This is one of those books where I feel the need to begin with a disclaimer: I am probably not the intended audience for this book. While I am aware that Hank and his brother John, do in fact, technically exist, my knowledge of them doesn’t extend far beyond that. I don’t watch their youtube videos, don’t read John’s books, and don’t really interact with them in any way. Also, in a world where I, and I alone, selected all the books I read, I probably wouldn’t have chosen An Absolutely Remarkable Thing.

But, the new release by Hank Green was my wife’s book pick for our April book club, so here I am.

I would say that this story is very distinctly about two things: the appearance of a group of statues around the world known as the Carls, and a commentary on modern internet culture and fame.

As a reader, one of these stories is interesting to me. The other one is not.

To come to the book’s defense, the Carls, and the mystery surrounding them, is really interesting and really well done. Hank came up with a number of really interesting ideas here, and for me, the sections dealing specifically with this mystery flew by for me.

However, it felt as if most of the book was about April May, a fairly unlikeable and sarcastic protagonist who becomes internet famous (and then just famous) as a result of the Carls. I had no problems with April. I don’t mind unlikeable or sarcastic. There are a number of insightful comments about our culture and the internet here, and I think that if a reader was interested in that conversation, they’d find those pages immensely rewarding.

I did not.

Although I’m tempted to get into spoiler-y territory, I will not. I will only say that even though I now know this is only the first book in a series, I personally didn’t feel that either April’s character arc or the mystery of the Carls was resolved to such a point that I was satisfied.

In the end, I suspect if you’re already a fan of Hank Green, you’ll probably enjoy his foray into writing. Although I don’t watch his videos, my wife tells me a lot of his voice comes out in these books. If you’re looking for a sci-fi/contemporary fiction mash-up, this could also be a place to start. But if you’re really looking for a more sci-fi story, I might suggest looking elsewhere.

Ah, Brandon Sanderson. Will you ever write something I won’t like?

At this point in time, I’ve probably only read about half of Sanderson’s work, but I’ve always consistently enjoyed it. I was incredibly curious to see him tackle a more YA-ish sci-fi world. I love sci-fi, but YA (or YA-themed books) are a bit of a hard sell for me. I don’t find myself interested in most of the tropes.

But I really enjoyed this book.

The world-building here is top-notch, as you would typically expect from Mr. Sanderson. Humans have retreated underground, fighting for their very existence. Aliens attack from the mysterious sky above, their motives unknown, their success seemingly inevitable.

Our protagonist is Spensa, a young woman who has to fight against the ghosts of the past to become a fighter pilot for humanity. Her character, and her development, is fun to read.

There are three elements of this novel that kept me turning the pages: The first is one of the mysteries at the heart of the novel: what happened to Spensa’s father? Every answer raises another question, leading us deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole. Second was the world-building. Everything from the society to dogfights, the environment to the aliens, is lovingly rendered. It’s a joy to continue to learn more about Spensa’s world.

The final element is the “magic.” I hesitate to say much, as it gets into spoiler-y territory, but the way technology works in this story is fascinating, and one of the things that makes me most excited to dive deeper into this world.

I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say that Brent Weeks has changed forever my view of epic fantasy. I’m ashamed that I didn’t start reading him until 2018, but I fully plan on remedying my mistakes in short order.

The Night Angel trilogy has been one of my favorite fantasy reads in recent memory, thanks in large part to the expansive, complex magic systems, the breakneck pacing, and the underlying heart of the story.

I absolutely need to start by examining the brilliant pacing and plotting of the series, as it was the element that probably struck me most. In my own experience, I don’t think I’ve ever encountered an epic fantasy paced like the Night Angel trilogy. The chapters are short, the tension is consistently high, and Weeks does an incredible job of layering plots together in such a way that the danger is always escalating. It’s an epic fantasy that reads like a thriller, which is no small feat considering how large the books are.

I fondly remember reading the first book on my kindle. I turn off the percentage bar at the bottom, as I find that it distracts me from the simple joy of diving into the story. As I powered through the first book, I distinctly remember being convinced that I was getting quite close to the climax of the story. Then, for some reason, I had to close the book and return to the homepage, where the percentage read displayed. I was only at 50%! That was the moment I knew I was in for one incredible ride.

The magic in Night Angel is definitely “soft.” Kylar is always discovering new abilities, and the limits of magic are never definite. I’m not sure that I have a distinct preference between “soft” and “hard” magic systems, but I always worry that soft magic systems can be used by authors to get their characters too easily out of sticky situations, like in the old batman show where Batman’s utility belt always had exactly the device he needed to escape that particular situation. Fortunately, Weeks manages to avoid this problem. Throughout the series, as Kylar discovers more of what he can do, I was never left thinking, “Well, that’s awfully convenient.” Instead, I was always left with a distinct feeling of, “Well, that’s pretty damn cool.”

I won’t argue that Night Angel is perfect. I’m not sure any book is. I had my fair share of complaints here. But what won me over in the end is the heart of the story. It’s easy, in the middle of epic fantasy with high stakes and incredibly powerful magic, to lose the beating heart of what makes a story matter: characters who have to make difficult choices that change who they are.

No matter how powerful the characters become, and no matter how dangerous the situation may be, Weeks never loses this all-important thread in the Night Angel trilogy. The challenges the protagonists face aren’t just important because of their difficulty, they’re important because they force the protagonists to confront themselves.

I’ll never claim to be the most widely read person out there, but I’ve read no small amount of fantasy, and I’ve never encountered anything quite like the Night Angel trilogy. Throughout the last book, in particular, I felt as though this was a story just beginning to be told, and I’m excited by the possibility of Weeks someday returning to this incredible world.

I just finished reading The Sentinel, which in my kindle library, is the second of the four collected volumes of Arthur C. Clarke’s short stories. I remember feeling like the first volume evoked an incredibly wide range of reactions for me, leaving me feeling overall like the collection was only OK.

I enjoyed this collection much more. Clarke, like many of his peers at the time, specialized in writing what I like to think of as “idea” stories. The characters aren’t usually that strong, and mostly serve to represent viewpoints or other ideas. But the stories themselves almost always surround one particularly interesting idea, such as: “What would happen if an alien species tried to save Earth from imminent disaster, but the only person they could reach was a drunk?”

Overall, I found the ideas in this collection fascinating, and while a few of the pieces really stood out, what I found particularly enjoyable was that there weren’t any pieces I didn’t like. All put together, this makes for a really enjoyable read. I’m excited to dive deeper into Clarke’s career and read more of this excellent short work.