Books Thread

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Shakespeare
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Re: Books Thread

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kaye gibbons - ellen foster. 4/5
short (basically finished in one sitting) but good. its about a 9-12 year old girl overcoming a bunch of family issues, very well told through her voice. struck a great balance of casting her as both precocious and undereducated. it tackled a lot of racial issues and i ended up wishing they were explored and resolved with just a bit more substance, but considering the narrator's voice maybe its better that it came to a rather simplistic conclusion. my only other qualm is it felt like it must have been set no later than maybe the 1920's, likely much earlier, but was actually circa late 70s, which seemed off to me.

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Re: Books Thread

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Shakespeare wrote:kaye gibbons - ellen foster. 4/5
my only other qualm is it felt like it must have been set no later than maybe the 1920's, likely much earlier, but was actually circa late 70s, which seemed off to me.
Don't know the book at all, even by reputation, but that would seem to be a pretty significant flaw in that it's a hugely significant difference that I assume would run through most aspects of the story. Just talkin' here, obviously I don't know any of the specifics.
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Re: Books Thread

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dogstar wrote:Image

This is pretty interesting. It explores loads of alternatives to the usual neo-liberal, i.e. current consensus, way of thinking about the economy. The big ideas are very interesting but I'm not sure I agree with all the detailed analysis presented.
Can u provide a couple of examples of the best alternatives the book proposes? Can't tell much from the title.
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Re: Books Thread

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beantownbubba wrote:
Shakespeare wrote:kaye gibbons - ellen foster. 4/5
my only other qualm is it felt like it must have been set no later than maybe the 1920's, likely much earlier, but was actually circa late 70s, which seemed off to me.
Don't know the book at all, even by reputation, but that would seem to be a pretty significant flaw in that it's a hugely significant difference that I assume would run through most aspects of the story. Just talkin' here, obviously I don't know any of the specifics.
the time setting was never explicitly mentioned but there were a few clues that it was mid-21st century. there wasnt really anything implying it was an older setting, i might have just had it in my head going in. when i get the time i'll skim through some online reviews and see if im alone in thinking this way. it might have been largely due to an early to kill a mockingbird vibe the book gave me.

some of the racial language was the biggest thing that made me question the time setting and maybe theres some value in realizing that that wasnt entirely antiquated by the books actual time frame, idk.

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Finished this one up a few weeks ago, really enjoyed it. It was published back in 2002, but I never did get around to reading it until now. I really enjoyed author James Andrew Miller's oral history of ESPN as well as this one, so I'm now reading his account of the rise of Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and Michael Ovitz.

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Just finished this. I'm neither religious nor drawn to ceremony, so it was all pretty foreign to me, but fascinating stuff.

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Re: Books Thread

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douglass wallop - the year the yankees lost the pennant. 5/5.

i loved this. its pretty cheap, just your standard deal with the devil story, but the 50's baseball setting was a lot of fun and a nice breather after a few books that left me thinking about them afterwards. it mixed real life references with invented characters, which is something that can often bug me in literature but baseball has such a weird mythology of its own that i almost didnt even notice the fake characters.

and of course as a fan of a team that seems to exist to break hearts, i sympathized a lot.

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Re: Books Thread

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Shakespeare wrote:douglass wallop - the year the yankees lost the pennant. 5/5.

i loved this. its pretty cheap, just your standard deal with the devil story, but the 50's baseball setting was a lot of fun and a nice breather after a few books that left me thinking about them afterwards. it mixed real life references with invented characters, which is something that can often bug me in literature but baseball has such a weird mythology of its own that i almost didnt even notice the fake characters.

and of course as a fan of a team that seems to exist to break hearts, i sympathized a lot.
This is the book behind the musical Damn Yankees, right?

Looking at this thread I realized that I haven't posted in a while. I've been reading (and finishing) books but none that have moved me to say anything about them. Not sure why that is, all were at least good and a couple better than that but I guess there was nothing unique about them.
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Re: Books Thread

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beantownbubba wrote:
Shakespeare wrote:douglass wallop - the year the yankees lost the pennant. 5/5.

i loved this. its pretty cheap, just your standard deal with the devil story, but the 50's baseball setting was a lot of fun and a nice breather after a few books that left me thinking about them afterwards. it mixed real life references with invented characters, which is something that can often bug me in literature but baseball has such a weird mythology of its own that i almost didnt even notice the fake characters.

and of course as a fan of a team that seems to exist to break hearts, i sympathized a lot.
This is the book behind the musical Damn Yankees, right?
is indeed

anne tyler - if morning ever comes. 4/5

i really enjoyed this but it wasnt without its flaws, and i can see why shes a bit polarizing as a writer. the book was kinda slow, its characters kinda simple and its lead kinda mean, and im not sure about the resolution (though im leaning towards liking it), but i really liked the main character anyway (lots of aspects of his family relationships struck a chord in particular) and tyler's scenes were great, so i didnt mind how much the book lingered on its few big plot points at all. i'll definitely be getting to more of her books once i work through my current library pile a bit


waguih ghali - beer in the snooker club. 5/5

fantastic. lots of european political elements that flew over my head, and while i cant say that stuff wasnt the main point of the book, i felt like it was presented in a way that helped someone like me understand the internal conflicts they wrought in ram, if not the politics themselves. beyond that stuff, there was enough typical coming of age fare to the characters to keep me interested even during periods where my eyes glazed over a bit from all the political party references. his only novel unfortunately.

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Re: Books Thread

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Shakespeare wrote:anne tyler - if morning ever comes. 4/5

i really enjoyed this but it wasnt without its flaws, and i can see why shes a bit polarizing as a writer. the book was kinda slow, its characters kinda simple and its lead kinda mean, and im not sure about the resolution (though im leaning towards liking it), but i really liked the main character anyway (lots of aspects of his family relationships struck a chord in particular) and tyler's scenes were great, so i didnt mind how much the book lingered on its few big plot points at all. i'll definitely be getting to more of her books once i work through my current library pile a bit
I'm pretty sure her 80's books are considered her peak. I can personally vouch for Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant and The Accidental Tourist. Highly recommended. Haven't read Breathing Lessons but I understand it's considered to be more or less at the same level.
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Re: Books Thread

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noted, thanks.

edith wharton - ethan frome. 5/5
ethan kinda sucked but the freezing cold temperature throughout and the way the prologue and epilogue tied everything together was so good i want to read it again, with that shittiness a bit out of mind.

nick hornby - juliet, naked. 3/5
he absolutely nailed fanaticism about a niche artist (unsurprising, since i already knew high fideilty. both works are enough to make me genuinely consider never talking about music i like ever again) but the book was inconsistent and could have been trimmed and edited better. bits and pieces of it were great, and all of the story arcs had appealing elements, but all of them ran out of steam at various points and the conclusion was a bit clunky. i didnt know it was made into a movie till after i finished it but the entire cast looks pretty spot on to how i pictured the characters so i'll give that a shot at some point. i saw high fidelity before i read it so it'll be interesting to go the other way round this time

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Re: Books Thread

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Shakespeare wrote:noted, thanks.

edith wharton - ethan frome. 5/5
ethan kinda sucked but the freezing cold temperature throughout and the way the prologue and epilogue tied everything together was so good i want to read it again, with that shittiness a bit out of mind.

nick hornby - juliet, naked. 3/5
he absolutely nailed fanaticism about a niche artist (unsurprising, since i already knew high fideilty. both works are enough to make me genuinely consider never talking about music i like ever again) but the book was inconsistent and could have been trimmed and edited better. bits and pieces of it were great, and all of the story arcs had appealing elements, but all of them ran out of steam at various points and the conclusion was a bit clunky. i didnt know it was made into a movie till after i finished it but the entire cast looks pretty spot on to how i pictured the characters so i'll give that a shot at some point. i saw high fidelity before i read it so it'll be interesting to go the other way round this time
Just when I thought I had buried my high school nightmares forever you had to bring up ethan frome, didn't ya? I have no idea how good or bad the book actually is, all i remember is absolutely hating it when it was assigned.

As best as I remember it, I'd say you get juliet, naked approximately 100% correct.
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Re: Books Thread

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I've enjoyed Jane Casey's Detective Kerrigan series without considering absolutely top drawer. But the latest, Let the Dead Speak, is excellent, primarily because of the plot twists. Totally surprising to me yet totally consistent with the clues. I get fooled plenty, but rarely do I get this completely fooled.
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Re: Books Thread

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beantownbubba wrote:
Shakespeare wrote:noted, thanks.

edith wharton - ethan frome. 5/5
ethan kinda sucked but the freezing cold temperature throughout and the way the prologue and epilogue tied everything together was so good i want to read it again, with that shittiness a bit out of mind.

nick hornby - juliet, naked. 3/5
he absolutely nailed fanaticism about a niche artist (unsurprising, since i already knew high fideilty. both works are enough to make me genuinely consider never talking about music i like ever again) but the book was inconsistent and could have been trimmed and edited better. bits and pieces of it were great, and all of the story arcs had appealing elements, but all of them ran out of steam at various points and the conclusion was a bit clunky. i didnt know it was made into a movie till after i finished it but the entire cast looks pretty spot on to how i pictured the characters so i'll give that a shot at some point. i saw high fidelity before i read it so it'll be interesting to go the other way round this time
Just when I thought I had buried my high school nightmares forever you had to bring up ethan frome, didn't ya? I have no idea how good or bad the book actually is, all i remember is absolutely hating it when it was assigned.

As best as I remember it, I'd say you get juliet, naked approximately 100% correct.
luckily (?) i was spared ethan in high school then. cant guarantee i wouldnt have hated it back then too but i enjoyed it now

eudora welty - the optimist's daughter. 3/5
fine but a bit disappointing given its accolades. lots of interesting aspects and her writing was great but the book was a bit thin and it all felt underdeveloped so i didnt really care much when stuff started happening. shame, since the stepmom had great villain potential and the plot did unfold nicely.


john green - paper towns. 3.5/5 (4/5 for overall execution, 3/5 for originality)
green definitely has his favored tropes but i think he does great work, sappy but not shallow, and of the 4 books of his ive now read (this, the fault in our stars, turtles all the way down, looking for alaska) i dont think any took more than two days. his characters have definite cliched elements to them but i think he renders them with a lot of depth overall, with a generally nice mix of humor and maturity. some of the dialogue in this one was a bit clunky in a tryhard manner i felt the other three (looking for alaska, the fault in our stars, turtles all the way down) avoided, but my main issue was how similar it was to looking for alaska. they each centered on a disappearing impossible female love interest but LFA fleshes her out much more (both by herself and in connection to all the main characters) ahead of her departure, making the search more emotionally heavy. this one didnt do it as well so it was hard not to think about the similarities. with that said i think the results and the characters were different enough to justify writing both, i just wish there was a bit more setting them apart.

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Re: Books Thread

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marguerite duras - the lover. 3/5
fine but nothing about it really grabbed me. for being the story of a passionate romance it was disappointingly light. really felt more like a sketch than a finished novel

milan kundera - life is elsewhere. 5/5 and more.
outstanding, one of the best books ive ever read! i cant possibly do justice to all that i loved about it (at least not yet) but it centers around the life of a poet, all the way from conception, and makes incredibly sharp observations on art, politics, relationships every step of the way. not quite wholly a satire or a drama but plenty of elements drawn from both, and it plays with and comments on the form of a novel a few times along the way, which i loved. maybe the best thing i can say about it is how easy it was to read despite all the technical experiments and nameless characters. that stuff easily could have brought the book down if there wasnt still such care given to the plots and characters. the only reason it took me an extra day to finish is cuz i found myself rereading many passages purely due to the writing being so good. overall just a brilliant combination of ambition and aesthetic.

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Image

Almost finished with this and I loved it.
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Picked up Slow Horses by Mick Herron on a friend's recommendation and am very glad I did. Excellent post- le Carre spy thriller, very well written. There are a few more in this series and I look forward to digging in.
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Re: Books Thread

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Shakespeare wrote:milan kundera - life is elsewhere. 5/5 and more.
I love Milan Kundera, but haven't read this one yet. Thanks for the tip.

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I am a big fan of Mark Billingham's Tom Thorne detective series. At this point I've read the first 11 in order which I think is indicative. That's why The Bones Beneath was so disappointing. Off the top of my head I can't think of a worse book I've finished (as w/ music albums I think that in order to qualify for worst, the author has to have some talent and be aiming to achieve something worthy so that eliminates the really amateurish dreck from consideration). I mean this book is stunningly bad. The plot is nonsensical, I don't think a single character makes a decision or takes an action along the way that makes any sense and given the structure of the book, it becomes obvious pretty quickly that the bulk of the book is simply a set up for what is presumably the slam bang finish. But there's very little slam, virtually no bang and what there is suffers from the same lack of believability as what came before. You know that trope of people in a movie theater yelling at the characters in a horror movie not to do the totally stupid thing, but make the sensible decision? This book is like that, but it's not supposed to be. What a waste of time.
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I had heard of Jennifer Egan for a long time and knew of her excellent reputation (and think I may have read some of her journalism) but I had never read any of her novels and thought I should change that. I picked up Look at Me because it seems to be very highly regarded. I would say that Ms. Egan wrote a great 350 page book, the problem being that the actual book is over 400 pages. The whole thing falls apart at the end which is disappointing, but the book is still well worth reading. My mental image is of a juggler who keeps adding balls as she does more complex tricks and patterns and the audience oohs and ahhs until she adds one ball too many and they all come crashing down.

It's hard to write a fresh, original thriller. I mean great thrillers are still being written but they tend to fall w/in established sub-genres or feature heros/protagonists that are generally one "type" or another. Tess Sharpe's debut, Barbed Wire Heart is that rare fresh and original thriller and I loved every minute of it. The protagonist is a great, interesting and unique character, the feminist perspective is obvious but not at all cliched or preachy, the story is fascinating and the sense of place and the way geography shapes the story and the characters is compelling. It's surprising to me that a first time author could so confidently master the "real time" interspersed w/ flashbacks structure of the book but if it's not quite dazzling it's pretty damn close. Highly recommended, especially for residents or fans of the "real" northern CA (i.e. north of SF, Napa & Sacramento).

By contrast, Martin Walker's Bruno Chief of Police series illustrates how an author can create something interesting while working wholly w/in well established forms. Objectively I would have to say that many of the characters are generic or stereotypical but they're still interesting and amusing. Similarly, the mysteries are not exactly fascinating but they move along quite nicely allowing the author to address his real concern, which is to portray a particular area of France in a loving, enthusiastic way. Sort of A Year in Provence in fictional mystery form. And it's not Provence, but Perigord. I'd also say that you can't read these books w/out getting really hungry - the author really gets into describing the food culture of the area and the main character whips up many a mouth watering dish, presented not exactly as recipes, but one could easily follow the descriptions and come up w/ something pretty good I suspect. The main character is also a very interesting hero as he protects his town and its people using a variety of skills and charm that only occasionally require violence of any kind. Light "beach type" reading. fun and they won't take up much of your time.
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getting into this now. good so far. a creepy one!

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Been on my list for ages and finally prompted by all the recent developments...

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I started this a couple of months ago at a backcountry campsite. Life has been busy, so most of my reading has been at campsites and it's taken me a while to get through it. I hope to finish it tomorrow and have the next two in the trilogy waiting. I didn't know he'd passed until my wife asked what I was reading a couple of days ago.

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scotto wrote:Been on my list for ages and finally prompted by all the recent developments...

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I read that one just a few months back, along with

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Re: Books Thread

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barbara kingsolver - the bean trees. 5/5
really loved this. the plot was pretty light for the first two thirds or so but it established some pretty great scenes in that time, then it really got going and got even better. i thought i could see where it was headed and i was dreading it but thankfully it avoided going that route and the conclusion was much more satisfying.

larry mcmurtry - terms of endearment.
couldnt finish, really killed the momentum i had going because i really didnt want to give up completely but also didnt want to start something new, knowing i wouldnt come back. got about 150 pages in (out of ~400) and it was so slow and one of the main characters so unpleasant with no redeeming qualities. eventually there probably were some but by that point i need something to keep caring. lots of elements about the tone and the characters reminded me of the didion books ive read, but when one of my favorite things about her is her economical writing, this guys wordiness really irked me. everything id read about mcmurtry had me excited to start his catalog but after this im definitely in no rush whatsoever.

joan didion - the last thing he wanted. 3/5
the similarities i mentioned made me switch to this. loved it for a while but it lost me at about the halfway point and after that i was reading just to finally finish something. it unfolded like a political thriller, which i guess i just wasnt in the mood for, but i love her writing so it wasnt a total lost cause. id really like to eventually find at least one book of hers that really blows me away. so far the ones ive read have just been technically enjoyable but not much beyond that
beantownbubba wrote:I had heard of Jennifer Egan for a long time and knew of her excellent reputation (and think I may have read some of her journalism) but I had never read any of her novels and thought I should change that. I picked up Look at Me because it seems to be very highly regarded. I would say that Ms. Egan wrote a great 350 page book, the problem being that the actual book is over 400 pages. The whole thing falls apart at the end which is disappointing, but the book is still well worth reading. My mental image is of a juggler who keeps adding balls as she does more complex tricks and patterns and the audience oohs and ahhs until she adds one ball too many and they all come crashing down.
ive had a visit from the goon squad from the library for a few weeks but havent gotten to it yet. i'll bump it up the list now

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Shakespeare wrote:larry mcmurtry - terms of endearment.
couldnt finish, really killed the momentum i had going because i really didnt want to give up completely but also didnt want to start something new, knowing i wouldnt come back. got about 150 pages in (out of ~400) and it was so slow and one of the main characters so unpleasant with no redeeming qualities. eventually there probably were some but by that point i need something to keep caring. lots of elements about the tone and the characters reminded me of the didion books ive read, but when one of my favorite things about her is her economical writing, this guys wordiness really irked me. everything id read about mcmurtry had me excited to start his catalog but after this im definitely in no rush whatsoever.
The only thing I know about Terms of Endearment is the movie, so I can't comment directly, but Lonesome Dove is one of my all-time favorite books and I hope you'll still check it out. I've read it several times and each time I think it's too short even though it's a pretty lengthy book. It was also an excellent mini-series w/ Robert Duvall among others.
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beantownbubba wrote:
Shakespeare wrote:larry mcmurtry - terms of endearment.
couldnt finish, really killed the momentum i had going because i really didnt want to give up completely but also didnt want to start something new, knowing i wouldnt come back. got about 150 pages in (out of ~400) and it was so slow and one of the main characters so unpleasant with no redeeming qualities. eventually there probably were some but by that point i need something to keep caring. lots of elements about the tone and the characters reminded me of the didion books ive read, but when one of my favorite things about her is her economical writing, this guys wordiness really irked me. everything id read about mcmurtry had me excited to start his catalog but after this im definitely in no rush whatsoever.
The only thing I know about Terms of Endearment is the movie, so I can't comment directly, but Lonesome Dove is one of my all-time favorite books and I hope you'll still check it out. I've read it several times and each time I think it's too short even though it's a pretty lengthy book. It was also an excellent mini-series w/ Robert Duvall among others.
i do quite value your opinion, so i'll keep lonesome dove in mind down the road

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clearly not finished (both in terms of lacking an ending, and some needed editing all over) but still very readable with lots of intriguing elements. definitely enough to get me interested in reading his proper works.

then started the bell jar, which ive gotten from the library so many times but not touched. i love what ive read of her poetry so im excited to really get into this one tonight

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Re: Books Thread

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whatwouldcooleydo? wrote:Image
I know what's wrong with that book and I love it to death anyway. It changed my life.

This one didn't, but it might've if I'd been younger. It's one of my favorite books ever by a wonderful writer, one who died far too young. I won't go into how I got it on my mind today, but it involved being here, and so here you are:

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Re: Books Thread

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beantownbubba wrote:I am a big fan of Mark Billingham's Tom Thorne detective series. At this point I've read the first 11 in order which I think is indicative. That's why The Bones Beneath was so disappointing. Off the top of my head I can't think of a worse book I've finished (as w/ music albums I think that in order to qualify for worst, the author has to have some talent and be aiming to achieve something worthy so that eliminates the really amateurish dreck from consideration). I mean this book is stunningly bad. The plot is nonsensical, I don't think a single character makes a decision or takes an action along the way that makes any sense and given the structure of the book, it becomes obvious pretty quickly that the bulk of the book is simply a set up for what is presumably the slam bang finish. But there's very little slam, virtually no bang and what there is suffers from the same lack of believability as what came before. You know that trope of people in a movie theater yelling at the characters in a horror movie not to do the totally stupid thing, but make the sensible decision? This book is like that, but it's not supposed to be. What a waste of time.
So, despite this experience, I read the next book in the series, Time of Death, anyway, and it turned out to be one of the best of the entire series. Go figure.
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