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lsloan84's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
thebowandthebook's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Intriguing premise and is expressed well. Lightweight read to begin with, but you did end up caring for the characters.
wajeemba's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I was initially concerned that this book would be dark, which I didn't find to be the case!
tinynavajo's review against another edition
5.0
An excellent set of novellas that center around Stephen Leeds and his aspects, these people who have very specialized knowledge that Stephen pulls upon when researching or taking on a case. We also see how his madness starts to turn him crazier than he already is and how he deals with trying to keep his aspects under control.
sjsamphex's review
5.0
I had a lot of fun with this one. Great exploration of some scifi concepts, made me question my own consciousness and perception of reality, and showed some great character development and a peek into the mind of Brandon Sanderson
imcbear's review against another edition
4.0
My first Brandy Sandy, and I was honestly worried going into the book that I would not like it. However, once the final part rolled around I finally understood more of why I hear so much praise for him.
The characters in the story, real or not to Stephen Leeds, got to feel real to me, as a reader. I got to know the characters in this book in an unexpected way. To me, Stephen Leeds is just as real as any of his aspects, but his story took me by surprise towards the end. While I thought the first two were a little slow, I did like how they all came together at the end. The last section felt more fast pace than the previous two, but once I picked up reading the last section, I did not want to put the book down.
The characters in the story, real or not to Stephen Leeds, got to feel real to me, as a reader. I got to know the characters in this book in an unexpected way. To me, Stephen Leeds is just as real as any of his aspects, but his story took me by surprise towards the end. While I thought the first two were a little slow, I did like how they all came together at the end. The last section felt more fast pace than the previous two, but once I picked up reading the last section, I did not want to put the book down.
emmy9's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
faileskye's review against another edition
3.0
Two great novellas and one that is so atrocious that I will never figure out how I gathered enough willpower to listen to it.
The first two novellas in this omnibus are the kinds of stories that make me wonder why Sanderson does these long, sprawling epics when he is so much better at the more focused and microscale stories. In the first novella, we get a short thriller with a bit of religion and a bit of the mystical in it. In the second novella, we get a longer mystery of a missing body and bleeding edge technology, literally.
These two are definitely worth the price of admission; it’s just that the third book is like a surtax of pain. You need it to finish out the overall story… kind of. Honestly, it doesn’t even really finish up Stephen’s story, contrary to what Stephenson says in the introduction. It is cliché, unsatisfying, illogical, and overall just poorly written. I expect much more from a favorite author of mine and it’s lead me to the point that I’m worried this may be a new trend with him.
So I certainly recommend the first two novellas, they alone are probably worth you picking up this omnibus for. And hey, maybe you’ll like the third one more than me?
The first two novellas in this omnibus are the kinds of stories that make me wonder why Sanderson does these long, sprawling epics when he is so much better at the more focused and microscale stories. In the first novella, we get a short thriller with a bit of religion and a bit of the mystical in it. In the second novella, we get a longer mystery of a missing body and bleeding edge technology, literally.
These two are definitely worth the price of admission; it’s just that the third book is like a surtax of pain. You need it to finish out the overall story… kind of. Honestly, it doesn’t even really finish up Stephen’s story, contrary to what Stephenson says in the introduction. It is cliché, unsatisfying, illogical, and overall just poorly written. I expect much more from a favorite author of mine and it’s lead me to the point that I’m worried this may be a new trend with him.
So I certainly recommend the first two novellas, they alone are probably worth you picking up this omnibus for. And hey, maybe you’ll like the third one more than me?
horizon_9's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This collection of short stories is really just one book. It reads as a book with three parts with the focus on another case in each part. The cases are a bit reminiscent of Black Mirror episodes, in that they all deal with some futuristic technology that have potentially far reaching consequences if they were to actually exist. I especially found the concept of the camera which can take pictures of the past interesting and would have loved to see that explored further.
The person investigating these cases is Stephen Leeds, who has a veritable army of aspects, sort of imaginary people, helping him out to solve the mysteries. Each aspect representing a different area of expertise. Along the way Stephen struggles with the place these aspects have in his life and I think I liked the resolution of this internal conflict.
I never like Sanderson's non-fantasy books as much as his fantasy ones, and that does continue to hold true for this one as well, but it was a entertaining read nonetheless.
The person investigating these cases is Stephen Leeds, who has a veritable army of aspects, sort of imaginary people, helping him out to solve the mysteries. Each aspect representing a different area of expertise. Along the way Stephen struggles with the place these aspects have in his life and I think I liked the resolution of this internal conflict.
I never like Sanderson's non-fantasy books as much as his fantasy ones, and that does continue to hold true for this one as well, but it was a entertaining read nonetheless.