The Syndicate

I just finished reading The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher, author of the Dresden Files series (which I love.) I'd give it four stars or so. I liked it, and I'd buy a sequel, but I don't see myself rereading it.

The strength of the book is its world-building. Bit by bit it unravels a world of ancient spires rising from the dangerous surface world into the misty skies, airships driven by ether cores, etherialists (or crazy mages in touch with this 'ether'), bizarre creatures, and cat tribes. Each part of the world-building is really well-done. The cats that are frequently present in the story act just like cats, to an amusing extent. The action is well-described and frantic, especially the airship battles.

It's hard for me to pinpoint why exactly I wouldn't give this book five stars. It is competently-written. The characters all grow in some way or another. There are a lot of POV characters, but each one is interesting in their own way.

But if I had to guess, I'd say it's the war that kept this book from hitting four stars.

A big theme of the book is war. One or two main characters are veterans of many battles, and the others are completely new to it. For those new to the war, the main aspect of their character growth is overcoming reticence and acting in the heat of the moment. Learning courage, self-sacrifice, and what it means to be a soldier. Even the disillusioned veteran, unfairly dishonored in his days in the war, has to come back and relearn his devotion. These are good arcs.

They bore me.

I can't think of a single decision in the book that wasn't just 'buck up and do what needs to be done,' and that is the only part of the book that bores me. When I read character-driven books, I want the characters to make decisions. Big, bold decisions. Leaving the threat alone needs to be a viable option. Or perhaps, how they deal with the threat. Make it personal. Give them no easy 'right' or 'correct' way. There weren't many points in this book where I wondered what the characters would do, only what the outcome would be once they acted in a way befitting honorable soldiers.

Heck, if some of them had just straight up failed to make the right choice, it might have hit five stars. But while not perfect, every character made the right decisions. No lashing out in revenge, no cowering back to watch as a friend dies that they might have saved. Only the best that they could do, the whole time.

Good characters, good arcs, great world-building, great cats, awesome creatures, great action. No poor or nuanced choices concerning the characters.

4/5 stars.

Did you just finish a really good book that everyone ought to read? Do you like organizing your thoughts on a piece of fiction? Have you found a hidden gem that you are certain a syndicate friend would love? Do you want to curate a comprehensive list of books every book lover should read?

Do you want to read through 50 Shades of Grey and trash it for our entertainment?

This is the book review/recommendation topic, the place to do any of the above, or comment on reviews and such. I will, at the very least, be participating.