David McK (3755 KP) rated The Chessmen of Mars (Barsoom #5) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
I think a large part of the reason for that is because (I have heard) that previous installment was written in installments, which shows throughout the story. I don't know if this one was or not, but it does seem to 'flow' better.
Like <i>Thuvia</i>, neither John Carter himself nor his son Carthoris are the central characters: rather, it is his daughter Tara who is one of the key characters. like the very first book(s), this is book-ended as Edgar Rice Burrough's recounting the tale told to him by John Carter, who only has a minor role in this story, both at the beginning and end.
There's no denying that it does follow the same plot arc as many of the previous books which, one could argue, might show a lack of imagination. However, if it's not broke, don't fix it!
David McK (3755 KP) rated Excalibur: The Legend of King Arthur in Books
Jan 30, 2019
Having said that, I thought I would give this one a go anyway. A retelling of the Arthurian legend, this takes in pretty much all the main characters and events of that legend, but not necessarily all how I was familiar with them (it involves the seelie/unseelie (i.e. faeries) which I don't remember ever having been part of the legend before).
Starting with Arthur's conception and ending with his 'death' at Badon Hill, the novel also glosses over some of the less savory actions that Arthur is supposed to have carried out (ref Tristan and Isolde).
An OK read, and while yes, I may pick up some of the others in the series, this failed to really change my perception of graphic novels as a whole.
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Coal House in Books
Nov 11, 2019
So begins Coal House, a suspenseful ghost story that slowly builds to a shattering ending with a chilling twist. Any ghost story turns on the ability of the author to conjure up locations and events that seem both ordinary and strange at the same time and Barton does this with ease, able to raise goosebumps with a few simple words.
The story is clever and interesting with several layers and with characters to match. Finn is initially a skeptic but as strange events happen in and around the house he must consider if they are real or just his imagination.
This is not a long book but does pack a lot into its pages. An excellent read
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Iron Angel (Deepgate Codex #2) in Books
Nov 15, 2019
As with Scar Night, Campbell's imagination creates some stunning characters and imagery; the Soft Men, John Anchor, a nightmarish journey through hell. The descriptions are extremely evocative, the whole having a sort of Gothic Steampunk feel to it.
This is, however, weaker than Scar Night, partly because there is just so much Campbell is keen to show us that the detail gets lost, and at times the story grinds to a halt for some lingering descriptions of something that although interesting has no real bearing on the story and just means momentum is lost. The result is unfortunately a bit of a mess.
Not a bad book by any means, but a case of an author's enthusiasm for their own creations reducing the focus on developing an interesting and coherent story
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