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So... Here is what significant I've read lately.
Stephen King - "The Dark Tower" series
King is definitely not my writer; for 95% of his books, my reaction ranged from "well, it's okay with some beer" to "remind me why I'm still reading this?". This book, however, is truly good. It describes a very interesting world—bleak and eclectic, very dark, and rich. While reading, I caught myself living in the world of "The Dark Tower," and it was hard to think about anything else; all my thoughts returned to the characters, building various theories and guesses. The characters turned out well, they don't irritate me, and overall the narrative is logical, though its logic is quite peculiar. The interweaving with the real world and (spoiler!) the author's self-insert look like creative impotence on one hand, but on the other, they fit into the fabric of the narrative as if they were meant to be. Again, authorial whim and a "do whatever I want" attitude creep out of every corner; there seem to be a ton of references to other works (I didn't notice them, I'm not a fan), but strangely enough, all of this works more as a plus. It's all due to the peculiar composition of the plot and the settings. The ending sparked a new wave of theories and thoughts. Overall, a very solid, unusual, and striking book. The only downside is the typically King-esque love for detail, including those that could be omitted for the better (for example, exactly which final words one character used to curse another, exactly how many meters of intestines a third character pulled out of a fourth, and what shape and color those intestines were). It's irritating, provides no useful information, and as a result, the paragraph is just skimmed. Although in the DT, it's not yet the peak of sloppiness.
9/10, I'm taking off a point for the author's signature style. Strictly 18+ and strictly not for moralists who might faint at the word "wee-wee" in a book. But it's worth reading, if only for the very non-standard format.
Isaac Asimov - "Foundation" series
I am in absolute puppy-like delight over this series. A ton of plot twists of varying degrees of unpredictability, a moderate amount of science, a moderate amount of fantasy, a moderate amount of action, a most interesting idea, and an insane scale of narrative—we watch as the history of an entire galaxy unfolds! This cannot be described; it can only be read, simply a magnificent masterpiece *_* The only thing is, there are few characters that grip me, but those are my problems, and the general narrative is worth it. Simply an ode to the human mind and progress.
10/10, a must-read.
Dmitry Glukhovsky - "Metro" series
2033. I started reading it just for fun, not expecting anything special—I'd just heard a lot of good things, it caught my eye, I opened it and... Everything after that is a blur. You'd think, well, what can you actually do by limiting the world to a single Moscow metro? It turns out, it can become a most beautiful post-apocalyptic fairy tale, dark and cruel, frightening in places, but insanely beautiful and captivating. For Muscovites, it was probably much more interesting to read, while I had to constantly check a map of the Moscow metro, but that didn't spoil the impression at all. The author has a good command of language; he builds the atmosphere perfectly without overdoing it, everything is very effective and beautiful. A stunning scene where mutants chased the main character through nocturnal Moscow kept me awake for a long time; King's works combined didn't scare me as much as this one scene. And then there are moments in the library, in the metro itself... The ending is simply amazing; I tried to guess it but couldn't, yet the idea was right on the surface, and I was surprised by how simple it was. A most brilliant book, a must-read, worthy of being called a classic of modern sci-fi. 10/10.
2034. The people craved a sequel—the people got it. One of the episodic characters from the first part is developed, and several new ones are introduced. The action takes place at the other end of the metro. Overall, the book is weaker than the first part, but still readable; the atmosphere remains more or less, but it's already somewhat pale and derivative. You can read it, but it's not necessary. 6/10.
2035. Stop it, pot, don't boil. All the characters from previous parts gather in a huddle, new ones multiply, but this only exacerbates things. If the first part was a struggle of man against a mutilated post-apocalyptic world that he himself created, then here everything boils down to mouse-bickering, political talk, various petty intrigues, filth, nastiness, the absolute bottom, and just "ew". If in the first part a cold sweat broke out at the mere thought of having to go to the surface, here the characters stroll through the ruins as if they were at home, not even always caring about hazmat suits. As for the metro, there's nothing to say; the main danger is no longer mysterious forces, mutants, etc., but simply people, and the whole book is about how a bunch of people in the metro tear each other's throats out. I finished it out of sporting interest. In short, he would have been better off not writing it; he should have left the beautiful fairy tale and not tried to "realism" it. 2/10, dislike, I do not recommend reading it if you don't want to be disappointed in the universe. Not a 1, because some interesting points are raised and it's not quite the absolute bottom.
Generally, the author should have stopped at the first part, because the second and third look like fanfics based on it, and there's already plenty of that stuff. He created a gorgeous world; he should have left it as is and let others imagine and develop it. But alas, in our world, money defeats evil, which is why the author started cranking out sequels. Don't repeat my mistakes; don't read beyond the first part.
Stephen King - "The Dark Tower" series
King is definitely not my writer; for 95% of his books, my reaction ranged from "well, it's okay with some beer" to "remind me why I'm still reading this?". This book, however, is truly good. It describes a very interesting world—bleak and eclectic, very dark, and rich. While reading, I caught myself living in the world of "The Dark Tower," and it was hard to think about anything else; all my thoughts returned to the characters, building various theories and guesses. The characters turned out well, they don't irritate me, and overall the narrative is logical, though its logic is quite peculiar. The interweaving with the real world and (spoiler!) the author's self-insert look like creative impotence on one hand, but on the other, they fit into the fabric of the narrative as if they were meant to be. Again, authorial whim and a "do whatever I want" attitude creep out of every corner; there seem to be a ton of references to other works (I didn't notice them, I'm not a fan), but strangely enough, all of this works more as a plus. It's all due to the peculiar composition of the plot and the settings. The ending sparked a new wave of theories and thoughts. Overall, a very solid, unusual, and striking book. The only downside is the typically King-esque love for detail, including those that could be omitted for the better (for example, exactly which final words one character used to curse another, exactly how many meters of intestines a third character pulled out of a fourth, and what shape and color those intestines were). It's irritating, provides no useful information, and as a result, the paragraph is just skimmed. Although in the DT, it's not yet the peak of sloppiness.
9/10, I'm taking off a point for the author's signature style. Strictly 18+ and strictly not for moralists who might faint at the word "wee-wee" in a book. But it's worth reading, if only for the very non-standard format.
Isaac Asimov - "Foundation" series
I am in absolute puppy-like delight over this series. A ton of plot twists of varying degrees of unpredictability, a moderate amount of science, a moderate amount of fantasy, a moderate amount of action, a most interesting idea, and an insane scale of narrative—we watch as the history of an entire galaxy unfolds! This cannot be described; it can only be read, simply a magnificent masterpiece *_* The only thing is, there are few characters that grip me, but those are my problems, and the general narrative is worth it. Simply an ode to the human mind and progress.
10/10, a must-read.
Dmitry Glukhovsky - "Metro" series
2033. I started reading it just for fun, not expecting anything special—I'd just heard a lot of good things, it caught my eye, I opened it and... Everything after that is a blur. You'd think, well, what can you actually do by limiting the world to a single Moscow metro? It turns out, it can become a most beautiful post-apocalyptic fairy tale, dark and cruel, frightening in places, but insanely beautiful and captivating. For Muscovites, it was probably much more interesting to read, while I had to constantly check a map of the Moscow metro, but that didn't spoil the impression at all. The author has a good command of language; he builds the atmosphere perfectly without overdoing it, everything is very effective and beautiful. A stunning scene where mutants chased the main character through nocturnal Moscow kept me awake for a long time; King's works combined didn't scare me as much as this one scene. And then there are moments in the library, in the metro itself... The ending is simply amazing; I tried to guess it but couldn't, yet the idea was right on the surface, and I was surprised by how simple it was. A most brilliant book, a must-read, worthy of being called a classic of modern sci-fi. 10/10.
2034. The people craved a sequel—the people got it. One of the episodic characters from the first part is developed, and several new ones are introduced. The action takes place at the other end of the metro. Overall, the book is weaker than the first part, but still readable; the atmosphere remains more or less, but it's already somewhat pale and derivative. You can read it, but it's not necessary. 6/10.
2035. Stop it, pot, don't boil. All the characters from previous parts gather in a huddle, new ones multiply, but this only exacerbates things. If the first part was a struggle of man against a mutilated post-apocalyptic world that he himself created, then here everything boils down to mouse-bickering, political talk, various petty intrigues, filth, nastiness, the absolute bottom, and just "ew". If in the first part a cold sweat broke out at the mere thought of having to go to the surface, here the characters stroll through the ruins as if they were at home, not even always caring about hazmat suits. As for the metro, there's nothing to say; the main danger is no longer mysterious forces, mutants, etc., but simply people, and the whole book is about how a bunch of people in the metro tear each other's throats out. I finished it out of sporting interest. In short, he would have been better off not writing it; he should have left the beautiful fairy tale and not tried to "realism" it. 2/10, dislike, I do not recommend reading it if you don't want to be disappointed in the universe. Not a 1, because some interesting points are raised and it's not quite the absolute bottom.
Generally, the author should have stopped at the first part, because the second and third look like fanfics based on it, and there's already plenty of that stuff. He created a gorgeous world; he should have left it as is and let others imagine and develop it. But alas, in our world, money defeats evil, which is why the author started cranking out sequels. Don't repeat my mistakes; don't read beyond the first part.
А, вот почему.
🏹🎪+⛓️♿=💕
🏹🎪+⛓️♿=💕