R.I.P. Challenge Wrap-Up

October has faded, and we're now into another November, which means the R.I.P. Challenge has come to an end.

This was my first year participating, and I kind of took a loose approach to it. I did read several books that fit into the challenge's parameters:

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

My Review

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (audio)

My Review

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (audio)

My Review

The Gunslinger by Stephen King (Dark Tower I)

My Review

The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King(Dark Tower II)

My Review

As I've posted before, I think reading books set in the same season/mood as you're in can not only enhance the story for you, but also emphasize your surroundings - which is why I absolutely wanted to include myself in a challenge based on that same principal. I had fun, and really enjoyed the books I read in the last two months. I look forward to participating again next year :-)

The Saga Continues....

The Drawing of the Three

Stephen King

Thriller/Fantasy/Western

To Order: Amazon - Barnes & Noble

All right Guys and Dolls, I just finished the second installment of The Dark Tower Series, The Drawing of the Three. Since my last review followed this same series, and I let my Stephen King power crush shine a little too brightly before, I'll just highlight the differences here. 

This is a better book than The Gunslinger, but it would not have been half as good without the foundation of the first novel. This book is probably twice as long, and has three or four times as much action (and characters for that matter). Instead of only hints of other worlds, we get to visit them in this book, look around, and get into trouble (of course!), before having to make a hasty escape. There are still a great many loose ends to tie up, but now the tribulation (team of three...that's what it means, right?)  has been formed, and they are ready to embark on the next leg of the journey. A young man, Eddie, who has broken his various dependencies and has joined The Gunslinger as a quasi-brother-in-arms; a young black woman, Odetta - 'Detta, who has struggled with serious self-identity issues and finally comes into her own. And Roland - The original Gunslinger, disciplined, focused, and totally bad-ass.

I can see the strategic placement of these first two books when I take a wide view the series told in a dozen volumes. The first, the leader, the foundation, the spark of interest. The second, the gathering of a team, growing familiarity with characters, budding-taste-of-action, and reiteration of the true goal, not just survival, but The Tower.

After reading the first two books of this series, basically in a row, I've decided to take a break from it. It will probably be a few months before I read the next Dark Tower book, but I do plan on reading the entire series...before I die (morbid?). 

This book is going to count towards my R.I.P. Challenge, even though I was technically already reading it when I signed up for the challenge. I think it ties in nicely with a thriller/dark/chilling mood (probably should have read it closer to Halloween), and it was written by the Horror king himself. 

I haven't quite decided what my next book will be for this challenge, but you'll see the review soon enough!

The Last Fantasy Cowboy...

The Gunslinger: The Dark Tower I

Stephen King

Science-Fiction/Fantasy/Western/Series

To Order: Amazon - Barnes & Noble

I love Stephen King. He has written so many books, and though I’ve read only five of them, I haven’t even made a dent in his life’s work. His writing is honest, and realistic, but what I love most about him, is how many people can say this: “I’m not a reader, but I read [The Green Mile, The Stand, The Shawshank Redemption, etc.], and I think I might go pick up another book, cause that wasn’t too bad, you know.” This is also why I love J. K. Rowling (the Harry Potter series inspired millions of kids to read, a love that has stuck in some, but that all will undoubtedly remember, besides that I love Harry Potter regardless of that).


Also, On Writing- ‘nuff said (if you love to write, like meee).

The Gunslinger is the first installment of a series called The Dark Tower. This series, initially inspired by The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien, was to be King’s epic fantasy/western/adventure tale and one of the longest fiction works of its kind….ever; according to what he tells us in his intro, which was written for a re-released version of the Gunslinger, slightly revised to fit the later installments of the series more neatly.

The story is told in third person, though we follow one man, and are able to delve into his memories. This man is the last gunslinger, a highly revered position that is inherited as well as earned (if they cannot beat their teacher in a fight, and there is only one chance, they are exiled for life). As in many of King’s stories, it feels like you are looking at a world bigger than the one you are actually reading about…and I’m not sure how to capture that feeling in words. It’s skillful writing, to put it most simply.

The Gunslinger is in the middle of the pursuit of a man in black, who is a known sorcerer, and sworn enemy of the pursuer. The Gunslinger remembers a town he recently passed through as he travels a wasteland of a desert. He comes across a boy, who travels with him, and eventually, through trials of character, they meet the man in black. The story ends in a conversation about the perspective and scope of time and space, which is incredibly humbling and great to read. It leaves you on the cusp of the grand adventure, that may or may not actually begin in the next installment, but that won’t keep me from reading it. It is apparent that Stephen knew he was creating a long series of books from the very beginning. The Gunslinger doesn’t cover much ground by itself, in terms of the story. 

Because of these reasons, this book alone is not a masterpiece. Perhaps the progression of the epic will turn it into a stunning success, and this novel surely sets the foundation for something great. If you are in it for the long haul, certainly pick this one up, I have a feeling it will be rewarding in the end.

Have any of you read the entire Dark Tower series? What did you think? How about the King of Horror in general?

R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril

Challenge Time!!

I stumbled across a magnificent challenge today browsing blogs, which I intend to embrace. It is an autumn challenge encouraging people to read Gothic, mystery, suspense, thriller, horror, or supernatural books of any kind or length, to fully indulge our inner all hallows eve spirit as the temperatures cool and the leaves begin to fall and eventually crumble. I'm looking forward to autumn this year more than years previous for some reason, and I am already reading The Drawing of the Three by horror/suspense/supernatural nobility Stephen King. (You can even read with a group, or watch a scary movie!)

Oh, and also, the image to promote the challenge is totally wicked:

You can find information on the challenge here.

So, you will see my  name listed among those participating, and the reviews you will find here will correspond with the genres promoted in the challenge. I encourage all of you to get active and embrace the spirit of the coming season.