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Tomasino

tomasino@bookwyrm.tilde.zone

Joined 2 years, 6 months ago

I love to read and sometimes write. I'm active on fedi mostly as @tomasino@tilde.zone. I've been using Goodreads for the past bajillion years and will try to transition here. I run cosmic.voyage and a bunch of fun projects like @SolarpunkPrompts@podcast.tomasino.org

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Tomasino's books

To Read (View all 34)

Gene Wolfe: The Shadow of the Torturer (The Book of the New Sun, #1)
No cover

James Curtis: Buster Keaton (2022, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group)
Dipo Faloyin: Africa Is Not a Country (2022, Norton & Company Limited, W. W.)

Currently Reading

Ashley Winstead: In My Dreams I Hold a Knife (Hardcover, 2021, Sourcebooks Landmark)
No cover

Harold Abelson, Julie Sussman, Gerald Jay Sussman, Martin Henz, Tobias Wrigstad: Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (2022, MIT Press)
No cover

Lilith Saintcrow: Jill Kismet (2013, Little, Brown Book Group Limited)

Read (View all 880)

Andy Weir: The Martian (Hardcover, 2014, Crown)
No cover

DAVID CALE: Harry Clarke (2019, Concord Theatricals)
Noah Cicero: The Human War (Paperback, 2003, Fugue State Press)

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reviewed Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman

Rachel Hartman: Tess of the Road (Hardcover, 2018, Random House) 5 stars

In the medieval kingdom of Goredd, women are expected to be ladies, men are their …

Review of 'Tess of the Road' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This was likely the best book I read all year. What a surprising gem hidden in a YA Fantasy guise. There's so much more here, honestly. It's refreshing to find an author who can write with wit and pain and a deep understanding of theme. By all accounts this is a pristine example of character-driven fantasy, but it excels because it is so much more.

I would warn readers not to pick this up if you expect any action in the least. While there is a great wealth to be found, it is almost all internal. Honestly, this book deserves either 5 stars or 1 star depending on how you approach that aspect alone.

reviewed Sandworms of Dune by Kevin J. Anderson

Kevin J. Anderson, Brian Herbert: Sandworms of Dune (Hardcover, 2007, Tor Books) 1 star

Review of 'Sandworms of Dune' on 'Goodreads'

1 star

This is a terrible ending to the epic. The pacing is terribly drawn out. The plot twists are obvious. The brilliant characters are suddenly idiots who don't have backup plans. The resolution between the enemies is utter nonsense.

I know they claim this is based upon Frank Herbert's notes for the series but the heavy leaning on the butlarian jihad reads like Brian and Kevin trying to make their prequels meaningful. If that was really the direction being planned Frank would have had some sign in an earlier story.

The Ghola plots we're a cheap way to get readers in with familiar characters despite having no real purpose. In the end, the action of the main characters was irrelevant. The plans and plotting had no bearing on the outcome at any level. The extended Hollywood ending was trite as well.

If you, like me, loved the Dune books so much …