The City of Mirrors

The City of Mirror’s is the final book in The Passage trilogy and before even directing you to the recommendation of the first book, I’d like to say that even if the first two books were mediocre (they weren’t), it would be worth reading them just to get to this third book. It was that good. Seriously. 2016 was, for me, one of the best years of books I’ve ever had and City of Mirrors is the cream of the crop.

The series is about an apocalyptic virus that wipes out most of humanity and turns them into…something monstrous. Don’t be fooled by the premise, however, this is absolutely literary fiction (think The Road but with actual world building and an actual plot). Justin Cronin’s writing is up there with the best of the best and he only gets better as the series goes on. In fact, this third book is some of the best writing I’ve ever read.

That being said, I don’t believe that most of the series is a page-turner, at least not for everyone. I would argue, however, that City of Mirrors has a section that is nearly impossible to put down. It will keep you up late into the night and you’ll curse Justin Cronin for making you fall asleep at your desk the next day, then immediately go back home and pick it up, thinking just how amazing Justin Cronin is.

In my mind, this was a special series with a particularly special third book. This is a story that has stuck with me and will continue to stick with me for a long time. It may not be for everyone, but if you pick up The Passage and at least mildly enjoy it, then keep going. Get to City of Mirrors and prepare to be blown away.

Morning Star

Pierce Brown’s Red Rising trilogy is hugely popular, and I know many people who have read it and loved it. I loved it too! They are action packed, and the plot moves so quickly that it will leave you at the end of the book wondering where the rest of the pages are. “Did I already finish? Seriously?” Yes. Yes you did.

The story takes place several hundred years in the future where society has been sorted into colors and the people within those colors have certain jobs and are even physically altered to perform their work. At the very bottom are the Reds. At the very top, the Golds. Throughout the series we follow a Red named Darrow who is trying to overthrow the caste system and the oppressiveness of the Golds. It is an utterly unique setting that makes for some great storytelling.

The main strength of this series is its plot progression. It MOVES, taking you places you didn’t expect because of the intense action that is constantly happening. The characters are great, and I enjoy Pierce Brown’s writing style. It isn’t too flowery and is usually concise and frank. Much more so than the average author, at least.

What I really liked about this trilogy as well is that all three books are excellent. In fact, book two might even be my favorite of the three, which is extremely rare in a trilogy. Easy five stars for the series.

A Gentleman in Moscow

The protagonist in “A Gentlemen in Moscow,” Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov, is, without a doubt, a character that is in league with Atticus Finch, Kelsier of Hathsin, and Augustus McCrae. I swear to the sacred shrine of Tolstoy that I am not exaggerating when I say that this gentrified and shunned Muscovite is on par with such company. While the story begins in the tumultuous early 1920s of Russia, the story is truly about the compassionate, witty, and eccentric man who has been confined to an upscale hotel in central Moscow because of his aristocratic past. 

            Rostov’s view of the world, despite his fall from grace, is what gives substance to a story that isn’t driven by plot at all (which I usually prefer). He truly believes in the tenets of ‘gentelmenness’ and treats everyone he meets with positivity, kindness, and respect. Amor Towel’s writing style is smooth and with moments of such poignancy that it will leave you thinking about how god damn poignant he is. The way he describes food, drink, and the small pleasures of life is a good reminder of what not to take for granted (I drank and ate wayyy too much during this story, btw).

            If you’re looking for a sentimental historical fiction that will leave you thinking about what life is really about, then look no further than A Gentleman in Moscow. Easy five star. You won’t regret it.

Dark Matter

Don’t you love that feeling when fly through a book and then when you set it down, you sigh and think DAMN, that was so good. Yeahhh, that’s what Dark Matter did for me. The premise is that an ordinary family man is abducted, then wakes up in a parallel world in which his life is not his own and must struggle to find his way back to his wife and son.

            I swear, the phrase “page-turner” isn’t a strong enough adjective. I think “crazy-page-vanisher” might be more appropriate (Yes, I did come up with that phrase just now, and yes, you may use it in the future). Anyway, this book MOVES. It’s interesting and exciting the whole way through and has a knockout ending. My book club read this book and at the half way mark, we all wrote down how we thought it was going to end… None of us were even in the vicinity of correct. If there were an infinite variations of our book club in parallel universes, I STILL don’t think we would have gotten it right. And since we’re on the topic, this is an excellent book club selection and was one of our most lively meetings we’ve ever had. It got all of us thinking about our lives and our choices and what it all means.

            Dark Matter was one of my favorite books that I read this year. Not only that, but it’s a book that has stuck with me and I sometimes find myself randomly thinking about it. Not only that, but it’s a book you can recommend to anyone. If a non-reader asks me for a book to read, this is one I currently dish out to them. You can check the ratings below to confirm, but I’m telling you that you won’t regret this story. Get it. Enjoy.

Too Like the Lightning

I love Science Fiction—a lot. I love history—somewhat less, but still a lot. Which is why I gave Too Like the Lightening 4.5 stars. This book is a hardcore science fiction sandwich with thick, juicy slices of political intrigue and philosophy in the middle. It takes place a few hundred years in the future and Ada Palmer’s vision of this society is somehow utterly unique yet completely plausible. And I’m not talking about plausible in the sense that the world she created is well constructed and logical, I mean that there are aspects of it that may actually come to fruition. For instance, the characters in the book don’t use “he” or “she” in terms of someone’s sex, but in terms with someone’s gender identity. They also use gender-neutral pronouns. Another example is that technological advances have made travel around the world fast and cheap, making physical boundaries obsolete. The result of this is the death of the modern nation states. People choose their “country” or group that they identify with most. Interesting stuff! At least, I think so…

            I’m sure there are people out there who read that and think that this book sounds mega-boring. I suppose it can be. I know multiple people who started this book and then put it down because they couldn’t get through it. The writing style is VERY different. Here’s an example:

            “Perhaps in your age, gentle reader, the human race is better, good enough that you no longer need so dark a tool?”

Yes, you read that correctly. The character who is writing this account for future people directly addresses them (and you). There are also a group of characters that use “thou” and “thee.” Ada Palmer is a professor of history and is, without question, imaginative and extremely intelligent. I’m telling you now, though, that I wouldn’t recommend this book to just anyone. It’s very polarizing and I believe that that people will either love it or hate it.