This book has been on my nightstand for a long while and I finally sat down and got a chance to finish it. I didn’t hate the book, but I didn’t love it either.

First, it was a very similar premise to Ready Player One*. A young kid who lives his life playing video games and has an afinity for 80s music. Second, a lot of things felt very rushed. The book could have spent more time on the attacks and talked a bit more about Earth’s reaction. Instead it just focused on a few “dog fights” and didn’t deliver on the bigger effect accross the world. Finally, the love story seemed very forced. I understand the need to use this element, but it seemed so unecessary in the context of this book. Almost, felt like she was written in after the fact and to just check a box off.

If you’re on the fence on which book to read first or which book to read at all, skip Armada* and go for Ready Player One.

~david

*ref links

Thought I had posted this before, but could not find it.  Here’s my favorite quote from this great book.

Con ella aprendio Florentino Ariza lo que ya habia padecido muchas veces sin saberlo: que se puede estar enamorado de varias personas a la vez, y de todas con el mismo dolor, sin traicionar a ninguna. Solitario etre la muchedumbre del muelle, se habia dicho con un golpe de rabia: ‘El corazon tiene mas cuartos que un hotel de putas’. Estaba ba~nado en lagrimas por el dolor de los adioses. Sin embargo, no bien habia desaparecido el barco en la linea del horizonte, cuando ya el recuredo de Fermina Daza habia vuelto a ocupar su espacio total.

This book was recommended by a friend when we were talking about post-apocalyptic books like Alas, Babylon or The Road.  However, after reading the book I don’t know why he would recommend it as it really didn’t have much to do about the end of the world.  Regardless, it was an excellent read and I recommend everyone read it.

Two quotes that stood out were:

I started to wonder if James was really James or if James was really Jesus answering me with James’ face.  Then I wondered if that’s all God ever is – somebody who loves you enough to come back from the dead to visit every now and again.  Or if that’s all other people ever are – different faces of God walking around.

“Grudges are bad things, Ninah",” she said at last.  “There’s only so much room in one heart.  You can fill it up with love or you can fill it with resentment.  But every bit of resentment you hold takes space away from the love.  And the resentment don’t do no good noway, but look what love can do.”

~david