At first I didn't like it, but it really grew on me... nearly as good as "The Stand"
933222
Truthfully, at first I didn't like it, but it really grew on me... this book is nearly as good as "The Stand." I do enjoy Stephen King... yet can acknowledge that (like most writers, naturally), his work is sometimes uneven. Meaning, I don't always love the prose in his books, novel to novel, equally. However, no matter what others may think, Stephen King on a pretty good day is better than most writers on their best days. What I don't love about this book is the prose, it's somewhat lackluster to me--compared to other Stephen King novels, and some of the characters felt a little shallow or certain elements seemed illogical. However, in the reading, even the way this book is written has grown on me. I don't find that I love any particular characters in this book, and "Under the Dome" is decidedly an ensemble work, though I am most fond of Barbie. Yet, as I read the whole book, I did find that I enjoyed the book more and more and feel compelled to read it every chance that I got. Like&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Stand/dp/0307947300/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Stand</a>, which I really, really enjoyed as a mini-series and as a book, this story is nice and long. Curiously, this is the first very long Kindle book that I've read (on my&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Kindle-Paperwhite-6-High-Resolution-Display-with-Built-in-Light-Wi-Fi-Includes-Special-Offers/dp/B007OZNZG0/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Kindle Paperwhite, 6" High Resolution Display with Built-in Light, Wi-Fi - Includes Special Offers</a>, which I adore) that didn't seem overly long or bore me. The true test of an eBook is if the book becomes tiresome. I recommend you request a free sample (or look inside the book) before dismissing this title due to negative reviews. You may find that you want to read "Under the Dome" after all. Some of the small town power plays and close examination of the intricacies of human nature is entirely fascinating. Happy Reading~*
3700772
When a nice lady helped me find The Iron Trial, she handed this to me. I wasn't interested, but decided that it couldn't hurt. She did warn me that it gets scary towards the end. For the record, the horror genre doesn't faze me most of the time. The moment I read the scene where they played, I felt I wouldn't enjoy it. I don't like unfair play in real life. Why would I like it in literature? I was going to check out some of her other books, but after reading this, I'm not interested. Despite this, there's something I'll respect her for. While she wrote this, she spent several years performing  research. Granted, she had to change a few details, but at least it might be evident.

Zachary's father was the one character who I liked. I'm not going to condone him for tossing out his son's toys, but I'm glad that he felt sorry. He even went so far as to see if he could retrieve them. Later on, he gives a heartfelt apology that goes on several paragraphs. He said that even though, he grew up mean, he didn't want his son to go through that.

I found it funny that Tinshoe Jones is how he seemed to have an actual mention. I know that people call themselves crazy as a joke, but when someone has an actual mental illness, they see their behavior as normal. I just found him crazy for believing in aliens yet calling the bus driver insane. The one thing that bothered me about the scene was how the bus driver didn't try to stop. I imagine that he wouldn't get that severe punishment, but that's no excuse for not reprimanding him. (There's also no excuse for the Adults are Useless trope.)

The one thing good thing I liked about the protagonists is how they're realistic and relatable. Zach has to live with a father who left him and his mother. When he returns, it's because he couldn't make it in the big city. He becomes angry when his toys are thrown out. When Zach says he doesn't want to play, Poppy and Alice are curious. Did you like that bit of praise? Well, yuck it up. From here on out, I'm not going easy on this novel. They began to irritate me when they began to argue with each other at the worst times. It doesn't help that Alice and Poppy hesitated to forgive each other. I began to doubt if they're even friends. I understand that friends get mad at each other, but shouldn't you teach children and teachers that you should put aside your egos to forgive people? I'm not sure this is made clear, but forgiveness isn't putting the feud on hold to reignite it.

On top of this, they suffered little to no consequences. I won't fault them for stealing a boat because, they reported a missing boat. However, they broke into a library (that was somehow closed on Saturday) and managed to evade the library for some time. When she does catch them, she doesn't seem that mad. On top of that, they steal a few books, figuring it's all right if the owners don't catch them. I know I said this in a review for Host, but no wonder why Mary Sues are rampant.

For the most part, I didn't mind Lady Jaye's backstory. It was just the carnivorous horses part. I imagine that horses do eat some meat because, plants can't produce all the amino acids needed for life. However, horses that made meat their main diet? The thought makes me think ,"That's one reason why I hate fantasy at times." I'm aware that any story can suffer this pitfall, but I've seen a lot of fantasy authors discard facts for the sake of a 'good story'. I don't think that a story should be considered good if the audience is left questioning it.

I didn't feel sorry for Eleanor at all. I know that she had a bad life, but I didn't know her that long. In fact, before her past was revealed in parts, I knew her as a doll. However, I felt sorry for her dad. Even though there was little to no evidence, he still got convicted and executed.
4913649
The first couple of times I listened to this album it didn't do anything for me. Well, with the exceptions, perhaps, of the first and last songs: Dead in the water and The other side, which I liked from the first time I heard them. But I delayed writing a review panning it because I had the same initial impression of White Ladder, which over many playings grew into one of my dozen or so favorite albums of all time.
I'm happy to say that my instincts were correct. ANDAM is a very different album to White Ladder, but it's still a very good album. Both WL and ANDAM are what you might call pop-folk or electro-folk-pop (or some other jumble of inadequate descriptors) but the tone of the latter is both darker and quieter. Its world is one of self-contemplation rather than the societal activism that suffused songs like My Oh My and White Ladder on WL.
ANDAM is not quite as accessible as WL (but then, imo, WL is not exactly the most accessible album either) but it's well worth a listen. The songs on ANDAM have grow slowly over time at the back of my mind. And, close to one week after purchasing ANDAM (and listening to it probably 20 times in the interim), they are now flowering and bearing fruit.
1258694
This record grew on me ...not my favorite but very solid effort
3489151
I had to listen to this album a couple of times but it finally has grown on me.  Not as good as Megalithic Symphony but it is a pretty good follow up album.
1034775
While very similar to The Stand, I think this one took the prize.  I loved The Stand, but thought the end was cheap.  Not so with Swan Song.  Great writing, amazing characters, and an even better plot.  I've never read a book twice, but this might be the first one I do.
1650723
I was really hesitant to like this story. Really, I was. I'm kind of over the step-siblings thing but this one was really good.

Their conflict was unfortunate. The choices he made to keep her at a distance were obviously painful for her and I don't know how she was able to forgive him but she was. It was awe-inspiring, really.

Their relationship over the course of time/the book evolved in such an organic way. Their backgrounds were devastating. They were able to connect over things no one else could have understood.

So this book ended up being better than I thought when it started. I almost DNF'ed because of the "trope" but am so glad I stuck with it because it wasn't what you think.
1538484
Initially, I was not impressed.  It took me about 1/3 of the way through to actually start to enjoy the book.  It is certainly not nearly as good as Mr. Pettigrew's Last Stand.  It is worth the read, but not the memorable novel Mr. Pettigrew is.
1441507
I was a fan of Don't You Fake It, but I didn't think it was the end all be all to music like some reviewers on here.  This album IS very different than their first one, and to be honest, when I first gave it a listen, it didn't do much for me.  at all.  I found the music to be quite weak, yet I found his vocals to be enthralling. no, he doesn't scream (which, personally, I find refreshing) but I think they are even more passionate than on their first one. I try not to judge an album until I've listened to it at least three times through.  and boy am I glad I stuck with this.  not every song is gold, but more so than not.  I think if you just try and listen to this on it's own terms, and not as the follow-up to Don't Fake It, then it just might grow on you. not near as bad as the others reviews on here imply.
218321
Thought it was ok when I first purchased it but after some time, it really grows on you. Totally enjoying it now!
243353
I have to admit, when I first listened to this cd, I was disappointed. I loved the first 2 songs, but felt like the cd went downhill from there. I've listened to it a lot more and have grown to really like it. I also actually saw them live last night in my town. The songs that I didn't really like on this cd were great live. It changed my whole perspective on the songs. After seeing them live and listening to the album again, I really, really like it. I could even say I like it better than their first. Their debut still only has maybe 5 songs I really like.
1898693
It took a bit to get used to the writing style, but once I did I loved it.
153242
At first I wasn't sure I liked it, but the further I read, the more it drew me in. Highly recommend!
1862759
As someone who watched the show first, the book took some getting used to but once I did I found that I actually really enjoyed it. The story was different yes but not in a bad way and the instalove was actually something that made sense given the connection the two characters and their incarnations have had over the centuries. Honestly, I loved it and while I can't explain why I can tell you that I'm looking forward to reading the second book in the series.
1706233
Was on the fence between a 3 and a 4... There was a time-honored hook at the beginning there, but it took a long time for the book to really grab hold of me. I was about halfway before I was really into the story; and even then I wasn't sure that I thought it was great. (Quite good yes, but not great.) What pushed it from a 3 to a 4 for me were two things: (1) the ubiquitous gender-mashing that Leckie uses by having the narrator use "her" to refer to every character [*]; and (2) the not-so-latent dig into social and economic injustices.

Now that I've finished it, I'll likely seek out a few reviews of the book to see why others celebrated it so much throughout 2014. I'm sure her awards are well-earned, but to my eye this is a good-not-great space opera with interesting narrative conceits and thoughtful themes.

Would (likely) read again.

---

* = This is disorienting in a delightful and subversive way.
3149661
Didn't think I would like it at first. But once I saw the first episode it turned me into a fan.
28260
Where to even start? I'm not going to lie. I am not one of those people who thought that the 1300+ pages of The Stand was warranted. Halfway through, I started to look online for the original (read:shorter) version of it. Not because it was bad, but because this books feels like it could have been 400 pages shorter (gasp! It originally was!)

Now with that sarcasm out of the way, it really was a great book. It was too long and dragged a lot in the middle, but by and large, it was fantastic. The Stand could really be divided into 3 separate books. The first being the goings on during the epidemic that wipes out most of the human populace. The second is the journey to come together again and unify. The third, is the post-unification/ultimate confrontation. The second book is really what drags. King is really a master when it comes to character development. But sometimes it goes to far. He will go in great length to build a back story for a character that is going to end up dead in 50 pages or so. That same care, however is built into each of the main characters. So you have to take the good with the bad.

Thematically speaking, there could (and probably is) be a college course on The Stand. Good vs Evil; God vs the Devil; Mans' inhumanity to man; sociology vs religion; there are so many others that it boggles the mind, and he weaves each one together beautifully. It really is a profound book that includes so many different ideas, but never seems to lose its story thread.

Getting more specific, you spend so much time with each of the characters, that you really feel like you know each one. Granted, there are some that come into their own more than others. Larry stands out as one of the best, and most developed characters. Even if you can't empathize with him for much of the story, you can really seem to "get" him. Nadine, on the other hand, turned out to be such a pivotal character, whose plot line ends so anti-climatically.  The characters are the reason that you truly come back to this book. There are quite a few very slow sections, but those characters keep pulling you back.

On a personal note, it took me nearly a month to finish it because of the sheer length. But I don't regret it at all. Just take its size with a grain of salt. It is not a task to be taken lightly.

P.S. I read this just as the cold/flu season started up. It had me cringing with every sneeze. You have been warned!