Monday, June 15, 2015

Winters, Ben (Countdown City)

I was tempted to write the review of the second and third books together, seeing as I gobbled them up in one go while on vacation. But, they are different in their approaches, and so I'll write a short one for each.

The second book, as with most second books, was not as satisfying as the first. It's not new, you understand the world the author has built, and you expect something to be, frankly, completely different. I don't care if you intellectually understand that this is not possible - it's simply in our nature to want more and different things each time we pick up a book.

So, obviously, this was a continuation of the same trudge towards extinction, however, this time with the addition of situations that beggared belief. It's tough not to give anything away, but there is a large machine that boggles the mind, and there is a significant injury incurred by our tragic hero that is really, truly unbelievable.

Yes, of course, there is more excellent prose about Henry's need to "do the right thing" and that lesson is why these books are so good. Would you be like Henry if push came to shove? Maybe you and I both should be.

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