Category Archives: Book Reviews

Review of “Stjärndamm” by Lars Wilderäng

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stjarnklart-03-stjarndamm-lars-wilderangTitle: Stjärnfall (~ “Stardust”)
Author: Lars Wilderäng
Series: Stjärnklart #3
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopia, Post Apocalyptic, Horror
Pages: 296
Published: 2016, Massolit
My Grade: 5 out of 5 shiny vampires

GOODREADS’ DESCRIPTION (translated to English by me)

The civilization which was slowly  but steadily rebuilt, 10 years after the Shutdown, has been completely shredded. No bullets in the world can protect them against the enemy which was close to exterminate them all. And who proved way worse than the most horrific nightmare.

Some of the few survivors have once again gathered at Carlsten’s fortress, trapped like rats surrounded by threathingly black eyes. There has to be a way to stop this threat, even if it is the last thing they will do. The question is how will they get out of captivity, and if there are more survivors out there?

MY REVIEW

As always when I finish a series I feel sad. Especially when it is such a great series as this one. I am satisfied with the ending, it was extremely unexpected. Or maybe I have been too stressed while reading this, about school stuff that I just read it without thinking about what could possibly happen next? In either case, I found this last book in the amazing trilogy very unexpected (it was hard to guess what would come next in the first two as well). Lars Wilderäng really makes you sit on the edge of whatever you are sitting on and he totally makes it impossible to put down the book unless you fall asleep with it in your hand (yes, that has happened almost every night).

The finale was shorter than the other two and it was noticeble, but it was still full of action as the second, until the very very end.

I don’t want to spoil it for anyone and since I am new at writing reviews, I haven’t really learned how to write reviews further along the road of a book series. But, I loved this book, I loved the series, I loved all the excitment, and most of all; I loved the realism of the story. Like I said in my previous reviews, this feels feasible, this is how the world could end one day and I wouldn’t be surprised.

I want to thank Lars Wilderäng for this experience I got, reading the Stjärnklart series for the past three weeks. I hope I will be able to enjoy other books after this, haha! I also hope that Wilderäng wants to continue writing in this universe, I see great potential for more books! (I also can’t wait for the TV show!) Anyway, easy five out of five! Everyone should read these three books! I MEAN IT! READ! IT!

Review of “Stjärnfall” by Lars Wilderäng

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stjarnklart-02-stjarnfall-lars-wilderangTitle: Stjärnfall (~ “Shooting Star”)
Author: Lars Wilderäng
Series: Stjärnklart #2
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopia, Post Apocalyptic, Horror
Pages: 395
Published: 2015, Massolit
My Grade: 5 out of 5 gas masks

GOODREADS’ DESCRIPTION (translated to English by me)

Ten years have passed since the doom of modern civilization, when all electronics were wiped out by a high technological attack. Slowly, life has started to stabilize, but is the danger really over? The Shutdown, as the period when all electricity disappeared is called, was probably only the beginning. Now, humanity faces an even bigger threat.

Jocke, the military man is finally back in Sweden after a long assignment in the Middle East and is hoping for a calm life. The farmer Filip Stenvik is under the protection of Västra Götaland Federation but is worried about new attacks. Maximiliam is a grown man and is doing his best to break free from his childhood home and to create his own path. At Carlsten’s Fortress, Bohuslän’s governor Gustaf Silverbane, is collecting his forces, while the head of research Anna Ljungberg is trying to analyze the opponent they don’t know anything about. But what if the enemy is already among them? Maybe closer than anyone could imagine…

MY REVIEW

If I had several emotions while reading Stjärnklart, I pretty much only had one while reading the sequel Stjärnfall: hopelessness. I thought that the first one was dark and depressing, but this one was worse. It was impossible to see how it could end in a good way. I am not gonna say if it did or not.

The first 150 pages or so were very similar to the first book. Some chapters described what happened during the Shutdown, some chapters described what happened during the first few years, and then, the last two thirds of the book was only what happened 10 years after the Shutdown. And it was filled to the top with action. Horrible thing after horrible thing happened and I couldn’t put down the book. Last night I had about 100 pages left, it was late, but I couldn’t stop reading so I finished it at 3am and am surprised that I managed to fall asleep right after. Honestly, I had a nightmare two nights ago.

Like I said, the first part of the book was very similar to the first one, it was realistic and scary because it felt like this could happen to us any day. The second part was very different from the first, because now, the science fiction of it all surfaced. It was still very realisticly written and even though I don’t have too much science fiction novels to compare it to, it felt like a different type of sci-fi book. A realistic type of sci-fi and nothing at all like Star Wars for example. I am not going to spoil anything so I will leave it at that, but it is really scary.

Despite the feeling of hopelessness being my companion throughout this book, I still loved it and recommend everyone to read it now (or patiently wait for the English translation)! Start with the first one, Stjärnklart, obviously. No question about it, 5 out of 5!!

Review of “Stjärnklart” by Lars Wilderäng

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stjarnklart-01-stjarnklart-lars-wilderangTitle: Stjärnklart (~ “Starlit”)
Author: Lars Wilderäng
Series: Stjärnklart #1
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopia, Post Apocalyptic
Pages: 403
Published: 2014, Massolit
My Grade: 5 out of 5 dust particles

GOODREADS’ DESCRIPTION (translated to English by me)

Electronics does not have an immune system…

Johan works in a store chain for mobile phone reparations. Something is not right with more and more broken phones which have been turned in lately. They are stone dead, but filled with dust which quickly spreads and irritate airways. In the idyllic suburbs south of Gothenburg, Magnus Svensson is fighting to get his life puzzle together. When the car out of nowhere stops working, he gets stranded together with many others. The car companies are powerless, and he puts his fate to public transit. But where is the train? Food stores are empited of food and no new deliveries are in sight. Filip Stenvik has survivalism and prepping as hobbies on the side of his job as a barista on Söder, but is he really prepared to let his hobbies become a reality? The Policeman Peter Ragnhell sees an opportunity to expand his unconventional methods of crime fighting. At Karlsborg’s airport, elite soldier Gustaf Silverbane stands ready for a tour abroad when a firelight fills the sky and everything suddenly falls apart. At the same time, the programmer Anna Ljungberg makes a discovery, which threathens to change the conditions for all human life on earth. Or is it already too late?

After yet another power failure, everything changes. The dark fall enters a starlit winter where chaos rules and few survives.

 

MY REVIEW

In the past 8 days that it took for me to read this book, I have had a flood of different emotions. Most if it was anger towards the ugly human-without-tech behavior. There were some happy moments as well, relief here and there, but also fear. Is this what would happen if all electronics in today’s society would fall apart? Would humans really turn against each other in a matter of days to ensure their own survival? It is scary to think about how badly prepared I am in case of an emergency. It has made me think about my situation and how I could be better prepared if anything happened. Especially since there are posters here and there every now and then in Gothenburg asking if I could survive 72h without anyone or anything else than what I have at home. I would most likely be one of those 80% who died in the first few months of this book.

The first thing that I really liked about it was that it mostly took place here in Gothenburg, my hometown. I rarely read any Swedish books and they all take place in imaginary places. But now, as I was on the commute train to work in Kungsbacka, the guy in the book was also on the commute train to Kungsbacka! With the names of street and landmarks here in Gothenburg it was super easy to see how all this took place right in front of me. They were shooting and killing each other at Liseberg, on Gustaf Adolf’s square right in downtown a market slash massacre took place. I think that was a huge contributor to why I liked this book so much. It felt so real to me, and especially since it was so realistically written. It felt like a feasible scenario and I can imagine that this is how it would all go down.

It was a scary book, but what scared me the most were the people. After reading the first chapter about Peter the policeman (all the chapters were from different people’s point of view and most characters were recurring), I was so angry! He is the biggest douchebag ever. There are rarely any authors who make me hate a character as much as I hate that guy. So, I guess, I want to give credits to Lars Wilderäng for creating such livid characters.

As a teacher in the subject “teknik” (=technology) at a high school I think I am going to suggest to a teacher in Swedish, that for next school year make a collaboration with the two courses. The students should read this book, do all the linguistic parts about writing analyses of books and whatever. But also use that knowledge when working with technological development in the technology class. There is one very big part of the final grade, and that is to understand the interaction between society, humans and technology. That could be an interesting assignment.

Anyway, this book gets a star clear 5 rating and I will start on the second “Stjärnfall” right now. Some bad news for my English-speaking readers. This book is not yet translated. I really wish it would be, so not only Swedish-speaking people can enjoy it. But until then, keep your eyes and ears out, hopefully it will happen soon.

Review of “Resan till Ljuset” (Towards the Light) by Andrey Dyakov

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metro-universum-01-resan-till-ljuset-andrey-dyakovTitle: Resan till Ljuset
Author: Andrey Dyakov
Translator (Swedish): Ola Wallin
Series: Metro Universe #1
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopia, Post Apocalyptic
Pages: 313
Published: 2010, Coltso (translated 2012)
My Grade: 4 out of 5 cannibals

GOODREADS’ DESCRIPTION (translated to English by me)

SANKT PETERSBURG YEAR 2033.
The Earth is desolated and the few survivors have searched for refuge in the Metro’s deep tunnels. Isolated from the rest of the world, humans are struggling and make rare exhibitions to the ground to hunt for food, fuel, and ammunition. One day, some mysterious light signals are observed from the marine base Kronstadt, located on an island outside of the city. A group of stalkers get the mission to investigate the reason behind it. Are there more survivors, and perhaps some untouched storages in the marine base’s gigantic bunker system? Or can it be the sign that the sect of Exodus priests is preaching about?

The world on the surface is an unknown wilderness and the party gets ready to face the faceless dangers that can lurk anywhere in the city’s ruins where barely any human have set its foot in over 20 years.

 

MY REVIEW

I am so glad that Dmitry Glukhovsky opened up his world of Metro 2033 so other amazing authors could write their story. Like Andrey Dyakov and his novel “Towards the Light” which takes place in St. Petersburg. But unlike Metro 2033, this one takes place above ground when a party of stalkers are going out on a mission to find out why the lighthouse all of a sudden is lighting up the city.  It does not quite meet Metro 2033 at a 5, but it was still really good and totally worth reading. It was darker and more eventful than Metro 2033. Gross things happened every now and then (especially in the end) which made me frown and it truly kept me on edge with excitement throughout the whole book.

It doesn’t really meet a 5 and that is only because I didn’t feel as satisfied at the end of it, which I do after books like Wool (by Hugh Howey), or Metro 2033 for that matter. Resan till Ljuset was incredible, but not as amazing and I didn’t finished it with any special emotions. I don’t really know how to explain why I “only” give it a 4, because it was really good. So I definitely think you should read it, but I wasn’t speechless at the end. It was a satisfying ending and kinda predictable. And since I know there is a second one, I wasn’t really expecting such an ending as in Metro 2033. I am glad there is a sequel, because I am not done with the surface of St. Petersburg in 2033.

Anyway, with this rather poor explanation for my grade, I strongly suggest you to read it. It is like Metro, but on the surface. It is really cool! Read it!

Review of “Metro 2034” by Dmitry Glukhovsky

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metro-02-metro-2034-dmitry-glukhovskyTitle: Metro 2034
Author: Dmitry Glukhovsky
Translator (English): Andrew Bromfield
Series: Metro #2
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopia, Post Apocalyptic
Pages: 320
Published: 2009, Gollancz (translated 2014)
My Grade: 2.5 out of 5 flutes

GOODREADS’ DESCRIPTION

It’s the year 2034. After a devastating war much of the world lies in ruins. Moscow is a ghost town. A few survivors retreated into the depths of the underground network to build a new civilization. They found only darkness…

At the Sevastopol station, cut off from the Metro, a man appears. Colonel Hunter. He fights a lonely war against the dark, journeying deep into the monster haunted depths of the tunnels. At his side is Homer, an old man who knows the legends of the Metro like no other and will write its history. When the two meet the 17-year-old Sasha, Homer believes he has found the found the perfect pair for his epic poem. But will they live to write the tale?

These are the voyages of Hunter.

 

MY REVIEW

I kind of want to say: finally! It took forever to read this book and I am honestly disappointed. Metro 2033 was soooo good, and this one fell flat in comparison. The first two thirds were weird. There were strange descriptions that didn’t really lead anywhere, a strange language that was gone in the last third. The story didn’t really move forward in that first section either. I just wanted it to end. I was excited to read about the mysterious Hunter, and sure he went through some stuff, but he is a totally different person in a bad way. He is not intriguing nor mysterious anymore. And I don’t feel like this is the voyages of Hunter, this is a book about Homer and his stupid imaginations that he will become like the old real Homeros. That old man is annoying and has a strange point of view in life. He is however a man with an interesting past, and I enjoyed reading about what happened to him before life in the Metro began.

Then there is the side story about Sasha, the exiled girl who finally gets to see the Metro. I don’t really know what I think of her. In some passages I found her very annoying, sometimes pretty cool.

The last third of the book was good though and it was gone in two days. Stuff happened and it was written in a whole other way which made it easier to read. Even if the ending was good, I still don’t feel like I can give it a 3. A 2 is too litte, but I did feel like some time was wasted while reading it. So a 2.5 feels reasonable.

I think this is a book I will reread one day, but the Swedish translation. I have heard that the Swedish ones are better than the English when it comes to this series (and maybe Russian books in general?).

Review of “Metro 2033” by Dmitry Glukhovsky

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metro-01-metro-2033-dmitry-glukhovskyTitle: Metro 2033
Author: Dmitry Glukhovsky
Translator (English): Natasha Randall
Series: Metro #1
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopia, Post Apocalyptic
Pages: 458
Published: 2007 (translated 2009), Gollancz
My Grade: 5 out of 5 rats

GOODREADS’ DESCRIPTION

The civilization most northern outpost, a lonely metro station, attacked by mysterious creatures that somehow have awoken in the recent war. The world lies in ruins, the surface is contaminated, and a prey to the sun’s deadly rays. One last human remnant have sought protection in the Metro, the world’s largest nuclear bomb secure bunker, where stations have been transformed into small city states with their own ideologies and governments.

Everywhere there is a constant struggle for living space, water filters, electric heaters and fungal cultures, all while darkness and terror reigns in the tunnels.

A young man is forced out on a dangerous journey through the subterranean maze of tunnels, shafts and sidings, where nobody knows what to expect around the next corner.

 

MY REVIEW

Last night when I finished this, I was both speechless and couldn’t stop saying what the fudge at the same time. Even just a few chapters in I knew I would give this a five out of five, but after reading the last four pages, I want to give it more.

I don’t really have anything to compare to (since I don’t speak Russian), but I am satisfied with the translation. As always when reading a new book, by a new author, of a different style, it takes some pages to get used to the language. And something I really really liked about this book was that the conversations between people felt so real. Usually the author gives the ability to ‘always say the right and smart thing at the right time’ to all of his or her characters. It is sometimes too perfect. But these dialogues felt real. The descriptions of the environment also were incredible. It was so easy to picture myself in the metro of Moscow, living under the horrible circumstances that Artyom and all his travel companions did.

I don’t really know what to write to make you understand the greatness of this book. It was easily one of the best ones I have ever read! And the ending just made it perfect. I am not sure I am happy with it and it was indeed a very very surprising ending. But it fit so well with the rest of this kind of miserable story.

If you haven’t read it yet, but are into post-apocalyptic stories, you have truly missed something! If you haven’t read it and don’t really like dystopian stories, read it anyway. I kinda got the feeling that Metro 2033 is this time’s 1984. I undoubtedly give it the highest grade, and I even want to give it one more rat for being so sickly awesome!!

Review of “Quidditch Through the Ages” by J. K. Rowling

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hogwarts-library-02-quidditch-through-the-ages-j-k-rowlingTitle: Quidditch Through the Ages
Author: J. K. Rowling
Series: Hogwarts Library #2
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 64
Published: 2001, Bloomsbury
My Grade: 3.5 out of 5 snitches

GOODREADS’ DESCRIPTION

Did you know that: there are 700 ways of committing a foul in Quidditch? The game first began to evolve on Queerditch Marsh – What Bumphing is? That Puddlemere United is oldest team in the Britain and Ireland league (founded 1163). All this information and much more could be yours once you have read this book: this is all you could ever need to know about the history, the rules – and the breaking of the rules – of the noble wizarding sport of Quidditch.

 

MY REVIEW

I have to say that after reading the original Harry Potter series and watching the movies, I felt that I had a decent idea of what this game called Quidditch was about. And I was a bit confused when reading this since I read the other books in Swedish and all the stuff had different names so I had to think for a bit to try to translate so it would be easier to understand. It was great to read about the history of Quidditch and how it developed into the game that all of us Harry Potter fans are used to from the books and movies.

It was an easy read that lasted about an hour. I am surprised that I didn’t read this one sooner since I have been a Harry Potter fan since the first book came out so many many years ago. But now I finally did it and feel more confident on how the game works. I will give this book a 3.5 out of 5, like all the other short stories from J. K. Rowling where she explains stuff that wasn’t included in the books. For the big Harry Potter fan, you probably have already read it, and if not, you should read it. For the non-fans, it wouldn’t really make any sense in reading it honestly.

Review of “Hogwarts: An Incomplete & Unreliable Guide” by J. K. Rowling

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pottermore-presents-03-hogwarts-an-incomplete-and-unreliable-guide-j-k-rowlingTitle: Hogwarts: An Incomplete & Unreliable Guide
Author: J. K. Rowling
Series: Pottermore Presents #3
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 79
Published: 2016, Pottermore
My Grade: 3.5 out of 5 secrets

GOODREADS’ DESCRIPTION

‘The Ministry of Magic felt strongly, however, that to construct an additional wizarding station in the middle of London would stretch even the Muggles’ notorious determination not to notice magic when it was exploding in front of their faces.’ – J.K. Rowling
Pottermore Presents is a collection of J.K. Rowling’s writing: short reads originally featured on pottermore.com. These eBooks, with writing curated by Pottermore, will take you beyond the Harry Potter stories as J.K. Rowling reveals her inspiration, intricate details of characters’ lives and surprises from the wizarding world.

Hogwarts An Incomplete and Unreliable Guide takes you on a journey to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You’ll venture into the Hogwarts grounds, become better acquainted with its more permanent residents, learn more about lessons and discover secrets of the castle . . . all at the turn of a page.

 

MY REVIEW

When I was a kid I always dreamed of going to Hogwarts (like almost every other person my age who grew up with the amazing world of Harry Potter). Before seeing the first film, after only have read the first or so books, I had a picture in my head of how Hogwarts looked like. Being young as I were, I couldn’t even imagine how big it was and how many secrets it held. This book descibes a few things about the school. Some things we are all familiar with, like the moving/talking paintings were described more in detail, the same goes for the Chamber of Secrets and some of the ghosts living there.

It was an easy, short and entertaining read and have the same reasoning behind the grade as with the rest in this Pottermore Presents series. If you like Harry Potter, read it, otherwise it wouldn’t really benefitial to read it, therefore a 3.5 out of 5.

Review of “Short Stories from Hogwarts of Power, Politics and Pesky Poltergeists” by J. K. Rowling

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pottermore-presents-02-short-stories-from-hogwarts-of-power-politics-and-pesky-poltergests-j-k-rowlingTitle: Short Stories from Hogwarts of Power, Politics, and Pesky Poltergeists
Author: J. K. Rowling
Series: Pottermore Presents #2
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 71
Published: 2016, Pottermore
My Grade: 3.5 out of 5 ministers

GOODREADS’ DESCRIPTION

No Muggle Prime Minister has ever set foot in the Ministry of Magic, for reasons most succinctly summed up by ex-Minister Dugald McPhail (term of office 1858-1865): “their puir wee braines couldnae cope wi’ it.”’ – J.K. Rowling
Pottermore Presents is a collection of J.K. Rowling’s writing: short reads originally featured on pottermore.com with some exclusive new additions. These eBooks, with writing curated by Pottermore, will take you beyond the Harry Potter stories as J.K. Rowling reveals her inspiration, intricate details of characters’ lives and surprises from the wizarding world.

These stories of power, politics and pesky poltergeists give you a glimpse into the darker side of the wizarding world, revealing the ruthless roots of Professor Umbridge, the lowdown on the Ministers for Magic and the history of the wizarding prison Azkaban. You will also delve deeper into Horace Slughorn’s early years as Potions master at Hogwarts – and his acquaintance with one Tom Marvolo Riddle.

 

MY REVIEW

Very similar to the first book from Pottermore Presents, Short Stories from Hogwarts of Heroism, Hardship and Dangerous Hobbies. You got a timeline with all the Ministers for Magic there have ever been and what they were famous for and what theyaccomplished. It was then focused on Horace Slughorn which was the most interesting part in this book. I think I knew lots of the information, but it has been ages since I read the books and only got a feeling of “oh right, that’s what happened”. This one was more on giving information about cauldrons, potions and materialistic things, and the first one was more on characters. Both still interesting and worth a read!

Like with the first one, I give this one a 3.5 out of 5 because it was entertaining and I enjoyed reading it, but it is not something you don’t have to read, unless you are a Harry Potter-fan like me and want to know everything there is to know about the wizarding world. It took me about one hour to read, 71 pages, so no one can really say that they don’t have time to read it. It is an easy read in between other reads.

Review of “Short Stories from Hogwarts of Heroism, Hardship and Dangerous Hobbies” by J. K. Rowling

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pottermore-presents-01-short-stories-from-hogwarts-of-heroism-hardship-and-dangerous-hobbies-j-k-rowlingTitle: Short Stories from Hogwarts of Heroism, Hardship and Dangerous Hobbies
Author: J. K. Rowling
Series: Pottermore Presents #1
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 71
Published: 2016, Pottermore
My Grade: 3.5 out of 5 childhoods

GOODREADS’ DESCRIPTION

‘Minerva was the Roman goddess of warriors and wisdom. William McGonagall is celebrated as the worst poet in British history. There was something irresistible to me about his name, and the idea that such a brilliant woman might be a distant relative of the buffoonish McGonagall.’ – J.K. Rowling

Pottermore Presents is a collection of J.K. Rowling’s writing from the Pottermore archives: short reads originally featured on pottermore.com with some exclusive new additions. These eBooks, with writing curated by Pottermore, will take you beyond the Harry Potter stories as J.K. Rowling reveals her inspiration, intricate details of characters’ lives and surprises from the wizarding world.

These stories of heroism, hardship and dangerous hobbies profile two of the Harry Potter stories’ most courageous and iconic characters: Minerva McGonagall and Remus Lupin. J.K. Rowling also gives us a peek behind the closed curtains of Sybill Trelawney’s life, and you’ll encounter the reckless, magical-beast-loving Silvanus Kettleburn along the way.

 

MY REVIEW

I can’t really say that I was curious about the story behind some of the professors at Hogwarts when I read the original books growing up. Maybe except for Dumbledore since he seemed to have such an adventurous one. But it was nice to read the long storys behind Professor McGonagall and Remus Lupin. I guess I now have a better understanding to why they are like they are. The storys behind Sybill Trelawney and Silvanus Kettleburn were very short, but enough in my opinion. Neither are very interesting characters in my opinon.

It was a very enjoyable read today, short for once. And I really like that the world of Harry Potter is always expanding with stories from Pottermore.com even if the main series have been finished since long. I give it a 3.5 since I am not encouraging everyone to read it. It was however enjoyable, but not a typical 4 that I would have given another book, Lord of the Flies for example.