final thoughts on the half made world...

(sorry for the unoriginal title for this post. lol)

So I know, I know, we've been reading this book and this is my first post about it. I think my problem was that I was having trouble coming up with ideas for blog posts. So here goes!

There are some books you enter knowing exactly what to expect, which can be good. Sort of like sitting in your favorite chair. Nice and cozy. Then there are those books that immediately jar you into realizing how different they are, which are few and far between. Its amazing that you can get a sense of isolation while exploring a world so big that its western regions are still forming into existence yet has a history of thousands of years.

I can't help but compare The Half Made World with Firefly and Serenity. Not sure if anyone else made these comparisons, but its something that popped into my head pretty quickly. I love the idea of the unknown world that has yet to be explored. And I find that when the creepy helicopter like thingies show up, I almost expect Reavers to jump out and lay waste to the land.

From the first chapter I was set embark on a journey involving a general of a dead republic lost in his own mind, a psychologist out of her depth, and a man who has done evil things for decades. The Half-Made world is full of magical people and the warring factions of possessed guns and thinking engines of destruction both in control. There are even religious groups such as the Smilers who just want you to be happy. Which personally I think is kinds nice, and awesome!

I love the complexity of this story, the characters aren’t good or bad, they are what they are, making their way through life. As Donkey says we all have layers, like an onion, which I find each characters have in untold spades. As they go through their journeys, they are slowly peeled back, and we are given a peek into their souls. As we learn about the world building, it comes to us in slow bursts, which I found kind of frustrating, I wanted to know more about this crazy world, and I felt like the author was keeping it from us.


I will admit, I had a hard time after the prologue getting into the book, but once I did, I found it was full of amazing characters and a gorgeously developed world. I’m glad that Amanda chose this book, it was something I don’t think I would have checked out. While I love the idea of the steampunk genre, I’ve never really attempted to read a novel about it. But I’m glad that I did, its opened up a whole new literary genre to me, and for that I am grateful.