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Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Norse Mythology in Books
Mar 8, 2022
42 of 230
Book
Norse Mythology
By Neil Gaiman
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Neil Gaiman, long inspired by ancient mythology in creating the fantastical realms of his fiction, presents a bravura rendition of the Norse gods and their world from their origin though their upheaval in Ragnarok.
In Norse Mythology, Gaiman stays true to the myths in envisioning the major Norse pantheon: Odin, the highest of the high, wise, daring, and cunning; Thor, Odin’s son, incredibly strong yet not the wisest of gods; and Loki—son of a giant—blood brother to Odin and a trickster and unsurpassable manipulator.
Gaiman fashions these primeval stories into a novelistic arc that begins with the genesis of the legendary nine worlds and delves into the exploits of deities, dwarfs, and giants. Through Gaiman’s deft and witty prose, these gods emerge with their fiercely competitive natures, their susceptibility to being duped and to duping others, and their tendency to let passion ignite their actions, making these long-ago myths breathe pungent life again.
Quick read and so good I really enjoyed Gaimans retellings!
Book
Norse Mythology
By Neil Gaiman
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Neil Gaiman, long inspired by ancient mythology in creating the fantastical realms of his fiction, presents a bravura rendition of the Norse gods and their world from their origin though their upheaval in Ragnarok.
In Norse Mythology, Gaiman stays true to the myths in envisioning the major Norse pantheon: Odin, the highest of the high, wise, daring, and cunning; Thor, Odin’s son, incredibly strong yet not the wisest of gods; and Loki—son of a giant—blood brother to Odin and a trickster and unsurpassable manipulator.
Gaiman fashions these primeval stories into a novelistic arc that begins with the genesis of the legendary nine worlds and delves into the exploits of deities, dwarfs, and giants. Through Gaiman’s deft and witty prose, these gods emerge with their fiercely competitive natures, their susceptibility to being duped and to duping others, and their tendency to let passion ignite their actions, making these long-ago myths breathe pungent life again.
Quick read and so good I really enjoyed Gaimans retellings!
David McK (3505 KP) rated Infernal Devices (Mortal Engines #3) in Books
Dec 12, 2021
Third entry in Philip Reeve 's Mortal Engines quartet, set 16 years after the end of Predator's Gold, and which largely shifts the focus away from Tom Natsworthy and Hester Shaw onto their daughter Wren, whilst also - at least in the first section - finishing off the story of Freya and Caul (the former Lost Boy).
As before, I found this to be uncertain of its own identity: the language and general style of the prose would lead you to believe it was written for children (or even the so-called tweenage audience), but then you get into the 'meat' of the story, with child slavery, death and mutilation all abounding!
Professor Pennyroyal also makes a return, with Hester Shaw herself coming across more - in this - as a complex anti-villain than she did in the previous entries, and with this also seeing the return of the Stalkers Shrike and Fang, both of whom largely drive the plot.
Worth a read, but maybe not the best 'jumping-on' point.
As before, I found this to be uncertain of its own identity: the language and general style of the prose would lead you to believe it was written for children (or even the so-called tweenage audience), but then you get into the 'meat' of the story, with child slavery, death and mutilation all abounding!
Professor Pennyroyal also makes a return, with Hester Shaw herself coming across more - in this - as a complex anti-villain than she did in the previous entries, and with this also seeing the return of the Stalkers Shrike and Fang, both of whom largely drive the plot.
Worth a read, but maybe not the best 'jumping-on' point.
Hara05 (11 KP) rated The Tattooist of Auschwitz in Books
Jun 30, 2019
Does not live up to the hype!
Since my interest in the Holocaust started at the tender age of 7, I have devoured any book on the Holocaust that I can get my hands on. Before release, The Tattoo Of Auschwitz was all over my newsfeed and I pre-ordered, excited for another book on the subject.
Boy, what I disappointed.
The premise of this book offered so much potential but from the first page, I found myself cringing. I haven't read a book so poorly written since the Fifty Shades fiasco and although I'm loathe to compare the two (one a poorly informed erotica and this one, a book on such a important and harrowing topic) I find that I cannot help it.
As I've said, the premise offered so much potential. A true story of the Holocaust from a little explored prospective which shines a light on the suffering of all those forced through the gates of Auschwitz and Birkenau, this book could have been something truly special, resonating with so many readers on so many levels. Instead, the reader must grapple through pages of unrealistic dialogue, clunky exchanges and at times, very simplistic prose which simply makes the reader bored. We must never be bored when it comes to The Holocaust - of anything, the horrific event should have us all squirming, almost in a sea of distress as we turn each page for how else can we learn from this? How can we take on board the lessons that must be learned when we cannot connect with the characters?
The fact that this is a true story just adds to the disappointment. So many survivors spent their lives too afraid or too completely isolated to ever want to share their experiences with the world and yet, here we have a brave survivor , willing to do just that and their story is completely ruined by awful story telling. Whether all of the survivors story is true or not is not the issue here, it's how the story has been presented and bundled up beneath an eye catching cover.
So bad is the writing, so terribly constructed is the prose, that I found myself forcing myself to finish. By the time I did read the final sentence, I was relieved. Not my usual relief of 'Thank God, they survived!' but instead, relieved that I had managed to get through it. By the time the end came, I still did not feel any connection to the main characters other than the sympathy that they were forced to live through that ordeal. Of course, I was routing for them but not because of anything included in the book rather because they were real human beings who found themselves in such a place.
What is so disappointing is the fact that, with all the media attention and advertising this book received, it could have been at the forefront of the movement to raise awareness of The Holocaust. With so many survivors now gone, most without having shared their own stories, this book could have really been something special. It could have educated masses of people and made us take a long, hard look at ourselves and the world around us.
Instead, it is only memorable it's disjointed prose and simplicity, when it's premise is anything but simple.
Boy, what I disappointed.
The premise of this book offered so much potential but from the first page, I found myself cringing. I haven't read a book so poorly written since the Fifty Shades fiasco and although I'm loathe to compare the two (one a poorly informed erotica and this one, a book on such a important and harrowing topic) I find that I cannot help it.
As I've said, the premise offered so much potential. A true story of the Holocaust from a little explored prospective which shines a light on the suffering of all those forced through the gates of Auschwitz and Birkenau, this book could have been something truly special, resonating with so many readers on so many levels. Instead, the reader must grapple through pages of unrealistic dialogue, clunky exchanges and at times, very simplistic prose which simply makes the reader bored. We must never be bored when it comes to The Holocaust - of anything, the horrific event should have us all squirming, almost in a sea of distress as we turn each page for how else can we learn from this? How can we take on board the lessons that must be learned when we cannot connect with the characters?
The fact that this is a true story just adds to the disappointment. So many survivors spent their lives too afraid or too completely isolated to ever want to share their experiences with the world and yet, here we have a brave survivor , willing to do just that and their story is completely ruined by awful story telling. Whether all of the survivors story is true or not is not the issue here, it's how the story has been presented and bundled up beneath an eye catching cover.
So bad is the writing, so terribly constructed is the prose, that I found myself forcing myself to finish. By the time I did read the final sentence, I was relieved. Not my usual relief of 'Thank God, they survived!' but instead, relieved that I had managed to get through it. By the time the end came, I still did not feel any connection to the main characters other than the sympathy that they were forced to live through that ordeal. Of course, I was routing for them but not because of anything included in the book rather because they were real human beings who found themselves in such a place.
What is so disappointing is the fact that, with all the media attention and advertising this book received, it could have been at the forefront of the movement to raise awareness of The Holocaust. With so many survivors now gone, most without having shared their own stories, this book could have really been something special. It could have educated masses of people and made us take a long, hard look at ourselves and the world around us.
Instead, it is only memorable it's disjointed prose and simplicity, when it's premise is anything but simple.
Haiti Glass
Book
Winner of the 2015 PEN Oakland Josephine Miles Literary Award In her debut collection of verse and...
Child Protection and Parents with a Learning Disability: Good Practice for Assessing and Working with Adults - Including Autism Spectrum Disorders and Borderline Learning Disability
Book
Child Protection and Parents with a Learning Disability provides the practical knowledge that...
Advances in Human Factors, Software, and Systems Engineering: Proceedings of the Ahfe 2017 Conference on Human Factors, Software, and Systems Engineering, July 17-21, 2017, Los Angeles, California, USA
Tareq Ahram and Waldemar Karwowski
Book
This book provides a platform for addressing human factors in software and systems engineering, both...
Quantitative Approaches in Logistics and Supply Chain Management: Proceedings of the 8th Workshop on Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Berkeley, California, October 3rd and 4th, 2013
Hans-Jurgen Sebastian, Philip Kaminsky and Thomas Muller
Book
This contributed volume presents selected research papers from the 8th workshop on Logistics and...