Sean
Wow. Thats all I can say right now.
The first time I opened I Kill Giants, I read about 5 or 6 pages. The second time, I finished the rest of it. This book has a truly phenomenal sense of character and story. Every aspect is just so fully realized that you immediately are connected to what is going on. I don't want to spoil things or go in to too much detail here, but I was definitely not expecting this book to be such an emotional journey. I'd be lying if I said that I did not completely break down at one point.
But its not just the story that is great. I didn't think much of the art at first, but by the end of the book I realized how perfectly the artwork matched the words that were written on the page. By they time I got to the climax, I was spending far more time enjoying the visuals that the book has to offer.
That combination of story and art are what truly make a great comic or graphic novel. I Kill Giants is a book that fits perfectly in its medium, and would be lesser if it were only words like in a novel or strictly something more visual, like a film. It is a great example of what makes storytelling in comics unique, and I will be lending it out and recommending it to everyone, not just those who read comics already.
Ready Player One was pretty mixed bag for me. On one hand, it was a very quick and entertaining read that I couldn't put down until I was finished. On flip side and even though I cruised through it, I can't really say that it was a great book.
I loved all the references and nods to some of my favorite movies and games, though some of them went over my head as the 80s-centric focus of the references were a bit before my time. While Cline does a good job of explaining a lot of them, it was the subtle nods that I found most rewarding (nn particular two references to Brazil that I noticed due to just watching the film before I started the book).
Unfortunately, all these references mask what otherwise is a pretty standard story. Its been a few days now since I've finished the book and I can't say that it has really stuck with me at all. I'd recommend this as a quick, easy read for people looking for something along those lines or to serious pop culture junkies, especially if the 80s are your thing, but I'm really surprised how little impact this left considered how quick and excitedly I actually consumed the material.
I really enjoyed aspects of this book, but as a whole it didn't quite grab me and I found that I was really forcing myself to push forward instead of being lost in the story and characters. The parts dealing with mysticism and jinn were especially interesting, but Alif's central story and struggle just didn't do it for me.
A pretty entertaining, quick read that builds to one thrilling set piece and serves as an introduction to Rollins and Cantrell's new collaborative series. I liked this intro enough that I will most likely be picking up the first actual book in the series, [b:The Blood Gospel: The Order of the Sanguines Series 15820475 The Blood Gospel The Order of the Sanguines Series James Rollins http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1355908360s/15820475.jpg 21545770], when I am in the mood for an action/adventure type of read.
In the first chapter, Smith writes: “It's advice; don't fight it. Either make something of the advice or simply discard it, but don't try to fight it.”
Tough Shit is full of little nuggets of wisdom and of personal experiences. Taking the line above into consideration, some of the book I found very insightful, helpful, and will take with me in how I act/think in the future. The other parts, well I'll just discard them.
Even those discarded parts are fun and entertaining to read in a familiar style if you are a fan of Smith's other endeavors, like myself. Who am I kidding. If you are a fan of Smith's, you probably have already read this.
Tough Shit is an entertaining book by an entertaining author. I found it insightful and have gleaned a lot from it in a time when I need some motivation.
