Brandon_Bound
An avid reader of (mainly) foreign literature— primarily Japanese and Russian— though am interested in just about any good book. Also consume a (not so) healthy amount of manga and light novels.
291 points
Brandon_Bound finished reading and wrote a review...
"Trapped in a video game" as a theme is a dime a dozen, with a very obvious drop-off in quality the closer you get to the present- so good thing that Log Horizon was written back in 2010 on Shousetsuka Ni Narou. It bears all the signs of a classic Light Novel through this first volume: strong original concept, unique characters, great pacing that allows the world to scale, and so on and so forth. However, I do have some favorite pieces that make this really stand out as a read. Firstly, Shiroe (primarily). All the characters in Log Horizon aren't "flawed" but have shortcomings that make things awkward, difficult, or some other negative adjective. With Shiroe, we get to spend a good bit of time in his mind so you come to get a solid understanding of himself as a person. Calm and collected, but can often dive into the abyss accidentally, and come out into a world different from the one everyone else inhabits. His intelligence is a great weapon but also something that has him struggle in social relations with other people. It's a great piece and one example of many, where Mamare Touno is able to produce some really great flaws and challenges in the novel- even with such humble beginnings as this one. The idea that a great future lay ahead, though not undisturbed by trials and tribulations, is very well executed and makes you feel like you stare out across a vast world of endless possibilities. The reason that works though is that perfection is not a part of The Debauchery Tea Party's modus operandi. They don't stumble like fools, but they also can't effortlessly overcome everything in front of them. Tension is palpable in confrontation— both verbal and physical— but at the helm is a group of very experienced MMO players, with varying degrees of synergy. You feel the missteps and misreads just as much as the budding chemistry. My only complaint comes with the translation, no offense, Mr. Engel. The translation is a bit of a relic of its era, balancing between literal dictation and more subjective prose that can struggle at times. Engel has certainly come a long ways as a translator, but this first volume isn't the best written experience in English. I'm not at a level where I can realistically endeavour to read it in Japanese, but I've examined some passages to come to the above conclusion. Regardless, a really fun and enjoyable read that reminds me why I do still cling to light novels like these: when the stars align, you end up with a long-running story to indulge in that you'll never stop loving. So, here's to a long road ahead (so long as Touno gets moving again after that tax evasion scandal).
0Brandon_Bound wants to read...
Galápagos
Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
0Brandon_Bound commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
Every so often I think about the novels I read a kid. I'm typically reminded of series that I read into my adolescence with much of Rick Riordan populating those memories, as well as the odd flicker of Eragon (typically as its movie adaptation). On the rare occasion though, The Ranger's Apprentice pops up, and reminds me of how much I loved the series despite how little staying power it has. Its just such a strong memory despite how uncommonly I mull over the experience, so I was curious to hear of any similar experiences that others might have. Are there other books that feel forgotten to both time and your own memories, but still hold a special place in your heart?
43Post from the Pagebound Club forum
Every so often I think about the novels I read a kid. I'm typically reminded of series that I read into my adolescence with much of Rick Riordan populating those memories, as well as the odd flicker of Eragon (typically as its movie adaptation). On the rare occasion though, The Ranger's Apprentice pops up, and reminds me of how much I loved the series despite how little staying power it has. Its just such a strong memory despite how uncommonly I mull over the experience, so I was curious to hear of any similar experiences that others might have. Are there other books that feel forgotten to both time and your own memories, but still hold a special place in your heart?
43Post from the Log Horizon, Vol. 1: The Beginning of Another World forum
Getting to really dig into Log Horizon has reminded me so much of what so many similar series are missing: balance. Overpowered can be fun, but you cant pretend (in most cases) to keep things close. Touno keeps a delicate balance of power and potential, but leverages the world and its circumstances against that to keep things high stakes despite a steady climb. Its not edge of your seat anxiety or anything, but it absolutely keeps you engaged between all the interesting discussion pieces.
0Brandon_Bound commented on a post
Probably an unpopular opinion but...... im really struggling to enjoy this? I dont know how to describe it, but im just not feeling connected to any of the characters, and im just not seeing the POINT. Like what is rin FIGHTING FOR? Everytime i read some, i come away from it just feeling like "what was the point" Like im definitely intrigued by the magic system, and the speerlies, but im not getting enough to motivate me. Am i alone in this?? Im considering dnfing 😭😭 i HATE dnfing, but yeah. Maybe im just not in the right headspace.
15Brandon_Bound commented on a post
I'm reading this as part of the PB summer readalong and am really struggling to maintain interest. It's my first Kuang and the writing is excellent. The world building is great. I enjoy the use of Rin, a deeply unreliable narrator, as our eyes on this world - creates interesting opportunities for commentary and guiding us to see some of the indoctrination she (and we all) experiences. But I read for entertainment and this is feeling really slow so far. And a bit expository - there's a ton of conversation between Rin and Jiang where he's explaining things to "her" that feels like pages and pages of him explaining things to US. I've read that it'll pick up around 50%, so sticking it out, but I really expected to be riveted much sooner in this read.
3Post from the The Poppy War (The Poppy War, #1) forum
As I near closer to the end of this initial volume, I can only feel that this is an unfortunate book. Kuang continually puts down interesting ideas against the backdrop of existing history and mythology, but consistently comes up short in most of the original aspects paired with it. Half-baked and hastily assembled, each encounter and interaction has me confused as to why they're longer than they need be, or why they're shorter than they should be. Really great interactions and B-plots are underexposed against the grand scheme of things, resulting in a jarring experience where you feel compelled to stray further from the main plot that drags its feet until it can find something interesting to wander towards. I understand that I still have 100 or so pages left for Kuang to tie somewhat of a bow on this section of the saga, but I really can't help but wonder how that might be possible in a way that feels organic and natural. Time will tell, but my confidence continues to wane in this work's potential. No hard feelings, Kuang.
0Brandon_Bound commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
I usually read before bed. But I’m getting really excited reading (yay) and end up more wired, instead of relaxed. I’m trying for earlier nights. Any relaxing book recs? Yes, I’m essentially asking for bedtime stories lmao.
22Brandon_Bound commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
I feel like it can be quite hard to know where to start with trying new genres or even sub-genres, so I thought we could help each other out! I am a fantasy reader, but I'd really like to try some contemporary romance, specifically sapphic contemporary romance. Let me and others know if you have any recommendations, and don't forget to ask for some of your own! Please respond to others requests if you have good recommendations!
32Post from the Log Horizon, Vol. 1: The Beginning of Another World forum
While I've watched the anime, its been a while and so this experience is still rather fresh/novel. As expected the writing can be a little simple and repetitive, emphasizing environment and detail each time our characters take a step forward. Its not boring or lazy, but it certainly inflates the early pages before dialogue is able to wrestle control of the pages away. Once its able to get toward the real content of this initial volume though, the pages tend to speed by- yes, even with some of its out-of-date and off-colour humor. It doesn't blend into the thoroughly thought out but reasonable conversation pieces, but with the frame of mind that "this is a video game" it can be safely ignored. Fundamentally, most of its writing (and by extension translation) is on a similar technical level to most solid light novels, but the ideas displayed- even so early on- are just far more intriguing and creative than mostly all of its modern competitors (a feature of many early shousetsuka works). All in all, very excited to continue reading the series, and may even revisit the anime after I reach the end of season 1 content.
0Brandon_Bound started reading...
Log Horizon, Vol. 1: The Beginning of Another World
Mamare Touno
0Brandon_Bound commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
I understand "Enjoyment", "Characters" and "Plot" while reviewing a book, but what does "Quality" mean? The only thing I can think about is maybe writing style? Or how do you interpret it? Sorry if that question is stupid, English is not my native language. And sorry if that's been asked before, I couldn't find anything about it.
11Brandon_Bound commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
For me, if I have a choice I’m only going to read standalone books instead of series. Most series that I start I never finish because I get bored of them, or by the third book it feels dragged out or boring. What are your thoughts? Which do you prefer?
59Brandon_Bound commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
i saw someone make a tiktok on this the other day and it hasn't left my mind since. he was specifically focusing on how advertising a book as enemies-to-lovers not only spoils the book but takes the winds out of the effectiveness of the trope and after thinking about it for a second i agreed SO hard. the best enemies-to-lovers is when you don't know it's coming, when they're fighting and hating each other until you get that 'oh...OH' moment when you realize they're starting to develop feelings for each other. the surprise of it is what makes it so good. this goes for a lot of other tropes too. knowing what half the book is going to be like, to me, takes all the fun of discovery out of the book before you even read it. it's like a watching a plot summary and then going to read the book. you know the broad strokes of what's going to happen so what's the point of taking the time to read it yourself? i know that some people want to read about specific things and the tropes help them find what they're looking for when they don't wanna waste time, but i just wish tropes weren't used in all the advertising for new books. i wish authors treated trope lists like content warnings nowadays: have a list on their website but not obviously listing them. having them easily accessible but not shoved in your face so you get spoiled before you even realize it. this was more just me sharing an opinion/ranting, but i would be interested in seeing what y'all think if you have any thoughts on this!
23Brandon_Bound commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
I just got one in the sale and I'm obsessed but now I feel bad for my physical tbr that I'm meant to be getting through. Also what are people's opinions on kindles?
42Brandon_Bound commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
I'm not sure if this was asked or mentioned before, but, would it be possible to have a review tab or section on our profile where all our past reviews are in the future?? Like where we have 'Activity', 'List', 'Quest', and 'Stats', we also have a section for the reviews? I'm not sure if this makes much sense with how I explained 😅
10Post from the The Poppy War (The Poppy War, #1) forum
Arriving at the conclusion of part I— a bit of a confounding separation to include for how disparate much of this beginning section is— much of my thoughts remain similar to my previous post. Consistency and purpose remain the biggest hurdles for Kuang throughout the work, detracting from its better intents and intuition. On top of that, the depth that Kuang seeks produces a painful degree of redundancy. Deeper philosophical discussions become a single-sided flex of Kuang's intelligence and lose sight of what they should mean to the reader, producing regurgitation after regurgitation on similar subjects (inflating the page count). In truth, it makes it hard to praise some of the better aspects through this near first-half of the novel's page count. I don't hate it, but I'm finding it hard to call Kuang's writing much more than immature. Solid ideas, creative (enough) foundations, but it feels as though Kuang has forgotten the existence of a reader as part of this affair almost entirely. While I'm still committed to completing the work, it hasn't made me feel much more confident about its future tonal shift and how that will be expounded upon. It's a bit hard to phrase without giving away spoilers, but this story so far feels like an attempt to best its contemporaries and nothing more. It wants to argue that it's a better X, Y, or Z than another and loses sight of most other things in pursuit of that. Perhaps being more read in this area would have me perceive things differently, or maybe there's still time for my opinion to change (as there is still several hundred pages left).
0Brandon_Bound wants to read...
The Vampyre
John William Polidori
0
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