Customer Comments

Rodney Wilder has commented on (9) products.

Cloud Atlas: A Novel by David Mitchell

Rodney Wilder, January 12, 2013

An absolutely amazing mosaic of interweaving narratives and cosmic commonality. Its message is deeply moving and emotionally rewarding to the reader.

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Cloud Atlas: A Novel by David Mitchell

Rodney Wilder, October 13, 2012

Once in a blue moon will the voracity-tongued reader encounter an author with David Mitchell's combination of fearlessness and skill. "Cloud Atlas", his third novel in a steadily increasing catalogue, is an exemplary work attesting to just how brilliantly those traits commingle in the author's craft. Simply put, "Cloud Atlas" is phenomenal. To be more precise, "Cloud Atlas" is an unprecedented and inimitable work of art, a masterpiece the world of contemporary literature should be proud to see issue from its inveterate loins. If this praise seems too high to be truly warranted, a week-long sojourn in the book will confirm what I theorize: "Cloud Atlas" is unlike anything you likely have ever read, or will ever read again.

The glory of Mitchell's creation is in its transcendent nature. "Cloud Atlas" tells a story, of course, and an engaging one at that, but it is so much more than the events of its ongoing narrative. There is an attention to detail the likes of which literature had theretofore (2004, the book's release) never known, not just in its literal composition, but in the very arrangement of its contents. The order in which Mitchell chose to unfold his expository sextet is so profound and brilliant I, in all my obvious verbosity, am left grasping for the appropriate descriptors. I hesitate to go further into detail for fear of shattering prematurely what is a truly mind-blowing and rewarding mosaic. I can only report that it is an incredible, unfathomably connected set of stories, and hope that you take me up on my promises.

There is heart to "Cloud Atlas." In its entirety, there is a revelry in the spectrum of human existence; sadness and joy, life and death, love and hate. "Cloud Atlas" is a celebration of all it is to be both human and spirit, a rapturously written map of the latter's effect within and around the former. It challenges the reader to rethink human purpose, the function of life and relationships, and most of all the infinite nature of our actions and choices. It challenges, but the payoff is, for all my wordy attempts, wholly indescribable.

You will not regret a single moment spent drifting through this atlas of clouds. You have my word.

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Sword of Truth #06: Faith of the Fallen by Terry Goodkind

Rodney Wilder, October 11, 2012

This was without a doubt my favorite book of the series thus far. Goodkind exceeded his previous standards by unprecedented extremes in this offering. The beloved characters we've known for so long appear in a new and acutely-focused light, exposing sacred and truly invaluable traits, and revealing to the reader the absolute truth of the importance of life, of will, and of spirit. I loved this one, the passion and vigor are without equal.

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Angel Dust Apocalypse by Jeremy Robert Johnson

Rodney Wilder, October 9, 2012

One of the best short story/vignette collections I've ever read. Jeremy Robert Johnson shows himself amazingly talented with this book, providing stories that are skillfully scary and funny when not simply unnerving. These are eerie visions of a world "not post-apocalyptic, but post-yesterday." It's a dark, creepy world seemingly inconceivable with its absurdities, but real enough to be looming just off in the distance, a world quickly falling on all of our shoulders. Intriguingly bizarre, cleverly creepy, and everything in between.

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Nightmare World #01: Thirteen Tales of Terror by Dirk Manning

Rodney Wilder, October 8, 2012

A brilliantly and beautifully arranged collection of diverse comics. All sharing a common thread, like pieces of a massive puzzle, the stories shift from dark and horrific to strangely eerie to ironically comical. They depict a world not unlike our own, but just a few steps ahead. A definite collector's item for any fan of horror fiction or Lovecraftian comics.

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