The Sword and Laser discussion

Well, I gave it my best shot, but since I am listening on Audible and don't want to fall asleep while driving I have to give it up. I made it about half way and I almost never quit on a book, but I have no feeling for the characters, I don't get any enjoyment from the writing style, and there doesn't seem to be any fun fantasy elements to it.

To me it feels like I am reading a history textbook with a little flair. Sorry, but I think I want to read something that engages me now...

Really? I'm enjoying it very much, although I do think the Audible version isn't very suitable for this kind of book. The text is very condensed and sometimes there are too many names/facts/activities being mentioned at the same time. If I had a regular book, I'd go back a few pages to re-read it, but with an audiobook this isn't as practical or effective.

I wish I had. It's a great book but having finished it, I wish I hadn't read it. Brutal is the perfect word for this book.

Originally based off of the Goodreads description I was going to skip this one, but then Veronica and Tom talking about it made me change my mind. I probably should have stuck with my initial gut feeling. I was really close to lemming it but somehow managed to drudge my way through it. I agree with Dave and was unable to really care for any of the characters.

You win some, you lose some.

I am 30% in and I am intrigued so far. I told a friend,
" Imagine if George R.R. Martin story arc for Arya had her going to a Braavos Bank instead of the House of Black & White."

I remember Veronica getting upset about people posting that they lemmed a book early in the month, and I can understand why. It's a bit of a downer if you are trying to start a book and it's always best to give a book a go - I thought City of Stairs looked boring, confusing and depressing, but I gave it a go as it was the group pick. Result: I discovered the best book of the year - fun, exciting and facinating. Even the "Goblin Emperor", which I really did not enjoy, I was glad that I struggled through, because despite the lack of engaging plot or character (imho) it was really well written so I feel I got something out of it. It's a good thing I didn't let nay-sayers put me off.

That said after giving Baru a go, I'm putting the book down for a bit but I may pick it up again before the wrap-up podcast. It's well written, but straight after the oh so cheerful "Canticle" (which I loved) it's a little too much on the dark side.

I stopped at about the half-way mark to read something lighter and then came back. That helped.

I personally loved Baru right away, and that is what has kept me coming back. I'm very much enjoying this one. I'm listening to the audio too, and I do take agree that maybe text is better if you cannot give it your full attention. It needs to be listened to very carefully, and there are times when I've had to make use of the 'skip back 30 seconds' button (a few presses sometimes) to keep it all in check. I listen while walking though, so this isn't a problem for me.

Lemmed seventy pages in. Just a bit too slow for me. I understand that the author has built a world and a complex political and social structure, but I feel he's taking too long to do so. This happened much more quickly (and effectively, I believe) in The Goblin Emperor. I may return to it one day, though, because I am enjoying aspects of it.

I'll stick with it but it is slow, boring and unbelievable.

Baru is too much of a "Mary Sue" for my liking. Ok everyone is the hero of their own story, but everyone doesn't put themselves in the jaws of the enemy, knowing their predecessors died doing the same, as many time as Baru does and live to tell the tale.
She is too damn perfect and thinks the world around her will fall under her spell and she will be triumphant against the odds.

She is a little naive girl, who the world would have bitten, chewed, swallowed ,then spat or shat out, 5 minutes after she landed in her new home.
She is a child coming up against adults that have been playing the game for centuries, if not millennia.

48% through - just can't take it any more. It's too boring, I don't like any of the characters and I don't care what happens to any of them.

I liked it going in, but it got less engaging for me as the book went on. I finished it and I'm actually a little curious about what happens next. But probably not curious enough to read the next one.

I very much enjoyed it, but thought it bogged down a bit at the 3/4th mark. I specifically read fiction and watch dramas to see characters and situations that I personally would never want to be in. More grimdark, more brutal I say!

I feel like its pretty slow, but I'm not giving up yet. I'm a little over half way-and while not super excited about it, I'm curious to see where it all goes.

62% of the way in, and bored to death. I'm a completionist, so have trouble lemming a book, but this is equally entertaining to watching CSPAN.

The author writes well, but the story is dull.

Update: I finished it, still found it unsatisfying. (view spoiler)[ The twist at the end wasn't much of a surprise, but was perhaps the most interesting part of the book. (hide spoiler)]

I'm just over half way through and am starting to slow down. Likes others have said it's just not interesting enough. When it should be. Intrigue and plot and conspiracy. But it's just dull.

90% in and I will finish it. Damned if I can see what others see in it.

It is boring.

I really wish I had not read reviews of this before starting it. Even well meaning spoiler free reviews made it pretty clear where the story was going, and that made it difficult for me to push through. I think if there had been some suspense I would have been much more engaged with the story.

A lot of people must feel the same way. This book has seen a full 0.25 drop in it's rating since S&L picked it.

Tassie Dave wrote: "I'll stick with it but it is slow, boring and unbelievable.

Baru is too much of a "Mary Sue" for my liking. Ok everyone is the hero of their own story, but everyone doesn't put themselves in the ..."

Baru makes a lot of mistakes. She is far from perfect, I have no idea what you're talking about. Time and time again other characters tell her that she needs to think of people as other players and not pawns.

I'm tired of seeing female characters that are "a bit competent" get labelled as Mary Sues. Yes, there are women of colour that study like INSANE in order to make it through a system that's predisposed against them.

I know, I can see why some people don't like this, but a few criticisms made me raise a brow, one of them being from another thread and group "it has an abundance of purple prose" (I personally found the prose spare, and thought he might have been fearful of being long winded and upping his page count). And Baru definitely is no Mary Sue; even as a child she wasn't. She tried to manipulate matters (and failed often), she had trouble connecting to people even then, she was influenced by the Mask's teachings despite it all, her goals are murky, she makes mistakes, other people dislike her, and above all what she did at the end was just...horrible. I don't see how anyone who reads this could find her a Mary sue.

Started reading the ebook from the library, stopped reading it, tried the audio version, gave up again at about 1/4 of the way through. I really didn't want to lem yet another book but just couldn't get into this one.