The final Witcher novel is a strange thing. Delightful and mysterious, but strange, because it reminds me of a detective tale rather than a traditional fantasy novel. Granted, nothing about the Witcher saga can be considered traditional by any means...but the plot of is reminiscent of a gritty noir story, set in an already gritty … Continue reading Book review – Season of Storms →

I shed a tear as I read the final page of the final book of the Witcher saga. A single tear, rolling down my cheek as the protagonists finally find the peace they have been so long denied. This finale is beautiful; it is sublime, evocative of the end of a long, arduous journey which … Continue reading Book review – The Lady of the Lake →

I have some good things to say about Hard Times: I can praise its characters, as well as the occasional vivid prose that illuminates the pathos in their lives. However, that is also one of the major problems I faced while reading the book: it only has occasional moments of brilliance. Unlike some of Dickens's … Continue reading Book review – Hard Times →

Fahrenheit 451 may possibly be my favourite dystopian novel so far, and that's saying something. Each new novel, in its own way, is like a new piece of jewellery: fascinating and illuminating in its many facets, cut to perfection and shimmering with brilliance for the reader to admire. Dystopian novels, with their unique landscapes, brought … Continue reading Book review – Fahrenheit 451 →

It's not as easy to write about this book as it was for its predecessors. Maybe that's because the saga is slowly nearing its end, and the characters are slowly reaching the zenith of their development. However, despite some questionable, and sometimes downright erroneous translation errors, The Tower of the Swallow is still, undeniably, a … Continue reading Book review – The Tower of the Swallow →

It's hard to classify Baptism of Fire as a work of some particular genre; upon reading it, I found within it, simultaneously, elements of the picaresque, the realistic, the fantastic, and the war novel. Unlike its predecessor, Time of Contempt, it does not focus primarily on magical conspiracies, and intrigue; nor does it focus on … Continue reading Book review – Baptism of Fire →

I don't think one can ever pick up a Christie mystery and be disappointed by it. Endless Night is the sixth one I've read, I think...one loses count after a while; but it still holds up as a cunningly told mystery in its own right. In fact, it might actually be my favourite mystery till … Continue reading Book review – Endless Night →

There are a lot of good things to be said about Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage. I began reading the book yesterday afternoon, and finished it this evening. It's been a journey, I must say: quite a journey, during the course of which the effect on my soul has been just as … Continue reading Book review – Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage →

Lost Horizon is not an easy book to review, even though it is not exceedingly difficult or tedious to read. Even as I write this, I find myself deleting the lines, struck by confusion and blankness. I am at a loss; I can't determine how to criticise this book, how to wrap up its infinite … Continue reading Book review – Lost Horizon →