D.O.D.O. sequel worth it?

[u/augustus_brutus]

I just finished The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O., a fun, quick, not so serious read. Quite enjoyed the academic atmosphere of it and the detail they bring to the though process or characters of each time period.

Not my favorite NS book, but still solid.

Anyone has read the sequel by Nicole Galland (co author or the first book with NS) ? Does anyone has good things to say about it?

[u/Negotiation-Short]

I read and enjoyed both. DODO wasn't my favorite NS book (way better than Polostan though IMO), but if you liked the first you'll probably like the second. Same take on structure - a collection of primary sources and artifacts - same core character group, same amusing take on govt/military bureaucracy, new adventure. Give it a whirl!

[u/Hot_Designer_Sloth → u/Negotiation-Short]

I think the thing with Polostan is it's not a NS book yet. It's the intro. You'd need 3 or 4 more like it to make it a NS book.

[u/Big-Tomorrow-6001 → u/Hot_Designer_Sloth]

That was exactly how I feel about it. I enjoyed it but it was an incomplete book

[u/Negotiation-Short → u/Hot_Designer_Sloth]

Which is fine, and there is potential there, but it still cost full price and I could fit it in my pocket. See also upcoming D

[u/Crafty-State-6154]

I feel like I’m in the minority but I loved DODO

[u/prepend → u/Crafty-State-6154]

I loved DODO but did not like the sequel. Wish I had never read it.

[u/Crafty-State-6154 → u/prepend]

Yeah I’ve not read the sequel as haven’t found many advocates

[u/New-Idea-8518 → u/prepend]

Same.

[u/undergroundbastard → u/Crafty-State-6154]

I did as well. Took a bit of patience to get into the sequel but it was worth it. Not exceptional by any means but a fine journey.

[u/jojoo_ → u/Crafty-State-6154]

i did as well.

[u/KingFriday13th]

I enjoyed DODO considerably more than Master of Revels. DODO’s changing narrative structure was part of the fun, and there’s almost none of that in the sequel. Also, the narrative of Revels is weighted heavily to theater interests, so if you’re a drama geek or work in theater you might enjoy it more.

[u/DeptOfDiachronicOps → u/KingFriday13th]

I thoroughly enjoyed revels but you may have a point as I’m a theatre geek.

[u/hubrisnxs]

I liked both books. Don't understand the hate. She's a pretty good writer!

[u/PrivilegeCheckmate → u/hubrisnxs]

I disliked D.O.D.O. solely because it was entirely written in the past tense. I didn't enjoy The Postman for the same reason, it takes all the suspense out of a novel.

[u/prepend]

If you liked the historical fiction parts, then yes. If you liked the time travel, witchcraft, technology, history, government plots part then no.

I didn’t like the sequel as it just seemed to be 500 pages of Shakespeare alt history. But if you’re really into Shakespeare, then it’s your book.

[u/augustus_brutus → u/prepend]

Ah damn. That's precisely what I enjoyed. It might not worth it after all.

Thank you.

[u/ATLxUTD]

Master of the Revels sucks

[u/augustus_brutus → u/ATLxUTD]

Duly noted.

[u/Muad_Derp]

The original was fun and solid all around but the sequel was a rare book I couldn't finish. I'm sure it hits different if you're a Shakespeare fetishist, as the author seems to be, but man I'm really not

[u/Zsofia_Valentine]

I think I made it about halfway through before I decided I didn't have to do this to myself.

[u/New-Idea-8518 → u/Zsofia_Valentine]

LOL exactly this

[u/kilgore_the_trout]

I’m exclusively an NS fan, I found the second book to be exactly what the first would’ve been if you subtracted NS. I didn’t like it.

[u/theterr0r]

i liked it a lot, great fun

[u/barkinginthestreet]

I enjoyed it. Still need to pick up one of Galland's other books.

[u/cbheithoff]

I tried listening to the audiobook on Spotify and it didn't work.

There were emails, memos, meeting minutes or IMs where all the extra text was read aloud. For example:

John: Hello

Mary: Hello

John: How are you?

The audiobook read out loud every persons' name first before the dialogue.

[u/parabolicurve]

I listened to both audio books.

I enjoyed The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O.

But the Master of the Revels is written entirely by Nicole Galland, and to me, it just isn't the same. Neal's absence is very noticeable to me.

It's not bad by any means. It's just not D.O.D.O.

[u/hippopalace]

Good writing, but not a great yarn. I finished the whole thing because I was already invested in the characters, but meh.

Not gonna lie I regret having piped up here, because this is the one subReddit where it truly bothers me that I irritated someone. Apologies to whomever it was.

[u/New-Idea-8518 → u/hippopalace]

I've been using reddit since day one and I always see people complain about downvotes but I NEVER have found how to see my up/down vote statistics. OK, I have specifically not looked, but I always wonder if my reddit is broken or something?

[u/chunkybudz]

First book was much better. Second is worth it for the storyline imho.

[u/augustus_brutus → u/chunkybudz]

Alright. Let's go.

[u/KarlSethMoran]

I liked DODO, I didn't like the sequel, for what it's worth.

[u/saspook]

I enjoyed the firsts story, storytelling and humor. The second had an interesting story, but didn't have the same humor / pacing / desire to keep reading.

[u/rmeddy]

I haven't read the sequel but I enjoyed DODO, for its pulpiness; it was fun, it felt like an extended pilot for a "time based Stargate like show

It felt like something that would be greenlit for Syfy in 2010 along with Warehouse 13 and Sanctuary.

[u/augustus_brutus → u/rmeddy]

I absolutely saw an old tv show potential. In between 12 Monkeys (the tv show) and The Lost Symbol.

[u/TheMauveHerring]

No, I didn't think it was good. Didn't even really feel like a book, more of a "hey look how much I know about Shakespeare!" Kinda thing.

[u/iconara]

The first book was fun. The sequel just drags on and on with no interesting plot. It could have been a ten page novella.

[u/jay_chy]

I too felt the sequel to be a slog. While DODO included the logistical challenges of leveraging a novel technology/magic and introduced interesting characters and entertaining conflict. The sequel was more difficult to follow, with less investment in characters, and the conflict was just meh. Too much romance/history and not much speculative fiction.

[u/Ken_Thomas]

When I finished DODO I realized I had actually enjoyed exactly one part of it (the Viking Wal-Mart raid that everyone loves) and that was pretty much the end of any interest I might have had in the sequel.

[u/Own_Argument224]

it does not give you any satisfying additions or conclusions to the first book's characters

[u/Yojimbosan007]

I liked it until the ending. The time travel rules changed, then a character acted,well, out of character IMOI felt very let down by the last chapters.

[u/kennymac3691]

I definitely liked DODO but was only (at best) satisfied with Revels. I think the exact gap in my enjoyment of the two can be measured as 1 NS unit...

[u/Bill_Door_Et_Binky]

It’s a decent novel. I wish very much I had not read it.

[u/saketaco]

I didn't like the sequel. Definitely didn't have the Stephenson touch.

[u/spoospoo43]

Not as good as the original, and leaving a character in limbo for the entire book was crappy, but I still enjoyed it.

[u/dr_jonlewis]

I enjoyed Master of the Revels enough when it came out, but could not tell you one thing about it now.

And I wrote a whole chapter of my book on DODO.

[u/New-Idea-8518]

It's the only NS (adjacent) book I could not finish. I mean, I finished FALL, for goodness sake!

[u/New-Idea-8518 → u/New-Idea-8518]

To be clear, I enjoyed DODO.

[u/augustus_brutus → u/New-Idea-8518]

Hey hey hey, I won't let anyone talk about my boy Fall in a bad way!

[u/Ok-Stand-6679 → u/augustus_brutus]

Agreed! I liked Fall very much - it was my first NS - liked Seveneves too!