Wizard Squared

An interesting story, though despite it's length of 580 pages, the book felt too fast-paced, like you were done before you really dove into the story, granted I'm a speed reader, so it just maybe me. Although it took me a while to finally get through, due to my anxiety. Despite the outcome of this book which left me a bit down, I would love to continue this series.

The storyline of this book concentrates on the idea of parallel universes and it’s so different from the previous books that I wondered if the author was in one. It was rather confusing at the beginning because it completely rehashed the ending of the first book to such an extent that I wondered if something had gone wrong somewhere. The first two chapters are pretty much copied from book 1 albeit with some minor differences towards the end which made for really boring reading. Not exactly the best way to start off a new book.

As with the previous books, there were large chunks of dialogue that really didn’t move the story along that much. There wasn’t as much bickering between Reg and Mel which was a relief; actually Reg didn’t show more seem to have a large part in this book at all thankfully. There was still the same issue with dialogue as in the second book, where during a dualogue, one character is initially referred to as ‘he’ and it’s never made clear who it actually is that’s speaking. This happened several times throughout the book and was quite annoying. It’s just sloppy writing and made me wonder if an editor had even seen the book. In addition to this, I also noticed a large number of typos that hadn’t been picked up at the editing stage which was a little irritating. There was also a sudden use of Americanisms, mainly the use of ‘ass’ rather than ‘arse’ which was very odd, especially as the previous books had had the British versions. The phrase ‘Saint Snodgrass preserve us’ or something of that nature was seriously overused, to the point that it would make a great drinking game.

While the first book started off light and went suddenly dark halfway through, the second book was light all the way through. In comparison, this book is mostly dark and yet it’s supposed to be a comedy. It’s quite jarring and I don’t think the combination works very well from this author. Maybe if the writing had more proper laughs it would be better.

All in all, it was quite disappointing. Even though the previous two books weren’t brilliant, this one was such a departure from their style that it felt like it was done by a different author. I believe the initial trilogy has now been extended to a longer series - as seems to have happened to several of the series I’ve been reading recently! - but I don’t know if I will bother with the rest of it. show less

The third book in the Rogue Agent series pits our hero, Gerald, against himself -- or at least another version of himself from a different trouser leg of time, as Pratchett might say. Wizard Squared is an enjoyable read but has many of the same flaws as its predecessors. I feel it could have benefited from another round of editing and revision. About the first 150 pages, which tell the tale of the alternate Gerald and the decision he made that the original Gerald did not, could and probably should have been cut entirely. We already know most of the story here from the end of the first book and the differences would be better left a mystery until later. Another flaw I feel is that the witty humor pervasive throughout the book is carried show more too far, causing characters to be overly snarky with one another in situations where it feels inappropriate and unnatural. Despite these things, this is still a fun adventure and would recommend it for readers fond of comic fantasy. show less

Not as good as the first one but this is an interesting look at an alternative world if Gerald zigged instead of zagged and took all the power he gained and became evil. When some people from the alternative world come to try to get help from the first world Gerald gets involved. It's complicated and the characters have to deal with a lot of issues here.

I liked it, I want more of Geral et al.

This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer   Synopsis Gerald, from another dimension, makes a different choice from "our" Gerald back in Book 1, which turns him evil and sets him on the path of world and dimension domination.   My Thoughts I didn't like this book.  The girls, and I use that word instead of "women", act like the worst type of stereotypical girls with their whining, talking, criticizing and general all around wasting of time and energy instead of either doing show more something or supporting those who are trying to do something.   The 2 guys aren't much better. A tortured, self doubting genius and a tortured, self doubting wizard of incalculable strength. Yeah. I was that angsty, emotional and doubtful once too, when I was 19.   There is one more book in this series, but I won't be reading it, nor will I be reading any more by Mills.   Rating: 2.5 of 5 Stars Author: K.E. Mills " show less

Alternate realities leading from the last Gerald Dunnywood book. I found myself confused and not caring.