Scan barcode
Reviews
The Books of Magic, Volume 1: Bindings by Jane Yolen, Peter Gross, Gary Amaro, John Ney Rieber
baasanka's review against another edition
4.0
I was ready to dismiss the whole volume after finishing the first issue but then it got just so much better. A pleasant read, glad I discovered this series.
aliciaking3's review against another edition
3.0
I love this little spin-off of Death and Tamlin and Titania. If you read Sandman, you'll recognize Death and her apartment. She's one of my favorite Endless. I felt like it could have gone deeper, could have used a few more pages, but I enjoyed the heck out of what was in my hands.
shane_tiernan's review against another edition
4.0
When I started this new series I thought it started with #5 because the original series was 1-4. Then after reading about 20 issues I found the "new" 1-4 (this one). Good stuff. Wish I would have read it first, probably would have made things make a little more sense.
charlibirb's review against another edition
3.0
What a cumbersome read. Put it down for a few days, picked it back up, and it's like my mind didn't care enough to remember all the many threads this book introduced. The story needed to be much simpler to work, and a lot of the story threads end really weirdly.
crookedtreehouse's review against another edition
2.0
Over the two decades I've been collecting comics, I've amassed most to all of the collected Books Of Magic trades. I've only read one or two, but imagined I'd get around to reading them all eventually. And since the first volume was by [a:Neil Gaiman|1221698|Neil Gaiman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1234150163p2/1221698.jpg] , I imagined there would be at least one volume I enjoyed.
So far, not so much.
There's a potentially interesting story here about the difference between heredity and family, and the use of Death is fun, and in-line with Neil Gaiman's use of her in Sandman, but overall the story is underwhelming. It's the same problem with the Gaiman volume, in that the story is more concerned with mythology and the wider-universe than in telling a succinct story or having three-dimensional characters.
When there's barely-to-no depth to characters, their dialogue becomes exposition, be it plot exposition or character exposition. It plays all the notes on the piano, but it hammers the keys instead of allowing crescendos, decrescendos, and tempo changes. Technically, all the elements of the story is there, but there's no grace, joy, or emotion to it.
Like volume one, I finished the volume not caring what happens to Timothy Hunter.
If you love stories about Faerie, or you absolutely must read all of the books that touch upon Gaiman's [b:Preludes & Nocturnes|23754|Preludes & Nocturnes (The Sandman, #1)|Neil Gaiman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1411609637l/23754._SY75_.jpg|1228437], then this might appeal to you. But it in no way reaches the potential one might imagine if you'd seen an outline for this story.
So far, not so much.
There's a potentially interesting story here about the difference between heredity and family, and the use of Death is fun, and in-line with Neil Gaiman's use of her in Sandman, but overall the story is underwhelming. It's the same problem with the Gaiman volume, in that the story is more concerned with mythology and the wider-universe than in telling a succinct story or having three-dimensional characters.
When there's barely-to-no depth to characters, their dialogue becomes exposition, be it plot exposition or character exposition. It plays all the notes on the piano, but it hammers the keys instead of allowing crescendos, decrescendos, and tempo changes. Technically, all the elements of the story is there, but there's no grace, joy, or emotion to it.
Like volume one, I finished the volume not caring what happens to Timothy Hunter.
If you love stories about Faerie, or you absolutely must read all of the books that touch upon Gaiman's [b:Preludes & Nocturnes|23754|Preludes & Nocturnes (The Sandman, #1)|Neil Gaiman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1411609637l/23754._SY75_.jpg|1228437], then this might appeal to you. But it in no way reaches the potential one might imagine if you'd seen an outline for this story.
heavensdark's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
crowyhead's review against another edition
4.0
GoodReads lists Jane Yolen as the author, but actually she just wrote the introduction.
John Ney Rieber takes over the reigns and continues Neil Gaiman's miniseries. Rieber is not Neil Gaiman, but for the most part he doesn't try to be, which is good. The story is fascinating and magical and even a little bit touching, and I very much enjoyed it.
John Ney Rieber takes over the reigns and continues Neil Gaiman's miniseries. Rieber is not Neil Gaiman, but for the most part he doesn't try to be, which is good. The story is fascinating and magical and even a little bit touching, and I very much enjoyed it.
emlickliter's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
4.0
The Books of Magic, Volume 1: Bindings (The Books of Magic #1) by John Ney Rieber – This series is a coming of age story. I think it’s very appropriate to read after you think your kiddo is old enough to read the second half of the HP books. Happy Reading!
noveladdiction's review against another edition
3.0
Nowhere near as good as "The Books of Magic" by Neil Gaiman, however this volume was interesting in itself. Dealing a lot with Faerie, and with a guest visit by Death, we see more of the world Tim has inherited as a Magician.
3 stars because it was good, but not great. It's fairly short, so it's an enjoyable enough read for its size.
3 stars because it was good, but not great. It's fairly short, so it's an enjoyable enough read for its size.
More...