Paul

I'm finding that I enjoy Sandman's short stories much more than his longer stories. They all pack so much originality and fun into them, and Gaiman really has a way of telling a tale as if it's a timeless classic from eons ago, and not a comic from the late 80s and early 90s. That's especially the case in this collection, wherein all the stories take place back in time, and with known characters of history and mythology interwoven.
I also just loved that so many different artists were involved in this collection. Almost every story had a different illustrator. It really added to how distinct and unique each story felt from the other.
I was feeling a little let down by the last collection, but this one has really redeemed the series for me.

This book is very powerful in its ability to put human faces and realities to all of the overwhelming statistics we read about incarceration. It also is unique in its clarity in stating how the United States came to be the world's largest jailor, and how it ended up so obviously discriminatory in who it locks up.
I won't belittle this book's arguments by summarizing them or picking out particular quotes, because although it's packed full of powerful statements, it's the research and stories around those powerful statements that really make the book so important. If race and justice are important to you, read this book. It is clear, concise, and it has permanently changed the way I look at the justice system.

This was a lot of fun to listen to (I audiobooked it). The writing is packed full of humour, and the imagination of different species and technologies is vast. I'm sure that if I continue with this series, there will be no end to the humour and imagination.
But I tend to lean towards books that make me think a little more; where the unique ideas aren't simply creative ideas about possible alien species, but ideas about new ways of thinking. Also, it was altogether too rah-rah military for my liking. The lightheartedness made that bearable, because it felt like a sort of spoof on Starship Troopers, but in the end, the military ideals and action focus that I'm not too big on was prevalent.
I was looking for something to listen to which would fill the void in my life in all the months between James S A Corey's Expanse novels, but this fell a little short for me. The moral complexities, character development, and level of detail in the Expanse are far superior to what this story offers. Though I enjoyed the style of the writing, I just didn't care too much about the story itself.

Depending on how this book is read, it can be a book about living in a dictatorship, the trials of fleeing persecution, or the culture of East Africa in the 20th century. For me though, this was a story about what it means to have a home.

When government turmoil results in the mad dictator Idi Amin taking power in Uganda, the community of South Asians that have been living there for generations are basically told that the only home they've ever known is not for them, and that they must leave. This story follows one such family. The different family members all handle this in their own way, and reading about their experiences was very eye opening. From the children who were shuffled around from country to country, never knowing what their home was, to the parents for whom Uganda was all they've ever known, the experiences they go through are fantastically illustrated.

What made the story particularly palpable was the relatability of the characters, and the uniqueness of the situation. They are a typical middle class family who felt comfortable in their world, and then one day without warning, they become a persecuted race. This sudden shift from security to vulnerability in their society results in a story that is relatable both for people who have experienced vulnerability in their society, and for those who haven't. That's just one of the timeless themes packed in this story. On top of that, it's very readable. I recommend it.

4.5 stars
This is a fantastic example of a science fiction story that can be both accessible and full of wild concepts and “hard sci-fi” ideas. It hypothesizes what the world would be like if all of a sudden, the world was fast forwarded through time so that the sun would age to the point of swallowing the earth in one life time, while everyday life on Earth appeared to be the same up until that point.
Not much changes at first. Everything seems more or less normal, there doesn't seem to be any solution, and the end of the world is not tomorrow but maybe 60-100 years away, so it's easy to go on living like nothing's wrong. There is of course much much more to the book then that, but it is what I enjoyed most: this book really gets the every day human perspective. You do not follow the scientist discovering the mysteries or the family that gets trapped in a dangerous cult. Instead, you follow an unexceptional character who just happens to be around all the big events as they unfold.
Basically, this book is like a tribute to old sci-fi insofar as it centres around a big event in space that warps our understanding of physics. But it adds the 21st century twist of focusing on humanity rather than the science. And in an age of apocalyptic books, it's refreshing that the people don't just transform into crazy nutjobs, but act like actual people who deal with problems in their own personal way.

What an ending! What a series! The moment I finished it, I wanted to read it again. So much happened in this last book, that looking back at the way I felt about the first book, the story was just so much bigger, I think this would be just as fun of a re-read as it was a read.
And some of the quotes and ideas in this final one are just incredibly powerful. I thought that the first book would be the strongest for these social racial analogies and that the others would focus more on the created world and the plot, which was mostly the case with the second one. This one though was just as hard hitting as the first, with analogies about cyclical racial dominance and racial superiority being dependant on creating the idea of a dangerous and inferior race.
I loved the way Hoa's own story finally comes in to play in this book as well. The last two were very intriguing partly because there were so many questions and loose ends, and the Syl Analgist chapters bring it all together in such a fascinating way.
If I had any criticism, it is that I never had a comfortable grasp on how the magic/silver could be used, but because the main characters felt it more than understood it, I think it was written so that the readers could also feel what was possible without necessarily knowing, so I don't think my confusion was a fault of the writing or my reading but kind of intentional. It was a little odd, but I was ok with that ambiguity in the end.
I cannot recommend this series enough. Stop reading reviews and read it now!

This is just such a fascinating read of a group of truly incredible men venturing into a voyage more difficult than they could ever have imagined. My favourite parts of this book didn't come from the voyage itself though, but all the little tidbits about America in the Gilded age: The 1877 World's Fair which sounded like something out of a steampunk fantasy, the quirky super rich Newspaper editor, the misguided scientific theories causing people to believe that the North Pole might actually be warm, and so on.
I'm typically a sci-fi fantasy reader, but deep down it probably comes down to a fascination with new and unknown worlds. In the 19th Century, the North Pole was just that, and so this book of exploration really can read like a fantasy at times. Knowing it actually happened and that this is all based on meticulous logs makes the story all the more palpable.
I never really gave much attention to Gilded Age history or sailing adventures, but I took a risk on this only because I once read about scientific exploration of the North Pole in a magazine, and it seemed like a fun thing to learn more about. Now I think I might read more about these adventures to fill in the blank spots of the globe. Reading about the risks these people took for the purpose of extending knowledge of science and nature is just so fascinating, I want more now!

I love that this series (and by extension, Neil Gaiman) was given a chance by DC, because it is incredibly unique even though in these first issues, one definitely gets the sense that the Sandman (both the series and the character himself) is struggling to find his/its identity in the world of DC comics. Rather than scrap the idea and focus on more established story lines, editor Karen Berger realized Gaiman's potential and gave him time to develop this story in to its now legendary status.
I didn't really see how this series became so famous based on this collection until the last (8th) issue, when the character himself sort of reflects back on what's been happening, and tries to find his identity. The introspective and existential nature of that story shows that this collection is not afraid to play at being philisophical, deep and truly edgy.
On a more personal note, even though I felt some of the first few issues were a bit shallow and confused, I enjoyed how much they leaned on Alan Moore's Swamp Thing Saga which I had read just before these. I knew that Gaiman was a fan of Moore, but I didn't realize until the introduction in this that he actually tried to pitch stories for Moore's Swamp thing. Characters from those stories were very prominent (John Constantine, Ertigan the demon, Cane and Able) and I loved the way they were incorporated, even though Sandman's over all quest to retrieve his tools did not entirely appeal to me.
In that way, I enjoyed all the stories quite a lot, but was left hoping for more up until that last issue. Now I can rest assured that it will only get better in the next volume.

I have a feeling that the next generation of fantasy authors will strive to be the next N. K. Jemisin. This book about the planet breaking apart was Earth-shattering for me. Not only was I shocked as an avid fantasy reader at the sheer volume of original ideas and characters, but it also reflects our cultures and world history in a potent way that is completely unique from what previous authors have done.

In this book, you will find a system of “magic” with fantastically detailed rules that follow the science of this created world brilliantly; you will find races and creatures that in no way resemble the typical elves, giants, trolls etc; you will find a world with a 10000+ year history. Yet with all this, the content never seems overwhelming and the pace of the story never drags. (You will also find chapters written in second person, which can become quite an addictive style.)

The cool and original world and characters isn't what makes this book though. What truly sets it apart are the deep and intense social structures. The classic idea of heroes and monsters is turned on its head, and eventually you learn that the characters you follow are considered monstrous villains by other characters. There are some very clear analogies to our world, but it goes far beyond just the analogy to tell a powerful and exciting story. If this book were half as good as it is, I'd have given it 5-stars.

I really enjoyed the way this started with a totally new perspective: a child who's spent most of her life on a planet in another solar system(Laconia), completely cut off from the Earth-Mars-Outer Planet societies. Using that perspective gave a whole other angle to the oft-used innocent child perspective.

The story then starts to give the vibe of Pet Semetary with Aliens, and I was beginning to worry that the seemingly never-ending originality of James S.A. Corey had peaked. Of course, I was wrong. One should realise after reading the last six books and novellas that if there's one thing Corey never lacks, it's originality.
I can't wait to see how Laconia ties in to the series!

This is spectacular writing; a true Canadian talent, telling a story about small town Canada and native/metis life that is very powerful and incredibly relevant. It covers some very dark and disturbing issues, but if you're looking for an intimate portrayal of how tough life can be for vulnerable women, few books can compare to the stories of the women in this book.
What struck me first was the sheer quality of writing. The story is written from the perspectives of a number of women (and one man), and swaps perspectives every chapter. Without using excessive description or pontification, the writing instantly makes you see the world through the eyes of the character of focus, understand how they feel, see how they see the people around them. Because this is done so effectively, I got to the point where a number of characters would be together in a room, and I'd instantly understand the dynamics between all of the characters. That really made the book come to life for me.
One thing I found overwhelming was the sheer amount of horrible things that happened to these women. It made me (a sheltered white guy) think “Can things really be that bad?!” My assumption is that the author is writing from experience and that things actually are that bad. A part of me wants to hope she's exaggerating, but deep down I know she probably is not. So the book was definitely an eye opener, but it was hard to take it all in, and I'm still reeling from it.

Objectively speaking, this is an excellent book, but I personally didn't get fully attached. My only real criticism is that it felt like this book was trying to do too much at once, and it felt a little disjointed at times. It was a good vs evil adventure and an American odyssey, with a small-town mystery side-story and a bunch of mini-stories in between. The result was pretty epic, but because so much was going on, I never felt fully invested in any of the story lines. I also felt like the end of the book dragged on because there were so many ends that needed tying up. Over all, I feel like this book might have been better as a series of stories in the American Gods world, or something to that effect.
That said though, any individual chapter of this book is gold. The diversity of intriguing characters is astounding, and the mini-stories within the book were all great. It's also renewed my interest in mythology because of the preponderance of obscure gods and interesting mythological tidbits. When it came to the big picture though, I was left without a feeling of emotional investment. It could have done with half the amount of story and included instead some more intimacy with the characters.

At this point in the series, Moore has clearly fully developed his style as it is best known. He begins to abandon the classic style of comic book action, horror and drama, and tell mature tales about humanity and the state of the world.
In the last part of the book, one can sense in the Swamp Thing's isolation and subsequent will to create, the personal struggles illustrated in the Watchmen's character Dr. Manhattan. Both are near indestructible and their connection with humans is becoming less clear as they struggle to find their place in the universe. These ideas are what makes Moore's use of superheros truly unique and beautiful. It's not just about fighting the bad guys or overcoming some trial, it's about facing oneself and finding meaning in an often hostile universe.

Damn, what an epic series of stories this was! I was feeling in Volume 3 that the Swamp Thing's stories were getting a little episodic and repetitive. In fact, those were the first half of his “American Gothic” series. This volume contains the last of the episodic stories (a particularly good one) and then brings them all together in a mind-blowing way.
Only Alan Moore can use monster stories to illustrate philosophies about the root of good and evil, and damn does he do it well!

At first I thought that the way a lot of these characters were acting was unrealistically irrational and I didn't like that there were no recognizable characters from the Expanse series, but as some familiar names started to emerge, I began connecting the dots and after rereading the Epilogue of Nemesis Games (which is something i HIGHLY recommend) everything came together in a fantastic way.

This novella definitely adds a lot of depth to the series and I am sure that it will add to the pleasure of reading Babylon's ashes, so if you're committed to this series, this is a very rewarding short read.

This story is based off of an older horror comic series by the same name that got cancelled. Revived in the 80s with Alan Moore at the helm, the series stood out as singularly astounding in a world of predictable super heroes. It was his eerily beautiful, complex and disturbing work in this series that launched his career and allowed him to make his now famous graphic novels.
I think what really blew me away about this series was how deeply engrossing it was, even though it contains almost no action scenes. The Swamp Thing himself does very little, but his world is addictive, his struggle for identity is intriguing and heart-breaking, and the challenges he faces are truly frightening. And of course, the writing style and skill is unparalleled.
Also, the book is so far ahead of its time that if it were published today, it would probably still be considered ahead of its time when compared to the DC and Marvel comics that come out today. Swamp Thing's female companion is as complex and unpredictable as the Swamp Thing himself, and there's levels of reflection to be found in every enemy and every side character. It is deeply philosophical without being pretentious and without losing its dynamic.
This is essential reading for lovers of comics and graphic novels. Lovers of non-stop action may not enjoy it as much, but everyone should give it a try regardless... Unless you're prone to nightmares. This is a “horror” comic after all.

This is just another Thriller.
I had really high hopes for this book. Not only do all my friends rate Hill's The Book of Negros as one of their favourite books, but it won the Canada Reads. Despite the hype though, this book was not special. Rather, a book that starts off with the potential to be deeply significant quickly changes into a shallow thriller with a ridiculous plot, unrealistic characters and an ending so preposterous I almost thought it was a satire.
The book was pitched as being relevant because of its focus on refugee issues, but it doesn't actually address those issues at all. The main character, Keita, is the son of an internationally known journalist and he's among the best marathoners in the country. Both these factors are crucial to the plot. Sorry, but most refugees aren't internationally competitive athletes with world famous fathers. His story is not the story of the modern refugee by a long shot.
Also, the use of fake countries makes the story hard to relate to. The history of why these two countries so close together in the Indian Ocean are so opposite is never explained, leaving the reader confused about why things are the way they are. I thought the fake countries would make a statement about how refugee problems are the same no matter what the context, but that didn't happen at all. Nothing about this plot is remotely relatable to actual historical refugee stories. Instead it just felt like the fake countries were a lazy tool to let the author tell his own story without connecting it to any actual country or event.
The only reason I gave it more than 1 star was because the story was fairly entertaining and very readable. It was a decent book for passing the time, like most thrillers. But I was looking for a thought-provoking book, and it failed completely on that front. All I thought at the end was “How did this win Canada Reads?”

The Must Read of our Generation

Every couple of years, a book comes along that perfectly encapsulates the cultural issues of a generation. This is that book. It was one of the most powerful books I have ever read. It is a small book, but every sentence seems to pack its own punch.
Coates tackles the idea of race and racism in the wake of the recent public displays of police officers murdering black people. This book is brutally honest . It does not glorify black history, it does not speak of faith or the belief in equality. It tells you what it is like to be “them” in the Us vs. Them world of the United States. It tells you why a kid in an impoverished neighbourhood run by gangs doesn't see the value of learning French in school. It tells you why the author is not at all surprised to find that the officer who killed Trayvon Martin would not be charged and would receive a pension.
Perhaps the reason I found this so powerful was that because he was raised without religion, he does not look to God for answers or believe in an ultimate justice. Instead, he questions the “Dreamers” and wonders why Black people are taught to idolize nonviolence in a country founded on violent revolutions. His perspective is just so raw, so open and so clear, it is as if his consciousness is tangible.
I recommend this to literally everyone. I can only hope this becomes a book that everyone reads in school some day, because it is vital for every person. Whether you are a privileged white man like me or someone who for whatever reason feels like they're less than their peers, this book is crucial to understand the world we live in.

This book has everything that makes me love old sci-fi: A positivist view of humanity, open to the possibility of the truly strange, and progressive social and philosophical ideals underlying the story.
The basic premise is that alien overlords come down to Earth and presume to rule humanity. It turns out that they're much better at running the world than humans and that their motives seem to be altruistic. However, they are very secretive and refuse to reveal why they are so interested in helping humans.
This book is timeless, but it's also a beautiful reflection of popular ideas from the 50s and 60s, when interests in aliens, psychics and the paranormal really became popular. In Clarke's style, the characters are secondary and the plot doesn't follow a standard build-up, but there are so many brilliant concepts squished into this story that build-up really isn't necessary.
This book is very unique compared to modern stories. I recommend this to anyone who is looking to read something “different”.

It's the near future and the world has been ravaged with lethal epidemics. A sizable percent of the global population is dead and many parts of society are crumbling. This is a popular concept these days, and the setting itself is like a milder version of Station Eleven with a touch of Children of Men. Children are becoming increasingly rare in this environment, and illegal experiments in artificial birthing methods and cloning create backlash from fundamentalists.
This is all just backdrop though for a much more personal story about a woman with few means faced with the challenge of raising a child on her own in a hostile world. In this manner, it feels strangely relevant to the world today despite the distopian backdrop. This book makes you think as much about the difficulties of being a single working mom as it does the dangers of epidemics.
What I liked most about the book was the questions it raised: Ethical questions about test-tube babies, gene editing and experimental vaccines, questions about the effects of social and environmental factors on children, and many more. It doesn't seem like an insightful book at first because it's written in first person from a perspective of an uneducated young woman (in fact the narrative can get a little annoying at times) but it's worth pushing through, because the take-home messages can be quite powerful and it will leave you thinking afterward.

You don't read books like this every day! This satirical book about what would happen if Hitler came to life in modern Berlin will shock you, even if only because of how well-researched it was. I feared that it would just be a slapstick comedy about Hitler being surprised and appalled by modern-day diversity and capitalism, but it was actually far cleverer than that.
For example, the book was written from Hitler's perspective and it mimicked his style remarkably. At first, I found the book to be a bit rambling and prone to unnecessary tangents that frankly made little sense. However, it turns out this jabbering was actually an excellent imitation of the writing style one finds in Mein Kampf! Beyond that, the level of research the author does on the everyday habits and tendencies of Hitler and the kinds of relationships he had with his contemporaries was staggering. In reading this, you inevitably become something of a Hitler buff. The author was clearly determined to do more than write a satirical commentary on a dictator. The character was so well developed, I don't doubt the Furer himself would approve!
As far as the story goes, there isn't one really. Everyone thinks he's an actor who never breaks character, and the way he reacts to the modern world is not at all what one would expect, resulting in people thinking he's a mockery of his actual self. The concept is more uniquely played out than I would have thought, but it definitely wasn't gripping in any real manner. Also, since it's an English translation of a German book, a few details seem to get lost in translation, such as his relationship to the publication Bild. Not knowing what Bild is left me feeling like I missed a joke or two. Overall though, the puns and witticisms are well translated, and it is sure to make you laugh!

This story is written in a style very unlike most modern novels, and that can make it quite a challenging read. For me however, it was well worth the effort. Rushdie is as creative and spell-binding as ever, and classic to his reputation, he will make you look at religion and society from a perspective you have never thought of before.
That said, I should add a disclaimer: This book is not for everybody! My book club read this book and most found the writing style – specifically his run-on sentences and erratic tangents in the story – difficult to get over. Some even felt that it ruined any merit the story had. I thought it added character to the story and gave it the feel similar to the medieval book 1001 Nights, which this book was paying tribute to, but even so it can be irritating to the modern reader. For me however, the challenging style just made the read more rewarding, because it forced me to focus on everything that was written (this book is not skimmable).
If you enjoy books with a philosophical focus, you are likely to really like this book. If you also like stories where Fantasy intersects with everyday life or if you like unlikely heroes, then you will love this book. Above all, if you like books that really challenge the way you see the world, you will get a lot out of this book.

This book tells the important story of Residential Schools in recent Canadian history, and Richard Wagamese tells this story in a gripping and touching fashion. The author's writing style is succinct but it loses no emotion, making him an excellent story teller.
The book begins with the reader meeting Saul Indian Horse, an Ojibwe man in rehab. In order to find out where his life went wrong, he tells the story of his childhood, wherein he has a tragic family past and a difficult time adhering to a life in the Canadian Residential School system. At the school, he learns to play hockey and it becomes his escape from everyday horrors, but facing discrimination from non-Native hockey players makes him struggle to hold on to the sport he loves.
While reading this, I couldn't help but wonder why this book was not part of the school curriculum. It is an easy read, and its focus on hockey makes it very relatable for youth and particularly young men, and most importantly, it highlights a crucial piece of Canadian modern history and culture. Some parts may be uncomfortable to some, but it is crucial that as Canadians, we acknowledge the shameful parts of our history so that we can avoid repeating them in the future.
If you do not like hockey, there may be some chapters of this book that merit skimming, but over all, I strongly recommend this book.

This is the first book of a truly excellent sci-fi series! It is a self-contained story for the most part, so if you don't want to commit to the whole series, you don't have to... But you should if you like this one even a little, because it just gets better.
This novel follows two main characters and swaps between perspectives every chapter. The Holden chapters are a classic adventure style, with disaster everywhere and death around every corner, while the Miller chapters are styled like a classic mystery, with a detective that obsesses over a missing persons case that he suspects is more than it seems. The contrasting genre styles give the book a really neat feel, and with the sci-fi back-drop of a very believable future in which we have colonized Mars and a few asteroids and moons, the whole reading experience is just very fun and unique.
The characters are well-crafted, the main characters being a mix of classic archetypes (righteous hero, obsessed detective) and unique flaws, and the side characters have tons of potential which they develop in the further books. The plot is extremely original and the “villain” can send chills down your spine. And like any sci-fi book, the real-world social implications are very relevant to today. I held back on giving a perfect score because the story was fairly linear for my taste and I wanted more from the side characters. However, I have given a perfect score to some of the later books in this series.

This was one of the most thoroughly enjoyable books I have ever read, and I didn't want it to end.
The book is centered around Kvothe, who we first meet as an unassuming bartender in a small town. It is quickly discovered that he is actually a modern-day hero/myth gone in to hiding. When he tells his story, the real book begins.
This story is mostly in first-person which is a very unique style for Fantasy. The result is that a story that would usually be told in grandiose style is instead deeply personal. We witness his struggles with money and girls, as well as the mental process involved in creating magic (sympathy) and how one develops from a performer's son to a legend.
As he grows up, you can't help but love and admire this quick-witted character who, in spite of his brilliance and determination, seems to make every wrong decision possible. The depth of the world he lives in is created through mini-stories within the story. Through these mini-stories, Rothfuss hints at the full scale of the history of this world, but we only get a taste of. It begs the question of what else there is going on in this amazing land.
Finally, the sheer quality of writing is what separates this book from the rest. When I try to describe to friends why they should read this book, I always fall short because nothing about the story itself seems mind-blowing; it is the way his story is told that makes the book truly unique. The author can describe a sad song so vividly that it's as if you're listening. Without even giving the lyrics of the song, the implied emotions are enough to choke you up. Somehow when reading this, one feels everything Kvothe feels.
This book appeals to hardcore fantasy fans, dabblers of fantasy and non-fans alike. It is a great story, written fantastically. That's all there is to it.