This graphic novel / comic from Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell is a beautifully drawn and thoughtful retelling of fairy tales, from a totally different perspective. Gaiman’s done a great job of upending classic traditional fairy tale assumptions, which allows for a much more contemporary and accessible story. The fantasy story is a quick read, but an enjoyable one.
Likely it could have been expanded and made even better by fleshing out characters further and extending the plot. But for the short story that it is, The Sleeper and the Spindle is a joy.
This is the first volume of a four-volume release of the Sandman series of comics/graphic novels from the 1990s, that were released by DC Comics. The series has become popular through the recent Netflix series, but the series has always been a popular one for comic fans and Neil Gaiman followers.
The series is a fantastic exploration of horror, fantasy, and science fiction concepts, with a collection of mysterious and intriguing characters. The art is amazing in this series, and the writing from Neil Gaiman is superb, as he brings to life a lush and imaginative world. This is absolutely worth picking up, and being absorbed by.
Book Review – The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands – Stephen King
Book Details:
Title: The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands
Author: Stephen King
Genre: Fantasy / Western
Year of Release: 1991
Read 590-page paperback edition in December 2023
Book Review:
In the third novel in the Dark Tower series, the central character Roland, the world’s last gunslinger, has now recruited two allies from Earth, Eddie and Susannah, to accompany him on his mission to reach the dark tower. However, they must continue to battle countless enemies and shocking realities as they make their way, given the world is continuing to fall into darkness all around them.
This novel was absolutely fantastic, and the best in the series so far. With the long setup of the series in book one complete, King is able to really get into the details now using established characters.
The characters are well-developed, and King develops them further as they continue to rely on each other and push through adversity together. King is amazing at this character development, as he balances action sequences with calmer scenes and amazing descriptions of setting. The reintroduction of a character from the first book is well executed and adds to the intrigue and suspense of the series and this world we are exploring.
The intrigue of Roland’s character is further enhanced in this novel, and the reader can both appreciate Roland and also continue to be curious about what he knows and what the dark tower really is.
Overall, this is a fantastic novel and well worth reading.
In this fantasy novel from a fargone time with powerful magic, the impressive war orphan and female Rin has proven herself talented enough to enter a prominent academy to study war and magic. However, her classmates target her based on class, ethnicity, and gender. She must overcome all of that and continue to develop and learn.
Rin discovers she has a powerful talent for the magical art of shamanism, which allows her to access a powerful weapon. But as she learns more about the peoples around her, she realizes that power, war, and vengeance may break herself apart, and all life around her.
In this strong opening novel of a trilogy author Kuang has taken time to develop an interesting world of characters and setting. The world building of the novel takes time, but one can grant patience knowing that this is going to be a thoughtful and complex trilogy. Although there are slow moments at times in this novel, the overall setting and people are rich, and Kuang’s writing is superb.
The book can be complex and difficult to follow at times, but by jumping right into the next novels in the trilogy, one gets the sense that their will be more excitement and clarity to follow.
Book Review – Amongst Our Weapons – Ben Aaronovitch
Book Details:
Title: Amongst Our Weapons
Author: Ben Aaronovitch
Genre: Mystery / Fantasy
Year of Release: 2022
Read 297-page paperback edition in August 2023.
Book Review:
In the latest novel in the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch, we see detective Peter Grant investigating a break in at the Silver Vaults in underground London, and the potential dangerous magical criminal behind it. At the same time, his partner and river goddess is about to give birth to their baby, and Peter hopes to solve the crime before he takes parental leave.
This novel was a fantastic addition to the fun series by Aaronovitch. It is a great blend of adventure, criminal mystery, and fantasy. Many characters are so well developed at this point, and it is enjoyable to continue to see them grow together and see personalities and lives expand.
In this sequel to The Atlas Six, the young new magicians are entering their second and final year of study in the Atlas Society, however wondering where fellow student Libby Rhodes disappeared too at the end of the last novel. There is danger and intrigue around every corner as they work to finish their studies in different specialties and decide if they want to join the Society at year’s end.
This novel was an enjoyable continuation of the story from the first novel, and the characters are diverse, complex, and operate in grey zones, which makes for intrigue and suspense throughout the novel. The exploration of Libby Rhodes in a different place, and how Nico relates to her, is one of the stronger elements of the book, and builds on the climax of book one.
One of the items that sometimes detracted from the book’s plot was that many of the characters focused on a variety of depressive attitudes throughout. Although it is totally fine to have characters suffering from a variety of issues of doubt, depression and anxiety, frustration, and other similar traits, at times it weighed the book down and made the story feel too weighty and dower.
In Babel we learn about the magical art of translation using silver bars, where translators have amazing abilities using multiple languages. This requires England to bring people from other parts of the world to come work in the Babel tower as important scholars. One such recruit is Robin Swift, whose mother dies of cholera in Canton when he is young, and who gets brought to Oxford by the mysterious Professor Lovell.
Robin begins an intense education period growing up in Lovell’s mansion, and eventually finds himself moving to Oxford to study languages at Babel. He meets three other advanced and talented pupils that make up his cadre for the year.
However, as much as the four students grow to enjoy each other’s company and the intense learning they are a part of, they soon learn that there is a dark side to England’s translation program. Do they feel comfortable supporting the effort when it is a part of the British colonial project? How can they push against that?
Book Review:
This was a breathtaking novel by linguist and author R.F. Kuang. The novel is magical, thoughtful, and heartbreaking all at the same time.
The plot of the novel is well designed by Kuang. There is a wondrous fantastical element to it, with the story set in the 1820s-1830s, when Britain is at the height of industrial revolution and colonialist conquest. Kuang weaves in real historical fact into her story, including footnotes that speak to real people and events. However, she infuses magic into the novel as well, creating an alternate history overlaying the factual one from the history books. She then uses that magic to create a fantasy story that still explores powerful concepts from our world, including colonialism, racism, classism, sexism, and power.
The plot is successful thanks to the cast of characters who take part in the action. The four main characters, students Robin, Ramy, Victoire, and Letty are all shades of grey, with complexities and challenges from their past. The diverse set of characters is enjoyable to read about, and also explore what is holding them together, and then see the strains in their relationships as well.
Kuang’s antagonists are people from British upper society, mainly professors, who like to hold power locally and globally. Kuang does a great job painting the true picture of the evils of colonialism, and creates a powerful and heartbreaking tale of a group of people fighting against that evil. This is an amazing and emotional novel that is highly recommended.
The Alexandrian Society, long a home for the most talented magical people in the world, takes on six pupils at a time for intense training. This year’s group of six comes from a variety of places around the world, some just out of college and others a little bit older. They bring a variety of skills, including telepathy, empathy, illusion, naturalist, and physical control of the world itself.
However, they quickly realize making alliances and staking out control of the situation will be important, because the class caretaker, Atlas, has told them only five of them will be inducted into the Society at the conclusion of their studies.
In addition, they start to realize that some strange things are occurring that could pose a danger to themselves and to the world itself.
Book Review:
This was a fantastic opening novel of a series by author Olivie Blake, pseudonym of Alexene Farol Follmuth. The characters are well introduced in the opening chapters, with each character getting a separate introduction before they join the larger group at the Society mansion. Blake introduces a great mix of characters, with diversity of background, skill, and thought. The characters have some natural conflict points, and all have shades of grey, allowing us to form and change our opinions of them through the course of the novel.
In addition to fascinating characters, Blake has done a great job creating a world here, with a fascinating Society and large mansion where the characters spend most of their time. The setting is richly described by Blake, creating the feel of a closed door mystery and a gothic fantasy at the same time.
The plot thickens and reaches a great climax towards the end, setting up the reader with piqued interest in what will happen in book two of the series. Although the story sagged a bit in its intensity in the middle, the overall book was enjoyable to read.
Linus Baker is an employee of the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, and pays house visits to anyone who have children or teenagers with unique abilities or powers. He enjoys his quiet, solitary lifestyle, and doesn’t feel lonely – too much.
When his supervisors identify him as a perfect candidate to travel far away to the sea to investigate a house with several powerful and potentially dangerous children, Linus is unnerved, but heads out. What he discovers though, from the children and from their mysterious guardian Arthur, makes him question everything.
Book Review:
This was a fantastic fantasy novel, approachable for both children and adults. Author TJ Klune has done a great job creating a coolourful and unique environment, with humour and serious reflections on life woven together. There are wonderful lessons here for readers of all ages on the importance of acceptance and diversity.
The main characters of Linus and Arthur being revealed to be queer are sensitively revealed half way through the novel by Klune, and the fact nobody makes this a big deal or the headline of the book is fantastic. It is simply a part of the story and not something to fret or pause over. This helps to demonstrate how life should be, and how sexual orientation or gender identity should not be a reason or cause for concern.
The story is enjoyable, and the children in particular are often amusing, sometimes even mature for their ages. Overall, although the book feels a little bit convenient from time to time, in terms of how it wraps up neatly and how the plot progresses, overall it is a feel good fantasy that a reader needs from time to time.
Book Review – How Long ‘Til Black Future Month? – N.K. Jemisin
Facts:
Title: How Long ‘Til Black Future Month?
Author: N.K. Jemisin
Genre: Short Stories / Science Fiction and Fantasy
Year of Release: 2018
Listened to 400-page book on audiobook in August 2022.
Book Description:
This collection of science fiction and fantasy stories, with its title taken from a popular essay written by Jemisin, is an impressive collection of thought-provoking tales that has the reader thinking about challenging concepts of our world today, but in fascinating and fantastical concepts.
Book Review:
This collection of 22 short stories by Jemisin has some amazing pieces within it. I am going to list the 13 short stories that to me rise above the bar and are truly good stories, either because the plot is creative and enjoyable, and/or because the characters are intriguing and the reader wants to learn more about them and spend more time with them:
L’alchimista
The Effluent Engine
Valedictorian
The Storyteller’s Replacement
The Evaluators
Walking Awake
The Elevator Dancers
Cuisine des Memoires
On the Banks of the River Lex
Henosis
The You Train
Non-Zero Probabilities
Sinners, Saints, Dragons, and Saints, in the City Beneath the Still Waters
Even though 9 of the short stories are not listed because they didn’t quite feel like a great story to me, the fact that Jemisin has such a full collection with 13 great stories listed above is an accomplishment. Personally, I felt some of the non-listed ones could have been removed as they were not quite as strong, but this may also have been personal preference and the type of story I gravitate to as a reader.
The fact is many of the stories are thoughtful, and touch on real world issues and challenges we have today, particularly racism, and consider it from other perspectives. This allows us to probe the issues of today and come at them from another angle, which is valuable in our age today.
Of the above stories, Cuisine des Memoires stands out for me as one of the very best, and I would say this is one of my favourite short stories of all time. The way Jemisin describes food, atmosphere, setting, and character in this story, while also developing a unique plot, is nothing short of incredible. Her ability to create feeling like melancholy through words demonstrates her talent as a writer.
This is a great collection overall, and definitely worth reading.
MatthewSean Reviews 