twilight review

The books themselves are not faultless; the prose does not have the finely crafted quality of Shakespeare, Bronte or Austen to which Meyers clearly aspires but she does reveal the intensity of a forbidden love incrementally and she portrays this as beautifully as a rose opening on time lapse film.
These books are the best romance fiction I have read in a long time and I am difficult to please.
Book sales alone (we have two sets in our house) must assure the film studio, Summit, that they are virtually guaranteed success not to mention the sales from the first film. It is therefore paramount that they afford a suitably large budget to the next films and give fans what they want.

This could well be a future Classic!

In a nutshell: A fine read primarily aimed at the junior reader, but with enough maturity to be able to be enjoyed by all. The Graveyard Book has the potential to be a future classic in the same vein as the one that inspired it, The Jungle Book (and other greats such as Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard in Oz and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe etc.), and for that reason alone I consider this novel unmissable.
------------

In his acknowledgments Gaiman credits more than a passing nod for this novel to Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, a childhood favourite of his, and while the chief protagonist of the novel Bod, can certainly fit into Mowgli's loin cloth, I didn't really feel that there was much of a relationship between the two, other than a child growing up in a unique environment. Then again I read Jungle Book with child eyes many years ago, and this I read as a mature adult, so my perspective is somewhat different. More delightful for me perhaps (mainly because of the romantic notion it throws up), is the author's revelation that the inspiration for The Graveyard Book came after watching his two year old son pedaling his tricycle between the gravestones of a church one summer.

So from the outset I think I've established that The Graveyard Book is a title primarily aimed at the more junior reader, and fundamentally it is. That said the narrative is certainly more than mature enough to be read by all ages and I certainly didn't feel at any point that I was reading a book that was too young for me. In fact the publishers have seen fit to release this title in both a child's and adult's version so it's accessible for all. Being frugal I actually bought the child's version (it was available at a discounted price :o)), and I'm glad I did because it's got some really nice illustrations throughout from accomplished artist Chris Riddell.

On to the story itself and The Graveyard Book is hugely fantastical (what story about a baby being adopted by ghosts wouldn't be?), but that's The Graveyard Book's quality - pure unadulterated escapism. The story is well-paced, tight and easily read and with this novel at least (because it's the only one I've read) Neil Gaiman shows himself as a great storyteller. If he were around in times of lore then he would undoubtedly be the one wandering the medieval countryside with his lute, entertaining the townsfolk with his tales of wonderment :o). Gaiman's put a lot of cleverness into this story with some neat plot twists that ensure the pages keep turning.

Aside from the plot twists I loved following Bod's interactions with the ghosts of the graveyard, and his attempts to adopt the ghostly attributes which would prove useful to him in his unique position. Undoubtedly however, the main success of the storyline comes from Bod's growing angst at being kept from the world outside the graveyard. It's a problem that increases as Bod grows older and its fundamentally an exploration of growing up, but it's growing up in a wholly unique environment, and that's what makes the story so compelling.

As anyone who has read any of my former book reviews would know, my biggest passion is for good characterisation. I'm not so bothered about story or plot (although they help of course) but good characters mean everything to me; so much so that this aspect on its own can often make the difference between a novel being good or bad for me. Well, I'm happy to proclaim that Gaiman has created a really well-rounded charismatic character in the chief protagonist Bod, and if he were looking to create an equal to rival Kipling's Mowgli then I think he's succeeded, admirably. Silas, Bod's vampiric guardian, is another well realised character in this novel. He's a character that comes across with a great deal of enigmatic depth, and the phrase `still waters run deep' comes to mind when I think of him. I also think that this is the first time ever that I've been so endeared to a character who is traditionally considered to be an icon of horror.

Sadly however that's where the good characterisation diminishes somewhat for me, and with the possible exception of `the man Jack', all of the other characters come across as being somewhat flat and mere `players' in the story. Don't get me wrong, the portrayal of the other characters is certainly adequate, more than enough to ensure the novel keeps its gleam, but given the richness of character that could have been realised with such an imaginative cast of ghostly figures, I would have liked to have seen some of the other characters being better developed, at least up to the same standard as Silas.

In closing then the main question remaining is whether this is a novel that I recommend reading? Well if you're a junior then absolutely. It's a fantastic novel with a flowing, interesting storyline that juniors are certain to love. I promise! :o)

What about the more mature reader? Well as I've said above it's marketed towards all ages and the story has enough maturity to make it a novel for all ages. It's certainly a light read so if your expecting something as deep and engaging as a Tolstoy or Murakami then you're going to be disappointed. However, if it's a light read you're after then I can think of no better. It entertained me completely and as a reader who normally gets his kicks from the more dense prose of writers such as Steinbeck, Doestovsky and Hamsun etc. that's a big achievement. Bearing that in mind I'm confident that The Graveyard Book will entertain just about anyone. Go buy it!

Another thrilling chapter in Darren Shan's epic Demonata series

Barcode: 9780007260409

Darren Shan's Demonata series is one which i always eagerly await each instalment of, his skills of storytelling and building of tension keeping you hooked to his every word. With each book, the events of the desperate battle between humans and demons become more and more epic, the sacrifices needing to be made growing ever larger.

Previous book Death's Shadow demonstrated these themes perfectly and with Wolf Island, we now see the events running parallel to that book. We return to Grubbs' point of view as he, Meera and Shark set out to uncover the mystery of werewolves on the loose. Fans of the series will already be aware of the shadowy organisation known as the Lambs and this book sheds some welcome light on them, exposing the true brutality of their work.

Wolf Island as a whole takes a step back from the magical feel of the series, taking on a more scientific, military feel and it makes an interesting change of style. Shan, is just as skilled in this department however and his descriptions of the group of soldiers accompanying Grubbs in his mission brings to mind images of classic Hollywood action thrillers.

The action on the 'Wold Island' itself is just as gritty and harsh as the world of the Demonata themselves and we see the re-emergence of the vile Juni Swan too, the reccuring villain tying various strands of the series together and leading on to the next book in the series.

In terms of characters, Grubbs is as charming as ever and Shark and Meera have their characters developed a great deal here too + the introduction of technological genius Timaas is a masterstroke.

All in all, another work of pure brilliance from Shan and one fans of the series will eagerly lap up. Well worht getting

Best Volume So Far

I've been a Buffy fan for a very long time, having owned all the DVDs and seen/loved every episodes I was thrilled to learn the Season 8 comics published here in the UK.
However the Season 8 journey has not been smooth; the first volume was very fast paced, features cameos that felt out of place, didn't give enough information to process where they are now/how they got there, plus it lacked Joss Whedon's humour. The 2nd volume was better paced but fans were confused about plot surrounding Faith for canon reasons (she already redeemed herself, etc). The 3rd volume is the best volume so far; stronger story, better characterisation and the return of the humour that made Buffy stand out of the crowd.

This volume contains the comics 'A Beautiful Sunset' and the four part story - 'Wolves at the Gate'.

'A Beautiful Sunset' is a short revolving around Buffy, Satsu (a fellow slayer) and their first encounter with the big bad - Twilight. A nice story that lets readers know bad Twilight really is (he doesn't just float around!) and sets interesting themes that'll hopefully be further developed later on. Plus it fills some gaps in the story that the past volumes had left empty.

In 'Wolves at the Gate', the legendary scythe is stolen by a group of Japanese vampires who seem to possess magical abilites simular to the infamous Dracula. In need of his help; Xander seeks Dracula in order to stop them. The first volume of this story raised questions as Buffy has a one night stand that was accused of being a 'marketing ploy' - personally I have no problems, it seemed fitting considering how 'A Beautiful Sunset' left off. The only problem I did have is Dracula, some of the character traits he has in this story don't seem to fit how he was protrayed in the TV epiosde he appeared in - but that's just my opinion.
Otherwise; a good story, nice twists added plus great imagrey. There were some nice scenes in here that would work brilliantly on-screen if they ever decide to do another Buffy film (currently rumoured).

Overall; the 3rd time's the charm, the best collection Season 8 of the lot so far. Can't wait for volume 4.

I hope this helps.

TOO GOOD!

This book is my absolute favourite. It is full of action (espeicial the last bit) and surprises. I think it is a one-of-a-kind book! And there's 7 more books to come! TOO GOOD!

I really wanted to say I liked this book

This is the sort of book that anyone who reads Laurel K. Hamilton or Kim Harrison will probably end up reading.

It's set in an underground of vampires and werewolves that exists in parralel to the human world, and sees a female heroine do battle against the powers that be in that world.

One of my biggest grumbles about Hamilton and Harrison is the fact that there's too much 'love interest' and too little story in their books. That's why I turned to this book. I hoped that I'd get more story. I can't work out quite how wrong I was yet.

Don't get me wrong, the lead protagonist isn't jumping into bed with people, but the story (which sees her try and work out who's killing the Vampire Council in America and how to stop him) feels a little clunky all the same.

I don't know about you, but when I tell a story I try to weave the back story into the main text fairly seamlessly. I don't want people getting confused about what's going on, but I don't want the back story to get in the way of the story's flow either.

That didn't happen here. Every so often she'd stop to lay this whole exposition about the past on you.

This was ok at first, but it got on my nerves after a while. If you can get your head round that irritating tendency the author has, you might enjoy this book. If you can't you should go elsewhere.

JOIN THE DARKSIDE!!!!

What can i say that already hasn't been said.
This is truly awesome, a complete collection of lovecraft in a well bound casebound book with faux Leather cover, in black.
All your favorites are there. If you're a real lovecraft fan this is deffinately for you.
And for a very reasanoble price.
100% recommended, buy now & join us on a truly Dark venture into the world of the one & the only H.P.lovecraft

Darren Shan at his best

This is the 12th book in the series and probably the best so far. Some of the Demonata books were shallow and dull, this was a cracker, Darren SHan was born in London in 1972 and moved to Ireland when he was 6 years old, where he has lived ever since. He started out writing books for adults, and managed to get a couple published. One day, on a whim,he decided to try a book for children. The result was Cirque Du Freak. The rest is history to his real fans

Love dark fairy tales

I love dark fairy tales and Neil Gaiman doesn't disappoint. Simple yet meaningful, suitable for all to dive into as deep as you dare.

Classic.

A highly readable classic. There is little I can add to what has been said previously. The most faithful adaption is Vincent Price's 'The Last Man on Earth'. Do yourself a favour and read this book, even if you have seen the recent film. Recommended!

Beautifull

This book kept me company when I was having a bad day and I could not put it down. Such a lovely story although I did cry a tear or two, but that's what made it even better!

poorly written.

Laurell K Hamilton's books have been getting steadily worse for a long long time. I'm still reading in the hopes that she'll start to show some of what used to make her so enjoyable again. The early Anita Blake books were quite entertaining and when the Merry Gentry series started I really enjoyed the first few books too. Sadly things started to slide when the books lost all plot and descended into almost constant sex scenes that spanned the whole entire book. I enjoy sex in books but not to the exclusion of plot. This book can't be tarred with that reason for being bad however as the sex is kept to a minimum - well as minimum as LKH seems to be able to keep it these days anyway and there is a storyline of sorts.

To summarise the plot, the book starts directly after the events of A Lick of Frost (Meredith Gentry 6) with Merry in hospital after being raped by her Uncle Tarranis (Merry shows almost no signs of any trauma - very strange) then a plot to kill Merry's guards begins to unfurl and Merry calls up te wild hunt in revenge to go chassing after the plotters. And that's about it as far as plot goes, Merry reacting to all that the seelie and unseelie and the sluagh and the goblins can throw at her while gaining magical power ups from the Goddess. There is a plot, even if it's mostly the tying up of old threads and dealing with random people that get in her way.

The real problem I found was her repetitive and silly descriptions that read as if they had been lifted directly from one book to the next. On more than one occasion I laughed out loud they were so bad - it sort of spoils the mood of the story when the terrible prose distracts you from the plot. Everything is all sparkly and moonlight lit with detailed pointless descriptions of hair and clothes and rose petals raining from the sky.

I enjoyed the early Merry Gentry novels and I suppose that this book could have seen an end of the series as many of the loose ends from previous books have been tied off. Her father's killer has been unmasked and her enemies defeated for the most part. Unfortunately I don't think that this will be the case and more stories will be spun out with Merry doing more sparkly, magical, and wonderful things with new powers given conveniently by the Goddess just in time and with conversations that start in the middle of the action and just drag on and on to showcase Merry's wonderfullness. I think LKH need to take a break from writing for a while not churn out a Merry and an Anita book every year. She needs to go back and re-read all her books and rediscover her characters for herself and maybe things might improve. I'm still reading in hopes they do but i'm not sure how much longer I will be.

Buffy is back

That is a great comics, really hold your breathe in till"the end" of the book!! i am waiting for the vol.3 with great impatience!
At least in this one we find again the usual Buffy VS Faith fight!!
Fantastic

she does it again!

what a brilliant story, i love how gripping these stories are, i was completely fooled throughout the story and even went home early from the pub to read the final chapters!don't tell my friends though!lol

can't wait to read the night watch, keep them coming sarah!

blood beast

I found that the blood beast was a very intresting book for the saga.It was more complicated then any of the other books because you really have to understand the charecters alot more then in any of the others.If you are a fan of shock endings you have to read this book!I think the rating says it all.The auther clearly enjoys writing this saga because of the quality of his writing.(age 10)

Not perfect but a good addition to the Buffy mythos.

One of the criticisms levelled at this buffy season 8, is that it strays from the original set uo of the TV series. It is a fair point but as the opening narrative tells the reader"the funny thing about changing the world is afterwards everythings different."
Long way home has the task of reintroducing us to Buffy and co as well as setting up a new status quo, it works well enough with only a few minor bumps. Yes it lacks some of the charm of the cosy early series of Tv show, but the characters are still very much the same.
Georges Jeanty is a fair artist, however the inking doesn't do his work justice. I have seen him do much better work in the past. That said most of the characters are easily recognised.

Four and a Half Stars

I remember the first book in the Cassandra Palmer series finished on something of a cliffhanger and I admit here to only having a vague memory of Book 1 when I started Claimed by Shadow. I do remember having a problem with some infodumping in Touch the Dark (Bk1) and that Karen Chance is very good at writing first lines.

The first line situation is still the same

"Any day that starts off in a demon-filled bar in a casino designed to look like Hell isn't likely to turn out well."

But the info-dumping? Gone. Or at least become so much smoother and integrated into the plot that I didn't notice it. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Even though I spent a fair bit of time confused about what was going on, especially at the beginning - mainly because Claimed by Shadow does not pick up smoothly from the end of Touch the Dark. However, I do think on a second read through things will gel together more, and I'm a big fan of books with high re-readability.

Essentially Cassie is still trying to clean up the mess from the end of Touch the Dark. Still not completely in control of her powers she's pursuing Tony, attempting to keep her friends safe and trying to stop Myra from messing with the timeline, without making things worse than they already are.

The plot itself, starts with a bang and doesn't let go. This does mean that moments of internal reflection are few and far between. Some terrible things happen and Cassie doesn't really get a chance to process them, she just has to cope with each impending crisis as it looms. So this is something of a rollercoaster ride, leaving you frantically turning the pages wanting to know what happens next. But it works. Cassie is a character (not dissimilar to Kate Daniels) who things just happen to. She's almost like a magnet for bad karma.

The book is chock full of snappy banter and quotable dialogue. And though some characters only appear briefly they have a big impact on the storyline. Claimed by Shadow made me smile, made me teary and made me hungry for the next book. Highly recommended (I think Ilona Andrews fans would like this series, if they aren't reading it already).

Book 1 - Touch the Dark
Book 3 - Embrace the Night
Book 4 - Curse the Dawn (April 2009)

Karen Chance has a new series set in the same Universe.

Midnight's Daughter (Dorina Basarab #1) October 2008.

darren shan

These books are the best books I have ever read in my life. I am 14 and read 7 of these books from my library in 1 and a half months. The storyline is just incredible and you soon get to love the characters and feel sympathetic for them when they die. A brilliant buy!

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

Just like the title says, this is a companion to Stephenie Meyer's TWILIGHT series.

If you are not already a fan, then this obviously won't be for you. It's wise to have read all four books, as well, or you might find that some key points will be spoiled for you as you read along.

However, THE TWILIGHT COMPANION is a fun, interesting read. The author is very much a fan and allows you to easily relate to her and her writing. This is not a novel that analyzes or delves into everything Twilight. It's more about relating the Twilight world to other novels and films, as well as the myths surrounding vampires and werewolves throughout the ages.

Overall, it is a fast and interesting read. Although I wasn't as interested in the quizzes included throughout the book, I highly enjoyed the history and facts.

Reviewed by: Lauren Ashley

One of the best books I have read

This book was amazing. I loved everything about it, how Anne Rice writes, how the characters develop and Louis is just so nice! For a vampire.
I had seen the movie before I read this book, but the movie is nothing compared to the book. You actually feel as if you are going through Louis life with him as its so detailed. I am now reading the sequel The Vampire Lestat, and would highly recomend that book also, as you will see why Lestat is the way he is in 'Interview'.
But would def read this again and recomend anyone to read this, not just vampire lovers.