In this week’s Reading Roundup I have two books to write about. The first was held over from last week and the second is one I have just finished. Here is the first:

I had been putting off reading this book. Why? Because Leviathan Falls by James S A Corey is the ninth and final book in the wonderful The Expanse series. I really didn’t want to read the end of the saga, but I suppose that I couldn’t leave it any longer! So, here is the blurb:

“The Laconian Empire has fallen, setting the thirteen hundred solar systems free from the rule of Winston Duarte. But the ancient enemy that killed the gate builders is awake, and the war against our universe has begun again.

In the dead system of Adro, Elvi Okoye leads a desperate scientific mission to understand what the gate builders were and what destroyed them, even if it means compromising herself and the half-alien children who bear the weight of her investigation. Through the wide-flung systems of humanity, Colonel Aliana Tanaka hunts for Duarte’s missing daughter. . . and the shattered emperor himself. And on the Rocinante, James Holden and his crew struggle to build a future for humanity out of the shards and ruins of all that has come before.

As nearly unimaginable forces prepare to annihilate all human life, Holden and a group of unlikely allies discover a last, desperate chance to unite all of humanity, with the promise of a vast galactic civilization free from wars, factions, lies, and secrets if they win.

But the price of victory may be worse than the cost of defeat.”

After reading all nine books and watching the excellent TV series (which didn’t cover all of the books, sadly), this is the five star review that I posted to the Goodreads website:

Leviathan Falls by James S.A. Corey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This review is really a collective set of comments on the whole series.

Wow! I have finally made it to the end of this fabulous nine book space adventure. I am not the same person who picked up the first book some years ago. At that time, January 2018, my health was poor and I had taken early retirement, but, as I read through the series, my illnesses grew worse, I had a stroke and my eyesight was badly affected. I went from paper books to ebooks. I went from rapid understanding to struggling with some concepts. But I kept on reading.

And it has been so rewarding to read the whole series. I was sad that the TV series did not cover all of the books, although I can understand why, but I really enjoyed watching each episode. I feel almost sad that the whole thing is over now!

This particular book was a fitting finale. New characters were introduced, for good reasons. Our favourite and well known characters reached suitable places for the whole “opera” to come to a satisfying conclusion. Brilliant stuff!

View all my reviews

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Once again, I will repeat my point that it is well worth reading some of the other reviews of this book and series. There are some really detailed and excellent ones available which are far better written than my quick reactions!

And now for my second book…

As you can see my second book was the 16th in John Connolly’s Charlie Parker series: The Dirty South. Here is the blurb:

“It is 1999, and someone is slaughtering young black women in Burdon County, Arkansas.

But no one wants to admit it, not in the Dirty South.

In an Arkansas jail cell sits a former NYPD detective, stricken by grief. He is mourning the death of his wife and child, and searching in vain for their killer. He cares only for his own lost family.

But that is about to change . . .

Witness the becoming of Charlie Parker.”

This was a complete change in tone and genre from the previous read! It was, however, a great book to which I gave four stars. Here is my review:

The Dirty South by John Connolly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have read every book in the series up to this one, but was a little disappointed with the previous episode, #17, A Book of Bones. I felt that the author was becoming over fond of killing off people in overly sadistic ways and had also lost sight of his own main characters’ plot lines. In this book, yet again, there were too many names for me to follow, but that might be due to my own issues from my stroke.

That being said, this was a much more satisfying book for me. I feel that Connolly has found his mojo again and I enjoyed this journey back to an earlier stage in Charlie Parker’s story. I already have the following book queued up and will be interested to see how that fits into the series.

All in all, this was a very good read. As well as enjoying the interesting and absorbing plot, I loved the author’s beautiful use of language. I even looked up and learned a few new words!

View all my reviews

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So, there we are! I have already started a new book, but that one will be revealed in next week’s post. Until then:

Happy Reading to you all!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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