It's just almost entirely by the numbers. There isn't a single big twist, be it in terms of characterization or plot.

 

I'm a little more than halfway through, and it's... well, the word 'slog' seems harsh. But it's not a page-turner. I'm 300+ pages in, and feel like very little has happened.

It also feels like he was being paid by the word. The repetitiveness in some passages is just glaring and leads to my eyes glazing over a bit and starting to miss things (and for the record, The Wife shakes her head at me for taking so long to read things because I like to read every word on the page).

Honestly, I do enjoy the world he's created, and the Spires and citizens and the cats and the economy and everything makes sense, and an all-out war between spires would be really cool to watch... but that's not what we got.

Also, not really a fan of the characters. Grimm is a predictable, honor-before-reason type, Bridget is our coming-of-age tale, Benedict is the superman-who-just-wants-to-belong. Rowl was a fun character, until he got a POV chapter, and then he just became annoying.

Folly might be the only exception; listening to her ramble on, I got annoyed with her, too, but right around then, we got her POV, and that changed everything. The whole story told from her perspective might have been awesome.

Also, I don't understand the love that Gwen seems to be getting. I found her completely forgettable.

And the pace of the story itself is just... glacial. Putting aside the first two chapters, the remainder of the book has so far covered about 30 hours. But unlike in a Dresden book, it feels like 30 hours. Part of the joy of Harry's life is that things happen so freaking fast that it's hard to keep up. here... not so much.

So, good world-building, but with mediocre characters, poor pacing, frustrating word choices, and villains I haven't even mentioned because they have no presence at all... but perhaps worst of all, it just doesn't feel fun. When I'm reading a Dresden Files book, I can feel the fun Butcher had writing it, and that energy propels me forward, makes me want to keep reading. That's just lacking here.

Maybe it'll change in the second half, but I think 300 pages is plenty of time to sort out your issues in a book. Frankly, I don't see myself awaiting the next book in the series with bated breath.

 

I feel like it'd make a brilliant video game.

 

Yeah, that's what I'm hoping. IMO, the biggest issue with the book was that it spent so much time setting things up that Butcher neglected the plot/characters. Hopefully now that the setup's done, the second book can give us a much more satisfying story.

 

I had a hard time reading it but I didnt find it nearly as interesting as anything else hes written. I mean i might be biased since I know this new series is gonna slow down my beloved Dresden files... but hopefully the next book will be better.

 

Finished it today.

I'd say it falls somewhere between lesser Dresden and Codex Alera, for me (Codex Alera being a series that I read, basically enjoyed, then got rid of and haven't missed since). It's heavily reliant on tropes/archetypes, and it definitely feels like the first entry in a series rather than a satisfying story in its own right, but I enjoyed it. I felt the last third was an improvement over the rest, because stuff actually happened rather than just set up.

 

I read this today. I hate to say it but I really didn't enjoy it very much. The worst book by Jim Butcher, imo. I even enjoyed ghost stories more than this, which is baffling.

The worst part by far is the cats. Terrible. It's like a race where every character is like Snape+Malfoy, except everyone treats them like they're gods descended to Earth to help these poor humans, including Jim. The point where the cats

Spoiler

rushed in like the rohirrim in LOTR to save the day

was the final straw. I can understand the cats looking down on humans when the story is told from their POV, because that's probably how cats would think. The fact that they're practically infallible and everyone goes along with whatever they say makes it really difficult to stomach. Cannot believe so much of the book is spent on these arrogant shits. The rest of the story was... average. None of the characters were especially memorable, although they weren't bad either. I enjoyed the ship combat towards the end of the book, the one part of the story I genuinely enjoyed reading. That was well done.

2/5 for the cats, 4/5 for the ship combat... ~3/5 overall.

 

For me it'a one of those books that gets worse upon reading it a second time. Simply because I know the general set-up now and most of the book is very explain-y.

High hopes for the sequel though.

 

Finished it a week or so ago. It's true that it finishes strong, and I did enjoy the aerial combat, like I said in my last post. Rowl and the cats were never redeemed; I found them annoying beginning to end.

Worse, I never connected with any of the characters.

And even worser, I don't find myself thinking back on the book fondly, or remembering awesome moments.

But even worstest, I don't care about the story. Simply do not give a shit, and am not looking forward to a sequel. If this had been a TV show, I would have stopped watching about four episodes in.

I would be truly annoyed with myself if I had spent money on it, but it came from a gift card.

As pointed out by many - including Jim himself - this is the longest thing he's ever written. And I fear he was being paid by the word, because he had to make some huge settlement payment in his divorce.

I will hold off on purchasing the second book until I have read some reviews, but I'm not optimistic.

Sorry, Jim; I'll keep reading the Dresden Files until I die - or you do - but I'm not a convert to the Cinder Spires, and I don't see this series spawning a lot of fanfic.

 

Jeez, don't be so hard on yourself. D:

 

... instead of thumb's up, can we please have a facepalm button?

 

... I need more caffeine. :facepalm

 

Does anyone think that the sequel will redeem the book? I remember reading somewhere that Butcher plans for this to be a longer series than codex alera, and I am not sure I want to invest that much time in a series if it remains so monotonous.

 

He's got a contract for 3 books, so that's how long he has to convince us it's good. He has plans for it to be 9 books long, if there's enough interest.

As noted before, it's a common trend that Butcher's first books are never paticularly compelling, but after a few they start becoming extremely good.

Honestly, I was ok with it for Dresden and Alera, as he was pretty new to writing back then, but I think by now he should be better at starting a series with a strong first book. I expect it he manages to take this to 6-9 books, it'll be pretty epic and awesome though.

 

He has to hit it out of the park with the next book - if he doesn't, book 3 is the end of a trilogy.

 

How do you know that? Like, did you get it from a source, or is it just what you think is the case?

 

I remember reading (maybe in the dresden wog thread? or reddit, not sure) that he has plans for a 3 / 6 / 9 book series depending on reception & what the publisher contracts him for.

 

Yes, I know that. I said that in the post that you quoted. I was just wondering why you specifically said that book 2 would be the deciding factor. Makes more sense to wait until book 3 imo.

 

Hard to imagine a book 3 that's both open ended enough for a sequel and a satisfying conclusion all on it's own.