The Walking Dead Compendium Two by Kirkman, Adlard and Rathburn

Issues 49-96 Fiction (Soft Cover)

Review of Compendium 1

The Walking Dead has become a phenomenon. It went from a tiny virtually unknown comic to one of the most watched TV shows ever; spawning all the things related to that. I typically don't watch much horror because my wife will not watch it. Last year I was sick and stayed home and decided to give the first episode of the TV show a try. I was hooked and watched most of the first season in a few days. I think what makes it appealing is that though there is a constant threat of zombies attacking; the real story is how people relate to each other and deal with the situation. 

::SPOILERS!::

The last compendium ended with the Governor attacking the prison and spreading the group apart. The characters give up and start living outside again. Rick has been injured and is not doing well. Carl and Rick stay in a house and while Rick is recuperating Carl protects him. Michonne finds them and they soon meet up with most of the original group. Soon after a group of three people Abraham, Eugene and Rosita come upon the group demanding use of their supplies. Eugene is a Dr. and has to get to Washington D.C. to help cure the plague that has infected humans. They travel to Washington and meet up with a group of people that live in a fenced in village. The rest of the book deal mostly with interactions of the people and how they deal with the growing threat of walkers and other people. 

When I first started reading the comic the original artist, Tony Moore, was FANTASTIC and I really enjoyed his work. He was replaced by Charlie Adlard after the 6th comic. His work was very disappointing at first especially when compared to Moore. Towards the end of the first compendium you can see significant improvements. With the second compendium he improves even more. The style fits the series and is decent, though it still isn't as good as Moore.

The writing is well done. They focus on the characters and we get glimpses into their inner psychology. Comics are easy to read, but I found myself tearing through these. I am not sure the exact page count but I was reading more than a hundred pages a day. 

I have been watching the TV series as well and there are MAJOR differences between the show and the comics. It seems that at the end of the Midseason Finale of season 4 we are at the beginning of issue 49. The prison is overrun and Rick is wounded. He and Carl walk away separated from the rest of the group. A lot of things are different though. Parts of the story that happen in the second compendium were already used in the show and some things haven't happened. A lot of the characters are mixed up, show up at different times, are added or omitted. A whole side story with the governor is added to the show that isn't in the books.

I would say that comparing the two is a bit unfair considering this was all done by a few guys before it gained popularity with the show. The show is so successful they essentially have access to the best writers in television. I really did NOT like how much time was spent regarding the Woodbury story on the TV show. I don't like the Governor character and it seemed like dealing with him went way longer than was enjoyable. That said the show is better over all. 

3 Intellectual/Emotional - I care about the characters and hope they do well. They are living in a life and death situation. They are constantly forced to make hard decisions and sometimes they make the wrong ones. That usually means likable characters are killed off and to me that is appealing. No one is protected.

3 Style/Readability - It is easily read and I had a hard time putting it down. I don't know how I would like waiting a month to get to what happens next if I was reading the series month to month.

4 Long Term Impact - There is no doubt that The Walking Dead has already changed popular culture to a degree. Horror as a whole has always been a niche in entertainment. With its adaptation as a TV show it has changed what is acceptable for "mainstream" entertainment. It will certainly spawn more books, comics and tv shows that deal with horror based subjects.

10 out of 13. I have been enjoying them and I plan on reading further in the series when the next compendium comes out. I have heard that it gets a bit hard to handle soon after this compendium finishes so I will see where it goes from there. I think if the subject, horror and end of the world scenarios, doesn't turn you away this series is worth checking out. If nothing else check of the first 6 issues with the original artist, Tony Moore.

As always, Keep Turning Pages.

Making Money by Terry Pratchett

404 Pages (Fiction) Paperback

Terry Pratchett has been a constant source of entertainment in a the last few years. Although some of his earlier books are fine as he put out more books his writing becomes fantastic.

This book follows the events in Going Postal. Moist Von Lipwig has taken the post office from a mostly deserted ruin and turned it into a a fully functioning pillar of Ankh-Morpork; so of course he is bored. The place practically runs itself. He soon finds himself getting into trouble. The patrician of the city, Vetinari, encourages him to take up banking. The people of the city have lost trust in the banks and it needs to be turned around. Moist is the man for the job. Only a criminal mind would be able to handle something as corrupt as the banking system. Topsy Lavish is the current Royal Bank chairman and soon appoints Moist to the position. While running the post office they came up with the ingenious idea of stamps. Soon the people of the city started to collect them and even use them to exchange goods. What if the banks started to use a similar idea. Moist soon sets his mind to Making Money!

Pratchett is hilarious and enjoyable. You quick fall in love with his characters and even care for the bad guys as well. His world is a strange and silly counterpart to our own. He uses this to make fun of and embrace all of our inconsistencies. While reading his books you quickly get drawn in and following the twists and turns of the stories make it hard to stop reading at night. It is well worth your time to pick up one of his more recent books.

3 Emotional/Intellectual - Moist is one of Pratchett's best characters. The criminal with a good heart wants to do bad, but can't help doing good.

5 Style/Readability - Pratchett is a fantastic writer and entertains with consistent turns of phrase that makes you smile while describing perfectly.

3 Long Term Impact - The more people find out about Pratchett's work the more word will spread. This is one of the better books from Discworld and hopefully it will inspire more writing like it.

11 out of 13. I really enjoyed Going Postal and if anything I enjoyed Making Money more. Both books are well worth anyone's time. Give them a read you won't regret it.

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Tales from the White Hart by Arthur C. Clarke

148 Pages (Fiction) Paperback

I have been a huge Arthur C. Clarke fan for many years. In fact a big reason I started this blog was to keep track of what books I have read. Clarke has so many books and many of them have similar names. I made this blog so I could know for sure what books I had read before starting a new one by him. I found this in a used book store for twice as much as the cover price.

Tales from the White Hart is really a collection of short stories. It is presented in a uncommon way. We are introduced to a hidden bar in London that attracts a collection of scientists and authors. A gentleman names Harry Purvis continually enthralls the crowd with a series of tall tales. Although presented as fiction the book gives the impression that the White Hart is based off of a real place.

Each chapter is another story being told. They are wide in range going from mysterious tanker crashed on the road, to great ships collecting minerals on the sea, to an army of termites with the power to take over the world. Clarkes written is easy to get into. Even though the stories are a bit fantastic what has always appealed to me about his work is that they are all grounded in reality. You could believe that the at least some of the stories are probable.

I actually read this book in between others a chapter here and a chapter there. I imagine an avid read could read it easily in a day or two.

3 Intellectual/Emotional - As I said, Clarke's ability to venture just beyond reality makes his stories very entertaining.

4 Style/Readability - Sometimes Clarke is treading on topics that are fairly complex. He has a way of distilling these down to layman's language that makes enjoyable for any reader.

2 Long term Impact - Clarke is one of the founding father of Science Fiction and will be an inspiration for sci fi writers for many years. This book is a bit more obscure and more based on earth science and will have less of an impact.

9 out of 13. An entertaining book and easily read. I think most people would find something worthwhile in this book. As a Clarke fan it is worth your while. If you are just getting into Sci Fi, I might suggest other books by him such as Childhood's End or the Rendezvous with Rama series. He is famous for 2001: A Space Odyssey which is even more famous as a movie. If you have seen the movie the book actually clarifies a lot of the confusion caused by the end of the movie.

As always, Keep Turning Pages  

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

528 Pages (Fiction) Hardcover

After reading the Malazan series of books I was looking for a light read that would entertain. A friend had given me the book after finishing it and I enjoyed Angels and Demons and The Davinci Code. I wasn't expecting a lot out of the book. I was expecting a quick read that wouldn't challenge me much. I got what I was expecting.

Brown follows a similar path as his other books I have read. Robert Langdon is invited to give a last minute speech in Washington D.C. He arrives and is quickly drawn into a mystery that requires him to decode various clues hidden throughout the architecture and artwork around Washington. He becomes a suspect of the CIA and is being cajoled by members of the Masons to find the Masons Pyramid. The pyramid is supposedly hidden somewhere in Washington and hidden at the bottom of a great stairway. It holds the secrets of history.

I am sure many will disagree with me, but Dan Brown is not a very good writer. He is adept at coming up with a story and he is good at researching his subjects. His most appealing ability is taking all of these real historical artifacts and connecting them together. What he fails at is good writing. He is very bland and almost a slave to the minimum amount of language to tell a story. One thing that bothers me the most is the way he structures his chapters. The book is a little over 500 pages and there are over 130 chapters. That means chapters average about four pages. FOUR PAGES! Are we in elementary school? Start that with half a page displaying the chapter number and half of the last page blank and the book is really only about 300 pages. Brown tries very hard to leave each chapter with a mini cliff hanger that encourages the reader to read the next page. I think the biggest draw of Brown's writing is that a reader can tear through a 500 page book in a week and feel good about it themselves.

I think maybe my biggest issue with the book and maybe the genre in general is that it is supposed to be a mystery, but the reader isn't given a chance to solve it. A story is made and a line from point a to z is made. Brown takes you on this path for an adventure, but the reader is purely a spectator and never a part of the story.

I do have to admit that I was drawn into the book and did get pleasure out of devouring a book in a few days. That said I still can't recommend it to others.

3 Intellectual/Emotional - I didn't care about the characters and though parts of the history are interesting; over all it was spoon fed to me. The only redeeming quality is the historical and art connections. I typically drew up a picture of the work in question and looked at it along with the characters.

2 Style/Readability - It was extremely readable, but not in a good way.

2 Long Term Impact - Dan Brown has sold millions of books. He is popular around the world. He is bound to have impact on work that comes in the future. Let's hope this is a example of what not to do.

7 out of 13. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. I enjoyed Angels and Demons and The Davinci Code, you would be better rewarded reading them or some other books.

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The Crippled God by Steven Erikson

913 pages (Fantasy Fiction) Trade Paperback

Entire series 7705 pages paperback

This is the 10th and final book in the Tale of the Malazan Book of the Fallen series. Yeah, that is a mouthful. This will be a review of the entire series and not so much the final book. The final two books are intended to be one story. Where to start?  The only thing I have heard of to compare it to is Roman and Greek stories and history. The plans of gods battle each other over thousands of years. Huge armies push themselves to the very limits. Tales spawn tales that spawn tales within tales.

One of the most unique things about Erickson is he is not only telling an overarching story that spans the entirety of the books, but within each story there are more stories to be told. From the first to the second book only a very few characters overlap. You read a book about a familiar world where all of your fantasy based assumptions are turned on their side. Armies of undead warriors travel the world protecting it from an ancient evil and they are the good guys. Karsa Orlong, a giant teblor, goes into the world to prove himself. The modern world wraps him in chains and drags him kicking and bellowing into a hated society. A woman, Tavore Paran,  gives absolutely everything on the hope that maybe it just might hold the world together...at least for a bit longer. Her brother, Ganoes Paran, becomes a pawn of the gods and is drawn into a game that he is then forced to play. The Bonehunters and the Bridgeburners battle across the entire planet and we experience their failures and their triumphs!

What might keep this epic story from being herald around the world as the greatest books ever? It is beyond dense and complex. It would take the almost 8000 pages of the books to make it clear exactly how complex. There are hundreds of characters in a multitude of story lines that jump back and forth in time, but also into other dimensions. The magic in the story derives from other planes that magic users can tap into. I imagine it like they are opening a whole to another dimension and using the force of that place to affect the world they live in. The gods are fighting over control of these, warrens, as they are called. 

I am giving you an overview from what I have pieced together over reading the books. Nothing is presented to you in the way I have just told you. As a reader you are dropped into the stories almost as if you are participating. This is great in that it makes you become a part of the story and it is easy to "get used" to what is happening in the books. Its drawback is that nothing is explained in a linear fashion. It is assumed you already know the references so things that are important are not elaborated on until the next chapter, or book, or 5 books later, or maybe not at all. New characters are constantly introduced. Each book sort of stands alone. They have a "Tale" that is told, but it is in the same world as the other books and as they go along you see the story lines start to come together. At the end of The Crippled God all of the stories from the ten books all start to converge on one event. 

Erikson asks a lot of his reader. He gives you bits and pieces and then convinces you to get interested in something new. This is what really shines for me about Erikson. YOU DO get interested. I can't say how many times I was drawn on another side path to the story and I quickly fell in with the new characters. I won't say that every story drew all of my interests and to be honest there were a few that I liked less than the others. The over all tone of the series is dark and brooding. Many of the characters are facing the greatest challenges of their times; and that is difficult. Then there were moments of joy and humor. Tragedy certainly plays a role for some characters, but later it is relieved with hope and success. 

It really is the most difficult writing I have ever read. I felt challenged and more than ever and had to re read things to make sure I understood what was going on. Even now after having read everything I can't claim to know a lot more than just the basic way things are connected to each other. I imagine there is a lot that I have missed. The Crippled God was about 900 pages and it took me about 3 months to read all together. To contrast that I have started reading The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown and have almost 100 pages read in 2 days. Erickson packs every paragraph full. Everything feels thought out to the extreme. Everything feels real even though most of the time these things are impossible or fantastic. He continually has story vignettes where maybe a few people meet, in the desert, at a bar, on the battle field and it makes an image appropriate for a painting. Looking back and thinking about the series I see these images of epic moments throughout the books.

Honestly, I am overwhelmed. It is certainly a masterwork of writing. I think anybody that reads it would agree.

These ratings are for the entire series.

5 Emotional/Intellectual - I became attached to a surprising number of characters. Every time I finished a book, I knew it was only a matter of time before I read the next one. Just reading the books is an intellectual challenge in itself so I had to ready to read one.

3 Style/Readability - I love his style. The way he uses language to express emotions from despair and anger to calmness and bliss is amongst the best I have read. The books are a difficult undertaking and so dense many would be turned away and at times it was very slow going.

3 Long Term Impact - Erikson has made something that others can hope to accomplish. I really don't see this becoming a huge bestseller ever. I do think that people that love fantasy enough to become writers ARE going to read this and it will inspire great things in the future. 

11 out of 13 feels right to me. I have read nothing like it and I don't really see how I ever will. I could compare it to Robert Jordan in terms of epicness, but I don't feel Jordan even comes close. To read this you must be looking for a huge tale that is going to take you years to read. A place you can enjoy that comes with a requirement of dedication and effort. I am glad that I read it and I have a feeling at some point I will start to read these again, but for now I am going to burn through some other books. 

 Keep turning pages.

Small Gods by Terry Pratchett

357 pages Paperback (Fantasy Fiction)

So continues my love affair with Terry Pratchett. Many of his books are set in Ankh-Morpork, but this take us to another land, Omnia. A small tortoise has recently remembered some things. He is God. He can't remember all the details all he knows that he knows for sure is that he has one real believer, Brutha. We follow the misadventures of these two as Brutha starts to come to terms with the fact that not everything he has been told by the church is true. They also have to deal with extreme ambitions of Vorbis, the man in charge of purifying those that would go against the commands of the Great God Om. Most notably he does this in a dungeon under the temple. 

Terry Pratchett is fantastic. I have read a number of his books and I look forward to reading many more. He has a tremendous way with words. He keeps things funny, but intermixes with a quirky world that often resembles our own world. He takes things that we deal with in our everyday lives and by showing the absurdity of it all we can appreciate the lives that we live.

3 Emotional/ Intellectual - Pratchett has so much to offer with his humorous social commentary.

5 Style/Readability - This books is easy to read and enjoyable as well. He strips the story down to what is funny and moves the story along and does it like few others can.

3 Long Term Impact - Let's hope Pratchett fame only continues to grow. It is well worth it.

11 out of 13. This book is well worth your time. The only suggestion I would make it read a couple other books in the world first. A number of characters from other books make appearances that might make more sense once you have immersed yourself in the world.

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Children of God by Mary Doria Russell

438 pages Trade Paperback  (Science Fiction)

Some time ago I read The Sparrow of which Children of God is the sequel`. It continues the story that began in The Sparrow. Emilio Sandoz, a Jesuit priest was part of a group of scientists that went on a Vatican funded trip to a distant planet. While there they befriended a race of people that eventually come to accept them as a part of their community. Another predatory race of people get involved and it quickly turns bad for the group from earth.

Sandoz thinks he is the only human to survive the trip to Rakhat. In Children of God it is revealed that Sofia also survived and now pregnant survives with the Runa is a hidden place in the jungle. On earth Sandoz is finally coming to terms with the tortures he went through on Rakhat and is just coming to terms with living a "normal" life on earth. He is approached and asked to return to Rakhat to act as interpreter. He refuses, but soon finds himself drawn into their schemes anyway. Sofia's child is autistic and has a deep love and understanding of music. We follow a good part of their lives since travel between the planets takes so long.  Sofia sows ideas of revolution into the Runa and war erupts across Rakhat as they stand up against their oppressors.

Russell is a very pleasing author. Her writing is more than just a story. She fills her books with solid writing. She doesn't over do it with tons of exposition. What has been most appealing to me is they way she makes each character believable and real. I was extremely impressed with The Sparrow and wanted to see how the story continued. I wouldn't say I was drawn in as much, but that would have been a tall order. This book focused on how people recover from major events in their lives and was less about their religious journey.

3 Emotional/Intellectual - Russell makes the reader quickly become empathetic to the characters.

3 Style/Readability - Russell is a solid writer and I have enjoyed each book I have read of hers. I will read more.

3 Long Term Impact - Russell has gained some fame and already has a best seller on the books. I feel at this point she isn't given the attention she deserves.

9 out of 13. I feel right with this rating. I would suggest you read The Sparrow and if you enjoy it this book is an enjoyable continuation of the story.

A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson

909 pages Hardcover (Fantasy Fiction) Roughly 12,000 pages in the series.

This is partly a review of the 14th and final book in the Wheel of Time series, but also the series as a whole. It is hard to separate the two anyway. Sadly, Robert Jordan died in 2007. He knew that he was not going to be able to finish the series and collaborated with Brandon Sanderson to finish it after his death. My understanding is that originally it was supposed to be a 7 book epic, but has been "expanded" to 14 books. **This is full of spoilers.**

The whole premise of the entire series is that the world follows a timeline like a wheel. What has happened before will happen again and time passes, but will repeat itself. In the previous age Lews Therin fought the Dark Lord and magically sealed him in the Bore; a tunnel into the earth that at one time was a source of magic. In this age prophecies proclaim that the Dragon Reborn will again fight the Dark Lord in the last battle. He will break the world and a new age will begin.

A Memory of Light is almost entirely focused on the last battle. Trollocs attack the borderlands at the beginning of the book and most everything after that is preparation for, or the actual last battle. All of the nations of the world band together to make one last stand against the overwhelming odds of evil. Throughout the series the three main characters have been Rand, Mat and Perrin. These three boys are from the same village and are drawn into the story when Moraine, an Aes Sedai, tells them that Rand is the Dragon Reborn. They all have special powers. Rand has the power over magic. Mat has luck beyond what anyone else could hope for and eventually gets the memories of hundreds of people from the past. Perrin has the power to go into the wolf dream.

In the final battle all of them are pushed to their limits. Rand goes to Shayol Ghul to fight the Dark Lord which becomes more a battle of wits than of strength. Mat somehow becomes the leader of the forces of the light and leads them into a battle unmatched in history. Perrin goes into the wolf dream and defends Rand from forces he has no protection from. The multitude of characters from the series all play their parts and a battle of true epic proportions dominate most of the book.

I have been reading this series for at least 18 years. I have grown immensely as a reader in that time and I think that has been to the detriment of the series. I can't say I remember every detail about the books, but I really enjoyed the first 6 books. After that it seemed like the story just wondered around without a lot happening until the end of the 9th book, Winter's Heart. I honestly don't know why I kept going. I muddled through the next couple books and was slightly entertained, but went on with the attitude that I had read this far I should see it finished. The 12th book, The Gathering Storm, brought a breath of fresh air to the series. For me, Sanderson, saved what was left of the series. Over the next 3 books he did something Jordan didn't seem able to do, bring an end to the story.

Perhaps I am being unfair, Sanderson worked with Jordan and maybe I would have enjoyed what he would have done by himself, but I honestly kind of doubt it. I have many friends that have read the series and some at rabid about how great it is. For the most part though people seem to have the impression that I have.

The thing that stands out most for me is that the book is juvenile. Jordan constantly reiterates things, to keep the reader informed, but I feel like it is overdone and I am given no credit as a reader. I don't find his writing to be very appealing. He tells an epic story, but I don't find the writing to be beautiful for its own sake. The other way this is evident is the actual story elements. The characters don't swear instead they use words like "bloody". In the book at one point Elayne who is a queen calls someone a "bloody pig farmer" (or something close to that) and everyone around is shocked at her improper language. As a mature reader I just felt like I am being forced to accept something that I don't see as edgy. Also every time sex is implied in anyway it is always off camera. Mat is supposed to be a leader of a band of rough and tough mercenaries. He continually mentions how he'd like to have a girl sit on his knee. Right, that is what war torn battle veterans think of after a hard fought battle.

Now, I can see some people arguing that this is supposed to be a young person's story. That it is kept "clean" to make it accessible to those that start reading it at a young age. I can see that side of the argument, but there is a major flaw. The series is 12,000 pages. How many junior high kids are going to pick up one book at 800 pages, much less 14 of them? And even if the intention is for you to start reading it in 8-9th grade few people would ever finish the series by the time they were out of high school. I consider myself a very avid reader and I don't think I could finish the whole series in a couple years even if I made a point to do it. This last book took me about a month and a half. (Though I admit it was partly because I wasn't that into it.) It should have done something similar to the Harry Potter series where as it grew in length it also grew in complexity and theme.

Now my final complaint. I could have told you how this story was going to end after reading the first half of the first book. It certainly was an epic story, but there was little to no surprise at all and overall it was just a bland story with little in the way of epic writing.

This rating is for the series as a whole.

3 Intellectual/Emotional: I cared about the few main characters, but the multitude of side characters were basically just extras in a movie.

2 Style/Readability: I don't care for Jordan writing. Sanderson made this part more bearable, but I feel like he integrated some of Jordan techniques which wasn't for the better.

3 Long Term Impact: With 20 years of books and over 4 million books in print I am sure that the Wheel of Time series will be around for a long time even if it shouldn't be.

8 out of 13. This seems right to me. I have heard of people suggesting this series to other people, I am telling you don't. If you are aching for a huge series to read I suggest trying George R.R. Martin's Song of Fire and Ice or Stephen King's Dark Tower series. (Don't judge it by the first book). Then if you are pleased with those and are looking for something a little more involved look at Steven Erickson. After you have read all of those I don't see how you can think that The Wheel of Time is all that great. Exception one: If you are a teenager and you think you could tear through 12,000 pages in a few years I think this might be a good choice. Exception two: If you have read most of the series already and were turned off when Jordan died, Sanderson did a good job finishing the series and if you want to, go ahead and read the last three books.

I would add one last thing. I think the series could go from average to good (not great) if someone went through and cut a lot of the chaff from it. I mostly mean the books in the middle of the series. If you could read 1-6, read the cliff notes to the next 4 books, then finish the series it would be better.

Keep Turning Pages.

Dust of Dreams by Steven Erickson

816 p Trade Paperback (Fantasy Fiction)

This is the 9th book in the Tale of the Malazan book of Fallen series. I have been reading this series for a few years and at this point can say it is the most complcated, dense and epic story I have ever read.

Dust of Dreams starts a two book storyline. One of the interesting things about the entire series is that although the books are written in the same world, the stories aren't linear. The first two books are set on different continents and only have a couple characters in common. The timeline flows unevenly through the books. Some are set in "current" time and some hundreds of years in the past. 

Erickson has a habit of dropping a reader into the middle of the story and only through lots of reading can you figure out what is happening. Sometimes it might be a few pages before you even know who you are reading about. All of this adds up to a lot for a reader to handle. In fact, I have never read anything that demands so much from a reader. I haven't started yet, but most fans of the series suggest re-reading the whole thing as it is much clearer since you have the benefit of hindsight.

Dust of Dreams follows a number of armies that are gearing up for war. A huge part of the book is following the Malazan army led by Adjunst Tavore into the wastelands. No one knows why as there doesn't seem to be a goal for this. A good part of this is spent getting to know the characters and how they are handling their current assignment. Onos Tool'an, once a T'lan Imass, but now alive leads the Barghast against whatever foe will bring back their honor and glory. A large train of children, refugees from some attack, snake across barren land looking for a means to survive. Kalyth has been chosen by the K'chain Che'Malle Matron to act as Destraint. She must set out and find a Mortal Sword and Shield Anvil to lead the armies. The last bastion of K'chain Che'Malle verges on declining into obscurity.

What I like most about Erickson's writing is his ability to take small snippets of a story and make them so appealing. All of the books have these tiny vignettes that are a beautiful work all by themselves. This is mostly because of his dramatic command of imagery. When he describes the insect like K'chain Che'Malle you can feel the oils on their bodies and the smell that fills the air around them. It is easy to get yourself into the heads of the various characters and feel like the child on the brink of starvation trudging across deserted land.

The book opens with a foreword by Erickson describing how this and the last book, The Crippled God, are intended to be one story. You can see this as a huge part of this book is character introduction (yes, still new characters in the 9th book.) and development. You can see how it is all leading up for all of the previously story lines to come together in the last book.

4 Intellectual/Emotional - It requires significant dedication to read these books and the dedication is paid off as you get involved with each of the crisscrossing stories.

3 Readability/Style - These books are huge averaging around 800 pages. I find it takes me usually a couple months to get through one which is much longer than any other books of similar style and length. Erickson's style is different than anything else I have read and that is what keeps me coming back.

3 Long Term Impact - This series is difficult to read and comprehend. The first book, Gardens of the Moon, is hard to get into and is probably the weakest of the series. With these "problems" I don't see this series ever being a huge blockbuster, but that doesn't mean it doesn't deserve it.

10 out of 13. This series is epic beyond anything I have heard of short of the Bible on the terms of scale and story. Only a truly dedicated reader should get into these books, but every time I finish a book a part of me wants to pick up the next one.

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Aleph by Paulo Coelho

296 pages Trade Paperback (Fiction)

My wife and I occasionally get two copies of the same book and then have a mini reading group together. She bought copies of this book for Christmas and we both have been reading it. She isn't quite done yet

Aleph has an interesting presentation. It is presented as autobiographical, but labeled as fiction. Fantastic things happen, but in the author's note at the end it is implied that they are real. The book is also translated from Portuguese which may have been to its detriment.

In order to talk about the book it will be necessary to reveal things so....

 Warning: spoilers ahead.

The book follows the author on a trip to many countries around the world. At the beginning the author talks with a friend that suggests he must say yes to life more often. At the next press conference he agrees to go to all the countries that he is requested to visit. The final one involves a train ride on the Trans-Siberian rail road. There is little time spent on the rest of the trip and most of it focuses on the train ride. Before boarding the train the author meets a young violinist named Hilal. She tells him that she is supposed to join him on this journey. The others along for the trip are opposed, but in the end she is allowed to go. The book follows the author as he has a spiritual journey.

The main point of the book is what is known as the Aleph. Hilal and the author have some type of time meld. Together they experience a vision/time travel where the author attempts to reconcile a failure from his past life. This Aleph seems to be a fixed point within the hallway of the train.

I can't say I really enjoyed this book. I found the writing to be very bland. Since it was translated from Portuguese I can forgive this as I wouldn't have been able to read it otherwise, but either the translator simplified the writing or the original wasn't that great to start with.

I want to discuss the time traveling experiences that the author has. He presents these experiences as truth. Since it is a work of fiction I was able to accept this, at first, but as things goes on it is implied it is real. At the end of the book the author's note discusses the people in the book and warns people from attempting the time traveling rituals described in the book. Yet, the book is labeled as fiction. Did he have these experiences? He implies that he has. Why is the book fiction? Did the publisher do that? This really bothered me. It seems like this should have been explained much better than it was. It is possible that Coelho intended the book to be labeled as non-fiction, but because of the fantastic nature of the trip the publisher labeled it otherwise. I feel if that was the case then he should have addressed this in some way.

The biggest issue I had was the number of assumptions made in the book. Throughout the book the author makes statements. He then uses a statement for a basis for converging lines of thought. The assumption is that you accept the first statement which then encourages you to agree with the whole. Numerous times I found myself questioning the validity of the original statement which then invalidated everything that was discussed. I have to admit that this lies mostly on me. I am skeptical of any otherworldly experience that anyone claims to have. I am looking for evidence what a person claims is more than just a story and this book doesn't provide anything more than that, just a story. Since I doubt the truth of the story, and view as such, I wasn't impressed by the book.

2 Intellectual/Emotional - I wasn't drawn to the characters and in most cases was annoyed by them. The spiritual content of the book could be inspiring if it were true, but I wasn't convinced that it was, most significantly because it was labeled as fiction.

2 Style/Readability - As noted it was very bland. Everything was very uninspired considering the book was supposed to be inspiring. It felt almost like the author was bored with the tale he was telling. This comes through in the writing.

1 Long Term Impact - Unless the ideas presented take hold and influence a lot of people I see this book fading into obscurity sooner rather than later.

5 out of 13. This is one of the worst scores I have ever given a book. Read something else.

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A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

405 pages Trade Paperback (Fiction)

My wife has suggested I read this book and it has been on my list for quite sometime. It has been on numerous top 100 lists and also won a Pulitzer Prize. I decided to give it a read and over a couple of weeks I did. 

Ignatius J. Reilly is 30 years old and lives with his mother. He dresses in thick clothing, bursting at the seams, and has a green hunters cap to keep himself warm. He is the definition of socially nonfunctional. This seems to be by choice. The rest of the world has it all wrong and despite his obvious intelligence he will not conform to any sort of societal norm. Any issue Ignatius has must surely be the fault of anyone other than himself.

The book follows the misadventures of Ignatius as he attempts to repay debts his mother owes. He is hired working in an office where he files things in the garbage can and eventually starts selling hot dogs on the street, but typically eats more than he ever sells.

A Confederacy of Dunces was a bit of a conundrum for me. Toole's writing is impressive and engaging, but I found the characters to be unlikable. The book is aptly titled. From the crazed mother driven to the brink by her sons insanity, to the pitiful police officer spending his days in a bus stop toilet, to the worthless kid trying to make a little money on the side, to the husband and wife that spend their days trying to make the other person more miserable, all of them were morons. I couldn't make a connection with any of the characters. This made it hard for me to care about any of them or care about the book. The book is advertised as humorous. On the back of the book a quote says, "One of the funniest books ever written..." I just didn't feel this. It was silly. Write a story about a bunch of idiots and put them in silly situations and you'll get a silly book, but for the most part I thought it was kind of sad. It is possible that when the book was written in the 60's the idea of the characters were so outrageous that it came off as funny. I think I have met a version of each of the characters in real life and I saw it as a sad comment on stupid people and less as something so preposterous that it was humorous.

You would think that at this point I could easily dismiss the book, but therein lies the conundrum. Toole is a good writer.and though I actually attempted to give up on the book a couple times, I soon found myself wanting to read it again. I could see where people found it humorous. I can understand why others liked the book, but I have to conclude it just wasn't for me.

2 Intellectual/Emotional - I had hard time getting attached to any character in the book.

3 Style/Readability - Toole's writing is what gives this book any credibility from my point of view. 

4 Long Term Impact - Obviously, I am in the minority when it comes rating this book and I can except that. A Pulitzer prize and being on numerous top 100 books 50 years after having been written means this will continue to be popular as time goes on.

9 out of 13. I have to be honest and say even this feels like too much. I can't recommend this book. If you are looking for comedies that could be compared to this I would suggest something by Tom Robbins or Phillip Roth's early work. Though not necessarily related thematically I would also suggest Terry Pratchett, Bill Bryson or Douglas Adams.

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Soul Music by Terry Pratchett

373 pages (Paperback) Fantasy Fiction

It didn't take me long to get back into a Pratchett book. Pratchett is a very interesting writer and I look forward to reading many of his books in the future.

Imp y Celyn has just arrived in Anhk-Morpork, the largest city set in the center of Disc World. He is a musician, but quickly realizes he doesn't have the funds to pay the guild in order to make music within the city. He soon meets up with a dwarf, Glod, and Lias, a troll. Through some bad luck, Imp's harp is broken. They soon find themselves in a music store that wasn't there the day before, BUT had always been there. Imp finds a guitar that seems to have a life of its own.

In an attempt to raise money so they can join the musicians guild they play music in less than savory places. Their first show a magical thing happens. They start playing a type of music that no one has heard before. Most are in agreement that it is wrong and loud and obnoxious ...and that they can't get enough of it. They soon find themselves touring around the disc and playing music for hundreds of people. The musicians guild is upset about this and sends Mr. Clete and his flunkies after them.

Susan is just an average girl going to your average boarding school. She seems to have the power to not be there. And she sees things others don't. And animals talk to her. One night a raven and a skeletal mouse come to take her on one of those adventures where there are fantastic lands and fairies...or something like that. She soon finds out that her family isn't exactly what she thought it was, and that she has been selected to take her grandfathers job.

3 - Intellectual/Emotional - Pratchett does a great job of taking a story that the reader knows, in this case a bands rise to stardom, and adds his quirky humor and makes it something so much more than your typical story. I really liked the Susan story line and characters there, I didn't care as much for the Band with Rocks In characters. The story itself was very fun though.

4 Style/Readability - Pratchett's writing is great once you get a couple of his books under your belt you are not going to want to stop reading.

4 Long Term Impact - His writing is great. He adds humor to fantasy like no other. I have never read others that I can really compare him too. He deserves long term accolades.

11 out of 13. Now that I have read a number of his books I am a solid Pratchett fan. I wouldn't say this is his best work, but it is certainly a fun read. I suggest starting with Guards! Guards!  or Going Postal, but once you are invested in his world come back to this.

The Walking Dead Compendium by Robert Kirkman

Roughly 1000 pages (Graphic Novel) Fiction

Robert Kickman is the author. The artwork is originally created by Tony Moore. It is then taken over by Charlie Adlard. This compendium covers #1-#48 of the series. It also has a small Holiday special from 2005. I rarely get to watch horror of any sort since my wife refuses to watch anything that could be construed as such. Somehow I started watching the first season of the TV show on Netflix. I was interested, and as soon as the second season came out I watched them all in a few days. I now have been watching them as they come out on TV. I decided to give the comic a try.

The story follows Rick, a police officer, who wakes from a gun shot coma to find the world has been overrun with zombies. He eventually meets a group of people and they attempt to survive in this new life of walking dead. They attempt to find places of safety and typically are run out of a safe haven as soon as they can settle in. They meet other groups of survivors. Sometimes this is good and sometimes this is bad. What I found most interesting is that the book really isn't about blood and gore. That is a part of it at times, but what makes it worth while is the lives of the people involved. The new order that is in place forces people to act in ways they would never have thought about in the past. Survival forces mistrust of others before humanity can take hold.

I imagine most people interested in the comic series may already have seen the show. They are quite a few differences between the comic and the TV series. I won't fill this with spoilers. On the TV show Rick is very likable and you care about him a lot. In the book he is much more driven and angry. There are a number of characters in the book that are not in the show and vice versa. Michonne is very different. In the show she is a hard character that doesn't care about anyone. In the book she seems more "normal". The major plot points seems to happen in both, but there minor differences that make both worthwhile to experience on their own.

A note about the artwork. I come from an artistic background so the artwork in a comic is very important. Tony Moore did a fantastic job with the first "chapter" of the comic. So far as black and white artists goes he was the best I can imagine doing the work. Apparently, he was behind on finishing each month so was replaced by Adlard. To be honest this was a huge disappointment for me. Especially in the first few comics he did I felt the artwork was mediocre to poor. Whereas in Moore's artwork each character stood out and had great shading, Adlard was poorly drawn with blocky shading. I found it hard to tell the difference between some of the men. I am happy that this subsided somewhat as the series went on, but at this point I don't think he has caught up to Moore's work. Thankfully the story is good enough that it didn't keep me from continuing the series.

3 Emotional/Intellectual - What makes this series is the characters and how they deal with the new world. I do think that the show does a slightly better job of this in than the book.

3 Style/Readability - I found myself reading late into the night to find out what happens next. Since things are changed a lot from the TV show it was fresh throughout.

4 Long Term Impact - The Walking Dead has been around about 10 years and it is already a classic. I think it will be the new standard for comparison for anything zombie that follows.

10 out of 13. This mainly depending on taste. It is a horror comic and I think most anyone will know where they stand regarding the subject matter. If you think you'd be ok with a horror comic than I think this is well worth your time. If the subject turns you off. the quality of the book isn't going to change your opinion.

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