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Although apparently a worn trope the opening - where the protagonist wakes up without memory and we discover what's going on was promising. The rest of the story didn't fulfill that - I had trouble caring about any character and about anything that went on. If the book wouldn't have been so short it would probably have ended on the DNF pile.

Just like in A Rose for Ecclesiastes the protagonist is not a nice guy. One could even argue he's the bad guy in the story. That kind of refreshing perspective is also why I've given the book two stars instead of one.

I liked the way the writer portrays the protagonist through his own words and conversations with and about him. The protagonist is kind of a loner and comes across as (and indeed seems to be, judging his inner voice) a bit of an arrogant prick.

A celebrated poet with a knack for linguistics is part of an expedition to Mars where he discovers the Martians get very old, have an old, rich culture and they're dying off because the men became infertile after a global disaster. The Martians are defeatist about it.

He gets a girl pregnant, shows them a rose and reads from Ecclesiastes - convincing them to not give up.

The girl does not love him, though. The book ends when the protagonist wakes from a suicide attempt and on the way back to earth .

Refreshing page turner. It has continuously switching perspectives over all parties in the conflict - and I liked that a lot.

History of Nike and Phil ('Buck') Knight - the (co-)founder of the Brand. Reads like and extended episode of the How I Built This radio show. Liked that he's fairly straight about (at least some of his) shortcomings and doesn't spare himself - intentionally (when writing of neglecting his fatherly or husbandry duties) or not (like the way he mocks employee #1 in this book and ignores him in real life and looks like he thinks that a virtue or the bro fests the founders meetings seem to be).

Well written for a biography, though.

(part 2 of a trilogy - entertaining, but review/ summary in part 3)

Fast paced easy read. Seemed simpler than mistborn or the storm light archive - but still with some Sanderson plot twists.

Short story - was excellent for passing part of a sleepless night. The story doesn't have very deep characters - nor very believable ones. I'd like to think of this story as a parable and for that neither is really a big issue.

Short story SF/ fantasy story that ends with a firm plot twist - not unlike those in the author's larger works (mistborn trilogy, the storm light archive).

Interessante kijk achter de schermen van politieke journalistiek.

Beschrijft Japan vanuit de ogen van een Nederlandse diplomaat die er gewoond heeft. Zeker wat van opgestoken. Uit de beschrijving komt het beeld van een conservatieve cultuur - waar harmonie/ conformisme een belangrijke waarde is.