the james review » First Impressions

First Impressions: 100 pages of Warbreaker

james m. toburen — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 06:59:37 +0000

As this is an entry on my early impressions on Brandon Sanderson’s Warbreaker, I must admit that my first thoughts were not promising. Even before I had the chance to read a single word, the cover disappointed me. Dan Dos Santos crafted a decent, if not exceptional, painting, but the layout felt awkward. The [...]

First Impressions: 100 pages of Boneshaker

james m. toburen — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:00:45 +0000

I cheat, as I’ve only read 88 pages of Boneshaker. Even so, I give my impressions now, when I’ve got a few moments to write them down.

Today, I’m going to talk about presentation. Some readers may think this sounds a bit silly, but the outward appearance of a book influences my reading experience. [...]

First Impressions: 100 pages of The Lies of Locke Lamora

james m. toburen — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:00:03 +0000

Really, I should say this is my first impressions after 350 pages of The Lies of Locke Lamora, as I stayed up until 4:15 AM this morning, glued to its pages. Clearly, that provides some sort of hint as to my opinion of the novel. [...]

First Impressions: 100 pages of Leviathan

james m. toburen — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 19:00:16 +0000

I picked up Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan last night and trail-blazed the first 100 pages before I fell asleep. If I maintain my current pace, I should complete the novel before the end of the week (only 434 pages, with plenty of illustrations and large print, to boot)... [...]

First Impressions: 100 pages of The Windup Girl

james m. toburen — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 18:45:44 +0000

After 100 pages of The Windup Girl, exactly 8 chapters, I’m astounded. The buzz around the blogosphere has been very positive for this novel (expect awards now that we’ve reached the end of the year), and I can see why. Paolo Bacigalupi wields his brush brilliantly, painting a grim vision of a dystopian future, [...]