I don't generally like thrillers and this was definitely not a book for me, so I shouldn't be too harsh about it.
It was a2,5 middle-of-the-road stars
I don't generally like thrillers and this was definitely not a book for me, so I shouldn't be too harsh about it.
It was an OK read, but with very bland writing and characters and a cliched storyline. There was nothing here that hadn't been written about before and written much better, I guess.
Bottom line: if a thriller isn't Orphan X, I probably shouldn't read it....more
This book was like the African continent where it was mostly set: MAGNIFICENT, MERCILESS, INTRIGUING, KIND AND CRUEL.
Come on Book Traveler a4,5 stars
This book was like the African continent where it was mostly set: MAGNIFICENT, MERCILESS, INTRIGUING, KIND AND CRUEL.
Come on Book Traveler and let Dorothy Dunnett take you through space and time. From 1464 to 1468. From Venice & Murano via Ceuta, the Pillars of Hercules, Lagos, Madeira to Gambia and Timbuktu. From there through the Sahara to the salt mines of Tghaza (Mali) to Tlemcen and the shores of Oran (Algeria) back to Venice and finally Bruges.
Come and trade with Niccolo vander Poele for gold and ancient scripts and secrets and intrigue.
Once again: all the details -the historical, the geographical, the human, the inhuman- and the awesome writing are overwhelming to one's senses.
And then DD goes and pulls the plug at the end...
Narrator, John Banks, rises to the occasion as always.
-------------- Some personal notes:
Despite the ending worth the fake melodrama and jumping-the-shark monents of 4 soap operas put together and despite the fact that Gelis made me threw up in my mouth a little, this was still an amazing read.
And I thought Katelina van Borselen was an exhausting, exasperating and self-destructive character without any credible cause or excuse. Now of course I realise that she was not a patch on her younger sister.
And I just knew that either one of the characters I cared about the most would die in the end. But that's Dunnett for you: resplendent and unappeasable and.... that ending was just cheap!...more
“Some humans would do anything to see if it was possible to do it. If you put a large switch in some cave somewhere, with a sign on it saying 'End-of-“Some humans would do anything to see if it was possible to do it. If you put a large switch in some cave somewhere, with a sign on it saying 'End-of-the-World Switch. PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH', the paint wouldn't even have time to dry.” ― Terry Pratchett, Thief of Time
Catastrophe tourism by proxy
An intriguing, sobering, very well-written and narrated book, currently included for free in the Plus Catalogue at audible.com .
Steve Olson combined the right amount of history, reportage and human touch for a tense and interesting docu-drama without judgement or pointing the finger which was quite a feat because what went through my head while reading were lots of Terry Pratchett quotes about human stupidity-irresponsibility, political and corporate meanness-carelessness. Like: “Real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time.” and more along that line.
At the end of the book Olson raises the very valid point of humanity as a whole being self-complacent while merrily going on about their business to ignore dangers and destroy their own planet. So yes, in way we are all people who are standing on the volcano looking on and taking pictures while it is erupting. SIGH....more
Well, how time flies ... I read this book back in 2010 or 2011 I think, and remember being impressed and intrigued by it, so I3-ish stars on re-read.
Well, how time flies ... I read this book back in 2010 or 2011 I think, and remember being impressed and intrigued by it, so I bought books 2, 3 and eventually 4 and read and liked them all. (I even checked out the Russian rock music Anton listened to on youtube.)
Here I am 14 years later and I'm scratching my head a bit as to the why? Apart from the music, the vague general setup and some scant memories of a few characters, I hardly remembered a thing. Maybe it's mostly me having moved on and having read other books from this genre and others, but this time I struggled to finish. I was mostly bored, found the characters utterly flat and uninteresting, the "plot" was sketchy at best and the moralising was as deflated as it was dull.
I think my local Library is in for some donation. ...more
Mark Twain's views on who wrote Shakespeare's plays and poems:
- it wasn't Shakespeare - it could have been Francis Bacon,
BUT anyway, who cares when I aMark Twain's views on who wrote Shakespeare's plays and poems:
- it wasn't Shakespeare - it could have been Francis Bacon,
BUT anyway, who cares when I am Mark Twain and have so much more intriguing things to say about myself (and I think he really meant this. He took himself rather seriously). :D ...more
Need to think a bit whether I'm upping or lowering the rating. But all in all, I was pleasantly surprised at my mostly enjoying this well-wri3,5 stars
Need to think a bit whether I'm upping or lowering the rating. But all in all, I was pleasantly surprised at my mostly enjoying this well-written and atmospheric book, a mix of historical fiction, magical realism and romance (this was my least favourite part, but it never much hijacked the story thankfully) .
I only read one other book by Bardugo, Shadow and Bone, which I disliked, so all-in-all: positive feelings....more
I liked this the least among the 3 books I've read so far from The House of Niccolò series. However, don't let my previoys words mislead you. Dorothy Dunnett at her "worst" (and this book isn't bad at all, on the contrary! It is full of historical-political-economic intrigue, renaissance warfare and human relationships) is still a thousand times better than anybody else (except Hilary Mantel) I've read so far (OK, I still have some authors to discover, of course). Dunnett is in her own very special league. She's like the sun to a bunch of candles among writers of Historical Fiction.
Yet, she severely tried my patience with her complicating the plot of Race of Scorpions to a level where it was just exasperating. Her asking me to believe that her hero, Niccolo was single-handedly managing the geopolitical and economic upheavals of the Levante, Terbizond, Burgundy and Portugal with his devious mind was too big an ask.
For God's sake, Dorothy dear, I just managed to buy into the basic Niccolò package 1.0 (minus the "he's so hawt that everyone gets their renaissance equivalent of underwear/chainmail knickers in a twist over him") and you are already pushing me to purchase an upgrade? - Melinda, while you are at it, can I tempt you to Niccolò 2.5? - No, you can't, my dear, sorry. But I'm totally buying into the secondary cast (Astorre, John Le Grant, Tobie, Crackbene, Loppe and even Fra Ludovico) and your flair for historic details, politics, scenery, atmosphere and the development of Niccolo's company with its trading and banking have me in their thrall.
I was lucky enough to have visited Rhodes & Cyprus a few years ago and was very glad I could relate to the places/events of the book.
Narrator John Banks is fantastic, as always....more
Ugghh, not for me with a too-stupid-to-live female mc, a d@ck of a male mc and a terrible miscommunication trope at its cringiest and most painful. NoUgghh, not for me with a too-stupid-to-live female mc, a d@ck of a male mc and a terrible miscommunication trope at its cringiest and most painful. Not all the gorgeous food and setting of Crete could remedy this....more
This book was precisely as bad and cringeworthy as the cover blurb made it sound, so the pain of reading it was self-Ummm.... Bridget Jones in Idaho??
This book was precisely as bad and cringeworthy as the cover blurb made it sound, so the pain of reading it was self-inflicted, that's why I am not rating it.
I needed a book set in Idaho and as it was either this kidle freebie or some bleak thrillers, I'd even had to pay for, so I decided to bite the bullet and go with this one.
Don't know when I'll be able to write a proper review. Maybe I'll need to 4 stars strictly speaking? ... 4,5??
Ahhh, what the hell... I am giving it 5!
Don't know when I'll be able to write a proper review. Maybe I'll need to read the whole series (or as far as I can get along) to be able to do so.
In the meantime: Dunnett continues to fascinate and transport me in history with her stories in whichever era she choses, even though I still can't say I care too much about her MC, Niccolo.
But, oh boy, this awesome woman just knew how to spin a fantastic yarn even without a hero as compelling as Francis Crawford and THAT takes not only talent, but GENIUS.
I didn't like it as much as Band Sinister or the Charm of Magpie series, but it was a lovely romance nevertheless with 2 very like3,5 stars upped to 4
I didn't like it as much as Band Sinister or the Charm of Magpie series, but it was a lovely romance nevertheless with 2 very likeable and relatable MCs. ...more
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