This was a good book. I wish I read the previous book "Black Man's Religion" as the book refers to it several times, and I think it would d...moreThis was a good book. I wish I read the previous book "Black Man's Religion" as the book refers to it several times, and I think it would discuss more in detail about the experience of being black and Christian. Reading the history of Christianity in Africa was illuminating--it was the first time I read such a thing, and it showed me how seriously lacking I am in my knowledge of black church history.
This book makes for a good information source...half the book is footnotes, which is just as interesting as the text, but made for a slower reading.(less)
As someone who just recently (re)discovered the Sandman books, this was a wonderful coda to the series. The artwork for all the stories was gorgeous; ...moreAs someone who just recently (re)discovered the Sandman books, this was a wonderful coda to the series. The artwork for all the stories was gorgeous; and that says a lot, considering there were many Sandman books that I felt were drawn horribly. What stood out to me the most was the Desire and Despair stories. The other siblings have been explored so many times, I didn't get anything new (well, maybe Dream, but I'll get to that in a bit).
In Desire's story, I love how the main character breaks the fourth wall by constantly looking at the reader as she narrates the story. It gave an intimate feel the story, which in itself is erotic in nature, and the ending is beautifully poignant. Out of the stories, I was surprised that this one became my favorite.
Despair's story is more of a character study told in prose and portrait, but I really liked it. I it had more depth than Destiny's character study, mainly because it showed Despair doing different things that seemed absurd (fishing in a church, sitting on a grave reading a newspaper) juxapositioned with people experiencing despair.
Death's story would be my third favorite. The sight of the two virgins nervously clasping hands before going to their "unorthandox demise" was cute. The end surprised me, gave it a darker touch.
Dream's story was okay. I was bored of the whole Dream/Desire rivalry. But it was awesome to see the siblings so young. I wish there was more shown of a gloomy Death, a kid Delight, and the first Despair (which didn't seem all that different from the second one).
Delirium's was...weird. No surprise there. Destruction's was nice. And Destiny's was...meh...but even that is in the general sense. The artwork was still beautiful, and let's face it, he's too busy reading to do anything else.
So this gets four elephants out of five waiting to crush you during you final throes...an absurd way to die, but certainly a memorable one as well.(less)
Daniel started watching this on Netflix, which made me think of my old copy I had since I was 7. I went to my bookshelf and lo and behold, I still hav...moreDaniel started watching this on Netflix, which made me think of my old copy I had since I was 7. I went to my bookshelf and lo and behold, I still have it!(less)
It's neat that I've met (and talked face to face) with 7 authors in this collection. I've also already heard half the stories on Escapepod or Podcastl...moreIt's neat that I've met (and talked face to face) with 7 authors in this collection. I've also already heard half the stories on Escapepod or Podcastle. It was nice to read these stories and linger over the prose (such as Eros, Phillipe, Agape--read it on Tor, heard it on EscapePod, but reading it in print helped me catch nuances i missed. Same thing with Catherynne M. Valente's The Radiant Car Thy Sparrows Drew).
Stories that stuck with me:
The Persistence of Memory by Paul Park: normally I hate meta fiction, but this finally elevated it to an art form. Read it several times and something else revealed itself to me each time.
Technicolor by John Langan: very spooky retelling of Poe's The Masque of the Red Death. Never realized colors could be so deadly. Or lectures for that matter.
Wife-stealing Time by R. Garcia y Robertson: wry tale that combines friskyn females and hunting beasts
The Death of Sugar Daddy by Toiya Kristen Finley: invoked memories of my childhood
Mongoose by Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette: Heard this one on Drabblecast. A delight to read in print.
Secret Identity: if I was to ever get audio equipment, I would beg Podcastle to let me read this. Also, Kelly Link, Kelly Link.(less)
Very interesting to read. Two "elders", man and woman, tell the history of African Americans from slavery to modern times in graphic novel f...moreVery interesting to read. Two "elders", man and woman, tell the history of African Americans from slavery to modern times in graphic novel form. I liked how the elders sometimes bickered with each other as they told the story, and thus illustrating that there are differing opinions on what happened in history. It was also interesting to see that there is no clear-cut absolutes. Wealthy white slaveowners were depicted as greedy pigs, but some were also portrayed sympathetically. Black people were shot at, brutalized, but they're also shown as disagreeing among themselves as to what to do.
The book also showed that black people had a strong presence in politics, even during slavery times. I liked how that the book didn't just focus on slavery, but on the conferences (blacks held a Republican conference at one point. That was delightfully ironic), as well as the writers and scientists.
The only thing that turned me off was the drawing style. It felt a little crude to me. But the history telling was so rich, I soon overlooked it.
This is something I would love to have as part of my library. Four freedom trains out of five.(less)
I was surprised that none of the "Frankenstein" mythology was really present. Frankenstein doesn't create the monster in a laboratory by lig...moreI was surprised that none of the "Frankenstein" mythology was really present. Frankenstein doesn't create the monster in a laboratory by lightening. It's more implied. In fact, I would venture to say Frankenstein was a dick. He creates this monster but doesn't take responsibility for his actions--even after the monster endeavors to learn life on his own.
The most heinous thing Frankenstein did though was keep silent while Justine was sentenced to death for killing his brother. He was more concerned about his status than her life. I lost what little remaining respect for him. The monster had more respectability than him.
Interesting that it was a story within a story within a story. The best story was the one about the British family who helped the Arabian woman and the son and her became lovers. I wanted to see the ending to that! Of course, the monster ruined it by revealing himself. Bummer.
So, mostly this story was about Frankenstein creating a monster and then whining about for the rest of the story. Meh. Good thing it was a quick read.(less)
I brought this book with me to Viable Paradise and found myself reading it at the weirdest of times (2am, between lecture breaks). It was riveting eno...moreI brought this book with me to Viable Paradise and found myself reading it at the weirdest of times (2am, between lecture breaks). It was riveting enough that I couldn't put it down, but I can't say I honestly liked</i> the book.
Mainly, I struggled with the misogynist language. I can handle swear words fine, but never could stomach characters calling women c--- and p----. Hate that with a passion. I couldn't sympathize at all with the narrator until he revealed himself halfway through the story and gave some insights into his own past (another thing I struggled with: I thought for the longest time the narrator was Oscar's sister. The two voices are too similar for me--I had to read carefully to figure out who was talking).
Also, I had a hard time trusting all the scifi references. Being a geek myself, I got most of them, but for the first part of the book, it felt as if the author was trying really hard to show how much a geek Oscar was by throwing in all these LotR and Akira references, which felt too...general. Thanks to the movies, everyone knows LotR, and not as many people know Akira, it is the first anime movie that broke the market here in the US. It felt to me that the scifi references was more name-dropping than actually pertaining to the story...until I reached the passage where the narrator describes a cafe kitchen worker as a grotesquerie straight out of Gormenghast. When I read that, I was like, ahhhh, so he does know his fantasy books. And from that point on, I started trusting the book.
Which is good because the story itself is heartbreaking. If you ever want to learn how to write passive characters, this is a good one to read, because Oscar is passive...and what's more, he chooses to be passive. the scene where the roommate (and thus the narrator) tries to get Oscar to work out and he gives up, actually fights to give up, is powerful. His lonely life is balanced by the stories of the people around him, which are heartbreaking in their own right. But Oscar's was what pulled me in; I remember those days of loneliness and reading thick fantasy novels and crushing hard on guys who never returned the favor. So most of what Oscar did in the book didn't surprise me, at least not until the end, but even then, now that I think about it, his ending was inevitable.
So the story itself is why I'm giving it three stars. Too bad Oscar didn't hang. A couple more years and there would have been the Internet. But knowing him, he probably would've become those bleak, all night WoW players who don't interact with people except through avatars. So maybe it is a triumph he went out the way he did? ::shrug::(less)
Not bad. Having seen both Deadman Wonderland and Battle Royale, this was somewhat light and fluffy, all considering. I'm considering it a prologue to ...moreNot bad. Having seen both Deadman Wonderland and Battle Royale, this was somewhat light and fluffy, all considering. I'm considering it a prologue to the second book, which has grabbed my interest a lot more.(less)
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