November 22, 2005
Vampire Hunter D
Well, I've been a fan of Vampire Hunter D since I saw the film ages ago, and now I've finally gotten to read the book.
Now, it's a translation from the Japanese, so I have no way of knowing whether this is a flaw in the translator or in the author, but damn that prose was purple! D is always being described as gorgeous or beautiful, superlatives scatter the page like ants on a sugarbowl, and the ultimate effect is near-Lovecrafting overwrought writing.
Fortunately, the story itself is awesome. The plot is well-constructed (subplots come together and merge in unexpected ways, which is nice) and the characters and the world are fascinating. I really wished there was more detail about how things work (this is a post-apocalyptic future with all sorts of mutants and weird technology), but it's not good to slow down a suspenseful horror story with lots of exposition, so... yeah.
Anyway, I really enjoyed it, even if the purpleness did make me snicker on a semi-regular basis. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.
(book 30 in 2005)
Posted by Ealasaid at 01:57 PM | Comments (0)March 30, 2005
The Phantom of the Opera
by Gaston Leroux, translated by Lowell Bair
I had almost forgotten what a great book this is. Written to look like it's full of historical fact, it's really well done. Bravo! The translation was great, too - fluid, easy-to-read, and fairly witty as well. Hooray!
Of course, reading it again reminds me of all the ways in which Andrew Lloyd Weber's musical is a travesty of the original tale, but Oh Well.
(Book 14 in 2005)
Posted by Ealasaid at 12:14 PM | Comments (0)October 07, 2004
Club Dead
by Charlaine Harris
Yeah, I know I said I wouldn't read more of these while subbing but I couldn't resist, and I'm glad I didn't. This book rocks. This whole series rocks. Harris rocks! They're not as richly textured or filled with complex characters as they could be but I care about Sookie and Bill, I'm excited by Eric, and I love to hate the bad guys. Oh, and Bubba kicks ass. If you've read the series, you know what I mean.
Living Dead in Dallas
by Charlaine Harris
Hard to classify this, the second book about telepath Sookie Stackhouse and Bill, her vampire boyfriend. It's funny, scary, mysterious, and at times pure horror. Weird. But very good. Sucked me in so well that I made a mental note not to bring any more Harris books with me to read when I substitute at the high school because they make it so I don't pay attention to the kids. Of course, I broke that resolution almost immdiately - I wanted to read the next book so bad!
January 14, 2004