Narilka's 2020 TBR Challenge

Happy 2020! Aiming for 12 books. I'd be thrilled if I completed more :)

11/12

Primary
1. The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang
2. The Disaster Artist by Greg Sestero Completed 2/1/2020
3. Sins of Empire by Brian McClellan
4. Vita Nostra by Sergey and Marina Dyachenko Completed 3/27/2020
5. Real Food/Fake Food by Larry Olmsted Completed 11/1/2020
6. Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson Completed 2/18/2020
7. Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harai
8. The Art of Invisibility by Kevin Mitnick 12/10/2020
9. Saving Sadie by Joal Derse Dauer Completed 7/16/2020
10. Written in Red by Anne Bishop Completed 3/7/2020
11. Soulless by Gail Carriger Completed 1/26/2020
12. The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow Completed 1/19/2020

Carryover from 2019
1. Circe by Madeline Miller
2. Never Grow Up by Jackie Chan
3. The Future of the Mind by Michio Kaku
4. Red Rising by Pierce Brown
5. Wool by Hugh Howey
6. Foreigner by C. J. Cherryh
7. Digital Fortress by Dan Brown
8. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
9. Hunter by Mercedes Lackey
10. A Cat Named Darwin by William Jordan
11. The Gunslinger by Stephen King Completed 12/30/2020
12. Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik Completed 5/2/2020

Note: If anyone is interested in my whole reading/reviews for the year be sure to check out my reading log over in the Green Dragon - https://www.librarything.com/topic/314934

Good luck getting to 12! I have Digital Fortress to read sometime, though not specifically for this challenge. The rest of your titles are all new to me. Can't wait to see what you end up reading.

I recommend the audiobook of Foreigner read by Daniel Thomas May. He has so far been the narrator for every book in the series and I think he's very good.

>3 DisassemblyOfReason: I'll have to check that out. Thanks for the tip.

Good luck getting to 12! The trick is to read something every day. Plan for it!

The disaster artist is a good book: it's recognizably a collaboration with a ghost writer, but it's an engrossing portrait of a really weird man and his friend.

I read one of Carriger's novellas last year (Poison or protect) and found its sass disarming.

Michio Kaku I've only ever seen as a talking head in documentaries; not sure if I'd want to read a book by him. I'll be looking for your review on that!

Cherryh's Foreigner is great! Starts off slow, but it picks up.

Bryson's book is a personal favourite of mine. He gets stuff wrong, but his honest enthusiasm and willingness to learn makes up for that. It's not a book you have to read from cover to cover: browsing a chapter here and there is rewarding.

You must be staying very current, since I recognize nothing in your primary list, lol. Circe is the kind of novel I'm skittish to read for the very reason of its popularity, but people I trust say it is very good. I'd read that Jackie Chan bio in a hurry if I hadn't already read his other. There's some other titles in your alternates that I do recognize and will follow your reviews.

>5 Petroglyph: The Disaster Artist is next in line for my audio book. It's narrated by the author. I'm excited :) The Room has to be one of the strangest movies I've ever seen, but not the worst!

>6 Cecrow: Yeah, a lot of them are from 2000 onward, with at least a couple from 2018. I just could not make up my mind on a classic read this year so none made the list. I'll pick one out eventually. It'll get reviewed on my Green Dragon reading log when I do. Instead I tried to mix in a bit more non-fiction to my steady SFF reading diet.

1. The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E Harrow

I hope you will find the cracks in the world and wedge them wider, so the light of other suns shines through; I hope you will keep the world unruly, messy, full of strange magics; I hope you will run through every open Door and tell stories when you return.

In 1901, seven-year-old January Scaller found a Door standing alone in a field. In a single moment January's life is changed forever when she walks through and finds herself briefly in another world. Running home with a story of her discovery, January's experience is dismissed by her guardian as the fancies of a young girl and encouraged attend to her lessons and forget such childishness. It isn't until many years later when January discovers a book, The Ten Thousand Doors, that her childhood experience is brought back in a new and dangerous light, one that will send her on a journey to discover the truth.

I have been putting off writing this review because I have had trouble putting into words how this book impacted me. This felt more like an experience than just reading a novel. It has been a long time since I've felt so absorbed in a book where I truly believed, for a short time, that I might be able to open a door and unlock the mysteries of a world. Some of that feeling is with me still, a week later.

January is a likable character, a bit on the wild side even though she's been taught to be a "good girl," and felt very real. I found her fairly relatable. Her dog Bad is absolutely adorable and a wonderful companion. Harrow's writing is beautiful, very lyrical. Given the setting, themes of racism, sexism and classism are woven in yet handled gracefully. They are there but I didn't feel beat over the head by them. The book isn't without its faults but they weren't enough to impact my enjoyment of the story. The ending is quite beautiful and left me more than a little teary eyed.

I was completely swept away by January's journey of books within books, mysteries within mysteries, worlds within worlds. I look forward to rereading this in the future.

...my long years of research have taught me that all stories, even the meanest folktales, matter. They are artifacts and palimpsests, riddles and histories. They are the red threads that we may follow out of the labyrinth.

It is my hope that this story is your thread, and at the end of it you will find a door.

Rating:

Fantastic! How long was it sitting on your shelf unread?

It had been sitting on my Wishlist for a few months. I finally received it as a gift for Christmas :)

>10 Narilka:, just as good. It's rewarding when something you've anticipated reading for that long turns out to have been worth the wait.

2. Soulless by Gail Carriger



Soulless is the first in the genre-mashing Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger. It's a whimsical steampunk paranormal romance comedy of manners set in Victorian London where werewolves and vampires have integrated into society. Fair warning, the romance gets explicit in spots. Other reviews I've seen calling this style as Buffy meets Jane Austin is a fair description. All of this turned out to be one highly entertaining read with a story that doesn't take itself too seriously.

Alexia Tarabotti is a self described spinster. The daughter of a dead Italian father yet still attending society parties to keep up family appearances. If only this current one wasn't so boring! Then perhaps she wouldn't have been rudely attacked by a vampire who should have known better. Alexia is soulless after all, a preternatural who can turn the supernatural temporarily human at a touch, who most of the supernatural know to avoid. The only thing worse than having to deal with an ignorant vampire is being involved in an investigation when Alexia accidentally kills him with her parasol.

I'm not sure which I ended up loving more, the world with an integrated supernatural and natural society or the witty wordplay the author used. The world concept is absolutely fascinating and I quite enjoyed how Alexia's soulless state fit in. I am definitely looking forward to how that plays out more as the series progresses. I also greatly enjoyed the use of modernized proper English as the character's bantered back and forth. Perhaps it's time to reread Pride and Prejudice or another Austin later this year.

As I mentioned earlier the romance is a big element of the story. If you don't like much romance in your reading you may want to think twice about trying this book. Given the set up in the first chapter I think it was fairly predictable where the romance ends up yet it still made me grin.

There is a lot of silliness in the story. Most of it I found entertaining but some just didn't work for me. I had a problem with some of the names in the book, including the main character. I kept calling her "Alexa" in my head. In fact I had to use find and replace in this review to make sure I got it right! Some of the other family names, such as Hisslepenny and Loontwill, made my eyes roll. Maybe it's a joke I just didn't get. I was also disappointed in the reveal of the main bad guy. After such a mysterious set up it was such a let down to have him just be a normal person out to "protect" society by eradicating the supernatural "menace." With all of Carriger's other creativity I think she could have done better.

I was entertained enough and definitely curious as to what is in store for Alexia next. I'm looking forward to continuing the series.

Rating:

>12 Narilka:, I first heard of that one when the agent who took it on blogged about it. She was enthused by how well the soulless central character is portrayed; she could have come across as a robot but the author brings her inner world to life and keeps the book entertaining. Still not my thing and I never followed up, but it was fun to spot it on your challenge list.

>13 Cecrow: I like the concept a lot. I'm very interested in how it plays out so will be trying the second in the series at some point. It will likely make my Green Dragon reading thread.

3. The Disaster Artist by Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell



The Room. One of the strangest and most gloriously bizarre pieces of American cinema I have ever seen. Written, directed, produced and starring Tommy Wiseau, it is commonly referred to as the worst movie ever made (which I disagree with; I think that title belongs to the absolutely horrible Troll 2, but I digress). The Room is one of those movies you have to experience as any attempt at explanation doesn't do it justice. The closest I can come up with is it is what an ideal American life would be like as explained by a space alien who doesn't understand humanity at all or that movies need a certain amount of continuity to make sense. There is something special, some undefined quality that even as you watch in utter shock that something this bad actually made it to the big screen, the complete ridiculousness of every scene and dialog is just so endearingly odd that you can't help but laugh the whole time. If this description has made you curious at all I encourage you to check listings, find a theater showing in your local area if you can and go see it. It's definitely better watched with a full audience, though if it isn't playing in your area I'm sure a small party viewing at home is fun too.

Greg Sestero plays Mark in the film, the main co-star, and is friends with Tommy in real life. I went into this book expecting to read about the origins of the movie and some behind the scenes stuff of how it was made. I got this and oh so much more. Greg goes into how his friendship with Tommy started, what Tommy is actually like, a bit of Tommy's history and a lot of information about what it's like to be a struggling actor trying to make it in Hollywood. Great is one of the lucky ones who manages to acheive some modest success. It makes for a surprisingly great read.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by the author. I highly recommend this format. Greg absolutely nails Tommy's strange accent which adds so much to the book. I'm not sure the story would have been as enjoyable as a traditional read.

Rating:

I've never seen the movie but was quite intrigued about the story when the movie The Disaster Artist came out a couple of years ago with James Franco. Sounds like the book is definitely worth the read. I loved your description of what the movie is like.

Thanks! I haven't seen The Disaster Artist movie. So you'd say it's worth watching?

I suppose any artist can at least cling to the hope that if they do wind up making something truly terrible, maybe at least the story of that how that terribleness came to be will prove interesting, lol.

4. Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson



A book about libraries that house magical grimoires that have a tendency to turn into demonic beasts and the librarians who care for them? Sign me up!! Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson is a fun YA adventure story where an apprentice librarian faces down a threat to the Great Libraries.

Found as an orphan, Elisabeth Scriviner has lived her whole life in the Great Library of Summershall. Currently an apprentice librarian Elisabeth dreams of becoming a Warden, a type of librarian trained to battle grimoires that have turned into Maleficts and protect the kingdom against sorcery. An act of sabotage releases the Library's most dangerous grimoire. Finding the library's Director dead and the Malefict heading to a nearby village, Elisabeth tracks down and faces the monster. Yet her one act of bravery ends up implicating her in the crime instead of bringing her praise. Suddenly Elisabeth finds herself in the middle of a centuries-old conspiracy and her only ally is... the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn.

The story is told entirely from Elisabeth's point of view. She is a likeable heroine who stumbles a bit in the beginning and grows into to being fairly capable with the help of her friends. Having grown up in the Library she's rather naive and has been taught to be prejudiced against sorcery and, by extension, sorcerers. Naturally this sets up the relationship with Nathanial to be in the vein of Beauty and the Beast as they learn about each other and Elisabeth realizes just how wrong many of the things she was taught are. On the flip side, Nathaniel is And yes there is a romance, though it is a very slow burn sub-plot.

Easily my favorite thing about the book is the world. I absolutely love the idea of libraries as dangerous places that house living books. Each book had its own personality and is rated on a scale for how dangerous the spells are it contains. What else is interesting is that the sorcery in the world isn't natural, as in a person isn't born with it. It is granted by summoning and making a deal with a demon, typically at a fairly high cost. The demon then remains as a servant to the sorcerer, though don't let that fool you. Each demon will turn on their master given the opportunity.

Which brings us to Nathanial and his demon Silas. Nathaniel is an incredibly talented sorcerer from a very old family of necromancers. He serves as a fun foil to Elisabeth and I enjoyed their bantering dialog. That said, Silas completely stole the show for me. Talk about an interesting character! Morally ambiguous and doesn't pretend to be anything other than he is. He constantly warns Elisabeth about his nature, which she continuously chose to ignore, though in the end he seemingly performs a selfless act. I think I could use a whole story with Silas as the main character.

It took about half the book before I was fully hooked. Then it was a rush to the end to see how everything would turn out. Even though there are many common YA fantasy tropes, I quite enjoyed it. It's a standalone novel with an easy hook should the author wish to write more in this world some day.

Rating:

Just dropped in to say that I greatly enjoy your reviews. They are such an entertaining and interesting read!

Thank you for the kind words!

18. Written in Red by Anne Bishop



Written in Red is the first book in The Others series by Anne Bishop. The story is set on an alternate Earth where the world is populated by terra indigene, the earth natives, the Others, who consider humans to be their prey.

Meg Corbyn is on the run. Having fled the facility where she was being kept by her Controller, Meg is desperate to find a safe place where she can hide for a few days. Meg is a cassandra sangue, a blood prophet, a person who can see the future when her skin is cut. This makes her very valuable to those who are chasing her. Seeing a sign at the Lakeside Courtyard for a job as Human Liaison, Meg decides that maybe hiding with the Others is the safest place she can be for a few days. Simon Wolfgard knows there's something different about Meg, she doesn't smell right and she's obviously hiding something, so he reluctantly gives her the job to buy himself time to solve what ever mystery it is she's hiding. Besides, the Courtyard really does need someone who can interact with the humans in the area, even if only for a few days.

Slice of life meets paranormal fantasy! I don't know how Bishop managed it but she pulled it off. The story is one beautifully written slow burn that focuses on Meg's daily life of mail delivery as she adjust to her new role as Human Liaison for the Others and learns about the world outside the compound she escaped from. I can see how this could be frustrating for some readers as the plot moves at a glacial pace. I quite enjoyed spending my time with Meg going about her day and learning about both the world and the Others right along with her.

Meg is definitely not your typical heroine. Given that she's been sheltered her whole life, only learning through training videos and other imagery, Meg retains a childlike innocence about her. In some ways her lack of a typical upbringing is a benefit as it gives her a completely different perspective of the world and the Others, allowing her think of solutions to her unique situation that most people likely wouldn't have. It also turns laugh out loud funny at times with some of the odd reactions she has to basic things we take for granted. Meg's courageous, forthright, intelligent and genuinely cares about others no matter what their species. I liked her a lot.

The Others of the Courtyard were a genuine treat to get to know. Bishop has given the standard paranormal creatures a great twist as they identify much more with their beast and elemental natures. This lends an eerie atmosphere to most of the story as these beings are definitely NOT human and barely understand the basics of humanity. Simon, Sam, Tess, the ponies, Vlad and all the rest were a lot of fun to watch how they reacted to Meg-the-not-prey and learned to care about her in their way.

Most unique is there isn't any romance. I honestly have no idea when the last time I read a paranormal fantasy that didn't have romance in it. It was a refreshing choice even if I could see something happening between Meg and Simon in future books.

Even though this is a slow burn that does not mean there isn't any action. The violence of the Others is bloody and can be disconcerting when you realize that humans are their food of choice so nothing goes to... waste.

I quite enjoyed spending my time with the Others. I look forward to continuing along with Meg and her adventures in the next book.

Rating:

6. Vita Nostra by Sergey and Marina Dyachenko



This review has been so hard to write. I'm not entirely sure if it will make sense to someone who hasn't read the book. I am making an attempt anyway.

At it's heart Vita Nostra is a story about that period of time of the early transition to adulthood, that 17-20ish age range, and just how terrifying that time truly is. All while being wrapped in a speculative fiction story about metaphysics. Never before have I felt a book's description has left me unprepared for what I was about to read. Yes, Sasha is chosen to attend a special school after completing some bizarre tasks for a mysterious stranger. And yes, that school could be considered magical if looked at a certain way. A Slavic Harry Potter this is not. I have been told a closer comparison is The Magicians though I have not read those books so couldn't say for sure.

Vita Nostra is easily one of the strangest reads I've experienced in a long time. The plot is deceptively simple. It doesn't follow standard story writing at all. There is no antagonist, no conflict as such, characters are semi-cardboard, there is a heavy undercurrent of fear and terror throughout. In any other book this would have seriously bothered me and yet here it is fascinating, engaging and makes for an almost compulsive read. Even with a slow pace I kept finding myself turning pages long after I should've turned out my light each night. It is a deeply philosophical read, heavy on the existentialism, and utterly brilliant.

For most of the book we are just as confused and in the dark about what's going on as Sasha is and we discover it right along with her. Once enlightenment is achieved, things get really weird! Metamorphosis is necessary. The ending is deliberately left open to interpretation.

I could see this as a love it or hate it book depending on how much you enjoy a Kafkaesque style. It also appears to be the start of a series. Based on Google translate of the summaries of the other books, the rest of the series seems to be completely unrelated and are not yet translated to English. This reads well enough as a stand alone.

So why three stars? I rate books on the enjoyment of my reading experience. Given the current state of the world and the underlying terror inherent in Sasha's story the book tended to trigger the generalized anxiety I have at the moment. I think I'd like to reread this again in a couple years and see how I do.

Rating:

>23 Narilka:, sounds like something unusually different, for sure. Had a similar feeling (re unprepared for where the story went) when I read Sophie's World, but I think that one was a lot more light than what you're describing here. I think I've read all the Kafka that I want to now, but I do like the unusual. Hmmm.

>24 Cecrow: It's a darker story for sure. Maybe keep an eye on it for the future?

7. Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik



From the back of the book:

China has discovered that its rare gift, intended for Napoleon, has fallen into British hands–and an angry Chinese delegation vows to reclaim the remarkable beast. But Laurence refuses to cooperate. Facing the gallows for his defiance, Laurence has no choice but to accompany Temeraire back to the Far East–a long voyage fraught with peril, intrigue, and the untold terrors of the deep. Yet once the pair reaches the court of the Chinese emperor, even more shocking discoveries and darker dangers await.

Based on that synopsis and what I remembered from the first book, I went into this one expecting a grand adventure in China for Temeraire and Laurence filled with political intrigue in the Chinese court, some aerial action and to meet new dragons. Instead this is primarily a travelogue with a meandering plot and not near enough dragons though I really enjoyed the ones we got to meet.

The voyage to China, which makes up almost 75% of the book, was long and tedious. There is some commentary on society around slavery and the treatment of dragons. For the most part though we're given the day to day of ship life, with plenty of descriptions of what everyone was eating and a little tension between the British and Chinese as well as the Aviators and the ship's crew. Mostly that felt a little like how the pandemic lock down has been feeling - people stuck together in a small space with no other outlet than to fight with each other over real or perceived insults.

The final quarter of the book, when Temeraire and Laurence finally arrive in China, was quite interesting and the ending felt rushed after spending too much time at sea. I loved seeing the differences in Chinese culture and how they incorporate dragons into their society. It is an eye opening experience for Temeraire and Laurence, one I hope they can take back with them to England for the benefit of the English dragons. The Chinese dragons were so much fun to meet. I wish we'd had time to get to know them more! As always I continue to love Temeraire and Laurence's dedication to each other. It is the heart of what makes these books special.

I already have the third book in my TBR though I find I'm not in a rush to read it since I think it will include yet another voyage. I will get to it eventually though when I am in dire need of something to fill the Temeraire-sized space in my heart.

Rating:

I've read some short fiction by her I thought was good, but I'm not a big fan of alternative history, and the travel would bother me too.

>27 Cecrow: Sounds like you might want to stay away from this series. I enjoyed her two fairy tale retellings.

8. Saving Sadie by Joal Derse Dauer



Saving Sadie is the story of how rescuing one horribly abused dog transformed lives of those who meet her. Sadie was discovered by some good samaritan in the woods where she'd been dumped after having been shot twice. Joal Dauer was making a regular donation stop to her local no-kill shelter where a depressed and injured dog caught her eye. Not really looking to adopt another fur-baby, there was something special about Sadie that Jaol couldn't ignore. And so begins a the story of how Joal was determined to help Sadie walk again while Sadie rescues Joal in the process.

Sadie and Joal's story is heartwarming and uplifting. It's great to be reminded at how transforming love, hope, compassion and persistence can be when combined to acheive a goal. What's even more amazing is how Sadie's experimental therapies were groundbreaking and helped advance veterinary science on how to treat paralyzed pets. Hopefully those learnings can translate into new treatments to help paralyzed humans in the future.

Rating:

9. Real Food/Fake Food by Larry Olmsted



Larry Olmsted is a foodie. Food is his passion, hobby and, according to the back of the book, at least partially his job as a food journalist. Real Food/Fake Food is Olmsted's homage to some of his favorite premium foods and outrage over the fact that imposters are everywhere. It also contains some great information for general consumers with tips on how to avoid food fraud when you can though most of this information tends to be a few paragraphs at the end of each chapter.

Olmsted breaks down fake foods into three categories: regional imposters (such as Parmesan cheese made in California instead of Italy); fraud (the swapping of a lesser quality ingredient for another or adding lesser quality ingredients to pure ones yet still selling it as the real deal); and synthetic chemicals masquerading as actual food (cheeses being made with ingredients not related to cheese at all such wood fibers or plastics). Olmsted's main focus is on regional imposters so if you're wanting a deeper look at the other two categories further reading will be required.

Depending on where you are in your real food journey will determine how much value you get from this book. If you've never done research at all into where food comes from and just how bad fraud is in the food industry, this book will likely be eye opening. If you have done some research this book won't come as a surprise though you should still learn something. I didn't realize just how bad fraud in the seafood industry is until reading this and doing further searching on my own. I don't think I'll be ordering seafood from a restaurant for a while!

This book is written exclusively from the US perspective. While the author does mention some very specific regional laws in other countries, and those outside of the US may find this information valuable, you'll have to check the laws of your country to see if your food sources have better or any protections. In the US, food manufacturers looking to make every last dime off consumers and our lack of proper government regulations make things a lot harder for the average person to tell the difference between what's real and what's fake. As if eating healthy, whole foods wasn't difficult enough!

My main issues with the book come from spelling and grammatical errors, lots of repetition and how pretentious the author's writing style comes across, especially in the early chapters.

In essence, buyer beware. Food fraud is everywhere at the grocery store and restaurants. The FDA is not doing its job to protect consumers and the responsibility is with us to stay informed, check labels and shop carefully.

Rating:

>30 Narilka:, I guess this speaks to why the 'buy local' fad has taken off, people being confident they know where their food comes from (and what it is!)

>31 Cecrow: I think you're right. I never really thought about it before.

I have made it to 10 so far. I'm confident I'll finish at least one more this month. Maybe two if I push. Wish me luck :) And yeah, I'm behind on reviews at the moment which I hope to catch up on this weekend.

Good luck! I'm trying to get stuff read that I didn't want to squeeze into next year's challenge.

Hopefully you have a nice long holiday break with plenty of reading time!

10. The Art of Invisibility by Kevin Mitnik



Do you use a cell phone? A tablet? Any "smart" devices? Drive a car manufactured in the 1980s or later? Use the internet? Have a job? Go shopping? Post on social media? Basically live in a modern society? You are being tracked. Constantly. Big Brother and Big Data are everywhere, collecting information about you and your habits every minute of every day. Some claim it's for the greater good, such as fitness devices providing health data, or to better target marketing, such as department stores texting you about sales as you shop. But what about less ethical reasons? Data breaches and successful hacking attempts are making headlines at a record rate.

Luckily there are things you can do to help protect yourself. Kevin Mitnick, a ex-convict turned ethical hacker, outlines steps you can take today in his book The Art of Invisibility. It is a practical guide and you don't need to be an IT guru to use Mitnik's advice, though having a basic understanding of computers is helpful. The book is broken into two sections. The first half provides the basics on how to protect yourself online, such as using secure passwords, installing browser add ons to increase security while surfing the web and not using free wifi networks for online banking (duh!). The second half is where things get really scary as Mitnick shows just how insecure all technology is, things we use every day without even thinking, how your job is monitoring you and even how recycling or selling old equipment can lead to identity theft. Lax security is everywhere and it's frightening just how unaware and/or accepting most of us are.

The good news is that true invisibility on the internet and in daily life is achievable though increasingly difficult as technology continues to evolve. It requires a lot of diligence, probably more than most people are willing to commit to. Mitnick offers enough advice for you to choose what level of privacy you'd like to acheive and how to go about it.

We are only as secure as the weakest link in the chain and that weakest link is us in a lot of cases due to ignorance. It's up to us to protect ourselves by staying informed. This book is a great place to start on your personal cyber security journey.

Rating:

Feels to me like he got the two halves backwards; wouldn't it make more sense to demonstrate all the dangers and then share advice on how to protect yourself against it?

Possibly? It wasn't split into sections like some books are. It was just how the chapters naturally flowed.

I've chosen The Gunslinger to be my final TBR read of 2020. Looks like I"ll be carrying over 1113 books to 2021. Time to start my 2021 list :D

Or just shrug them off, whatever you need to get excited about reading in 2021!

11. The Gunslinger by Stephen King



The Gunslinger, the start of Stephen King's magnum opus The Dark Tower, is such a strange read. It's broken into 5 parts that read sort of like inter-related short stories that is also a semi-cohesive whole. The plot can be summarized by the book's opening line:

The man in black fled across the desert and the gunslinger followed.

Such a catchy opener! Too bad I had a hard time getting into the story. The reader is dropped into the middle of a weird, post-apocalyptic western-style world with very little explanation of who our characters are, what their motivations are or what's going on at all. As more of the gunslinger's background is revealed in flashbacks there are hints that there is some great purpose to this relentless hunt across the desert though this reader is still left wondering what that purpose is. Yes, the two finally meet and the man in black gives a long soliloquy philosophical that was quite interesting. It just wasn't enough to feel like any of my questions were answered at all. The gunslinger not a likable or sympathetic character, being ruthless in his pursuit of the man in black, making for a frustrating read. The most enjoyable part of the book are the world that is similar to ours yet different enough to be unsettling in a way I ended up liking.

I have been told that this is the weakest book in the series and encouraged to give the second book a try before deciding if I want to stop. I admit I am curious to see where the story goes next though I'm in no great rush to continue.

Rating: