I read it. Enjoyable, though I kept feeling like it had the potential to be even more so, if that makes any sense.

Heeeeey, le nubian, it's months later, but I just finished The Human Division, and I can totally see your criticisms, but I really liked it anyway. Scalzi's comments here do help me understand what happened regarding the lack of resolution on the mystery plot, and I do agree that the B-team becoming the A-team was the real story, but it's still a bit frustrating. I'm definitely looking forward to the sequel, though.

If you liked the writing and the world of the book, I highly recommend you read the other books in the series. I promise each one of those has a beginning, middle, and end.

Have any of you read Hangman's Daughter? I finished it yesterday -- 16th century Germany and a murder mystery. So enjoyable.

I haven't but it was only $4 for the Kindle so...I will.

Ooh, is it still? I'd been thinking of reading it, too.

Well, I go through Canadian Amazon, but prices are usually the same.

I read it too. I was very into it while reading and then I was done. No real interest in the other stories in the universe but I couldn't explain why. It was certainly a good read.

That happened to me with The Strain. I loved the first book as I was reading it, but once I was done, I had no real urge to read the next two.

I hadn't realized it was a series; I picked it up on a whim at my LBS... I don't feel the need to read the rest at all -- the ending felt complete enough that I am not interested in continuing to read.

I also finished the second book from trilogy that started with Blood and Shadow. I think it's called Siege and Storm. Bought it, read it the same day then re-read the first one. The author has a neat organizing strategy for trilogy itself, looking at the relationship of Alina with the three main people who want to use her power: The darkling, the royal family and, I assume next, will be the church.

P-C,

thanks for linking to that article, I'll have to read later. I was entertained by the novel, but when I was done, it felt very slight. No plot movement at all, which is jarring to me after reading a book.

I totally get that, and I'm actually kind of glad I went in having heard your feelings or I might have felt more disappointed. I disagree that there was no plot movement at all, though. Again, I think it's a case of expecting the story to be one thing when it's really another thing: I think the actual plot movement is about the deterioration in relations between the Earth and the Colonial Union. The destruction of the Earth Station and beanstalk is huge. I like that we got to see a lot of Earth's perspective on what was going on, especially since that's missing from the previous books. Plus, the fact that Gau is essentially actively working against the Conclave despite leading it is big. I feel like the book sort of moves a lot of diplomatic pieces around to change the status quo of the universe. I think that was all more meaningful to me because I've read the rest of the books and seen how it's all progressed to this point. Sure, Scalzi dabbled in the relevant exposition throughout the book (multiple times), but it's different from having "been there."