Finished it, and all I can say is GOD DAMN!
Easily his best yet. I can't wait until you guys read it so I finally have someone to discuss it with!
Listen, I know I'm completely biased when it comes to these books, and I'm a fucking fanboi, but I don't care. They are so fucking good. Every single character is like a friend of mine, I know them so well. There are only a few series I've ever read that gave me a similar sense of familiarity with all the supporting characters, like The Black Company, Harry Potter, Ender's Game, etc. Richard does many things well in terms of writing, but his character building is on a par with the best in the business, in my opinion. I really fucking care what happens to all of them. I love Annie B, Val, Ceinwyn, Pocket & Jesus, Miranda, everyone. Just like I loved Hermione and Ron and the older Weasly twins, etc. Except I think I love all of these even more (with the Hermione exception, of course, but that's dirty), and by and large these "good" characters never do fucking stupid shit just to further the plot. That's one of the things I love best, the drama doesn't come from cliched shit like it does in so many other books or shows. The drama comes from actual believable situations and people being made to make difficult decisions, not a fucking rock tripping some dumbass while being chased by zombies.
I know, I know, such a fucking shill. I admit it! This series needs to be way more popular than it is, and it needs to be the next big fucking HBO series. Not joking about that either. If I had a billion dollars I'd do it right now. It could be tough to find actors to play characters in both the school and the current timeline, whether the same or two different actors, but fuck me if this isn't just perfect for HBO.
God dammit!
