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carlosdanger's review against another edition
1.0
Wow! What a let down. This was so boring & convoluted. And it was twice as long as needed to be
wasted's review
3.0
"To invent or not invent, that is the question" - altered William Shakespeare idiom
The premise of The Arm of the Stone is incredibly intriguing with its binary approach to controlling human ingenuity. In short, if humans invent, they make profound achievements yet sow the seeds of their own destruction. Alternatively, if humans don't invent, they survive albeit with a much lower standard of living. This is a short-term versus long-term contradiction that forces us to question one of the basics of human nature.
A grand story is built around this paradox but merely scratches the surface of what this means to our species. Unfortunately, the dreary length of the book is not justified with its overly-descriptive passages about castle room furnishings and the latest wizard fashion styles. Although somewhat engaging, the time investment was personally disappointing for two reasons. For one, is the primary antagonist seriously the main character's college bully? Two, more importantly, the author failed to include a single example of how Zosterians treat Violators that have committed the unholy act of invention; compared to centuries old public persecution by standard Guardians of the Arm.
To further reflect on what readers aren't rewarded after finishing The Arm of the Stone, it is important to understand that human inventiveness is as fundamental to our existence as breeding. To deny it is unnatural, which serves as a satisfying constant thread of tension throughout the novel. In the example of breeding, generating offspring is a primary aspect of Earth biology that simply must be... because, what is the alternative? The only vague science fiction answer that comes to mind would be a different universe that hosts a unique astrobiological trait of immortality. If only.
Indeed, humans are relatively weak fleshly sacks of water that only dominated pre-historical food chains by banding together and inventing weapons. In the current over-saturated technological society of the 21st century, it is romantic to want to revert back to an agrarian society lit only by fire. Yet, non-industrial lifestyles were generally devoid of comfort that most modern water sacks couldn't fathom.
Humans don't think generationally by considering the long-term consequences of their actions beyond perhaps their great-grandchildren. We simply expect future generations to be intuitive enough to adapt, invent and survive within the world we've created for them. This framework has worked for thousands of years but that time is swiftly coming to an end, and we shall soon invent our own final punishment quickly enough. If only we had the Arm of the Stone to instill the discipline required for us to save us from ourselves.
The premise of The Arm of the Stone is incredibly intriguing with its binary approach to controlling human ingenuity. In short, if humans invent, they make profound achievements yet sow the seeds of their own destruction. Alternatively, if humans don't invent, they survive albeit with a much lower standard of living. This is a short-term versus long-term contradiction that forces us to question one of the basics of human nature.
A grand story is built around this paradox but merely scratches the surface of what this means to our species. Unfortunately, the dreary length of the book is not justified with its overly-descriptive passages about castle room furnishings and the latest wizard fashion styles. Although somewhat engaging, the time investment was personally disappointing for two reasons. For one, is the primary antagonist seriously the main character's college bully? Two, more importantly, the author failed to include a single example of how Zosterians treat Violators that have committed the unholy act of invention; compared to centuries old public persecution by standard Guardians of the Arm.
To further reflect on what readers aren't rewarded after finishing The Arm of the Stone, it is important to understand that human inventiveness is as fundamental to our existence as breeding. To deny it is unnatural, which serves as a satisfying constant thread of tension throughout the novel. In the example of breeding, generating offspring is a primary aspect of Earth biology that simply must be... because, what is the alternative? The only vague science fiction answer that comes to mind would be a different universe that hosts a unique astrobiological trait of immortality. If only.
Indeed, humans are relatively weak fleshly sacks of water that only dominated pre-historical food chains by banding together and inventing weapons. In the current over-saturated technological society of the 21st century, it is romantic to want to revert back to an agrarian society lit only by fire. Yet, non-industrial lifestyles were generally devoid of comfort that most modern water sacks couldn't fathom.
Humans don't think generationally by considering the long-term consequences of their actions beyond perhaps their great-grandchildren. We simply expect future generations to be intuitive enough to adapt, invent and survive within the world we've created for them. This framework has worked for thousands of years but that time is swiftly coming to an end, and we shall soon invent our own final punishment quickly enough. If only we had the Arm of the Stone to instill the discipline required for us to save us from ourselves.
travmanrn's review against another edition
3.0
Loved it. Didnt think i was goign to enjoy it in the begining but one i got about 30 pages in, it had me hooked. I couldnt put it down. I enjoyed the unraveling of the the story and the melding of the different characters lives. I am looking forward to reading the sequel to this story.
lordgustoff's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
alyssaarch's review
4.0
The beginning of The Arm of the Stone was really rocky for me. Honestly, it got to the point where I thought about giving it up; however, I didn't and I'm glad I stuck with it.
I thought the beginning was rather drawn out and overloaded with characters, history, etc. Also, the conflict didn't seem very interesting to me: Bron's family swears to take back the Stone, which was once theirs and reclaim their power from the Guardians who now hold it. I thought this was too simplistic and it didn't really hold much promise. However, there is a huge turning point in the novel, and that's when the novel picked up its pace and started to become interesting.
What I love most about The Arm of the Stone is the story and the world. Strauss does an excellent job in making the story seem very straightforward, and then she throws a curveball at you, completely changing your perspective of what's happening. Also, the world is extremely well-constructed. When I read the novel, I was completely immersed because of the level of detail Strauss includes.
Another thing I liked was that I felt that the characters showed a lot of growth. The Bron we meet on page one is completely different than the Bron we know on the last page, which I think is one sign of a successful book. The same goes for many of the characters in the novel, including Liliane and Goldwine, to name a few.
There were times when I got confused about jumps in time and it did take me a long time to finish this novel, because it's loaded with so much. I don't think the latter is necessarily a bad thing, but it's definitely not a quick summer read. It is, however, one of the best fantasies I've read in awhile and I'm greatly looking forward to the sequel.
I would recommend this for fantasy fans who enjoy coming-of-age adventures.
Also posted on Purple People Readers.
I thought the beginning was rather drawn out and overloaded with characters, history, etc. Also, the conflict didn't seem very interesting to me: Bron's family swears to take back the Stone, which was once theirs and reclaim their power from the Guardians who now hold it. I thought this was too simplistic and it didn't really hold much promise. However, there is a huge turning point in the novel, and that's when the novel picked up its pace and started to become interesting.
What I love most about The Arm of the Stone is the story and the world. Strauss does an excellent job in making the story seem very straightforward, and then she throws a curveball at you, completely changing your perspective of what's happening. Also, the world is extremely well-constructed. When I read the novel, I was completely immersed because of the level of detail Strauss includes.
Another thing I liked was that I felt that the characters showed a lot of growth. The Bron we meet on page one is completely different than the Bron we know on the last page, which I think is one sign of a successful book. The same goes for many of the characters in the novel, including Liliane and Goldwine, to name a few.
There were times when I got confused about jumps in time and it did take me a long time to finish this novel, because it's loaded with so much. I don't think the latter is necessarily a bad thing, but it's definitely not a quick summer read. It is, however, one of the best fantasies I've read in awhile and I'm greatly looking forward to the sequel.
I would recommend this for fantasy fans who enjoy coming-of-age adventures.
Also posted on Purple People Readers.
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