Favorite Fiction - a list by skyekat

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Books from my shelf that fall into the general fiction category.

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Viewing 1-8 of 8 Items

The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Collector's Edition (Offered Exclusively by Amazon) by J. K. Rowling

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Harry Potter fans, rejoice! Here's a new J. K. Rowling release - a collector's edition of The Tales of Beedle the Bard. No, Hogwarts is not involved, but I hear these books are equally terrific - and a lot prettier.

Updated Jul 31, 2008

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The Labyrinth

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Labyrinth is like a lace-work of words. It's definitely surreal, and there are explosions of paragraphs that describe nothing so much as madness. It a story of a quest that isn't, a journey to a center that's not there. It's slightly insane and cyclical, but it's beautifully wrought. The plot is certainly secondary to the tale-telling, and the times that the book drops out of the narrator's head and dips into dialogue serve as resting points for your sensory-overloaded brain. At times, it can be a little bit hard to slog through the metaphors and find the meaning behind it, but it's rewarding in the end.

Updated Jul 3, 2008

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Odd and the Frost Giants

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The UK and Ireland has a very nice little program called World Book Day. Authors write books for free, publishers publish them for free, and kids buy them for £1. Not a bad deal. Neil Gaiman is one of the authors this year, which is very cool. But it means that the book is only available in the UK. So shipping is more than the cost of the book! Still, it's a good cause. But you'll have to wait until 3 Mar 2008 to get your hands on it, so mark those calenders!

Updated Jul 3, 2008

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InterWorld: Neil Gaiman, Michael Reaves

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I'm always interested in how a collaboration between authors works out. You take two different styles and attempt to play off the strengths of both people. It must be a hard thing to accomplish. In this case, it worked out quite well. I have been a fan of Neil Gaiman's for a while, but I was not aquatinted with Michael Reaves' work until now. I wasn't sure exactly what kind of spin he'd bring to the mix. Interestingly, they created a piece centered around achieving balance between the forces of science/technology and magic/fantasy. It's a perfect project for a first-class fantasy writer, like Gaiman, and a sci-fi writer like Reeves to play off each other's strengths. What was originally pitched as a pilot for a TV series, now makes a fun and fast read as a novel. There's a fair bit of talk about parallel universes, and time spent in places where Klein bottles and Mobius strips are the norm, but that's balanced by some suspenseful rescue attempts and a fair bit of character development for such a slim volume. It may be shelved in the young adult section, but it's a great ride for adults and kids alike. I know Gaiman fans will not be disappointed, and hopefully the same can be said of Reaves' fans as well.

Updated Jul 3, 2008

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What's your story? Postcard Collection

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Waterstones's had 13 authors write stories on a postcard and send them in to be auctioned for charity. They are releasing the collection of these stories as a limited edition book as well. All profits from the sale of this collection will go to Dyslexia Action and English PEN.

Authors include JK Rowling, Doris Lessing, Neil Gaiman, Michael Rosen, Nick Hornby, Sebastian Faulks, Lauren Child, Tom Stoppard, Irvine Welsh, Axel Scheffler, Margaret Atwood, Richard Ford and Lisa Appignanesi. There's something for just about everyone in there, and it goes to a good cause.

You can read all the stories online at http://www.waterstoneswys.com/ (Note: These are hand-written stories, and some are more legible than others...)

Updated Jun 12, 2008

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Escape from Amsterdam: Barrie Sherwood

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Escape from Amsterdam is a creative thriller about modern-day Japan. The main character, Aozora, is an apathetic student at Kyoto University, aspiring to do nothing more than fix bids at the Ministry of Construction. He’s obsessed with brand-names and just wants to make easy money and retire early. When his Mahjong debts become too much, he’s given a gift. An old Aunt left him and his sister a priceless collection of art. The only problem, he must find his sister. She’s been non-communicative for the past few weeks, so Aozora must set out to track her down, before his debtors track him down. The characters in this book are quirky, and none of them are black and white. Every person in this book does questionable things, even the “good guys.” As the circumstances of his sister become apparent, even Aozora’s motivations come into question. Some of the foreshadowing is a bit heavy-handed, but the story-line keeps your interest piqued. An interesting feature to the book is the manga and illustrations. Peppered throughout are xeroxes of manga, photographs the main character snapped, and drawings he’s made. It’s an interesting story filled with yakuza, family amusement parks with sinister underbellies, and families, as strange as they may be.

Updated May 27, 2008

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Woman's World: A Novel: Graham Rawle

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Now here's an interesting conceit. Create a novel, but every word has to be clipped from a women's magazine from the 1960s. Yes, it might get old to read after a while, but it sounds fascinating. The premise of the book is interesting too. A boy with a split personality, as a woman who lives and breathes the fashion magazines that the words are clipped from. A campy homage to thrillers.

Updated Apr 23, 2008

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The Facts In The Case Of The Departure Of Miss Finch by Neil Gaiman & Michael Zulli

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This book was a long time coming, originally slated for release over a year ago, but this adaptation of a short story by Neil Gaiman is worth the wait. If you've liked Michael Zulli's adaptations of Mr Gaiman's writing in the past, then you're sure to like this.

The story, also available in Fragile Things, centers around a "true story", in so much as the characters are ostensibly Mr Gaiman and some of his friends. These friends are obliged to entertain an acquaintance, and ask him along to the theatre and sushi. The theatre doesn't pan out, so instead they go to a circus held in underground caverns in London. While there, the cheesy stage-show develops into a very real threat, and a member of their party never returns...

The rich illustration style of Michael Zulli compliments this dark tale well. A visual feast, as well as a story-telling treat.

Updated Jun 8, 2008

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