Review: The Dragon Republic

The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The first book in this series, "The Poppy War", was my favorite book of 2019. Granted it was a lackluster year, but that still doesn't change the fact I was amazed by it. Now the sequel, "The Dragon Republic", is here to allow me the chance to be fully disappointed by it. So, did it? Review spoiler, it did not. I wouldn't go out of my way to say it's better or worse than the first, mostly because it's really just more of the same. Which, for once, is a very good thing.

The good news is that the same well-written characters and prose are still here. Kuang has an extremely strong voice and it flows easily into every word she writes. The book isn't only entertaining, but rich in both characters and plot. Not only satisfying but good for you too. Also, as a sequel, it jumps right into the heart of the story without having to spend a lot of time in school. Teaching us valuable lessons in character introduction.

I do have issues, but they are small and didn't detract terribly from my experience. My biggest issue is some of the pacing. There's a spot about two-thirds of the way in that lingers too long. It's important but should have been trimmed down for the sake of flow. It also hangs around after the story is over to set up the next book. Ninety percent of the story is firmly contained within the bounds of the text, but the last couple of chapters should have been saved for the third novel. It's not a cliffhanger per se, but it colors outside the lines of what the novel should be for the sake of being a tease and ending on a more dramatic note.

There also aren't any new characters to enjoy. There are actual new characters of course, but they are merely there because the shifting plot demands it. Making them more important to the plot rather than to the story. If that makes sense.

There's one last thing, and this might be a deal-breaker for some readers. Rin, our main heroin (get it?), isn't a likable character. And I don't mean in an antihero person-you-love-to-hate kind of way. She's rash, rude, disrespects everyone, easily falls into traps, a drug addict, and will kill tons of innocent people for simple revenge. The book is even aware of this as it readily admits her faults as side characters call her things like 'impulsive'. Here's the thing though, I still love the shit out of her. I don't know if its the breaking of the mold or refusing to abide by certain character rules, but I still love reading about Rin despite everything. It just might not be for everyone.

I loved the first book in this series, and the sequel lives up to its promise. If you liked "The Poppy War", I don't see why you can't also like its follow up. Not a perfect book. But, besides Dune, what is?

View all my reviews

Review: The Lady of the Lake

The Lady of the Lake by Andrzej Sapkowski
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

All I have are general thoughts. After reading two collections of short stories and five novels, it's difficult to separate my thoughts into a focused attempt to review this book. Every reviewed sentence is in someway a generalization on the series itself instead of a singular critique. But I'll do the best I can.

"The Lady of the Lake" is a good end to a decent book series. As with the other novels, the prose and characters are colorful and well defined, but it has serious structural problems. As an example, Geralt spends the first half of the novel on vacation. Undermining any sense of progression and serves more as colorful filler than anything else. The book is then sectioned by a fabulous, exceeding long, chapter that contains ninety percent of the plot progression for the entire book series. Then is concluded by actions with no real build-up and the resolution feels non sequitur. Like I said, structure problems.

Overall the Witcher series has a healthy dose of influences that range from fairy tales to Norse mythology but has enough original ideas to keep it from feeling like a ripoff. The writing is good but can feel a little full of itself. With enough edits to reduce the filler and wandering around, this could have easily been a far more satisfying trilogy. It wasn't so much that I felt like the author was wasting my time, more so that I felt like he was wasting the time of the characters.

One last thing. Like many, I became involved with this universe through the video game series. The world and characters dragged me in over a decade ago and I haven't been able to leave since. I read the book merely to bring myself fully involved in the universe. Here's the thing, and it might inflame some people, the writing in the games is better. The dialogue is punchy and consistently clever. It takes the world-building and characters of the novels and crafts a far more engaging story. It even resolves some of the more loose plot threads of the books with better ideas. An argument can be made that the games are serviced by a more visual media, but I don't think that's the case. I think they just took a dim jewel, added some talented polish, and made it shine.

View all my reviews

The Nothing

I'm just going to assume anyone reading my blog has read the one from the month before. The good news is that I have selected an editor to help polish my book. The bad news is that it'll probably have to wait until after I sell the house. I haven't reached out for a quote just yet, but it'll probably cost me three to four thousand dollars. As long as my budget is stretched across two houses, I haven't been able to save any real amount of money. So if anyone wants to drop the money in my lap, feel free to do so.

I'm still slowly going through the edit of Colony Earth. The changes I'm making are minor, but it's letting me get familiar once again with my characters. There's an upcoming chapter that will require larger changes, but I haven't crossed that bridge just yet.

I know no one reads my book reviews, but I did finish the Witcher series. The review for the final book and overall thoughts are coming soon.

That's pretty much it. I keep meaning to schedule some time for my bad poetry, but something keeps coming up. Like video games.

Until next time, and at all times, be kind.