Matt

It doesn't quite capture the spirit of the first book, but Pullman is a masterful writer. fifty pages can fly by without the reader being aware of it.

An excellent book much to my surprise. If you had told me a month ago that I'd love a book that featured talking animals, I would never have believed you. Pullman's world has so many odd and interesting things going for it, I experienced the same thrill as I did when I first read Dune. Excellent characters, especially Lyra, of course. I'm starting the second book tomorrow.

Just finished my second reading, the first being twenty or twenty-five years ago. I liked the book a lot more this time, because I knew what type of book I was getting into. My first read felt too slow and it was only after the big event of the second-half of the book that I realized I had read something great.

I really needed this after volume 1. I felt relief long before the ending, seeing the heroes getting their teeth kicked in. That was bad enough that the comeback of this pile of dicks made me happy. Great art, twists and turns, but it did get to the point where the “tough-guy killer line of dialogue” was beginning to grate. Very entertaining stuff.

I'm a William Gibson fanatic. Spook Country is set in 2006 and is tenuously connected to Pattern Recognition. These books aren't science fiction, but they are just as cutting-edge cool. I thought Pattern Recognition was Gibson's best work since Neuromancer. Spook Country didn't quite capture an overall mood like PR did, but it's a blast seeing its characters work the system in their personal spheres with the very latest technology as they bump into and up against one another. Gibson's commentary on the current state of America is perfect: understated and wry.

The story concerns the intersection of the lives of a member of a former rock singer whose band achieved cult status, a member of a Cuban-Chinese crime family, a drug addicted Russian translator, a couple of ex-government agents, and some hi-tech artists all affected by the comings and goings of a mysterious cargo container. There are a few people out there that will pick up this book simply because of that last sentence. Whether it's that or just Gibson's name on the cover, pick it up, read it, enjoy yet another of Gibson's worlds.

I really enjoyed this one. I like alternative takes on age old characters. This Batman gets his poor ass beaten nearly to death multiple times and that's fun. Futuristic, with a unique take on the history of Batman which I also liked and I absolutely loved the costume. Imagine Batman on a budget. Beautiful art, though sometimes hard to follow.

Very few books excite me, but these do. It's not just the action, but the ideas; the stakes; the sense of possibility; and the ballsy, brilliant, and perpetually damaged Petrovich. Fantastic!

Best book I've read this year. I feel like it was written specifically for me and I didn't want it to end. Morrison tells the history of comic book superheroes and hits all the stopping points we've been familiar with but his analysis of these points is incredibly entertaining. He makes makes brilliant points as well as hilarious ones and his love for superheroes is undeniable. He also shares his autobiography as it relates to superheroes and writing. Unlike the dark vogue I've seen in far too many comics of the last twenty-five years, Morrison is essentially optimistic about the future and about humanity.