Wrapped up the first book after much struggle. Am I crazy for finding it extremely poorly written? Writing aside, the characters suck, the motivations suck, and the scenario building feels like it was tossed together by a 12 year old. I don’t get the hype. Everything is paper thin. The fictional science aspect is the most compelling part but as a cohesive whole it fails to land.

  • ikidd@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    You are correct. And it’s not a translation problem, I’ve heard native speakers that read the original say it’s precisely as awkward there.

    It’s the most over-rated trash I’ve ever encountered, it’s like it’s written by someone that discovered the genre but never read a single SF book and just assumed everyone that reads it is a teenager. There’s more handwaving going on than a David Blaine performance.

    And the later books show plotholes you could throw a truck through, when you get to the deus-ex-machina plot device that invalidates the whole marianne. And the character development never improves, it’s just, I have to use the word again, awkward.

    I wanted my money back.

    • Zagam@piefed.social
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      4 days ago

      Whoa whoa whoa, hang on there a second. David Blane would never use enough energy to wave a hand. David Copperfield maybe.

      • ikidd@lemmy.world
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        4 days ago

        My bad. You’re right Copperfield is way more of a flashy showman.

        I just pulled the first magician I could think of out of my ass. Like a rabbit. Now how the hell did that get up there?