Barbarius commented on The Space Trilogy by C. S. Lewis
Book 2: Perelandra. Here we go!
Reviews and Comments
Mostly reading sci-fi, fantasy, and comics/graphic novels, but occasionally some other stuff too.
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Barbarius started reading False Gods by Graham McNeill
The Great Crusade that has taken humanity into the stars continues. The Emperor of mankind …
I'm out and don't have access to my current tome. So on to the ereader!
Barbarius wants to read Red Rising by Pierce Brown
Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of …
Had this on my list, but another friend just recommended it to me, so I may have to bump it up!
Barbarius commented on The Space Trilogy by C. S. Lewis
Just finished the first book: "Out of the Silent Planet" I'm very much enjoying this so far!
Read this for the first time today. Genuinely cried my eyes out at the end. And what has changed in the seventy years since its publication!? Nothing! Capitalism is monstrous.
Barbarius reviewed The Vision by Tom King
The Vision wants to be human, and what's more human than family? So he heads …
Super-Bicentennial Man
3 stars
What happens when Vision, who is immensely powerful, longs for a "regular family" including all the turmoil, unpredictability, and emotional struggles that come with it. Superman meets the Bicentennial Man.
Barbarius finished reading Luthor by Lee Bermejo
The superstar, critically acclaimed team behind BATMAN: DAMNED and JOKER deliver a bold story in …
What if Lex Luthor is actually a good guy? And his motivations were that knowing that all that stops the end of the human race is staying on the good side of an alien?
Barbarius commented on Old Man's War by John Scalzi
John Scalzi channels Robert Heinlein (including a wry sense of humor) in a novel about …
A bunch of Scalzi's books are going in a Humble Bundle right now; 21 books for A$30 (https://www.humblebundle.com/books/john-scalzis-interdependency-old-mans-war-and-more-tor-books-encore). Are they any good?
Barbarius started reading Critical Role by Matthew Mercer
The band of adventurers known as Vox Machina will save the world. Eventually. But even …
I was given this as a gift years ago... Now's a good time to read it, I guess?
Barbarius finished reading Roche limit by Michael Moreci
It's 75 years after the events that left the Roche Limit colony in flames. When …
I like that this series is three separate stories, and not a continuation of characters throughout. It's also definitely scratching a hard SF itch in a way that SF comics seem to not normally be able to do.
Barbarius rated Roche Limit: 3 stars
Roche Limit by Michael Moreci
"Our destiny is the stars, and I will lead us there." Twenty years after this promise, billionaire Langford Skaargard's dream …
Barbarius finished reading Mae Volume 1 by Gene Ha
When she was just a girl, Abbie discovered a portal to a fantasy world and …
That was enjoyable. But it feels like the author has a huge world with an incredible history and lore developed and we only get a teeny tiny sneak peak at it. Apparently it only went for another six issues after this?
Barbarius finished reading Global by Eoin Colfer
Two children. Two locations. One climate crisis.
In the Arctic wilderness, Yuki and her dog …
Very good. Not at good as Illegal, IMO, but still excellent.
Barbarius finished reading Illegal by Eoin Colfer
This is a powerful and timely story about one boy's epic journey across Africa to …
Oh goodness... Where are my kids, I need to hold them forever 😭
Barbarius reviewed The Last Shadow by Orson Scott Card
Orson Scott Card's The Last Shadow is the long-awaited conclusion to both the original Ender …
Playing with old toys
4 stars
Look, this book is good. I'll say that from the outset. Is it as good as the other ten Ender/Shadow books before it? On balance, I'd say probably not (with the exception of Xenocide maybe), but what it does hit me with most of all is nostalgia. After the first book in each of the Ender and Shadow series the story arcs completely diverge. This book reconnects them in a completely legitimate way, and brings all the characters back together for the first time in twenty years (for us, not them) for a final story. So it definitely felt nice to have all these characters from different stories in the same book. But one thing that's different, and a little bit weird for me at least, in this story is that both Ender and Bean – the two main characters of the two series – are absent. It's fine, and …
Look, this book is good. I'll say that from the outset. Is it as good as the other ten Ender/Shadow books before it? On balance, I'd say probably not (with the exception of Xenocide maybe), but what it does hit me with most of all is nostalgia. After the first book in each of the Ender and Shadow series the story arcs completely diverge. This book reconnects them in a completely legitimate way, and brings all the characters back together for the first time in twenty years (for us, not them) for a final story. So it definitely felt nice to have all these characters from different stories in the same book. But one thing that's different, and a little bit weird for me at least, in this story is that both Ender and Bean – the two main characters of the two series – are absent. It's fine, and there's no issue with it, but I was keenly aware of the hole they both left.
The only other thing that I felt let down by was the complete absence of the revelation (regarding the Formics) that occured at the end of Shadows in Flight. It was pretty significant, and basically made no impact at all.
But still: good book. Go read it. (after you've read the other ten first)