A quick read that takes itself too seriously and spends way too much time mining the thesaurus to actually do much good work which is a total bummer bA quick read that takes itself too seriously and spends way too much time mining the thesaurus to actually do much good work which is a total bummer because the premise is so good!...more
I was not fully prepared for what this collection would offer - it spans so many of my favorite genres (fairy tales, horror, the grotesque) and all ofI was not fully prepared for what this collection would offer - it spans so many of my favorite genres (fairy tales, horror, the grotesque) and all of the stories have a very darkly magical quality to them. I was almost a bit turned off by the wallop of the grotesque that comes with the first two stories, but what they use that grotesqueness in service of was really incredibly done. I went from about to turn the audiobook off to seriously moved in the span of a few minutes. There are some later stories that don't land as well for me (thinking specifically of the more fantasy-realm type story) but most of these were excellent and I think some of them will stick with me for a long time. The titular story is by far my favorite....more
This is definitely a kind of generous round up. I loved the world building, the characters are real feeling and complicated, the conflicts it is settiThis is definitely a kind of generous round up. I loved the world building, the characters are real feeling and complicated, the conflicts it is setting into motion are honest — I was really, really into this. The writing is really excellent too (and the audiobook is very compellingly narrated). But very, very little actually happens and all of the true conflict is just stage setting for the next book. I feel like parts of series should have their own stakes, their own rising actions and climaxes. Otherwise this is just a prequel....more
Preface: I am a die-hard Stephen King addict. I can stomach my way past even his most ridiculous and irritating writing tics, and to this day, I've baPreface: I am a die-hard Stephen King addict. I can stomach my way past even his most ridiculous and irritating writing tics, and to this day, I've barely read any books that have kept me awake at night the way his do. I am just so utterly biased when I write reviews for his books. I think he is a genius storyteller, if not exactly the very best sentence-level writer.
That being said, I wasn't really interested in this book based on the description (and the glowing reviews), but I got a copy of the audiobook from the library anyway. This one has a couple of things going for it and a handful of things working against it, but overall, I really enjoyed listening to this one. I'm not entirely sure it will stick with me long term the way some of his other work has, but there's a lot of great stuff in here.
Pros: - The audiobook narration is fantastic. I highly recommend having this story read to you. I really enjoyed it in this format. - There's some new-ish to King things going on in this one: yes, there's a fight of good against evil, but our protagonist, Charlie, isn't perfect (more on a tell than a show basis but that's a small quibble) and he is battling with his own desires and darker impulses throughout the book. And what drives the story isn't just the one man against evil, that's almost incidental... - ...Because Radar is the main driver of the plot, and anyone who has had that dog of a lifetime will get it. - The first half of the book is really the set up, and told alone it's a great story. - The conceit of the world that Charlie visits -- how it relates to ours -- is lovely and creative - Really dug the ending.
Cons: - Even though King is able to rein in some of his worst writing tics, he creates a few new ones in the process of avoiding the old. Rather than, say, having Roland from the Dark Tower series only slightly understand English and have to grapple very frequently with the same words (I thought I would die every time Roland needed "astin"), when language changes in this world, he just rolls with it (great!) but then almost ad nauseum has Charlie let us know "that's not what I really said/heard." Ok dude. We get it. Sometimes he doesn't trust his readers I think. - There are parts of this new world that are not unlike The Dark Tower series; I think it's fine to return to the same well sometimes, but these similarities are maybe too close? He's definitely always influenced by the same texts (HP Lovecraft, The Wizard of Oz) and if you are a deep reader, the similarities might seem like retreads rather than original works. - I was so much more emotionally invested in Charlie's time on Earth than I was once he went to the other world. I did enjoy that time (trying to be purposefully vague to avoid spoilers) but there were a couple of elements that dragged on far too long and removed me from the part of the story that I was so invested in.
I really wavered between 3 and 4 stars but I had a kind of rah-rah good feeling after reading this one, so bumping it up. ...more
So many great elements, such a dumb conceit at the center (no pun intended, iykyk) of it all. Almost abandoned. I could honestly see a pretty fun moviSo many great elements, such a dumb conceit at the center (no pun intended, iykyk) of it all. Almost abandoned. I could honestly see a pretty fun movie coming out of this but it would really have to take itself a lot less seriously or, you know, change a bunch of stuff. ...more
I don’t think this is the best thing ever written and it would likely unravel like a sweater if you start pulling at some of the inconsistencies, but I don’t think this is the best thing ever written and it would likely unravel like a sweater if you start pulling at some of the inconsistencies, but I kind of turned a blind eye to those because it was so fun. If you liked The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, The Neverending Story, dark tales of fantasy (and puppetry!) for kids and can let yourself get deep enough into something that you can ignore some flaws, this will be a quick read for you. Definitely enjoyed this nostalgia trap ♥️...more
Very fun! Would’ve loved a chance to edit this and make it more taut but the story is clever (I did see one big twist coming but not the other one!) aVery fun! Would’ve loved a chance to edit this and make it more taut but the story is clever (I did see one big twist coming but not the other one!) and interesting and draws on true history of cartography in the US as it’s way into this light fantasy. Definitely enjoyed it, despite some verbosity. ...more
Very fun! I’m not much of a fantasy reader typically, but I loved the friendship between Sabrina and Nin, and really enjoyed all the literary referencVery fun! I’m not much of a fantasy reader typically, but I loved the friendship between Sabrina and Nin, and really enjoyed all the literary references. Maybe could’ve used a little more action for my taste, but the world-building was excellent. Looking forward to part two!...more
This is one of those books that really made me wish Goodreads had a more complex rating scale. I did enjoy reading this for the most part, but I definThis is one of those books that really made me wish Goodreads had a more complex rating scale. I did enjoy reading this for the most part, but I definitely didn’t get that “swept away” feeling that really good fantasy can usually trigger in me. The plot was kind of draggy—it took until almost the halfway point for any real action to start, and even then there was still just so much exposition and set up and even at the end I was like…how are there still 30 pages left?? It made me wish it had been much more strictly edited and made tighter. It could have been better plotted, rather than maybe being built around an idea without much direction. That being said, the world building was pretty great and I enjoyed the characters a lot.
I also have some questions about a white-presenting (trying not to make assumptions) author writing about a mixed race character. The parts of the novel that dealt with race felt very simplistic and I don’t think they added as much to the story as Harrow might have thought, so it felt a bit like a crutch maybe? Wondering what others thought about this depiction....more
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