lpretzel's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
pqodom's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
elliecaholic's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Huge lack of female characters with any depth - main storyline follows two men, plus their other male friends/enemies, with small roles for female characters. I found the characters to be pretty shallow and unlikeable. I did not feel that the author developed their characters at all - the main character at 5 y/o feels the same at 25.
The author did do a good job of building suspense and adding comedy and mystery but I was also left with the feeling that the books were quite repetitive in the way the characters plans were developed. I got through the last book primarily because I don't like leaving things unfinished.
The author did do a good job of building suspense and adding comedy and mystery but I was also left with the feeling that the books were quite repetitive in the way the characters plans were developed. I got through the last book primarily because I don't like leaving things unfinished.
jonathanwallace's review against another edition
3.0
Fun fantasy reads. It only took my brother-in-law three or four attempts to convince me to read them all. (For the first novel, it was a reread as I had forgotten a good bit of it.)
jeminijem's review against another edition
4.0
Loved all three. While they had their flaws mostly with pacing, the stories were amazing and I eagerly am apart of the fans waiting the fourth novel now.
henrycapuano's review against another edition
4.0
Arguably one the best and most clever book series that I have read, I can not wait for the fourth.
sendlasagna's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Every book in the series is a slightly different genre which, to me, does two good things: you can read just the first book and be content without having to wait for the set to finish, or you can keep going to see some of the characters continue and evolve across genres and settings.
The first book is an absolutely spellbinding urban fantasy story with some of the most interesting character work and some serious plot development. Curses abound in every second sentence, but so creative they might just make you roar with laughter.
One downside that knocked off the final star: scarce and uninteresting female characters. That simply doesn’t seem to be the writer’s strength. The boys, though? Fully fleshed and engaged in constant shithousery. Makes me weep at how good the series could be, so unproblematic and so beautiful, if this could just stop being a consistent shortcoming in male fiction writers.
The first book is an absolutely spellbinding urban fantasy story with some of the most interesting character work and some serious plot development. Curses abound in every second sentence, but so creative they might just make you roar with laughter.
One downside that knocked off the final star: scarce and uninteresting female characters. That simply doesn’t seem to be the writer’s strength. The boys, though? Fully fleshed and engaged in constant shithousery. Makes me weep at how good the series could be, so unproblematic and so beautiful, if this could just stop being a consistent shortcoming in male fiction writers.
timmason's review against another edition
2.0
The series revolves around two characters who are echoes of Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser. The Mouser character, here a nameless chap with a a telephone directory of false identities, is a trickster whose tricks tend to go disasterously wrong; befriending him is very dangerous for your health.
The first volume was pretty exciting, so, as is my way when there's too much tension, I skip read it, then went back again. The two follow-up volumes I also skip read, but this was mainly because there are large chunks of exposition, moral meandering and dramatic gestures that go nowhere. "No, I will not accept succour from someone so evil, even if it means I will die!" Ten pages of faffing about, and he decides not to die. The reader could be blown down with a feather.
There's also some love interest other than the homoerotic thing between the two main characters. Nobody seems to believe in these, including the characters themselves. In fact, by the third volume I felt as if the author also had no further belief in any of his actors.
The third volume ends with the resurrection of the couple's most dangerous enemy. A follow-up is promised, but readers are still waiting for it 6 years later. It's a long time to leave your fans hanging off a cliff.
The first volume was pretty exciting, so, as is my way when there's too much tension, I skip read it, then went back again. The two follow-up volumes I also skip read, but this was mainly because there are large chunks of exposition, moral meandering and dramatic gestures that go nowhere. "No, I will not accept succour from someone so evil, even if it means I will die!" Ten pages of faffing about, and he decides not to die. The reader could be blown down with a feather.
There's also some love interest other than the homoerotic thing between the two main characters. Nobody seems to believe in these, including the characters themselves. In fact, by the third volume I felt as if the author also had no further belief in any of his actors.
The third volume ends with the resurrection of the couple's most dangerous enemy. A follow-up is promised, but readers are still waiting for it 6 years later. It's a long time to leave your fans hanging off a cliff.