Ethan Van Der Bos > Recent Status Updates

Another chapter of newly introduced, named, characters - between these new entries, plus the insane amount of tactical and military exposition and jargon, chapter 7 requires a lot of focus to follow events. But, if I understand right, the Antagonist has *finally* entered the game - High hopes, I'll be watching him close.

The twist this chapter would have had a much stronger impact had the relationship between the relevant characters been explored more thoroughly, and if this twist came later - while I'm interested to see where the current situation goes for this group, I wish things didn't feel so rushed along

Despite it being the same structure and execution as the last chapter, it felt a lot more engaging seeing this council have a back-and-forth about the matter of independence. While both arguments were represented, it did feel a bit one-sided, but I'm hoping later in the book the consequences are explored.

Please, Brandon, *please* slow down on introducing named characters; at least break it up with chapters showing us what Miguel and crew are doing, you set up an interesting premise on his sudden return after 10 months in enemy territory - I'm hoping to see his relationships with his teammates, even his apparent beef with Duster, explored

Holy mother of "And", McCarthy. My eyes kept glazing over at the literal pages of run-on sentences, written like a kid telling a story that never ends. And, I dare say, I don't know if McCarthy knows what a period is, because his "and then" structure sure implies otherwise - at least the chapter ended on something exciting, because w o w.

It feels like the book is starting to hit a stride with its plot, giving The Kid more direction that before thanks to his actions in Chapter 2. I'm interested in the plot hooks it presents, but wow did I get lost on who was talking when during the loads of dialogue this chapter - here's hoping it gets clearer in presentation the further I go.

This book has me torn; The historical accuracy of the subject material is something I adore, especially in its capacities to make an example of the darker aspects of 1850's life - the breakneck pace the story moves at, however, doesn't give the scenes a lot of time to marinate; but, maybe that's the point. Looking forward to more.

The Pit Test is a very cohesive exploration of conviction (God) vs condemnation (the enemy); With a lot of helpful examples, analogies, and Biblical reference, its a great chapter in testing us to trust His plan, even when the world feels like its caving in around us.

The Pride Test is a great template for self-examination to assure that, in our confidence in ourselves and the skills God has blessed us with, that we use those skills to glorify Him and honor him when we talk about our proficiencies. Amen.

*Lots* of exposition dumping through walls of text. With this many new, named, characters, take the 300+ pages of the book to space out this information so there's no overload on the reader. Also, Fero forgot to end-quote a sentence and missed a typo ('Doctor' as 'Dcotor') - Again, all interesting info, but show, don't tell

There are a lot of interesting concepts presented that I wish were shown rather than told; I'd love to have seen the accident that took Miguel out for 10 months and some of the aside remarks other characters have made - I feel like I'm reading a sequel with no leading title sometimes. I will say, I enjoyed Miguel's interrogation; It was an exposition dump, but presented in a way that I could get behind

McCarthy has the most unique writing style I've ever seen, for better and for worse. I needed to re-read some sections because his prose had me confused as to what was happening - the dialogue being the worst offender. Still, I enjoy the subject matter and I'm looking forward to more.

in one chapter, two different men spat on the floor, which is kind of funny. Less funny, Jez's eye color changed from hazel to black in the span of a few pages - I'm hoping the rest of the book was better proofread