Started off slow and depressing (I can't handle the 80's drug dealin', overdosin', kids with handguns scene...and the first 4 issues here are chalk-fuStarted off slow and depressing (I can't handle the 80's drug dealin', overdosin', kids with handguns scene...and the first 4 issues here are chalk-full of it), but there were a couple of gems in the middle, followed a whole lot of ninja action near the end. Definitely signs of Miller's Sin City coming through here. A product of it's time, for sure. And definitely still unique content for a Marvel title (and worthy of the "Visionaries" title), but this volume didn't hit me like Vol. 2 did....more
Gosh darn it, if issue #181 isn't one of the best issues of a series ever. SO GOOD.Gosh darn it, if issue #181 isn't one of the best issues of a series ever. SO GOOD....more
Pretty solid, actually. Though definitely a victim of time. I do know that I haven't read ALL the Frank Miller DD before, so I'm looking forward to thPretty solid, actually. Though definitely a victim of time. I do know that I haven't read ALL the Frank Miller DD before, so I'm looking forward to the next volumes. Really dislike the cover on this one....more
I guess it's important because it's a classic, but Dracula is a tough one to read these days. But I'm likely not culturaled enuff to appreciate it. ThI guess it's important because it's a classic, but Dracula is a tough one to read these days. But I'm likely not culturaled enuff to appreciate it. There are a few pretty cool moments in this book that truly stand the test of time, but storytelling has certainly evolved, and when your big climax is basically: "Finally, we found Dracula. He's sleeping in his box of dirt. Should we just stab him with the stake? OK, sounds good. Done." it leaves a little to be desired. Still. A classic. And I look much smarter for having read it, don't I?...more
SHIFT is a really cool genre blend of Science Fiction, Crime Noir, Romance, and Fantasy. It’s a cool mix, and helps deliver an original tale about lovSHIFT is a really cool genre blend of Science Fiction, Crime Noir, Romance, and Fantasy. It’s a cool mix, and helps deliver an original tale about love, family, and mental illness, all wrapped around a murder mystery. Rivera should be writing screenplays, as this story jumps off the page and the way her dialogue is penned has a real cinematic feel to it. Literature-wise, the descriptions and prose are most definitely above-average, and Rivera really takes her careful time in developing her world, her characters, and her feelings on every page. An absolute pleasure to read, a very underrated work of Indie Fiction, and I look forward to any future books by Coral Rivera, especially if there's a Shift sequel in the works....more
A good mix of mostly-connected Kang storylines from Avengers over the years. Chronologically, this includes Thor #140 (1966), Avengers #69-71 (1969), A good mix of mostly-connected Kang storylines from Avengers over the years. Chronologically, this includes Thor #140 (1966), Avengers #69-71 (1969), Hulk #135 (1971), and Avengers #267-69 (1986). A lot of these stories are revisited/retconned in one of my favourite Avengers books (Avengers Forever, 1998), and is a pretty good starting point for readers who are interested in learning more about Kang the Conqueror....more
**spoiler alert** Pulse is the second novel (first in a series) by Canadian indie author B.A. Bellec. It's labelled as Dystopian, though to me, it fel**spoiler alert** Pulse is the second novel (first in a series) by Canadian indie author B.A. Bellec. It's labelled as Dystopian, though to me, it felt more like a "near future sci-fi/horror" (which I suppose could be argued as being in the realm of the same thing).
Style: The cover has a cool graphic novel sort of style to it. My only criticism is the silhouette of the monster (the "Pulser") is hard to make out if you haven't already seen the image of the creature. It would have been great to include the full monster artwork somewhere in the book. The "screenplay" format (in terms of how character dialogue is written) had the potential for disaster, but it works really, really well in this book. Excellent, and unique, choice!
Pros: The horror aspect in Pulse has been done really good, and there are a couple of VERY gruesomely memorable scenes along the way (*cough* port-o-potty *cough*). I'm not a big reader of horror, but this also didn't make me feel as though I had to have been in order to enjoy. The monsters are really well-conceived, and Bellec deserves a ton of credit for their creation. The pace is amazing. I ended up blowing through the last third of the novel in a couple of sittings, which I don't usually do, but the frenetic pace was really great and it was hard to simply not keep going. The ending is well done, also. And it's a really good place to leave readers looking forward to Book 2!
Critiques: There are A LOT of characters in Pulse, at times hard to keep track of, and at the rate of fatalities that occurred in the last quarter, it was also difficult to remember which of them were still left. I wish there was a sense of a "main character" in Pulse. Maybe it doesn't need an MC, but it does feel odd not having one. I could have done with fewer chapters highlighting the men who ran Pulse (the greedy, "Google-y" corporation that has their fingers deep into the whole planet). Their story got a bit tedious and repetitive, and didn't wholly enhance the overall story for me. The monster reveals started to feel a little redundant. I understand that each character ends up witnessing the Pulsers for the first time and there should be a "what the hell is this?" reaction, but as a reader, I don't need to keep experiencing it every time....more
I haven’t given a lot of time to poetry collections in my life, but this book is not intimidating at all for someone who reads primarily fiction. In fI haven’t given a lot of time to poetry collections in my life, but this book is not intimidating at all for someone who reads primarily fiction. In fact, in some ways I REMEMBER US oddly reads like a work of fiction (more on that later). The book itself is quite short, and the selections are brief and very comprehensible. Reading the whole thing in one sitting had me take notice of how many similarities there are in this collection, which could be a negative to some, but it ended up making it seem more than a collection. It almost feels like a new kind of fiction: one where recurring bits and pieces (first kisses, the car rides, the growing up) keep popping up, all forming a chronological roundabout of a story to be pieced together and figured out by the reader. Even the mention of street names made this feel like the story of a life progressing. And it’s exactly that, too. I had a difficult time picking a favourite here, but when I realized I’d been flipping back to the first poem (the eponymously named “I Remember Us”) two or three times throughout, I definitely have to land on that one....more
The writing is just as strong as Book I (Rosenberg definitely has a mastery of her language) and the world-building/lore is incredibly mind-blowing, bThe writing is just as strong as Book I (Rosenberg definitely has a mastery of her language) and the world-building/lore is incredibly mind-blowing, but I found Book II to be a little harder to follow. A LOT of characters were coming and going and returning again, to the point where I lost track of who a few of them were, and what their specific roles & relationships were within the book's world. I'd recommend Witch Gold for readers who love fantasy/magical worlds with a Steampunk edge, along with a mix of political intrigue, as well as a bit of frightening monsters for good measure. Book III should be fun!...more
So, so good. Easily 5 Stars for issues 1-6. Much of the last half suffers a bit from its inclusion in the Infinity crossover event, and you don't get So, so good. Easily 5 Stars for issues 1-6. Much of the last half suffers a bit from its inclusion in the Infinity crossover event, and you don't get this whole picture in this volume. Thanos and his army are a threat to everything! Turn the page, and Thanos is suddenly a golden statue? Reader: "Maybe an update page might have been helpful?" Marvel: "Who are you again--?" Still, Hickman is at his best here....more
The moment had a personality. It was self-aware, poised, and graceful, a drifting soap bubble saying, "Look at me, remember this. Remember when everytThe moment had a personality. It was self-aware, poised, and graceful, a drifting soap bubble saying, "Look at me, remember this. Remember when everything changed."
This is the kind of line, in the kind of book, that makes me want to read it all over again. There’s moments in The Fragile Keepers—quiet, innocuous moments—that could be glossed over without much thought, but actually mean everything.
Premise: Andre and her step-brother Ben witness a freak lightning storm of sorts in their California backyard, after which Shae—a beautiful winged creature, a faerie—appears in their shed. Unnerved at first, Andre and Ben eventually welcome Shae into their home. But Shae is no sweet little faerie. She has been sent to our world from another world by other faeries who, we can only assume, have a much bigger plan. In order to return to her world, Shae is tasked with giving gifts and collecting tithes, the details of which are shadowy and unknown even to her. When Shae starts developing a conscience and an affinity toward these humans—her fragile keepers—all of their lives, as well as the lives of their friends, spiral towards a haunting, transformative climax.
The Fragile Keepers is an incredible mix of real-world people and fantastical, otherworldly creatures. There are a lot of vivid descriptions of faerie lore and odd magic, but it never feels like too much. In fact, even in places where it doesn’t make any sense at all (to an unfamiliar reader, at least), we get the comforting feeling that either it will make sense at some point, or it was never meant to. It is ominous, like thunderclouds; the reader knows something bad is coming, perhaps only a page away.
The novel does run into moments of having too many characters hanging around, some of whom are arguably inconsequential to the story. Maybe it’s a personal preference, but these extra characters slowed me down a little in parts, especially around a very key scene to the whole story.
Natalie Pinter has crafted a wonderful debut. A dark, real-world fairy tale that is at once beautiful, ugly, haunting, dreamy, tragic, and thick with mood. It also has one of the most perfect endings I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. And by “perfect” I don’t necessarily mean “happy”.
The Fragile Keepers makes you look for the beauty in small things, and requires you to question the existence of something more....more
(rounded up to 3.5 Stars because of my bias towards Ethan Hawke) A Bright Ray of Darkness is the third novel from Ethan Hawke and while I would say it (rounded up to 3.5 Stars because of my bias towards Ethan Hawke) A Bright Ray of Darkness is the third novel from Ethan Hawke and while I would say it is his most mature attempt as a writer, it is also probably my least favourite of the three. Never one to write the most redeemable protagonists, Hawke's *cough* autobiographical *cough* main character, William, is a hard one to root for. He loves his kids and he still loves his wife (who's left him after his affair), but he's not really making any noble attempts to keep the things he loves around him. But that's also the point of this novel: William is broken, and sometimes when we're broken, it's actually very difficult to fix ourselves. I get it, I just think Hawke did it better in his earlier works. There's some really great monologues and bits of dialogue in A Bright Ray of Darkness, and it offers unique insight into a stage actor's POV of working on Broadway. All in all, a good ride, but nothing too prolific....more
I spent the majority of this book (BEFORE I really knew what was happening) thinking about how much I wanted to read it a second time. And then--when I spent the majority of this book (BEFORE I really knew what was happening) thinking about how much I wanted to read it a second time. And then--when the fogs clear and mysteries are demystified and the why's becomes why not's--a lot of the secrets are revealed, and I REALLY can't wait to read this again. Like other reviewers, there's really not much I can say about this amazing book. If you like witches and dark tales of magic & horror, as well as wonderful lyricism, then give this a read. --UPDATE-- Read it again. That's twice in two months. Will need to add this one to my personal collection....more
Loading...
