A gorgeous representation of one of my favourite King novels. It felt wonderful to slide back into this story of a boy and his harrowing quest. By necA gorgeous representation of one of my favourite King novels. It felt wonderful to slide back into this story of a boy and his harrowing quest. By necessity, this is a scaled down version of a rich and complex novel, but the artwork is tremendous, and the soul of the story is present if not all the flesh and bone. I would be very curious to hear feedback from readers who have not read the novel; it was hard for me to separate all that I knew. What would it be like going in completely blind?
While I was not completely satisfied with the ending, this book's overall disarming weirdness kept me enthralled. Rose's complicated relationships witWhile I was not completely satisfied with the ending, this book's overall disarming weirdness kept me enthralled. Rose's complicated relationships with her world, her family, and above all with food, makes for compelling stuff. Hugely original concept that turned out to be more than a gimmick. Bender takes her time developing her cast of eccentric and flawed characters. I just LOVED George, and I would definitely recommend this book for anyone looking for something that's not like anything else....more
This isn't quite what I was expecting, and my low rating probably has more to do with my personal taste and what I like to read than any gaping flaws This isn't quite what I was expecting, and my low rating probably has more to do with my personal taste and what I like to read than any gaping flaws in the novel itself. It's an intriguing premise, and I appreciated getting the narrative from eight different narrators. That certainly doesn't happen very often. The only problem is I hated a lot of these people and their mundane, self-centered, suburban lives, and even the characters I managed to empathize with, I ultimately hated their choices. Overall, I was left feeling unsatisfied and walked away from the experience like I had spent two weeks home sick in bed, during which time I got sucked into a tawdry Aussie soap, that I immediately forget about once back to work. ...more
I suspect this series is very Twilight-esque (but this is only a guess on my part since I seem to be the only person on earth who hasn't been caught uI suspect this series is very Twilight-esque (but this is only a guess on my part since I seem to be the only person on earth who hasn't been caught up in the Bella and Edward fervor). This is a high school romance but rather than showcasing a brooding vampire, Hush Hush gives us a brooding fallen angel. I did enjoy parts of this book, but I suspect it wasn't all that great or original and I was more blinded by my sheer love of fallen angels. I don't think I will continue on in the series however....more
These four novellas do not add up to the best thing Stephen King has ever written, but lordy lordy, do these tales rip and roar, shimmy and jive. I haThese four novellas do not add up to the best thing Stephen King has ever written, but lordy lordy, do these tales rip and roar, shimmy and jive. I had the best time reading them.
The title really sets up the collection well - make no mistake, these are dark tales, in places gruesome and hard to read. All of these stories feature ordinary characters forced to make awful choices. What choices! These choices resonate with power because they don't relate to the supernatural in any way (except for the shortest "Fair Extension"). And this is why I love King - he'll find the horror - the real, true, white-knuckling, knee-buckling horror, in the most ordinary of places amongst the most ordinary of people. His scariest stories are often the ones you know could really happen.
In the Afterword, King writes: "I want to provoke an emotional, even visceral, reaction in my readers. Making them think as they read is not my deal...if the tale is good enough and the characters vivid enough, thinking will supplant emotion [only] when the tale has been told and the book set aside."
If that is his goal, he succeeds brilliantly here because when in the fierce, unrelenting grip of these stories you are not thinking, but feeling - terror and repulsion mostly. It's a visceral experience all right. In places I was sucked into an almost fugue state where I forgot to breathe, because I was in the story, as if it were happening to me rather than as a third-party voyeur safely removed from the action.
These stories will haunt me, as will the choices contained therein.
1922: Beware the Conniving Man!!! This story has lots of gooshy parts and if you have a rat phobia, it may just put you in the nut house. What is it with King and abandoned wells? ::shiver:: So how far would you go to get your way? To maintain your life as you know it? When is someone worth more to you dead than alive? What I love most about this story is that it shows getting what you want often comes with too heavy a price tag - it's the Monkey's Paw conundrum.
Big Driver: This was my least favourite of the four, if only because of the subject matter - rape and vigilantism. It's a fairly simple, straight-forward story, with a fairly predictable ending. Where the story's strength lies is in King's exploration of rape victim psychology. How Tess feels and reacts to what happens to her is how I imagine a lot of women think and feel in that situation. I hope I never have to find out. King also seems to be playing with the tropes of the mystery genre here too, and it's a nice juxtaposition to what is essentially a horror story.
Fair Extension: The shortest of the four, but wicked and horrible. It's the classic Deal with the Devil scenario, but unlike you've ever seen it. What if all the things you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy, suddenly befell them at your behest? I think the most shocking part of this story for me isn't that Dave Streeter makes the deal, but that he becomes so gleefully accepting of the fallout as the years pass and the miseries heaped upon his best friend are so unrelenting. Not once is there a twinge of guilt, nor does he even have to turn away from the carnage. What does Streeter do? Pull up a front row seat and watch it all unfold up close and personal. Who is Elvid? He seems awfully familiar, and since the story is set in Derry, and at one point his teeth are pointed shards, I'm thinking he's our favourite neighborhood clown, Pennywise. The kind of deals he's driving though, made me think of Flagg too.
A Good Marriage: While Lisey's Story will remain King's final, beautiful, haunting word on marriage, this novella shares some worthy insights too, both soft and jagged. You can know someone, but can you ever really know them? Is it possible to keep a secret from the one person who knows you and loves you best? You bet. This is my favorite of the four novellas, and I think the perfect choice to end the book. It's archetypal horror - Pandora's Box and Bluebeard are mentioned in its pages and with good reason. Is it better to know, or not to know? When presented with a secret, do we snoop or let sleeping dogs lie? When we snoop, and what we find is so horrific, what is our moral duty? Legal responsibility? To our children? To our society? I don't know what I would do in Darcy Anderson's position. Even when she went poking into that box, my heart was pounding. I was truly terrified by what she was going to find, and since I was feeling and not thinking, I was totally shocked by what she did find. In the moments leading up to the revelation, I was in no position to guess. I had to keep remembering to breathe!!!
This was so much fun!! Lots of action and interesting plot twists. Not quite on par with the Hunger Games trilogy, but definitely of that type. The onThis was so much fun!! Lots of action and interesting plot twists. Not quite on par with the Hunger Games trilogy, but definitely of that type. The one lone girl in the story is interesting, but not developed enough I'm afraid. But this is part of a series, so maybe the follow-up will do more with her. The straight forward propulsive storytelling technique used here involving a group of young males, makes this an ideal recommendation for the reluctant male reader in your life. ...more
What pushed this book from 3 to 4 stars for me, is the dark and gritty subtext going on here between the lines. Jem's and Spider's world is not a kindWhat pushed this book from 3 to 4 stars for me, is the dark and gritty subtext going on here between the lines. Jem's and Spider's world is not a kind one -- their story represents all those underprivileged, disenfranchised kids who fall through the cracks to end up working dead-end jobs, addicted to drugs, serving time, or dead. It's not a pretty picture, and while Ward is writing from a clearly British perspective, I feel it's not all that different in Canada either -- born into poverty, drugs, and violence and most likely that's where you stay. That cycle is a vicious one and very hard to break.
But this rip-roaring page-turner is more than just a social critique of the English class system, it's a story of a young girl with a very unusual problem -- once she makes eye contact with you she knows the exact date of your death. That's a great hook and as soon as I heard about this book I just knew I had to read it. It doesn't disappoint. Jem is wonderful -- prickly, antisocial and with a huge chip on her shoulder, but lovable nonetheless. She's been "through the shit" and has every right to be weary and leery. It's only until she meets Spider that all that begins to change for her. Oh how I love the gangly ADHD Spider, who jitters and jives to the music in his head, never able to quite shut up or sit still.
What I love about this book is that it forces us to contemplate our own mortality (terrain most teens eat up and are comfortable with) but grown-ups often run away from. If each of us started our lives knowing exactly when we were going to die, would it change how we live? Would any of us want to know? I'm fairly certain I wouldn't. I know it's going to happen "someday" but it's freeing to not know exactly when. Knowing would somehow suck the life out of the time that's left, rather than make it more precious. I think. And you gotta respect a book that makes you think.
Oh, and did I mention that there is a sequel on the way ... Jem's story is not finished yet and for that I am grateful. ...more
This book contains all the ingredients of a great read for me, and while I opened it with keen anticipation, I closed it feeling painfully disappointeThis book contains all the ingredients of a great read for me, and while I opened it with keen anticipation, I closed it feeling painfully disappointed. Despite the subject matter, at no point did the story or characters ever grab me and whisk me away into their world. I remained restless throughout, skimming passages, and eager to get to the end just to say I finished it. I’m left pondering why it doesn’t work with so much going for it … I guess great ideas really can be poorly executed. What’s worse than a bad book? A bad book you think is going to be great. Why even two stars? Since I didn’t actually hate it, and I felt compelled to finish it, also for the “idea” behind it. ...more
Creepy in places. Some of the illustrations are shocking and grotesque. There is some nice subtlety to this story too. Definitely works as a graphic nCreepy in places. Some of the illustrations are shocking and grotesque. There is some nice subtlety to this story too. Definitely works as a graphic novel....more
I really enjoyed this one - not as much as Infected, but it's still a rollicking, rousing read. For readers who like plot driven page-turners, you wilI really enjoyed this one - not as much as Infected, but it's still a rollicking, rousing read. For readers who like plot driven page-turners, you will definitely want to give Scott Sigler a try. Sigler has a very American sense of humor that reminds me a lot of Stephen King -- it's crass, downhome, good 'ol boy stuff, as opposed to high-brow, sophisticated wit. For example: "Donald Jewell ... did not feel good. Perhaps it was more accurate to say that he felt like a tainted can of boiled elephant ass." This line got me giggling so hard I had to put the book down for a minute. And there's lots of gems like that to look forward to.
Sigler does an amazing job of developing the relationship between the old and crusty CIA veteran Dew Phillips and the young, troubled, violent Perry Dawsey who is desperately trying to outrun his demons. For a book that's mostly action sequences, there are moments shared between these two men that are thoughtful and believable and cut to the heart of what motivates each man. The ass-whupping scene is not one I will forget soon either. Priceless!
Because it is a book that's largely comprised of one action scene after another, I found a few places a bit trying. Sigler goes the extra mile too and explains a lot of the science and technology details that drive the book -- so if you're a sci-fi geek, you'll love this. It made my eyes glaze over however.
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