Disappointingly average
344438
There are several major flaws with this book (when compared to Stephenson's other works), that make it just an average action-adventure page-turner.
First, it has a number of flaws typical of the lesser works of the genre: unlikely coincidence after unlikely coincidence, untrained individuals coming up with McGyver-like solutions to problems, *good* guys and *bad* guys such that the good guys instantly recognize each other and form bonds of intense loyalty. Several characters 'fall in love' with the protagonist after minimal interactions (one doesnt even speak to her) and are immediately willing to make great sacrifices and go to tremendous lengths to protect her.
Second, it just doesn't even try to rise above being an action thriller- unlike his better earlier work, there's no attempt to tie the guns-and-ninjas action to the development/exploration of a larger theme (eg Cryptonomicon) or world (eg Diamond Age). It's basically a Tom Clancy novel: some bad guys try to do some bad stuff, some unlikely good guys inexplicably team up with the author's lazy coincidences to defeat them.
Finally, there are plot holes running rampant throughout the book- not just the coincidences, but also crazy plans that only work because of unforeseeable oversights by the bad guys and poorly-thought-out motives by some characters that are (psychically?) inferred by other characters with unfailing accuracy.
2158332
I have no doubt Roger Torrey knows what he's writing about. It has the feel of reality, and this original "Black Mask Boy" was by all accounts as hard-living as he was hard-writing. But 42D4M  just wasn't very interesting, well-scribed or well-structured, compared to the masterpieces of this sub-genre: Red Harvest, Nightmare Town, Solomon's Vineyard, et al.
All these stories are about one man entering a corrupt town and taking it on basically by his lonesome. Here it is Reno, a town full of essentially legal dope and subsidized prostitution and easy divorce rackets (the headline comes from the six weeks necessary to establish residency and begin divorce proceedings). This is an interesting setting, bringing to mind the lawless frontiers of the old west in its evocations of the mafia-like criminal organization.
But the other stories I mentioned are eventful. This one is not especially so. Not a lot happens until the last 10 pages of this 160-page novel, when the factions engage in two gorily-detailed shootouts, which by the narrator's own admission last all of 10 seconds apiece.
A lot of this novel has San Francisco-based PI Shane Connell hiding in a flophouse. There are a lot of people doing a lot of hiding throughout this book. And a lot of characters who contribute little to the plot or to any greater meaning, including a bookworm sidekick who doesn't do much and seems out of place, except for giving Connell opportunity to spout off in a wise manner. And there are a lot of half-explained events. The plot has to do with a man from out east hiring Connell to find out why his wife went there and announced her plans to divorce him and refuses to talk to him. But mostly it consists of skulking around, trying to keep out of sight until all the angles and factions are figured, when it all explodes adequately but too briefly. Some people might find this to be fast-paced. But a lot of short chapters and quick scenes is not a fast pace if nothing really happens. I think there was a problem with the author's plot: the solution of the case and the motive were so inexorably tied together that we could not find out why things were happening the way they were until they were over. That didn't add suspense or interest for me; it merely made me impatient.
Additionally, there were lots of typographical errors in the text. Ordinarily that does not bother me; here the sheer number of them proved irksome. I don't know if they existed in the original or if they are the reprinter's fault. Either way, it added an air of slapdashery to a book I was losing patience with anyway. And the back cover gets a plot point wrong, too.
Torrey aspires to the screwball toughness of Bellem but comes up short too often, with a clunky tenor to a lot of his dialogue, redundancy to some more. It's rough-and-ready speech, all right, but it should still be poetry. (Chandler, anyone?) An example, describing an innocent-looking but experienced "lady": "She's been father under the barn for eggs than you've been away from the farm." One can understand this phrase, but it lacks a certain something.
Still, hard-boiled and funny writers like Bellem, Nebel and Latimer are the most apt comparisons, because Torrey tries so hard to be tough that there is nothing to do but be amused at some of it. His descriptions of his sidekick's ample, been-around-the-block girlfriend are especially harsh, such as when he says he could start a milk route with her, six bottles and one more cow. (Funny, but there's not enough of that kind of stuff in all.)
Tough, true, humorous in places, but ultimately unsatisfying.
905952
This is an amalgamation of plot concepts from a series of second rate movies, books and TV shows. It starts with a clumsy title and goes downhill from there. Nothing new, it has erratic pacing, flat characters. Very average and naive in concept. Very typical of the deluge of readers who decide - "I can write as well as this - I have a computer" - and then proceed to demonstrate that they can't. Possibly if the writer took the time to learn the craft, take some creative writing and English classes the next book might be an improvement. As it is I didn't find it interesting enough to finish reading. I have a low boredom threshold.
4362138
I had the opportunity to listen to the auido book, Mercy this week. Honestly, I was expecting more of an intriguing story but what I found was the promise of a great story lurking around the edges of an overly long buildup to a bedroom scene. The main characters in the story start out as fascinating people with interesting lives, but far too quickly they are reduced to mere objects and the focus on their "perfect" bodies, more Adonis and Aphrodite-like than human, takes over the story. They become unbelievable. Literally, unbelieveable and therefore not credible participants in the other story that is trying to get out.

The author obviously knows how to craft a story, but I felt like she needed to pick one or the other story to tell. She does build in a good number of twists and turns to keep readers turning the pages whenever the intended story makes itself known. But, it's easy to get bogged down in Michelle's repeated disbelief over Theo's incredible presence.

All in all, I would like to have seen the author develop the Sowing Club characters a bit more. The're pretty one-dimensional.
3688920
Perhaps my expectations were too high. Perhaps I expected something entirely different than what was served. Perhaps it was just poor timing when it came to reading this... Though UNREMEMBERED by Jessica Brody was an enjoyable enough read, a poorly executed "mystery" and characters lacking in emotional depth caused it to fall a bit... flat.

Flat. What an excellent word to describe this book. Let's start with the main character, Violet (aka. "Seraphina" according to the description, which itself is a spoiler that completely kills one "mystery" element in the book). She is a positively "perfect" being, and we are constantly reminded of this fact throughout the book. Oh, and she has purple eyes. Seraphina is so perfect and flawless, in fact, (and don't forget she has purple eyes) that it is obvious that she is either a) an unnatural human/science experiment/robot or b) an alien. Take your pick. And she is super smart and probably has the highest IQ in the world, buy yet she knows nothing at all about the modern world... Hmm, I wonder where she came from? Either she comes from a) a different time or b) another planet. Again, take your pick. Other than these attributes, there was very little that made Seraphina interesting.

UNREMEMBERED was too entirely predictable and so straight forward in how it was presented from the very beginning. As a result, the element of mystery was killed for this (typically naive) reader. In fact, even though it is also supposed to be a romance novel, I found my self not at all invested with either of the romantic interests. So even that part of the story fell a bit flat for me. Sadly, the other half of the love story, Zen, simply came across as a lucky hormonal boy who happened to fall in love with the "perfect woman". I think that any boy who happened upon her could have easily fit the bill. I tried to find some redeeming quality that would make Zen special or stand out as more than just a cardboard character, but I couldn't... Not to mention, there seemed to be too many characters thrown in the story out of convenience, as though they were there just to help the characters along in their quest. And the bad guy... Is it bad that I didn't feel the tension with this one?

I do not want to sound too negative, though. The writing IS quite good and the words/dialogue flow fairly easily. While much time is spent running (from both the obvious truth and the bad guys) and the pacing is off a bit, I still found UNREMEMBERED to be a quick and entertaining enough read. At least, I wasn't bored, even though I knew the outcome before I read it. How exactly was the pacing off? Well, UNREMEMBERED starts right off with the discovery of Seraphina, but after that it contains an overly slow middle + a too quick resolution. While this is actually the typical pacing of mystery fiction, in this case the element of mystery wasn't exactly there... so phooey.

I do know many other readers who have found the story to be quite exciting and the mystery to be rather unpredictable, though. Maybe I will be the black sheep when all is said and done.

Will I be continuing the series? Well, UNREMEMBERED did end on a pretty big cliffhanger, one that sends the characters and story in a direction that could be insanely awesome. Plus, now that the predictable brouhaha of discovering the origin of Seraphina is over and done with, perhaps the story can move forward to something more gripping. I have a feeling that, in spite of my lack of a full connection with UNREMEMBERED, I will still be checking out book two when it is released.
3824894
Ugh.  Surely there's something better I could have spent my time reading.

If you are reading this, chances are you're already a fan of Weisman's books, and in that case you probably don't want or need my review.  But on the off chance that you just stumbled across this ....

It's OK.  The characters are a bit flat, if not downright one-dimensional.  Many of the characters are modeled on (idealized, fantasy versions of) figures from the GW Bush administration; in fact, it's a bit of a fictionalized hagiography of Bush, Rumsfeld, and others.  But SOAR was written back before the administration and its wars went all pear-shaped, so in retrospect it all seems very naive and childish.

I'm not going to write anything about the plot, since the whole point of this kind of book is to be kept in suspense.  The writing style is clunky, but it's not intended nor expected to be great literature.

If your expectations are low, and you are able to suspend your normal judgement, it won't be too big a disappointment.
3007751
Given reviews applauding this novel and its publisher's hype, comparing it to Jonathan Franzen and Lorrie Moore, I expected far more. The beginning is highly dramatic, but as the book progresses, I felt as if the character began to float away. I admire the author's original structure (mid-book, she flashes forward and summarizes the lives of the four key characters) but I became rather bored by the plot as the book trudged on. I felt as if the husband and children were well-developed, but the wife, less so. I wanted more. I also did not find it funny, as it was promoted. I found it interesting, but sad.
4731855
Having been riveted by George Pelecanos' writing for "The Wire" I was looking forward to reading a complete novel.  Perhaps this was the wrong novel to read but for me it had neither the nuanced character development nor the complex plot twists for which I was hoping.  David Simon's non fiction "Homicide" read more like an engrossing crime novel than this book.  The characters were shallow and the story contained too many gratuitiously inserted characters that had little to do with expanding the plot.  I felt like I could have been watching an episode of CSI, which I try not to do.  The attempts at exploring racial and homophobic prejudices felt flat.  Gus' encounter with the school officials was not enlightening, but more laugable in its meager attempt to show how poor Gus couldn't get the best for his kid.  The last few pages of the novel were the most interesting for me and the style could have been used to a better degree to develop both the characters and the plot.

I don't usually comment on books but felt compelled since this was such a major disappointment.  I guess my expectations were too high.  Better luck next time George.
3618893
For me this is barely "just okay".  Being a lover of wonderfully prepared whole healthy foods - an avid cook and a foodie - I was really pretty disappointed in this offering.  It reads like a book for people with limited access to food rather than a desire to eat well.  Lots of duplication of ingredients and limited variety.  Considering the paleo roots I expected some mouth watering offerings to make that type of food plan for life more appealing than I might have been able to think of.  There were a paltry few chicken recipes - I think 4 - none of which looked appetizing to my husband or me.  The cauliflower "rice" and "mash" recipes are the same that have been around for years, as have baba ganoush, roasted spaghetti squash, chocolate chili, and several others - nothing new or interesting there. Lots of wasted space telling me I should have a large cutting board, a really good knife, etc., or sharing cooking basics (some very basic) yet not providing time frames for doneness.  Assuming these cooks are new enough to cooking to need the basics then try - for approximately 15 minutes or until internal temperature reaches xxx, is far more helpful.  It includes lots of only slightly useful information and, essentially advertising.  No need for lavish half and even full page photos of eggs in their shells in a bowl, and a big bowl of miscellaneous spices and many more such photos.  There are only 4  recipes for huge paleo component, fruits, e.g. berries and coconut cream or carmelized coconut, and to my mind coconut is a fruit like a tomato is a fruit.  Tried the 1 salmon entre recipe which although not astounding did have a very pleasant use of spice. I will try more but I think this is a pretty poor value for $18 I paid.
1894565
I've listened to a number of Mark Billingham's Thomas Thorne novels.  I was disappointed with this particular effort.

Ten years after Tom Thorne had helped investigate the murder of a minor sort of mobster in a murder for hire scheme, proof surfaces that the supposedly dead mobster is alive and living the good life on a sunny coast. As a result, the person who did time for hiring the killer goes to a private detective to try to locate the supposedly dead man.  The private detective then goes to Tom Thorne, who much to his dismay had just had a jury go against him in another case where no body was found.

This starts out promising but by the end I was gritting my teeth.  Two things annoyed me:

1) A promising new character is introduced then toward the end is unceremoniously rushed off the stage to no real purpose.

2) There were several twists in the conclusion of the story but I think I was supposed to admire their twistiness rather than feel they grew out of clues planted in the story. I think that some of the more recent best selling thrillers with "ooooh, shocker" endings have started to bleed over into subgenres where they do not particularly fit. I'd rather have a good ending than a clever one.

There was also a bit of a neat legal question at the end, that I cannot really discuss because it would be a terrible spoiler, but no one even mentions it.

The narrator is Paul Thornley who does a competent job of voicing the characters.
2249812
This book is pretty average in every way. Its not great but its not bad either. Might be a good read on a slow day but not something I would hurry to read. Don't know that there was ever a good description given of any of the alien races. Somehow they all speak the same language. A decorated captain just walks off the bridge during a battle leaving his subordinate to handle it without any support, there were a lot of little things in the book that just bugged me as being too implausible, or that weren't described very well. I just found myself wanting more, and feeling like the universe these books are set in wasn't very well described.
75884
"Fragments" is a story about a group of diverse savants who are brought together for a remarkable experiment - to take each of their gifts (ranging from eidetic imagery to unbelievable mathematic computation) and meld them into one "super-human" personality.  Sounds pretty interesting, doesn't it?  That's what I thought too when I picked this book up.  Unfortunately, this book just doesn't quite live up to expectations.
For the most part, David "delivers" by creating some interesting characters (in particular, the savants), but the plot (and ANY believability) begins to lose steam in the last 200 pages of the book.  This happens when the ghost of a young girl, who took her revenge against a group of college fraternity boys by murdering them 60 years ago, suddenly returns to finish the job by "working" through the savants "super-personality".
The other major flaw in this novel (IMHO) is the relationship between the two major characters, Wes and Elizabeth.  It's clumsy and sophomoric and takes away from the plot.  It's almost as if David felt like he needed just to throw something else into the mix.  As a matter of fact, the "Wes" character is
just plain annoying.  It's hard to imagine how such a "whiner" could become a scientist of his stature. He is shown as a petty and rather immature individual who cares little for the savants and their needs.
The ending is rather pedestrian and comes to a pretty abrupt halt.  But, by that point, I think David was probably ready for this book to end as well.
James F. David appears to be a promising author based on what I read in "Fragments".  There are a few flaws that I think he will be able to work out as he creates more plots and characters.  I haven't read his first book, "Footprints of Thunder" or his latest, "Before the Cradle Falls", but I think he shows enough potential to give them both a try.
1880212
Based upon the reviews I was most expectant to read this book.  Unfortunately, I found it to be simple and simplistic as the characters and story were two dimensional lacking any staying power.  I skimmed the last half hoping the writing would somehow improve and the characters gain some depth.  It surely did not rise to the hype that the reviewers gave it.
4904889
I picked this up because I've had it forever and I was in the mood for a apocalyptic fantasy and thought this would be a good short grab. Overall I found it very average. It's a Peter Pan retelling in a steampunk world where a virus has killed off a lot of people, all the adults and a majority of the kids. There are the lost boys in the lost city, and Hook just the same as the classic. The two main POVs are Gwen who is the Wendy's character who is a brave girl out to save the world and Hook the villain and his pirate army. Aside from the name at the beginning of each chapter you can't tell the difference from Hook and Gwen, the writing is the same and it caused me to care very little about either characters motivation to do anything. Gwen was sad and broken, Hook was sad and broken and neither of it came off with any depth. I mean I got why they were doing what they did but it just didn't catch me or make me care. Maybe I need to like Peter Pan more, I don't know. Another thing they tended to treat girls like property and not people as it's mostly boys surviving and I kind of hated that a lot. I found it really gross for most of the book. I mean there might be a cure out there and a girl might be the one and you have to find the cure to keep another alive like neither of them people. They were treated more like symbols or things. <SMALL SPOILER> Pete actually called one a thing that belonged to Gwen in a rescue mission speech. <END SPOILER> All girls were treated this way too. So I won't be picking up the next in the series because ultimately I don't care, it wasn't that good and I don't feel the need to know what happens next. It fulfilled my apocalypse end of the world feel I was looking for but wasn't actually what I wanted because it wasn't that good.
3824254
I've got "Machine Bites" and I've listened to it several times, but it fails the leave me with a strong, lasting impression.  The music was industrial with guitars, but not incredibly heavy guitars.  The song "Casket Tower" seemed to be the only one that stuck out as being interesting enough to warrant more listening time.  This album is a compilation of previously released material from their various older albums.  Unfortunately, if this is a reliable cross-section of The Fair Sex's work, I find it rather disappointing.  It's not bad, but it's down the spectrum from good...
2558797
Great start with "Hold my Hand" and perhaps some effort with "Keep on Wanting" and "Same as you" with a vague reminiscence of this Band's style, the rest of this album is without surprises and so predictable with many track sounding like the previous. I had such high expectations awaiting for this album as for months but I deeply felt the band went out of steam on this one. And since I was a real fan, I am rather disappointed. It a distance away from the amazement Scars and Stories or The Fray provided. It is a bare "OKay".
2134581
Although I basically agree with the previous reviewer, Mary Whipple, about the elegance of the writing in this short novel, I found myself vastly unsatisfied with it overall, largely because I had expectations - admittedly my own and probably not shared by other readers - that there would be insights about music. Here at Amazon I am primarily a reviewer of classical music CDs and DVDs, but I occasionally review books that have a musical background (and I recently highly recommended a first novel, 'The Student Conductor' by Robert Ford). Of course the present novel was inspired by both Tolstoy's novella and by Jan&aacute;cek's string quartet subtitled 'The Kreutzer Sonata,' which had been prompted  by Jan&aacute;cek's own tortured love for a much younger woman. Margriet de Moor, however able a writer she is, takes these two classics and writes a meta-novel that is not nearly as effective as either the Tolstoy or the Jan&aacute;cek. Indeed, it almost feels as if what she has done is simply rip off the better-known works.

The surprise at the end of de Moor's novel is neither satisfying nor psychologically particularly convincing. I am giving the book three stars only because of the elegant prose, and some of the credit for that surely goes to the translator from the original Dutch, Susan Massotty.

Scott Morrison