The Blade Itself

The Blade Itself is what a debut book should read like. Well written, often funny, often pulsating in the action it contains, this is close to a perfect entrance into the world of fantasy fiction.Joe Ambercrombie certainly knows how to reach out to his reader, his book has managed to win a good deal of fans, and it’s really easy to say how, he’s written a very good book.

The Blade Itself raises the bar in all the crucial elements, bloody scenes, short and witty dialogue, fast paced plot, yet its in characters that Abercrombie shines. The deeply fascinating torturer Glokta, is possibly the book’s crowing glory, this shambling wreck of a man, now sadistically makes people scream, the catch, he was once a brilliant and dashing swordsman, now the only thing he fights is an ongoing battle combating the steep nature of staircases.

At times the blade itself feels like the screenplay for a film, it’s got that movie glitz thing going for it. The action is sharp and merciless, a scene where Logan the Bloody nine, shows us why he’s called the bloody nine particularly stands out. The humour is another enjoyable aspect, though very dark it’s still a welcome addition. Plus the well woven nature of the plot binds everything together in this lovely piece of writing. The actual book feels very nice too, I’ve been stroking it for weeks now, and still feels reeeeally good!

The Blade Itself - 8.5 / 10

The Etched City

For such a small and compact book, K.J.Bishop packs a good deal within the pages. It starts off fairly simplistically; the setting is a desert like clime, full of nomads and barren surrounds. Gwynn a killer and Raule a healer meet up in the middle of no where, two fugitives running from a lost war, pursued by its victors.


The setting soon shifts to the city of Asamoil, a breathtaking kaleidoscope of sights and sounds. This is a city comparable to the likes of New Crozubon and Ambergris, Viroconium and any other exotic and surreal cityscape. The book certainly follows in the footsteps of Vandermeer and Mieville, yet it has its own distinctively beautiful voice, which is impossible to ignore.

The central characters of Gwynn and Raule are quite the opposite, shown in the mainstay of their profession, they share only the cause they fought for in the conflict that brought them together, now in Asamoil they have a desire to lead a new life, not on the run. This new life is one chequered by events both surreal and starkly realistic, as the strange and vivid magic of the city becomes ever more entwined with the people who live within.

Weird, magical, artistic and profound, there is something for everyone within the Etched city, as not only does Bishop write convincing and stimulating philosophical debates, but she also provides us with some gripping and bloody encounters. Delirious and often quite mad, if you like Mieville, Vandermeer, Harrison, you will most certainly love this.

The Etched City – 9/10

Towing Jehovah - James Morrow

Now this is what I call outlandish fiction. The basic premise in this 1995 world fantasy award winner is that God has died, and his body needs transporting to his resting place. As I see it there’s only a few ways you could treat this subject, either with a perfect sense of formality, tailoring to a religious viewpoint or you can go for the laughs, and insult every religion possible along the way.

James Morrow chose the latter option.

And I’m thankful he did. Often the book borders on the ludicrously inane, the characters are quite flat, and are very type cast, and the book does sometimes have a strange sentimentality to it all. Yet, it is a funny book, and in a satirical ironic tone, that has some surreal and quite often hilarious moments, you really start to connect with the story, well you would when the central theme is of towing God by his ears from the back of an oil tanker.

Not a very great emotional impact, though this is more than compensated for by the outrageous way Morrow tackles the themes in the book.

Towing Jehovah – 7/10

Note to Self!

'Pocket cup'

- Michael Shea/ In Yana, the touch of Undying.
- A, Merrit/ The Moon Pool
- Barry Hughart/ Bridge of Birds
- Catherynne M Valente/ In The Night Garden
- Haruki Murakumi/ Kafka on the Shore
- Jorge Luis Borges/
- Franz Kafka/
- James Joyce/
- Vandermeer/ Veniss Underground
- Italo Calvino/ Invisible Cities
- Sean Williams
- Karl Edawrd Wagner
- Anne Bishop
- Llynn Llewelyn
- Paul Kearney
- Tim Lebbon
- The Physiognomy

Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes

Flowers for Algernon is a heartfelt tale reflecting on the twists and turns of a retard come genius, via a scientific experiment to increase his intelligence. Charlie Gordon works in a bakery as a menial servant, he becomes the butt of mocking jokes from his colleagues, much to his enjoyment as he perceives these people as his friends, he’s happy, and attends a school for retarded adults, where he has managed to learn to read and write. As he is a friendly and amiable human being, his selection as a test subject is made, and he undergoes the same procedure enacted upon a mouse called Algernon.

This is a brilliantly engaging novel that is related to us by Charlie and his progress reports on his life, beginning with his life just before his operation. Charlie is instantly likable as a person, not only though the sympathy generated from his present life which is full of scorn and ridicule, but when he relates his past, informing us of a mother convinced he can be made ‘normal’ and be like the other children.

A winner of the Hugo award in short story format in 1959, and the Nebula in novel form in 1966, Daniel Keyes created a classic moral story, as Charlie searches deep within himself for what really makes him happy, whether its his new found intelligence or a life where he isn’t aware and happy because of that.

It’s easy to get in the story, told as it is, through the viewpoint of Charlie writing his ‘progress reports’. An excellent ‘window’ into the mindset and mechanics of a changing life, this is a flawless novel that really gets the reader involved on a personnel level, the writing is addictive once started, and the many emotional impacts throughout are engrossing, a masterwork in every sense of the word.

Flowers for Algernon - 9.5 / 10

The Forgotten Beasts of Eld - Patricia A. McKillip

The Forgotten Beasts of Eld is a charming and sorrowful book, which looks at the prospect of change that comes to Sybel, an enchantress of sorts who can use her power to bind animals to her will, by claiming their names. When she inherits Eld mountain she comes to look after the menagerie of creatures that dwell there, her peace and tranquillity in looking after these animals however is brought to ruin when a stranger brings her a baby to look after, and Sybel and the young child who she names Tamlorn, will soon become embroiled in the politics and wars of that time

Patricia McKillip won the world Fantasy award with this effort in 1975, and it's not hard to see why. It’s a smooth and very readable book, which knows how it can connect with the readers. It’s got a plethora of magic and mythical beasts, tales of lore and age old legend all bound by a recounting of Sybel and her venture into a world that isn’t very familiar to her. The baby to whom she was entrusted is the only son of a king and the factor which propels her into danger and romance.

They are very familiar plot devices that are being used, long lost princes, wizards and magical beasts, yet when gathered together correctly they can create something timeless and incredible. This is a book that feels written directly and with a close feel to its content, it’s almost as if it has been brought to us from an original tale or gleaned from an oral source. A book this so outlandishly faeire, and yet so carefully written in its richness, that you simply can’t help but be sucked in.

The Forgotten Beasts of Eld - 9 / 10

Peace - Gene Wolfe

I found Peace by Gene Wolfe to be a very beguiling read; it has the familiar trait Wolfe uses in his books, one of using multiple narrative strands being related to the reader from one viewpoint, whose purpose and method of narration is often hazy, and the story often diverges and meanders from the central plot. The single viewpoint in Peace is told from the perspective of Alden Weer, in a sort of Wild West American setting. Weer is looking back at his life, and recounting his experiences and stories that have been told to him.

I didn’t exactly get through this quickly, and yet I neither took forever, it just sort of strolled by as I read it. Wolfe endlessly wanders about in the text to tell us a new tale or a dream of a dream from the protagonist, even thought it’s rooted in a very plain and austere setting the content is often related to a Ghosts and a few wildly out of tune escapades.

It isn’t really a fantasy novel, in the sense of the setting and the content which is more of a literary ghost story at times. Weer isn’t really a reliable narrator, and his memoirs seem often bitter as its being told when he is an old man, and as a character he was well drawn, yet not likable, and he seems to have killed people. As the book is essentially his life as he wants to tell it, you’re never fully getting the whole picture and nothing is really resolved or made quite clear, is Weer an old senile man making it all up, or can he do some of the remarkable things that come to light in the relation of his life to us.

Yet it’s all this depth and richness that still makes Peace a worthy read. Wolfe has an in built obsession in all of his books (At least the ones I’ve read) to mess around and explore the devices of narration. With its compelling prose and thought provoking devices any Wolfe novel with these becomes something completely otherworldly, it's challenging and yet begs to be read again, just to see what else can be picked out again.

Peace - 8 / 10

The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula Le Guin

A joint winner of both the Hugo and Nebula awards, the Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin has the tag as the first feminist science fiction novel, yet it offers up much more that that with a deep exploration on the makeup of society plus the workings of the human condition when confronted with something different.

Genly Ai is an envoy from a confederacy of words to a single remote planet unaware of any other life than its own. The society into which Genly finds himself is one of single sex inhabitants, where everyone enters into a stage of sexual urges called ‘kemmering’, during this phase sex is possible, though the consequences being sex only possible at certain times. This leads to a type of society where more emphasis is placed on the person, and less on gender, and that we should have no stereotypical view, and that a person is always a person regardless of anything else.

As we view the world of Gethen (Termed Winter for its cold extremes) though the eyes of an envoy, we get a perspective that consists and develops towards adaptation, as Genly has to learn to acclimatise to the quirks and traits of such an odd people. The brilliance of the book is in the change that comes over Genly as an outsider in an alien world; he gradually comes to feel differently, and sees through eyes opened wide. Le Guin also creates vivid and memorable peoples, the expansive and at the same time elusively alien culture is explained through observations and personal encounters between Genly and various native people, which are brought expertly to life due to this.

This is a strong book that always keeps the narrative flowing and precise, it knows exactly what it wants to do, and it succeeds on every level. The bond between Estravan a native and Genly the envoy is something touching and heart warming, it’s a love story if you will, yet one which is realised in many different forms, and yet simply equates with everything else to a brilliant book.

The Left Hand of Darkness - 9/10

Iron Council - China Mieville

There and back again…

This is a book which sees several strengths being played out by China Mieville. In my mind at least he has a sure way of ensuring the attention of the reader; he did this with a brilliant setting in the city of New Crobuzon, pure weirdness, and engaging characters. Thankfully this book has at least a good grounding of these to make it worth while, the award of the Arthur C Clarke testifies to this, as it did for Perdido Street Station in 2001.

The namesake of the book is the consequences that evolve from the failed attempt to form a vast railway line stretching across continents, and through inhospitable land, with the aim of better economic gains. The Iron is the train and the council is formed by a collective of disillusioned workers, camp prostitutes and one of Mieville’s more gruesome creations, the remade a class of workers from criminals and offenders that have various ‘other’ functions grafted onto, in a form of biotechnological punishment. With a lack of pay and with tensions rising, they commandeer the train, and set off to get as far away from the inevitable retribution.

The Iron council also represents a hope, a dream, a sort of figurehead for the oppressed citizens of New Crobuzon, where a decadent government is seen as responsible for the drawn out war with the shadowy neighbour of Tesh. This coupled with the forced conscription of the populace, various revolutionary splinter groups, and the infamous critical newspaper Runagate Rampant combine to create a melting pot of political and social unrest, into which the mythical Iron Council is an ever present and looming focus.

The book meanders in parts as it explores the typical ‘there and back’ scenario that surrounds the journey of the mythical train of rebels, from its position fleeing through bizarre geography to turning back to the city from where it set out. We get the viewpoints of Ori a young radical idealist in New Crobuzon, Judah Low a golem crafter of some power who seeks out the Council and Cutter his lover and erstwhile devotee. This trio of viewpoints provides great angles throughout the book, as their ideals and views are explored in terms of the consequences of their actions, and what they represent.

The book is a fairly substantial one, and it certainly has some trademark ‘weird’ moments that make it very worth the effort, Judah’s reconnaissance into the heart of a marsh land people being my favourite. It ultimately suffers from a drawn out plot arch in the return of the Iron Council to New Crobuzon, yet the range of themes are still engaging, notably the concept of social change and how they affect the future and the present. An extensive debate was conducted into all the themes intertwining the book, the end fate of the Iron Council being discussed in detail, so spoilers are abound.

It is a very worthy edition to Mieville’s already impressive works, though it would perhaps make more sense to start with Perdido street station, as events do follow on. Though not necessary, it would give more depth to what is already a very engaging book. It’s not perfect, though there is a great deal of thought, and a lasting effect that is quite perfect, though Mieville takes his time getting there, the end is entirely justified by the journey.

Iron Council - 9.5 / 10

The Knight - Gene Wolfe

Our mind, in the mind of a child, in the body of a Knight...

I found this impossible to put down, now this is strange as very little happens in this first of two books from Gene Wolfe. The author is a living breathing legend, a winner of many awards, including a World fantasy Award for Shadow of the Torturer, the first in the Book of the New Sun quartet, and a Nebula for Claw of the Conciliator the second book.

The Knight at first had me confused. This confusion arose from what I was meant to be reading next. After reading what I thought was the first book and then hunting around for the second, I found what appeared to be the Wizard Knight. Mightily confused I was, yet I found clarity, it appeared I read the first of this two part series, which has been published individually as both volumes, and separately with the book I'm reviewing and the second, called The Wizard.

Right then, so with that little re-telling of my own acute slowness over, onward with the review.

Told in a first person narrative, this book hooked me in a bizarre horrible way. Several things came quickly my attention, for one, the narrative structure irritated me, it's a confusing beginning Wolfe throws at us. A young boy stumbles into a world of seven magical levels or worlds (very much similar to the ancient Nordic outlook on Reality), where he assumes the mantle of a Knight, and the name Abel. The book is written from the view of Abel, as he pens his thoughts back to his brother, its very unclear how, when and where he is doing this, and as such Abel really isn't the most reliable of narrators, leaving out details, and ostensibly wafting over important events, such as battles of vital encounters, preferring to recount in his words what happened.

As such precious little happens, the content sees Wolfe pressing into the fore the trials and tribulations of Abel as he seeks to adapt as a fully grown man. It's refreshing in how there is no straight faced plunge into a full blown warrior, Abel takes sword lessons, begins to learn what it means to be a Knight. Abel is a well drawn character, and the world Wolfe creates is an effortless creation, though it felt very insubstantial, a creation from the words of Abel, yet in this purposeful sense it fits in incredibly well. It's a facet of Wolf's writing that you really get into the character, he did it with Severian from the Book's of the New Sun, and he's done it with Abel.

I liked how he does this, because you really get into Abel's head, it's the whole point of the book obviously; it's how it's written. The first person narrative grew on me, and the adventures I was reading became ever more readable as Abel embarked on a quest to find a magic sword, and so become a Knight.

Standard content you may think, but Gene Wolfe imbues the writing with a deep sense of enchantment and beauty. While it's certainly not the most riveting or action packed book, it certainly has a brilliant cast of secondary characters, and most assuredly the prose of a master.

The Knight - 8.5/10

Batman Secrets 3 of 5, Batman Legends # 34

Dark tales in Batman’s past…

Picking up any copy of Batman Secret's will always give you some haunting Joker images, as the picture opposite testifies. This figure ultimately provides the focus, albeit an insane leering one. The first two issues looked at the effects that the media have on the life of Batman, as the Joker put his madman persona behind him, and takes on the guise of the victim, with Batman as the oppressor.

The artwork is haunting and visceral throughout, with a good amount of up close images, this provides a nice contrast with the Joker and Batman, who represent as ever disorder/chaos and order/ justice. Batman often has to fight all manner of threats in Gotham, though this time the media takes centre stage as its loyalties change in flux, it’s a clever little story as the theme of secrets crops up and how these can be used and abused, as everyone has a secret, even Batman. This provides some great scenes between the two opposites, as the interplay and confrontations get more and more charged. This is definetely one of the better Batman releases from DC comics.

Story and art by Sam Keith, Alex Sinclair, Travis Lanham, Kristy Quinn & Scott Dunbier!

Batman Secrets # 3 of 5

30 pages in total

___________________________________________________

The time has come to stop playing the game...

Batman Legends is at the moment a very exciting read, and for one reason, war games. The war games saga has been ever present in these re-releases since about issue 24, with the prelude to act one. Since then it’s been a jaw dropping exhilaration ride, through a turbulent time in Gotham city. War games revolves around a secret contingency plan gone wrong, in the initial issue a good number of the crime city bosses are killed in a meeting, when the organiser, Matches Malone, doesn’t turn up. It’s then up to the dark knight to sort out the ensuing chaos, as bedlam break out across the city

Legends #34 sees war games continuing on parts 3 and 4 of act 3. With control of the situation fast slipping away this issue sees Batgirl, Robin, Nightwing and Onyx designated tasks to try at prevent the situation spiralling completely out of control. There is a lot of back story to this issue, which would be pointless to go into any more detail.

Needless to say this story arc is a gripping one; the fight scenes and various revelations throughout are a joy. And as it’s got so many characters in, it’s impossible to put down, as the wealth of interaction is always a plus. The artwork and everything that entails is very well put together, it’s just all so damn gorgeous, it really does fit the bill of a collectors edition.

This issue also has Anarchy (Or Anarky in American speak) in Gotham City, an interesting little piece on interpretations of justice, as a so called people’s champion practises his methods of dealing with the corrupt. Its good that they are contrasting the newer releases with some older ones, the previous Death in the family cycle, was excellent, though they did all have blue hair.

A final note on war games as a whole though, its pointless to start collecting the legends now, as the whole series is collected in Graphic Novel format anyway. This policy of re-releases is going to keep me happy for some time, as it collects only the finest DC episodes in Batman life, and they are essential.

Story and art by Devin Greyson, Sean Philips, Bill Willingham, Thomas Dernick, Alan grant & Norm Breyfogle.

Includes material reprinted from Nightwing #98, Robin #131 and Detective Comics #608.

76 Pages in total

The Riddle-Master of Hed - Patricia McKillip

The riddle of three stars...

I foolishly decided to pick up this trilogy individually; it is available in the fantasy masterworks collection as the whole trilogy though. This being the first of three books, I was reluctant to buy them all, so I settled for getting them singly, my copy has a different cover to the one opposite but it differs in no significant way.

This has all the trappings of a tried and tested formula, yet Patricia McKillip writes her books with something entirely more different. In this the first book there is a huge feeling of ancient wisdom that pervades throughout, of old tales and songs, high magic and lore that seem intrinsically linked all the way through.

I had to wait to even buy the next book, so I consequently haven’t even begun it. Though I can still pass judgement on the first, the rest of the trilogy remains to be read. As a stands the Riddle-master of Hed is an enchanting read, for the reason I uttered above it transfixes the reader in this dreamy style of a bygone world. It’s a powerful creation, as the world is very rich and well structured, though not the sort of world building comparable to other heavyweight creations, it’s still enough to keep to its strengths.

The world into which we are introduced is the remote island of Hed, that has little or no contact with the wider world, Hed is ruled over by its prince Morgon, and when events transpire to force him from his home he discovers all is not well abroad. It is previously revealed that Morgon wins a crown from a long dead Lord; consequently his life now gets flipped into one of peril and high intrigue, for he is plagued by three stars upon his forehead, and of a harp with three stars that comes into his possession.

I thought it was great first book of trilogy, the pace was well set, with their being a range of events that give it a real antique feel. There was one scene when I did actually wet myself, as something I didn’t quite expect to happen jumped out at me. This is a an enchanting book full of well worked song and legend, the characters are likable, and I found myself rueing the fact I’d not bought the second to read straight after.

This will appeal to those after something that mixes magic, myth and heroism all in one, and I’m looking forward to reading the second one.

The Riddle-Master of Hed - 9/10

The Worm Ouroboros - E.R.Eddison

The flawed yet poetic prose masterpiece of the twentieth century…

This is one of those books’s that either ensnares a reader completely or deters them within the space of 50 pages. For the persistent among us the rewards are of magnificent splendour, as in the course of 578 pages the reader is taken on a sublime literary trip. This is a book I hold in great esteem, not only for the pleasure it gave while I read it, but for the lasting contortion of vivid imagery it left within me.

Written in 1922, it was considered by many to be the only work comparable to Lord of the Rings when that work was published. Yet instead of drawing from past myths, the Worm Ouroboros was crafted in an entirely different way. This is a book like no other; it does however have a very unconventional beginning, as we witness a normal man Lessingham being whisked off to the planet Mercury, with this being the setting for the rest of the book. After that we hear nothing of this initial character, this nonsensical act aside, the book swiftly becomes a masterpiece of literature, through the author E.R.Eddison essentially being completely drunk on the English language as well as fantasy.

The world into which we are submerged is an incredible creation, made even more so by Eddison’s use of language, which is such an archaic style, it’s at once rich and melodious, epic and subtle. You will often spot within the text famous speeches from Shakespearean or Elizabethan poetry, and the way they are woven makes it all so incredible. It’s as an epic literary transformation, to use the language and words of a previous era, and so artfully incorporate them, it simply adds up to being the best prose I’ve read, and that’s when there all speaking poetry, madness I tell you!

The central plot is one of a feud that occurs between the noble demon lord’s Juss, Brandoch Daha, Goldry Bluszco and Spitfire and the witches represented by King Gorice XI along with his various rowdy henchmen. When challenged to an wrestling contest with Goldry, the present king of Witchland is killed, his successor takes power, and the new King, Gorice XII, promptly uses his magic to imprison Goldry, thus a war begins between Demons and Witches.

It has its flaws though, in addition to the bizarre Lessingham start, there is a huge amount of Ye olde words being spoken (Thou, thee etc etc) which may put off some, the Witches and Demons don’t actually conform to their names, being as they are all of human stature, and the ending leaves you slightly annoyed to say the least. These flaws aside it has some of most powerful images ever devised, vast gritty battles conceived on a very personnel level, intense nefarious magic, and some sparkling characterisation combine to hold you enthralled.

Noble and beautiful, this is a book full of a weaving poetic prose, a literary masterpiece that everyone needs to at least sample once.

The Worm Ouroboros - 10/10

RECENTLY BOUGHT BOOKS

• Forgotten Beasts of Eld - Patricia A. Mckillip - £3.50

• Heir of Sea and Fire - Patricia A. McKillip - £1.80

• Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes - £2
  

• I Am Legend - Richard Matheson - £2
  

• Peace - Gene Wolfe - £3.08
  

• Mistress of Mistresses - E.R.Eddison - £3.05
  

• The Handmaidens Tale - Margaret Atwood - £1
  

• The Wizards and the Warriors - Hugh Cook - £1.99
  

• Mythago Wood - Robert Holdstock - £4.90

All in all a grand total of Twenty Three pounds and Thirty Two pence. Ouch!

Three Hearts and Three Lions - Poul Anderson

Of a man and his magical foray for the truth...

This book is a member of the brilliant Gollanz Fantasy masterworks series, of which the cover opposite shows. I’ve linked it so feel free to peruse the site, I’ve read most, and this title is an entry which I felt lacked a certain sense of the epic, at only 156 pages, it never really held me enthralled, which isn’t to say it was a bad book, but it didn’t have the epic feel of the authors previous masterwork entry, the Broken Sword.

The premise will be a familiar one to most escapists, the notion of being shunted from this world into an alternative land of faery (or Pharisee) and magic. Holger Dansk is a Dane living and working in America, with the onset of the Second World War he eventually decided to return to Europe in order to partake in the fighting. Whilst in action he leaves the battlefield and is transported to a Europe much different to what he’s used to.

I’m a great admirer of the Broken Sword, which had a grand questing feel to the whole proceedings, yet I didn’t quite get this feeling when reading Three Hearts and Three Lions. From his entry into his new surround, Holger as is to be expected, a little confused. Yet seeing before him armour, weapons and a horse, he dons the former and trots away on the latter. And the book follows this course.

He encounters various standard beasts, which are defeated or beguiled. The riddle game with the Giant being a highlight, plus a nefarious troll all work well. Elves and creatues of faery abound, a shapeshifter becomes a travelling companion, plus the token dwarf. And yet for all these varying characters, it’s all so plodding and in step, it’s not especially exciting, his use of language though disjointed at times with the narration, still works well, however it is just a simple quest to find out why Holger has been taken, yet this basic notion didn't really strike a chord.

It is a good book, as you would epect from a 'Masterwork' edition. Yet it lacked development in places, though in its favour, it does have a host of well drawn out cliches in the quest of Holger to find why he is in the situation he is. Its certainly worth of a read, at a mere 156 pages (In my edition anyway) it hardly strips you of precious reading time.

It does stand as an example of when back in the sixties, this sort of book stood for a fine epic fantasy book. It certainly has all the recognisable ingredients, yet for me it failed to have any lasting appeal.

The Broken Sword stands as a book of much wider and lasting quality, though this book perhaps stands as an ideal starting point into the imagination of Poul Anderson, a quick and snappy adventure without any real flexing of your literary mind.

Three Hearts and Three Lions - 6 / 10

Preludes & Nocturnes - Neil Gaiman

A tale of the endless, and of dreams and dreamers…

The hugely successful Sandman series started out in the early nineties, as 8 separate tales, which were then bound together into this 1991 release. The appeal of this comic series was and still is massive, it’s seen as the must have, an intelligent comic series (wow, I mean really, wow!). That being said this first volume is a very mixed bag.

I am it must be confessed a veritable ‘noob’ to comics in general, only recently have I seen the greatest that can be gleaned from glossy pages. I had been in possession of some Sandman editions before buying the first one, notably middle issues which I stayed away from believing they may ruin the early issues when I came to read them.(I obtained numbers 4,5 and 6 all fairly cheaply in a deal) Little did I know they can be read separately, it appears I should have read the back first.

The focal point for these comics is of course the Sandman; he is in a sense Gaiman, in looks and perhaps in manner. The picture below certainly matches up to the man. The running theme throughout these eight tales is essentially the Dreamlord gaining back his items of power which were stripped from him.

The story starts off with an attempt by a group of practitioners to summon and bind Death to their whim. The ritual goes wrong and Dream, the younger brother of Death is ensnared and stripped of his helmet, ruby stone and a pouch of dust. From then on it’s a simple process of storytelling in which Dream break free and seeks to liberate his lost possessions.

The artwork is generally good throughout, though in places it dips, this only happened in the latter half, as I felt it lost some focus and clarity. The Sandman whenever he is being drawn instantly captures and holds centre stage, his scruffy black hair, and featureless eyes create a vivid and jagged character which is perfect. He is easily one of the most recognisable figures in comics, his wry and calm demeanour is at the same time one filled with quiet immense power, he is perfectly realised as an endless being.

In the land of Lucifer Sandman has to riddle with a demon in order to gain back his helm. The tale a Hope in Hell is a stunning cacophony of visuals as the duel of reality becomes ever more daunting and desperate A shocking piece of imagery can be found in the third tale, Dream a little Dream of Me, in which the Sandman tracks down his pouch, it’s gruesome yet at the same time a stunning piece of art. Yet the pinnacle of Gaiman’s weaving is the issue 24 hours, which accompanied by the stark and slicing imagery creates the shocking and pulsating highlight.

Though not perfect throughout, there is certainly enough good content to merit a read, and it certainly provides the roots of what was to become one of the must reads in comic history, as well as allowing the genius of Gaiman to be brough to life.

Preludes & Nocturnes - 7 / 10

Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman

A world beneath our feet, and beneath our notice…

Neverwhere is a book that I read a little sceptically. I wasn’t really to sure of how this would or could compare to Sandman, a comic series with stunning visual and writing power. This would come to be the first foray for Neil Gaiman into full length novel writing, and it’s a powerful statement to make, not only is it a grand leap from what he has done previously, but it is also Gaiman through and through.

The main protagonist Richard Mayhew is really quite a normal and boring average guy; we get at the start of the book a description of his life, and a period when he moves down into London to work and live. This way of life all drastically changes when Richard decides to aid a fairly nondescript person injured in the street, disregarding the ire of his partner he takes the girl, who is called Door, back to his flat to aid her injuries, after this nothing is the same got him.

Richard falls into London below, a mirror world of the London above, where we would associate the latter with normality, in the former, myth and darkness swirl around, to warp everything into something fantastical and different. London below can only be reached by falling through cracks that appear in the normal life.

Gaiman superbly mixes up everything into his streamlined prose, as dark horror, brushes side by side with pure fantasy; there is always some from of wit or humour that makes light of these. This constant is often in the from of Richard, and his constant questioning of places and people ‘downstairs’ if you will, his mistakes and assumptions are ones which the reader will make, until Gaiman twists the norm to suit his own darker London, one in which dark fantasy and urban myth are ever present.

The story is an effortless one, after rescuing Door Richard becomes embroiled in events that see him fade out of his old life, and sets him in a quest to find the people responsible for the death of Door’s family. A perfect set of villains are set against them, Vandermar and Croup embody random torture with a pleasant demeanour, which are always set of by equally random acts of grotesqueness.

Though this is also in comic format as well, the book Neverwhere still has a sweeping imaginative presence that is an utter delight to read.

Neverwhere - 10/10

Lavondyss - Robert Holdstock

Weaving nuances in that fabled forest realm...

Robert Holdstock is quite possibly my favourite British author writing, previously he's written the great Mythago cycle of which any book can be read individually, or in chronological order. Lavondyss first released in the UK in 1988, is the second in the Mythago wood cycle, though this being the case I had no trouble in reading this out of order.

The author has written under many pseudonyms as his site bibliography testifies. Yet it’s the Mythago wood cycle that really made him a big name. This book in question, Lavondyss, is a mix of age old myths and dreamy yesterdays, set near the magical wood of Ryhope the book revolves for the most part around this place of enchantment, and the effects it has on the locale.

It’s a fairly standard plotline, one of growing up among loss and pain, and of coming closer to what it is you’re really want and need. While very young, Tallis (Named after the famous Welsh Bard Taliesin) has to come to terms with loosing her older brother, Harry Keeton, who from being mentally and physically scarred in the war purposefully looses himself in Ryhope.

This really is a stunning book, full of age old myth and landscapes of the pure fantastical. Holdstock really paints an immersive and wistful picture of Ryhope wood. The characters are well drawn with the childlike enthusiasm of Tallis becoming a major focal point as she gets drawn more and more into the land.

I really couldn’t get enough of this; his descriptions of the forest get more and more beautiful as Tallis further learns to travel into the wood. Through masks that she crafts herself Tallis is finally able to go look for her brother. As the means of her journey and all that build up to it eventually come about, the shimmering contorting mass of half visions and ancient lore comes more into focus, as she slowly but surely learns to travel more successfully.

I’m endeared to everything in this book; the setting is perfect, the main characters drawn with feeling and fire. And the many smaller events that take part in the big journey to Lavondyss are crafted with faerie like joy, as Tallis comes closer and closer to gaining what those around see to be fictitious.

Lavondyss is evocative and dreamlike, and is something not to be missed by lovers of past mythology.

Lavondyss – 10 / 10

I Am Legend - Richard Matheson

The paranoid futurism of the last man alive...

I picked this up for such a bargain price, £2 simply could not be passed up. Especially as it's in a fairly good condition and of the SF masterworks range, it was mine. I'd often gazed with lust at this book, yet far to often it's been stupidly overpriced, and for precious little in that its only a mere 160 pages long. This overt grumble aside, i've got it at last and that's all that counts.

This is a book that spans science fiction and horror in equal measure. Written in 1954, Richard Matheson sets the story in the seventies, at a time when the world has been plunged into degradation and decay. Riven by the threat of vampires, humanity is no where to be found, exept for the last human left, Robert Neville.

The strength of this book is simply the main character, reader's looking for something else will not really find it within, as quite simply Neville is an immense and brooding force. Living alone in his barricaded home, by day he makes repairs to his shelter, and stalks about his neighbourhood putting an end to any 'coma' induced vampires. Yet it's at night that his deep frailties are revealed, shackled by the memory of his losses and taunted by the creatures of the night, Neville battles with himself.

The extraordinary thing about this is the tightness of the whole book, it's a very small perspective we get, and as a consequence it's very claustrophobic and gritty. It's also quite hilarious in places, the constant presence of an old friend turned vampire calling 'Come out, Neville' in various chapters worked well to relieve the gloom of Neville's predicament.

As it's so short you don't really get time to explore any of the minor characters, but it didn't detract at all, in fact I didn't really care as the plight and eventual fate of Neville had me on tenterhooks throughout. This is easily the best vampire novel i've read, it also through the use of Science strips the Vampire of its myths in a way that makes them if anything more scarier.

Paranoid and powerful, this book has lots to offer. And what about that ending, it sent ripples of pleasure all through me, wonderful in a word. Read it.

I Am Legend - 10 / 10

King Rat - China Mieville

An artful exposition into the underworld of London...

When delving into this undercurrent of London life, I was struck with a familiar feeling. Actually it was more an acute sense of having delved into these murky sewer waters before; Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere was the memory to be precise. This was the book i'd read previously, and it's very similar in tone, setting and plot.

In both a man is thrust from his normal, run of the mill life, down to the world that exists out of sight and out of reach for most. Neverwhere and King Rat both feature almost exclusive contact with that devilish watery rodent, the rat obviously. The knickers of London are exposed in an Alice of wonderland style, in both, Gods run amok freely, plus some delightfully realised villains.

Though enough with those sort of comparisons, yet needless to say if you liked the content of either one, be sure to pick up it's twin. King Rat then was published in 1998, and was to be the first of a clutch of delightful books from China Mieville. I'd previously read and utterly devoured Perdido street station, so anything along those lines would satisfy this hungry soul.

King Rat is a blend, a dark swirling mix of genres, and that you might expect from a New Weird author. The book is a resplendent image of the grotesque, a searing look at the underground forces that live beneath out feet. Our window into this world is Saul Garamond, and we swiftly see his world torn down, and as a consequence is taken under the wing of one King Rat. A dispossessed ruler of the rat kingdom, and very concerned with gaining his status back.

Mievilles liquid prose is a joy to read, and he takes us effortlessly through the streets and sewers of deepest dank London. The horror traits that come to be ever present in his later works, are woven into the character of the Pied Piper, a mailicious power hungry myth with melodious strands of command in his magical pipe. The guy sounds like a fairytale like character, yet his persona is one of tongue in cheek homicidal maniac.

Strictly its a standard tale of finding oneself in a new world, exploring your new surroundings and learning to cope with new challenges. The difference that Mieville injects into this tale is one of fragmented madness, sporadic bursts of lunacy that dot the book. Their are some truly dramatic scenes and spurious confrontations that mark this as landmark book, in the beginning of what has so far been a flawless and exciting writing career.

While flowing throughout, and with a dark inner content, I felt the ending marred what could have been an exceptional debut novel. I'll leave it for you to make your own up about it, but I couldn't feel it was a wrong choice, I can see why and in a sense it's exactly what needs to be done, but it felt strangely forced. Though it's very minor and hardly prevented me from enjoying the experience of one of my favourite authors.

Mieville is a literary force, his books pack many a punch. Read anything by him quickly.

KING RAT - 9 / 10