I started my adventure with the Red Rising books last year because both Red Rising and Golden Son had received enthusiastic reviews from Alexis, scootsa1000, and narfna. Red Rising also checked off a box for me in the 2015 Read Harder challenge, as Brown wrote the book before he was 25. With the third and final book in the series being published next month, I figured it was time to get my act together and read Golden Son in order to be ready. I have […]
An unique view on an already traveled path.
On the cover of the copy of this book I read the quote says “Ender, Katniss, and now Darrow.” Normally this would give me pause. While I’ve not read Ender’s Game, I know it and to a possibly lesser extent, The Hunger Games are tall measuring sticks. I have relegated lesser reviewed books to the proverbial dustbin for attempting these heights and not succeeding. How would this character stack up? And do I want him to? Does it really matter? I had also broken my […]
I can’t really review this with the detail it deserves. But trust me, it was really good.
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…I went on vacation and read a bunch of wonderful books. And I am still struggling to catch up with those reviews. Sadly, the two book reviews that will suffer the most from my lack of reviewing effort are two of the best — Red Shirts by John Scalzi, and this one. A few Cannonballers have already read this (honestly, I’m shocked that this hasn’t been more of a “thing”): you can read excellent reviews from narfna and ElCicco that […]
Per aspera ad astra.
Through hardships to the stars. Christ. I just finished Golden Son a few minutes ago. And I am exhausted. The sequel to the amazing Red Rising, Golden Son picks up the story a few years after the events of the first book. And then the action LITERALLY never stops. Each time something completely nuts would happen, and a chapter would end, I’d say to myself, “well. there’s no way he can top that.” And then I’d read the next chapter. AND MY GOD, PIERCE BROWN WOULD TOP […]
Titles Are the Worst Part of Everything
So. This is my first attempt at a Cannonball Read book review. I suppose I could have looked at the plethora of reviews that are already out there from people with actual experience. But no. Research is for losers. I prefer to either fail spectacularly or just sort of kinda do it well enough to not be the worst thing ever. Most of my books that I am able to make my way through will be absorbed via audiobook, so whether I used my eyes […]
You gotta learn to play the game.
You know how sometimes you go to review a book and you just can’t figure out what to say about it? For, like, weeks on end? And meanwhile you keep reading, and your stack of things-to-review just keeps growing. And growing? And grooooowwing. This is one of those times. It’s not that I don’t have thoughts and feelings, and not that I didn’t enjoy the book, because I did and I do, but I’m having a hard time getting up the energy to condense and organize all […]




