Review: 11/22/63

11/22/63 by Stephen King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Stephen King is a bloody good storyteller. His style, his characters and locations, the way he builds suspense, they stand true across his books. This one was no different. It had a sense of intrigue from early pages that held me and refused to let go.

11/22/63 does two things that make it worth reading. First, it layers mysteries. It starts with a story that we do not read penned by the school janitor. Then, it layers on a man with a card. Then, it adds another secret, another question. Slowly, deliberately, the mysteries get layered. Then, they get closer to each other. Then, you ask a question, and the book tells you the answer is just around the corner. So, you read some more, waiting for the answer, but the answer isn't enough. That process repeats, with more questions and more answers till the very end of the book, when everything draws to a close. (More on that later)

The second reason to read 11/22/63 is the journey. I have not read many books where the journey is so clearly laid out before me. Before the meat of the book hit me, it had already told me where it was going. It had forayed, a few times, and given me a taste. Without spoiling the book, the best I can say to that end, is that when Epping (protagonist) travels to the past and begins the main journey of the book, you already know what beats his story will follow. Who he will save, how many he will try to save, all that jazz. You know the journey will culminate with the rescue (or lack thereof) of John F. Kennedy. So, you hang on for dear life, but you never lose sight. The result? It feels deliciously contained. The end is so clearly hinted at in the very beginning, that despite the massiveness of the narrative, it feels like the scope is perfect. Think, Lord of the Rings.

Those are the two reasons you should start reading 11/22/63. You will keep reading because you want to know what happens. You'll be emotionally invested, because stories will unfold in front of you. Some will resonate, some will be repeated stories, some will contain residues of ones you've read a hundred pages back. It will be expansive, but it will all come together.

And when it comes together, the book is at its weakest. In a way, it is inevitable that it would be, so it was not a huge surprise when I reached the last pages and was left with a "oh, that's it" on my lips. The story is far too expansive, far too powerful with far too many threads, and ending such a piece with a bow and a flourish is near impossible.

King does a decent job. It explains a lot, the ending. There are good bits there, the last page is bittersweet but heartfelt. The only problem is, the overall narrative arc does not meet an end that delivers on the promises that were made through the book. This would have been 5-stars if it had.

That should not stop you from reading it. The ending is not "bad", just not as good as the rest of the book is.

As a whole, definitely read this.

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Review: Cat O' Nine Tales: And Other Stories

Cat O' Nine Tales: And Other Stories by Jeffrey Archer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The characters are the first thing you will notice in Cat O' Nine Tales. It is hard to describe what makes them stand out. They have personalities that feel semi-authentic, almost believable and always rustic and charming in ways you cannot pin down. You will want to know what's happening to them, you will want to know what their stories are. So, you keep reading.

The stories themselves are driven by these characters, making them really good stories. The prose is effortless to read, but does not shirk from some poignant observations. It is that which is rarely seen, easy to understand but also quite tasteful. A sign of masterful authoring (it is Jeffrey Archer).

Beyond that, there isn't much more to say. There are some good stories and some that miss the mark, but I think a lot of it will depend on which characters you relate to and what kinds of stories you like. Overall, there is nothing too exciting about any of them. Nothing that pulls you to the edge of your seat, nothing that stays with you long after you've finished reading. (There is the sole exception of the footnote to It Can't Be October Already which has stayed with me. Is the book worth picking up just for that? No.)

All in all, a comforting book, something to curl up with. It'll serve the purpose of being a pretty decent collection, but there are better collections out there that you might want to exhaust first. Enjoyable, but only just, and without the additional oomph that would make it excellent.

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Review: Selected Stories by Oscar Wilde

Selected Stories by Oscar Wilde by Oscar Wilde
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Oscar Wilde is the most quotable author I have read. Within this collection of 11 stories, there are phrases and sentences that can easily be pulled out and be held up as model examples of humor and witticism. Wilde has a sense of dry satire to the way he writes everything. The humor is not "laugh out loud" funny, it will rather keep you smiling wryly and subtly as it infects every part of the stories themselves.

The stories are powerful. Their plots are thin, but the descriptions and insights they provide are really deep. They have a fable-like narrative style, which contrasts the vividness and humor of the minute descriptions. It makes for enjoyable prose, if a little long-winded. It's not effortless reading, but it's genuinely engaging if you're into it. To me? The style was a mix of freshness and nostalgia. That meant it was pleasant and I read it all in one go.

There aren't many page turners here, but they stories can get emotional in a unique way. They deal with love and death and idealism and poverty and suffering. Sometimes it's even poignant in that. Overall, it's fairly interesting.

However, it would be amiss if I did not mention that the plots and narrative arcs for most of these are, as previously stated, thin. They do not keep you turning the page, the characters aren't too relatable or interesting, and the morals of the stories aren't particularly eye-opening.

Still, if you enjoy the writing, it can be a really cool collection to read.

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Review: Is Shakespeare Dead?

Is Shakespeare Dead? by Mark Twain
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

"Is Shakespeare Dead?" is a book best read in context. It was written by Mark Twain in the heyday of the Baconian theories, and in that it perhaps tells us more about Twain and his age than it does about Shakespeare.

Before I even consider the actual content, I must say that it is a delight to read. Twain is witty, the prose is well-composed and the argument flows well. It is short, but in that length Mark Twain justifies his position as a celebrated author through carefully chosen phrases and motifs. It is entertaining to read, and it would be even if the content was not interesting.

And the content is interesting. The Baconian theory that Shakespeare didn't write his plays is explored in a very focused way, through the assertion that Shakespeare did not have the skills and professional training to have written his plays the way he did. Does Twain succeed in his argumentation? Not entirely, no. There are still doubts to be raised, questions to be asked, and more recent works have refuted some of his assertions quite significantly. So, if you're looking to better understand the Shakespeare-Bacon question, perhaps you would be served through more modern essays and books.

At the same time, the book reflects Twain so well. He picks and draws incidents and ideas, explores them vigorously, and it makes you feel positively thrilled. It shows us how someone of his age might have been thinking, it includes bits and pieces from other eminent individuals of his time and, overall, is a good way to examine the history of the debate rather than the debate itself.

If you're interested in the niche history of the Shakespeare-Bacon debate, or if you're looking for an engaging, slightly humorous essay, or even if you're looking to fill an evening understanding Twain better, this book is for you. It is definitely not for everyone. It is very specific in what it does, and very specific people will enjoy it. Yet, that is true for a multitude of works of literature and art, and thus is not the finest complaint.

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Review: Branding: In Five and a Half Steps

Branding: In Five and a Half Steps by Michael Johnson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The book’s greatest strength and weakness is the same thing. It is a well-designed, easy-to-read book that covers branding with a balanced mix of practical tips, theoretical ideas and examples that illustrate the points. In that, it covers everything it needs to cover in a beautiful package (oh my god, the book is so well-designed, from the fonts and the cover to the images and the layout).

On the other hand, that also means that the book falls just short if you’re looking for complexity and depth in any one of these areas. You will not find hands-on exercises that help you understand technique better or plethoras of practical tips. You will not find detailed theoretical explanations for how branding works. You will not find in-depth case-studies that explore successes and failures of specific projects.

But then, that is kind of the point. If you’re looking for any of those things, find a book that does that. This is more of an broad, well-rounded, beautifully designed exploration of the process of branding. The lack of depth can easily be solved through some self-paced supplementation. If you find an example you like, study it deeply. That’s just something you have to do to get the most out of this.

Overall, it’s focus is on the generalisations. On the ideas that apply across branding projects for all organisations, large and small, profit-based and governmental. In that, the book succeeds.

So, it’s a very specific type of book. If you wanna get a ground-floor understanding of branding, it’s definitely for you. It’s very general, it covers its bases but only just. It’s beautiful.

P.S. The steps themselves are really wide. And it’s not really 5 (and a half) steps. It’s more, 2 broad steps (strategy and design), with there being 2 distinct steps for strategy and...well, the 3 design steps are not as distinct, much more merged together. Still, it’s a good layout and it helps understand the process he’s talking about.

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Review: The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics

The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Dictator’s Handbook is a cool book. It’s slightly dense, but not too dense. It has a strong central thesis that it explores in great depth. It is exciting because of the ramifications it has to the way one views the world of politics, whether it be office politics or international relations. If you are interested in politics, this is a great piece of theory to get your hands on for some perspective.

It is a mix of theoretical and case-study based discussions, which I liked. It kept the book engaging throughout. There are real-world examples that drive the point the authors present. A lot of hypotheticals.

Therein also lies one of the problems with this book. I think the core theory is interesting, but I am unconvinced that it is as encompassing as the writers of this book make it out to be. It feels slightly pessimistic (which they do acknowledge a few times), and a little bit...too focused. Almost as if it is saying that there is no room for additional complexity (which there is). Further, the hypotheticals are sometimes too much of an oversimplification. It helped understanding sometimes, it was annoyingly patronising at other times.

That said, it’s a new perspective on politics and a new way to view political theory. And I enjoyed it.

So, I recommend it, but with caution. Do your research. Read deeply. This is a starting point, this is not the ending point. If you want something slightly more intense and academic, Mesquita’s research papers are a good place to go from here. This is a broad-based discussion of selectorate theory and its consequences to the political world.

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Review: Sweet Tooth: Deluxe Edition, Book Three

Sweet Tooth: Deluxe Edition, Book Three by Jeff Lemire
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This review is a stand-in for all three books of the Deluxe Edition.

Sweet Tooth is really good. Where it shines is the force of the art combined with the character-driven arcs. It isn’t dull at any point, the story moves really quickly and, overall, it’s a pretty decent read.

The art is very stylistic and the visual storytelling is really good, especially the expressions and faces. There are some really vivid and beautiful pieces with a lot of depth to them, but interspersed. Usually, the art is easy to understand at first glance, but there’s usually details to draw out if you stare at the pages. The best part of the story is the ending. It ends really well, if a little abruptly. The last pages were the most beautiful and poignant of the series.

The characters themselves are ok. They are fairly interesting, if a little archetypal at points. There were some gems in there, but overall, I felt like the characters were interesting to some degree, but never drew me in too much.

Two things, however, are slightly disappointing.

First, the answers to the mystery aren’t as satisfying as they could be. I won’t spoil it, but the set-up presents this grand mystery/story that will be revealed, but the reveal is a little underwhelming.

Second, the series is too short. 40 issues isn’t a short story by any measure, the problem is that we have not had a chance to bond with the characters even by this point. There’s too much happening, not enough interludes to see the characters really be themselves. It doesn’t feel like a long journey, which means an ending that treats it as such feels slightly out of place.

That said, it’s still pretty good. There’s a strong story, it’s unambiguous in the best of ways, the tone is quite consistent throughout. Some of the prose is fairly captivating and it should be an interesting read.

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Review: Through the Woods

Through the Woods by Emily Carroll
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Through The Woods is beautiful. Let’s start there. It is absolutely gorgeous. The art is very stylistic, impactful and fit the stories really well. I loved the way the text danced around the pages and the sharp contrasts.

The stories are tied together by this art. I would say they are all creepy and scary, but tonally varied, yet the art holds it all together. It binds them into one thoroughly enjoyable and very creepy collection.

The stories themselves are macabre and chilling. There is always some sort of reveal. It is never too shocking, it relies more on a slowly built dread that delivers. The writing is short and punchy, to the point and fulfilling. It’s got a strong rhythm to it, it’s almost poetic in that regard. The plots themselves are simple but interesting. This is a graphic novel that will hold you through the entirety of the experience.

My personal favourite was the third story, it was really charming. The first one was really cool as well. It fulfilled the expectations it had set up. My least favourite was probably the fourth one. It had a lot of potential going in, but it did not feel like it all fit together as well as it did in the other ones.

All that said, this is a really strong collection and definitely worth reading.

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Review: The Path of Daggers

The Path of Daggers by Robert Jordan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Path of Daggers feels like a bit of an interlude to the larger Wheel of Time series. There is some exploration of the characters and conflicts, but most of the book sets up a larger conflict in the future as opposed to delivering anything too concrete or too definitive. It follows a number of journeys coming to an end, but the destinations remain undiscussed in this book.

Now, usually this would be a bad thing because that means nothing interesting or grand happens across most of the book. Yet, in this case, I actually did not mind it so much. It's a lot of anticipation being built for a lot of really cool things that I am sure the next book is bringing. As it currently stands, the book is basically a build-up that connects the threads between the previous one and the next one.

I think the length and scale of the Wheel of Time series as a whole helps drive the idea that there is a lot more to come, allowing me to be more forgiving. Plus, the prose is well-written and the characters are interesting. All in all, a slightly average but still enjoyable part of an epic series.

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