Despite Weir’s books, this one included, being science-heavy, his storytelling is very compelling. The characters he creates, both human and extraterrestrial, have depth and appeal.
The story reminded me of an Indiana Jones-style adventure set around a science lab in space. The fate of the human race and even more hinges on the success of a mission to deep space to help save our sun.
While reading the novel, I felt both entertained and educated. I thoroughly enjoyed Weir’s novel.
Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish.
Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.
All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.
His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through…
Cornwell’s storytelling is tight and engaging. The characters of Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, and Merlin are portrayed as real people with flaws and true arcs.
The settings range from Gaul to all parts of ancient Britain. The twists on the traditional Arthur myths and the disregard shown to others helped to keep this more historical retelling of those familiar stories fresh and unpredictable.
This novel is immersive and creates a vibrant, exciting, and dangerous world in which the characters are with and against one another.
Uther, the High King of Britain, has died, leaving the infant Mordred as his only heir. His uncle, the loyal and gifted warlord Arthur, now rules as caretaker for a country which has fallen into chaos - threats emerge from within the British kingdoms while vicious Saxon armies stand ready to invade. As he struggles to unite Britain and hold back the Saxon enemy, Arthur is embroiled in a doomed romance with beautiful Guinevere.
I enjoy military history and learning about timeframes that are less familiar to me, like the Korean War in this instance.
Shaara brings history to life by revealing events through the eyes of those experiencing it firsthand. He does not focus on the stories and myths of “heroes” or those considered to be by posterity but instead focuses on the grind of the ordinary moments suffered day by day.
The stories seem both personal and believable, the tragic and the heroic.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The master of military historical fiction turns his discerning eye to the Korean War in this riveting novel, which tells the dramatic story of the Americans and the Chinese who squared off in one of the deadliest campaigns in the annals of combat: the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, also known as Frozen Chosin.
June 1950. The North Korean army invades South Korea, intent on uniting the country under Communist rule. In response, the United States mobilizes a force to defend the overmatched South Korean troops, and together they drive the North Koreans back to their…
When calamity strikes, and the only two land routes out of Anchorage are cut, the city becomes a trap. The sleepy, unsuspecting residents of Alaska’s largest city become tragically aware of this fact when an ancient plague is unleashed in their midst.
My book follows groups of survivors that include men, women, and children who struggle to retain both their lives and their humanity in the face of what could be the end of the world at the cold, ruthless hands of the undead.
