Graphic Novel Review - The Books of Magic by Neil Gaiman (4.5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Graphic Novel/Superhero
Size: 200 pages
Publisher: DC Comics
Release Date: April 14, 1993
ISBN: 978-1563890826
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Bought
Rating: 4.5/5 stars


I have had this book on my shelf to read for a while. I finally got around to reading it. It was a very very good read. It ties into the story of some of the top magic users in super hero history, has cameos from the Endless, and discusses the repercussions of using magic.

Timothy Hunter has been identified as having a great capacity for magic should he choose to use it. He is identified by the Trenchcoat Brigade (consisting of John Constantine, the Phantom Stranger, Dr. Occult and Mister E) and offered a choice to explore magic or not. Each of these practitioners of magic takes on him on a different type of tour. Timothy visits the past, the present, and the future and also the fairylands.

This graphic novel takes an interesting look at the history of magic (both in general and in the DC universe), the future of magic, and realms of magic. Each magic practitioner takes Tim on a different journey and each journey emcompasses one of four “books of magic”.

We meet a wide variety of magical characters throughout this story from more classical magical characters (Baba Yaga, Titania) to a number of magical characters that pepper DC comic history (including Gaiman’s own Endless).

The books of magic get more abstract as they continue, with the final book (the one looking at the future of magic) being the most abstract. The illustration throughout follows this trend. Each book has a very distinctive artistic style. Charles Vess (my favoorite illustrator of the bunch) illustrates the fairy land journey and this was a perfect match for his style. The final book which journeys into the future had a very abstract style that was my least favorite of the bunch, but still matched the story very well.

I will be honest in saying that a lot of the DC comic references were lost on me since I haven’t read a ton in this universe. I still really enjoyed the story of Timothy exploring all these different avenues of magic and learning about them. The story is written in a way that even comic ignorant people like me will really enjoy it.

There is a fun twist at the end of the novel as well that had me chuckling. I love how the whole thing was wrapped up.

Overall I really really enjoyed this graphic novel. It was well written and provided a good story about the dangers of power and magic. It should be appropriate for YA and older. I also enjoyed all the wonderfully different illustration styles as well. Highly recommended to fans of fantasy graphic novels and to fans of the magical side of the DC universe.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Graphic Novel Reading Challenge
- 150+ Reading Challenge
- TBR Pile Reading Challenge

Graphic Novel Review - Endless Nights (Sandman, Book 12) by Neil Gaiman (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Graphic Novel/Fantasy
Size: 160 pages
Publisher: Vertigo
Release Date: September 1, 2004
ISBN: 978-1401201135
Stand Alone or Series: 12th book in the Sandman series
Source: Bought
Rating: 4/5 stars


This is a set of stories featuring the Endless. Each Endless gets its own story. Although I didn’t enjoy this as much as the rest of the Sandman series, it was still fun to revisit the series.

Each story features a different Endless. A wide variety of illustration styles are seen throughout and I enjoyed them all. Gaiman's writing continues to be spot on and really captures the mood of each of the Endless.

If you are a fan of the Sandman series this is a must read. The characters and their stories are a bit ambiguous, but then the Endless are vague and vast concepts so I felt that it fit well.

All of the illustration styles fit their stories well. Illustration ranged from the beautiful (Morpheus’s story), to the incredibly disturbing (Despair’s chapter).

Overall an excellent addition to the Sandman series. A must read if you are a fan of the series. I didn’t think the stories were as good as the original series, but they were still entertaining. The illustration covered a wide breadth of styles and was very good.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Graphic Novel Challenge
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge

Graphic Novel Review - The Wake (Sandman, Book 10) by Neil Gaiman (5/5 stars)

Reading level: Adult

Genre: Graphic Novel/Fantasy
Size: 192 pages
Publisher:  Vertigo
Release Date: July 1, 1997
ISBN-13: 978-0865680975
Stand Alone or Series: 10th in Sandman series
Source: Bought
Rating: 5/5 stars

This is the tenth and final book in the Sandman series by Gaiman and various illustrators.  It was a wonderful conclusion to the series and I really enjoyed it.

The first two parts of this graphic novel deal with the death of Morpheus.  We watch as the Endless prepare for his Wake and as people travel to the Dreaming to attend.  There is much reminiscing.  The last parts deal more with the new Morpheus and the affects of him taking over the dreaming.

This was a stunning closure to the series.  After the heart-breaking ending in book 9 where Morpheus chooses Death over continuing to run the Dreaming, this book was good closure for readers.  It was nice to reminisce along with the other characters about things that had happened previously and about how Morpheus affected everyone's lives.  It was good to watch the new Morpheus take-over and see life continue.  It really drove home the point of the Endless...which is that they are...well...endless.

Some of the illustration throughout was absolutely stunning.  The scenes from Morpheus's Wake are just breathtaking.  Some of the later sections are done in a more stylized way and are just as breathtaking for their simplicity.

Overall this was a fantastic conclusion to this series; although I am bit sad to reach the end of it.  I kind of want to start reading it all over again right now.  If you have been enjoying the Sandman series thus far, you definitely will love this final installment.

This book went towards the following reading challenges:
- Graphic Novels Challenge List
- 100+ Reading Challenge

 

Graphic Novel Review - The Kindly Ones (Sandman, Book 9) by Neil Gaiman (5/5 stars)

Reading level: Adult
Genre: Graphic Novel
Size: 352 pages
Publisher: Vertigo
Release Date: September 1, 1996
ISBN-13: 978-1563892059
Stand Alone or Series: Ninth in the Sandman series
Source: Bought
Rating: 5/5 stars

This is the ninth book in Gaiman's Sandman series.  It was a wonderful installment, many things from the previous volumes come together and come to a climax.

This story mainly focuses around a woman name Lyta (Hippolyta) was had her son kidnapped and then enlists the help of the Furies in revenging him.  She has been led to believe (wrongly) that Morpheus is responsible for her son's fate and swears to revenge her son.  This touch's on Nuala's story and Thessaly plays a main role too (the witch from A Game of You).

This was a great story and really brought together a lot of threads introduced in previous novels.  Morpheus is depressed by the outcome of his search for his brother Destruction and the Dreaming is suffering.  In its depleted state the Dreaming is vulnerable to the attack of the Furies and many of the key characters in the Dreaming face their demise.

This isn't the most uplifting book in the Sandman series, but it was a complex and interesting story.  Morpheus is more human in this story than any others and you get to see deeper into his character.  I loved it and continue to absolutely love this series.  The stories are so well told, so creative, and so engaging.

The artwork throughout is varied, as many different artists contribute to the Sandman installments.  In general it is high quality and matches the mood of the novel; although it is definitely 80's-ish at points.

Overall another excellent addition to this series.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I can't wait to see how the series is wrapped up in the final Sandman volume, The Wake.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Graphic Novels Challenge List
- 100+ Reading Challenge

 

Review - Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett (4/5 stars)

Reading level: Adult
Genre: Fantasy/Humor
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
Release Date: May 1st, 1990
ISBN-13: 978-0060853976
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Swapped through paperbackswap.com
Rating: 4/5 stars


I am a huge Gaiman fan and somehow I had never read this book.  I was eager to read it since I used to read Pratchett's Discworld series and enjoyed the humor in that too.  Overall this was a good book and fairly humorous.  I thought the humor went a bit over the top at points; but overall still liked it.  Think of this book as kind of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Apocalypse; it is written in that type of style with lots of footnotes.

When Crowley, original Crawley the serpent from Eden, gets the Antichrist he makes a mistake.  The babies are switched out and Crowley and his arch-enemy Azrael spent a good portion of their lives trying to influence the wrong child.  All you have to do then is get the Four Horsemen involved, a young woman who is a descendent of Agnes Nutter (the most accurate phophetess history has ever known, and a young man who is a witch hunter in the story and things begin to get out of hand.  The real Antichrist, aptly named Adam, is making a bullocks of things using his unholy power to save whales and make nuclear power safer.  General chaos ensues, legions of angels and demons prepare for war, and the world as we know it may or may not end.

This was a pretty good book.  Given it's cult status I was expected it to be hilarious and to be blown out of the water by it.  I really wasn't.  The book switches viewpoint a lot, making it a bit hard to keep everything straight in the beginning.  There are a ton of footnotes throughout (which I am not a huge fan off because they interrupt the story), and while some of them were funny, some of them were just plain silly and rambled on a bit too much.

The story takes a while to get going and I struggled to stay interested initially; but as events build to the final Apocalyse the pace picks up and the book is much more engaging.   The characters are interesting but never really personable because you don't get to spend much time with them.  I am thinking this book may be a bit dated and was more unique and original when it was written.  To be honest this book reminds me a lot of the movie Dogma and in writing style, of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, books. 

In general I have mixed feelings about this book.  There are some funny parts and some excellent irony, some very creative ideas and characters.  The story takes a bit to get going through and constantly switches viewpoint so it was hard to really engage with any of the characters.  The humor got a bit campy at parts and some of the footnotes rambled on way too much.  I thought it was missing the wonderful classic story structure and tone that most of Gaiman's books have. 

Overall I am glad that I read it but it was not my favorite Gaiman or Pratchett book.  It was a bit too campy for me and a bit too scattered.  There are some funny parts though and the story itself is very ironic.  If you like Christopher Moore or Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxay, or religion spoofs (like the movie Dogma) you will probably enjoy this book.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Speculative Fiction Reading Challenge Book List
- The 100+ Book Reading Challenge

 

Review - The Best American Comics 2010 by Neil Gaiman (4/5 stars)

I received a digital copy of this book through Netgalley.com.  I enjoyed this book and thought it did a great job of capturing a broad range of comics.  Some of the comics are politically or historically significant and some of them are just plain fun.  There is a nice forward by Gaiman explaining how he choose these comics to be the "best".  Most of these comics center around life in general but some of them are sci-fi or super hero comics too.

I really enjoyed some of the comics that gave a perspective on American history.  There was a rendition of events from Katrina flooding New Orleans in "The Flood" and one that almost has me in tears called "The Alcoholic" in which the day of the Twin Tower bombing is lived, you see some of the lives that were lost and what people had to go through that horrible day, it was seen in a way I never saw it from afar.  These were probably my two favorites from a historical perspective

Then there were the funny ones like "Norman Eight's Left Arm" in which two robots make a bet and one looses his arm and "Lobster Run" which gives a somewhat serious but kind of funny look into a young foreign couple trying to scape by in New York City.   I also enjoyed the short strips from James Kochalken which gave a humorous look into pregnancy and parenthood. 

Additionally there were the strange ones: like the eerily humorous "The Lagoon" and (the one I most related too) "Mixed Up Files" about a book obsessed mother.  Of course there was a great super hero comic called "Omega the Unknown" which was kind of your classic super hero comic but more screwed up and just plain strange but oh so entertaining.

There were a couple that I just skimmed through because I didn't find them to be all that interesting, but the majority of comics included were great.

All in all an excellent book.  Comics from all genres and tons of drawing types represented.  If you are a comics fan but have been left in the dust by the tons and tons of new comics being released then you should pick this up.  If you are someone who is interested in comics but doesn't know where to start, pick this up.  It gives a great overview of the wide range of superb comics out there.

This book goes towards the following reading challenge:
- The 100+ Book Reading Challenge

 

Graphic Novel Review - Worlds' End (Sandman, Book 8) by Neil Gaiman, et al. (5/5 stars)

I am a huge Neil Gaiman fan and have been slowly working my way through his Sandman graphic novels.  Slowly because I want them to last as long as they can.  This book was lots of fun.  It was less pilosophical than the last book and more fun; but there are still deep underlying messages woven into the stories that are told.

In this book a guy and girl get into a car accident and find themselves taking shelter from a June snowstorm at a strange inn.  In the inn a number of fantastical people from various times and realities are waiting out the reality storm.  While they wait they tell a number of interesting stories.

This story is a bit of a break from the stories about the mythological gods.  The gods are still in some of the stories and, in the end, it ends up that even this whole novel is really about them in a very direct way. 

I enjoyed every bit of this book.  It was fun to read about all these different stories.  The idea of an Inn at the end of reality is fun and interesting.  The artwork throughout the book went through a number of different styles but all of them were fantastic.

A wonderful addition to the Sandman series.  I can't wait to read the next one!

 

Graphic Novel Review - Brief Lives (Sandman, Volume 7) by Neil Gaiman (5/5 stars)

This is the seventh graphic novel in Gaiman's Sandman series. The Sandman series is 10 graphic novels in length. This was a wonderful book. Absolutely loved the story and enjoyed the illustrations.

In the seventh graphic novel in the Sandman series Morpheus's sister Delirium wants to go searching for her brother Destruction. After Desire and Despair refuse to help her she turns to Morpheus for help. Morpheus has just been abandoned by his girlfriend and is depressed and as such agrees to travel with Delirium in search of their brother Destruction. There travels take them to visit a number of long-lived humans and a few forgotten gods.

If you are a Sandman fan then you will read this and love it. If you aren't well then you should start reading these graphic novels because they are awesome. The plotlines are creative and interesting as well as engaging. Sometimes the story gets a little bit ambiguous, but that just makes it more interesting. There is always a little black humor in these; especially in this book where Delirium likes to chat about whatever strikes her fancy. Of course the storyline always touches on deeper topics like the meaning of life, the origin of life, and the definition of gods.

I really enjoyed this installment of the Sandman series and look forward to reading the next novel.

 

Review - Stories: All-New Tales Edited by Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio (4/5 stars)

I got a copy of this book through the Amazon Vine program.  It consists of 27 stories that range from fantasy, to sci-fi, to general fiction.  Overall it is an interesting collection of stories.  

Most of the stories have some sort of fantasy aspect to them; something fantastical happens, people have special powers, or events defy reality.

For me the highlights of this book were "Wildfire in Manhattan" by Joanne Harris, "Goblin Lake" by Michael Swanwick, "Leif in the Wind" by Gene Wolfe, "A Life in Fictions" by Kat Howard, and "The Devil on the Staircase" by Joe Hill.

The majority of the stories were good reads and the collection is extremely eclectic.  It would have been nice to have some underlying theme tie the stories together; but, as stated in the beginning, this is a collection of stories that was made for the love of a story.  This collection of stories is definitely intended for an adult audience, there is lots of swearing in some of the stories and some sex and violence.

The stories included are listed below along with a brief description and ratings given.

- Blood by Roddy Doyle (4/5)

Interesting story about a normal family man who craves blood.  Love the open ending and the crazy dialogue.

- Fossil-Figures by Joyce Carol Oates (4/5)
About twin brothers that are very different but undeniably entwined.

- Wildfire in Manhattan by Joanne Harris (5/5)
A story about gods in human form trying to outrun Darkness in Manhattan.  I loved the sardonic tone of this story, it was a lot of fun.  This setting and the interesting characters could make an excellent book.

- The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains by Neil Gaiman (4/5)
Fantasy story about a dwarf seeking a cave full of gold.  Not one of Gaiman's best stories, but entertaining all the same.

- Unbelief by Michael Marshall Smith (4/5)
A darkly ironic and somewhat disturbing story about an assassin who is paid to take out a certain well-known old man.  I enjoyed it; it was a good story and a fun read.

- The Stars Are Falling by Joe R. Lansdale (4/5)
This is a story about a soldier coming home from four years of war.  This one is a bit disturbing as well, but well-written with great description (it is pretty bleak though).

- Juvenal Nyx by Walter Mosley (3/5)
Story about a man that gets turned into a child of the night.  I didn't like this story all that much; I just thought it was kind of boring.  It is well written though.

- The Knife by Richard Adams (3/5)
Very short story about a bullied boy who takes revenge.  It was okay, but nothing special.

- Weights and Measures by Jodi Picoult (4/5)
A heartbreaking story about a couple whose daughter dies.  Somehow they are literally physically affected by the death.  I didn't really understand exactly what was going on, but the story was well-written and the author captured what it feels like to loose someone very well.

- Goblin Lake by Michael Swanwick (5/5)
A story about a soldier who is pushed into Goblin Lake and finds out his life is not what he thought it was.  I really enjoyed this story and thought it was very creative.

- Mallon the Guru by Peter Straub (3/5)
A very short story that was about a man going to seek out advice from a medicine man.  This story was very obscure and a bit creepy.

- Catch and Release by Lawrence Block (4/5)
A very creepy story about a man who likes to "catch and release" single women.  Super creepy but very well written and overall well done.

- Polka Dots and Moonbeams by Jeffrey Ford (3/5)
Some sort of story done in a roaring twenties style about people pulling a hit job, dancing, and trying to "get out".  I never really understood what was going on here.

- The Loser by Chuck Palahnuik (3/5)
About some frat member taking part in a game show.  I didn't enjoy this story all that much, it was okay.

- Samantha's Diary by Diana Wynne Jones (4/5)
This is the diary of a girl who gets to play out the 12 Days of Christmas, much to her horror.  This started out as a funny story but did get a bit tedious towards the end.

- Land of the Lost by Stewart O'Nan (4/5)
A lady becomes obssessed with finding and digging up the body of a missing girl.  It was an okay story, an interesting idea but nothing too exciting.

- Leif in the Wind by Gene Wolfe (5/5)
Very good story about some explorers on a mission back from space.  Wonderfully written and excellent characters.

- Unwell by Carolyn Parkhurst (4/5)
This is about a mean old lady who takes a sort of revenge on her younger sister.  Nothing really fantasy about it.  It is ironic though and it was well written.

- A Life in Fictions by Kat Howard (5/5)
I loved this story.  It is about a girl whose boyfriend keeps writing her into his stories, literally...she actually physically ends up in the stories.  Very creative and well written, I loved it!

- Let the Past Begin by Jonathan Carroll (4/5)
An intriguing story about a man who is dating a pregnant reporter who may, or may not, be crazy.  It is a very incomplete story though.

- The Therapist by Jeffrey Deaver (3/5)
An okay story about a therapist who tries to cure people who are infected with evil neme.  For one woman he takes his therapy too far.  This story was okay, but kind of boring and drawn out.

- Parallel Lines by Tim Powers (3/5 stars)
Story about twin sisters: one who is dead and one who isn't.  Okay story but I didn't find it incredible engaging.

- The Cult of the Nose by Al Arrantonio (4/5 stars)
A man is obsessed with hunting down a cult of people who wear fake noses.  This story was well written and engaging, if a bit strange.

- Human Intelligence by Kurt Anderson (4/5 stars)
Very good sci-fi story about an alien spy that has been forgotten by his home planet.  Interesting and easy to read, I enjoyed this story.

- Stories by Michael Moorcock (2/5)
I had a hard time getting through this one.  It is talking about a group of people who write fiction for a magazine called Mysteries.  There is so much name-dropping that it is hard to keep anything straight.

- The Maiden Flight of MacCauley's Bellerphon by Elizabeth Hand (4/5 stars)
An interesting story about a group of guys who try to recreate the first flight of the Bellerphon.  It was an enjoyable story and had some interesting twists in it.

- The Devil on the Staircase by Joe Hill (5/5)
I enjoyed this story a lot.  It is written in a fairy tale style and was very creative.

This book goes towards the following reading challenge:
- The 100+ Book Reading Challenge

Picture Book Review - Instructions by Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess (5/5 stars)

I love Neil Gaiman's stories, poems, graphic novel, and books. So realize that I am giving you this review with a somewhat biased viewpoint. Instructions is a poem that I first read in Gaiman's collection of children's stories "M is for Magic". I loved the poem, which is an somewhat eccentric list of instructions about how to survive a fairy tale...and on a deeper level how to live you life in general.

This is a great book for young children, older children, adults and all ages in between. My three year old finds the book fascinating, as do I. Some people might find the somewhat crazy random and quirky instructions in this book a bit odd. Mostly though this poem is somewhat mysterious, fun, gives incite into fairy tales, and is a wonderful imaginative adventure.

Charles Vess's illustrations add a ton to this book. They are beautiful and mysterious and absolutely perfect for this poem. You can hear Gaiman read the whole book and see all of Vess's wonderful illustrations at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWRvqO1MjIs

So before buying check out the above link to see if this book is for you.

I personally thought this was a wonderful book. It is a great children's book the provokes imagination and introduces both poetry and fairy tales. It is a great adult book in that it sends a message about how to live your life. Adults will recognize references to many popular fairy tales. I absolutely loved this book. I will keep in in my library for ever.

 

"Black Orchid" by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean (4/5 stars)

One of the few Gaiman/McKean works that I haven't read; I was eager to read this graphic novel. It was a pretty good read. It is an unusual comic book and deals with some more serious issues than the basic good vs. evil.

This comic takes place in Gotham City and in the first few scenes we get to watch as the super-hero Black Orchid is captured and killed. The rest of the story follows her flower sisters as they deal with the fall-out from Black Orchid's action and try to find a place for themselves in the world.

It is an interesting story in that the main character for the most part is a passive flower-lady that is trying to gain back her memories and figure out how to protect her flower sisters.

There are cameo appearances by Batman, Poison Ivy, Lex Luther, and others. We get to visit Arkham Asylum and spend time with the dirty underground of Gotham.

The majority of the comic deals with the idea of violence and what happens when you make a choice either to be peaceful or take violent action. It also shows that sometimes making the right choice doesn't always mean things will turn out the right way.

An interesting graphic novel and somewhat thought provoking. I can see why they said this graphic novel helped break the way for more non-traditional graphic novels. The artwork by McKean is the usual mixture of beautiful, creepy, and slightly disturbing...it goes very well with the story.

There are only a couple things that weren't ideal. One was that the character's aren't as engaging as I am used to for Gaiman and (since this was released in the 80's) the other is that the graphics are pretty dated...there are a lot of 80's hairstyles walking through this graphic novel and at times that made me laugh.

Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman (5/5 stars)

I was really looking forward reading Gaiman's next children's book. It was a great read and a wonderful story.

Odd is a bit different from the rest of the Norse community he lives in. One night he wanders off to his deceased father's cabin to carve some wood and runs into a bear, an eagle, and a fox...and they can talk. Ends up that they are actually the Norse gods Thor, Odin, and Loki trapped in animal shape by a Frost Giant who stole Thor's hammer (with some unintended aid from Loki). Odd, not having much else to do, decides to help them get back to Asgard and get their fortress back from the Frost Giant.

This is a great story and it is told like a fairy tale or a fable, in typical Gaiman style. At times the story is quite funny and it is an inspiring tale about a boy just being who he is to help others. I really enjoyed it. This is a great story for all ages. Kids will enjoy the Nordic gods and their sardonic sense of humor; they will enjoy Odd and how a little boy helps change the world just by being himself. The Norse mythology is interesting and the way things are resolved without violence refreshing and ironic.

I loved this story and will keep it on my shelf to re-read and read to my son when he gets a bit older (he is only 3 right now). Another great Gaiman book. Great illustrations and a quick read. Everyone should give this book a read through.

Marvel 1602 by Neil Gaiman and Andy Kubert (4/5 stars)

I am trying to catch up on all the Gaiman stories I have missed. This looked like a pretty interesting one; I mean how cool is it to re-imagine all of the Marvel characters in 1602? Overall it was entertaining. The story was excellent and the drawings fantastic. I am a new-comer to the Marvel universe and as such I think I missed some things that a more comic knowledgeable person would have grasped. At times I also thought the story line jumped around a bit too much.

Overall though I really enjoyed it. I would definitely recommend this is you are a Gaiman fan or a Marvel universe fan. Some of the ways Gaiman adapted the Marvel heroes to the 1602 time-frame were very interesting and creative.

Troll's Eye View: A book of villainous tales by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling (4/5 stars)

This is a children's book of 15 short stories by various fantasy writers. Overall it was a decent collection. The stories are very short and there are some poems thrown in between stories. My favorite story of the bunch was Catherynne Valente's "A Delicate Architecture." I also really enjoyed "Skin" by Michael Cadnum and "Troll" by Jane Yolen. My least favorite was "Up the Down Beanstalk" by Peter Beagle. Overall though it was a great group of stories. See below for brief comments on each story.

- "Wizards Apprentice" by Delia Sherman
About an evil wizard's apprentice. Where all is not what it seems to be. This was a pretty funny story. 4/5

- "An Unwelcome Guest" by Garth Nix
In this story Rapunzel is the one harassing the witch. Very cleverly written. 4/5

- "Faery Tales" by Wendy Froud
A short poem about what happens to the princesses when they get older. 4/5

- "Rags and Riches" by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
This was a retelling of the goose girl. The story was very detailed and a good read. 4/5

- "Up the Down Beanstalk: A Wife Remembers" by Peter S. Beagle
In this story we get a retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk from the Giant's Wife's perspective. My least favorite of the bunch. 3/5

- "Shoes That Were Danced To Pieces" by Ellen Kushner
A retelling of the twelve dancing princesses. Loved the story. 4/5

- "Puss in Boots, the Sequel" by Joseph Stanton
What if Puss in Boots didn't stay captured? This poem explores that. 4/5

- "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" by Holly Black
How did the wolf in "Little Red Riding Hood" end up at grandma's house? Very clever ending. 4/5

- "Troll" by Jane Yolen
Talks about the troll under the bridge; only this on is scared of goats. Very funny little story, I liked it a lot. 5/5

- "Castle Othello" by Nancy Farmer
Maybe Bluebeard wasn't the evil one afterall. Interesting take on the tale. 4/5

- "'Skin" by Michael Cadnum
A very beautifully and clever retelling of Rumplestilskin. Loved this story. 5/5

- "A Delicate Architecture" by Catherynne M. Valente
How did the witch from Hansel and Gretle end up in that house made of candy in the woods? This story answers all and is writen beautifully. The story had wonderful imagery and was very creative. My favorite of the bunch. 5/5

- "Molly" by Midori Snyder
Tells about how Molly tricked the Giant. Maybe the giant wasn't so bad after all? 4/5

- "Observing the Formalities" by Neil Gaiman
A poem about sleeping beauty. Well-written. 4/5

- "The Cinderella Game" by Kelly Link
When two siblings start playing Cinderella, things get violent. This was an odd story and I wasn't quite sure what had happened when I got to the end. It was well-written. 4/5

Goth Girl Rising by Barry Lyga (4/5 stars)

This is the sequel to the "Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl". You wouldn't absolutely have to read the first book to understand whats going on in this one, but reading the first book gives you Fanboy's perspective on things and helps this book make a lot more sense. So, I guess I would recommend reading the first book before this one. This was a pretty darn good book by itself. I had a lot of trouble putting it down, Goth Girl is a very engaging character.

After the incident with the bullet in the first book Kyra is sent to a mental ward. This book starts as she is returning back to school from the mental ward. When she returns to life "outside" she is peeved to find out that none of her friends have e-mailed her in the 6 months she was gone. She is especially pissed at Fanboy. When she goes back to school she finds that Fanboy has started publishing his graphic novel "Schemata" in the school newspaper and on top of that people actually like him now. The whole thing makes her even madder and she sets out to plot her revenge against Fanboy.

Overall this book was paced much like the first one. This book is all from Goth Girl's view. Goth Girl spends a lot of time thinking and struggling with her rage throughout this book and dealing with her mother's death. The chapters are interrupted by occasional letters to Neil (Neil Gaiman) where she talks out the things that are bugging her. There are a boatload of references to Neil Gaiman's Sandman in here. I am a huge Gaiman fan so I enjoyed those references. There was also a lot of discussion around what different parts of the Sandman novels actually mean; it makes me want to go back and read them all more carefully to see what I missed.

I thought that this story wasn't quite as good as "The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl" in a couple of aspects. Goth Girl spends a lot of the beginning of the book complaining about her big breasts and how people notice them too much. Way too much time is spent on this. I started scanning the parts of the book where she just spends too much time on this. I also thought it took way too long for Goth Girl to come to some of the revelations that she came to; it made her come off as a little dim at parts. I know Fanboy is super smart, but I never thought Goth Girl was stupid and there are parts of this book where she acts pretty stupid (although smarter than her girlfriends).

Still, overall I really enjoyed the story. This is another one of those young adult books that talks about how young adults deal with anger and with the crappy hand that life deals them. I am sure many people can relate to this book. Kids who have lost a close loved one will relate with a lot of the feelings Kyra (Goth Girl) deals with. The thing I love most about this book is that the writing is witty and snappy. This book makes reading about all the heaviness in Kyra's life kind of fun for the most part. I really do enjoy Lyga's writing style.

Will I be reading more Lyga books? Not for a while; just because I prefer fantasy/paranormal books to angst ridden young adult books. I will definitely check out some more of his books when I am in the mood for some more young adult drama.

Crazy Hair by Neil Gaiman (5/5 stars)

Okay so I am a huge Gaiman fan. I know Gaiman has released a couple books for children, but I don't have any of them. When I saw "Crazy Hair" was coming out I actually pre-ordered it. All my expectations were met; it is a great kid's book and I also enjoy it as an adult.

I read through it first by myself to make sure it wasn't too scary. Personally the fact that the main character has all of this crazy stuff living in his hair creeped me out a little. Then the girl gets sucked into his hair; which I thought might be scary to my 2 1/2 year old son. Still once the girl is in his hair she has a really good time. The pictures (in true Dave McKean style) are very abstract and a little creepy. There is one picture in particular with a pirate ship swooping through huge hair folicles that is a bit odd. So all-in-all the normal mix of wildly creative, creepy, strange that I have come to expect from the Gaiman/McKean team. The book itself is a good length for a toddler; long enough to be a good story but short enough to keep their attention.

So, how did my son like it?

He absolutely loves this book. We read it over and over. He loves that every stanza ends with "crazy hair!" and screams that closing statement at the top of his lungs. He thinks it is really neat that all of this stuff lives in this guy's hair. When the girl gets sucked into the guy's hair he thinks it is hilarious and he has memorized all of the neat things she does "dancing in his crazy hair!"

He also finds the abstract artwork fascinating and will spend (well not hours) but minutes at a time (that's a lot for a toddler) just staring at them and pointing out the things he sees.

In summary I was very pleased with this book and so was my 2 1/2 year old son. We read it every night. It is a great story with wonderful artwork. It made me anxious to get some of Gaiman and McKean's other children's books. This is a book that I will keep forever; it definitely gets a spot on my keeper shelf. I would strongly recommend this book for all ages.

Fables and Reflections, Sandman Volume 6 by Neil Gaiman (5/5 stars)

This was another excellent volume in the Sandman series. Instead of being one long story this book consists of multiple stories; each story illustrated by a different artist. The stories are what the title suggests; fables and reflections.

The stories touch on familiar fables and myths. Everything from Faust to Eurydice. This book was particularly interesting since more of Morpheus's family shows up. You get to meet a number of his siblings; his sister Death in particular makes a number of appearances.

I enjoyed both the artwork and the stories greatly. Each story has its own little dark sense of humor, always with a touch of irony woven in. The stories are engrossing and thought provoking; while expanding on both well known and obscure fables and myths.

A great book. I continue to love this series and am excited to read the next book.

A Game of You (Sandman Vol. 5) by Neil Gaiman (5/5 stars)

I love the Sandman series so far and this book was no exception. Gaiman has a way of telling dark stories that are very creative and really expand your mind and make you think. After reading the House of Night, Book 5, to read something this wonderful was a privilege.

Barbie best friend is a drag queen named Wanda and two lesbians that live in her apartment building. Barbie seems to be dragging a bit because she never dreams. She remembers dreaming as a child; wonderful vivid dreams, but those times are long past. When a creature from her dreams dies in front of her on the street and gives her a treasure, Barbie lapses in to a permanent dream state that lead her back to her dream-land where she is a princess and must save the dream land from the Cuckoo. Barbie's friends walk the path of the moon in a effort to save her. In the end nothing is quite as it seems and Barbie's friends efforts may have put the real world at risk.

The artwork in these books is great. The story is amazing. You really feel for all of the characters and relate with them. The plot pulls you through as you wonder what the next page will bring. Full of creative ideas, intriguing thought, creative world, and of course the God of Dreams; this was another amazing installment to the Sandman series. I love these stories; they always open your mind to new possibilities and wonders. Not to mention that in general the stories are just well told with a deep mythos behind them.

I look forward to reading the next Sandman Volume.

Interworld by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves (4/5 stars)

I will start by iterating that I love Gaiman. So I am a little biased toward expecting this to be a good book; and it was a good book. The concepts were amazing, the plot packed full and fast-paced. The writing was not as amazing as it could have been though. I expect some level of elegance in a Gaiman book and this elegance was intermittent in this book.

Joey is wandering town for a school project when he ends up somewhere else. He knows the people but they don't recognize him and somehow all of the people are a bit different from how they should be. Then a man in a silver mask shows up to rescue Joey from this other place, that is until Joey is taken captive by an evil Sorceress. Soon Joey finds out he a Walker and can Walk between different versions of Earth. He finds himself in the organization of Interworld; and organization dedicated to keeping balance between the Hex (magic world) and the Binary (science world).

This book is a very creative concept. I loved the idea of Science Fiction and Fantasy lying on opposite ends of the spectrum and the idea of a multitude of Earth's being at different points of the spectrum. There were a lot of great ideas in here and great characters. Unfortunately the novel is very short, and while an amazing amount of plot is efficiently covered in this small space, not enough time was given to some of Joey's more interesting counterparts.

I agree with other reviewers that this book was not in the typical Gaiman style of writing. There is a lot of techno-babble thrown in the book, and while some of the quantum theory explanations are interesting, mostly they seem contrived and they take away from the elegance of the story. Gaiman is a top-notch story teller and while his creativity was present in this book, his polish was not.

Still I really enjoyed the story and would love to read more about these characters and about Joey's adventures Walking between alternate realities.

The Eternals by Neil Gaiman (5/5 stars)

Okay I will start by saying I am a huge Gaiman fan. So, I really like his stuff. When I saw that this had been released I stuck on my wish list and finally got it for Christmas!

Supposedly this is a revamp of The Eternals as done by Kirby back in the day. I never read any of the originals but this still looked pretty cool.

The drawing is fantastic; the super heroes and Eternals have undergone a revamp and are now sleek and updated. I thought it was fun that some classic super heroes made appearances in here, the appearance of Iron Man was especially timely.

The Eternals themselves were made into mysterious and curiously deep characters. In the beginning I was a bit confused about who was "good" and who was "bad'. Of course that was the point the Eternals don't take sides, they just are. As usually Gaiman made the story go deeper than the overall plot; bringing in questions of mortality, eternal youth, and the origin of life.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel. I am very happy I read it. The only thing I was really disappointed in was that Gaiman did all this work to set up these great characters and this great story and then it was over! I hope that there are more additions to this set.