Reviews and Comments

The poetry is a bit weird, and on my Amazon Kindle also with mangled formatting making it even weirder. I think I'd like it more a second time, but I'd only really get into stories as they were finishing, as it's all a bit different in tone between the tales. I find Gaiman enjoyable but for some reason (the dreamlike nature?) very forgettable, so the Sherlock story at the beginning was my favourite, but the others were pleasant but I'd struggle to name them.

Yet again, struggled through one of his books. I don't like any of the characters. Clearly a lot of the situations are supposed to be very funny, but without that connection I wasn't really in the mood. The second half of the book picks up the pace, but then a lot of the characters depart, for different reasons.

Ugh

Anyone know if the second half is better than the first? Struggling here.

Not like Criminal, but neat

Second book I found about Northampton in this used bookshop

Used bookstore find in Stroudsburg

Considering there can't be many primary sources to read to support writing such a book on an-almost-half-millennium-old set of voyages, this is a great story. Some of the winter parts can get slightly repetitious "and then there was a storm, and then they ate another fox, and then.." but I'm sure that exactly reflects the dull nature of being icebound. William Barents himself isn't known too well in the sources, as he was mythologised a while after.

The author also adds variety by interleaving in explanations of scurvy or technology and trade levels, which helps.

Can't face going back to this. I enjoyed the first but it's just too broad. Always more people.

Loved his book on Erebus enough that it seemed an easy pick

Another enjoyable Discworld. But unlike The Truth and Going Postal, I just don't really understand the story. It doesn't have much tension in it, and certainly the bank does not the attention of the post office. Whereas a dog carrying a vibrator is the same joke in about four scenes.

Incredibly intense short story about women through the ages seeking abortion. A technologically surveilling society now or in the near future could exert even more control over women's bodies.

Sarcastic characters in a straight fantasy, another couple who are obviously going to fall in love. It's nice to see characters come around from previous books with different levels of engagement.

This one did feel like there were more moments of "the heroes felt they were going to die and said goodbye to each other" without actually feeling darker. I haven't worked out if that is on purpose or not. Second one is probably still my favourite.

Nothing happens in this without foreshadowing or a trope, so if that irritates you, well, you probably didn't finish the others.