Lord Sunday by Garth Nix

Lord Sunday by Garth Nix
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Read my previous thoughts here.

From my July 2019 reading: So I've been moving through this series so fast that I didn't stop and write as much as I would have hoped as this story arc wrapped up. I have a few questions I jotted down though:

-Why did the architect leave in the first place? The explanation seems fuzzy to me.
-Are wings on the denizens suppose to suggest angels? Hasn't Nix introduced "angels" into other stories of his?
-Why didn't the papers of peoples lives come up again late in the series? It seemed like a powerful magic feature that was mostly ignored.

I don't know if these were good questions or not, but they must have impressed me as I was reading it. I will let my first review stand on this series though, as I did enjoy it quite a bit on this second time through.

Superior Saturday by Garth Nix

Superior Saturday by Garth Nix
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Review from my previous reading from 2010.

Review from 6/27/2019:
I'm re-reading this series, and I was reading so fast, and like I mentioned here, if I had the next book handy I'd just keep reading. Well, that is what I just did this time. I had book 7 handy, and I kept reading and neglected to write much on this book. So I'm sticking with the original review and my 4 stars.

Lady Friday by Garth Nix

Lady Friday by Garth Nix
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

See my previous review where I only gave it 3 stars here: Lady Friday

Review from 6/20/2019:
This is another good book in the Keys to the kingdom series. There are times in the middle of the book that it feels like there are too many plot lines going, but Mr. Nix wraps them up fairly well in the end, leaving the need tension in the larger plot surrounding Saturday and Sunday. If anything, the rush at the end to tie in all of the details might have resulted in a few shortcuts. Freeing this part of The Will was a little too easy in the end. The touch of the true heir was enough? Really? How come that never worked before?

Still this is an enjoyable series best read quickly in one go, as it is all really one story. I am moving my rating up to 4 stars though (previous concerns still noted.)

Sir Thursday by Garth Nix

Sir Thursday by Garth Nix
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Link to my 2010 notes.

Update from my 2019 read:

Once again, I'm giving this 5 stars, more for the whole series rather than this one book. I like the depth in the setting and plot we get in this juvenile fiction, even though it stays true to the level of the audience it was written for. Also, this being my second time through the series, I'm still finding fantastic foreshadowing I missed the first time through.

Drowned Wednesday by Garth Nix

Drowned Wednesday by Garth Nix
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Link to my brief comments from my 2010 reading.

From my 2019 read:
So I'm doing it. I'm giving this 5 stars (was 3 stars). Is this better than the previous books? Not really. But I'm ready to give up any hangups I had about this series. It isn't perfect, but it is everything I look for in a book. There is always movement or progression of plot and characters. I always want to know what's going to happen next. I don't want to put it down. I have 3 other books I need to read in the next 2 weeks for various reasons, yet as I finish each book of this series I find myself moving straight to the next book and procrastinating my other responsibilities. Obviously that is a win.

Grim Tuesday by Garth Nix

Grim Tuesday by Garth Nix
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I first read this in 2010, but my comments were... lacking.  See my entry here.

This is a great page-turner for young readers. Its originality and great characters pair well with the expanding conflict that Arthur, the young protagonist, faces. As with most good fantasy books, the fate of the entire universe is at stake, but Nix has cleverly reframed the universe into a conceptual house, and introduced politics at an age appropriate level into the house. It is very well done.

Strangely, I can't quite put my finger on why I'm not giving this 5 stars. I can't think of any criticisms I have for this book, which is unusual. It is strange that the house that controls the universe has a Victorian industrial age steam punk feel to it. But it feels like it fits with the story, and so is hard to complain about. After thinking it over, I think that I'm just anticipating more story, so having just this one piece of the story isn't as satisfying. Not fair you say? Well, I've heard that life isn't fair:)

Mister Monday by Garth Nix

Mister Monday by Garth Nix
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My 2010 Review

Comments from my 2019 reading:
I decided it was time to revisit a series I already knew and loved. This young adult book has the originality that I have come to expect from Garth Nix, and this reading did not disappoint. This second time through I caught more of the details and foreshadowing of the final ending than I did the first time, and it adds some depth that I appreciated. All in all, I'm excited to plow through this series again.

Have Sword, Will Travel by Garth Nix

Have Sword, Will Travel by Garth Nix
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a decent book for young readers. I'm not actually sure what age group it was aimed at, but I'm guessing it is a pretty young demographic. It moved along quickly, and had a good story.

So why was I disappointed? I picked up this book because it had Garth Nix's name printed on the cover. After my last few random selections at the library I wanted to turn to an author I trusted for a great book. Nix always has some original concept that makes his books exceptional. This book lacked that originality. I guess I was supposed to be more intrigued by the sword-as-a-character, but that didn't do it. There were too many cliches, from magic swords to dragons that talked, for this book to meet my expectation as a Nix work.

Was it a bad book? Not at all. Was it a fantastic book written for kids, but that would appeal to all ages? Not at all. It is just a plain old fashioned good book for kids.

Clariel by Garth Nix

Clariel by Garth Nix
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I made a mistake I rarely make with this book. I read a few comments about the plot on Goodreads, and had the ending of the book spoiled. It was an innocent mistake, as I was just trying to figure out when in the Abhorsen series I should read it, but there it was. A sentence or two spoiled it for me, and once read, they couldn't be unread. With that background I finally got around to reading it, and I spent most of the book dreading the ending that was coming. You see, this was supposed to be a dark tragedy of sorts, and even worse, it was set in a world I already knew and loved. So I wasn't looking forward to the ending.

I don't want to spoil it for you, so I won't go into much more detail, but I will say that I appreciated this book in the end. First, the ending was not as awful and soul-crushing as it could have been. Second, the background and explanation this book gives about free magic and free magic sorcerers was very enlightening to the rest of the series, and answered questions I had always had. I also chose to read Goldenhand and then go back and read this prequel, but I think that reading the prequel first would have worked as well. As with many other prequels, I don't think this is the same quality of story that you get in the original introduction to the world, so if you aren't committing to the whole series, maybe you better start with Sabriel. All in all, a good story.

To Hold the Bridge by Garth Nix

To Hold the Bridge by Garth Nix
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In revisiting the works of Garth Nix, my appreciation for his talent has grown. This collection of short stories was surprising, impressive, and an overall great experience. Very few of these stories left me without a desire to hear more. The few that built on worlds he created in other books (that I have read) did not disappoint on the expectations built in the original work. The stories built on worlds from books I haven't read yet were the best advertising possible, and the stand alone ideas were largely intriguing. I recommend this to anyone who has enjoyed any of Nix's other works, although I do recommend getting to know a few of his completed books before taking this on, just so you are ready for his style, but either way, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Goldenhand by Garth Nix

Goldenhand by Garth Nix
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So when I restarted the Abhorsen series I wasn't even aware of this book. When I learned about it, I was concerned that it would mess with the mostly clean wrap up in the previous book. Thankfully, this continuation worked well. The carryover of a known antagonist helped the story work as well.

I have two [minor] complaints. One, Sabriel and Touchstone have gone flat. They are too perfect. What are their weaknesses? How are they going to grow now? I'm not saying that they have to fall, or that their relationship should deteriorate, but they need some oppression or room to grow of their own.

My second beef is with Sabriel as well. When a nearly insurmountable foe shows up, her resistance to sending her inexperienced apprentice out to deal with the danger is cursory at best. Sabriel had faced Chlorr and knew the danger. I just don't see her backing down so easily, Clayr or no Clayr. Did the plot need her to back down? Yes. But that makes it feel gimmicky, and when Nix addresses the issue directly in dialogue, it actually gets worse. Do I have an alternate solution to suggest? No.

Criticisms aside, this was a good continuation to the series.

Abhorsen by Garth Nix

Abhorsen by Garth Nix
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Second reading, but first review.

This was a great wrap up to the story arc started in Lirael, although Lirael and Abhorsen should have just been released as one book. You could argue that is started with Sabriel, but I disagree. Yet, if you want to meet and try to convince me, I accept. Back to Abhorsen: I feel that the antagonist was better described early in this book, which made the danger more threatening, and fixed one of my criticisms of Lirael. That description also included an explanation of how Kerrigor, was related, or should we say not related. Just like I wanted. As far as criticism, I don't have much to say. Enjoyable story, and if anything I'm scared that the next book, Goldenhand, might ruin a perfectly good ending, although Nick's quick exit at the end of Abhorsen left something to be desired. But I assume that is another book for another day.

Lirael by Garth Nix

Lirael by Garth Nix
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a re-read from 2009, but sadly, I didn't say anything about it at the time.

Why do I like the work of the Garth Nixes and Brandon Sandersons of the world? It is how they are able to spin a tale--plot, characters, setting, all of it-- in a way that keeps you guessing and still comes together as one story in the end. The few Agatha Christie books I'm aware of display this as well. Perhaps it is fair to say that all books are mysteries at some level.

Lirael fits that description. As I read and tried to see what was coming, I would finally figure it out and feel smart only to have the whole thing unfolded for me anyway in the next instant. To me that is maximum engagement for a reader. To drop clues until they figure it out on their own... just as you tell them anyway.

The one small weakness I noticed was that the nature of the enemy isn't really revealed or a part of the story until the epilogue. We do get an idea with the backstory about the Charter from Mogget and the Dog, but it kind of feels like it's thrown in. "And now that everyone knows who they are in this story, here is some unspeakable evil to fight. Let us sally forth in the next book!" One small thing that would have helped for me is to link Kerrigor to this new guy (forgot his name). That would have made a nice consistent good vs. evil struggle in my mind, but that may have presented another problem. Things that wrap up or connect too nicely feel contrived. Overall this is a small issue.

Why only 4 stars? Lack of satisfactory resolution. Even if the conflict had to continue to the next book, I don't feel like our protagonists accomplished enough to call this an ending. Easily fixed in the next book, but still, I'm holding a star hostage.

A Confusion of Princes by Garth Nix

A Confusion of Princes by Garth Nix
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I don't know what category to put this book in. Fantasy, YA, SciFi? Sure. Stretch it a bit and you could talk about romance, post apocalyptic, or thriller. But I'm going to just call it literature. Why? Because at the end of the day this off-the-wall story of space ships, cyborgs, and a dictator-lead galactic empire makes you think a lot about humanity: what it means to be human, what we become when we give ourselves over to humanity, and when humanity is achieved by giving up everything including life itself.

Garth Nix was a favorite of mine a few years ago, and somewhere between feeling like I finished what he had published and discovering Brandon Sanderson, I forgot to check in on his stuff. This little gem is either new, or I had overlooked it, but this is the Garth Nix I remember. Strange off-the-wall fantasy that you just about give up on completely, only to find that you can't put it down. One minute you are about to huck it out the window, and the next minute you are hiding out, shirking responsibility just to keep it going. Seriously, the first third of this book was straight up confusing, while the last third was a page turner.

I do have two criticism (if I didn't come up with anything, you would probably question if I actually read the book.) First, the book got a little edgy in places (swear words, adult situations.) It wasn't overly frequent, but when it sticks out to me in a book, it is often because I feel like it was unnecessary to move the plot and characters forward, especially for the intended audience. For example, the last book I read, Stone Cold by David Baldacci, had a fair amount of language, violence, and a bit of adult humor, but it didn't stick out to me as much because the type of book it was and the audience it was aimed at. A YA fantasy should probably live without it. I actually really like Brandon Sanderson's approach which is to create your own lexicon of foul language for each world you write in. Then you can be offensive without offending. My 2nd beef is that several of the supporting characters felt weak. Raine's motivations and opinions seemed underdeveloped, and Adelyn definitely seemed underdeveloped.

Overall this is an impressive book, and if you're interested in a YA Fantasy/SciFi that makes you think a little deeper than usual, it is worth your time.

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I get why this is fantasy, but honestly, it is probably the coolest scifi book I've read in a long time. There is enough technology in this book to satisfy the scifi crowd, and enough world building and politics to satisfy us fantasy geeks. All in all, another great Sanderson read.

I did feel like it took a little while to get going, but I didn't mind all that much. The plot did move along, and by the end I couldn't put it down. I would understand that casual fantasy/ scifi readers might draw a lot of parallels or offer criticism, on potential parallels with Ender's Game, but there was enough that was unique that none of that bothered me at all. Sanderson books are also always heavy on physics, so expect physics puzzles in this one as well.

The biggest challenge for me, might have been the exceptional mechanical skills of a teenage kid with a single wrench, but I suppose I've suppose I've read worse. Looking forward to the next installment.

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This started out slow for me. The first chapter or so literally put me to sleep and I had to restart it. Part of that was because I was tired--a common prerequisite to sleep--and part because I had to reorient myself to the world on this book. I didn't know anything about the book, so I was trying to understand it as a British coming of age relationship story, when I was encountering a dark fantasy-world-hidden-in-our-world thriller. Once I got into the right frame of reference things went smashingly.

Croupe and Vandamar are superb villains, as they strike the terror of torturing serial killers with the readability of Horace and Jasper from 101 Dalmatians. Without that snappy--albeit dark--dialogue, I think they would have been a bit too much for me and this would have moved toward being a Dean Koontz style thriller, which I sampled in Jr. High years ago and decided wasn't for me.

The concept of having a story about multiple Londons, with a main character with the ability to magically open doors seemed a bit worn out after reading VE Schwab's Shades of Magic (book 1, 2, 3) series in the last year or so. While there are some overlapping features, the plots are different enough that I suppose it's ok, but to me there was also a similar writing style, as the level graphic violence/torture was also similar. I wonder which book came out first, and if the second author would admit to being influenced by the other... (I looked it up later. Neverwhere was first by over a decade, so Gaiman wins.)

Finally, the magic system. In this book magic is ever present, but never really center stage. Many characters have special abilities, but the origin of those abilities are never explained, and they are generally secondary to everything else going on. They are treated more like innate hereditary talents than character defining traits. Even Door's family is more defined by their political role than their magic ability. Their titles are political (Earl, Baron, Marquis) rather than magical ability (wizard, mage, witch, Door Opener). A final comment on the magic system: a rare but interesting approach is to mix religious characters and features into the magic system. Having an angel, a traditionally religious figure of power, central to the plot was a nice twist.

Overall, this book was unexpectedly good. Interesting concepts and characters throughout. Weaknesses for me were in certain characters at certain times. Richard was a wimpy corporate figure who was supposed to be old enough to work in an investment house, but acts like a teenager at times and is even called a kid by the Marquis near the end. I don't know what to make of him. Door is portrayed as a teenage girl, but sometimes acts like a mature woman. In both cases, I think the intent was to provide character growth to explain the concern, but they are inconsistent and flip flop through out the book, with mature moments at the beginning and juvenile moments at the end. When it comes to Croupe and Vandamar, their intrinsic motivations are unclear. Time traveling serial killing partners, yes, but why? Characters are the weakness for me, but this is a book club read for me, so I'll see if someone in that group can handle my concerns.

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Caraval by Stephanie Garber
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I tried to like this book. There were certainly reasons, or at least excuses, to like it, even though there were strong romance themes that generally had me rolling my eyes. But it wasn't to be. Why? The characters were too frustrating. They did dumb stuff, starting with Scarlet, and ending with everyone else. She lived in abusive situation, yet believed she could negotiate with every antagonist. Threatening to hurt herself, promising to obey, trying to sacrifice herself to help someone else when she obviously had no leverage. Did she learn nothing from her youth with her father? She was so annoying I could barely stand to read it. I found the setting interesting, and was willing to overlook the shudders that overtook Scarlet every time Julian sneezed in her direction, but she still made no sense. One minute a villain was murdering the love of her life, the next minute she was having a calm conversation with him, and the next thing you know she is trying to negotiate with him, willing to do anything if he promises to be nice. He's the bad guy. That never works. Frustrating.

So I still would have been tempted to give the book up to 4 stars based on all the twists and turns, but then I finished it. Well I didn't really finish it, it just ended on me. No wrap up, just a totally dissatisfying lack of resolution. In the end you don't know who anyone is or what really just happened. I know this is supposed to be a series, but you still owe it to your readers to provide closure to the conflict of this book before setting up the next one. I don't know if anything was resolved here. At the very least it was dissatisfying. So this is now in the 2-3 star range for me, and I don't know if I will be reading the next book. Usually I can't help but read any series I start, but I could see this being an exception. I don't know that I trust the author to wrap up details at the end to provide a real satisfying read, and if I have to endure any more sappy, hollow teenage romance my eyes won't be able to roll my far enough back into my head.

The Dark Talent by Brandon Sanderson

The Dark Talent by Brandon Sanderson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Well, I went into this thinking that it was the last book in the series, and that I had made it through a decent, although somewhat annoying series. Well, just so you know, it isn't the last book. The last book hasn't been written yet.

This book ends on a cliff hanger, which is incredibly frustrating for several reasons. The first is obvious: cliff hangers are often frustrating. The second, the expectation set did not match the reality. Perhaps after reading the actual last book I'll feel differently, but this does feel like unmet expectations. Third, one of the things that Sanderson does best is provide closure at the end of each of the books in his series'. Minor story arcs inside of big ones. A small victory for the good guys, even though the world is in even more trouble. He totally whiffed this one. No closure, no minor win, just disappointment. Maybe it'll all get fixed after the last book, but this was not appreciated.

If I am to give him any credit, it does say something that I care enough to be this disappointed by a juvenile fiction book. It is a sign that despite other failures, he created strong characters, setting and plot, which is classic Sanderson. Unsatisfying endings are not.

Alcatraz Versus the Shattered Lens by Brandon Sanderson

Alcatraz Versus the Shattered Lens by Brandon Sanderson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

While this was another step forward in the Alcatraz series, I feel like I have said it all already. Once again my comments are meta-comments about the writing rather than the actual story.

This was a good story, with good characters, written in an unfortunate style that hides the genius of the story. Some of the funniest stuff is in those awkward sections where the narrator butts in, but as I have pointed out previously, the voice of that writing is pure Brandon Sanderson. Now, I'd pay for a whole book of that content from Sanderson, and he obviously has it in him wanting to get out, but it is unfortunate the way it got embedded in this book. In some ways, it reminds me of Wayne in the Alloy of Law series, but Wayne has a setting and other characters to be true to. The narrator interjections here are really free from most of that since they are out of the timeline and in an unknown setting, so Sanderson can just let himself go. Enjoyable, but misplaced.

I still can't believe I'm reading this series. At this point it looks like I will just finish it out...

Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Crystallia by Brandon Sanderson

Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Crystallia by Brandon Sanderson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The first Alcatraz books were sorely disappointing. Book 2 was a second chance that piqued my interest enough to get me reading the series, although I was still disillusioned with the style of writing that constantly broke into the action. This 3rd book was more of the same. The plot, characters, and setting all got better, sure. But the annoying breaks in the story annoyed me that much more.

I feel like Sanderson is giving in to the concept of sunk costs here. He committed to this style for the series and feels like he has to follow through for consistency. But instead, he should just throw consistency out the window in favor of creating a much better product. He is capable of switching it up and making it work. His fan base will forgive him as long as he keeps the story and characters going. Just do it. Please.

But for all my criticism, I'm still reading, so he has me along for the ride, whining and complaining all the way. If you ignore the breaks in the action for chit chat, you end up with a 3 or 4 star read.