Horns
Joe Hill
This book was just absolutely amazing and has cemented Joe Hill as one of my favorite horror narrative writers right after his father. His writing, although dark, is obviously written from the perspective of one who grew up in the late 1980s and 1990s and has a real grasp of both popular culture and the more important subgenre of nerd culture. His cultural references keep his writing fresh and provide levity in his tales. Horns in particular plays to several pop culture tones and, in doing so, brings the story into the real world. While reading, I felt that this story could easily have taken place despite its supernatural focus, because the lives of the characters were so well flushed our and grounded in our world. I can't help but tell people that if they enjoy good fiction, that this is a book that they need to read. Highly recommended.Hyperion
Dan Simmons
I really loved this book. The interesting way the novel opened and closed, all revolving around a series of mini-mysteries was a great way to become invested in the characters and I saw myself reaching for this book to read the next character story with every break I had. I know that I am late to reading this book as everyone has been telling me to read it for years, and I am glad I finally got around to it. I liked the rich futuristic world that was created and how the whole galaxy, and in particular the world of Hyperion, were presented to me. I couldn't wait until I grabbed the next book in the series to answer some of the remaining questions. I fully recommend this book to the few people who have yet to read it.The Fall of Hyperion
Dan Simmons
Compared with the previous entry in this series, Hyperion, I was rather disappointed with this sequel. This novel went to far metaphysical and philosophical for me. From the weird dream sequences to the questions about time travel and the debates between morality and humanity I didn't get the same joy out of this book as I did its predecessor. I understand the purpose behind this novel, or at least I think I do, but it was presented in such a strange way and without any of the interesting mystery bent of the the first novel that it was much more difficult for me to get through and took almost twice as long to read. The novel is still well written and I enjoyed the character progression for some of the characters from Hyperion, but this was one book that I was just not in the right head-space to read at the time. I think I was looking for something more action and sci-fi oriented than this book.Black Wings of Cthulu
Twenty-One Tales of Lovecraftian Horror
S.T. Joshi (Editor)
This is a collection of twenty-one horror stories based on Lovecraftian lore and mythos. Most of the stories involve direct reference to Lovecraft or the subject of some of his better known works, but several are based on a similar mythology of otherworldly creatures and cosmic understanding. I enjoyed reading most of the stories, but there were several which I found daunting. Sometimes during these stories I would put the book down for days before picking it up again and plowing through to finish the story. Others, usually those written in a more traditional horror style I devoured quickly. All in all this was a fine collection, but I didn't enjoy the stories enough for me to want to buy the second anthology.Space Wolf
William King
A friend of mine that is moving gave me all of his old Space Wolf books. These books are all written by William King and my friend knew how much I enjoyed reading William King when he was writing the Gotrek and Felix novels. So as I found myself with a few airplane trips to various tournaments, I grabbed the first couple of novels and began my descent into the character of Ragnar Blackmane. This book was good. Not great, but good. It was entertaining and provided lots of history of the Space Wolves which was interesting and it was nice to see how a warrior becomes a Space Wolf. I feel that a lot of the 40k novels miss out of this kind of background information that can really help flesh out a story and the chapter as a whole. After a lull in my reading, this was exactly what I was looking for; a quick sci-fi novel with a good plot, lots of battles, and decent storytelling.Ragnar's Claw
William King
The sequel to Space Wolf, Ragnar's Claw picks up the main story line with Ragnar Blackmane now being a young member of the Space Wolves ready to prove himself in battle for the sake of the Imperium. And battles there will be as Ragnar and his fellow packmates are placed into a company of warriors, only to be then sent on a special mission which will surely test all his strength and skill. This was another quick but enjoyable read. The story was fast paced, adequately written, and action oriented. I would consider this a well received sequel and I was looking forward to quickly getting into the third story.Grey Hunter
William King
The third Ragar Blackmane novel. After a weird series of events, it seems that the denizens of the Thousand Sons are back for revenge against the ancient foes. I've always liked the Thousand Sons as an army chapter and at one point had even put together a Thousand Sons army for 4th Edition 40k. It was great to see them in action in this novel, even if it was a Space Wolf novel where you knew from the beginning that the Space Wolves were going to triumph. Just with the previous novels, this one took a little under a week to read during lunches and breaks (and the occasional morning coffee). It felt that by this time, either I had become invested in Ragnar as a character and so was more concerned for the events unfolding, or William King had found a better groove in his story telling, because the battles and showdowns in the story felt like they had more at stake than the ones in the previous novel. There was more urgency in the character's actions, and yet, more uncertainty and hesitation that made Ragnar and his fellow Space Wolves behave what I feel is a more accurate representation of the characters. I am now looking forward to finding the rest of the novels and breezing through them in a quick fashion.Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
John Berendt
Based on a true story, and a treasure trove of unique persons, John Berendt's classic novel of Savannah, Georgia was a national bestseller for several years. I remember watching the movie made with John Cusack and Kevin Spacey and thinking at the time what a weird story this was. My mother had read it for a book club and gave me her copy when she was finished, but the book just stayed on my "to read" shelf for years until I finally got around to reading it this summer. Man, out of everything I have read this year, I can say that this book has been my favorite. The characters, based on real people Berendt encountered while living in Savannah in the 80s, are some of the best characters I have ever read. They speak with such fluidity and charm and color that you wish you had crazy people like them in your life. Berendt's story-telling is also fantastic and he has weaved such an interesting narrative covering nearly a decade that it seems like everything takes place in the span of a few short weeks. He accomplishes this feat by underlying the narrative with the nature of the city in which it takes place and as such, Savannah becomes the force that roots the entire novel. Highly recommend this book to anyone that hasn't gotten around to it yet. A fantastic summer read, light and airy with a fairy-tale feel. I wish more novels were as creative and accessible.
No comments:
Post a Comment