Sam Savage's first novel, Firmin, chronicled the coming-of-age misadventures of a very literate rat living in a bookstore in Boston's Scollay Square. Garnering praise from authors and...
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For those reading this series collecting Terry & the Pirates, Milton Caniff's mastery of the form is maturing before our eyes. This latest volume contains extended stories of adventure, danger, even surprisingly dark moments for a comic strip. Fewer false notes appear, and the narrative and art meld together like the best of a Howard Hawks film.
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This was a very satisfying read. From the very beginning McDonald drives this novel toward the end. The story and depth of character make this book both exciting and thoughtful, intelligent and tense. River of Gods has a large cast of characters and complexity of plot, but never loses its place. This is a genre book for people who don't care about genre.
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The Eight is a Da Vinci Code-like thriller written years before Dan Brown's ubiquitous book was published. Like the Da Vinci code this novel is flawed, but in different ways. Brown's book was written to be read at lightning speed, so any suspension of disbelief or pause at badly-written prose was left in the dust of the read. Neville's book is more complex, more thoughtful, but the suspension of disbelief fails at several places. I found this book fun and readable, but also found myself mentally muttering, "No, I don't think so," many times through the reading.
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(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
Dan Simmons pulls off a complex trick, using a narrator that can't be trusted, and mixing historical fact with a Victorian tale of horror, drugs, violence, gossip, manners, jealousy, racism, and imagined and real violence. And the novel is occasionally quite funny, usually when the narrator lets slip too much envy or gossip. This is fun reading, but like many actual novels written in the age, you should take your time with the nearly 800 pages, enjoying the meanderings and digressions that make this novel fit its setting so well.
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(12 of 24 readers found this comment helpful)
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Douglas has commented on (37) products.
The Grand Central Baking Book: Breakfast Pastries, Cookies, Pies, and Satisfying Savories from the Pacific Northwest's Celebrated Bakery by Piper Davis and Ellen Jackson
Douglas, September 18, 2009
Three words: Bacon Egg Bolo. I don't know if it's in the cookbook, but it's my regular Grand Central breakfast. Like I said, Bacon Egg Bolo.(2 of 6 readers found this comment helpful)
Complete Terry and the Pirates Volume 4: 1941-1942 (Complete Terry & the Pirates) by Milton Caniff
Douglas, March 5, 2009
For those reading this series collecting Terry & the Pirates, Milton Caniff's mastery of the form is maturing before our eyes. This latest volume contains extended stories of adventure, danger, even surprisingly dark moments for a comic strip. Fewer false notes appear, and the narrative and art meld together like the best of a Howard Hawks film.(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
River of Gods by Ian McDonald
Douglas, March 5, 2009
This was a very satisfying read. From the very beginning McDonald drives this novel toward the end. The story and depth of character make this book both exciting and thoughtful, intelligent and tense. River of Gods has a large cast of characters and complexity of plot, but never loses its place. This is a genre book for people who don't care about genre.(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
The Eight by Katherine Neville
Douglas, December 27, 2008
The Eight is a Da Vinci Code-like thriller written years before Dan Brown's ubiquitous book was published. Like the Da Vinci code this novel is flawed, but in different ways. Brown's book was written to be read at lightning speed, so any suspension of disbelief or pause at badly-written prose was left in the dust of the read. Neville's book is more complex, more thoughtful, but the suspension of disbelief fails at several places. I found this book fun and readable, but also found myself mentally muttering, "No, I don't think so," many times through the reading.(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
Drood by Dan Simmons
Douglas, December 27, 2008
Dan Simmons pulls off a complex trick, using a narrator that can't be trusted, and mixing historical fact with a Victorian tale of horror, drugs, violence, gossip, manners, jealousy, racism, and imagined and real violence. And the novel is occasionally quite funny, usually when the narrator lets slip too much envy or gossip. This is fun reading, but like many actual novels written in the age, you should take your time with the nearly 800 pages, enjoying the meanderings and digressions that make this novel fit its setting so well.(12 of 24 readers found this comment helpful)
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