Scan barcode
brendamn's reviews
362 reviews
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
4.0
Neil Gaiman never fails to deliver, I trust I could pick up any book of his and not be disappointed. The world building of Neverwhere draws you in with ease, and quickly immerses you completely. I will eagerly await the follow up novel it seems he has in the works, which is strange for myself. I don't often feel compelled to read follow up novels of any fantasy series, though this ended up being a rare exception.
Perdido Street Station by China Miéville
4.0
Perdido Street Station contains a rich mix of ingredients typical to fantasy and sci-fi novels. Magic, artificial intelligence, demons, parasitic bodysnatchers, steampunk, and plentiful species like garuda, various mythical humanoid species and others that currently escape me. It is something normally I'd find too unwieldy, though it all came together quite nicely due to Miéville's talent for world-building.
I would best describe this book as an intersection of fantasy and horror. It feels similar to Clive Barker's Weaveworld and I suppose Stephen King's series The Dark Tower. The plot followed the typical hero's journey narrative battling unstoppable and supernatural foes.
The thing I disliked most was how the main subplot concluded, the one the book ended on. So incredibly unsatisfying. Yeah, I get the reason why it wrapped it up that way, but it'd have been best in my opinion to not write him as an unredeemable character. Despite it ending on a bad note, it was still a quite enjoyable and unique read.
I would best describe this book as an intersection of fantasy and horror. It feels similar to Clive Barker's Weaveworld and I suppose Stephen King's series The Dark Tower. The plot followed the typical hero's journey narrative battling unstoppable and supernatural foes.
The thing I disliked most was how the main subplot concluded, the one the book ended on. So incredibly unsatisfying. Yeah, I get the reason why it wrapped it up that way, but it'd have been best in my opinion to not write him as an unredeemable character. Despite it ending on a bad note, it was still a quite enjoyable and unique read.
The Molecule of More: How a Single Chemical in Your Brain Drives Love, Sex, and Creativity--And Will Determine the Fate of the Human Race by Daniel Z. Lieberman, Michael E. Long
4.0
Though this is the first introduction of mine to the significance and inescapable influence that dopamine has in life, I couldn't imagine a better introduction to it than this book. It is ever present in almost every thought and action in our lives.
The first few chapters covering sex, desire, and aspirations I felt were spot on. Incredibly educational and presented in a very accessible manner. Though as it went on I thought it to be a bit reaching. Yes it has its own part to play on politics, early human migration, and mental illness, though there are many other factors present that have greater influence on those areas of the human condition. Though in the end the book is a about dopamine, the focus of the book does not concern any other factors at play.
I felt the significance of dopamine was over exaggerated and not the all powerful force it was portrayed to be in those scenarios. I got the impression the authors had the aim of covering a wide variety of subjects to highlight how dopamine plays its part in all aspects of life. I am not arguing that it is not, but that there may have been better areas to explore or expand upon such the topics in the earlier chapters.
What really hit this thought home for me was when it dived into apocalypse end of the world scenarios. I don't think I am being unfair to say that it won't be dopamine that ultimately is what will be to blame in the ultimate undoing of the human race as we know it. Yeah, dopamine will play its own part, though it would be far down the list of things worth considering when dealing with the end of life as we know it.
I still think it is an essential read for understanding of human behavior and why we desire what we desire despite these criticisms. I do concede as well I have my own shortcomings on how the human brain works. Ignoring the reservations I hold, the book does excel in all other areas of the content it covers.
The first few chapters covering sex, desire, and aspirations I felt were spot on. Incredibly educational and presented in a very accessible manner. Though as it went on I thought it to be a bit reaching. Yes it has its own part to play on politics, early human migration, and mental illness, though there are many other factors present that have greater influence on those areas of the human condition. Though in the end the book is a about dopamine, the focus of the book does not concern any other factors at play.
I felt the significance of dopamine was over exaggerated and not the all powerful force it was portrayed to be in those scenarios. I got the impression the authors had the aim of covering a wide variety of subjects to highlight how dopamine plays its part in all aspects of life. I am not arguing that it is not, but that there may have been better areas to explore or expand upon such the topics in the earlier chapters.
What really hit this thought home for me was when it dived into apocalypse end of the world scenarios. I don't think I am being unfair to say that it won't be dopamine that ultimately is what will be to blame in the ultimate undoing of the human race as we know it. Yeah, dopamine will play its own part, though it would be far down the list of things worth considering when dealing with the end of life as we know it.
I still think it is an essential read for understanding of human behavior and why we desire what we desire despite these criticisms. I do concede as well I have my own shortcomings on how the human brain works. Ignoring the reservations I hold, the book does excel in all other areas of the content it covers.
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
1.0
The great reveal in the last 30 pages that provides the book's most compelling moment is not nearly enough to make it worth getting through the preceding 250 pages.
The narrative feels like a stream of consciousness diary, and has all the problems and events you'd expect in a middle school and teenage diary. I suppose it does provide readers' an insight into familiar and universal experiences many people have in those young years, but in the end I am just not interested in reading that kind of diary.
In many places it just takes so long for the narrator to tell the reader a simple story. It walks you through the preceding weeks and days of an event to explain why it is significant, though in the end all those events feels so insignificant. It would have been better if it just didn't have to jump back and forth in time. Not that there is anything wrong with that in itself, but it didn't do many favors for this book.
The characters themselves just felt stupid. I get that they are sheltered and cut off from the world for most their lives, but even so it does not feel like they should be as stupid as they are. Like really? You think they will see your drawings of imaginary animals as proof you are capable of true love?
The concept itself is interesting, clones that are raised only in order for their organs to be harvested. though in my opinion the concept was poorly developed. There are plenty of other books that dive into this moral dilemma more effectively.
Maybe I should have know what I was getting into and known this was not the book for me. But in the end I read the book anyway, and here we are. I am glad plenty of others read this and found it a valuable experience, but for me it just was not worth the time.
The narrative feels like a stream of consciousness diary, and has all the problems and events you'd expect in a middle school and teenage diary. I suppose it does provide readers' an insight into familiar and universal experiences many people have in those young years, but in the end I am just not interested in reading that kind of diary.
In many places it just takes so long for the narrator to tell the reader a simple story. It walks you through the preceding weeks and days of an event to explain why it is significant, though in the end all those events feels so insignificant. It would have been better if it just didn't have to jump back and forth in time. Not that there is anything wrong with that in itself, but it didn't do many favors for this book.
The characters themselves just felt stupid. I get that they are sheltered and cut off from the world for most their lives, but even so it does not feel like they should be as stupid as they are. Like really? You think they will see your drawings of imaginary animals as proof you are capable of true love?
The concept itself is interesting, clones that are raised only in order for their organs to be harvested. though in my opinion the concept was poorly developed. There are plenty of other books that dive into this moral dilemma more effectively.
Maybe I should have know what I was getting into and known this was not the book for me. But in the end I read the book anyway, and here we are. I am glad plenty of others read this and found it a valuable experience, but for me it just was not worth the time.