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A Reader's reviews
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-11-23 08:41:45 for The Best of H.P. Lovecraft: Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre.
(Language: English)
  
An old favorite. H.P. Is a still one of the best examples of a writer with true imagination. Many of his stories are good for nothing else but imagination. The Dunwich Horror is still one of my favorite short stories ever. Why read the knock offs when you can read the grandfather, the original, the voice of modern weird?
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-11-23 08:39:09 for Darkly Dreaming Dexter (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard).
(Language: English)
Very entertaining, but not as deep as the show.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-11-23 08:36:43 for Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass (Wordsworth Classics).
(Language: English)
Wonderfully surreal, admirably pointless and surprisingly funny. I never would have guessed how funny it was. No movie adaptation I've ever seen has truly done this story justice. It's a marvelous, and really essential, read.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-08-12 07:48:21 for The Gun Seller.
(Language: English)
I can't recall the last book I read that was so pleasingly amusing. On top of that, it's really a first rate spy thriller that I couldn't get enough of. The images and moods conjured by the narrators off the wall allegories are truly something to behold and appreciate, whether you're a fan of Hugh's comedy work or not. I know this is being optioned for a movie, and it's one I can't wait to see. You like spies? Good. You like Hugh Laurie. Better. You want to read a damn fine book? What're you waiting for?
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-08-12 07:45:39 for The Terror : A Novel.
(Language: English)
This is a gripping piece of historical horror. The changing perspectives keeps the narrative fresh and compelling, and while the story moves well and is told in an efficient and interesting way, there are some chapters that truly stand out. In particular, the chapter from the point of view of a many dying of scurvy is truly guywrenching. My only complain is the authors frequent repetition of language to the point that his overuse of some words becomes exhausting. It's well worth the read for anyone looking for a chill.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-05-22 01:22:05 for Fell: Feral City v. 1 (Fell).
(Language: English)
An amazing cop drama, and a really one of a kind read. Warren Ellis shows his skill at both gritty and hilarious dialog in these brilliant, self-contained stories. The experimental format Ellis uses for the storytelling really make this book something different from what's out in comics there today. This is more Twilight Zone than Law
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-05-22 01:04:26 for The Malice Box.
(Language: English)
At first, this book seemed fairly interesting. The buildup is handled well and gives you a set of interesting characters to follow. However, when the main story got going, things fell apart, going from emotional and gritty to implausible and kind of silly. So much of the action in this story felt painfully arbitrary. I won't give away the plot, but finding the hidden objects that will prevent the destruction of New York doesn't feel anywhere near as serious or as difficult as it aught to. For a book that relies so heavily on the lore surrounding 9/11, the sense of impending doom just isn't there. The real part I felt let down by, however, was the protagonist. For a man presented as a pragmatist and a journalist, he just accepts everything without a second thought or any real doubt. And the ending had so little impact you forget you're supposed to feel resolution. This book could have been so much stronger, but as it is, it feels like a psycho-spiritual DaVinci Code. With magic powers.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-04-25 10:26:59 for Neuromancer.
(Language: English)
I was a little weirded out when I realized this book is as old as I am, down to the month. That being said, it's an amazingly trippy read. One of the most dream-like texts I've ever come across. The descriptions are incredibly rich, which adds further wonder to an already brilliant sci-fi universe. The story, while at times a little hard to follow (the only reason we don't see 5 stars here) is full of fascinating images and concepts, many of which you can see as the roots of some of the most important sci-fi today. The dialogue is snappy and full of colorful bits of street dialect, and the characters are really engaging, even the ones you never think you'll like (wait til you encounter Peter Rivera). An absolute must for any sci-fi fan, or pretty much anyone who's ever enjoyed The Matrix.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-04-01 02:57:28 for Mister B. Gone.
(Language: English)
This is really a fascinating book. This clever take on the metanarrative does a stellar job at giving voice to this desperate, pathetic monster and really makes you think about the nature of evil and the power of words. It seduces one moment, threatens the next, weaving in and out of an interesting narrative and a truly engaging first person plea. It's a fast read and, if you've got the right kind of imagination, an unsettling one at the best of times. I highly recommend it!
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-02-05 09:29:29 for Baltimore: Or, the Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire.
(Language: English)
A really excellent novel with an excellent twist on the classic vampire story. The shared stories of evil that make up the body of this work are imaginative and oozing with old school dread. The characters are great, and the assembled portrait of the title character is deeply moving. The style of the writing is great, conveying the true horror of the events without going overboard in the gothic details. Mignola's illustrations are great, setting the atmosphere and, in some cases, really capturing the horror of a given moment. When I'd finished, I wanted there to be more adventures of Lord Baltimore, because I really couldn't get enough. A great read for any horror fan.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-02-03 09:28:33 for The Historian.
(Language: English)
This book is the successor to Dracula in almost every way. That being said, it's excellent. Though it's a little slow getting into it, you almost don't notice how captivated you become with the truly sympathetic characters and the many layers of dense narrative. The many historical facts strewn throughout the story are an amazing touch at building atmosphere. Despite the slow pacing and the relatively low feeling of danger in this book, my only serious gripe is that many leaps in logic some of the characters take, considering that virtually every one of them is an intellectual. That being said, I highly recommend this to anyone with even a passing interest in vampires or who has ever read Bram Stoker and found his format frustrating. This REALLY works.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-07-09 10:48:59 for Fragile Things Short Fictions and Wonders.
(Language: English)
I'm a hardcore fan of Neil, and have adored his other short stories. I feel they're his best work. That being said, I was disappointed with this book in a big way. This book contained some real gems, many of them which can be found in other short story collections. The real stand-out stories were A Study in Emerald, which is one of the best Cthulhu mythos stories I've read in ages, the hilarious Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Secret House of the Night of Dread Desire, the intriguing prose poem Fifteen Painted Cards from a Vampire Tarot, the downright trippy love/ghost story Pages from a Journal Found in a Shoebox Left in a Greyhound Bus Somewhere Between Tulsa, Oklahoma and Louisville, Kentucky (Neil sure loves his long titles), Harlequin Valentine (which I understand has been turned into a graphic novel format), How to Talk to Girls at Parties and Sunbird. However, though this is a long list, the book's contents are far more extensive, containing close to 30 stories and poems. I'm sad to say, though, that besides these few, many of the other stories feel tedious, unfinished, or simply not up to par with the stories from Smoke and Mirrors, which is one of my favorite books of Neil's. A lot of the first half of the book is taken up with stories that are clearly drawn from Neil's own life experiences, but, unlike a tale like Mr. Punch, which felt authentic while weaving a fascinating story around real life happenings, most of these feel like a concept in search of an ending, as virtually none of them end with a real conclusion, as something that could be found in real life would. While there's no arguing life doesn't always have nice neat endings, we love Neil because he can weave these wonderful, fascinating stories that feel so significant, capturing the imagination in a way that's just so Neil. Sadly, many of the stories, like Miss Finch or Good Boys Deserve Favors, seem to not so much end as trail off. Even his more fantastical stories in the collection suffer this tragic lack of satisfying ending. The Problem of Susan, an interesting post-modern take on the Narnia series, seems to be building to something but then, literally, dies short of a strong ending. Even Monarch of the Glen, a novella based on American Gods which I'd read previously in another collection, felt disappointingly lacking in the originality and depth of its parent work. It's worth a read for any Neil fan, but the large majority of works in this piece just don't seem up to par. Go read Anansi Boys, that'll reaffirm your faith in Neil, I promise.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-07-09 10:16:55 for Necronomicon: The Wanderings of Alhazred.
(Language: English)
This is a fascinating read for any fan of Lovecraft. Taking elements from the complete mythos, Tyson takes on the point of view of Alhazred himself, as though the Necronomicon was his own personal travel memoir on the road to dark knowledge. While it holds little similarity with the more popular Necronomicon, which would spend pages upon pages on long, unpronounceable incantations, this book tells the story, more or less, of how it was written, and the road one might take if they wanted to write their own. Rather than getting the spell, you're given the account of how the spell may have been acquired, through all sorts of ghastly means. The book is divided into many small chapters, each covering an aspect of Alhazred's supposed journey, from exploring ancient cities to projecting his soul into distant, unknown cosmoses. As such, it's a fast read, but full of fascinating details for a true fan of Lovecraft. For a fan of the mythos, this is essential reading. Full of interesting ideas, chilling imagery, black magic and all your favorite demon gods from between the stars.
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