Articles tagged with: Books

I had heard really positive comments about The Martian, so for my recent holidays I decided to grab it for my Kindle and read it. I could just say that I enjoyed the reading a lot, each day spending at least one hour (but usually was two or three) reading as much as possible from the adventures of Mark Watney, an astronaut sent to Mars who due to a storm gets hit and left for dead by his crewmates. When he wakes up, wounded but alive, refuses to die and starts surviving at the red planet while trying to think how to solve the main problem of being stranded in Mars.

The book is full of (interestingly) adventures, and really the only negative point I see of it is that our main character, being "just" a botanist and engineer actually solves every kind of problem in record time, from food shortages to all kind of accidents and environmental adversities. I am not saying he should "fail" to solve more challenges he encounters, but he is a so fast thinker that he feels so clever (like as if MacGyver went to Mars).

The story is thrilling, the topic is really specific and technical but well written so that a broad audience can understand, and I definetly recommend it to any sci-fi or adventures reader.

I also think that the best merchandising they should have done for this book (and maybe the movie, as I haven't watched it yet) is to have a LEGO kit with the rover vehicles and the habitation hub (plus Watney as a minifig).

Posted on 2015-12-01

Dark Vengeance is the second book based on a GW boardgame or WH40k edition I read (first was Space Hulk novel), and as a spoiler, again I feel it is a weak read made just to complement the 6th edition box set.

We're told the story of how the Dark Angels, who on their (typical) search for the Fallen hit a planet where they find not only chaos cultists, but renegade space marines from the Crimson Slaughter chapter and the battle they get into. Each chapter is told from different points of view, not only from the loyal marines, but also from chaos ones and even weirder subjects as a cultist or even the hellbrute. This makes some chapters feel... strange, culminating with the librarian being able to see far in the future some stuff by fraction of seconds (pretty much like recent Sherlock Holmes movies). Add to that that half of the story is pretty bland and typical, and yes, we indeed learn the origins of the new chapter of chaos space marines but... I felt dissapointed, I just expected something less dumb. Also, not entering into details it didn't felt to me as "the mind" of a chaos SM* would think and work that way.

I haven't read other books featuring the chaotic space marines so might be how they are portaited, but if so... I'd rather keep my imagination flowing.

Overall, a dull reading, you can skip it.

Posted on 2015-11-24

Although a bit too short for my taste, I have started reading some of this Black Library "ebooks" (aka "short stories", because ebook is the format, not the size), and one of the firsts I picked up was The word of the Silent King. As for the why of this specific title... probably because, even fearing what I would encounter, I wanted to read something about the Necrons*.

The short story... well you can imagine, Necrons fighting Blood Angels and incoming Tyranids, so the Necrons decide to lure the Space Marines to fight the Tyranids for them. Remember other books where just the mere mention of Eldar being right about something or negotiating with the Tau being considered heresy? Here one of the main chapters decides that is ok to pack with one of their worst enemies... to save some lives. Lives that other times they don't care to wipe out with an Exterminatus. The writing is not bad but the story is so weak, nonsense and stupid that I will avoid reading similar themed lore in the future to not get angry. I really dislike how sometimes we're destroying the Warhammer 40,000 setting in the name of money.

* I loved the old lore where they were more like ruthless unknown metal aliens with some dark past and the C'Tan, not now the more streamlined "angry race that just wants to wipe out everything" and that actually talks and even makes pacts with enemies.

Posted on 2015-09-28

As I'm quite tired from work and other tasks to properly paint miniatures, I've been doing quite some reading lately, more of its fruits being this book. Third and last book of the Legacy of Caliban, The Unforgiven closes Master of Sanctity and Ravenwing. And how nicely it does!

I might be biased because my main army is Dark Angels, or that the first Warhammer 40,000 books I read were precisely about this chaper, but the way the story unfolds (spoiler beware) after Cypher allows himself to be captured is greatly written. We get to know new secrets and new details not only of the present of the sons of the Lion, but even of their past, all convering on an interesting climax. All of the main characters have their share of action and chapters where they are relevant, among with some lesser soldiers that after past books become more important for the events that happen.

Nice writing, with cliffhangers at the ending of some chapters and switching to other characters so you must keep reading to know the conclussion, quite some action scenes, surprises and plot twists... I've been hooked with reading the book until I finished last night. Definetly recommended for Dark Angel fans.

Posted on 2015-07-08

Gods of Mars closes the trilogy of Priests of Mars and Lords of Mars. I finally had the time to read it and, while I have enjoyed a lot the full journey, and indeed this third act, this resolution, is good and well written... But I feel left with a taste of "it could be more". Most story arcs get closed, but not all (I won't spoil things, but the book starts with a really interesting "discovery" that is not really used much in the narrative).

The book is full of tension, as many characters in different situations have to resolve sometimes multiple problems, and most events unfold at once, the book jumping from one group of characters to another each few pages. But well done, keeping the tension and usually cliffhangers. Although some battles are quite convenient and some details a bit vague on purpose (to avoid probably impossible scenarios), I enjoyed reading so much about the Adeptus Mechanicus. It has been a good timing to release the books and then the new Warhammer 40,000 army indeed.

A recommended trilogy, although at the time of this writing this ebook costs more than twice than the other two, so maybe start with the others while price goes a bit down.

Note: Careful with The Black Library book description as it spoils a lot. You've been warned.

Posted on 2015-06-23