A solid collection of novellas by King all marred by being a bit too long.
Rita Hayworth the the Shawshank Redemption -- 4/5
If you like the movie, you A solid collection of novellas by King all marred by being a bit too long.
Rita Hayworth the the Shawshank Redemption -- 4/5
If you like the movie, you will like this story. I am not sure if you if you'd like this story without the movie. The both are very good, and both do something better than the other.
Apt Pupil -- 3/5
Overall, not a bad story, but I am not sure what King was trying to tell us in this. Maybe it was just a story of of two undesirable people interacting with each other, but I feel, maybe, he had a point, but I could not find it. This story, however, if far too long for the story it tells.
The Body -- 4.5/5
The best story in the collection marred by some odd choices of stories within the story to illustrate the main characters writing later in life. The first story just interrupts a good novella with a far too long interlude. The second story is fine as its short. Both the film and the novella are quite good. Like Shawkshank, they both do something a bit better on their own, but I think The Body holds up on its own a bit stronger.
The Breathing Method -- 1.5/2
Don't bother. Far too long and the payoff is not there. I am not sure what King was trying to convey here. But whatever it was, it was not an interesting story, and yet another story inside of story neither particularly interesting. ...more
The weakest of all the novellas in the series. The story is a of archeological and the mystery therein. Not bad, as it does tweak my fill of archeologThe weakest of all the novellas in the series. The story is a of archeological and the mystery therein. Not bad, as it does tweak my fill of archeological and caving, but it, as of now, has now discernable tie-into the entire series as a whole. I know Rusch will tie this in at some point, and it will make more sense in the grander scheme of things, but right now it is just a random stories in the series....more
I have never been a fan of Hemingway as person. I knew he was a terrible person. Then I watched Ken Burns' documentary on him, and my opinion lowered I have never been a fan of Hemingway as person. I knew he was a terrible person. Then I watched Ken Burns' documentary on him, and my opinion lowered of him. I can separate the work from the artist. I also have never been a fan of Hemingway's writing style. I learned while in graduate school for English, people seemed to fall into two camps: fans of Hemingway or fans of Faulkner. I like Faulkner more.
However, this is a an amazing example of prose that is often lacking in today's writing. I knew were the old man was all the time. I felt the sea. I tasted the sea. I knew the old man. I knew the boy, and I felt his struggle through the prose. This is by far Hemingway's most accessible prose (for me).
This is a simple story of man, the sea, and living. Well worth the read....more
Wonderfully narrated, but the story is uninteresting and boring. The Age of Sigmar world is so uninteresting compared to the Old World. They are tryinWonderfully narrated, but the story is uninteresting and boring. The Age of Sigmar world is so uninteresting compared to the Old World. They are trying to build the world, but they are failing. The Old World lived and breathed. It had heroes, peasants, merchants, and all the others. The AoS world has only grand clashes between good and evil, and the everyday person is not featured really at all.
I understand why GW re-did the game of Fantasy, but I don't understand why a new game caused the destruction of the Old World and all its depth and interest.
There is good fiction in the Age of Sigmar line, but so far none of it is as good as anything from the Old World....more
Clementine is a steam-punk adventure set in Priest’s Clockwork Century. I have read only 220 pages of Boneshaker, so my exposure to that world was a bClementine is a steam-punk adventure set in Priest’s Clockwork Century. I have read only 220 pages of Boneshaker, so my exposure to that world was a bit limited. However, it was enough to want to read books in this universe. I enjoyed Boneshaker while I was reading it. The library just made me return it.
Clementine was an enjoyable read. It was quick, fun, and partially satisfying. And what I mean by partially satisfying is that while it was fun to read, there is not much meat on this bone. The characters of Hainey and Boyd, although intersting, don’t get much history and background to them. We never get to really know them. I would not call them flat, but they aren’t 3-dimensional characters either. We don’t know what motivates them beyond the basic plot of the novel. We don’t get to see the character as fully developed. Priest does give you enough that I would like to know more about Boyd, and maybe Hainey. This novelette is your typical steampunk fare with dirigibles gllore. But, unlike what I have read in Boneshaker, it is nothing new. You can tell that she did not spend the time to develop her world or characters much in this novelette. This is just a story set in the Clockwork Century, but she didn’t expand that world or its characters at all. I did not learn anything new about this world with this read, and that is disappointing. It could have been much better. She didn’t add much to her own world or to the steampunk genre as a whole....more
If you are Stephen King curious, and you want to know how he writes, read The Mist. The commitment is low, the story simple and straight-forward, and If you are Stephen King curious, and you want to know how he writes, read The Mist. The commitment is low, the story simple and straight-forward, and this has all ear-marks of what makes a King story and King story. Ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances with all the key characters present: the kid, the working-man, the white-collar man, the religious fanatic, all trapped in an enclosed space that is getting tighter and tighter with each passing hour. King is about people and how the react to extraordinary problems....more
This is more like 2.5 stars. I liked it, but its very borderline OK. The concept/conceit of this book is what does it for me. The basic concept of thiThis is more like 2.5 stars. I liked it, but its very borderline OK. The concept/conceit of this book is what does it for me. The basic concept of this is Miss Eleanor runs a home/center for children who have fallen through doors to other worlds (think Wonderland, Narnia", but for some reason or another are force to come back. In our current fiction, we assume these children come back with no mental consequences, and this is where this book starts. We follow the journey of Nancy, who has returned from a world of the dead.
The idea of this book is fantastic, and it is what saves it from a 2 star review, but this is also where it fails. The books starts out very strongly for me, but, it loses its way very quickly, and just muddles its way to a murder mystery involving the children. Now, don't get me wrong, this could be fine, but once that plot enters the story, most of the really neat conceit leaves the book and the murder mystery plot takes over. All character development/growth/exploration stops, and hence, the most interesting part of this book dies, and the most interesting part of the book, the characters, are no longer the center of the story.
If this book had been over 167 pages, maybe, this would have solved the issue. I don't know, but I see that this book is listed as in a series, but the way it ends, I don't see McGuire fixing my main problem with the book.
Strong concept that loses its way. This could be have been a great one....more
Down the Dark Spaceways is a collection of novellas/short stories in the tradition of Issac Asimov's Caves of Steel--or is supposed to be. It is a colDown the Dark Spaceways is a collection of novellas/short stories in the tradition of Issac Asimov's Caves of Steel--or is supposed to be. It is a collection, mostly, of mysteries set in a sci-fi world, and many have a Hammet/Chandler feel. Lots of these stories start with poor, down-on-their-luck PIs when hot women walk into their office and need help. Overall, not bad but not great. The stories:
Guardian Angel, Mike Resnick -- completely forgettable, and done completely in the style of Chandler/Hammet to its deteriment. Predictable and uninteresting.
In the Quake Zone, David Gerrold -- the best of the lot. More a time-travel story with gender identification/sexuality issues (quite the surprise) than a mystery. Of the lot, this one feels out of place, but it has the best story and best background.
The City of Cries, Catherine Asaro -- pretty good, probably the third best in the book.
Camouflage, Robert Reed -- a mystery set in his Great Ship series (started with Marrow). Not bad, and interesting to return to the Great Ship. It was good to get back there.
The Big Downtown, Jack McDevitt -- McDevitt, for me, is one of the more underrated sci-fi authors out there, and his writing is always solid. It is solid here as well, and the story is enjoyable, but nothing special and nothing I would return too.
Identity Theft, Robert J. Sawyer -- Predictable in many ways due to its paying homage to the old classics, but the mystery and settings is intriguing enough that I liked this one. It was a bit too long for what it was, but the world he built in this novella is interesting enough I would like to go back....more
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