A Throwback Thursday Review — The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

The front cover of the novel The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson The Haunting of Hill House
By: Shirley Jackson
Release Date: October 16, 1959
Publisher: Penguin
Rating:


Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House is probably one of the best-known horror novels of the last century. Master storyteller Shirley Jackson spins a tale in this novel that many modern readers may not expect to find, especially depending on which movie adaptation of this classic tale they may have seen.

Review- Rules of Prey (Lucas Davenport #1)

Rules of Prey (Lucas Davenport #1)
By: John Sandford
Website: http://www.johnsandford.org/directory.html
Release Date: August 2nd, 2005
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Series: Lucas Davenport
Rating:


Another mystery/thriller series and another author who has impressed me stylistically. However, there were things I didn’t love in this book and when I look back I remember why I didn’t immediately start book two.

#ThrowbackThursday Review – The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia McKillip

The Forgotten Beasts of Eld
By: Patricia McKillip
Website: http://www.patriciamckillip.com/
Release Date: September 17, 2017
Publisher: Tachyon Publications
Award: World Fantasy Award for Best Novel (1975); Mythopoeic Fantasy Award Nominee (1975)
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


Patricia McKillip’s novel The Forgotten Beasts of Eld was republished by Tachyon Publications. This World Fantasy Award winning novel is a true treasure, a book that is most definitely worth reading.

The Forgotten Beasts of Eld is a standalone fantasy novel by Patricia McKillip. Sybel is a wizard, the latest in a long line of powerful wizards. She lives atop Eld Mountain, constantly calling the powerful and mystical creatures of long lost stories to her doorstep. Sybel is completely disinterested in the world of men, but that world comes knocking on her door in the form of an infant – a cousin whose mother is dead and whose kingly father, if he is truly the father at all, is apt to kill him. Slowly, Sybel is introduced to the world below, to love, to revenge, and more power than even she thought possible.

#ThrowbackThursday – Sandman, Vol 3: Dream Country by Neil Gaiman

Dream Country (Vol. 3)
By: Neil Gaiman (writer)
Release Date: (Original release) 1991; (this volume) October 19, 2010
Publisher: Vertigo
Series: The Sandman #3
Award: World Fantasy Award for Short Story (“A Midsummer Night’s Dream); Harvey Awards Nominee for Best Graphic Album of Previously Published Material (1992); Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards for Best Continuing Series, Best Writer (for Neil Gaiman) (1991)
Rating:


Happy Throwback Thursday, everyone. This week I continued reading The Sandman series, written by Neil Gaiman. This is an excellent horror graphic novel series, perfect to read around Halloween that everyone should read.

For anyone unfamiliar with the series, or if you’d like to catch up on our reviews, check out the reviews of Preludes and Nocturns (Volume 1) and The Doll’s House (Volume 2).

Dream Country (Volume 3) of the The Sandman series reads more like a compilation of short stories as opposed to the previous volumes in the series. The volume is separated into three different stories. One is about a Here again Dream takes somewhat of a back seat. Dream’s presence is obvious, and very much felt in each tale. Yet, he is not necessarily the main character of each tale. He is the catalyst, the important factor, the other, at times.

#ThrowbackThursday Review – Slayers: The Ghost of Sairaag by Hajime Kanzaka

Slayers: The Ghost of Sairaag
By: Hajime Kanzaka
Release Date: (Original Japanese 1991); (English Translation) March 8, 2005
Publisher: TokyoPop
Series: Slayers #3
Rating:


I really wish these books were still being translated. The series is a lot of fun, and the books don’t disappoint. This is actually the second time I’ve read The Ghost of Sairaag by Hajime Kanzaka in only a few months. I’d originally started it less than a week before moving, so of course the book got packed away in a box I couldn’t find upon move in, the last chapter still unread. At this point I figured I may as well read the whole thing over again, something I’m never against when it’s one of my favorite series.

#ThrowbackThursday Review – Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis

Out of the Silent Planet
By: C.S. Lewis
Release Date: (original) 1938; (this edition) March 11, 2003
Publisher: Scribner
Series: Space Trilogy #1
Award: Hugo Award Nominee for Best Novel (Retro 1939) (2014)
Rating:


Nearly everyone has read C.S. Lewis’s iconic series The Chronicles of Narnia. Despite Lewis being a fairly prolific author in his time, I’ve never read anything else by him, living in the delusion that there really wasn’t much more that he’s written, or, perhaps, anything worth reading. Recently, I stumbled upon the first and third books in his science fiction series at a used book sale. Out of the Silent Planet is a short but dense book that is absolutely worth reading.

#ThrowbackThursday Review – The Sandman, Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturns by Neil Gaiman

The Sandman, Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturns
By: Neil Gaiman
Website: http://www.neilgaiman.com/
Release Date: (Original) 1988; (this edition) December 1, 1988
Publisher: Vertigo
Series: The Sandman #1
Rating:


I was in the used book store attached to my library recently, seeing what new things they’d put on the shelves since the last time I wiped out their stock. Out of curiosity I wandered over to a shelf labeled ‘humor’. There, tucked between copies of newspaper comic strip compilations and stand up comic’s autobiographies was a misplaced copy of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman: Preludes and Nocturns.

A ‘humor’ book this is not. But if you’re looking for some graphic novel horror in your life, you’ve come to the right place.

#ThrowbackThursday Review – The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde

The Big Over Easy
By: Jasper Fforde
Website: http://www.jasperfforde.com/
Release Date: July 11, 2005
Publisher: Viking Adult
Series: Nursery Crime #1
Award: Lefty Award Nominee (2006)
Rating:


There’s something almost magical to be said for a library book sale. Are just so many books, and that cash just can’t stay in my pocket. I picked up this book on a whim. Never heard of the author before, but the title sounded interesting and it’d been quite some time since I settled down with a mystery story to boot.

I was excited! It sounded so different, so fun! I immediately told my husband, mother, and mother-in-law all about the synopsis. Reactions ranged from ‘that sounds kind of familiar’ to ‘pretty sure I read that, didn’t you?’. Apparently I’m the only one who hasn’t heard of The Big Over Easy, the author Jasper Fforde, or any of his other books.

Throwback Thursday: The Hero of Ages (Mistborn #3)

The Hero of Ages (Mistborn #3)
By: Brandon Sanderson
Website: http://brandonsanderson.com/
Release Date: October 14th, 2008
Publisher: Tor Books
Series: Mistborn Series
Rating:


Returning to the world of Vin, Elend and the rest of Kelsier’s crew was enjoyable and it kept me hooked on this series. The action is still there, the characters are still well written and the story only gets more complicated from here on out.

If you haven’t read the first two books…go back and do that before reading on. The story picks up  after the previous book left off. From here on out there are SPOILERS.  

Throwback Thursday: The Well of Ascension (Mistborn #2)

The Well of Ascension (Mistborn #2)
By: Brandon Sanderson
Website: http://brandonsanderson.com/
Release Date: August 21st, 2007
Publisher: Tor Books
Series: Mistborn Series
Rating:


Returning to the world of Vin, Elend and the rest of Kelsier’s crew was enjoyable and it kept me hooked on this series. The action is still there, the characters are still well written and the story only gets more complicated from here on out.