I picked this one up on recommendation from my wise Aunt, and after seeing the Rothfuss review on goodreads (it's the first one that comes up, and it'I picked this one up on recommendation from my wise Aunt, and after seeing the Rothfuss review on goodreads (it's the first one that comes up, and it's worth a read on its own!), and it is just beautiful. I read this aloud to my kids (yes, they're only two, so what? Now I get to read this book a second time once they're old enough to understand it!) and had an amazing time with the words. One line jumped out and may be my new favorite quote:
"September read often, and liked it best when words did not pretend to be simple, but put on their full armor and rode out with colors flying."
Yes please!
In addition to the lovely language, there's an Ozian quality to the world but with a very distinct flavor all its own. So many wonderful characters-- I would personally read a whole book about Calpurnia alone!-- all vividly described and fleshed out. Highly recommended for fantasy fans of all ages (though there is some rough stuff toward the end that would probably have upset me as a young child, but I was quite particularly sensitive)....more
Great set up, characters, writing, and art. Only reason it's not five stars is because it's the first volume so the plot feels like it's still just geGreat set up, characters, writing, and art. Only reason it's not five stars is because it's the first volume so the plot feels like it's still just getting going....more
The good: the WORLD BUILDING good lord I love it-- the rules and history were so great, and the exposition came out pretty naturally most of the time.The good: the WORLD BUILDING good lord I love it-- the rules and history were so great, and the exposition came out pretty naturally most of the time. Also the writing style was smooth and unforced, and the named characters though a cast of many were all memorable in their own way. A damaged but not-permanently-so protagonist is always a good thing.
The bad: um... sausagefest? I'm a bit spoiled lately given what I've been reading but there's a severe lack of women throughout the story. I understand this is a book with a strong class system, but it really seemed like women were only there to be especially sad victims. It started to be pretty glaring when two throwaway casualties in a big man-to-man fight scene were both specifically fleeing women. I get that there are rules in this world, but none were ever specifically about women (except the rules about noblemen *ahem* interacting with skaa women) so it didn't seem necessary to have everyone but Vin be male. Again, I just came off two years of reading Tamora Pierce and the like so I'm probably spoiled. And nothing at all against Sanderson-- I really don't get the feeling he hates women or anything, just that they weren't included, you know? As important as representation is to me, this really does feel like a minor quibble in the grand scheme of the effort and care Sanderson put into building this amazing world. I'm absolutely going to read more!...more
[First read sometime between May 2014 and May 2015 but I don't remember exactly when] [Reading again via audiobook while running, October 2016][First read sometime between May 2014 and May 2015 but I don't remember exactly when] [Reading again via audiobook while running, October 2016]...more
Irrelevant but amusing explanation for why it took so long to finish this book: I was reading it aloud at my kids' bedtime. Okay, so they were maybe a Irrelevant but amusing explanation for why it took so long to finish this book: I was reading it aloud at my kids' bedtime. Okay, so they were maybe a year old at the time but I was determined to start the habit of bedtime reading early in their lives and as they had no idea of what was going on I decided to read things that my spouse and I wanted to hear. We started with the Heir to the Empire trilogy by Timothy Zahn, just to put things in perspective. Anyway, there I was, reading a bit of Boneshaker every night on my iPad in the dark nursery. I would sit in the doorway so the dim glow of the screen wouldn't be visible to either crib. As my spouse and I are huge wimps and not into scary stories at all, we were a bit wary of a zombie book. However, we were enjoying the world building and the characters, and it was a good while before any actual walking dead made an appearance. But when they did... I had just gotten to the first appearance of an actual rotter, after the text had built up the suspense but good, and just as those first rosters shambled into view MY IDIOT CAT PUT HIS WET NOSE ON MY ELBOW IN THE DARK AND NEARLY MADE ME WET MYSELF.
My point is, I returned many months later to finish on my own and I am glad I did. Great characters (many of the best being women), interesting world, decent execution of the premise. 3.5 stars. And cats are the worst....more
I have read this book over the first three years of my kids' lives. It was a bit of a slog toward the end, since the important stuff is repeated quiteI have read this book over the first three years of my kids' lives. It was a bit of a slog toward the end, since the important stuff is repeated quite a bit. I found this book most useful when I was a new parent and suffering from a profound sense of "what have I gotten myself into?!" Satter's division of responsibility has been very helpful in both helping me to parent my kids, but also in giving me permission to not stress about food as much as I would have. The guidelines are good and helpful, though he devil is in the details especially for older toddlers and preschoolers, I'm finding now. Still, I think this book have me a good grounding for both the nutritional and developmental aspects of kid-feeding and for that I am grateful!...more