(Originally posted June 23, 2010) Gaiman is an incredibly talented writer, but he made a name for himself by writing about the dark side of a world disturbingly similar to ours. Read American Gods and you will know why. The characters are incredibly well drawn and three dimensional. You care about the main character and root for him throughout, but most writers can pull that off. What sets Gaiman apart is the richness of all the other characters- not just the secondary characters but everyone in the background. His real coupe, though, is to end the book with creepiness tempered by a touch of hope.   (Review after a second…

(Originally posted June 21, 2010) Back when I was an undergrad, I took a combo English/History class that focused on memoir and autobiography. One of the books we read as memoir was The Color of Water by James McBride. I love this book. I have loaned it out and given it as a gift multiple times. The sub-title is “A Black Man’s Tribute to his White Mother” and it is a lovely story of generations and finding a place in a world where you may not belong. The title comes from the answer the mother gives when the children ask her “What color is God?”

(Originally posted on June 10, 2010) Let me start by saying that I loved the movie Stardust. It is a new favorite and ranks close to Princess Bride for a romantic fantasy. DeNiro as Captain Shakespeare was inspired. That said, the book is even better. I understand the concessions that were made to make the book into a movie, but the depth and complications of the book make the story even more poignant. I love that Dunstan crossed the wall, came home and married his human sweetheart. It creates a nice dichotomy with Tristan’s decision to stay on the other side of the wall with Yvaine.

(Originally posted on June 8, 2010) Ranks of Bronze is not from one of Drake’s many different series. It draws on his expertise as one of the best military science fiction writers there is. It is the story of a group of Roman Legionnaires who are kidnapped by aliens to fight in intergalactic wars against other aliens who happen to be of the same technological level as the Romans. Once again, this is the first book I read by this author. It is the book that made me fall in love with David Drake. I rarely read pure science fiction, but if it’s Drake, I’m there.