Reviews and Comments

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David Scrimshaw Locked account

DScrimshaw@bookwyrm.world

Joined 1 year, 11 months ago

An avid sci-fi and fantasy reader who sometimes does historical fiction or even mainstream.

You might notice that most of my reviews are 5 stars. That's because if I start reading a book that doesn't engage me, I stop reading it. Life is too short. I've realized that it's not fair to review a book I haven't read and nobody really needs to hear why I didn't get into a book especially when they might like it.

My goals with reviews are to be brief and give other potential readers an idea of why they might like the book. I leave it to the marketing people and other reviewers to describe the plots.

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reviewed Red Sister (Book of the Ancestor, #1) by Mark Lawrence (First Book of the Ancestor)

Mark Lawrence: Red Sister (Book of the Ancestor, #1) (2017)

"The international bestselling author of the Broken Empire and the Red Queen's War trilogies begins …

Review of 'Red Sister (Book of the Ancestor, #1)' on 'Storygraph'

I really enjoyed my time in this book and look forward to the sequels.

The child Nona is a compelling character and it's fun to read about a convent where novices are trained to be killers.

reviewed Without Fail by Lee Child

Lee Child: Without Fail (2011, Bantam Books)

Skilled, cautious, and anonymous, Jack Reacher is perfect for the job: to assassinate the vice …

Review of 'Without Fail' on 'Storygraph'

I need to space out my Jack Reacher books. Reading them too close together puts me in a mental space where I think everyone I see is ready to do violence to me.

Unlike Jack Reacher, I'm not ready to handle it if they do. So the tension I feel probably doesn't do me any good.

reviewed Blackfish City by Sam J. Miller

Sam J. Miller: Blackfish City (2018, Ecco)

After the climate wars, a floating city is constructed in the Arctic Circle, a remarkable …

Review of 'Blackfish City' on 'Storygraph'

This was fun. Reminiscent of Neal Stephenson.

No talking cats or mice, but people bonded with animals. If there's a sequel, we can hope someone to bond with a cat or a rodent.

reviewed The gum thief by Douglas Coupland

Douglas Coupland: The gum thief (2008, Bloomsbury)

Over the course of several months, two retail workers at an office supply superstore--Roger, a …

Review of 'The gum thief' on 'Storygraph'

This book has a novel inside a novel and then... there's a novel inside the novel that is inside the novel!

I don't really know if that's a good thing. I was not very interested in the third level down. I cared about the characters in the main novel. Maybe it was deliberate that I wouldn't care so much the further levels down.

The main novel characters know each other from the Staples they work at. That was definitely fun.

And I'm happy to report that this book was in my big pile of books to read and now I can put it in one of the nearby little free libraries.

reviewed Full Fathom Five by Max Gladstone

Max Gladstone: Full Fathom Five (2014)

Review of 'Full Fathom Five' on 'Storygraph'

This is a great fantasy series.

And so far, all the books end properly, so if you can't read the next book right away, it's all right. I mean, you will want to read the next one because you'll want to spend more time with some of the characters, but it will be okay if you have to wait a while.

reviewed Memory by K.J. Parker (The Scavenger Trilogy)

K.J. Parker: Memory (Paperback, Orbit)

Review of 'Memory' on 'Storygraph'

For a simple guy like me, this volume was much easier to read. Poldarn gets to learn who he is and we usually know who is who.

Not exactly an uplifting tail, but it's nothing like any other fantasy series out there.

reviewed The Gum Thief by Douglas Coupland

Douglas Coupland: The Gum Thief (Hardcover, 2006, Bloomsbury USA)

Over the course of several months, two retail workers at an office supply superstore--Roger, a …

Review of 'The Gum Thief' on 'Storygraph'

This book has a novel inside a novel and then... there's a novel inside the novel that is inside the novel!

I don't really know if that's a good thing. I was not very interested in the third level down. I cared about the characters in the main novel. Maybe it was deliberate that I wouldn't care so much the further levels down.

The main novel characters know each other from the Staples they work at. That was definitely fun.

And I'm happy to report that this book was in my big pile of books to read and now I can put it in one of the nearby little free libraries.

reviewed Full fathom five by Max Gladstone

Max Gladstone: Full fathom five (2014)

"On the island of Kavekana, Kai builds gods to order, then hands them to others …

Review of 'Full fathom five' on 'Storygraph'

This is a great fantasy series.

And so far, all the books end properly, so if you can't read the next book right away, it's all right. I mean, you will want to read the next one because you'll want to spend more time with some of the characters, but it will be okay if you have to wait a while.

reviewed Blackfish City by Sam J Miller

Sam J Miller: Blackfish City (Paperback, Ecco)

Review of 'Blackfish City' on 'Storygraph'

This was fun. Reminiscent of Neal Stephenson.

No talking cats or mice, but people bonded with animals. If there's a sequel, we can hope someone to bond with a cat or a rodent.