It by Stephen King

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It by Stephen King is probably King’s finest piece of work and a grave disappointment…depending on how you look at it. Back when it came out, it was the talk of everyone. King had outdone himself and created a whole city with a history and believable characters and a scary monster clown. As the years go by, you hear less and less of It and that’s a shame. Because while I feel it’s a grave disappointment, it is only a disappointment because of how good the first 90 percent of the book is. The ending is poorly done and just ruins the book. But up until that point, it’s an amazing journey. So what went wrong?

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Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord

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Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord is an interesting type of novel. The story is based on a Senegalese folk tale with tricksters and chaos sticks and wise women both teaching and learning lessons. The book is a slim volume (less than 200 pages) and treads much of the same territory as Neil Gaiman stories, only with an African folk tale instead of European. As someone who isn’t very familiar with African folk tales, it’s a refreshing change and makes me wish I knew more mythology from other areas of the world. So, what is the book about?

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The Dream of Perpetual Motion by Dexter Palmer

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The Dream of Perpetual Motion by Dexter Palmer can be quickly described in two word: Steampunk Shakespeare. The book is an interesting mix of The Tempest and a steampunk setting with using a mad genius inventor in the place of a illusionist/magician. The setting provides an interesting perspective on the original play and provides interesting commentary along the way. But was it done well?

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Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said by Philip K Dick

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Flow My Tears, the Policeman said was the last book by Philip K Dick before his VALIS incident. The book is one of my personal favorites. It shows Dick’s growth as a writer, as the book is better written than a lot of his work in the previous decades. His earlier novels are mostly plot centric with Dick’s wonderful thoughts and ideas driving those book forwards. As the 1970s started, Dick was better using his talent and the writing quality became better and better. When combined with his amazing ideas it is clear to see why this book was a Nebula nominee and won the John W Campbell award. So, what is the book about?

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The Final Solution by Michael Chabon

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The Final Solution is Michael Chabon going through the genre ghetto and trying to bring them to a wider audience. With The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay he dealt with comics, with Gentlemen of the Road he aimed more at a fantasy/adventure tail and The Yiddish Policemen’s Union was a science fiction book (more in the vein of The Man in the High Castle than spaceships and space opera). The Final Solution is a detective novel and if you’re going to write a detective novel, then you might as well aim high and shoot for a Sherlock Holmes book. Although Holmes’ name is never mentioned in the book, it is apparent to all that it is him. So did Chabon pull it off?

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Dexter’s Laboratory by Genndy Tartakovsky

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Dexter’s Laboratory by Genndy Tartakovsky is a cute kid’s cartoon that people of any age would love. Genndy Tartakovsky is the Chuck Jones of this generation. He is able to convey wonderful emotions and hilarity with deceptively simple drawings and stories. Writers on the show included Craig McCracken (who went on to create The Powerpuff Girls), Butch Hartman (who went on to create Fairly Oddparents and Danny Phantom) and Seth McFarlane (Family Guy and most of Sunday night on Fox) among others. With top notch writing and a keen visual sense, Dextor’s Laboratory was one of the better cartoons of recent years.

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Maps in a Mirror by Orson Scott Card

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Maps in a Mirror is a collection of previously published short stories by Orson Scott Card. While Card is mainly known for his Ender Wiggin series of books, he was a prolific short story writer before moving to novels. These stories cover science fiction, horror and even philosophy. And with 46 stories (and close to 700 pages) there’s a story in there for everyone.

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Miracle(Marvel)man by Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman and a cast of thousands

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Miracleman (also known on the England side of the world as Marvelman) started as a Captain Marvel replacement and ended up as a legal hot potato that involved bankruptcy, confusion over copyright ownership, lawsuits, two different comic book companies buying the rights from two different copyright holders, delays, confusion and still no end in sight. And it’s a sad story because not only are the Alan Moore stories now out of print, but the Neil Gaiman stories have never finished their storyline. But who or what is Miracle(Marvel)man?

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