Critiques et Commentaires

ju

ju@lire.boitam.eu

A rejoint ce serveur il y a 3 années, 5 mois

Photojournalist and many other things in -ist.

I read a lot of SFF, obscure LGBT, travel, photography theory and women authors, in French and English.

Ce lien ouvre une nouvelle fenêtre

a publié une critique de The Last Watch par J. S. Dewes

J. S. Dewes: The Last Watch (Paperback, 2021, Tor Books)

The Divide.

It’s the edge of the universe.

Now it’s collapsing—and taking everyone and everything …

Not a bad space opera, but...

There are a few interesting elements in this classic premise of "a bunch of different people are stuck at the edge of the universe and must save it", and while the worldbuilding and powers at play aren't bad at all, there's just something missing. It isn't badly written either (although writers need to ban the words groaning/grunting forever), but again, it isn't very special. Not sure I'll dig in the second volume.

a publié une critique de Paname Underground par Johann Zarca

Johann Zarca: Paname Underground (Paperback, Français language, Goutte d'Or)

Où s’arrête le réel, où commence la fiction ? Zarca raconte les coulisses du guide …

Virée underground qui reste en surface

Je voulais lire un livre qui parle de Paris mais pas de St Germain des Prés et effectivement... Il y a le côté authentique de l'auteur, son maniement de l'argot et le goût de l'expérience vécue. Mais le trash fait aussi un peu épate-bourgeois.

a publié une critique de Starling House par Alix E. Harrow

Alix E. Harrow: Starling House (Hardcover, 2023, Doherty Associates, LLC, Tom, Tor Books)

A grim and gothic new tale from author Alix E. Harrow about a small town …

Haunted house in a haunted town

Another little gem of a book that brilliantly plays with the tropes of the haunted house, a small town with too many sins and secrets and the power of stories and dreams. Gothic and lovely at the same time.

Rachid Laïrèche: Il n'y a que moi que ça choque ? (Paperback, Français language, Les Arènes)

Dans les rédactions, les journalistes politiques forment une communauté à part qui se retrouve tous …

Le journalisme politique vu de l'intérieur

Une collection de moments, d'anecdotes et de réflexions personnelles tirée des 8 ans de journalisme politique de l'auteur. S'il n'y a rien de vraiment "croustillant" sur les politiques, l'auteur offre un point de vue intéressant sur ce monde en vase clos, chacun se renvoyant l'ascenseur ou se faisant des petites crasses, loin du quotidien des gens. Ce n'est pas un scoop, et probablement rien ne va changer après ce livre, mais c'est déjà un petit coup de pied dans la fourmilière.

a publié une critique de Palestinian Walks par Raja Shehadeh

Raja Shehadeh: Palestinian Walks (Paperback, 2008, Scribner)

“A rare historical insight into the tragic changes taking place in Palestine.” —Jimmy Carter

From …

A poignant love letter to a land

As heartbreaking and enraging as it is beautifully written, it is a must-read to understand the profound changes in the West Bank and occupied territories over the years. It had been on a sort of books-to-check-out list for years, I almost regret that I didn't read it sooner...

Bethany Jacobs: These Burning Stars (2023, Orbit)

On a dusty backwater planet, occasional thief Jun Ironway has gotten her hands on the …

Intriguing space opera

Not a perfect debut novel, but a solid and intriguing space opera, full of cruel, coward and calculating characters, even though one important part felt deja vu (a powerful family controls the production of the substance that enables space travel...). All in all, it was an enjoyable read.

a publié une critique de When the Tiger Came down the Mountain par Nghi Vo (The Singing Hills Cycle, #2)

Nghi Vo: When the Tiger Came down the Mountain (EBook, 2020, Doherty Associates, LLC, Tom)

The cleric Chih finds themself and their companions at the mercy of a band of …

Another wonderful novella

A perfect read for an automn evening with a cup of tea. Nghi Vo is an incredible storyteller, who never loses the reader in her stories of stories told by storytellers as well as tigers. In her world, tigers fall in love in young humans, or sometimes eat them, and sit around the fire listening and re-telling their side of the old stories... It is quite magic.

a publié une critique de The Priory of the Orange Tree par Samantha Shannon

Samantha Shannon: The Priory of the Orange Tree (Hardcover, Bloomsbury Publishing PLC)

A world divided. A queendom without an heir. An ancient enemy awakens.

The House of …

Many nice ideas

Many interesting ideas and some strong leading female characters, but the plot felt contrived at times or needlessly confusing, with inconsistencies (like distance and travel time), and some parts of the worldbuilding felt too simplistic -- also I wasn't too impressed with the quests for magic objects. Edit : also worth mentionning is that in the 800 pages, there really isn't much happening at the Priory of the title.