All the Books.

"Struggling to live with the guilt of what she did to the Federation, Rin is desperate and will cling to anyone who offers guidance. But Kuang makes it abundantly clear that you can't trust anyone, not even your closest friends and life is dark, dangerous and has no pity. This is a gut wrenching read and I'm eager to see how Kuang finishes it in The Burning God." 3 Stars Pros:  Suni, always the quiet one, proves to be gentle and reassuring to Rin during a difficult time/Nezha's Father Vaisra smacks some sense into Rin, which she desperately needed and I'm glad he did it. Though at the same time, I don't know if the Dragon Warlord can be trusted.   Cons:  Rin at the beginning is whiney/impulsive/violent, her temper tantrums are obnoxious/It's all about vengeance, everyone's out for vengeance, vengeance this and vengeance that, it gets old/The end, though surprising, felt rushed, like Kuang was trying to jam in as much shocking moments as she could w...

"After a disturbing message is delivered to him from the Triple Goddess in his garden, the oldest of the Endless, Destiny, calls a meeting of his siblings. Dream, Death, Desire, Despair and Delirium all gather to discuss next steps. During this meeting, Dream's imprisonment of his scorned lover, Nada in Hell is mentioned and he decides it's high time to right that wrong he committed. This volume closed up some loose ends while opening up a few other avenues for interesting stories." 5 Stars.  Pros:  We see all the members of the Endless and learn a bit more about their family dynamic, which I enjoy/Lucifer on the beach in Australia talking to the old man about how only a kind God can create such beautiful sunsets is an entertaining bit.  Cons: Some of the dialogue was almost impossible to read, especially when Ramiel the Angel spoke but other than that, it was a good collection.  Full Review:  While walking in his garden, the oldest of the Endless, Destiny, is v...

"Groundbreaking for its time, Matheson's stories still hold their horror and suspense even into the 21st century. He's a truly master at suspense and leaving you feeling helpless and alone, which is exactly what you're hoping for when reading Horror Fiction." 4 Stars.  Pros:  There were definitely some stand out stories in this collection and I can see why Matheson has a reputation for being groundbreaking in the Horror fiction genre.  Cons:  The problem with collections of short stories, is near the end, it all starts to feel similar.  Full Review:  I've always heard of Richard Matheson but have never taken the time to read any of his works. I'm glad I finally did. He was and still is, ground breaking for his time. His works, dealing mainly with Science Fiction, space travel and a smattering of horror, are all original, eerie, spine chilling and some even manage to pull at your heartstrings and make you teary eyed.  A few stand outs in this collection...

"Not set in a linear fashion, as in it doesn't follow Dream and the other Endless, it's more a mashup of four different stories that deal with how other creatures all over the world Dream, or having dealings with Dream of the Endless. It's not my favorite but it's still an interesting read." 3 Stars Pros:  It showed how Dreams affect all sorts of different creatures, it wasn't an entirely linear storyline but it was an interesting glimpse into how Dreams affect every living thing on the planet.  Cons:  Dream is part of every story, but the other Endless aren't, at least not really. I like when the story deals with the Endless and their dealings, this just felt like a mashup of stories that didn't really fit anywhere else.  Full Review:  The volumes broken down into 4 stories, none that deal with Dream or the Endless directly but all of them have Dream as a character.  Calliope explains how an old man managed to trap the youngest of the Greek muses ...

"An acceptable and bittersweet conclusion to the series but overall the book itself plodded along, any action that did take place fell flat and all emotions felt forced and out of character. I just wasn't thrilled with the book itself but the series overall was entertaining." 2 Stars Pros:  It was an acceptable conclusion, bittersweet but understandable.  Cons:  I struggled through this novel. I think I wanted more things to happen and it was just a lot of getting from point A to point B/Asriel marshaling all his forces and such just all seemed to kind of peter out/Mary Malone acting "the Serpent" didn't seem to come to anything either.    Full Review:  With the cliff hanger ending of The Subtle Knife the reader is left desperate to know what happened to Lyra etc. Pullman takes care of it all but a lot of it feels forced. Mrs. Coulter's sudden desperate love for Lyra didn't make any sense, since she'd always been so cold and calculating before. A...

"The volume follows Morpheus as he goes to deal with four dreams/nightmares/creatures the escaped the Dreaming while he was imprisoned. They're all surprisingly interconnected but Gaiman handles all the threads with grace and delicacy and in the end, Morpheus does what he has to do and continues to be the kind but no nonsense ruler of the Dreaming." 5 Stars Pros:  The interlude that introduces Hob Gadling, a man who decides that he will never die, is a funny, heartfelt and interesting look at how our lives are just one big roller coaster and sometimes it helps to have friends along the way/The Corinthian is truly horrifying/Gilbert is so easy to love and just such a kind, gentle character after all and you can't blame him for doing what he did and neither does Morpheus.  Cons:  The "Cereal" Convention was truly horrific, though unfortunately I'm sure there are places like that and "conventions" like that, that take place. It's frightening h...

"With the impending release of the Netflix show, it was good to re-read this and remember why I love this series so much. The introduction to the King of Dreams, Morpheus and his subsequent imprisonment, escape and journey to get his tools back, is so well done, well written and complete, that once you read it, this character and the rest will stay in your memory forever. It's a subtle introduction to the Endless, the siblings, Destiny, Desire, Death, Dream et al that leaves you wondering more about them and thus, curious as to what the rest of the series entails. Dream, himself, is quiet, sullen but compassionate. He's not a charming, charismatic, "off to save the day" Superman type hero, but he's a hero, in his own quiet, subtle way."  5 Stars Pros:  A memorable introduction to an iconic character, the Sandman, Dream, one of the Endless/From his imprisonment/escape/journey to get his tools back, Gaiman leaves nothing out/Dream is sullen, yes, but he...