Comprehensive and imaginative
596614
A great writer and we have no equal to him in examining political power especially in my little country Australia
36372
A brilliant book, in a great series.  This is probably the best books I've read this year.  I could hardly put it down.

The series is wonderful in that it is both very imaginative -- with non-standards plots and characters -- and very well written.  The words themselves are a pleasure to read,with the author handling dialogue particularly well; very believable and very witty.
401261
When I read this book I was completely unfamiliar with Shaun Tan so I really had no idea what to expect. The art is strong, intriguing and caught my attention immediately. The stories are imaginative and seem to suggest multiple levels of meaning.

Both art and story line combine elements of realism and fantasy in a way that provokes one to think. This book will probably be most appreciated by older readers with vivid imaginations. If a reader can easily set aside conventional perspectives and simply go with the assumptions presented then it is more likely the reader can appreciate this book.

In summary, this book is a series of fantasy vignettes with a morality twist; if the reader is either a fan of fantasy or Shaun Tan then this book may please.
364696
This is one of the few books I have both read multiple times (in book form AND Kindle) and listened to more than once. I love the idea for it, the science, the story and, of course, the "creatures." It's so imaginative and interesting, and an absolutely wonderful read. I would love to see it as a movie or better yet -- a whole Game-of-Thrones-like television series.
2275450
I like this book because every short story is full of imagination. Also, the artwork is just beautiful and complements every single text, I hope to see a translation of this wonderful book into English. I highly recommend this imaginative book!
4968417
Philip Pullman has written a number of accesible and satisfying books for pre-teens and other young people.  As a writer he is a skilled craftsman.
This series, however, is something else.  It is not targeted for young audiences nor, I suspect, for older ones.  Age is not determinent.  These are novels for those who are eager to think, to stretch their imagination in ways that makes the world which is present before us more real.  Pullman has written an integrated series which, when taken as a whole, is a remarkable evocation of a universe which seems wildly strange, but just beyond our sight.
The series achieves a fresh conception of the deity, a conception which is wholly intriguing.  We all are creations of this god, but through a series of circumstances and incidents, our relationship with the deity, and its relationship with its creation, is dramatically changed.
This is a complex and richly realized story of humanity's struggle to rise above its own limitations, and the importance of each individual's struggle to achieve responsibility for her or his own life.
As an adventure story this series is gripping, well-paced and multi-faceted.  But it is in the higher level of meaning that Pullman has achieved a transcendent work.
I highly recommend this series for those of all ages who seek intriguing, thought-provoking reading in an exciting format.
1482402
I read this after already devouring pretty much everything China Mieville has ever written - however, I can see how it would be a fantastic way to start dabbling in his weird and wonderful world without having to commit to one of his rather daunting novels.

Strongly reminiscent of Borges (the last story is a tribute to Borges's "Fauna of Mirrors"), these stories take different forms - an exchange of letters, entries in a medical encyclopedia, even a graphic short story (graphic as in with pictures, not explicit) which I unfortunately couldn't read on my Kindle Touch - and span different worlds. They are brilliantly written, and grab your attention and imagination immediately. As with all short stories though, the fact that you get so engrossed in each story means that the experience of constantly having them end on you can get frustrating.

I think of this as a great book to gift to a smart, interesting person.
1368978
I have greatly enjoyed various tales of Roger Zelazny -- and, "The Great Book of Amber" presents the greatest of them -- in my experience. This decade of novellas presents the singular fantastic adventures of singular personas. The first five novellas are written via the point-of-view of Corwin, Prince of Amber -- and the later five novellas are written via the point-of-view of Merlin, Prince of Chaos [and Corwin's son]. There are also a few additional tales in "Manna from Heaven" as well -- but, "The Great Book of Amber" contains the main ones.

Roger Zelazny writes vividly about vivid characters undergoing vivid adventure in sharply dramatic, sparklingly colorful, humorously witty and mythically fantastic quests to survive and succeed in style. "The Great Book of Amber" is at once a work with aspects that are modern-adult and medieval-fantasy and multi-universal -- with uniguely wonderful meta-humans, meta-magics and meta-physics. So, we have Sword-and-Sorcery Sci-Fi that can, in a fun and fine style, intensely Inspire +++
2481721
The author is clearly well-versed in physics, biology, and history, resulting in easily believable scifi futures and alternative historical scenarios. It's clear that these stories are often not entirely fictional. I've never read a fiction book that had so many - or any - Asian-inspired references, so this was unique and exotic and mindblowingly different. Some stories are delightful, others might make you cry all over your kindle. The entirety of the book is utterly astounding in creativity! A must read.
944924
The author narrates visits to a range of vividly imagined cultures differing from our own.  LeGuin's speciality of fully imagining a complete culture is displayed in multiples in this tour de force.  Although it could be considered one of her lighter-weight writings, much in the spirit of "Gulliver's Travels" some of the different planes can be seen to reflect or amplify the foibles and vicissitudes of our own world.  Very clever and entertaining.
4524525
This intelligent and wide-ranging introduction, provides a comprehensive,  fully-integrated view of existence and conscoisness according to one of the  most exciting contemporary intellectuals living today.  With style, wisdom,  and grace, Wilber covers an extenvsive array of topics to yield "an  integral vision for business, politics, science and spirituality."  This book is in many ways a nice compliment to another recently publshed  book, Michael Learner's Spirit Matters, as both books provide a map of  reality that is in stark contrast to the individualism and cosumerism that  shapes much of American culture today.  The fact that books like these are  being published and widely read makes me more hopeful for the future: A  future that emphasizes enlightened consciousness, wisdom, and kindness.
2863530
This is a humorous and imaginative book that plays around with Creation Myths and philosophies from different origins. It is simultaneously light and deep, as well as funny and serious. It doesn't really take sides on the historically interminable arguments about Creation and Death except on the last chapter, and when it does it's in a kind of light hearted and open ended way. A bit of a mind bender and definitely recommended.
153522
This has to be the most imaginative science-fi/ fantasy I have seen in a very long time.

Mostly told in first person as a steam of consciousness story,  the author weaves a tapestry of alien races, parallel worlds, myths and legends that I found very hard to put down.

Yes, there were the usual "lie" versus "lay" mistakes and a few other grammatical errors that could be corrected, but in general I was so interested in the story I glossed over them.

I do hope this author will write more about this fascinating world that he brings to vibrant life, and especially about Blackwell.
3513406
Peter Ackroyd is never at a loss for words and he uses a great many of them to trace the origins and progression of the English imagination from its very early Anglo-Saxon beginnings until the twentienth century in his new massive tome, Albion.  Along the way, he covers music, art, religion, philosophy, history, and biography, as well as, of course, literature, and merges them together in quite insightful ways.  The book is strongest in the early Anglo-Saxon and medieval sections that set up the author's thesis and it can grow a tad bit repetitious in theme in the later chapters as he pounds home his ideas.  Overall though, the reader should be fascinated by the vast number of examples from primary (and some interesting secondary) sources that pepper the book.  The author's knowledge is vast and his selection of sources is unimpeccable.  A frequently interesting read.
832734
What I liked about this book:

Each page has a giant letter and a simple paragraph that explains that character--a good mix of characters from all of the standard works.

The illustrations are colorful with a wee twist. On my second read-through (ok, not the most observant), I noticed what I thought were quirky, random items added to the scenes, but duh, they all start with the same letter of that page. Some are hidden--fun and imaginative.

I think this book will hold children's attention for several readings.
2700855
In Vokhtah, the author gives us a rich and satisfying tapestry of a world: alien, strange, and gratifying.  This is not a particularly easy read, one in which you skim while half-watching tv or munching on a sandwich.  The book deserves the reader's full attention so that all the nuances and details are caught and absorbed.

On the surface, this book tells the tale of two races, possibly a lot closer related than most of them would like to admit.  The Vokh are the supposed rulers of the planet; strong, fierce, and driven, fighting with one another to gain status and holdings.  The iVokh serve them, from running their holdings to managing their health to running the economy to serving as basic drudges.  Yet the Guild of Healers serve as a sort of governor on the Vokh, surreptitiously killing any Vokh they label as abominations.

When one Blue, (one of the three factions of the Guild of Healers) disagrees with the specifics of a decision to kill a particular Vokh, he embarks on a dangerous journey in an attempt to maneuver the situation to uphold the decree, yet in a manner that the Vokh do not become aware of the guild's machinations.

One problem I have with too many books dealing with other forms of intelligent life is that they tend to be overly anthropomorphized. They are merely humans in otherworld bodies.  The Vokh and iVokh most certainly do not fall into this trap.  They are decidedly "not-human," yet the author is able to paint such a detailed picture that we are able to understand them, their motives, their ways of thinking.  Within the framework of the author's universe, there is logic and reasonability.  It all makes sense.

The detail into which the author delves is simply a joy to behold.  The author's imagination is quite obviously prodigious, but then the ability to transfer that imagination into the written word is impressive.  Equally impressive are the descriptive passages of action and even simple settings.  I was able to see the author's vision quite clearly in my mind.

All told, I really enjoyed this book.  I enthusiastically recommend it.

(Disclaimer:  I received a free copy of this book with a request for a review.)
1600804
In the introduction for "Imaginative Realism", James Gurney describes his book, in terms of what it is not: a step-by-step drawing and anatomy guide (of humans or dinosaurs, as the author of Dinotopia puts it) nor is it a recipe guide for particular painting techniques. He's right of course, although the book contains elements of all this and much more.

"Imaginative Realism" is one of those art books that can appeal not just to practitioners of illustration at all levels but fans as well. Gurney takes this work very seriously and plots a direct lineage to nineteenth and twentieth century masters of the form. We've seen this kind of "realistic fantastical" illustration in old books and magazines and it's fascinating to see how a contemporary artist can reinvent the approach in such a fresh way.

The book takes the form of a series of two or three page spreads, each illustrating a particular aspect of the creative process that goes into creating the kind of illustrations Gurney has done for magazines such as National Geographic as well as his before-mentioned Dinotopia series of books. Gurney portrays "realism" even when it includes fantastical elements such as creatures organic and robotic. He juxtaposes the most natural human portrayals with, well, the most unnatural situations and characters and makes it all look as ordinary as Norman Rockwell (one among many he obviously admires).He seems to have soaked up a vast ocean of illustration and has the chops to filter and reassemble it at will.

There's low-level drawing and painting techniques and tools as well as the details of furnishing one's studio for effective and efficient work. There's high-level concept and "drawing" inspiration from the work of past masters. The historical asides really add to the sense of past connection. Gurney obviously relishes sharing his passion for the masters of this genre and it makes for contagious reading.