Book Review: “Fragile Things”

by Neil Gaiman.

If you've been following my blog you know I am a huge fan of Gaiman, and this collection of short stories and poems took me one step deeper into that magical world where the mind can truly run free. While all the stories were essentially wild and fantastic, as his tales always are, a weird and dark strain runs through them all, and that was a whole new experience.

Such beauty in so much ugliness in "Keepsakes and Treasures: A Love Story". The fantastic saga of the "Sunbird". The old lady in the attic and that terrifying image of the head of a cat in "Feeders and Eaters". Twelve snapshots of love, of silence, of memories in "Strange Little Girls". The unique exchange of storytelling in "October in the Chair". Every story had something unforgivably dark, something stunningly beautiful.

Some of the more memorable stories for me included "A Study in Emerald", a brilliant fusion of Sherlock Holmes and a Cthulhu murder mystery in a setting that was as unique as its final denouement was surprising; "Other People", a tale of undying grief and everlasting terror in one endless cycle; and "Goliath" (a short story written specially for 'The Matrix') a story of love and loss that is as real as it is fabricated, as momentary as it is eternal.

This collection also showcases Gaiman's poetry (I had no idea!)
“Remember: that giants sleep too soundly; that witches are often betrayed by their appetites; dragons have one soft spot, somewhere, always; hearts can be well-hidden, and you can betray them with your tongue.”
Created as a guide to what one does upon finding oneself in a fairy tale, "Instructions" was my absolute favourite poem in his collection.

Book Review: “King Solomon’s Mines”

by H. Rider Haggard.

A lost mine deep in the bowels of earth, brimming with precious diamonds. An endless treasure protected eternally by an ancient curse. Into this - largely unexplored - world, three travellers enter. With fantasy woven into history, this is the story of a journey into the heart of Suliman Berg.

The story does start off slow, but I suppose one has to account for the sensibilities of the times. In 1885 there was probably no tearing rush to get to the crux of the matter in a few choice words. And so, while it took me some effort to get through the initial descriptions of, for example, how to save oxen from certain diseases, and it certainly took me a lot of effort to get past the subtle but somewhat consistent references to black and white cultures; I found the story amazing enough, to be able to move past those setbacks.

As they follow a mysterious map drawn in blood by a 16th-century Portuguese explorer, the journey to the fabled Mines bestows amazing roles upon the trio. From being hailed as white men from the stars with magical capabilities, to donning the role of warriors fighting bravely for the rights of a usurped king, this tale is fascinating because it does not rely solely on a secret horde of precious stones. The journey itself is a great adventure.

As far as the characters that make up this journey, while we do, in essence, follow hunter Allan Quatermain, aristocrat Sir Henry Curtis and sailor Captain Good, for me, this was not necessarily "their" story. I felt this was more of a saga about Kukuanaland, and the story of what happened to the different people that lived in, or visited, its mysterious lands. The strange travellers on a doomed mission, the shameful secret of a murdered king, the heartbreaking loyalties of a rescued maiden, the united bravery of a rebellion uprising ... this story belongs to each and every one of them.

I do however have to make a special mention of "immortal" Gagool. Chief advisor to the king, witch hunter of the land, and armed with uncanny powers of prophecy, her character is as unique as it is a powerful presence in this tale. Additionally, it is she who brings this fascinating tale to a close by leading the three protagonists on the final leg of their journey into the mines, the secret location being known to her alone. Carved deep inside a mountain, the stunning mines - as much a storehouse of treasures, as a homage to past rulers of the land - present a whole new journey fraught equally with extreme risk and reward.

At one point, during the war, it is said of the battle: "Now it seemed to be a love song, now a majestic swelling war chant..." - I can actually say that of this entire story.

Book Review: “Along Came a Spider”

by James Patterson.

The first novel in the ‘Alex Cross’ series, this story follows the forensic psychologist as he works on two cases: that of a brutal murder of two women and a child, and a high profile kidnapping of two children from an exclusive private school. Totally unrelated at first, the story soon leads us to one common factor: the brilliantly psychotic Gary Soneji.

Other than the smooth reading, what kept my interest consistently alive was the fact that every time a mystery was solved or a plot point concluded, something new came up. Quite early on in the story, we are introduced to the perpetrator and his grand plans; and even while I was wondering what was left to read, the story revealed yet another dramatic turn of events.

I did not care for the two biggest relationships in this story - that of Alex Cross and his grandmother, and that of Alex Cross and Jezzie Flannagan, the head of the missing children's Secret Service detail. Both seemed to be written by someone who was not comfortable discussing relationships and had to resort to clichés to tell that part of the story. Only the fact that one of them is integral to the story, made me keep reading through those sections.

Other than that small hitch, this was a great story told really well - moving rapidly from morbid obsessions to brutal murders, from hypnosis sessions to unlikely witnesses ... with some really surprising twists.

Book Review: “I Sing the Body Electric! & Other Stories”

by Ray Bradbury.

While perhaps not in the same ilk as The Illustrated Man and The Martian Chronicles, this collection of short stories nevertheless showcases exactly why Bradbury is the master of presenting the most basic human emotions even in the most extra terrestrial settings, while all the time creating sheer poetry with his words.

For its pure awesome factor, "Tomorrow's Child" really impressed me. Malfunctioning birthing equipment leads a couple's baby to be born in a different dimension. All communication - and in fact their very images - become completely distorted in translation from one dimension to the other; the baby appears as a blue pyramid to its parents, while they appear no more than opaque whitish rectangles to the new-born. This is what a new family has to deal with, sitting on either side of the fence of two dimensions. This was in fact the only story where I badly wanted to know what happened after the story ended.

"Night Call, Collect" is a brilliant journey into a solitary human mind stranded in an empty town in Mars. A clever invention to ward off boredom quickly descends into madness, as a lonely old man comes into contact with innumerable versions of his younger self and each contact becomes a taunting reminder of all that was loved and lost. By the time the final denouement is presented, reality is no more a concrete concept.

As a reader, but even more as a writer, "Any Friend of Nicholas Nickleby's Is a Friend of Mine" touched me very deeply. This is the tale of a stranger who appears in a small town, and introduces himself as Charles Dickens. As he sets about "writing" the famous works of Dickens, he is - with the exception of a young boy - labelled a fraud by the entire town. What happened in his life that led him to assuming that name and that role? And what happened the day he met Emily Dickinson in a library?!

I also really liked "Downwind from Gettysburg", a brilliant take on the assassination of Lincoln, questioning the underlying motives behind some history-changing acts; "Punishment Without Crime" a superb expose on a society that cares so much about appearances, that a man is sentenced to death for play acting a murder; and "I Sing the Body Electric!", the story of a robotic grandmother who is assigned to a family that has recently lost a member in a tragic accident.

Bradbury's world may take place on a different planet or in a different dimension, but he always, always explores what it is to be lonely, to be afraid, to be eaten by guilt and consumed by regret ... to live from one moment to the other on the strength of hope alone.

Book Review: “Library of Souls” (Book 3: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children)

by Ransom Riggs.

This concluding book certainly makes up for the boring second instalment of the Miss Peregrine series!

Travelling through London, this adventure comes to a stop at the slums of Devil’s Acre, a vile corner of Victorian England. Here is where we meet the magical Mother Dust, the mysterious Sharon, and the quirky Bentham. And here is where we go back and forth in time, and in and out of different parts of the world as the mission takes Jacob and Emma from the legendary library of souls through the integrated time loop system. Although at times it felt like things fell too conveniently into place, I enjoyed this book.

Overall this series contained a very good idea at its core, with some interesting characters and some very cool fantasy and action sequences (although there really wasn't enough material to stretch it into three books).

Book Review: “Hollow City” (Book 2: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children)

by Ransom Riggs.

Hmm. Well. Actually there's not much that can be said about this second book in the "Peculiar Children" series of adventures. From Miss Peregrine’s island, the rescue mission now takes the children to London. This entire book is all about the children running from one spot to another, away from hollows and wights, whilst meeting lots of other peculiar children along the way.

On the plus side we meet a few interesting peculiars gifted with everything from telekinesis to indestructibility. On the minus side however, it was just that one thing repeated over and over again throughout the book. (Also, for a rare - even dying - species, the peculiars were surprisingly abundant throughout London).

There was one twist in the tale towards the very end - but I honestly cannot say that that made up for the ordinary narrative that preceded it.

When all was said and done, I enjoyed "Tales of the Peculiar" (one of the books published in the Peculiardom) more, in fact, than the main story.

Book Review: “Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children”

by Ransom Riggs.

Okay, let me start with my conclusion. Based on the book's cover and the excerpt, I was expecting a scary story with creepy characters. It is not. And that was a little disappointing. However, once I was past that, it was still a good fantasy tale.

His grandfather's tales of his childhood and a collection of old photographs, take 16-year-old Jacob to a large abandoned orphanage in Wales. Jacob barely steps into a world out of time, before he is introduced to a group of "children" with very unusual talents, and faced with the very unearthly threat of soul-sucking hollowgasts. Armed with a newly discovered "peculiar" power of his own, and supported by a range of talents from making fire, to floating, to invisibility, Jacob embarks on a great rescue mission.

I thought that the concept of the time loop was fantastic, and I really liked the unique characters that make up this tale. (Although I really cannot say I was enamoured by Jacob and Emma's relationship; regardless of what she looks like, she is around 100 years old, and she did have a relationship with his grandfather).

One last observation; I think if the characters were closer to 9-10 years of age, it would have made more sense - within the world and outside: both the children's actions and the narrative style seem to point to a younger cast and a younger audience.

Still, overall, an enjoyable story.