book comments 32

So many books, so little time. I'm terribly behind on my books comments -- and those of you who enjoy reading these reviews might be a bit disappointed in this one. I've put off reviewing for so long, I've amassed quite a list of finished reads, and I don't have time to review each of them as thoroughly as I'd like. So, my apologies for the following superficial remarks... ;o)


"The Walking Dead, Vols. 5-8" by Robert Kirkman et al.
--continuing the story of Rick and his friends, all trying to survive the zombie apocalypse, the collapse of civilization, and their own degeneration into savagery
--addresses the question of how zombified we humans can be, even when we're not really zombies
--plot takes some turns I don't like; Kirkman is definitely not nice to his characters
--> increases UPDA value
--This graphic novel series is being turned into film; it will premier on AMC in October, and I am trying to figure out how I'm gonna watch it without cable. ;o)
--highly recommend to genre fans

"Hannibal Rising" by Thomas Harris
--fascinating tale of how Hannibal Lecter became the charming, highly intelligent cannibal that he is
--totally believable, totally sympathetic main character
--fascinating historical fiction
--reminded me again of how brilliant Anthony Hopkins is
--highly recommend to genre and Lecter fans

"Dragon's Blood" by Jane Yolen
--fun YA fantasy about a boy and his dragon
--I read this in high school, kept it for years with the idea of reading it again, finally got around to it when I wondered if I should keep keeping it -- and decided that yes, it's keep-around-able.
--recommend to YA fantasy fans

"Dean Koontz's Frankenstein, Books 1-3" by Dean Koontz, Kevin J. Anderson, and Ed Gorman
--I wrote lots of nice things about this series here.
--great read from some incredibly talented people
--terrific take on the Frankenstein legend
--highly recommend

"The Descent" and "Deeper" by Jeff Long
--premise: Hell is a real place, a globe-spanning, subterranean cave system inhabited by a race of creatures who've inspired all of our myths and fantasies about Satan and his domain -- a race of sub-humans who just might be our ancestors.
--totally fascinating story of what happens when modern humanity tries to invade that underground realm
--both novels = highly UPDA
--highly recommend

"The Snow Queen" by Joan D. Vinge
--an otherworldly sci-fi fantasy of Summer pitted against Winter, love against hate, good(?) against evil(?)
--what I call classic sci-fi: concerned with telling an epic sci-fi yarn, not with courting the common denominator of reader expectation
--hard to get through at some points, but still a satisfying story
--recommend to sci-fi buffs

"NorseCODE" by Greg van Eekhout
--modern fantasy based on Norse mythology
--not generally my area of interest (I'm more a Greek pantheon sort of girl), but I did enjoy the Valkyries
--a couple of vivid main characters, quite a few cookie-cutters in the supporting cast
--enjoyable to see how the author wove elements of myth into everyday modern life
--neither recommend nor un-recommend ;o)

"Fledgling" by Octavia Butler
--Sorry, fellow Twilight fans.....but this is the most original vampire story I've ever read. ;o)
--Warning: typical Twilight fans probably won't enjoy this.
--I won't tell any details, because I don't want to give anything away. Just trust me: You've never read a vampire story like this.
--very adult themes
--highly recommend to genre fans

"Beauty" by Sheri S. Tepper
--a fairy tale incorporating Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, the frog prince, and a host of others -- a tale spanning a millennium...or 100 years, depending on your point of view ;o)
--fun read, kind of hard to get through in a couple of places (mostly when the author waxes political)
--a light-hearted read with several strangely dark, gritty moments
--recommend to genre fans (maybe)

"The Light of Eidon" by Karen Hancock
--high fantasy tale of a religiously devoted young man given over to slavery by his brothers, fighting his way to fame in a gladiator-style arena, and saving a nation -- all while coming to a true brand faith he never even dreamed of
--a good read, although I got frustrated with the MC several times because he refused to see what was right in front of the reader's eyes
--> not a conceptual problem but a writer problem; the author dropped too many hints too early on
--still, I enjoyed the story enough to be open for sequels if there are such
--recommend

Book Count To-Date: 47.5