All posts by Superfast Reader

A Dance with Dragons by George RR Martin (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 5)

American Literature July 23, 2011 Superfast Reader 4 Comments

Synopsis: You really need to read the first 4 books. Review: I have never anticipated a book the way I anticipated A Dance with Dragons, not even Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. This will be a spoiler-free review. I plan to listen to the audio book next month and that review will be spoiler-filled. I was thoroughly entertained and satisfied by the book, and loved what happened in the new POV characters, especially Reek. I am impressed by Martin’s manipulative abilities–he is in such…

Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke

American Literature July 23, 2011 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: Aliens take over the world with nothing but benevolence and peace, but are the changes they bring ultimately good for the human race? Review: I listened to the audio version of Childhood’s End thanks to a sale on Audible. I was really hooked the whole time, despite Clarke’s detached style. I felt the story held up mostly well, some 60 years after publication. However, Clarke was unable to imagine how radically sexual and gender politics would change in that time, and so the personal…

The Midwife’s Confession by Diane Chamberlain

American Literature July 14, 2011 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: After the suicide of their friend, an underground home birth midwife, best friends Tara and Emerson discover a mare’s nest of secrets that threaten the happiness they’ve worked so hard to create. Review: I found no surprises in The Midwife’s Confession, which is a decent but not great read. I found the whole thing a little frustrating, waiting for the characters to catch up with me. But it was nice to see home birth portrayed as a safe and reasonable option, rather than an…

The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn, Book 2)

American Literature July 14, 2011 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: Mistborn Vin and her lover the scholar-king fight to carve out a new society in the wake of the end of the thousand year reign of the Lord Ruler, but enemy armies amass on their city, and Vin herself becomes haunted by an ancient prophecy. Review: I honestly don’t know why I like these books so much. Brandon Sanderson is a pretty terrible writer and his characterizations are pretty thin. But I really love what he has created in Vin, a street urchin with…

The Man Who Folded Himself by David Gerrold

American Literature July 8, 2011 Superfast Reader 2 Comments

Synopsis: Gifted a belt that allows him to time travel, a man reorders the universe to suit himself. Review: I checked out The Man Who Folded Himself because the Kindle version is only $2.99. I am really glad that I did, because I was totally riveted by this book. The book really exploits the time travel premise to a brain-busting extent, but also maintains a solid emotional core. David Gerrold holds nothing back, and the result is just fascinating.

Fool’s Fate by Robin Hobb (The Tawny Man, Book 3)

American Literature July 6, 2011 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: As Fitz accompanies Prince Dutiful on a quest to lay the head of an ice-encased dragon on the hearthstone of the Narcheska Elliania’s mothershouse, he betrays his dearest friend and brings his own bastard daughter into grave peril. Review: Fool’s Fate is a thoroughly satisfying conclusion not just to the Tawny Man trilogy but to the entire tale begun in the Farseer trilogy and developed in the Liveship Traders. Hobb is after full-bodied resolution and she sure delivers. Everything is wrapped up and no…

Ship of Destiny by Robin Hobb (The Liveship Traders, Book 3)

American Literature June 26, 2011 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: The newly awakened dragon, the kidnapped satrap, the ships with living figureheads who are going insane, and the self-crowned King of the Pirate Isles come together in a rousing conclusion to the trilogy. Review: Ship of Destiny was just as much fun the second time around. I can forgive the crazy amounts of coincidence and deus ex machina because I just love the characters so much. I’d write more but I figure if you’ve gotten this far in the trilogy you already know how…

The Sociopath Next Door by Martha Stout

American Literature June 26, 2011 Superfast Reader 2 Comments

Synopsis: A look at the every day manifestations of sociopathy. Review: The Sociopath Next Door was informative but I wanted more case studies. The audiobook was deeply discounted and kept me mostly engaged.

The Prestige by Christopher Priest

British Literature June 13, 2011 Superfast Reader 2 Comments

Synopsis: A feud between two magicians at the turn of the 20th century escalates into madcap trickery and violence. Review: I was very disappointed by The Prestige, which promised so much and then just took the easy way out.

Mad Ship by Robin Hobb (The Liveship Traders, Book 2)

American Literature June 13, 2011 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: With the Vestrit family’s Liveship captured by the pirate Kennit and the family falling into poverty, headstrong Althea Vestrit plans a daring plot to regain her ship, even as her niece Malta becomes the family’s ransom to the shadowy, deformed Rain Wild Traders. Review: I know, I know, the plots of second books always sound so silly. You need to know who everybody is in order to appreciate Mad Ship, and if you’ve read the first book I’m sure i don’t need to convince…

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