<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" standalone="yes"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"><channel><title>Fantasy on Jonathan McKay</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/tags/fantasy/</link><description>Recent content in Fantasy on Jonathan McKay</description><generator>Hugo</generator><language>en-us</language><lastBuildDate>Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://jonathanmckay.com/tags/fantasy/index.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title>Eon (The Way, #1)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/eon-the-way-%231/</link><pubDate>Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/eon-the-way-%231/</guid><description>While the prose is not spectacular, the ideas are. While many people seem to be annoyed by the overly visual and geometric descriptions, I found them</description></item><item><title>The Lost Colony (Artemis Fowl, #5)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-lost-colony-artemis-fowl-%235/</link><pubDate>Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-lost-colony-artemis-fowl-%235/</guid><description>Infinitely better than the movie.</description></item><item><title>Assassin's Fate (The Fitz and the Fool, #3)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/assassins-fate-the-fitz-and-the-fool-%233/</link><pubDate>Mon, 08 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/assassins-fate-the-fitz-and-the-fool-%233/</guid><description>Whispers louder than clash of swords This was the rare saga where scene setting and the falling action clearly outshone the drama. The long stretches of</description></item><item><title>Fool's Assassin (Fitz and the Fool, #1)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/fools-assassin-fitz-and-the-fool-%231/</link><pubDate>Tue, 25 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/fools-assassin-fitz-and-the-fool-%231/</guid><description>Quiet Magic, Quiet Ruin Fool’s Assassin is an oddity in modern fantasy: no duels, no quests, almost nothing beyond Brownian motion. Its force comes from</description></item><item><title>The Strength of the Few (Hierarchy, #2)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-strength-of-the-few-hierarchy-%232/</link><pubDate>Tue, 18 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-strength-of-the-few-hierarchy-%232/</guid><description>Will of the Many Worlds James Islington has always been good at magical machinery—plots that lock cleanly into place, timelines that click. The Licanius</description></item><item><title>The Short Victorious War (Honor Harrington, #3)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-short-victorious-war-honor-harrington-%233/</link><pubDate>Sun, 19 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-short-victorious-war-honor-harrington-%233/</guid><description>The Short Microcosm War The Short Victorious War isn’t the best Honor Harrington novel, but it’s the most representative—an attempt at Clausewitz in</description></item><item><title>Carl's Doomsday Scenario (Dungeon Crawler Carl, #2)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/carls-doomsday-scenario-dungeon-crawler-carl-%232/</link><pubDate>Sat, 18 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/carls-doomsday-scenario-dungeon-crawler-carl-%232/</guid><description>A TikTok feed in book form—flashy, shallow, instantly forgettable. Unoriginal but entertaining.</description></item><item><title>Dungeon Crawler Carl (Dungeon Crawler Carl, #1)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/dungeon-crawler-carl-dungeon-crawler-carl-%231/</link><pubDate>Sat, 18 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/dungeon-crawler-carl-dungeon-crawler-carl-%231/</guid><description>Ingredients (by weight): 1 part Diablo by Blizzard 1 part Hunger Games 1 part Ready Player One Method: 1. Cream ingredients until smooth 2. Distill</description></item><item><title>Last Argument of Kings (The First Law, #3)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/last-argument-of-kings-the-first-law-%233/</link><pubDate>Fri, 04 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/last-argument-of-kings-the-first-law-%233/</guid><description>Unforgiving Realism I didn’t realize The Last Argument of Kings was considered grimdark fantasy until exploring reviews. To me, it&amp;#39;s just realism. The</description></item><item><title>Before They Are Hanged (The First Law, #2)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/before-they-are-hanged-the-first-law-%232/</link><pubDate>Mon, 24 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/before-they-are-hanged-the-first-law-%232/</guid><description>Middle Book Syndrome It doesn&amp;#39;t feel like that much happens. Characters grow, but I also want some plot! Glokta starts and ends in the capital city. Logen</description></item><item><title>The Blade Itself (The First Law, #1)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-blade-itself-the-first-law-%231/</link><pubDate>Sat, 22 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-blade-itself-the-first-law-%231/</guid><description>I should be reading in Chinese or about stoic philosophy, but The Blade Itself is... distractingly enjoyable.</description></item><item><title>A Drop of Corruption (Shadow of the Leviathan, #2)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/a-drop-of-corruption-shadow-of-the-leviathan-%232/</link><pubDate>Fri, 28 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/a-drop-of-corruption-shadow-of-the-leviathan-%232/</guid><description>Murder, Magic, Malaise If Romantasy is court intrigue with a swooning heartbeat, this is its jaded sibling: Mysterantasy—suspicious deaths, arcane</description></item><item><title>The Sunlit Man</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-sunlit-man/</link><pubDate>Thu, 09 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-sunlit-man/</guid><description>1st Book of 2025: Entirely Forgettable. Read through this in one sleepless post-surgery night, and it just felt like a draft of a side-plot from a</description></item><item><title>Heavenly Tyrant (Iron Widow, #2)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/heavenly-tyrant-iron-widow-%232/</link><pubDate>Sun, 05 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/heavenly-tyrant-iron-widow-%232/</guid><description>Private Property is my Safe Word I have a rule in Sci-fi: If main characters engage in taboo sex while discussing esoteric politics, I&amp;#39;m out. Based on the</description></item><item><title>Best Served Cold</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/best-served-cold/</link><pubDate>Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/best-served-cold/</guid><description>Heat Before Serving There’s a limit to how much grimdark fantasy I can take, and Best Served Cold found that limit. The book begins with echoes of Victor</description></item><item><title>The Devils</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-devils/</link><pubDate>Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-devils/</guid><description>Author: Joe Abercrombie Score: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Completed: January 1, 2025 Last edited time: January 11, 2026 7:41 AM Status: Reviewed Type: Book &amp;lt;b&amp;gt;Cards on the</description></item><item><title>Nettle &amp; Bone</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/nettle-bone/</link><pubDate>Mon, 04 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/nettle-bone/</guid><description>Somewhere between a fairy tale and a clothing brand.</description></item><item><title>The Will of the Many (Hierarchy, #1)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-will-of-the-many-hierarchy-%231/</link><pubDate>Fri, 12 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-will-of-the-many-hierarchy-%231/</guid><description>Will you read of the Many Tropes? Will of the Many fills its checklist of sci-fi and fantasy tropes, better than even a fan-fic. Orphaned✓ teenage✓ boy✓</description></item><item><title>Talon of the Silver Hawk (Conclave of Shadows, #1)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/talon-of-the-silver-hawk-conclave-of-shadows-%231/</link><pubDate>Tue, 03 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/talon-of-the-silver-hawk-conclave-of-shadows-%231/</guid><description>剧情盔甲后的很 (The Plot Armor is Too Thick) 在第一个阶段，Talon的家和朋友都被灭门了。所以在这个故事中他好像一块白板，他的性格可以为了剧情的需求而改变。</description></item><item><title>Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/fourth-wing-the-empyrean-%231/</link><pubDate>Mon, 07 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/fourth-wing-the-empyrean-%231/</guid><description>For the first few chapters, I thought the gaps in character and world building were intentional. But after the romance went from clumsy to 21st century</description></item><item><title>The City &amp; the City</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-city-the-city/</link><pubDate>Tue, 11 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-city-the-city/</guid><description>Exactly what I want out of fiction. A well paced plot, a few characters to root for, and surprises that keep the story ahead of, or at least more complex</description></item><item><title>Assassin's Quest (Farseer Trilogy, #3)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/assassins-quest-farseer-trilogy-%233/</link><pubDate>Tue, 30 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/assassins-quest-farseer-trilogy-%233/</guid><description>Some books that wander are lost After returning from the dead, our hero, Fitz, goes wandering. ... and wandering. ... and wandering. He checks voicemail</description></item><item><title>Dawn (Xenogenesis, #1)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/dawn-xenogenesis-%231/</link><pubDate>Sun, 19 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/dawn-xenogenesis-%231/</guid><description>Aliens should be weird. Interesting concepts of how a superior biotech race could manipulate and control humans, even while trying to maintain a</description></item><item><title>Moby Dick</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/moby-dick/</link><pubDate>Tue, 03 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/moby-dick/</guid><description>A book about the culture. How it is created, the meaning we give it, the supposed truths that such culture creates. There is definitely meat on the bones</description></item><item><title>Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/six-of-crows-six-of-crows-%231/</link><pubDate>Wed, 19 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/six-of-crows-six-of-crows-%231/</guid><description>Fantasy Heist genre with characters interesting enough to keep turning the pages. Read it out of order, but the characters were interesting enough to</description></item><item><title>The Alloy of Law (Mistborn, #4)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-alloy-of-law-mistborn-%234/</link><pubDate>Sun, 25 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-alloy-of-law-mistborn-%234/</guid><description>World? Fascinating. Characters? Meh. Plot? Everything interesting happens in the epilogue. Readability? Off the charts. Could read while singing and</description></item><item><title>The Hero of Ages (Mistborn, #3)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-hero-of-ages-mistborn-%233/</link><pubDate>Mon, 12 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-hero-of-ages-mistborn-%233/</guid><description>Sanderson fantasy is what Audible 3.5x was invented for. 3.5 stars.</description></item><item><title>The Well of Ascension (Mistborn, #2)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-well-of-ascension-mistborn-%232/</link><pubDate>Tue, 06 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-well-of-ascension-mistborn-%232/</guid><description>Too much of a page turner. The premise -- the capital under siege by 3 competing armies after a successful rebellion -- is probably the best premise for a</description></item><item><title>Mistborn: The Final Empire (Mistborn, #1)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/mistborn-the-final-empire-mistborn-%231/</link><pubDate>Mon, 05 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/mistborn-the-final-empire-mistborn-%231/</guid><description>Certainly a page turner, although the parallels to to Stormlight Archives are clear. It&amp;#39;s like Sanderson has found a set of chords that will attract</description></item><item><title>Jade City (The Green Bone Saga, #1)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/jade-city-the-green-bone-saga-%231/</link><pubDate>Wed, 15 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/jade-city-the-green-bone-saga-%231/</guid><description>Sucked me in, probably hurting my productivity at work. Jade City is a drama with real family dynamics and characters that make imperfect decisions and</description></item><item><title>City of Stairs (The Divine Cities, #1)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/city-of-stairs-the-divine-cities-%231/</link><pubDate>Sun, 29 May 2022 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/city-of-stairs-the-divine-cities-%231/</guid><description>Surprised it took me so long to get to this. Dead gods and a strong flavor of colonialism are good themes for fantasy. Good characters to explore the</description></item><item><title>Paladin of Souls (World of the Five Gods, #2)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/paladin-of-souls-world-of-the-five-gods-%232/</link><pubDate>Wed, 05 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/paladin-of-souls-world-of-the-five-gods-%232/</guid><description>Amazing that I like this series so much but am not a fan of Bujold&amp;#39;s other series. I enjoyed the main character, the different setting, and the</description></item><item><title>Leviathan Falls (The Expanse, #9)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/leviathan-falls-the-expanse-%239/</link><pubDate>Thu, 02 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/leviathan-falls-the-expanse-%239/</guid><description>Leviathan Deflates She was reaching for supernatural answers, when memory and mundanity were enough. Frankly disappointing. Tiamat&amp;#39;s Wrath had managed to</description></item><item><title>Promise of Blood (Powder Mage, #1)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/promise-of-blood-powder-mage-%231/</link><pubDate>Mon, 18 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/promise-of-blood-powder-mage-%231/</guid><description>&amp;#39;Most Improved&amp;#39; award slices both ways It&amp;#39;s a good promise of Blood wasn&amp;#39;t my first book in the Powder Mage universe, as I would have put the whole series</description></item><item><title>Wrath of Empire (Gods of Blood and Powder, #2)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/wrath-of-empire-gods-of-blood-and-powder-%232/</link><pubDate>Sat, 09 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/wrath-of-empire-gods-of-blood-and-powder-%232/</guid><description>Defeat is More Interesting One of the most satisfying elements of a fantasy or sci-fi sequel is the opportunity to explore the consequences of the</description></item><item><title>Sins of Empire (Gods of Blood and Powder, #1)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/sins-of-empire-gods-of-blood-and-powder-%231/</link><pubDate>Sat, 25 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/sins-of-empire-gods-of-blood-and-powder-%231/</guid><description>Sins of Fantasy Novels to Support Authors Surviving in a Capitalist System You&amp;#39;re about the only decent person in this whole damned city. Sins of Empire</description></item><item><title>The Goblin Emperor (The Chronicles of Osreth, #1)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-goblin-emperor-the-chronicles-of-osreth-%231/</link><pubDate>Mon, 30 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-goblin-emperor-the-chronicles-of-osreth-%231/</guid><description>Competent is Good Enough In special effects, faces are the hardest to passably recreate. This is because the human brain, through eons of evolution is</description></item><item><title>An Echo of Things to Come (The Licanius Trilogy, #2)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/an-echo-of-things-to-come-the-licanius-trilogy-%232/</link><pubDate>Mon, 05 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/an-echo-of-things-to-come-the-licanius-trilogy-%232/</guid><description>99 Names of Caeden Certainty is hubris [...] it is arrogance and Bluster. Like most trilogies, Islington has the unenviable task of setting up a broader</description></item><item><title>The Shadow of What Was Lost (The Licanius Trilogy, #1)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-shadow-of-what-was-lost-the-licanius-trilogy-%231/</link><pubDate>Thu, 01 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-shadow-of-what-was-lost-the-licanius-trilogy-%231/</guid><description>Fantasy Soup When it comes to fantasy, the author can chose different gini coefficients for magic-power distribution. Egalitarian powers aren’t fun, so</description></item><item><title>The Traitor Baru Cormorant (The Masquerade, #1)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-traitor-baru-cormorant-the-masquerade-%231/</link><pubDate>Sun, 23 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-traitor-baru-cormorant-the-masquerade-%231/</guid><description>Fundamental Decision Making Error Your error is fundamental to the human psyche: you have allowed yourself to believe that others are mechanisms, static</description></item><item><title>Oryx and Crake (MaddAddam, #1)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/oryx-and-crake-maddaddam-%231/</link><pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/oryx-and-crake-maddaddam-%231/</guid><description>18th book of 2021: How the world ends. It’s not difficult to envision childhood trauma and sexual frustration as the shaper of global catastrophe. After</description></item><item><title>Rhythm of War (The Stormlight Archive, #4)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/rhythm-of-war-the-stormlight-archive-%234/</link><pubDate>Thu, 26 Nov 2020 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/rhythm-of-war-the-stormlight-archive-%234/</guid><description>79th book of 2020: Rhythm of ‘body keeps score’, followed by the rhythm of bore. Too often in fantasy, the hero&amp;#39;s journey consumes so much available</description></item><item><title>A Deadly Education (The Scholomance, #1)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/a-deadly-education-the-scholomance-%231/</link><pubDate>Fri, 13 Nov 2020 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/a-deadly-education-the-scholomance-%231/</guid><description>75th book of 2020: Lost in Calculations Read through this in one sitting, which was about as long as I think I would be able to suspend my disbelief. The</description></item><item><title>Shorefall (The Founders Trilogy, #2)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/shorefall-the-founders-trilogy-%232/</link><pubDate>Mon, 08 Jun 2020 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/shorefall-the-founders-trilogy-%232/</guid><description>Shorefall was a James Bond film, set in the Foundryside universe. Start with a caper, introduce a cookie-cutter villain, then spend the next few days</description></item><item><title>Oathbringer (The Stormlight Archive, #3)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/oathbringer-the-stormlight-archive-%233/</link><pubDate>Thu, 28 May 2020 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/oathbringer-the-stormlight-archive-%233/</guid><description>Not as compelling as the second book, mainly because a lot of the plot reveals were telegraphed so clearly in the first two books, it felt like I already</description></item><item><title>Words of Radiance (The Stormlight Archive, #2)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/words-of-radiance-the-stormlight-archive-%232/</link><pubDate>Fri, 15 May 2020 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/words-of-radiance-the-stormlight-archive-%232/</guid><description>Better than the first book. Shallan is a far more interesting character than Kaladin, and the twists related to her story were the most surprising thing</description></item><item><title>The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive, #1)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-way-of-kings-the-stormlight-archive-%231/</link><pubDate>Thu, 23 Apr 2020 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-way-of-kings-the-stormlight-archive-%231/</guid><description>2025 Re-review Sometimes, a fragment of a book stays with you - like a song you can&amp;#39;t get out of your head. That&amp;#39;s what has happened with Sanderson&amp;#39;s</description></item><item><title>The Wise Man's Fear (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #2)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-wise-mans-fear-the-kingkiller-chronicle-%232/</link><pubDate>Sun, 01 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-wise-mans-fear-the-kingkiller-chronicle-%232/</guid><description>13th book of 2020. A story of a boy who needs to take some time off from magic (code?) and travels east (Iraq?) where he learns how to navigate palace</description></item><item><title>The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-name-of-the-wind-the-kingkiller-chronicle-%231/</link><pubDate>Tue, 28 Jan 2020 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-name-of-the-wind-the-kingkiller-chronicle-%231/</guid><description>7th book of 2020. A story about a boy who thinks he’s smarter than everybody else (check), who grew up with a traveling troop of nomads (carnival?), was</description></item><item><title>Senlin Ascends (The Books of Babel, #1)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/senlin-ascends-the-books-of-babel-%231/</link><pubDate>Wed, 27 Nov 2019 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/senlin-ascends-the-books-of-babel-%231/</guid><description>76th book of 2019 Didn’t like the protagonist, didn’t enjoy the setting, just felt like i was on a plane going nowhere as Senlin went from one cringe</description></item><item><title>The Secret Commonwealth (The Book of Dust, #2)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-secret-commonwealth-the-book-of-dust-%232/</link><pubDate>Tue, 26 Nov 2019 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-secret-commonwealth-the-book-of-dust-%232/</guid><description>74th book of 2019. Not disappointing. Picking up a beloved childhood series as an adult can be a gamble. It&amp;#39;s like rewatching films in high definition</description></item><item><title>Age of Myth (The Legends of the First Empire, #1)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/age-of-myth-the-legends-of-the-first-empire-%231/</link><pubDate>Sun, 13 Oct 2019 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/age-of-myth-the-legends-of-the-first-empire-%231/</guid><description>64th Book of 2019: Disappointingly Bland. I&amp;#39;ve been on a hot streak of fantasy this year, really enjoying The Raven Tower, as well as Foundryside, and</description></item><item><title>Middlegame (Alchemical Journeys, #1)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/middlegame-alchemical-journeys-%231/</link><pubDate>Wed, 09 Oct 2019 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/middlegame-alchemical-journeys-%231/</guid><description>63rd book of 2019. I judged this book by its cover. With Middlegame as the title and birthday-cake hand on the cover, I assumed this novel was about</description></item><item><title>The Priory of the Orange Tree (The Roots of Chaos, #1)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-priory-of-the-orange-tree-the-roots-of-chaos-%231/</link><pubDate>Sat, 28 Sep 2019 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-priory-of-the-orange-tree-the-roots-of-chaos-%231/</guid><description>59th book of 2019. I liked the two main characters Iad and Tane, didn&amp;#39;t really like the secondary characters, and didn&amp;#39;t like the plot. Throughout the</description></item><item><title>Doomsday Book (Oxford Time Travel, #1)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/doomsday-book-oxford-time-travel-%231/</link><pubDate>Sun, 25 Aug 2019 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/doomsday-book-oxford-time-travel-%231/</guid><description>The premise was great, and the focus on everyday Medieval life was fascinating, but I disliked every single character from the future timeline (i.e. just</description></item><item><title>Foundryside (The Founders Trilogy, #1)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/foundryside-the-founders-trilogy-%231/</link><pubDate>Mon, 06 May 2019 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/foundryside-the-founders-trilogy-%231/</guid><description>Who would have though that the best criticism of social media I&amp;#39;ve found could come from a fantasy book? “Every innovation—technological, sociological, or</description></item><item><title>Binti (Binti, #1)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/binti-binti-%231/</link><pubDate>Sun, 14 Apr 2019 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/binti-binti-%231/</guid><description>The only thing that seemed unique to me in the book was the plot twist about 20% of the way through. So short that there&amp;#39;s no harm in picking it up, but</description></item><item><title>Lock In (Lock In, #1)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/lock-in-lock-in-%231/</link><pubDate>Tue, 05 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/lock-in-lock-in-%231/</guid><description>My favorite scalzi book to date. Really liked the premise and the characters. The ending seemed a bit of a disappointment, but it was a fun ride to get</description></item><item><title>Norse Mythology</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/norse-mythology/</link><pubDate>Sat, 19 Jan 2019 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/norse-mythology/</guid><description>Didn&amp;#39;t get the hype. A pretty standard retelling of norse myths, felt kinda like reading a short story textbook more than anything else.</description></item><item><title>Fire &amp; Blood (A Targaryen History, #1)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/fire-blood-a-targaryen-history-%231/</link><pubDate>Mon, 14 Jan 2019 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/fire-blood-a-targaryen-history-%231/</guid><description>A rousing collection of faux-history wikipedia entries and tax policy musings, interwoven with a gossip column and dragons. I really enjoyed it.</description></item><item><title>The Ice Dragon</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-ice-dragon/</link><pubDate>Thu, 15 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-ice-dragon/</guid><description>Worst grrm book I’ve read.</description></item><item><title>Annihilation (Southern Reach, #1)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/annihilation-southern-reach-%231/</link><pubDate>Tue, 24 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/annihilation-southern-reach-%231/</guid><description>2026: OH MY GOD IT&amp;#39;S AN ALLEGORY FOR HUMANITY&amp;#39;S FIRST CONTACT WITH AI Original read: 2018 I.... didn&amp;#39;t get it. Maybe I&amp;#39;ll like the movie better?</description></item><item><title>The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth #1)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-fifth-season-the-broken-earth-%231/</link><pubDate>Wed, 27 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-fifth-season-the-broken-earth-%231/</guid><description>Fit together nicely. Different perspectives, enjoyable fantasy.</description></item><item><title>The Obelisk Gate (The Broken Earth, #2)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-obelisk-gate-the-broken-earth-%232/</link><pubDate>Wed, 27 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-obelisk-gate-the-broken-earth-%232/</guid><description>Very much a direct continuation of the first book, didn&amp;#39;t expand the world as much as I expected, but also didn&amp;#39;t feel like the first half of a story</description></item><item><title>The Stone Sky (The Broken Earth, #3)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-stone-sky-the-broken-earth-%233/</link><pubDate>Wed, 27 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-stone-sky-the-broken-earth-%233/</guid><description>Satisfying conclusion, pulled some of the same tricks as the original on a grander scale, but ended the series on a good note. Worth reading this series</description></item><item><title>Red Rising (Red Rising Saga, #1)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/red-rising-red-rising-saga-%231/</link><pubDate>Tue, 03 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/red-rising-red-rising-saga-%231/</guid><description>I was tempted by a tagline calling this book a combination of Hunger Games, Ender&amp;#39;s Game, and Game of Thrones. This book is not like Game of Thrones, and</description></item><item><title>The Martian</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-martian/</link><pubDate>Sat, 13 Jun 2015 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/the-martian/</guid><description>As good as everyone says it is. Don&amp;#39;t let the weird looking cover put you off. Go read it now. If you don&amp;#39;t believe me, go watch the trailer for the</description></item><item><title>A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, #3)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/a-storm-of-swords-a-song-of-ice-and-fire-%233/</link><pubDate>Sun, 20 Apr 2014 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/a-storm-of-swords-a-song-of-ice-and-fire-%233/</guid><description>I made the mistake of starting season 4 before all the episodes were out, then realized that I could just continue with the books. No more productivity</description></item><item><title>Cloud Atlas</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/cloud-atlas/</link><pubDate>Mon, 22 Jul 2013 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/cloud-atlas/</guid><description>I felt cheated, every time I started to enjoy a story, it would stop and I would be forced to read something else, by the time I got to cavendish part</description></item><item><title>三体 (三体, #1)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/%E4%B8%89%E4%BD%93-%E4%B8%89%E4%BD%93-%231/</link><pubDate>Tue, 20 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/%E4%B8%89%E4%BD%93-%E4%B8%89%E4%BD%93-%231/</guid><description>This book seemed to be some combination of a 余华 novel about the cultural revolution, a fictionalized version of a Brian Greene book, and a Stephenson</description></item><item><title>Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2)</title><link>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/catching-fire-the-hunger-games-%232/</link><pubDate>Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://jonathanmckay.com/reviews/catching-fire-the-hunger-games-%232/</guid><description>还行吧。我觉得这本书的语言水平适合我，但是我们为什么需要等到最后一部才看饥饿游戏的事件呢？</description></item></channel></rss>