Ever since discovering Death in the Sandman series so many years ago, I have not been able to forget one of the most intriguing and brilliant renditioEver since discovering Death in the Sandman series so many years ago, I have not been able to forget one of the most intriguing and brilliant renditions of this philosophical, poetic, universal concept. Neil Gaiman gives Death a persona that makes absolute sense and that you would never in a million years have guessed.
Having all her stories brought together in this beautiful, hard cover edition is thrilling and a joy to read.
"You get what anybody gets. You get a lifetime." ...more
A nearly 90, female James Bond; a bold receptionist with awesomely sexy toes; the Night Market; the Fifth Floor Men and the Honorable and Enduring BroA nearly 90, female James Bond; a bold receptionist with awesomely sexy toes; the Night Market; the Fifth Floor Men and the Honorable and Enduring Brotherhood of Waiting Men; the Ruskinites; the Order of John the Maker; and Apis Mechanica all conspire systematically and -almost with a determined sense of destiny - to unravel Joseph Joshua Spork's extremely careful and controlled life as a clockmaker of little renown. But (ho!ho!) it isn't destiny at all: its just a little family history.
The humour keeps the story moving (absolutely British, but doled out by the teaspoon- not the ladle-full), the unique and explicitly described characters keep the interest high (it seems the more outlandish the more believable they are; a very enjoyable sensation), the adventure and intrigue keep the tensions mounting (Frankie Foyossuer, the Dowager Khanut, and the Opium Khan Shem Shem Tsien? Come on!) and the glorious machinery from the Lovelace to the Ruskinite submarine to the mechanical beehive with the world circling swarm of golden, truth-inducing bees will keep you turning pages better than the calibrating drum of the Apprehension Engine.
What would the World be like if truth were the only option and the outcome of every action could be known before undertaken? Would it be a paradise of angels or a hell that only death would relieve?
This novel will hold your intelligence as well as your heart...and that's the absolute truth. ...more
An odd, charming, little find: A children's novella written in 1923 by a Vernon Kellogg, with illustrations (not viewable in the Project Gutenberg digAn odd, charming, little find: A children's novella written in 1923 by a Vernon Kellogg, with illustrations (not viewable in the Project Gutenberg digital edition), capturing a fictionalized account of the life of a bee from birth to a rather thrilling culmination. Since the bees are Italian (an actual breed of honeybees popular in Europe and North America), they all have Italian names (except one), and Nuova is our heroine in this short story. It is romantic, sentimental, melodramatic, but really not bad...even the Deus Ex Machina climax at the end. Cute and surprisingly factual for what it is. A very enjoyable read!
Charming, melancholy, detailed, vague, realistic, magical. The ending is very much up to your own personal take Borges and Calvino, and Macchiavelli.
Charming, melancholy, detailed, vague, realistic, magical. The ending is very much up to your own personal take on the story. This short story will leave you pondering for days.
One of four finalist for the 2012 Hugo Award: short story category.
I classify this tale as a fantasy, but the author makes a compelling counterpoint. She states that the study of bees and wasps is a function of biology which is a science. Cartographer Wasps and Anarchist Bees is a work of fiction. ipso facto, this short story is science fiction....more
More of an illustrated novel than a graphic novel, this is another adventure in the Valley with another family from Boneville, this time Percival F. BMore of an illustrated novel than a graphic novel, this is another adventure in the Valley with another family from Boneville, this time Percival F. Bone and his twin neice and nephew, Abbey and Barclay.
Thorn is now Queen of the land, but evil is trying once again to claim the world in the form of the shadowy Nacht and his power to drop everyone into a deep, restless, nightmare filled sleep. Everyone, that is, except the Bones, Tom Elm - turnip farmer - a disillusioned Veni Yan warrior priest,, Roderick the raccoon, two Rat Creatures, and Lorimar, a forest spirit.
With the use of Percival's wooden flying ship, Queen of the Sky, and the Quest for scattered pieces of the Spark, this motley crew of adventurers are the only band standing between Nacht and its dream of world submission....more
Tongue-in-cheek, droll narrative captures the reader's attention in this Rule-Britannia-in-Space Edwardian alternate history (alternate physics as welTongue-in-cheek, droll narrative captures the reader's attention in this Rule-Britannia-in-Space Edwardian alternate history (alternate physics as well:outer space is made up of a somewhat breathable aether, not an empty vacuum).
Some buffonery, some slapstick, and lots of rampant adventure make this light reading an enjoyable lark....more
Graphic Novel adaptation of Laurell Hamilton's Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series. Obviously not as deep and informed as the actual novels themselves,Graphic Novel adaptation of Laurell Hamilton's Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series. Obviously not as deep and informed as the actual novels themselves, this is simply an illustrated gloss...an introduction, if you will, of what is in store for the reader willing to pick up the novels and delve in. ...more
A book written with joy and love for the characters protrayed: old friends, indeed, spanning 20-plus years of the author's life; a philosophical musinA book written with joy and love for the characters protrayed: old friends, indeed, spanning 20-plus years of the author's life; a philosophical musing on Life, Purpose, and Fulfillment clothed in rich and fine garments of Good vs Evil, High Adventure, Heritage and Tradition, Friendship and Love. RA Salvatore's Gauntlgrym will move you, I unabahedly assert, and will bring tears to your eye - tears of joy, of just reward - by the time you finish the epilogue.
I will only add, then say no more - for you should experience this read as a well-earned, joyous discovery much like a certain Dwarf King does when arriving, after a lifetime's faith and questing, at a particular throne room - that you will find humor, comfort, satisfaction, and pleasure in Mr. Salvatore's latest be you a long-time fantasy afficionado or newly come to the genre.
May we all be so blessed, after a long life well-lived, to have the opportunity to say,"I found it, Elf." ...more
Dahzi was born to the Galayi people amidst rage and violence. By the webbed fingers on his left hand, he was known to be the One to Fulfill Prophecy. Dahzi was born to the Galayi people amidst rage and violence. By the webbed fingers on his left hand, he was known to be the One to Fulfill Prophecy. With the help of a spirit guide, Su-li from The Land Beyond the Sky-Arch, a shape shifter, his grandmother and mother - both Medicine Chiefs - and his own wits and true nature, Dahzi grows into manhood and prophecy overcoming assassins, tradition, and his own self-doubt. But, as was the custom of his people, he wore a Zadayi disc around his neck, blue on one side, red on the other, with the red side facing outward, meaning victory and success.
Magical Realism, Historical Fiction, and Fantasy combine in Caleb Fox's debut novel, a unique and captivating retelling of a Cherokee Legend. History, tradition, and his own imagination take us into the time and world of a people where magic co-existed with reality, tradition was respected and discarded, and the people's very way of life endangered.
Not quite like anything else I've ever read. ...more
Classic Gaiman. Hapless and spineless main character whisked unexpectedly (can one be whisked expectedly?) from his secure, common, plain life into a Classic Gaiman. Hapless and spineless main character whisked unexpectedly (can one be whisked expectedly?) from his secure, common, plain life into a world of wonder, dread, danger, treachery, violence, friendship, and love...in that order, too. By the end the hapless and spineless has become the hero and saviour and discovers the safe and secure is no longer comfortable nor cared for.
And it all takes place on the London Underground...and the London UNDER ground.
Pay attention to that shadow out of the corner of your eye or that rumble behind the wall next time you're standing on the platform waiting for the subway... ;o)...more
The hero of this adventure fantasy is a simple, humble, african (well African-like)sheepherder. He has incredible magical ability, but a zen-like attiThe hero of this adventure fantasy is a simple, humble, african (well African-like)sheepherder. He has incredible magical ability, but a zen-like attitude towards understanding his ability. I love his calm, positive, go-with-the-flow nature.
From the Publishers Weekly Review:
Etjole Ehombe is a warrior of the desert-dwelling Naumkib and a man of honor. When a dying foreigner charges him with saving the Visioness Themaryl, kidnaped by an evil sorcerer called Hymneth the Possessed, Ehombe reluctantly accepts the task, packing up his spear, his sword made of sky-metal and a sack of potions and simpleseven though he knows nothing about these strange people or their fight, only that they dwell far to the distant north. Thus opens Book I of Foster's (author of the popular Flinx and Spellsinger novels) new fantasy series. Foster shows off his fertile imagination as Ehombe, a "simple shepherd," matches wits with the various denizens of each new territory he enters. The land is alive with talking animals, magical creatures and a vivid sense of ancient folklore come to life. Along the way, Ehombe picks up a couple of sidekicks: Simna ibn Sind, skilled swordsman and voracious treasure hunter; and the Ahlitah, half-lion, half-cheetah and curious as any cat could be. Although the book lacks any resolution, it is top-drawer Foster, featuring a fast-paced mix of wry humor, high fantasy and amazing new places and creatures. (June) ...more
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