This was a bit of a let-down for the series. It was set on a planet that is basically just medieval Scotland. One of the characters from an earlier boThis was a bit of a let-down for the series. It was set on a planet that is basically just medieval Scotland. One of the characters from an earlier book has his spaceship crash land there and then men with kilts capture him.
[image] I mean, it could be worse.
The two main characters - kilt man and ye old Regency man - are both likable. That wasn't the problem. it was that the story seemed out of place with the rest. It's like the author just decided to throw every historical romance setting into the mix for the hell of it.
[image] Just. Don't.
I would much rather have stayed on the main planet in the series and continue on to some of the other side romances that we have been looking forward to (Trouble and Rexley)....more
A rare thing has happened here: I liked both of the heroes equally. And a lot.
[image] Right? This just never happens!
Okay, so it's impossible to tell youA rare thing has happened here: I liked both of the heroes equally. And a lot.
[image] Right? This just never happens!
Okay, so it's impossible to tell you the deal about this book because it's the 4th book in a series and if you haven't read the first three you won't get this one. But, if you do read the first ones just know that this one is the best of the series.
Seeing your life-long crush getting a BJ from another guy might be a tad upsetting. You know, if you're sensitive that way. So Prince Colton finally rSeeing your life-long crush getting a BJ from another guy might be a tad upsetting. You know, if you're sensitive that way. So Prince Colton finally realizes that maybe, just maybe, his crush isn't in to him.
[image] Is this worse than being friend-zoned? I can't tell.
So, of course Colton moves on and stops being all heart-eyed around his older crush. Well, giiiirrrll, you know there isn't anything a guy hates more than losing an adoring fan who lifts his self-esteem by having a massive crush on him. He's immediately intrigued. It took exactly one interaction for the crush to suddenly want him after poor Colton has finally given up.
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Never underestimate the power of "the takeaway". My dad was in sales and taught me, during a crushing heartache, that it is human nature to want what you can't have. So, you have someone who is taking you for granted? You take yourself away from them. They cannot handle losing something they assumed was theirs for whenever they felt like it. And that is exactly what Colton did and the crush responded to... Although, Colton was pretty quick to give in. Still - never doubt the power of the takeaway!
[image] Um... not exactly what Daddy meant. Also, is that real fur? I'm feeling a little red-painty if so.
So these two crazy kids finally get together and bond over their mutual love of horses. There are also balls and intrigue and bad guys. Overall, not enough space stuff for a sci-fi, but still good. ...more
Even though I didn't like this one as much as the first, I'm starting to feel invested in this smutty little Regency-in-Space series. It doesn't reallEven though I didn't like this one as much as the first, I'm starting to feel invested in this smutty little Regency-in-Space series. It doesn't really fit into my tastes exactly, because I'm not someone who likes a big age difference or unequal power dynamic with romance couples, but it is strangely captivating.
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It must be all the future-in-the-past tech. They have horse-drawn carriages that can take them to the ball, OR a hovercar taxi. I'm thinking that those horses must be pretty pissed off at this point. I mean, why the fuck am I still dragging your ass around in a carriage when you can take a damn hovercraft? Get your fat ass in the flying car, bitch!
[image] Nice burn bro!
So, I like the weird-ass world with all of the inconveniences and ridiculous amounts of clothing they wore in the old days matched with computers, space flight, and disembodied robot butlers. I also liked the Jetsons when I was a kid, so...
[image] Yeah, so don't ask too many questions. Things don't always have to make sense!
This one was set in the planet that is just like Regency England where, you know, homosexuality was a bit of a problem. So, we find it very different from the last one that was also like Regency England but everyone's gay. I don't know... .gay planet or non-gay planet??
[image] Cuz you know that gay planet needs a middle-aged cishet housewife in their midst!
The hero in this book is the brother of the hero from the last one, so he's also a prince. But in disguise. Acting like a twinky commoner. Of course he meets the prince of this planet and they immediately fall into the deepest of lust... I mean love. The problem I had wasn't with the twink. He was adorable. It was the bear. He was kinda dickish. He basically offers the twink the position of being his side-piece on the DL while he does his royal duty to marry a woman and have an heir.
[image] Oh, Grumpy Cat. You gave so much to our younger selves. It was such a simpler time.
Even once they get together I didn't care for him acting like our adorable prince-twink, or Prink, was only there for his occasional need for sexual healing. It was gross and disrespectful. So... eh. Not the best in that way. I'm going to try the next one. The only problem I can see is that the themes of young, virginal boys with these older guys is kinda twinging my gross-o-meter. But then they try to make it better by having the guys in their 20's even though they act like world-weary 40 year old men. And the twinks are young. This one was 19, and I think the next is 18. I couldn't even commit to a hairstyle at that age let alone a lifelong commitment. And, I lived in the 80's where the hairstyles never ceased to amaze.
[image] What? You aren't breaking quarantine again are you? With that hair? At least wear a mask!
So yeah, he wasn't my bag, but since I like the world and there is always a new couple to like .. .or hate.. I'm on to the next one....more
The biggest problem for Andy Weir is that he wro1/3rd Science book. 1/3rd Math book. 1/3rd Sci-fi entertaining fiction story.
So. much. math......
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The biggest problem for Andy Weir is that he wrote The Martian. Every other book he writes will be compared to it and, let's face it, have little chance of being able to stand up to it. It's like lightning striking twice - possible, but not probable.
The magic of The Martian was that, in spite of being science fiction, it seemed possible and featured a main character that most people could relate to and like.
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The main character in this one is also very human and humorous, which is awesome, but the story itself goes further into the sci-fi realm. Yes, it has that element of a guy isolated and trying to solve a very big problem - this time the burden being saving all life on Earth. But, then there is a big difference because alien life forms are introduced. That takes the story into a completely different territory. I did like it, but....... I really felt like it didn't need to explain (in excruciating detail) the biology and technical aspects of the aliens, because it didn't need it. Someone growing potatoes on Mars and figuring out how to get home can have science applied in a way that can make sense to those who understand it. However, once you go into the complete fictional realm it's okay to not explain the science anymore. It is fiction. It doesn't need to be scientifically viable. I guess that was the only drawback to me.
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Still, it was an amazingly entertaining story - in spite of making my brain spin with the math and science at times....more
Super weird! If you like monster-porn with tentacle sex or alien romance or male/male romance, this is your bag, baby! For me, it was a strange fever-Super weird! If you like monster-porn with tentacle sex or alien romance or male/male romance, this is your bag, baby! For me, it was a strange fever-dream that is actually enjoyable. If you like those comics with the aliens like this, you will love this.
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So the set-up is that there is an interplanetary space station where a lot of humans live alongside with other aliens. Our alien-hero is Tris who is from an alien race that is super insular so not many of his species has ever been seen. This makes him kinda the rock star of the station because he's unique and has the personality of an adorable puppy. I mean, this guy is so endearing that you can't help but fall for him. Plus, he finds humans confusing and endearing himself. And cats are the most mysterious things ever to him. But wonderful. Everything's wonderful to this guy.
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He has a cat-sitting gig that he's super excited about and runs into his crush, a guy named Drey. Drey also has a crush but heard that this species of alien doesn't do monogamy and he isn't into the player lifestyle. Luckily, he's wrong and Tris really wants a mate of his own. There isn't much of a build-up or angst because they figure things out pretty quickly. Which is strangely mature for a romance book.
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But, the book is more than that. It's all about the differences between species and acceptance of those differences. The underlying messages are about gender identity, racial differences, and cultural differences. It was definitely positive and interesting. Of course, there were also a lot of funny misunderstandings because of all of these things. Overall, it was original and entertaining. But weird. Definitely weird.
Hey, the day I don't like a book with a giant hedgehog that's a moody drama queen chef, just pull the plug. I assume there will be a plug somewhere. AHey, the day I don't like a book with a giant hedgehog that's a moody drama queen chef, just pull the plug. I assume there will be a plug somewhere. And, if that doesn't work, use the plug to beat some sense into me.
[image] Wait. I just found something else to live for. What magic fuckery is going on here? I need more time to examine it thoroughly. Leave the plug alone, you monsters!
Sean the werewolf is now an innkeeper, and I like his fresh point-of-view about the guests:
The koo-ko looked at us with purple eyes, fluffed up his feathers, and strode back and forth, his plump body rocking with each step.
Sean cracked a smile. "They are chickens."
"Technically they're not even avian."
"Dina, we're going to host 61 space chickens."
I gave up. "Yes."
"And they're going to argue philosophy."
"Mhm..."
Just when I thought I couldn't love Ilona Andrews more, they come up with philosophical space chickens (with foul-tempers BTW, or if you like puns: fowl-tempers. What? Yeah, hanging my head in shame now. Sorry.)
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Then, Sean's take on their chef, the giant Hedgehog, Orro:
Orro: "You will bring this Grand Burger to me and i shall make it. You will taste it and you will weep, for it will be the best Grand Burger to ever grace a human mouth."
He spun around dramatically and stalked off into the kitchen.
"We should get him a cape," Sean said.
Gosh, I love Sean. I think my hubs needs to take a lesson here. I say that I want to dye my dog's hair with blue jello mix and suddenly I'm "crazy" and "been in the house too long." I think Sean would be in agreement with me that this is a great idea. So the bathtub takes a hit and the kids look like Smurfs after bath time. It's not like anyone will see them.
Anyway. I'm in agreement with the cape idea.
So, this book was short and mostly just fun. There were, of course, bloody fight scenes, but they didn't bring down the mood from the chicken-party. Things definitely get wild at the chicken party. Chef Orro might just end up making a nugget tray or two if these crazy chickens keep up their fowl behavior.
“Why do you have a copy of Twilight in your room?”
Arland became completely still. “Um.”
“Lord Mars“Can I ask you something?” Maud asked.
“Of course.”
“Why do you have a copy of Twilight in your room?”
Arland became completely still. “Um.”
“Lord Marshal?” she prompted with a small smile.
“I wanted to know how women from Earth see vampires.”
Not just a vampire romance - it's a Space-Vampire romance!!!!
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What could be better?
There is a race of alien vampires that are hosting a vampire-wedding-in-space, with guests like insectoid aliens and fox aliens. There will be intrigues and romance and bitchy vampire bridesmaids, and lots and lots of blood. You know, like most weddings.
[image] Enough choreographed dances already, people! It's been done to death.
This book is a fun addition to the series. I loved Arland from book one, so I am glad he got his dream-girl....more
Not as good as the first book. (How many times has that sentence been written here?)
So, our spider race and Humans from the last book are now out exploNot as good as the first book. (How many times has that sentence been written here?)
So, our spider race and Humans from the last book are now out exploring space like the Star Trek gang and they come across a race of octopuses/octopi... whatever.. There is also some other, very dangerous, alien around and basically it's mayhem from the start of this meeting. The octos communicate very differently than the spiders or humans, and the dangerous aliens are looking to kill everything because it's an "adventure." So, yeah, misunderstandings and strange, unknown motivations on all sides.
[image] Yes, just like this. Why did that seal hit the human in the face with an octopus? Is this a compliment or insult? Is the octopus a willing participant in this assault, or just the first thing the seal could get its flippers on? So many questions...
This was a lot like the first book, which I refer to as the space-spiders book, except with the evolution of the octopus race. The problem was that the octopus race is very unorganized and doesn't have this great development story like the spiders did. There is a lot of wheel spinning going on and not much forward movement. So, that was a bit disappointing. Pretty much every chapter told us how the octopuses think differently than humans (or spiders), and we pretty much didn't need to be reminded of that over and over again. We get it. I just felt like a lot of time was wasted because of it.
But, even that wasn't the most annoying thing in the book. Oh no. It was the adventure-aliens. O.M.G. It's a complete race of aliens that will annoy the fuck out of the most patient person on Earth. I swear that Ghandi would have wanted to kill the little bastards.
No, seriously, I'm not being a smartass jerk for once. Just look at this quote from the POV of these pathetic losers:
Those-of-We (which became These-of-We) carried the archives of All-of-We, and so as long as some survived, We survived. We remember. That might not seem too bad, but imagine the "We" thing repeated about 500 million times throughout the book. (We-of-Us, We-of-Them, We-of-Past, We-of-Present, Some-of-We, All-of-We, These-of-We, Such-of-We) Gets a wee bit annoying, yes?
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So, no, it wasn't as good, but it was still okay if you liked the first one because we get to see what happened after it ended. I liked some of the main characters and I would have been more interested in seeing their lives a bit more back at spider-planet rather than this one. But, I give props to the author for writing things like super-smart spiders and octopuses. Inventive stuff!...more
Once we get the whole space-travel thing going, what is the best idea that we should prioritize, as a species? Well, it turns out that future-us thinkOnce we get the whole space-travel thing going, what is the best idea that we should prioritize, as a species? Well, it turns out that future-us thinks that we need to set-up a new planet with super-intelligent monkeys ruling it. Because, apparently, future-us never saw a movie. Or are such dumbasses that we took the worst idea possible and decided to run with that.
[image] See? Now, this is a good idea. There's a big difference.
But, luckily someone realized that maybe they didn't want to doom us all to be monkey-slaves someday and did the most reasonable thing to stop this from happening: they killed all the monkeys. Now, I'm not a big monkey-lover in general. They are a little too gross for my liking. Give me a baby seal, or a squirrel, or bunny over a stinking monkey any day, but couldn't there possibly have been a better way to stop this thing than burning all the monkeys up? It wasn't their idea. Why should they suffer for some idiot scientist's terrible idea? I mean, come on, Earthlings? You used to be cool. (Okay, not now, but I'm assuming somewhere along the line.)
So, the monkeys are dead but the super-intelligence virus was already released upon the planet, and.... well, I guess you all know what has to happen.... that's right, super-intelligent spiders. Oh, and they are giant too for some reason, cuz why the hell not? When it's FUBAR, might as well go balls to walls.
[image] Oh yeah, this is great. Nothing can possibly go wrong here.
Shockingly, we eventually destroy our own planet and have to send out spaceships with the last of humanity to find one of those habitable planets we discovered way back when. But, you know, nobody actually knows about the spider-thing. yeah. That's not gonna bite us in the ass.
[image] Or maybe it will. Literally.
This book is a long epic tale of the evolution of the spider-planet and the last hope for the survival of mankind. Thousands of years of history is written in alternating chapters of each species. It is surprisingly fascinating. Like, I can't believe I liked this thing, but it was amazing. The spiders start out as neanderachnids and end up a sophisticated race of reasoning beings. But, we watch them go through things like the beginnings of self-awareness, to building a religion, to building cities and civilizations. You forget that they are disgusting spiders for a while. Then, they do something spidery or talk about their spider bodies and..
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*shudder*
So, I would say if you are really arachnophobic, you won't want to read it. Since there are no pictures, though, and if you aren't that freaked out by spiders, then you will probably really like this book. It was way better than I thought it would be....more
There is a lot happening in this book. We start with a rescue and then move on to trying to save the last of a species that is being hunted by anotherThere is a lot happening in this book. We start with a rescue and then move on to trying to save the last of a species that is being hunted by another species. And, the hunters are aggressive in their desire to kill off these suckers. They will kill anything or anyone in their way. Which leads to the question that is continually being asked in this book? Why? Why do you want to kill them so badly? Did they pull some sort of heist on you?
[image] maybe involving a cumberbun? (ok, off topic (again)... I just looked up the correct spelling for cumberbun and it's cummerbund. W-The actual-F??)
So, these guys that Dina is trying to protect from like thousands of assassins are kind of gross and smelly. Plus, they are sort of Debbie Downers. So, I'm just wondering if that's the problem. I mean, I've thought about killing DD's. Who hasn't? You know the kind of person who is constantly wallowing in their problems and regularly seeks you out to wallow to? Haven't you thought of stabbing them? Or is that just me?
[image] You know corn dogs aren't good unless they are hot enough to cauterize a wound. The army medics used them in the great war. Of course they get the medical grade corn dogs, but still, a fresh-from-the-microwave one will do in a pinch. Anyway, maybe I need to work on my compassion skills.
I really liked that Ilona Andrews was asking that question of "why". It is a question that I have a lot when I read but rarely gets addressed by authors. The Andrew's always have backgrounds, histories, and mythological reasons behind the things they write. I appreciate that. Recently I read a book where the author put the wrong name for who was talking and later had the person wearing a different outfit out of thin air. That kind of sloppiness never happens in an IA book, and it's awesome because you never get dragged out of a story by something that your mind snags on as wrong.
[image] See? Sloppy writing. Her breasts weren't even a little on edge before. Now suddenly they're startled? That doesn't make sense. At least have them a little anxious beforehand, then the startled thing will feel completely believable.
So, with the good writing here, I am feeling pretty happy with this series. My breasts are super relaxed and comfortable and stuff. I'm off to read the next one. Oh wait. This is a buddy-read and I suck because I read too fast and then my buddies get irritated with me. I might need to wait so I don't have to read it alone. Oh shit, breast-anxiety rising!!
If you love the Pixar movie, Megamind, but wish it was a gay romance with porny moments and narrated from the POV of a minion, hey, have I got the perIf you love the Pixar movie, Megamind, but wish it was a gay romance with porny moments and narrated from the POV of a minion, hey, have I got the perfect book for you!!
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Pat is our hero. He is also the son of a super-villain who is planning her next world domination campaign, along with being a part-time minion for other villains, a night manager at a super-hero's estate, and a college student who is hoping to become a city planner one day.
[image] Just your average guy.
One evening at his super-hero night manager job he gets mistaken for a male prostitute that the super-hero ordered up and thinks that he is just getting very very lucky that night. Later, when he realizes that he was mistaken for a hooker, he reacts just like any reasonable person would react...
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Okay, so maybe everyone wouldn't react like that. But, Pat has his own way of thinking. For instance, he thinks the evil villains are way cooler than the super heroes in this world. He might have a bit of a crush on the hero that he is boning-for-dollars, named Nick, but he's not impressed with him the way he is with the villain who was able to create android evil dolphins.
"Sir Toby built android dolphins. They had individual personalities! They frolicked cutely in the ocean waves whenever they'd blown up another base! How much more awesome can you get?"
Nick frowned darkly at him. "I could build android dolphins, if I wanted to."
"But you haven't, have you?"
No. Nick hadn't. He was too busy building "useful" stuff to keep the world safe instead of cool robot animals that kill on command. Like a loser.
[image] I like the dolphin thing better.
This book was hilarious from start to finish. The complexities of being an evil minion are given to us in glorious detail, including important information like how much body oil is the proper amount when you are posing as a slutty groupie when the heroes enter the lair, and whether or not a mask will actually help hide your identity. (Hint: would you recognize someone you knew if they were wearing a little silk mask around their eyes?)
[image] The only funny bit in the whole movie.
Pat and Nick's love story was adorable too.
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Oh, and Pat's evil family? Awesome!!
Pat's Dad: "I did air out the old lair... and bring in the contractors to make the necessary alterations. Tomorrow I'm going to mow the lawn and prune the trees, and after I'll cook some stews and casseroles to put in the freezer. We'll be glad of them when we're busy gaining dominion over the world and can't find time to cook."
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I totally loved this book!! Yes, I used way too many gifs in this review, but our family is a Megamind family. We answer the phone with "Ollo?" Spiders are all spee-iders. It's a thing. #sorrynotsorry...more
When I saw the reviews for this book around goodreads I thought it was a book version of that terrible movie with Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence anWhen I saw the reviews for this book around goodreads I thought it was a book version of that terrible movie with Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence and was like:
[image] The bear is right. Nobody wants to see that.
So, when I actually did the unthinkable and you know, read the reviews, I was like:
[image] Except with finger guns.
This book is totally crazy and I loved it. Driverless cars out of control? Evil hacker gonna kill lots of people? Yeah, baby! I'm all in!
The best part is when (almost) everyone turns out to be an asshole because we get to hear all their dirty little secrets. And the second best part is that the public gets to vote on which asshole dies first.
[image] No, really, I was this happy.
There is a lot of deep stuff too, so don't think it's all fun and games. A lot of these assholes had good reasons for the horrible things they did. Still, Jilly just likes her bloodlust being sated occasionally and this one did that.
I'm not telling you anymore because I won't spoil all the fun for you. Just read it....more
Ready to be mind-fucked? Again? Blake Crouch fucked us in Dark Matter, and now he's texting us at midnight saying, "you up?"
[image] Much like with thisReady to be mind-fucked? Again? Blake Crouch fucked us in Dark Matter, and now he's texting us at midnight saying, "you up?"
[image] Much like with this book, I'm intrigued....
When I first started reading I was a little thrown off by the writing style. It is written in the present tense, which is unusual, so it felt a little strange until I got used to it. But, it makes a lot of sense as a creative choice because of how important time is in the story. That is my geeky grammarian talking. She needed you to know this.
The book starts out by building up our characters. It can feel a little slow or like some of it isn't important, but it all is. So, read it carefully! Everything makes sense and comes together later.
[image] although you might feel like this guy by the end.
The whole thing is about memories and how they shape our reality. What would happen if we woke up one day and suddenly had the memories of a completely different life - while still remembering the life we are living? How would that affect us mentally? And, what if we suddenly got a series of memories of different lives? How much could we handle before we question everything about reality?
"If memory is unreliable, if the past and the present can simply change without warning, then fact and truth will cease to exist. How do we live in a world like that?"
[image] That crown is made of tin foil.
So, we go back in forth in POV's. The first is of Barry, a cop in New York, who comes across a suicidal woman with a case of FMS - False Memory Syndrome. This disease has been making headlines as people suddenly acquire memories of a life they never had. Barry starts looking into the whole thing. The second POV is Helena's. She's a scientist who is trying to find a way to help Alzheimer's patients regain their memories. Her mother has the disease and it's very personal to her. She is approached by a billionaire who offers her funding for her research.
The book will continually take unexpected paths and you will always love it. My suggestion is that you carve out a little time to read this, because you won't want to put it down.
My only unhappy moment was the very last line in the book. Oh, Blake Crouch, why do I always answer your booty calls?
The good news is that when the robots rebel and decide to kill us all - because let's face it, it's gonna happen - we may have a surprising super-heroThe good news is that when the robots rebel and decide to kill us all - because let's face it, it's gonna happen - we may have a surprising super-hero in Murderbot. Our favorite snarky, tv-addicted, misanthrope robot can't seem to help him-or-her self when it comes to saving humans. Every time he/she tries to get away from us, he/she ends up needing to save human lives. A very unlikely and begrudging hero.
[image] Heroes come in a lot of different ways.
This book is the continuing story of Murderbot, so if you haven't started the series, you need to because this will make no sense to anyone who hasn't read the first two books. This will make more sense:
[image] Enough said.
In this episode, Murderbot ends up helping some humans (begrudgingly) who have a "pet robot" named Miki. Miki is the equivalent of a person with a wide-eyed, optimistic view of the world - you know, annoying. Murderbot is looking at Miki in the same way that I would imagine a wolf looking at my dogs. Like, "What the hell, man? Have a little dignity for fuck's sake!"
[image] He loves it!
Miki decides to be Murderbot's friend and it changes Murderbot in a lot of ways. I love how Martha Wells is developing Murderbot's personality. Eventually, she may even need to give it a gender because it's becoming more and more "human" as the books go on. I don't really want to call Murderbot an "it" anymore.
I'm so excited for the rest of the series. Now, I just have to wait.
I love Murderbot! What's not to love about a depressed, soap-opera watching, socially awkward, killing machine?
People are nervous of me because I'm I love Murderbot! What's not to love about a depressed, soap-opera watching, socially awkward, killing machine?
People are nervous of me because I'm a terrifying murderbot, and I'm nervous of them because they're humans.
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This book is a continuation of our robot-with-low-self-esteem's story. Murderbot has decided to go back to where it first decided to name itself 'Murderbot'. On the way, it makes a new friend - a sentient space ship that Murderbot names ART, an acronym for Asshole Research Transport. I kinda liked ART, but Murderbot took a while to warm up to him. ART likes humans and is trying to help Murderbot pose as a human with lots of robot parts.
Yes, the giant transport bot is going to help the (murderbot) pretend to be human. This will go well.
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When Murderbot meets a different kind of robot on his journey, that robot has a very new idea:
Murderbot: "What do you propose to do?"
There was a long pause.
"We could kill them."
Well, that was an unusual approach.
Muderbot: "Kill who?"
Other robot: "All of them. The humans here."
ART said, "What does it want?"
"To kill all the humans," I answered.
I could feel ART metaphorically clutch its function.
Aww, robots wanting to kill us all. The age-old problem. We all know that this is how things will end for us. Let's face it. We are building things that are for sure going to kill the crap out of us one day.
[image] Why do they even bother with the sign?
This book was super fun with a lot of action. Murderbot's inner dialogue is hilariously snarky. The only down side to this series is how short the books are. I need more Murderbot in my life.
This premise was so cool. You swab your mouth for your DNA, send it in, then you get back the result of your soul-mate. They learned that it is a geneThis premise was so cool. You swab your mouth for your DNA, send it in, then you get back the result of your soul-mate. They learned that it is a gene, and we all have a perfect match. Easy-peasy, right?
[image] Sure, sure. That really clears things up.
Because, soul-mate gene or not, things can get a bit messy in life, and that happens in this book. A lot.
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Our story follows five different people on their journey. One's a serial killer, so that's fun. Guess who he gets matched with? Also, one is a dude getting matched with a dude when neither of them are gay.... they think... There are a surprising amount of deaths for what seems like should be a romance novel. I approve!
[image] I like where this is going too!
It was super compelling. You really don't want to put it down. The only thing I felt was lacking was that I needed more. Maybe an epilogue? There were a couple of unanswered questions....more
*Edited to add* I met Martha Wells today!! [image] I'm on the left. Yes, my hair is lavender. I am finally starting a blog. It is about time, yeah? Only *Edited to add* I met Martha Wells today!! [image] I'm on the left. Yes, my hair is lavender. I am finally starting a blog. It is about time, yeah? Only a thousand reviews to add onto that site.www.jillyshmilly.blogspot.com
This book takes several pages to get acclimated, and also to get some understanding of our narrator. He (I'm using "he" although Murderbot doesn't have a gender) is part human/part robot and is really very much like April Ludgate on Parks and Rec, or maybe a honey badger, because Murderbot just don't give a shit.
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Murderbot must also be American, and possibly a teenager because he also does the bare minimum possible when it comes to his job.
...all they had was Murderbot, who just wanted everyone to shut up and leave it alone so it could watch the entertainment feed all day..
If by "entertainment feed", it means that it wants to hang out on the internet when it's not reading or binge-watching Netflix, I think they may have cloned me to make Murderbot. I sure as hell approve of his hobbies, and his name. He chose his own name. It's catchy, I like it.
[image] Hehe! Oh, you!
Unfortunately for Murderbot, someone is trying to kill the humans that he's supposed to protect in between soap opera episodes. That sucks.
I've got four perfectly good humans here and I didn't want them to get killed...it would look bad on my record, and my record was already pretty terrible.
Priorities, you know. Permanent records are permanent.
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So, Murderbot has to do some work, and he has to interact with humans - his two least favorite activities.
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This story was short, but funny if you love depressed robots with low self-esteem.
If there is such a thing as Chick-Lit, what is the name for a book that is a guy-type of thing? Is it Dick-Lit? Male-Tales? XY-Chrome-Tomes?
[image] DeIf there is such a thing as Chick-Lit, what is the name for a book that is a guy-type of thing? Is it Dick-Lit? Male-Tales? XY-Chrome-Tomes?
[image] Definitely Dick-Lit.
Well, whatever. The point is that this is a man book. It reads like a disaster book where you are seeing what different people are doing all over the world while you wait for some big event to happen. There are good guys who aren't that good and bad guys who are heading into super-villain territory, and plenty of running for lives.
[image] Bastards love running.
So, the guy who is the Oracle is named Will. He had a dream with 108 prophecies that were random and ranged from someone buying chocolate milk to big disasters. He does what any red-blooded American would do in his shoes: puts some on the internet. After he gets some credibility, it's time to charge money for those prophecies.
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He gets rich, but people are obsessed with finding out who he is, including a bunch of governments. But, you know our government will totally respect his rights to privacy and treat him well, right?
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The other enemy that he has made is a powerful televangelist who gets all of the religious leaders to proclaim that Will is a demon. This televangelist is pretty unhappy that the Oracle is getting more attention, and donations.
[image] Makes sense. Satan owns the major airlines, right?
With all of the world either wanting their own piece of the Oracle -for good or bad, Will is trying really hard not to die. He's also trying to figure out what all of the prophecies mean. He's struggling with guilt over the events in which people are hurt or killed. And, he's trying to keep his best friends safe. It's not going so well.
[image] Oh, she's totally got this.
Even though this is typically not my kind of book, I did get pretty hooked by the story. I wanted to know where everything was going and couldn't put it down. Personally, I am not big on the whole political thing, so I kind of wished there wasn't so much of that, but overall it was a page-turner so I can't complain. I could see this one being adapted for a movie at some point. A guy movie. Or, Bro-Show....more
The book is awesome, as long as you remind yourself to stay in the moment. The fantasy. The UNreality. Because, if not, you will be thinking weird shiThe book is awesome, as long as you remind yourself to stay in the moment. The fantasy. The UNreality. Because, if not, you will be thinking weird shit, like me. See, I'm a weird shit thinker. I'll let you know where my twisted mind went in just a second.
First, about the book. It has multiple POV's and is about an amphibious man-like creature that the army found in the Amazon and immediately captured to study it in the lab. It sounds about right.As we learned in E.T., they want dissect the crap out of anything they don't understand.
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Luckily, the female mute janitor that cleans the den of horrors lab where he's kept is crazy and desperate pure-hearted enough to think she and the Swamp Thing are in love, so she decides to try and save it. And, have sex with it. Because, you know. That only makes sense.
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This is where the weird shit thinking comes in. I can't help but thinking that this creature may not exactly be the best choice for a sex partner. Why? Well, aside from the obvious..(ugly children)..
Because it reminded me of that gorilla that learned sign language. Coco. You remember the story? That gorilla could communicate with the humans. And, the humans naturally loved Coco, and Coco loved the humans. Does this mean that Coco and the humans should have gotten down with hot monkey sex? No. Because that is gross, and weird, and wrong, and about a thousand ways to Sunday creepy. Yet, the extent of the communication between Swamp Thing and our heroine is actually less than Coco's communication and understanding with her human caretakers. The book gives us a couple of chapters with Swamp Thing's POV and I gotta tell ya, I wasn't impressed. Sure, his thoughts were sweet, pure, and simple. But, they were NOT sexy. And, not that particularly intelligent. Yes, it is sentient, but not even close to being like us. To me, this made the idea of Swampy Sexy Times very icky.
[image] See? My name's not even Doreen. Swamp Thing is a moron.
But, if you could erase all of the mental images I just put into your head, you will love this book. Because it is intriguing and has a fun throw-back to the 1950's feel to it. It's totally worth reading....more
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