Ethan

The first couple of books were a shallower, fun version of the Harry Dresden books. Here, Kevin Hearne decides that it is time to get serious, and his attempts to make his universe logically coherent, and, on occasion, to write poetically, are much less fun. The fact is, his universe doesn't really make a lot of logical sense, so trying to explain the delicate interactions of vampires, or werewolves, or Norse goods, is just annoying and feels tacked-on. Leave it to Neil Gaiman.

The first book - yes. The second - maybe. This one - no.

Kevin Hearne can do fun pop references and monster slaying. He is not great at flowery writing and coherent world building. This book has far too much of the latter, and, as a result that makes all the weird choices made by the main character seem that much more jarring.

Great reading, great voices. The best thing about the book.

Become a 2,000 druid?

I just didn't love this book the way everyone else did, it was merely fine. I realize that, as a male, I am probably not the key demographic for this work, which contains hefty doses of romance, like any novel with vampires these days. However, the comedy-of-manners and romance subplots, played lightly as near-parody, actually ended up the best part of the book. The main plotline, for me, was pretty mediocre, and seemed to often spin out of Ms. Carriger's control.

For example: there are a large number of gaping plotholes, many of which have the characters acting in odd ways; random characters appear and disappear frequently; and every chapter seems to have a deus ex machina. Again, the banter among characters is often charming, and Ms. Tarraboti is a winning creation, but, for me, the book's main action-oriented plot was way too awkward to make this a true winner, though I never felt that the (very well-read) audiobook was wasting my time, I am not eager to buy the next.

This book is a tour of the nine planets that is equal parts mythology, history, and science. Ms. Sobel goes through each planet in order, discussing how it is has been seen throughout history, and what the latest scientific discoveries and theories about its origins and future might be. The stories she tells about the planets range from personal tales to historical or mythological incidents, and they are often highly lyrical. Mars is described from the perspective of a martian meteorite found in the Antarctic, while the tale of the discovery of Uranus is given through the letters of the sister of its discoverer. If you are looking for a hardcore science volume, you may want to look elsewhere, for though scientific facts abound, so does history and fables. If you liked Dava Sobel's other works (Longitude, etc.) or appreciate slightly more quirky non-fiction, you will like this. Wonderfully read and highly reccommended.