in all, I hope you want to go on and read the others!

True on both of your points...As far as the movie is concerned, I think they stayed as true to the source as possible w/o insulting the author. Without spoiling anything, the thing that bothered me about the ending was how abrupt it was. It seemed like the author kinda stumbled in the last 10-20 pages or so when they move from the land of the Bears to the "holding area" of the uncle/dad and then to the ending. Of course it may have all been on purpose to leave the reader in a state of shock like I was.:D But still, I feel that in a series of books, the ending of one book should have some finality to it and leave the reader wanting more. Not in a state of shock and awe;).

[the-nonhealing-priest]

My review of Storm Front by Jim Butcher.

The book is about the life of Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden, the only practicing wizard in Chicago. He is listed in the yellow pages under “Wizard”. Dresden makes his living as a consultant for the Chicago Police Department. There he works with Karrin Murphy, Lieutenant in charge of the Special Investigations Department. If there’s a strange and bizarre case, she calls in Harry.

The book contains a healthy dose of fantasy and comic relief. Dresden is one of the most sarcastic characters you will ever meet. He will make a smart, off-the-cuff remark even when his life is in danger. Throughout this book, you will meet interesting characters. From the quiet restaurant owner, Mac, to the ever persistent warden, Morgan, the list of characters are introduced at a nice pace.

Storm Front is the first book in the “The Dresden Files” series. There are a total of nine books out with the tenth book being release next month. Overall, the book is well written, humorous, and engaging. I highly recommend this book for people who like wise cracking, sarcastic, witty magicians.

[nshady]

True on both of your points...As far as the movie is concerned, I think they stayed as true to the source as possible w/o insulting the author. Without spoiling anything, the thing that bothered me about the ending was how abrupt it was. It seemed like the author kinda stumbled in the last 10-20 pages or so when they move from the land of the Bears to the "holding area" of the uncle/dad and then to the ending. Of course it may have all been on purpose to leave the reader in a state of shock like I was.:D But still, I feel that in a series of books, the ending of one book should have some finality to it and leave the reader wanting more. Not in a state of shock and awe;).

Think of it like an episode of Lost, with a cliffhanger to keep you wanting to know more!

[gglynn00]

Storm Front is the first book in the “The Dresden Files” series.

Good review...Why does that name sound so familiar? Did they do a tv show on this book series? If so, where was I, and how did I miss this?

[gglynn00]

Sorry, I had to post my feelings, even though I've already finished my book for the month...Just wanted to spark some conversation.:D

I just finished the second book in His Dark Materials trilogy named The Subtle Knife. The book continues the story of Lyra “Silvertounge” and her somewhat dark journey through different worlds. The book starts by introducing a new character named Will. Will is from our world, a teenager, and has a lot of issues: both family and social. Will and Lyra meet after they transport into a third world, and their adventure and troubles begin. Both Lyra and Will transport from one world to the next trying to make sense of what is going on while playing an important role that is their destinies.

I felt that this book was a good continuation of The Golden Compass. I think that Pullman did a good job flowing into the second book by introducing new characters and having older characters take on new roles. The book flows very well, I never felt that the author was making me hold on to a bit of the story for a later pay off, even though I do enjoy that from time to time. What the author does do well is take certain plot points and reveals them slowly over time. This also helps in the story telling by placing the reader more in tune with how the story is unfolding. As a plot point becomes more familiar, the more the author reveals about that plot point. It’s a really good way of introduction while keeping a hint of mystery. This helps to eliminate the typical ten page back log of origin that I’ve seen in other books after a character, item, etc. is introduced.

Overall, I enjoyed this book as well. I still think that it had the same problems that the first book had in that it ended a bit too abruptly for my taste and in a little dark for my taste. Actually, I think The Subtle Knife ended more abruptly than The Golden Compass. It’s kind of strange, but the third book seems to start like a new chapter instead of a new book. Anyway, I suggest the series whole heartedly to read at least once. If anything, I think we, the fellow members of a different realm of society, should read it to see what all of the controversy is about, but that will have to be a different forum.

[nshady]

I'm so glad you're reading all the books :D

[gglynn00]

I'm so glad you're reading all the books :D

Yeah, I should already have them finished, but I've been delayed a bit this month. I started the last book yesterday and am glad to see everyone realize their mission.

[iggystar]

I couldn't spoil this book if I wanted to.

Let me say right off, I loved this book. This is a story: "Case was the sharpest data-thief in the Matrix, until an ex-employer crippled his nervous system. Now a new employer has recruited him for a last-chance run against an unthinkably powerful artificial intelligence" Quoted from the book, my mind is too numb-happy to come up with something on my own. I can say that I loved the atmosphere, the world, fully realized. It is a dark and grimy future, but not depressing, just real.

This book is so much more than the story, and trust me, while I understood the overall concepts, there were times I was lost in the details. The details of the deals, the arrangements made, the futuristic landscapes, heck, even the nature of the characters, at times evaded me. And while usually, that would drive me insane..the need to understand each word, each plot direction, the ride was so incredible, that I did not care.

Gibson wrote this book in 1984, pretty much before "cyber" anything, he coined the phrase "cyberspace", but there is nothing prophetic about the writing, no, you knew while reading this piece was not only the inspiration for Blade Runner, The Matrix and so much about science-fiction in all avenues, but that in his writing, he brought about the technologies described. How? Because you know people read Neuromancer and set out to create the imaginations on the page, in atmosphere, clothing and technology. Now, that is awesome.

Gibson has found another fan, late in the game, but better late than never. I can't wait to read his other books.

[murphy1d]

Sooo...em..yeah.

For those of you who have read the book help me out here. Did everything get spoiled for me because of all of the cultural references out there? I understand Paranoid Android. I get 42 and "thanks for all the fish" and towels.

Yet, I was underwhelmed with the novel. I really thought it was supposed to be either a really funny "romp" or at least a "makes you think" one. Felt more like "Space Balls" to me.

It may have been better as an 18yr old than as a 37 year old. I didn't dislike it, just not one that I will recommend.

[felipe]

I couldn't spoil this book if I wanted to.

Let me say right off, I loved this book. This is a story: "Case was the sharpest data-thief in the Matrix, until an ex-employer crippled his nervous system. Now a new employer has recruited him for a last-chance run against an unthinkably powerful artificial intelligence" Quoted from the book, my mind is too numb-happy to come up with something on my own. I can say that I loved the atmosphere, the world, fully realized. It is a dark and grimy future, but not depressing, just real.

This book is so much more than the story, and trust me, while I understood the overall concepts, there were times I was lost in the details. The details of the deals, the arrangements made, the futuristic landscapes, heck, even the nature of the characters, at times evaded me. And while usually, that would drive me insane..the need to understand each word, each plot direction, the ride was so incredible, that I did not care.

Gibson wrote this book in 1984, pretty much before "cyber" anything, he coined the phrase "cyberspace", but there is nothing prophetic about the writing, no, you knew while reading this piece was not only the inspiration for Blade Runner, The Matrix and so much about science-fiction in all avenues, but that in his writing, he brought about the technologies described. How? Because you know people read Neuromancer and set out to create the imaginations on the page, in atmosphere, clothing and technology. Now, that is awesome.

Gibson has found another fan, late in the game, but better late than never. I can't wait to read his other books.

Hi there, this is my first post on this forums, the book club thread moved me to join the TRS forums. I just wanted to point out that Blade Runner was based on the novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick, written in 1966.
What happened to the book challenge? is it still on, but moved to another thread? or is it discontinued?

BTW: English is not my home language, so sorry for any misspelling :)

Regards,
Felipe