Sean
Good art, good story, but I really don't like super heroes, so I am the last person who should review this. I started reading the Runways... several years ago but put it down because it eventually list my attention. I picked it up again and decided just to press on. it is good, I understand that, and I highly recommend it to anybody who might like it. I just really don't like superheroes.
Breath-taking, beautiful art; a thrilling and fun story; all all-around great book. The Bird Boy books are some of the few that are really delightful and engaging equally for people of all ages, so feel free to share this with your children or teens, but never forget that it is a treasure aimed squarely at adults.
I decided to give this four stars because it somehow managed to interest me and keep me reading in spite of being the dullest book I have read in a year, so the author deserves kudos. Purporting by its frame of introduction and appendix to be a lightly disguised work of nonfiction, The Riddle of the Sands is a plea for England to be more careful to guard her North Sea shores from a possible naval invasion by Germany. I really liked the main character's change from whiny and useless socialite to tough and capable sailor and spy. I did not enjoy the endless wandering and wondering, nor do I care much for military tactics. But Childers did such a great job of putting me in the boat with Caruthers and Davies that I could smell the ocean and feel the waves. I could see the tide going out and the sand emerging from under the waves. I felt the storms and got a tiny bit sea sick at one point. The plot was dull and the point outdated and meaningless, but what a great job of telling the story! I enjoyed it in spite of everything it had going against it.
I enjoyed this trilogy quite a bit. Seeing the photographs and trying to reproduce Riggs's train of thought as he figured out how to work each one in to the story was an added fun puzzle which increased the enjoyment level considerably. As much as I disliked Jacob's whiny superiority, in the end I came to care about his well-being. Read these books if you like “this world” fantasy and can appreciate some serious teen struggle.
I highly recommend Villain or Victim to anybody who is interested in the story of John Tornow.
First, the complaint. I wish Lindstrom had had access to a really merciless editor, coupled with a thorough line editor and proofreader. The number of errors is distracting. One of the most annoying goes like this (Sorry, I'm not looking for an actual example): “Well, Bob, I'm not sure what to say.” Do you want to go fishing with me?” See that extra quotation mark in the middle of that bit of dialog? Frustrating as all get out. There are other, equally annoying, problems scattered throughout the book.
Now with that out of the way, let's talk about why I love this book.
Lindstrom structures his account in an interesting way. The real reporter, Dan Cloud, serves as the narrative thread for most of the story. The first part, before Tornow's “murders,” is told as a conventional fictional narrative. We see John going about his day, interacting with his family, talking in his own voice. But once we get to the part of the story where the uncertainties matter, from his first alleged killing, the author takes us aside and shows us the events through the eyes of the reporter. We know only what Cloud knows, as in the real world we know only what has been reported. That way Lindstrom avoids having to invent motivations and actions for Tornow. We are left with information and a derned good story, but it is up to us, as it really is in the real world, to decide what happened. I think this framework is masterful and the best possible choice.
The author also engages in a bit of ... I don't know what to call it .... “temporal slip stream narrative.” In the latter half of the book there are times when we slip from the narrative present to a historical present. It is a little bit disconcerting at first, and for about three seconds I thought it was sloppy writing, but then I realized it was brilliant. It puts the reader into the action and also draws him out of the action to the modern day, where he is sitting reading a book, pondering and deciding what to do with all the historical information.
I did not know as much as I would have liked about the Tornow story before reading this book, and not having done any research, I am in no position to judge how honestly and accurately Lindstrom handled his material. But unless he has pulled a fast one on us, it certainly seems accurate and quite reasonable. He does not force the reader to a conclusion, which I greatly appreciate. I think those who want Tornow to be thought of as a crazed killer can find that in his book, while other people, whom I understand better, will leave the book feeling sad for John, who just wanted to be left alone and who should have been left alone.
I give up! I appreciate Lamb's skill but I, a somewhat well-educated and moderately intelligent reader, find him too hard to keep up with. It's not only the outdated allusions, with which any such essays will be replete, and it is not only L—-‘s use of now-archaic conventions and * * * * * that make it so difficult to read. Several times I found myself reading along like a good citizen of the literary highway and Wham! Out of the blue I realize I have no idea where I am or how I got there. Some of that is probably my fault, but some of it, I think, just might be the fault of L.
I have too much money invested in sweaters.
I am not yet sure what I think. Therefore, I will confine myself to a few remarks.
Although Peter's Christian tradition is very different than mine, and has a vocabulary and way of talking about “religion” that is very different from the ways I am accustomed to, I found the dialog by him and his wife to be honest and real. I do not know anything about the author at all, but so often when writers who are not specifically Christian try to write Christian characters' dialog, it is cringe-inducing. Faber knows the people who is writing about, at least, if he is not one of them. I would never find myself talking like Peter, but I know lots of folk who do, and Faber is not mocking them.
I am grateful that the book did not wind up being a hatchet job on the Christian Faith. It's OK that there is doubt and uncertainty, but it strikes me as honest and realistic, not malicious.
Faber brings into question what we mean when we talk about what we talk about as Christians, and I appreciate that.
That is enough for now. Maybe after some thought I will produce a more helpful review.
It is difficult for me to review this book, as most of the fun has gone out of it. I bought a copy and began reading it. The book was in my car, and I was just about to begin the last chapter when the car got stolen. I recovered the car quickly, but the book was gone. I hope the thieves enjoy it and profit from it, but unless they are more academic than I, I fear it will be difficult for them to understand. Refusing to buy another copy, I requested an Inter-Library Loan, which was lent by Mount Angel Abbey and Seminary in Oregon. I love that monastery and school, since they fulfill so many of my ILLs. God bless their library; long may it stand. I read the first few paragraphs of the last chapter, put the book down, and then couldn't find it again. After a couple weeks of panic, I found it! Huzzah. I quickly read the last chapter and conclusion before it had to go back, but Kavanagh's style is not really conducive to a quick, panicked, reading. And now I find that the immediate impressions of the first chapters are gone, as is all my joy in reviewing this book.
At any rate, here is something. I hope it is better than nothing.
I am intelligent and well-educated. Furthermore, I am known (affectionately, I hope) as “the liturgy monster,” since this is my field of study and enthusiasm. I am certainly intellectually able to read and understand Kavanagh and enter into dialog with him. But his style is so dense and “academic” that I found myself losing patience with him. I am a big fan of simple, clear academic writing, and am therefore generally disappointed in my hopes.
The first delight of the book is the first chapter's discussion of the tension between being a faithful believer and an academic. He has good and important things to say, and if I were actively in academe I would have benefited from this lecture even more than I actually did. I recommend it to everybody who is involved in the academic study of theology.
I found his distinction between liturgy as primary theology and all the talk about it as mere secondary theology to be the most important assertion of the book. When we do liturgy, we are doing the Faith. Otherwise, we are just talking about it. Reading and talking about theology is always second to gathering, praying, worshiping, giving, and receiving in the Liturgy.
Exciting and compelling. Hannah made me care about the characters very much. Although I know nothing about the time and place, it certainly feels like I learned about real people and the real horror they went through. I cried more than once. There is a bit of twist to the story which was a surprise, but not at all unpleasant.
Every book I read about the evils done by otherwise good German people, my ancestors, reminds me: NEVER LET THIS HAPPEN AGAIN!
I enjoyed this book quite a bit. The story was exciting and it had a feeling of authenticity. I know nothing about the peoples the book is about, so I have no way of knowing how well the authors did their homework, but it felt real. Even the fantasy elements did not detract from the “real feel.”
I for one was quite glad that the Danelaw was defeated by the English and driven out, so I read this book from the “other side,” but I still enjoyed it. The characters, even though they are my ancestral enemies, were likeable. Somehow the Gears made me care even about Danes. My only quibble was the word “anchorite,” which was used inaccurately and meaninglessly. It annoyed me every time the word appeared.
I am never the best person to review a graphic novel or comic, even though I love the format. I am borderline graphically illiterate, which means I sometimes do not read pictures very well. Perhaps that explains all of my difficulties understanding just what was going on, although I do reserve the right to place at least some of the blame on the artist. The pictures are great, but I think I may not be the only one who has trouble figuring out what is going on in each panel. But having said all that, toward the end when it all became intelligible to me, I was glad to have read it. The story is good so far, and I look forward to the next volume.
I enjoyed this one even more energetically than the first. Here is how I know how much I liked it: there are several problems with the storytelling, where the author simply ignores the difficult questions of how, where, why, and some of the defects are a bit glaring. But I didn't care! I wanted to know what happens next and more important than that I wanted to continue in the complex and compelling atmosphere which pervades the whole story. He made me care about the characters, the plot, and the words. I consider it an achievement when the writing is more compelling than the mistakes are off-putting. I look forward to reading the next book.
I love Delilah Dirk, and I want Mr. Selim to make my tea every day.
Cliff continues to delight with his tales of Miss Dirk and Mr. Selim. They are by turns funny and exciting, with never a slack moment. The art is beautiful, legendarily beautiful, and every page has a panel I want framed, very large, on my wall.
King's Shilling continues the ongoing story nicely, but adds great depths to the characters. Dirk comes shockingly close to defeat, which was literarily necessary for someone of her immense abilities; Selim rises even more definitively to the occasion. And by the end of the book... I'm pretty sure I know what's in store for the two of them together. And that makes me happy.
I picked it up because of the cover and I am happy to say that the whole book is equally magnificent. I love cut paper artwork, and this is some of the best I have seen. The story deserves mention, also, since it should be of interest to anybody who used to be a boy called upon to go beyond himself.
Many others have reviewed this book and the whole series better than I will, so I will confine myself to this comment. Although I am sometimes not the brightest reader in the library, and often I become confused when things get weird, and although I got to the end of the trilogy not entirely understanding what “happened” or what it was “about,” I have to say I Don't Care! Even with my bafflement, I loved these books. They are so engrossing I don't mind that I didn't understand them at all, so well-written that the words alone constitute enough reason to read them, and so real that I feel like I have spent time in Area X and known those poor people. Read this book if you love thought-provoking science fiction, “literary fiction,” or just an odd story.
The tetralogy is great and a thing of beauty. I believe, however, that this the fourth book is perhaps my least favorite. Perhaps it was the way Walton's 20th century voice broke through, a bit more insistently than in the previous three books. Maybe my tolerance for reading about stupid people who don't learn is making me into one of those insufferable prigs– O God, please no.
I really can't say why I like Island of the Mighty less, but whatever the reason, it is nevertheless a great conclusion to a great series. Walton did an amazing job of telling the ancient stories in a way that is simultaneously faithful to the old while catering to our modern psycholgical concerns to make a richly satisfying mythic story for people today. It is difficult to imagine anybody else doing that job as well as she did.
Well done. Even I, who am somewhat visually illiterate, was able to follow the complex story adequately. Enjoyable read with a good point. Very good Twilight Zone.
This book seems timely to me, as I try to understand the attraction of D. Trump. Over and over what I hear from supporters of his when I listen to them is fear. They seem afraid of loss and destruction of everything they know. I don´t hate them; I know it must be scary. So the recognition in this book that the American Nazis therein were motivated by fear seems right.
I received an ARC via Netgalley.com.
The pictures are pretty.
The story ... isn't?
I am much less literate graphically than I am verbally, so as much as I love comic strips and some comics, I sometimes don't really understand who is who and what is happening. With this book, although I guess I understand the overall story, I didn't get any of the page-to-page details or transitions, and I think it wasn't only my fault.
I received an ARC via Netgalley.com.
Not as deep or as expansive as the books, but it is a play, so that's just how it goes. I enjoyed it very much, and it is a worthy successor to the canonical books.
Below is the review I wrote for my library's Facebook Friday book recommendations.
This is a must-read for all fans of Harry Potter, and because of its timeless theme of conflict between a son and the father who loves him, it could be of interest to someone who has never read the Potter books or seen the movies.
I loved “Cursed Child,” but I have to admit that a lot of HP fans didn't. I think part of the reason is because they were wanting it to be something it is not. “Cursed Child” is a play, not straight fiction, and it was not written by J. K. Rowling, although she was intimately involved in its creation.
A son rebels against his father, and in the process destroys the world as everyone knows it and creates a living hell on Earth. A father, clueless and focused, has no idea what to do. Because there is magic involved, the consequences are dire; but because there is love, there is also hope.
It is a play, so you will need to enjoy it a bit differently than you do a novel. Let your imagination run wild! Picture how the action would look on stage as well as in real life. It's wild and beautiful – sometimes terrifying – but the words don't tell the whole story. That's why you need to turn your brain into a theatre with an evocative set, moody lighting, a great director and really good actors. All of that creativity has to come from your own mind. Read it, picture it, hear it and enjoy!
I loved it. That's it for the review. Now for my answer to the question, “Should I read this if I don't listen to the podcast?” I say, Sure, go ahead. If you are the sort who would love Cecil's broadcasts, then you will love this book podcast-unheard. If not, then not. The book will not spoil the podcast, and frankly, listening to the first episode will confuse you just as much as the book will.
As for those who complain that the book has no plot, I finally figured out that they read a different book than I, Something other than Welcome to Night Vale, so I can not comment. I am sad that they read such a plotless book, whatever it was, and I think some Goodreads librarian should figure out exactly what that book is and then separate out the reviews for the two different books so as not to cause confusion. This book, Welcome to Night Vale, has lots of plot, lots of story, lots of purposeful consecutive action, but even more it has real humans in great human distress trying to deal with all the mess life throws at them. Read the book to find out how they handle things.
