Film: Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One

My issues with this film are slightly more profound than whether it was good or bad. The truth is that I enjoyed it for what it was: a showcase of set pieces supporting some strange plot that I didn't really care much about. It did all that action stuff well, and threw in some decent charm and comedy too.

At times I did feel that I had seen some of it all before (haven't we done the BMW car chase in a European city already? And was that Tom Holland in the background of the train scene?), but that's not what spoiled the movie. It just felt like something was missing. It took me a while to figure out what that was - an ending.

Which I suppose shouldn't have come as a surprise considering the title of the film, but I guess I'm still reeling from how Infinity War managed to pull it off. So although the acting, production, stunts and action was as fine as any Mission: Impossible film has offered, Dead Reckoning doesn't quite make my top three or even four of the franchise. That doesn't make it a bad film, just a disappointing one, and it's still some of the best action you'll see on the screen this summer.

Film: Barbie

If anything, the idea of a Barbie movie solicited a range of reactions, which broadly fall into the following categories:

1. Those girls (and boys and men and women) who were hugely looking forward to a film about their favourite doll/merchandise;
2. Those who hate everything about Barbie (and women, and men and the world) who felt it a duty to protest;
3. Those who wanted to watch the film out of some kind of irony for the 'gram (we call these the barbenheimer crowd); and
   
4. Those who had faith that this film was going to be genuinely great, self aware and knew exactly who its various audiences were.

And if a film is judged by how it fulfils the expectations of its audience, well then Barbie is one of the greatest films of all time, since all the, quite disparate, groups above seemed to have come away relatively satiated.

Of course it's not one of the greatest films of all time, but Barbie is a good movie - or as good as a movie about Barbie can be. Like any good family movie, it manages to entertain on various levels, and although the social commentary does labour at times the film knows it and even calls that out. Put another way, it takes the audience with it.

It's well produced, and everyone manages to pull off the kind of plastic acting you'd want from a Barbie movie. And of course everyone is so pretty. Yes, the plot is thin, but it does the job.

The point is that Barbie is a good movie and only offensive and problematic if you really spend the time and effort looking for that - and even then it does a good job. Recommended.

Film: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

After the disappointment that was Crystal Skull, my expectations for the fifth Indy film was as low as you could get for someone who nevertheless felt obliged to go see it. So it was with a pleasant sense of surprise that I left the cinema actually having enjoyed this movie - and in many ways for the reasons that were lacking 15(!) years ago.

First things first - Harrison Ford was not too old to reprise this role. Of course de-aging tech was featured (and not too badly either), but not to lean on and the majority of the film was indeed about our favourite adventuring octogenarian, albeit supported by some youthful co-leads.

But it was mainly the return of fundamental Indy ingredients that made this film so fun. We had Nazis, we had magic, we had clues and graves. We had satire and fun and quips and banter. We had swooshing action. It just got all the basics right.

That said I do recognise that this is it, that there won't (and shouldn't) be any further Indiana Jones movies after this. And as sad as that is, I'm glad that the series goes out on a high note rather than what we were left with last time.

Edmonton 2023

Coming back to Edmonton after so soon was weird. It feels like yesterday that we were last here (and given that my Shredded Wheat was still in the larder, that's not too far from the truth), almost as if it was the stay in London in between that was the trip. In some ways this reduced the sheen, the holiday vibe, of the trip - similar to Karachi which I no longer look at as special either. But that's not a bad thing: it shows that my relationship with the town and the people in it has evolved into something deeper and intrinsic.

Still, this trip was special - mainly due to Eid pulling in so many people. This gave the trip its own party atmosphere, with lots of socialising and activities going on - and in many ways it balanced the normality of the trip otherwise.

Otherwise the usual things held true: I ate too much, I was even less impressed by West Ed Mall, we played lots of games, and we were well looked after by uncle and cousins. We even managed to visit Bianca Amor's Liquidation Store (although it said a lot about how long we've been away seeing the same stock on the shelves).

All that's left to see is when we'll be back to continue our with our time here. Given my diminishing enthusiasm for general touristic travel, I wouldn't bet on it being too long.

The BBQ at Long Lake

The second mass family get together was held on the shores of Long Lake, a regular event on the Edmonton calendar, but this time generously scheduled to coincide with our visit.

Quite frankly I wouldn't know where to start in organising a self catered 100-person picnic BBQ like this (apparently there was a spreadsheet somewhere) but it all worked with the experience and "all hands" mentality of those attending - at one point there were three fires going.

The lake itself was nice, and I managed to get my feet wet for a good while. One of the attendees even brought an inflatable dinghy to take us out in which definitely was beyond the call of duty.

As with all good picnics, the day only ended once the sun set. Heading toward the end of our visit to Edmonton, it was definitely a great way to see the trip out.

Jasper

I often make a silly, non-serious oath that I will never go back to Jasper or Banff again. They are places I've seen and done and have had some amazing memories of, but I also find them to be inefficient and, let's face it, it's not like the mountains change much over time.

But as there were a critical mass of out-of-towners, it did make sense to make a trip out - and for various reasons (not least of which was the cost of accommodation for 26 people) it was decided to make it a day trip. Which essentially meant an early start and a late end. Oof.

Otherwise as expected there wasn't any surprises here - we saw wildlife and mountains and ate some great BBQ'd food. We visited the Maligne and Pyramid Lakes and of course stopped by the Athabasca Falls (which in some ways are more significant to me than Niagara).

So yeah, despite my faux-protestations, our 24-plus-hours stint to Jasper was actually pretty great and another example of how sometimes things turn out much better than as promised on paper.

Book: The Butcher of Anderson Station, James S. A. Corey

I quite like the whole novella idea. I first came across it in serious use during my reading of The Cosmere, although The Wheel Of Time also had a single novella to include in any OCD binging of the series. These short stories serve as a great pit-stop between heavier novels, a bit like palette cleansers, but also serve a great purpose in filling in some of the details washed over in mainline stories.

The downside is collecting them all. But in the case of The Expanse that's been solved with the publication of Memory's Legion, a complete set of short stories from the series. Rather than read this volume as a book, I'll use it as a reference to plug away at its stories in publication order.

First up then is the story of Colonel Fred Johnson, covering two major events in his life. The first you might be able to guess, the second is more about his attempt at redemption. It's a decent story to tell and I found the flavour helpful... but it was also a useful exercise as I found it an easier read than Leviathan Wakes, somewhat subduing the fears I had of Corey as a writer.

Other than that there's not much to say about this particular short story. If you're going for a complete Expanse reading then it's just as essential (and easy to read) as the rest.

A Day of Fun and Games

Due to the narrow window in which people were visiting, today was marked down for a bunch of activities and promised to be a loft of fun.

First on the agenda was attending an escape room. Now I've done my fair share of rooms now so tend to skip them these days but it turned out that there was space for one more and so I found myself with 8 others solving pretty straightforward puzzles - we got out later than we should have due to what we considered to be an artificial obstacle (basically a code input that made us wait 60 seconds between tries), otherwise it was decent enough. We followed this up with some bougie coffee and dessert, in a region of Edmonton I hadn't seen before.

In the evening a much larger group took over the Activate facility to play various tech assisted room games, including Mega Grid - something you may have seen on various social media. Now this was a lot of fun - although perhaps some rooms were better than others, and due to the way it worked (6 to a room) we tended not to see much of the wider group we were with.

We then went for dessert which was a great way to detune (and get some vital calories back) after which we went for a drive downtown - something I rarely see at night. But the day didn't even end there as a bunch of us regrouped to play Telestrations (of all things) till way too late.

Eid in Edmonton

The main reason for timing of this trip was to celebrate Eid.

Eids in London tend to be quiet affairs for us, so we were looking forward to spending it with such a big local community, both throughout the day and during organised gatherings like the Eid salaat (which was wonderfully efficient and took around 30 mins) and the community party at a banquet hall (arranged for 100 heads).

It all paid off, and we finally got to see what a busy and varying "all-day" Eid could be like. The party had the double benefit of allowing us to greet our extended family in one place. A bonus was that others from outside Edmonton had also chosen this period to visit, giving the whole time more of a party vibe.

Given many of us would be together, we also set today for our game of "Don't Get Got" which kept us on our toes throughout, and even managed a couple of games of Clocktower late into the night.

It was a good time and very dossy... although at times overwhelming as it stretched my social battery.

Book: Leviathan Wakes, James S. A. Corey

Yes, if you think you've read this review before then you're not wrong. But rather than this being a cheap way to generate content, I have actually restarted The Expanse, almost six years after dipping my toes the first time. The plan was to interleave the series with The Cosmere, but I found that way too confusing, and now that I'm fully caught up with that I'm left to binge The Expanse at my leisure. That the series is now complete is a bonus - and I'll be reading the novellas in publication order too via the generous Memory's Legion compendium of Expanse shorts. More on that to come.

On starting the book it became clear to me that I really didn't remember much of it. This was good (as I get a newish experience) but also bad (how forgettable was this?). Either way it'll be interesting to see how my opinion has changed, if at all.

Leviathan Wakes is not a great book. I put this down mainly to the quality of writing, and there was a few passages I had to reread to parse correctly, if not giving up altogether and moving on. The author's use of voice and tone jars with expectation, which hopefully means I'll get used to it eventually.

The story itself is fine. Solid. Okay. It manages to present a classic sci-fi trope in an accessible manner, while supporting it with decent characters and subplots. It's not amazing but lays the foundation of what's to come. Most importantly, I'm invested and looking forward to seeing how it plays out. That alone is a reason to recommend it I guess, although it really does depend on how the whole thing hangs together.

Toronto Day Five: Waiting for Departure

When we were planning this trip we thought that five days would be too tight and we'd have to sacrifice compromise on certain needs and requirements to get it all to fit. Well in what is a classic example of over-planning, today turned out to be a pretty dead day in which we pretty much we left waiting for our flight back to Edmonton. Sure, we managed to visit the mall (again) and had a decent lunch with another uncle, but aside from that it was clock watching and administrative, and a bit of a shame as an alternative plan would have gotten us into Edmonton at a far more decent hour than we actually did.

But I guess having more time that required was better than having our trip cut short, and as a cheap quick stint, our time in Toronto was actually quite the success. We managed to see all of the touristy stuff we wanted to, while spending some quality time with the family and friends we have here. That we had to spend a few hours twiddling our thumbs was a small price to pay really - especially given that we don't know when we'll return to this city.

Toronto Day Four: Going Downtown

After Niagara, heading to downtown was the second "must do" we set ourselves for this trip - although what we wanted to actually do there was pretty much up in the air till this morning. The default obvious choice of heading up the CN Tower was not taken due to a variety of reasons including partial closure, the weather and a general disinterest, and so we decided to stick to culture. And of course, food.

We began our wondering at Graffiti Alley, spending the ten minutes or so required to take in the art. For brunch we headed to Kensington Market for some dirty chicken and waffles - we were planning to come back here for lunch so we exited the area and after a quick exploration of Spadina Avenue (including a visit to the delightfully nerdy A&C Games) headed along College Street to Queen's Park, taking in the university vibe along the way.

It was there that we were picked up by my cousin and her husband, now native to downtown. Now with a car we were wheeled back to Kensington Market where we gorged ourselves on churros, tacos and burgers. It was a good time.

With our insiders' help we were taken to the port area (via Yonge-Dundas Square) for some excellent (and free) views of the city. It was there that we parted ways with the family, returning to moving around on foot - which in turn allowed us to meander through the Distillery District and St Lawrence Market on the way to Union Station for our train home.

Getting home was a piece of cake, and I'll always be amazed at how the locals underappreciate the availability of a well designed and integrated transport system. We bought a single ticket from Union that allowed us to take the three stops on the double decker train to Port Credit where a waiting bus took us the three further stops to our apartment. It was a pleasant and efficient experience and makes me wonder why we're repeatedly told to take lifts and taxis.

The evening was spent celebrating the 50th anniversary of an uncle here, where we chilled with more great food, family and fun.

Toronto Day Three: Chilling in 'Sauga

Since we have a reasonable amount of family here in Toronto, time and space had to be reserved to spend with them. Jummah was the ideal day for this, and so today was always going to be less touristy and more familial. So the morning was spent using the apartment's pool facilities, including the hot tub and sauna, while a later Jummah start even allowed us to visit the nearby Square One mall for an hour or so.

With prayers done, we had lunch with an uncle, after which I met a friend for dessert. That took us to dinner with another aunt at which point I pretty much accepted that I was going to put on more than a few kilos before my return to the UK. Sad times.

Toronto Day Two: Niagara Falls

Of course no (tourist) trip to Toronto would be complete without a visit to the world famous falls here in Niagara. On the other hand, I've visited both Iguazu and Victoria falls since my last visit here and I think it's reasonable to say that Niagara didn't impress as much as those one.

But what Niagara lacks in scale, it makes up in accessibility. Being able to walk along a paved road to a well situated view made today a piece of cake, and that's before we even talk about the boat ride to the base of the falls - which was both far better than I remembered and expected.

With the main things ticked off, we grabbed a doner lunch at the excellent RG Kitchen on the way to the flower clock after which we made our way to Mississauga where we were staying for the remainder of our trip here.

Toronto Day One: Twenty Four Years Later

The oddest thing about this Toronto trip is knowing it's been 24 years or so since I was last here. I was a different person, Toronto was different, the world was different. As a marker of the passage of time it's pretty crazy to think about it, but otherwise I considered this a new place to explore - I can't imagine returning to any place I've visited after such a gap (although perhaps Islamabad ranked up there).

Today was just logistics. Canadian budget flights tend to be on the inconvenient side, but we managed to find a decent arrival to Hamilton which allowed us to pick up our rental and drive to Niagara in good time - enough to see the falls at night and then have a chicken wings and pizza dinner. The sleazy motel in which we're spending the night was just the icing on the cake.

A Record Return

When I promised my family here in Edmonton that I'd be "back soon", I didn't expect it to be a year later. Last year's trip had definitely been a paradigm shift in my relationship with Edmonton (for various reasons) so coming more often was always the plan, but I consider it fortuitous to have had the opportunity so soon.

It's nice to be both familiar with and by Edmonton. I think Canada has now cemented it's place as the third most country I've visited, bested only by Pakistan and Saudi, so it's probably something worth getting used to.

That said, as quickly as we have arrived, we are due to leave - as our little stint in Toronto starts as soon as tomorrow.

Film: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Has it really been five years since we first met Miles Morales and travelled the animated Spider-verse? That alone is frightening.

The second fear was that the sequel would not live up to the promises made in the first film. Well, I can confirm that Across is not a bum film. In fact it's even more fun, polished and coherent than the first, and manages to address almost all of the issues I had with it... albeit in non-straightforward ways.

The sometimes labouring animation style is still there, but refined and less of a headache. Character development is here in spades, but mainly in the form of annoying children being annoying children and making Bad Choices. The plot is great - an achievement in itself given the complexity that comes with multiverse shenanigans.

So top marks so far, and yet I can't help but see this as a Spider-Verse v1.5, the same film but done over. That it leaves room for a further sequel underlines this feeling, but on the bright side the eventual trilogy has the potential to be one of the best. And for that reason alone this instalment becomes pretty essential to watch.

Film: Fast X

Oh F&F, how ridiculous you are. Not only does your name shrink as time goes on (I expect the next film to just be referred to by a grunting sound), but you really did yourself a disservice by going into space the last time around. How can any subsequent film top that? Well the answer is of course with time travel - but don't worry, there's no Deloreans in this film.

The truth is though that it doesn't need to top anything. Even if you did consider 9 the peak of incredulity, knowing that doesn't harm FX - in fact it allows it actually allows it to focus on being its own film. And it was actually pretty good.

Yes, you have to suspend your disbelief a little and yes, a lot of it is just convienient excuses to run the next set peice... But that's F&F's raison d'etre so if you're going to complain about that then it's your fault for being here in the first place.

Ultimately FX is the beginning of the end of the F&F franchise and seems to know it enough to go out willingly. If that means having to pull the dial back slightly then I'm here for it. Recommended.

Film: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

I wouldn't call GotG3 a turning point in the recent decline in MCU form, but it was a decent flick. That said, it did feel more like an extended TV show episode than movie - that was more to do with the Hallmark vibes than the quality of the film though.

Because yes, GotG3 wasn't about the big bad or gods or end of the worlds, but more about the Guardians themselves - Rocket in the main, but also the wider group, including the reanimated Gamora which by the way didn't feel laboured at all. Much.

So yeah - there's nothing here that marks the return of the MCU as a force, but given the mediocrity of the recent entries anything this entertaining should be taken as a win. Recommended.

Film: Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves

D&D achieves exactly what it sets out to do - it literally has both dungeons and dragons, and is full of adventure and callbacks to the source material. It plays things safe, gets from A to B and is largely unoffensive.

If it sounds like I'm being passive aggressive about the film, that's not my intention - I genuinely enjoyed the film and have little about it to complain. It was well built, paced perfectly and had some very charming characters. The action was cool and the special effects more than adequate. The plot wasn't complicated but was enough.

The thing is I think it would have been just as enjoyable at home as it was on the big screen - which I suppose is both a boon and a curse. Was it an epic tale? Not really. Could it be part of an epic series? Quite possibly. Either way I recommend D&D, even if you do manage to catch it on the small screen.

Book: Tress of the Emerald Sea, Brandon Sanderson

Tress is proof that we don't need big. A wonderful story that is as dense as it is breezy, this, for me, was the perfect antidote to the sheer exhaustion from binging everything published in the Cosmere to date.

It's as dense as it was whimsical, as pacey as it was deep, and as funny as it was significant. As a Cosmere story it moved the world on tremendously, it didn't hold back and was generous in all that it gave.

Technically it was a wonderful book too, albeit with a bit of laboured characterisation. Everything was so smooth, so fluid, that it was a distinct pleasure to read.

Definitely recommended and a hope for the Cosmere going forward. Speaking of which, seeing as I've finally caught up with the lore it'll be a while before I return to this particular universe.

Film: John Wick: Chapter 4

More of the same doesn't have to be a bad thing, especially with the tuned and concise film-making presented to us by John Wick. Some might say that Chapters 2 and 3 started getting bloated, but I thought they were okay at the time.

It's only coming to Chapter 4 that you can begin to see the trajectory of the franchise over the decade or so that it's been with us. It's now middle ages, a bit pudgy around the middle and get confused sometimes. It's still good, somewhat mature... but also not as quick as it used to be.

What is good is great, but it's way too long with obvious cuts that could have been made. Some characters and arcs seem wholly superfluous in fact. One can hope that this is the peak of escalation that results in such fat, but I'd be happy to take the termination of the series as an alternative. Some things just get ruined in the chase for bigger and better, and JW is way too good to go down that road.

Film: Shazam! Fury of the Gods

Maybe I'm just getting old, but these days all I'm really looking for in a movie is a solid production, a decent plot and zero overreach. And I'm glad to say that Shazam 2 (because who likes subtitles anyway) does exactly what it was supposed to do.

I can't say it's an original film, but in a world of Marvel-saturation, going back to the basics turned out to be quite the novel move. The acting was fine, the film was fun, and the superhero antics more than adequate. If this is what the new DCEU is going to be like going forward, then I'm all for it.

Film: Creed III

It goes to show how many legs the Rocky films had, given how Creed (the franchise) seems tired and running out of steam by the third. The film was equally convenient and implausible, both made all the worse by its rushed pacing. It laboured emotional themes, which also isn't necessarily a problem except when the emotions feel so cartoony.

There was some interesting bits - the fights were novel enough to be enjoyable, and the experimentation with their visuals paid off. There were only three though, with the final one not even being the better of them.

It was a decent jaunt I suppose... just not the knockout I wanted it to be. Disappointing.

Book: The Lost Metal, Brandon Sanderson

Maybe it's overexposure (whether that's for me to the books or the books to everyone I'm not sure) but The Lost Metal just didn't feel like a great book. It was very perfunctory, with a plot that had few twists or excitement as a result. What it did give instead is a shed load of Cosmere.

So fanservice then? I prefer "bridging", in that - finally - we have some explicit references to the Cosmere, World Hopping, Investiture and it's various forms and manifestations and how all the various geography of the Cosmere may fit together. Plenty has been left for the future, but as a start this makes TLM a pretty essential part of the wider series as a whole.

It also marks the last in Era 2 of Mistborn, and as a conclusion it was okay. It could certainly have been much worse. Either way the book was short (well at least compared to the more recent Stormlight novels) so however flat the substance of the book was it wasn't much to suffer from.

Otherwise everything else is as you'd expect by now - TLM was well written, never fatally boring and gave enough to keep me going to the end.

Film: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

I suppose the curse of having such a great formula (as the MCU does), is that eventually we become desensitised to it. Quantumania isn's a bad film. It's not great either. It just exists... which might be topical given the subject matter (but probably isn't).

If that opening is confusing and nonsense, then I'm glad because it sets the tone for the film I'm trying to write about. Why is the quantum realm so... populated? And that with generic alien type beings? Why is the leaping into such a pivotal part of the next arc of the MCU so... bland? Why does this film even exist?

My immediate thought after watching the movie was: "this really is a MCU movie", such was the identikit feel of it all. Haven't we been here before? But again, maybe that was all part of the satire.

I didn't hate it, but I didn't like it either, which is actually more irritating than it sounds. I won't recommend it then, but I guess you already know if you're going to watch it anyway.

Food: Thai and Pie

Holy fusion Batman! Okay technically this wasn't really a fusion place, although perhaps still novel. The pitch is that while the grown ups attend for an adult Thai meal, there is enough on the menu to placate the fussy kids - burgers, chicken and of course, pie. Pretty clever, I guess? Except four out of the five of us last night ordered pies. So consider this review incomplete, I suppose.

The pies were alright. Maybe it's difficult to get pies wrong? That said my chicken and beans with spicy curry and melted cheese was as eclectic as it could get, with my colleagues' more traditional chicken and mushroom pies being solid picks too. In hindsight I should have gone for the lamb, so perhaps a return visit is in order (spoilers).

The bite I had of the remaining green curry and egg fried rice were equally solid, with all accompaniments also doing their part. The place was empty when we ate (late) but I can imagine the family friendly atmosphere and patient service. The bill came to just under £15 per head, which felt a little on the pricey side but not enough to irritate.

I rather liked Thai and Pie. It was a no frills, but not disappointing, experience which sits at an interesting location in Chadwell Heath. I do see myself visiting again during a future occasion where we don't want to travel or spend too much time thinking about what to eat.

Food: Jacuzzi

I'm known to have some pretty strong opinions on... well everything really. I prefer "robust and rigorous" myself, and make no apology for caring enough about the world to really decide how I feel about something. And one of the things I don't really care for is food. More specifically: expensive, opulent and aesthetic food, of the type seemingly created especially for the 'gram.

So I was pretty ambivalent about our booking at Jacuzzi tonight. Apparently it was the latest from someone or thing called "Big Momma" which was supposed to mean something to me. All I knew was that it was Italian and hip.

But as strong as my opinions get, I'm equally able to identify the exceptions and cases where my opinions fall short - and I'm happy to say that Jacuzzi is such an exception. The food in this place was good. Like, really good.

I could tell you about the Endive or the focaccia to start, but my limited understanding of food means I'd just say they were a bloody good salad and bread. Similarly the pastas and pizza we shared for the mains were just great, yet very classy, comfort food. We were well stuffed and satisfied by the end, and that was even before we received the apple torta for dessert.

The place itself was fancy and pompous, but the quality and enjoyment of the food more than made up for that. It did have a fair few couples there tonight but I wouldn't necessarily clock is as a necessarily romantic place. What was lacking was the service which was surprising in a place like this. Everyone seemed polite but there just wasn't the care such a place promises to offer. However what was equally surprising was the bill at the end - £35 per head seemed like a crazy bargain, and I had to check the bill a couple of times to make sure nothing had bee left off. I can only imagine the food is subsidised by drink the other tables were ordering.

So yeah, colour me pleasantly surprised - Jacuzzi is a place I recommend and would even try again, and I really don't mind admitting that.

Film: Knock at the Cabin

If anything encapsulates the phrase "glutton for punishment" it's watching a Shyamalan film expecting something, well, good. Is that unfair? I think it is. I have liked some of his films. I think I have have disliked more though.

But I'm here to tell you about Cabin, not Shyamalan. I think the main problem I had with the film was how it was built like a tv show - this would have made a pretty interesting four-parter actually. The acting was good, with Bautista playing a great friendly giant and some amazing child acting from Kristen Cui. The pacing was pretty decent too, with the 100 mins or so of runtime breezing by.

I suppose that leaves the plot and it's probably here that the film failed. Largely predictable from the opening conceit, there were no real surprises here, and no real reason to keep watching.

My feelings about the film have gotten worse after having digested it, so sadly no, there'll be no recommendation here.

Book: Rhythm of War, Brandon Sanderson

The first, and possibly only, striking thing about Rhythm of War is just how big it is. The Stormlight Chronicles have always been the more grown up books of The Cosmere, but this was quite the slog.

And I feel that the book suffered for it, if only because it had the effect of diluting the significant plot developments and set pieces which would have otherwise stood out in a slimmer tome.

I'd like to say that the quality of the writing hadn't suffered either... but I noticed a significant change in flow here, a sense that a lot of the prose was just churned out. This made the book not as special as the others, and just normal.

Of course we don't read these books in isolation: finally it seems that the Cosmere has fully spilled over and even my amateur eyes spotted numerous crossing overs. This alone made the book exciting and compelling enough to bear with it's glacial pacing.

It's hard not to recommend RoW, essential as it is. I just hope it's the peak of Cosmere book word counts, and we return to the more pure and to the point approach enjoyed previously.