To begin, THIS IS A VERY STRANGE COLLECTION. It is NOT for all readers, to put it lightly. It took me some getting used to, and I have plenty of experTo begin, THIS IS A VERY STRANGE COLLECTION. It is NOT for all readers, to put it lightly. It took me some getting used to, and I have plenty of experience. On a side note, does anyone know what happened to the two books that were supposed to be sequels to Dawn Song? One of them was called The Diaspora, and I can't find either anywhere, or any information about them. On another note, is there a reason Michael Marano doesn't have a Wikipedia page? I digress.
Displacement: Although this plot has been done plenty of times before, it's the way that Marano takes the reader through it that breathes new life into the plot line. A murderer with a big grudge discovers he has nothing to lose when he is diagnosed with cancer. 4/5
Little Round Head: This is a great tribute for lovers of animal fantasy. A human is adopted by strange magical creatures that feed and love him after years of being abused by his real parents. 4/5
Changeling: An abused boy makes the ultimate decision. But as to the details of why? 4/5
The Seige: Two boys get revenge on their murderers, but again the devil is in the details. 4/5
Burden: A young man is burdened by the ghosts of his past: the men he infected. 4/5
...And the Damage Done: DNR. See The Outsiders collection.
Exit Wound: An artist blasts his brains onto the canvas, giving true thought to his art again and again. What happens when the consequences of this become too much? 4/5
Winter Requiem: A demon offers a dying composer a second chance, but it may take some persuasion. 4/5
Shibboleth: A pair of boys set out in a pandemic, post-apocalyptic besieged world looking for work. Will they survive? 4/5...more
Pros: WOW! This series keeps getting better and better! Now we have Chess Putnam on a top secret mission that includes a binding spell, so that she caPros: WOW! This series keeps getting better and better! Now we have Chess Putnam on a top secret mission that includes a binding spell, so that she can't tell anyone any information on the case. On the surface it only seems simple, but there's far more betrayal involved than even Chess can guess. Love the scenes with Chess and Terrible!
Cons: This could have been quite a bit shorter than it was, and it took awhile to get to the actual point. City of Ghosts has a tendency to drag in the middle, although the ending was worth the read. Issues that concern me: nobody Chess works with at the Church of Truth has any idea about her serious drug problem. Second issue: If the Church is so powerful, why can't it wage war on the gangland controlling Downside and clean that up? Bump, Terrible, Lex and everyone else would be in SERIOUS TROUBLE then!...more
The Empty Chambers by Neil Gaiman: The first piece in this collection is a poem, and it is a must. One of the five reasons I bought this book. A ghostThe Empty Chambers by Neil Gaiman: The first piece in this collection is a poem, and it is a must. One of the five reasons I bought this book. A ghost story. 4/5
The Company You Keep by Steve Resnic Tem: This is a kind of a predictable episode of someone's insanity and gradual suicide. You can almost hear the violins as he remarks on his lack of a social life. 2/5
Under the Needle by Lea Silhol: This kind of story has been done before, but the writing is what gives it its staying power. Partner breaks up with you? Hit the demonic intervention hotline! 3/5
Expanding Your Capabilities Using Frame/Shift(TM) Mode by David J. Schow: An original plot, with a twist. What if with the touch of a button and the adjustment of a few settings, a person could see an actor on TV naked? What if you push the button again, and the actor's skin disappears? How far would you go? 3/5
Cat and the Cold Prince by Freda Warrington: This plot has been done before, but again, the writing stands out with a nice wrap-up ending. Lovers of science fiction and furries will enjoy this little story, although I'm really not into that community. 3/5
Faces in Revolving Souls by Caitlin R. Kiernan: The dark side of the science fiction and furries theory we just delved into last time. Great plot twist at the end that makes the reader think twice about the main character. 3/5
Lighten Up by Jack Ketchum: The second reason I bought this collection. Ketchum's writing is always as tight as clockwork, although this is far from my favorite. The point of this story is nicotine addiction: it will make you happy if you do smoke, and completely unnerved if you don't. 3/5
Pit Boy by Elizabeth Massie: Oh, my God. This is by far the stupidest, cruelest story in this collection. If it had some sense of style I might have understood the violence, but it only succeeds in finishing up completely disgusting. The birth flashback was the worst: I WAS BORRRRRRRRN ON THE BACKSIIIIIIDE OF A SHITHEAP IN TEXAAAAAAAS! 1/5
The Country of the Blind by Melanie Tem: Absolutely disgusting in some scenes, I don't understand why everyone has to have their eyes gouged out. If there were a few pages of strong reasoning and argument, then I would get the message. The scene with the dog really pisses me off. 1/5
Ruby Tuesday by Kathe Koja: Finally a story I can relate to, but why is this here? This is a YA story about a girl dealing with her mother dying of cancer. Unable to cope with reality, she creates a fantasy world of her own movie. 4/5
Running Beneath the Skin by Brett Alexander Savory: A well-thought out tragedy of science fiction. Two men with superhero-like powers believe they will live forever, despite social ostracizing. But is there a true death...? 4/5
Grim Peeper by Katherine Ramsland: Third reason I bought this collection. A story of whatever turns you on better be legal. The first gets off on voyeurism of corpses, the other gets off on watching the corpse-oglers unobserved, her sexual undercurrent to infiltrate and blow the lid off their little party. 4/5
Craving by Yvonne Navarro: Here we go again with turning people on. This time a couple gets off on witnessing horrific accidents and tragedies, but when there's not enough naturally happening of course, they start creating them. 4/5
Violent Angel by Thomas S. Roche: An assassination attempt goes wrong. Although this has been done before, this keeps the reader interested and has a nice plot twist. Disgusting at times. 3/5
...And the Damage Done by Michael Marano: Fourth reason I bought this collection. A tragedy shaped by the habits we have and the choices we make, in the wake of the death of an artist. Very poetic and well-written, though vague in some parts and not my favorite. 3/5
Pop Star in the Ugly Bar by Bentley Little: Death by snu-snu, and just basically disgusting. 1/5
Miss Singularity by John Shirley: Oh, my God. It was so hard to get through the first half of this story. I cannot STAND depressed teenage bullshit. That aside, the ending scene was interesting. Thank God an LSD trip come to life basically saved the day. 1/5
The Working Slob's Prayer by Poppy Z. Brite: Fifth and final reason I decided to buy this collection. Why is this story here? Basically this is about people in the LGBT community, working to fulfill their dream of running a restaurant. All that really does happen is a false alarm of a food critics alert. 4/5 Very well written.
If I Should Wake Before I Die by Brian Hodge: Theories on whether or not fetuses have dream-memory or experience REM sleep are examined in this story. In a world where nearly all women are miscarrying, one woman writes a letter to her soon-to-be-born. 4/5
Honing Sebastian by Elizabeth Engstrom: Mind-control and being a cog in the machine of a huge complex system are examined. What if the God you worship behind the curtain is nothing but a sham who's using you? Do you resist or comply? 4/5
The Shadows, Kith and Kin by Joe R. Landsale: The Charles Whitman murders are reexamined and adapted, with a supernatural twist. I didn't see anything really special about this that made it stand out. 2/5...more
Pros: WOW! I like this installment best of all, and I don't understand why it didn't get a higher rating. By the way, I saw the 2003 miniseries versioPros: WOW! I like this installment best of all, and I don't understand why it didn't get a higher rating. By the way, I saw the 2003 miniseries version of this instead of the book. Chani and Paul Atreides' children are nearly grown, Ihrulan raised them and Alia rules in their stead. Complications arise with the arrival of a strange, familiar madman prophesying doom.
Cons: I would think Princess Ihrulan would be far more bitter about raising Chani's kids, but it seems as though all was oddly forgotten. That aside, I'm disappointed with what happens to two of the main characters though I won't spoil it. I really think more could have been done with their reprisals.
Pros about this book: Post-apocalyptic setting is revolutionary for its time of publication (1970s). Has some very nice desolation scenes, the bleaknePros about this book: Post-apocalyptic setting is revolutionary for its time of publication (1970s). Has some very nice desolation scenes, the bleakness of which reminded me a lot of Frazetta paintings. This would be a good companion for anyone who read the Dark Tower series or played any of the Fallout Games, if only for the Con part of my review.
Cons about this book: Did not age well after publication (vinyl record albums and hippie vans now seem dated in 2015). Where is my plot? If False Dawn had been stylized in a way like Chet Williamson or Stephen King, it would have been far more gripping. As it is, there is no real conclusion to this story, it has no sequel (unless I'm wrong) and I finished feeling disappointed....more
Saw the movie version of this. The start of a great series! Reminds me sort of Barrie's Pan with a female lead.Saw the movie version of this. The start of a great series! Reminds me sort of Barrie's Pan with a female lead....more
This short story collection features many, many, many incarnations of numerous authors' conception of The Crow, some far better than others. My personThis short story collection features many, many, many incarnations of numerous authors' conception of The Crow, some far better than others. My personal favorites are "Variations on a Theme" (a story) and "Fleas" by Iggy Pop. Of course I can't leave out the rare awesome story, poems and artwork by James O' Barr himself!...more
Half of this book was basically waiting for something to happen, only to discover the other half is yet another Hunger Games - this time it's called aHalf of this book was basically waiting for something to happen, only to discover the other half is yet another Hunger Games - this time it's called a Quell. A Quell puts past tributes back in the ring to kill each other off. The idea here is to crush the figureheads of a rebellion, of which the proverbial ball has already begun rolling there from the first half of the book. Of course the crushing kills a lot of people, causes a lot of confusion and chaos, but it fails to meet its objective. Overall good - it still has the fast pacing and uncertainty of the first book but doesn't seem as raw and gritty as the first. Someday I'll read book three!...more
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