Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Books of the Week: 8/21/2012

Guess what time it is! It's BOOK REVIEW TIEM! YAAAY! ...Why don't you look excited? I'm hurt. And I got two (2) whole books read this week. It's like a record or something. 

Relentless
Richard Williams

I really can't explain the plot of Relentless, as that would spoil the book, but it takes place upon a spacefaring battlecruiser, the...*sigh* Relentless. And that's all I can really tell you.

Now I had never read anything by Richard Williams, but I got a bad feeling when I read the tagline. "Left for dead. Back for revenge." Ruh-roh, Raggy! Cliche alert!

Hmmmm.... The writing, despite my initial misgivings, is quite good. The plot, however...

Let's just say the old captain of a lazy ship dies. He is replaced by a new, fiery, but disgraced, captain. I'm sure you can guess how this will end. If you're thinking Mutiny on the Bounty, well, that's what I was thinking too. (I'm not telling if you're right or not.)

Again, I can't go much into the plot (what little of it there is--it's very simple) without spoiling it. So I won't. But there is a plot. And it's lacking. Not the greatest thing ever. Same goes for characters. They're never quite 3D, though some come close. Honestly, the only thing that kept me reading this was the writing. The writing kept me pushing through what would have otherwise bored me. And that's saying something. Williams is one of the better writers Warhammer 40K has, though he sadly only got to write this one book.

Overall, Relentless' strong point is the writing. The plot and characters are weak, and I had a pretty good idea what would happen. 

Krunk's Kornor: This book am make more sense once I pretend it happen on sailing ship. That said, writing am main good point of this book. The plot am better than Twilight, but that am saying little. Krunk am think this book am like Mutiny on Bounty in spaaaaace. Krunk am meh.

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
Oliver Bowden

I'm assuming this is based on the game. That's all I know, because this book was horrible.

Here's what I said upon seeing the first page: "Oh sweet baby Cthulhu on a flaming pogo stick being carried by flying monkeys with purple fur. One page. I didn't even get to read one page."

Yeah. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood sucks. (Take THAT out of context!) I can't speak for the plot, or the characters, or really anything. All I know is that if they are on par with the writing, they are bad. Very very very very very (ad nauseum) bad. Never before has a book driven me away in one page. I finished TWILIGHT! And this broke me in ONE PAGE. ONE PAGE. 

Krunk's Kornor: This book am make previous book look like masterpiece of modern literature. Krunk am slightly braver than puny Greg, so Krunk keep reading. Him have some things to add. Dialogue am stiff and broken. Writing am stay as bad as first page. That am all Krunk am notice before sacrificing this book to the King in Yellow. It am that evil.