Twisted Kingdom

Completion Date: July 2007
Pages: 239
Publication Year: 2007 (Eos, a division of Harper Collins)
Received from Harper Collins in 2007.

Reason for Reading: This book will be included on Harper Collins What Would Harry Read blog, but I would have read it anyways because I tend to buy Neil Gaiman's books.

Joey Harker isn't a hero.

In fact, he's the kind of guy who gets lost in his own house.

But then one day, Joey gets really lost. He walks straight out of his world and into another dimension.

Joey's walk between the worlds makes him prey to two terrible forces—armies of magic and science who will do anything to harness his power to travel between dimensions.

When he sees the evil those forces are capable of, Joey makes the only possible choice: to join an army of his own, an army of versions of himself from different dimensions who all share his amazing power and who are all determined to fight to save the worlds.

Master storyteller Neil Gaiman and Emmy Award-winning science-fiction writer Michael Reaves team up to create a dazzling tale of magic, science, honor, and the destiny of one very special boy—and all the others like him.

I first started reading Neil Gaiman a couple years ago. The more I read him, though, the more I wonder if I am a big fan or not. I started out reading Good Omens, which he co-authored with Terry Pratchett. I thought that book was brilliant, so I added Gaiman to my list of authors to buy. It was last summer before I read another book by him, this time Stardust. I really like fairy tales, so this book was an enjoyable read. Now, I find myself wondering if I read the two good books and should not expect great things in the future. I liked Neverwhere when I read it, but looking back on it I cannot even remember it anymore. Coraline was okay, but not the best book I have ever read. What I am trying to say is that the more I read him, the more I wonder why.

InterWorld was not a terrible read, but once again, not the greatest science-fiction book I have ever read. A lot of people are saying that, though, that this is not as great as his previous works. I suppose part of the lack of Gaiman writing style is that this book is co-authored with a man that is known for his science fiction television writing, and normally for shows of a more serious nature than Gaiman's normal writing. You cannot expect the same thing with this book as when he co-authored with Terry Pratchett because Pratchett is closer to Gaiman's style. That being said, I liked this book.

For me, the best part of this book was Hue. I think Hue was typical Gaiman making an appearance, and while the bubble-like creature never spoke, he was a fantastic addition to the cast of characters. I liked his appearances, they made the book for me. This book is supposed to be one of those reads where your root for the underdog. Joey Harker has no special abilities outside of the fact that he can travel through dimensions. The other characters he encounters can do other things and are more beneficial to the mission, but it is Joey that saves the day. All I can say is, very predictable book. Like there is any doubt about the income of the story, you could skip everything in between and still not be surprised by the ending. Some of Gaiman's other books are a bit more crafty with their endings, you get a bit of surprise, this ending was so cliched.

****SPOILERS*****

What really annoyed was how predicatable the book was. Boy finds he has special powers, bad people find him and it looks like the end is near, but at the last minute he is heroically saved. He goes to live with the good guys, the bad guys get mad and set up a trap, everyone is captured except for the heroic Joey Harker. He gets blamed for what happened, and sent home, but he is not prepared to go down without a fight. He attempts to save the day with no plan, has a lot of "bad" things happen, and of course in the end saves the day. He has no powers, no special skills, but he is the one that wins out over the more powerful people in the book. It's a scenerio that has been done over and over again. Sometimes it would be nice for the bad guys to win for a change.

****END SPOILERS****

Okay, now that I had my vent, I will stay maintain that if you are a Gaiman fan you should read this book. It is always appropriate to read all an authors books so that you can get an idea of all aspects that they are capable of.

Parting Thoughts: When I first finished this book I thought I liked it a lot more than I find myself feeling now that it has been about a week since I completed it. When you start thinking about it and analyzing it, you find that there are better books you could be reading. I am starting to think that none of his books are ever going to be better than Good Omens and Stardust. I read for the hope that authors books get even better, but that has not happened for me yet with Gaiman.

Completion Date: June 30, 2007
Pages: 352
Publication Year: 2001
Owned Prior to 2007

Reason for Reading: It's Neil Gaiman, need I say more?

In Neil Gaiman's richly imagined fiction, anything is possible. And the proof is in the telling in this extraordinary collection of short stories. Discover within these pages miraculous inventions and curious characters: an elderly widow who finds the Holy Grail tucked beneath an old fur coat in a thrift store, a terrified boy who barters for his life with a mean-spirited troll living beneath a bridge by the railroad tracks, a young couple who receives a wedding gift that gradually reveals a chilling alternative history of their marriage. Smoke and Mirrors will dazzle your senses, touch your heart -- and haunt your dreams.

I noticed it had been a while since I read Neil Gaiman, so I decided to pick up one of his books. I do not know why I am so slow reading him, I like him well enough, but I take a while to get around to the authors that I like. I imagine the trick is to like less authors...

I have the worst time writing reviews for short story collections because I am not sure really what to say. I liked all the short stories in this collection for the most part, I was reading along trying to figure out which one my favourite one was, but I found that there were a couple I was not a big fan of, but overall, the stories stand up well next to each other. I had a hard time saying which one was my favourite. I did really like one about Santa Claus, I thought it was very creative. There were a few other retellings of popular tales in there as well, one of my favourite being a retelling of Snow White.

This collection was a very varied group. There was straight fantasy, some horrorish stuff, even stuff that was almost science fiction in nature. Some of the stories were one page long, while others were several pages in length. I found that the stories all worked well together, even if I was not always sure what the thread was that held them all together. I am also not a huge reader of short stories, I prefer novels, but Gaiman appears to be good no matter what form he is using.

Parting Thoughts: I know I do not do this justice. I started out taking notes on all the short stories, but I found that was taking away from my enjoyment, so I just started reading without the notes. The collection starts off very well, though, the first story is related to King Arthur and the search for the Holy Grail. Overall, another great read from Neil Gaiman. (So far, Good Omens is still my favourite Gaiman. I know a lot of people like Stardust or Neverwhere as their favourite, but that one is mine. It might have a lot to do with the fact it was my first Gaiman.)

"Under the streets of London there's a place most people could never even dream of. A city of monsters, and saints, murderers and angels, knights in armour and pale girls in black velvet. This is the city of the people who have fallen between the cracks.

Richard Mayhew, a young businessman, is going to find out more than enough about this other London. A single act of kindness catapuls him out of his workday existence and into a world that is at once eerily familiar and utterly bizarre. And a strange destiny awaits him down here, beneath his native city: neverwhere."

Because last month was Neil Gaiman for author of the month, I thought I would review Coraline today.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Published by Harper Trophy in 2002

The day after they moved in,
Coraline went exploring....

In Coraline's family's new flat are twenty-one windows and fourteen doors. Thirteen of the doors open and close.

The fourteenth is locked, and on the other side is only a brick wall, until the day Coraline unlocks the door to find a passage to another flat in another house just like her own.

Only it's different.

At first, things seem marvelous in the other flat. The food is better. The toy box is filled with wind-up angels that flutter around the bedroom, books whose pictures writhe and crawl and shimmer, little dinosaur skulls that chatter their teeth. But there's another mother, and another father, and they want Coraline to stay with them and be their little girl. They want to change her and never let her go.

Other children are trapped there as well, lost souls behind the mirrors. Coraline is their only hope of rescue. She will have to fight with all her wits and all the tools she can find if she is to save the lost children, her ordinary life, and herself.

Critically acclaimed and award-winning author Neil Gaiman will delight readers with his first novel for all ages.

This is the fourth book I have read by Neil Gaiman. I have also read Good Omens (which he wrote with Terry Pratchett), Stardust, and Neverwhere. I keep on reading him because I keep on enjoying his books. I think Stardust is probably my favourite, and I cannot wait to see the movie (it looks really good), but this was an enjoyable read as well.

For those of you planning on joining in with Stainless Steel Droppings R.I.P. Challenge this year, this is a perfect book! Very dark and creepy, that's for sure. It could almost be called a faery tale, but a very dark one. This book is perfect for children because when you are growing up there are always moments when you feel like your parents are not doing everything that they can for you, and that you sometimes wish that you had different ones. So, when Coraline explores her house and finds a secret door to a new family, for a time it seems like a dream come true. No matter how much they looked like her parents, though, and how much they treated her like their whole world, they were not the parents that had raised her and they were not the parents that she wanted to live with forever.

While this book is perfect for all ages, it is also a very good adventure story for the young reader, and it reminds the older readers of just how bad it was to be living with the folks from time to time. It is only a short book, 194 pages, but it fits those pages. It does not feel rushed, it flows very well, and there are lots of interesting characters to meet in both words. There is also a cat, which, I think is a great addition to the cast of characters. Coraline is a smart girl, and Gaiman shows what it is like to be young very well.

Overall, another great Gaiman for readers everywhere to enjoy. One of these days I might pick up the audio version because I have heard good things about it. I think that everyone should read Gaiman, though, very worth the time!

Stardust by Neil Gaiman
published in 1999

Ames' rating: 4/5
Nath's rating: 4/5

In the tiny village called Wall, things are not quite what they seem...

In the sleepy English countryside of decades past, there is a town that has stood on a jut of granite for six hundred years. And immediately to the east stands a high stone wall, for which the village is named.
Here in the town of Wall, Tristran Thorn has lost his heart to the hauntingly beautiful Victoria Forester. One crisp October night, he makes a rash promise that sends Tristan through the only gap in the wall, across the meadow, and into the most unforgettable adventure of his life.

Genre: Fairy Tale, Fantasy
Series: none

Review: Back in March, Kailana challenged Nath to read a Neil Gaiman book by April 15th. I decided to jump on board because Mailyn sent me Stardust for Christmas. (Thank you, Mailyn!) Nath chose Stardust to meet the challenge, and we decided to do a buddy review.

Nath: I almost didn't make it!!! LOL ^^;

Ames: Despite a slow beginning, I thought this book really picked up and was quite satisfying in the end. I think I read somewhere that Stardust is like a modern fairy tale, and I agree.

Nath: Hmmm... Me I didn't know what to expect really. Upon reading the first few pages, I know it was going to be different, the writing style and all... then, I read the end... couldn't help myself. So when I went to read the beginning, I was wondering how it would tie with the story... but it fit really well. Also, I do agree that it's a satisfying book :)

The wall, by which the town of Wall stands, has one breach in it. And this breach is guarded every day and night to prevent people from going through to the other side. Through the breach, a meadow can be seen, and on the other side of the meadow, a forest. Every nine years, there is a Faery Fair in the meadow, and the guard is relaxed for one whole day. As a mini-spoiler, I have to say that Tristan is the result of a resident of Wall charming a lady from the Other Side. Only he doesn't know about his birth mother and blissfully lives his life in Wall. One day, in his 18th year, he walks home Victoria Forester, his love, and in a passionate bid for her hand, he tells her he will give her the star they just watched fall out of the sky. And Stardust is the story of Tristan Thorn's journey to find that fallen star.

Tristan's fate isn't the only one tied to the star's. There are three old witches, who need the heart of a star to remain young. A dying king's three sons must find the star to control the throne of Stormhold. And the star herself, who was knocked unceremoniously out of sky, has a destiny to fulfill as well.

An interesting story, fast paced, with some great characters. I think this is a great introduction to Neil Gaiman.

I liked the story, however, I disagree with Ames' comments on fast-paced. I didn't think this book was fast-paced at all, perhaps because of Mr. Gaiman's writing style. His writing style is so smooth that when you read the book, it feels gentle, peaceful and very passive. You're not in the action with the characters, but you're looking from afar... which is very different than nowaday's books, especially fantasy and I think it was a nice change. I agree with Ames that this was a nice introduction to Neil Gaiman, but I think this book is an exception. As in if I read Neverwhere or American Gods, the writing style will be very different and more contemporary... and that's why I'll be reading another book of his very soon.

Kailana's Questions

Did you enjoy reading Neil Gaiman?
ames: Yes I did. There were some parts where I thought the story would be long and drawn out (because Tristan is going on a journey) but the story was never bogged down with the minute details.
nath: I really did enjoy the story. This was very different than what I'm used to read... The story was very straightforward and it wasn't dragged either.


Considering that you two both typically read primarily romance, did you enjoy the experience?
ames: Well, considering Tristan goes into Faery because of his love, I thought Stardust was a good blend of fantasy and romance.
nath: Personally, I think that Stardust was a romance :P Because if it wasn't for love, there wouldn't have been a story. But to answer the question, yes, I did enjoy the experience.


Would you recommend Gaiman to non-fantasy readers?
ames: Definitely. There is no major world-building and Stardust was quite humourous.
nath: I think I'll have to read a few more books by Mr. Gaiman, before making the recommendation. Not because the book wasn't good, but just to have a better sense of what's Mr. Gaiman's style.

Are you planning to read him again, or will this be your only attempt? Why or why not?
ames: I am going to read Gaiman again. I already have two books of his in my TBR pile.
nath: Yeah, I'm planning to read him again... either American Gods or Neverwhere. They sound intriguing.


Would you watch the movie?
ames: If Peter Jackson directed it, yes I would.
nath: hmmm, the movie is coming out soon and so, yes, I would go see it. I'm actually quite intrigued as how it will turn out. Unlike most fantasy books, I think this one would be quite easy to adapt to the big screen :D
ames: Nath has informed me that the movie, Stardust, is coming out soon and Peter Jackson didn't direct it. I was tempted to change my answer, but I had to investigate, and the trailer looks really good. Here is the Stardust movie website.

So, did anyone else achieve the Twisted Kingdom TBR challenge? What did you think of Stardust? You're welcome to share your thoughts with us! Also, if you want to read more about Stardust, you'll find Kailana and Mailyn's reviews in the following post.

Our first guest review! Youppi! Today's guest review is by Stephanie, Stephanie's Confessions of a Book-a-holic! The best thing is that she reviewed American Gods by Neil Gaiman, our Author of the Month! So hopefully, you'll all enjoy the review! and thank you Stephanie for the guest review!

Enjoy!

American Gods (William Morrow, 2001 pgs. 465) by Neil Gaiman is a book that I've had on my shelf for ages. Thanks to the TBR Challenge, I finally pulled it down. And I'm SO GLAD I did!! It's a fantasy book, which is a fairly new genre for me. But I couldn't ask for a better book to solidify my new love for it! 4.5/5

A new feature that we are implementing at Twisted Kingdom is an author of the month. Right now, it is just between me and Nath, but there might be more going on in the future. For this particular month, I chose Neil Gaiman. The point of this is not to only post about Neil Gaiman, the point of this is that Nath has never read a single Gaiman book, so I challenge her to have read one book by him by April 15th. I gave her some options because we are not rich book bloggers, and she chose to read Stardust. With these authors of the month, it would also be great if more than one book can be read by him, but this is more of a challenge than anything. I have to admit, though, if I could read the four Neil Gaiman books I have in TBR pile, this challenge could work out to lots of benefit.

So, to start this challenge off, I am not going to regurgate his biography, that is what his web site is for, I am going to tell you why I chose Neil Gaiman. I only recently read Neil Gaiman for the first time myself. It was my third year of university, and I was taking a fantasy course. One of the books that we had to read was Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. I really enjoyed reading that book, and it made me interested to see more of his efforts. It was a while before I read anything else by him, last summer to be exact, but I have since read Stardust, Neverwhere, and The Sandman Vol 1: Preludes and Nocturnes. Good Omens was an apocolyptic-type novel which I highly recommend. Stardust, which I believe is to become a movie, is a bit of a fairy tale. Neverwhere is a lose retelling of Alice in Wonderland. Preludes and Noctunres is the first book in his graphic novel series. In the TBR pile I have American Gods (which I am almost done), Anansi Boys, Coraline, and Smoke and Mirrors. If you are lucky, I might share some of my thoughts on these books between now and April 15th.

So, tune back here on April 15th to see if Nath meets my challenge! But, be sure and read the blog between now and then too because we have a lot of special things going on. To visit Neil Gaiman's Web Site, click here.

I read this book for the last of my R.I.P books, a fall reading challenge that has been making the rounds of the blogging world. With this review, I have completed my challenge.

From the back of the book:

Richard Mayhew is a plain man with a good heart - and an ordinary life that is changed forever on a day he stops to help a girl he finds bleeding on a London sidewalk. From that moment forward he is propelled into a world he never dreamed existed - a dark subculture flourishing in abandoned subway stations and sewer tunnels below the city - a world far stranger and more dangerous than the only one he has ever known...

The interesting thing about this book is that the Minneapolis Star Tribune says on the back: "A dark contemporary 'Alice in Wonderland'... imaginative, well-crafted [and] highly visual." I never noticed that until after I was about halfway through the book, so when I did see it, I had to stop and think for a moment. I never made the direction comparision myself, but I might have by the end. It really is a retelling of Alice in Wonderland. And we all know how much I like fairy tale retellings.

How is it like Alice, people may be wondering. For starters, it takes place below ground. The characters in this underground world have fallen through the cracks in society, much like how Alice fell through the rabbit hole. Who is Alice in this novel can be looked at several ways. If we were going with a same sex character, than Door would be Alice on her adventures through the underground. The only problem with that is Door never lived above ground, her life has always taken place in the underground. That means, that the most likely character to be "Alice" in this tale is Richard Mayhew. He is used to a life above ground, but when he saves Door, that is in essence him falling from the above world to the underground one.

There are also elements from Alice of Wonderland found in this tale. Alice, in her tale, meets lots of crazy critters in her adventures through Wonderland. Richard does the same. At first he, like Alice, questions what he sees in front of him, but by the end of the novel he is just learning to accept whatever comes along. There are also many doors in the novel, as Alice battles with in the beginning of Alice in Wonderland. It is a very interesting fantasy novel, and I must admit, I like it better than Lewis Carroll's original tale. Alice annoys me in that novel.

I must admit, I am gaining a strong liking for Gaiman. I own all of his novels, now, so I will be sure to post on the three I haven't read yet in the next few months.

4/5

Kailana says...

This is one of the books that my mother bought for me in Ontario, and I must say, it was about time I got around to reading a Neil Gaiman novel. Well, one where he writes alone, I have read Good Omens which he wrote with Terry Pratchett.

From the back of the book:

Young Tristran Thorn will do anything to win the cold heart of beautiful Victoria - even fetch her the star they watch fall from the night sky. But to do so, he must enter the unexplored lands on the other side of the ancient walls that gives their tiny village its name. Beyond that old stone wall, Tristran learns, likes Fairie - where nothing, not even a falled star, is what he imagined.

I have to say it again: I really like fairy tale-type novels. I shouldn't, because a lot of them are sexist, but I read them as a fairy tale and not a reaction to society as a whole. They started out as oral tales and only by traveling from site to site did they ever manage to be written down. They were written down by men, typically the story tellers were men, and fairy tales are old, so instead of dreaming that they are more respectable of women, I read them with an open-mind. Besides, the fairy tales that are being written nowadays are moving away from the conventions of the classical fairy tale and more into a modern telling that better represents the times.

I look at Stardust as an adult fairy tale. Many adults think that fairy tales are children't stories, but they were originally written for adults, children just adopted them as their own. If you ignore the Disney retellings and concentrate on the original stories, you will find that there are a lot of dark fairy tales that would not be someone's first choice for children. So, if I am not going to market fairy tales for children, then I shouldn't market this novel for adults. Fairy tales should be open to all ages, because really, this book isn't any darker than some of the versions of say Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty that parents read to their children.

Anyways, this book was a very enjoyable read. It starts off as a tale about a boy that sets out to find the prize that will claim his one true love, but it ends up being a novel about a man finding his destiny and place in the world. All the fairy tale creatures are present. We have the evil witch, the helpful little person, the magic, and even the "wish upon a star" moments. Not a conventional star, though, by any means. The star represents different things to different people. It shows the magic of the world outside Wall, but at the same time it shows you that seeing is not always believing. And you shouldn't set yourself on one goal, because things can very easily change along the way.

There are so many wonderful elements to this book. It is a very short read, but the story is wonderful. I say again how glad I am that I finally took the time to read Neil Gaiman, I was not disappointed. Maybe next time I might read the two books I have by him for the R.I.P. challenge... You know what, I think I am going to consider substituting this with another book on my challenge list. It is a dark tale, I didn't know if it would be. If I read this and two other Gaiman novels, that only leaves two other books to read.

4.5/5



Mailyn says...

I have to say this book was a real treat and I honestly wasn't expecting it to be this good. I won't go into the story again as Kailana has already explained what this is about.

I will say that Gaiman is very good at weaving a tale that truly feels like the faerie tales of the olden days. This is like reading the original Grimm faerie tales right down to the violence and gore present in those famous tales.

Anyone that has ever read the Grimm brothers knows that Disney and today's versions don't come anywhere near the originals which where full of violence. You had people being boiled alive, body parts getting cut off and all sorts of other gore. This book pays homage to those tales and Gaiman doesn't shy away from showing you the harsher side of Fantasyland.

Nonetheless this doesn't take the reader out of the book or make you want to stop reading. The tale is extremely well told and all the pieces fit together nicely.

I do have to warn the reader that this is an adult faerie tale as there are sexual situations as well as violence. This is clearly not a bedtime story for the kids.

It is, however, one very entertaining and engaging reading for anyone who has ever loved a very good faerie tale.

I give it a 4.5 out of 5 as well.