Ian Atrus - aNobii

Books (699)

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- The Curse of Chalion (62)
- By Lois McMaster Bujold
- Finished on Aug 2, 2011
  
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The Curse of Chalion

A little more disjointed and less intimate than the second book, but it is to be expected, as the cast and scope of this story is far wider, going from bildungsroman to political intrigue, diplomacy, travel and adventure... and applied theology, of course, this being the book of the Daughter.
If the ... (continue)

A little more disjointed and less intimate than the second book, but it is to be expected, as the cast and scope of this story is far wider, going from bildungsroman to political intrigue, diplomacy, travel and adventure... and applied theology, of course, this being the book of the Daughter.
If there is a fault I can find is that, with so many things happening in the plot, there is little time to explore all of the characters, some of which remain little more than cardboard cut-outs. It goes to Bujold's favour, though, that some of those characters, like the dy Gura brothers, will find more space and growth in the following book.
In any case, The Curse of Chalion is a good gripping book and a thoroughly enjoyable read.

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— Aug 26, 2011 | Add your feedback
- The Great Gatsby (3446)
- By Francis Scott Fitzgerald
- Finished on Jul 30, 2011
  
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The Great Gatsby

1 person find this helpful

While it might be an interesting window in the world of the rich and careless of the Jazz age, The Great Gatsby suffers from not having a single sympathetic character. The whole cast is made of wimps, frauds, cheaters, liars and mostly people who don't know how to fill an afternoon, and yet not a si ... (continue)

While it might be an interesting window in the world of the rich and careless of the Jazz age, The Great Gatsby suffers from not having a single sympathetic character. The whole cast is made of wimps, frauds, cheaters, liars and mostly people who don't know how to fill an afternoon, and yet not a single one of them has a motivation for anything they do in the book, except maybe for Gatsby himself, a victim to young love and, possibly, PTSD, who appears too little and too fast, mostly filtered by the tedious and boring eye of the main character and narrator.
At the end of it all the status quo is preserved, we are no wiser to what makes the characters' heart's tick (apart from the ubiquitous mint juleps) and a whole lot of good prose has got squandered on thin air.
Oh, and the baby. The baby that is mentioned twice. WHAT BABY.

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— Aug 26, 2011 | 1 feedback
- The Red Necklace (13)
- By Sally Gardner
- Finished on Jul 10, 2011
  
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The Red Necklace

An interesting story mixing the French revolution with a plot of gypsy magic and unrequited love that, however, ends up feeling rushed and not polished enough, especially in its main characters.

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— Aug 26, 2011 | Add your feedback
- Death in the Air (3)
- By Shane Peacock
- Finished on Jul 9, 2011
  
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Death in the Air

The first book in the series was interesting but this one was... meh. There's only so many stories you can write in the past of a beloved character without hitting the reset button at the end and, for the boy Holmes, it seems two is more than enough. I was hoping that in this book Sherlock would sta ... (continue)

The first book in the series was interesting but this one was... meh. There's only so many stories you can write in the past of a beloved character without hitting the reset button at the end and, for the boy Holmes, it seems two is more than enough. I was hoping that in this book Sherlock would start growing into the Holmes we all know and love but, yet again, he seems more angry and mad at the world rather than 'emotionally detached' and rational as he steels himself to be. The secondary character of Siegerson Bell is by far the most interesting part of the book, while inspector Lestrade Senior is one moustache-twirl away from becoming a pulp villain, with his continuous vilifying of Sherlock's detective work.

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— Aug 26, 2011 | Add your feedback
- Gli enigmi dei Vedovi Neri (326)
- By Isaac Asimov
- Finished on Jul 8, 2011
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- Il mastino dei Baskerville (7367)
- By Arthur Conan Doyle
- Finished on Jul 7, 2011
  
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Il mastino dei Baskerville

Possibly Doyle's masterpiece novel. I was maybe a little spoiled while reading the book because I remembered the "whodunnit" (and the how) from a movie version I saw a long time ago, but it's still a terrific read - even though (or, maybe, because!) Holmes is absent for about a half of the story.

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— Aug 26, 2011 | Add your feedback
- In the Woods (1)
- By Robin Stevenson
- Finished on Jul 7, 2011
  
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In the Woods

A good premise and an interesting topic for a young adult novel... except this barely registers as a short story. Many topics are barely touched upon, and while it does give some useful information for a pregnant teen (or someone who knows one) the characters feel more like spokespersons for the aut ... (continue)

A good premise and an interesting topic for a young adult novel... except this barely registers as a short story. Many topics are barely touched upon, and while it does give some useful information for a pregnant teen (or someone who knows one) the characters feel more like spokespersons for the author's POV than actual people with a life outside of the story's scope.

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— Aug 26, 2011 | Add your feedback
- Northanger Abbey (1088)
- By Jane Austen
- Finished on Jul 5, 2011
  
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Northanger Abbey

A delightful satire on gothic romance, full of of wit and love for the genre - for only a connoisseur would know its tropes, merits and flaws so well as to construct such a tale. I know some will not agree, but I would venture to say that Northanger Abbey did for gothic what The Hitchhiker's Guide t ... (continue)

A delightful satire on gothic romance, full of of wit and love for the genre - for only a connoisseur would know its tropes, merits and flaws so well as to construct such a tale. I know some will not agree, but I would venture to say that Northanger Abbey did for gothic what The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy did for sci-fi, or Young Frankenstein for the horror/Hammer movie.

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— Aug 26, 2011 | Add your feedback
- Paladin of Souls (44)
- By Lois McMaster Bujold
- Finished on Jul 5, 2011
  
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Paladin of Souls

Astounding! I did not read the first book in the series as I was told this one would stand on its own, and so it was. A powerful story about an unlikely heroine: a once-crazy, middle-aged dowager queen that only wants to have a little room for herself and be treated like a human being from her peers ... (continue)

Astounding! I did not read the first book in the series as I was told this one would stand on its own, and so it was. A powerful story about an unlikely heroine: a once-crazy, middle-aged dowager queen that only wants to have a little room for herself and be treated like a human being from her peers. Of course things go downhill and Ista finds herself in the middle of a dangerous struggle between warring nations, gods, demons, a heroic knight and his stubborn and desperate wife. All is well crafted in this book: the character are lovable, Ista in particular with her regrets for the past, and her subtle, slightly cynical humour; the world-building is simple but effective; and the plot as well is one that fantasy veterans will recognize in its outline, but one that complements, rather than stunt or go at odds with, the character growth.

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— Aug 26, 2011 | Add your feedback
- The Secret Adversary (108)
- By Agatha Christie
- Finished on Jun 29, 2011
  
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The Secret Adversary

International intrigue, kidnappings, missing documents and constant deceiving... the plot of this fast-paced novel is as witty and compelling as the main characters, steadfast Tommy, no-nonsense Tuppence and the rich and extravagant Julius (who, if this were a movie, would be chewing scenery left an ... (continue)

International intrigue, kidnappings, missing documents and constant deceiving... the plot of this fast-paced novel is as witty and compelling as the main characters, steadfast Tommy, no-nonsense Tuppence and the rich and extravagant Julius (who, if this were a movie, would be chewing scenery left and right). While the fear of a labour strike paving the way to a Socialist revolution in Great Britain might seems a bit silly nowadays, it was perceived as a serious threat at the time, and Christie plays every trope of the genre for all it's worth.

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— Jun 30, 2011 | Add your feedback

- Stella doppia 61 Cygni (319)
- Urania Classici 129
- By Hal Clement
- Finished on Jun 28, 2011
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- Stanley Kubrick (10)
- Visioni e finzioni 1945-1950
- Finished on May 8, 2011
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- Le avventure di Sherlock Holmes (2264)
- By Arthur Conan Doyle
- Finished on Jun 25, 2011
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- The Man Who Was Thursday (136)
- A Nightmare
- By G K Chesterton
- Finished on Jun 23, 2011
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Rupert of Hentza-
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- Rupert of Hentzau (8)
- By Anthony Hope
- Finished on Jun 20, 2011
  
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Rupert of Hentzau

A sequel that is not as good as the original: the plot is weaker and requires a lot of behind-the-scenes explanations and jumping around the timetable to keep the subplots together. The change in narrator also doesn't help, as Fritz is not present for a good part of the events in the book and it's n ... (continue)

A sequel that is not as good as the original: the plot is weaker and requires a lot of behind-the-scenes explanations and jumping around the timetable to keep the subplots together. The change in narrator also doesn't help, as Fritz is not present for a good part of the events in the book and it's not as interesting to read a second hand account of events compared to the 'memoirs' feeling of the first Zenda.
This change in narrator is also a very bad foreshadowing of the disappointing finale, that completely avoids the moral question that permeates the later part of the book.
Just stop reading at the end of the first book and remember Ruritania as it was.

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— Jun 25, 2011 | Add your feedback