Alas. It has happened. I’ve become a snob. Of sorts. Many of my friends will say that I’ve always been a snob, but never in the literary way. I would read anything and everything, and chances are, I would enjoy everything I read. A book had to be really terrible for me to say “Hmmm… that wasn’t great.” But the more I read, the more “refined” I get, and the more difficult I am to please. And I hate that… it was better before when I was less demanding. And now, I come to review my latest two reads, courtesy of Netgalley. Books which in a previous life I would have gushed over and recommend it to people, but that now I consider derivative, unsurprising, and plain boring. For that, I apologise to the authors… it’s not their fault that I’ve become a snob. Oh well, on with the reviews!

Armada – Ernest Cline

“Ready Player One” was a brilliant book. Loved every word. And hey, I wasn’t the only one. Last I heard Steven Spielberg will be directing the film adaptation. So, when I got the chance to read Ernest Cline’s second novel, was all over it. “Armada” was in fact very high on my anticipated books for 2015. But as in all books that follow a brilliant debut, there’s always a sense of trepidation that the second will just not be that good, the dreaded “sophomore slump” they refer to in sports. “Armada” unfortunately falls under the “sophomore slump” category. The fault comes that the story is just not that good. At times, it just doesn’t make any sense. The premise of average video gamers that get called upon to fight an alien invasion should’ve been exciting, but it just felt boring. The book is similar to “Ready Player One” in its continuous homage to pop culture. But whereas in the first novel the references felt fresh and appropriate, here they felt forced and stale. And it’s a shame, I really wanted to enjoy this book. Maybe in a previous life… but having now read “Enders Game”, “Dune”, “Snow Crash” and the countless other scifi books and shows “Armada” pays homage to, this book just falls way short of the peerset it aspires to belong to. Feel free to give it a pass. 2.5/5.

Uprooted – Naomi Novik

I’m a big fan of Naomi Novik’s extraordinary “Temeraire” (or “His Majesty’s Dragon”), which was an incredible read (at least the first books were… the series ended up dropping in value considerable after every instalment, to the point I never felt compelled to finish it). With an incredible amount of advance praise being heaped on her latest book “Uprooted,” I obviously felt drawn to read it. Well… to be honest, not sure what all the acclaim is about. It was a passable read, but that’s about it, more m’eh than anything else. Reviewers highlight is fresh take on old-fashioned fairy tales… I didn’t see it. The book had some good moments, but overall, can’t feel strongly enough to recommend this. Oh well… 2.5 / 5.