Reviews and Comments

I actually liked this book more than Ready Player One, for a couple of reasons. First, I'm an avid gamer, so I caught all the references as they flew by, and second, my dad (who was in law enforcement) was killed in a plane crash when I was very young, and the funeral was closed casket. I spent much of my childhood fantasizing that he wasn't really killed, but was part of a government project so secret it needed to look like he was killed. So, I connected big time with the protagonist throughout the whole story.

I think there may have been a story in here somewhere, but I couldn't tell because the author kept stopping the narrative every other paragraph or so to beat me over the head with a transgender explanation. I finally gave up halfway in. I couldn't have cared less about the story at that point, and there was really no reason to go on torturing myself.

This is probably the best Shannara book in a long time, but still lacking something from Brook's earlier works (hence the four, rather than five, stars). Saw the plot twist at the end coming from a mile away, but I wonder if that's just from reading Shannara books since I was in 6th grade (I'm in my 30s now). Looking forward to the next book!

I honestly felt like this was one of the best books I've read in years. I don't think there was anything earth shattering or even new, but it was everything I needed to hear. I love Wilson's writing style and humor. Somewhere in the middle, I bought several copies for friends.

I read this after an ethics class asked if the bombing of Hiroshima was consistent with a just war ethic. I think by the end, I was struck by how much even 60 years later, we (Americans) are fed propaganda about the reasoning behind the bombing of Hiroshima. This book is filled to the brim with primary sourcing, so I really don't feel like Ham was trying to just feed propaganda the other direction, but rather carefully built his case.