Andrew Michael Schwarz

Not what it claims to be

Revisado: 11-11-24

This is a rehash of Sherlock Holmes' stories written as "wingfic" meaning fan fiction where one or more of the characters has wings. If i would have known that i would have passed. But, i didnt figure all that out until a couple hours near the end. It isnt even much of a coherent novel with every few chapters opening a new Sherlock Holmes adventure. The episodes are loosely strung together with Jack the Ripper factoids and someone always popping in to say "there' another one!" Meaning dead body to investigate.

The fact of angels in the world seems only a device to give our supporting actor wings. I felt the entire world squandered on this seeming trivial detail. For instance, the blurb talks about angels that fall being akin to a nuclear bomb. Problem is no angels fall in this book. They solve murders while the rest of them flitter about in gray suits on a foggy day.

The upside is this book is rather charming. The reader is ridiculously talented and it can be a lot of fun. If you know what it is going in and want that kind of thing. I didnt want it. I wanted a unique fantasy with angels who can fall in a world i haven't seen before. Thats the promise on the cover.

I shouldnt be so harsh but in the end i just wanted to throw the book at the wall.

I kept thinking "wow, this is sure reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes" or "That character is Sherlock Holmes, obviously" without realizing I was reading, of all things, Sherlock Holmes wingfic.

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at first it was intriguing

Revisado: 11-03-24

I grew weary of the abtuse magic that isn't so much magic as it is weird, like a person becoming a verb. I suppose, however, that many folks will hold this sort of thing to be quite beautiful. I found it tedious and underwhelming but I'm a horror reader so maybe I'm not the model fan for this work.

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the magic system is cool

Revisado: 11-02-24

I liked most of this book but the characters were drawn a bit juvenile for me. I'm sure most people won't have this issue. There really isn't much to dislike about this fantasy novel. I may not be the ideal reader for it since I'm not a hug Sanderson reader. This world does remind me of Mistborn which was part of the draw for me since i am a Mistborn fan. The magic system is unique and well delivered and the central mystery is engaging.

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best Hammer book I've read

Revisado: 08-05-21

Hammer seems to have gotten better with age. In this installment I have found a sympathetic character in Hammer, great, descriptive and evocative writing that is a pleasure all on its own, and a story that is as enjoyable as the test. I can now say I am a fan.

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A Must Read for Horror Aficiandos

Revisado: 03-16-21

This is about as close to perfect for me as it gets. in Lumley's work I see the ground work for many other later works from other artists. Here we have a wondrous combination of the macabre and the sublime, laced with descriptive writing and fantastic characters. Necroscope cuts to the quick without delay while still managing a totally emersive narrative. Masterful.

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so not good

Revisado: 12-31-20

I kept seeing this book on lists and websites hailed as some great work, and I have to say, it was as dull as a gradeschool essay. I felt zero atmosphere. characterization was a thumbnail snapshot at best. plot was pedestrian. and the wrap up was left open to ambiguity. I don't get the appeal. maybe if I had never read a horror novel before or come into contact with the "creepy kid" trope, I would have a different experience. but as it stands, I'm like meh, whatevah. byeee.

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dull as dry toast

Revisado: 06-24-20

I found this book so lacking in it's promise. I guess I was thinking cat people in space ships equals high adventure with amazing characters. what I got was boring characters, weirdly stilted dialogue and super annoying words without vowels. I don't know. this was touted as super realistic space opera. I guess being bored in space is realistic.

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Hard Boiled Dark Fantasy

Revisado: 05-03-20

I love the Shadow Police. These blokes face down the most unlikely of scenarios. I took a while to imbibe this 3rd installment for no particular reason, other than the scores of books on my TBR. Now that I am done, I'm a bit sad it's the last book. I loved Who Killed Sherlock Holmes as much as London Falling and Severed Street. what can I say? Dark, gritty, funny. Wonderfully complex. Highly intelligent. Thought provoking. This book, and this series, is for folks who like to think about their fiction, who yearn to understand and explore that deeper, spiritual motivation that this universe seems to possess and force upon us, and that we, as mortals in it, somehow cannot see. This is the physics of the occult.

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Was okay.

Revisado: 11-01-18

impeded by annoying melodrama and characters as real as cardboard cut outs, this was nevertheless mostly entertaining.

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Narrator better suited for Scooby-do cartoons

Revisado: 07-23-18

I loved George Guidall on this series. David Collaci is painful to listen to. cliche voices, bad acting, cringe worthy performance all contribute to making a good story seem corny.

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