This was a re-read, but since I want to read Ironside and Valiant in the near future, I thought I'd re-read Tithe first. As I noticed the first time, it definitely feels like a first novel; there's a certain self-consciousness to parts of the book, particularly Black's tendency to name-drop favorite singers and authors, and the interactions between the characters are sometimes a little stiff. But she gets the amoral (and sometimes malevolent) nature of Faerie down very well, and it's a fun, fast read.
This was a re-read, but since I want to read Ironside and Valiant in the near future, I thought I'd re-read Tithe first. As I noticed the first time, it definitely feels like a first novel; there's a certain self-consciousness to parts of the book, particularly Black's tendency to name-drop favorite singers and authors, and the interactions between the characters are sometimes a little stiff. But she gets the amoral (and sometimes malevolent) nature of Faerie down very well, and it's a fun, fast read.
This Fables volume is mainly a bunch of short one or two-issue arcs, setting things up for the next major plot development. This doesn't make it any less entertaining to read, but it did make me impatient for the next volume.
This isn't my favorite Hellboy collection, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the stories illustrated by Richard Corben and P. Craig Russell. I'm a big fan of both of these artists, but in general I find Mignola's style so distinctive and so enjoyable that frequently I get impatient when other artists illustrate his stories. Not so in this case, however.
On the jacket copy, Charles de Lint mentions that this short novel began as a short story and grew into a novel. This is very obvious in reading the novel, unfortunately. Despite its reliance on de Lint's stock characters (Jilly Coppercorn, Geordie Riddel, etc.), this would have been a pretty strong short story. Instead, it's padded out with still more flashbacks to Jilly's terrible early life, and in general feels repetitive and overly long. Also, not to be totally nitpicky, but some of it doesn't quite mesh with the early Newford stories. In all, this was diverting for a couple hours, but I probably won't re-read it, and I definitely am glad I didn't pay the $35 Subterranean Press price tag.
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Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale by Holly Black
crowyhead, May 10, 2008
This was a re-read, but since I want to read Ironside and Valiant in the near future, I thought I'd re-read Tithe first. As I noticed the first time, it definitely feels like a first novel; there's a certain self-consciousness to parts of the book, particularly Black's tendency to name-drop favorite singers and authors, and the interactions between the characters are sometimes a little stiff. But she gets the amoral (and sometimes malevolent) nature of Faerie down very well, and it's a fun, fast read.Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale by Holly Black
crowyhead, May 10, 2008
This was a re-read, but since I want to read Ironside and Valiant in the near future, I thought I'd re-read Tithe first. As I noticed the first time, it definitely feels like a first novel; there's a certain self-consciousness to parts of the book, particularly Black's tendency to name-drop favorite singers and authors, and the interactions between the characters are sometimes a little stiff. But she gets the amoral (and sometimes malevolent) nature of Faerie down very well, and it's a fun, fast read.Fables #09: Sons of Empire by Bill Willingham and Mark Buckingham
crowyhead, May 10, 2008
This Fables volume is mainly a bunch of short one or two-issue arcs, setting things up for the next major plot development. This doesn't make it any less entertaining to read, but it did make me impatient for the next volume.Hellboy #07: The Troll Witch and Others by Mike Mignola and P. Craig Russell
crowyhead, May 10, 2008
This isn't my favorite Hellboy collection, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the stories illustrated by Richard Corben and P. Craig Russell. I'm a big fan of both of these artists, but in general I find Mignola's style so distinctive and so enjoyable that frequently I get impatient when other artists illustrate his stories. Not so in this case, however.Promises to Keep: A Novel by Charles de Lint
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1-5 of 554 nextcrowyhead, May 10, 2008
On the jacket copy, Charles de Lint mentions that this short novel began as a short story and grew into a novel. This is very obvious in reading the novel, unfortunately. Despite its reliance on de Lint's stock characters (Jilly Coppercorn, Geordie Riddel, etc.), this would have been a pretty strong short story. Instead, it's padded out with still more flashbacks to Jilly's terrible early life, and in general feels repetitive and overly long. Also, not to be totally nitpicky, but some of it doesn't quite mesh with the early Newford stories. In all, this was diverting for a couple hours, but I probably won't re-read it, and I definitely am glad I didn't pay the $35 Subterranean Press price tag.