A Constant Reader

Reseña en español de [b:Perdida|17337509|Perdida|Gillian Flynn|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1360173924s/17337509.jpg|13306276]: Click Aquí

One of the most twisted, unpredictable and sick books I've ever read (or listened in this case) (review soon)

Reseña en español de [b:La noche de los cuchillos|13561192|La noche de los cuchillos (Malaz El Imperio, #1)|Ian C. Esslemont|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1332745847s/13561192.jpg|446887] en el blog: Click Aquí.

Night of the Knives is the first book written by Esslemont and the first instalment in the Malaz Empire story arc. I read many reviews claiming that Esslemont isn't a good writer and many trashing his series but after finishing this book I can say that these critics are exaggerated, sure his writing is more direct and less elaborate than Erikson's but this isn't by all means a bad thing.

I think that the reason why many people hate this book is because they read it without finishing the ten book series by Steven Erikson. Although the events of Night of the Knives take place years before Gardens of the Moon (first book by Erikson) I strongly recommend reading this one after finishing the Malaz Book of the Fallen saga since many events that are told in Night of the Knives answer some mysteries mentioned briefly on Erikson books (the death of Dassem Ultor, the identity of Edgewalker and how Ammanas reclaimed the throne of shadow were some of the most notorious revelations).
Another reason for reading this after the Malaz Book of the Fallen is because Esslemont doesn't takes time to explain how the warrens (magic system of this universe) work or the importance of the house of shadow and some other characters mentioned through the book; so basically I think that I wouldn't had understood sh*t if I wasn't familiar with the malazan universe.

That being said I thought it was a good book all around. The story is told from the point of view of Temper (a military veteran close friend of the Imperial First Sword) and Kiska (a thief with a knack for magic), which were great even though they weren't as charismatic as other main characters of this epic series. I didn't find the plot to be as confusing as other books in the series and it was pretty much straight forward but I insist that you have to read all the Book of the Fallen to appreciate it completely: it was awesome to figure out some mysteries and the return of some of the characters was nice.
My only "critic" is that it was a very short book if you compare it to the others of this saga so it felt like an introduction to this new story arc and new characters instead of a complete book.

The malaz books are awesome and I can't recommend them enough. Sure it isn't a series that everyone will enjoy because it is really complex but it was one of the most rewarding reading experiences I had. While Esslemont writing isn't as superb as Erikson's, he did a good job and it was nice to revisit this wonderful universe, can't wait to continue this wonderful saga.

I'll say this again: read the Esslemont books after finishing the main saga and don't follow the reading orders that some fans post online. These books are meant to be read them in publication order, you'll be extremely confused if you follow the chronological order on your first read and you'll probably won't understand anything.

Repaso general de los 6 volúmenes en el blog: Click Aquí



Yep, some weird sh*t like that happens in this story...

I have only read a few graphic novels so far so I'm no expert on this kind of stories but this was outstanding. Everything from these volumes was wonderful: the storyline is extremely original, it has a great and sinister villain and charismatic characters.

The plot of this series is a bit weird and it start making sense as you keep reading, it's a great mix of horror and fantasy with some humour. Joe Hill created a wonderful story that takes some elements from the cosmic horror of Lovecraft and mix it with the idea of different keys with amazing powers, also the artwork by Gabriel Rodríguez is top-notch, every volume has it's own particular style that makes them unique.

I can't recommend this series enough, it was a fun read with excellent moments and I think that even if you are not a hardcore graphic novel fan you will enjoy this story.

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There isn't much I can say about this book that hasn't already been said. I think that it is an outstanding book that transcended time because of the subject treated through the whole book: the dangers of using science inappropriately.

What really shocked me is how much the different movie adaptations have butchered this book and the characters. Doctor Frankenstein is far more complex than the mad scientist shown in the pictures and the creature isn't nearly as dumb or whiny as its film counterpart, sure he suffers because he is an abomination but he's also very sinister and scary (also there's no Igor helping the doctor but I wouldn't complain if there was a Terry Pratchett's Igor).

As for the writing it is superb. I had a hard time reading Dracula because the story was told through diaries of the main characters and that was very dull at times, Frankenstein uses a similar style at the beginning with letters but the rest of the story is mostly carried on by the tale of Frankenstein and the creature. I found it really engaging and easy to follow, even though it uses some archaic language at times it has some really beautiful fragments.

I strongly recommend this book, it's a classic that everyone should try at some point because it's way better than the version the "pop culture" has of the monster and the story. Also this was my first audiobook and I enjoyed it immensely I'll definitely...listen? more books in this format in the future.

Reseña en español en mi blog: Click Aquí

After finishing [b:Off Season|179734|Off Season (Dead River, #1)|Jack Ketchum|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1321733068s/179734.jpg|584847] I felt sick, disgusted, disturbed and amused at the same time. It was a book that really impressed me not only because of the gore but for its unpredictability, so my expectations for Offspring were really high. The sequel was entertaining but it doesn't come even close to the first instalment of the Dead River trilogy.

Offspring takes place eleven years after the events of the first book. Former sheriff Peters is still haunted by the memories of his encounter with the cannibals and he is full of regrets because of how everything ended up. Unfortunately for him, a new cannibal tribe lead by The Woman an extremely cunning psychopath, is stealing newborn children in order to increase the family. The police ask Peters to join them in the hunt of this new family of cannibals, the retired cop will have to deal with his worst nightmare again...

What I did like of this book was that the beginning was very intense, the story is really fast paced and like the previous one, it's impossible to put down once the cannibals appears. Also the story shifts from different points of view constantly so we get to know a wide range of characters which are more complex than the protagonists of the previous book, my favourite POVs (although it may sound sadistic) were those of the cannibals since Ketchum put us inside of his twisted minds and we get to know their tactics and plans, those were by far the more disturbing aspects of this book.

Sadly the story was wasted: it was extremely predictable, the character are more complex but Ketchum spent more time building them up and forgot the gore and disturbing scenes that were the strong point of the last book. Don't get me wrong, there are some pretty nasty scenes but they don't come even close to the cruelty and detail shown in Off Season, I found some of these scenes to be tuned down copies of some of the previous book.

So all in all it was an entertaining horror book ideal for a weekend read but don't expect it to be at the same level of [b:Off Season|179734|Off Season (Dead River, #1)|Jack Ketchum|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1321733068s/179734.jpg|584847]. It's predictable, recycled some of the scenes of the previous book and the ending was kind of lame in my opinion.

Quizás se deba al enorme grado de fisura que tengo con los videojuegos de The Witcher, pero este libro me pareció excelente. No esperaba mucho y me terminó sorprendiendo bastante, es muy recomendable. Si te interesa podes leer la reseña en mi blog: http://rincondellectorconstante.blogspot.com/2015/07/el-ultimo-deseo-geralt-de-rivia-1.html

What the f*ck is this lol, I'll have to read this book someday.

Amazing! the best volume so far. Can't wait to see how this ends // Estas novelas gráficas están tremendas! este volumen tiene una referencia a Lovecraft que me encantó, la verdad que es de las historias más originales que he leído Joe Hill es un genio y los dibujos están impresionantes. Vamos a ver como termina!

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Rosemary's baby is considered a classic of horror literature but the truth is I've never heard of it until Goodreads recommended it to me (yeah I know, shame on me). I read many positive reviews both for the book and the movie so I had high expectations about it, sadly it was sort of a disappointment.

Don't get me wrong the book is very well written and it was enjoyable most of the time, there are a lot of dialogues that carry on the story perfectly and I always wanted to know what would happen next. Also the story becomes more sinister and darker as the book progress but unfortunately it was predictable and very similar to other books about satanic rituals that I don't like.
I'm not a religious person so I don't get offended by satanism but I find these stories repetitive and boring, maybe I'm missing something because a lot of people seem to love this book.

I think that the most disturbing aspect of this book is that it perverts the joy of having a child, something that's supposed to be one of the happiest things a person can experience. I found that the process of Rosemary's pregnancy was really creepy and Levin really nailed it when it came to describe the suffering of our main character as the months went by.

Anyway this was an interesting book that becomes more sinister as you keep turning pages. Sadly, it wasn't the kind of horror story that I enjoy but I think that many horror fans will find it appealing.

Lectura conjunta del grupo Letras Macabras reseña en español en mi blog: Click Aquí

Ghost story is considered Peter Straub's best book and Stephen King says that it's "one of the finest horror novels of the late 20th century", with such endorsement I had high hopes for this book and it didn't disappoint me.

I have to say that this wasn't a light read, the first half of the book is full of details that become important later on the story but if you endure, the second half of the book is truly amazing.
It can be confusing at first because the prologue take place moments before the ending of the story so it only make sense as you progress through the book. I think this was great because it wrapped up the story perfectly.

You may think that ghost aren't scary but trust me, the ghosts described by Straub on this book are very creepy and relentless. Also he gives a really original vision about them. I don't want to spoil the story, but there's uncertainty about what these supernatural beings truly are (not for me, I'm convinced that they're ghosts but whatever, read this book and make your guess).

Another good aspect of this novel was that the main characters are four elderly men that formed a group called "The Chowder Society" where they tell each other horror stories. The setting is another thing that I really liked, it reminded me Salem's Lot by Stephen King because Milburn is a creepy little town in the middle of nowhere, an ideal scenario for a horror story.

I totally recommend this book. Be warned that this is not an easy read (especially the first half) but if you keep reading you're rewarded with an extremely original horror story.
I won't compare Peter Straub with Stephen King, he's not better or worse only different. I find his books to be extremely detailed but they are really well written and I think that fans of Stephen King would enjoy his novels.

As a final note, Straub connects his novels: Ricky Hawthorne (one of the members of the Chowder Society and a main character on this book) is mentioned in [b:Floating Dragon|19593|Floating Dragon|Peter Straub|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1309202978s/19593.jpg|256948] (a great book that I also recommend) where his nephew is one of the characters.
Also the town of Milburn is mentioned in [b:Koko|19577|Koko|Peter Straub|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348038461s/19577.jpg|3366520].

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3.75 (?) stars actually: The Troop and The Deep were some of the most disturbing books I've read lately, so I was really looking forward to read Nick Cutter's next book. This is not a horror novel, even though it has several gory and sick moments, it felt more like a crime or thriller.

The story takes place in a future society governed by catholic fanatics: everyone who commits a crime against religion is hunted down, several books are banned (and most has been burned), the practice of science is forbidden and people from other religions are forced to live in ghettos.
The protagonist of this book is Jonah Murtagh. He work as an Acolyte, some sort of elite police force that chase down "heathens" and investigate others crimes against religion; the story begins when Murtagh start investigating a series of suicide bombings across the city of New Bethlehem.

This was a very entertaining book and an extremely fast read, the kindle edition has only 250 or so pages and the chapters are very short so I kept reading like a madman wanting to know what was going to happen next.

The setting was another strong point. Cutter describes a very dark and sinister society governed by a mad religious zealot called The Prophet and we really don't know how the church took over since every source of information must be approved by the government, we can only guess what happened: some of the characters remember how life was before the Republic, this gives us the hint that the new society is still in development and the church doesn't have absolute control. I found this uncertainty very interesting because it reflects the ignorance and confusion that our main character suffers.

So why didn't I rate this book higher? because it was predictable, some of the plot twist didn't surprise me and Murtagh wasn't an appealing character. The short chapters make this a fast read but it also made the story sort of messed and disconnected, the way how Murtagh meets some of the other characters wasn't convincing and felt rushed.

All in all, I think it was an entertaining story and this society created by Cutter was great. I congratulate him for trying to write something different from horror (even though I enjoyed The troop and The Deep more), this book is disturbing in a different way: it shows a society where all hope is lost and the only true word comes from The Prophet, it's a good critic about how many people uses religion for their own benefit.

Also I warn that this is not a book for everyone. Even though it's a crime or thriller novel, it has a lot (and I insist A LOT) of gore, disturbing scenes and profanity, so don't read it if you're easily impressed by violence.

"The question becomes: how to make an entire species self-destruct? What is the most effective system of annihilation? Religion. It's a tool, and any tool has right and wrong use (...) Fear, obedience, sacrifice, fanatic loyalty: these are fruits religion cultivates in a nurturing hand. And the greatest part is that the nurturer doesn't need to promise anything tangible: the reward is only delivered in death. It all rest in the bones of belief. And those bones are unbreakable."

Reseña en español de El Imperio Final en mi blog: Click Aquí

4.5 Stars: it was almost perfect. The plot is really original because it starts with a different setting if you compare it to other epic fantasy stories (which I won't reveal here because it's sort of a spoiler but trust me, it's great).

The Final Empire takes place on a decadent world which is governed by the Lord Ruler, some kind of god emperor that has been in power for thousands of years and has annihilated every attempt of rebellion. The story begins when Kelsier, a former slave, start organizing a group to overthrow the Lord Ruler.

What I enjoyed the most of this book was it's simplicity. The story is really straight forward and the lore isn't hard to understand, in fact the world map is very small compared to other epic fantasy sagas and the action takes place in the Final Empire's capital mostly so you don't get confused by learning other locations.
The characters are another strong point and they are really simple and easy to identify, except from Kelsier and Vin (the main characters), the rest of the characters aren't very complex. This doesn't mean they are bland or underdeveloped because they are very charismatic most of the time and we get to know them better as the story progresses.

Another thing I really liked is that Sanderson includes little texts before each chapter. This are fragments of a story told by a mysterious character that we get to know as we progress through the book and it can be read as a totally different story that makes sense after you finish the book.

But certainly the most awesome thing on this book was the magic system. It's a very clever and original system called allomancy: allomancers don't use complex rituals or magic words to use their powers, they ingest metals that enhance their senses and other mental abilities.
Most allomancers are called mistings and they can use only one of the ten allomantic metals, the most powerful are the Mistborn who can use all metals.
The way that Sanderson describes each power and ability is awesome, the combats between allomancers are really cool and very fun to read. Also magic users aren't overpowered because each ability has it's flaws and the continuous "burning" of metal has consequences on their bodies.

The only reason why I don't give this book five stars is that the dialogues and characters were a bit cheesy in some parts of the story. Also there were some situations that were far-fetched in my opinion and I didn't like how Sanderson solved them.
Anyway this didn't stop me from enjoying this wonderful book, the characters can be cheesy but they are awesome and charismatic, also the story is really fast paced and entertaining for the most part.

So to sum up, this was a wonderful book that I strongly recommend to other fantasy fans and even to readers that usually don't read these kind of books. It can be a good book to start reading epic fantasy because it isn't as complex as many other sagas and the story will appeal to any reader that enjoys stories with magic and great characters.

Reseña en español de Ritos iguales en el blog: Click aquí.
Puedes leer mis otras reseñas de Mundodisco haciendo click en este enlace.

Well yeah I broke my rule of rating every Pratchett book with 5 stars BUT this doesn't mean I don't like it, it's only that I didn't enjoy it as much as other Discworld books. Think of this as a 4.99 rating (yes I'm a Pratchett fanboy deal with it).

This is the third Discworld book and the first one of the witches series.
In the small town of Bad Ass, an eighth child of an eighth son is born and as the rites say, he is bound to be a wizard. The only problem is that this eighth child is actually a girl and girls are supposed to be witches but young Eskarina Smith is determined to learn "boys magic" and she will do anything to study in the Unseen University, even if she has to face the other wizards and their prejudices.

That's basically the whole idea of this novel, the entire book is about how different boys and girls are and that's wonderfully described by Pratchett: boys (wizards) practice more brutal and violent magic whereas girls (witches) use magic in a more natural way.
Although it's a really clever and funny way to criticise how women are discriminated, I found the first half of the book a little dull (which never happened while reading other Pratchett book) but towards the ending the story got better. Also the books ends with a wonderful metaphor about life that I thought it was outstanding.

In comparison with the previous books (The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic) this one seemed to be more critical of our reality.
The thing that I enjoyed the most was Granny Watherwax, the witch that teaches Eskarina his first lessons about life and introduces the concept of headology: a practice that rely on the principle that what people believes is what is real. She's such a great character that carried the whole story and overshadowed Eskarina as protagonist.

So this book ended up being really good even though the first half wasn't so great. I recommend reading some of Pratchett's later books first before this one but anyway I had an awesome time reading this story (as always that I read one of Pratchett's books) and I'll always be thankful to this great author for creating such an amazing and funny world.

Review en español en mi blog: Click Aquí

3.5 Stars: Mr. Mercedes really disappointed me and I hadn't much expectations with this book, but it's written by Stephen King and I read it no matter what. That being said I really enjoyed this novel, probably because Bill Hodges and his friends (characters that I really hated from the last book) doesn't appear until 150 or so pages into the story and the main characters are Morris Bellamy (the criminal of this book) and Pete Saubers (a young boy who unfortunately cross Bellamy's way).

The villain of this book was a lot better than Brady in Mr. Mercedes, he is like a tuned down Annie Wilkes (the psychopath from Misery) since he becomes obsessed with a fictional character from a famous book. Even though he isn't as good as Annie, I really enjoyed his chapters and background story.

I still hate Hodges and Jerome but Holly shows a bit of character development on this one, she was my favourite of this trio, still all of them are far from my favourite characters.

As for the ending, it was great in my opinion and I can't wait to see how this trilogy will end. It introduces a supernatural element that I thought it was great and it's a great nod to other King books (click on the spoiler tag only if you already read this book, you've been warned):

Brady start developing psychic powers similar to Carrie's and Danny Torrance and he gets them thanks to a brain injury (like Johnny Smith from The Dead Zone).
Also he is in hospital room 217 which is a reference to the sinister room 217 of the Overlook Hotel.

This is far from the best of King's works (or at least from my favourite books) but it's a nice and entertaining novel. I really look forward to see how this story will end.

Review en español en mi blog: Click Aquí

3.5 Stars: The Last Town is the final book in the Wayward Pines trilogy. Like in my reviews of Pines and Wayward, I wont say anything about the plot because it's impossible not to spoil the entire story so I'll only write a general opinion.

This was my least favourite of the trilogy, not because it was bad (it is a really good book actually) but because the other books setted the bar really high. Also I thought that it was really short (I finished it in one day) and it felt as a long chapter of the second book.

Without giving away many details I'll say that the ending was great. In my opinion it wasn't as mind blowing as the endings of the previous books but it was convincing and the only way this story could finish properly.
I also have to point out that until the last 20 pages or so, it's impossible to know how the story ends and that's something I really enjoyed.

If I had to rate the entire series I would give it 4 stars, it's a nice trilogy with a lot of mystery and "what-the-fuckery" that it's impossible to put down. If you're looking for a good thriller and a quick read you should try this trilogy, but please avoid spoilers because the reading becomes meaningless otherwise: the best of these books is figure out what's going on and when you do, it's impossible to stop reading.

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Spoiler free review: This was a great book, it's certainly better than the first one and an extremely fast read. I can't say much without spoiling the first book, other than I totally recommend reading this trilogy the ending of this one made me pick up the third book immediately.

You can check out my review of Pines if you want to know more about this trilogy, if you enjoy good thrillers with a little surrealism you should read these books, they're awesome and impossible to put down. Don't continue reading this review if you haven't read the first book since the following is a proper review of this book with spoilers of the previous one that ruin the entire story if you know them, you've been warned:

Wayward is book #2 of this wonderful trilogy turned into a TV mini series. This story takes place two weeks after the events of the first book, Ethan is struggling to accept his role as Sheriff of the last town on Earth and to get along with his wife since they're under constant surveillance by Pilcher, the mad scientist responsible of the creation of Wayward Pines.

In my opinion, this story was better than the first one because we already know from the get go what we're dealing with, the ending of the last book was really surreal and left me wondering how Ethan will deal with this desperate situation: a town under constant vigilance, where nobody knows that they are surrounded by monsters.
The book shift between past (before everybody enters in suspension) and the present and it isn't only about Ethan: we get some chapters from the point of view of Pam (the psychotic nurse) and Pilcher. I always enjoy reading chapters with villains points of view because you get to know them better and appreciate how mad they really are.
Also we get short chapters with the point of view of a mysterious character called Tobias, that is on a mission beyond the fence. These chapters tells a story about survival in the wild, surrounded by the aberrations and are really intriguing.

The ending was amazing, it was a lot better than the first one in my opinion and made me start reading the third one immediately and trust me, you'll want to know how this will end.