Not bad. The Robert Langdon books are on whole rather formulaic now.
Robert becomes embroiled in some dastardly scheme and takes a lady with an attachNot bad. The Robert Langdon books are on whole rather formulaic now.
Robert becomes embroiled in some dastardly scheme and takes a lady with an attachment to the whole thing along for the ride through various locations of amazing historical significance while Robert shares his knowledge of everything they come across.
As long as you're on board with that then it's a decent read. Otherwise probably best to move on to something else.
I am on board with it though. I'm quite happy to go along with the ride and enjoy it for what it is.
This was a little more predictable than some of the previous stories but it was entertaining enough. As long as you're not expecting a literary masterpiece it's fine.
I do think it's time for Dan Brown to step away from the character though and try something else. But while they are making him money I imagine he'll keep writing them!
Merged review:
Not bad. The Robert Langdon books are on whole rather formulaic now.
Robert becomes embroiled in some dastardly scheme and takes a lady with an attachment to the whole thing along for the ride through various locations of amazing historical significance while Robert shares his knowledge of everything they come across.
As long as you're on board with that then it's a decent read. Otherwise probably best to move on to something else.
I am on board with it though. I'm quite happy to go along with the ride and enjoy it for what it is.
This was a little more predictable than some of the previous stories but it was entertaining enough. As long as you're not expecting a literary masterpiece it's fine.
I do think it's time for Dan Brown to step away from the character though and try something else. But while they are making him money I imagine he'll keep writing them!...more
Very enjoyable, short halo story, excellent artwork. what's not to like?Very enjoyable, short halo story, excellent artwork. what's not to like?...more
Excellent! As with the other two books this is a smart piece of sci-fi which cleverly reveals the threads of the story setup in the previous books.
StExcellent! As with the other two books this is a smart piece of sci-fi which cleverly reveals the threads of the story setup in the previous books.
Stayed up way later than I should to finish it off only to discover there is a book 4! Looking forward to more but that book hasn't been written yet!...more
Christmas break gave me the opportunity to jump straight into Field Two after finishing Field One
Very much a continuation of the story, to the point tChristmas break gave me the opportunity to jump straight into Field Two after finishing Field One
Very much a continuation of the story, to the point the two of them could have been pit together as a single book
This one jumped between timelines and characters again but was much easier to follow straight off the back of the previous book
What I specifically enjoyed about this was how it repeated a lot of ground from the first book but from the perspective of other characters, very much "two sides of the story"
Also the various subplots intertwined brilliantly adding a ton of depth to the overall story with ton of clever reveals
I need to know how it ends...straight onto book 3!...more
I've worked in IT for a long time and the current Microsoft looks nothing the Microsoft I encountered at the start of my career. The two halves of thiI've worked in IT for a long time and the current Microsoft looks nothing the Microsoft I encountered at the start of my career. The two halves of this book are also very different, the first gives a personal background on Satya, where he came from how he ended up as CEO and how he's changed Microsoft. The second half is almost a manifesto. his vision for the future and how new technology is changing the world with he ideas about how government, community, individuals and companies will need to change to achieve that
I enjoyed the first half more than the second. But the second half left me with plenty of food for thought...more
A bit of a change of direction for Mira Grant. Adding a horror twist to the mermaid legend is very different to her previous zombie/parasite fiction. A bit of a change of direction for Mira Grant. Adding a horror twist to the mermaid legend is very different to her previous zombie/parasite fiction.
I didn't quite enjoy this as much as the Feed series but that doesn't mean it wasn't a good read
It had all the hallmarks of a Mira Grant book which is no bad thing. Will be interesting to see where it goes next (that's probably why I'm not an author!)...more
Unfairly or not this will be compared to The Martian (as I'll do here)
So I'll get that out of the way I don't think it's aThe difficult second book...
Unfairly or not this will be compared to The Martian (as I'll do here)
So I'll get that out of the way I don't think it's anywhere near as good as The Martian.
That doesn't make it a bad book though and I still really enjoyed it!
However, what I really enjoyed about The Martian was that it took a simple well known theme (stranded on a desert island) and wrapped it in a ton of science which made for great nerd reading
This works because the main character is really intelligent, and that's because he's an astronaut, he has to be! It all feels like it's coming from him and is just part of the story
Artemis does similar, but there isn't any particular reason for Jazz to be so smart so it bleeds through that it's the author who is showing us how clever he is
It's a minor complaint on my part..but it was enough so that I wasn't quite as immersed as I was with The Martian
But this still had everything that I enjoyed about The Martian. Near future, space travelling location with the main character using her smarts to get her out of a tight situation
That said, from a character perspective it was difficult to sympathise was Jazz as the situation was entirely of her own doing!
But that may sound as though I'm giving it a bit of a kicking. I'm not. There was still more than enough of the good things I enjoyed about The Martian for me to enjoy this too.
Didn't realise how long it had been since i read the last one!
The review for this could pretty much be the same as the last one in that it's clear, cDidn't realise how long it had been since i read the last one!
The review for this could pretty much be the same as the last one in that it's clear, concise and straight to the point (too many business business books seem to waffle on to get the word count up.
Some US specific things didn't apply directly but the principles generally do though
Just a straight forward book with some good advice in
I won't leave it so long to read the next volume...more
All done! A decent end to the trilogy. Very much like a Star Trek episode in book form. Tons of references to the Trek universe in general which is grAll done! A decent end to the trilogy. Very much like a Star Trek episode in book form. Tons of references to the Trek universe in general which is great for geeking out to but it did sometimes feel a little overdone (as it made for strange dialogue at times)
Enjoyed the Q story line very much though the entirety of the second book (and much of the first) was dedicated to setting up the bad guy, in parts I just wanted it to get on with it!
These things didn't get in the way of what was an entertaining read...more
Not as good as the first, felt very much like it's purpose was to set everything up for the final book. Enjoyable still Looking forward to the last oneNot as good as the first, felt very much like it's purpose was to set everything up for the final book. Enjoyable still Looking forward to the last one...more
A proper Star Trek nerd-fest! This is the first of a trilogy so a full review would be better at the end. It's chock full of references to the wider SA proper Star Trek nerd-fest! This is the first of a trilogy so a full review would be better at the end. It's chock full of references to the wider Star Trek "universe" (can I use that term?). looking forward to the rest of it...more
This is one of those books I've been meaning to read for a while but have been put off because of things I'd read about it elsewhere.
This is primarilThis is one of those books I've been meaning to read for a while but have been put off because of things I'd read about it elsewhere.
This is primarily around the now quite famous "10,000 hours makes you an expert" side of things which is in fact only a minor part of this book.
I've been fascinated for years about the notion of "talent" Where does it come from? Why are some people apparently naturally "blessed" for certain things
This book looks at a various success stories, famous and otherwise to try and determine if there is a reason for these successes. The book makes a compelling argument that there usually is.
Nike is one of those brands that everyone knows about and this book gives a warts and all look at the companies beginnings on theReally enjoyed this..
Nike is one of those brands that everyone knows about and this book gives a warts and all look at the companies beginnings on the path to the massive entity it is today
While not specifically a business book there are certainly things to learn here too.
This was also really well written. The story telling style kept me interested all the way through
While it can be easy to think this book is about technology it's an economics book at it's core. Covering everything from the types of jFascinating...
While it can be easy to think this book is about technology it's an economics book at it's core. Covering everything from the types of jobs that are threatened by the march of progress (most of them...) it backs this up by digging into the numbers to look at why and how this is happening and the potential impact this will have on world as a whole as well as analysing some of the political implications before coming up with some ideas as to the changes we'll need to make
A really interesting book about running! This is the story of one man's journey into all things running broken up with interviews from all manner of pA really interesting book about running! This is the story of one man's journey into all things running broken up with interviews from all manner of people that run (Olympians, world record holders, sports scientists and some bloke he literally bumped into)
Whole thing was very inspirational and made me want to put it down and get my trainers on!
Only frustration was his lack of self awareness of his own ability, despite repeatedly saying otherwise
Maybe he has a skewed perspective being a sports reporter, or he's just way too modest. But the time he posts for his first ever half Marathon, with no preparation is very respectable. Same for his first London Marathon. Plenty of amateur runners would be made up with those times!...more
I rarely start a book and give up on it but this is one of them. This came reasonably well reviewed I just coulGave up at 17% (according to my Kindle)
I rarely start a book and give up on it but this is one of them. This came reasonably well reviewed I just couldn't see it. A lot of the reviews said it it 'its tongue firmly in its cheek' but it felt like it was full on taking the piss so I really couldn't give it fun serious attention. Possible I'm missing the point. But it's not for me...more