Cyndie

I had this referred to me and, to my pleasant surprise, I found it very enjoyable and well worth the credit. I generally don't appreciate much of the dark urban fantasy that is out there other than the Rachel Morgan series, and even some of that has too much of the Harlequin feel to it. I do try most of it hoping against hope for the best. This was a good and fresh look at a human/fey world and was well done, especially for a first book in a new series.

This is my first listen to Paolo Bacigalupi ever and I was shocked at how good the book actually was. The prior review mention words like 'outstanding' and 'engrossing' and this was all of that and more. The author takes a huge right turn along the scifi highway to post apocalyptic future tales and ends up in one of the most unique takes on our possible future that I have read or listened to. Easily one of the top 10 and, in my opinion, it tops the recent efforts of other writers, such as Stirling, who are dominating the genre right now.

That said... this story is definitely NOT for younger readers as the language and several of the scenes would be beyond X rated if the book were made into a movie.

For adult readers, prepared for harsh language and a harsh reality in a harsh future, and interested in dystopia novels and novels of a post apocalyptic future, this truly a gem.

I was not looking for much when I bought this AB but it has turned out to be one of the best I've listened to all year. The characters are rough and real, the action is gritty and the interaction between the characters is realistic. I agree with the reviewer that said the language and action is definitely mature, but worth it as it adds a very realistic flavor to the interactions. I was very happily surprised and am moving on now to the next book in the series and wondering how it could possibly top this.

I'm a long time WOT fan but for me, like many, the series really bogged down as Jordan overwrote every book since the 5th one. RJ pursued so many story lines it made it almost impossible to follow one character or story arc effectively as a reader, and the mess he left for Brandon Sanderson to clean up is truly atrocious. How RJ expected to finish all of this off in 1 last mammoth book is beyond me. Clearly BS has a made an effort to retain the Jordan pattern of giving every single minor character anyone runs across a back story. Unfortunately that tendency was one of the things I liked least about how RJ wrote his books. Like many here I'm terribly tired of P Aybarra's constant introspection, just get over yourself already. Further I believe that Kramer's voice for him, along with the dialog, makes him seem like a petulant child and I've found myself skipping parts of his section that clearly repeat what has been said too many times before. I generally like Mat's character and it feels to me like BS has brought some new life to that story line, and some of the plot lines finally resolve themselves to clean that up. Rand's story arc and character are HUGE upgrades over RJ's last efforts and I finally find, again, that the story seems to be advancing along well with his character. Egwene's character is still far too much for me to stomach and she seems to be becoming a pivotal female character who is influencing the other female characters in the story line, such as Elayne and Nyneave who are stronger characters and much more likable in my opinion. I find myself wishing Egwene is killed off in a tragic moment to show that even the main characters can be touched by the Dark... but if that happened there would be WAY to much work to be done on the White Tower story line so I guess she has to be kept around. Avienda, one of my favorite early characters is virtually non-existant, as are most of the Aiel characters. This is clearly a necessary step, just finish already.

A very thought provoking book which uses the excellent writing and engaging characters to hide some huge themes. First time I've listened to a Dufris narration and he does a great job. I'm off to the next book in the series hoping it at least equals this one.

I purchased this book because it was on sale and the story seemed interesting. It is probably one of the best books I've listened to all year. Well written, well narrated, with a good story and intriguing characters. Worth every penny and I enjoyed every second.

This book was entertaining but I wish I had stopped at book 1 and not bothered with the next 2. The ending of the series was so bad I regret having purchased the books and spending the 55 hours it took to listen to them.... don't make the same mistake I did. Stop here.

I've found this entire series very enjoyable. The narrator does an excellent job and really makes the series come to life.

Book 1 of this series was good, and book 2 was tolerable. Book 3 has been a big let down. The author restates again and again the most trivial details and there is way way to much introspective second guessing by all the characters. I can only take so much 'Oh how can I do this?' or 'How could I be a hero?'... the characters really needed to get on with the story. I could have set all of that aside though if the ending was worth getting to. It was not. Not at all. It simply does not make any sense at all, as if the point was to end the book in a totally surprising way and the entire series was written just to make it to the twisting ending. I really regret the 70+ hours spent on this series at this point.

The story lacks cohesion and it seems it meanders about. The interludes and encounters just 'happen' without adding any value by way of character development or story advancement. Its as if the point of the story was to hit a certain word length, or perhaps fill a certain number of pages. Even the ending was not an ending. The story leaves a lot to be desired. I guess the basic story might have been interesting, in short story form, but I feel like I wasted my money on this one. Well narrated at least, enough so I managed to finish it...