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shannonesmith62's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ssindc's review
4.0
Forgive me, for I am weak. And, in my defense, it is the second half of December (which is supposed to be a time of rest and recreation, or something like that). But, regardless, I have done a foolish thing, even if I don't entirely regret it. I have now read, back-to-back, three (yup, count 'em, three) Marvel (comic) prose novels (at the end of a year in which I'd read one earlier, which, of course, contributed to me having the stack of Marvel prose novels in the first place - so, yes, just to be clear, that means I read (what was I thinking?) four Marvel prose novels in one year), and I've got one left on the stack (but I'm really ... really ... going to take a break before I read the next one).
And, um, I liked (enjoyed) them. ... And I think this one was the best of the four (although the Guardians of the Galaxy was a close second)....
For context, and this is all about context, here's the others:
- Iron Man: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16002129-iron-man -
- X-Men: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14885900-astonishing-x-men -
- Guardians of the Galaxy: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23546821-guardians-of-the-galaxy
I was surprised that I enjoyed this one so much given that, I was never really a Doctor Strange fan (although I enjoyed the movie far more than the critics - I found it hugely entertaining, nicely cast, and well done); and, ahem, I figured I'd be bored after having read a few of these back-to-back. And, yet ... the author (whom I wasn't really familiar with), set the hook nicely early on, kept things moving at a brisk pace, interjected enough humor to make it fun, and wrapped it up before I had a chance to get bored.
Having said all of that, I think that the primary reason I found it more enjoyable than, say, Iron Man or X-Men, is that, well, Doctor Strange is supposed to be, well, strange, and magical and mystical and unconventional and other-worldly and not bound by normal conventions and ... so ... Doctor Strange doesn't need to be bound by the reality-based, analytical, common sense tethers than we crave in our science fiction.... It's magic, and it's not sleight-of-hand, don't look behind the curtain magic, it's ... just ... magic, so there's no rules. And, once you start making stuff up, well, the same goes for vocabulary ... in a spell, a good rhyme counts for more than logic or reason or Webster's or American Heritage or even the OED. C'mon, in magic, babble or mumbo jumbo rules!!!
Closing riff - and this isn't a spoiler - but I expect that anyone that took a course or two in Psychology in college or has studied or read about dreams will either be completely appalled or highly amused by the book's premise and primary story line. This isn't Gaiman's epic, sublime Sandman graphic novel run, but it's an exposition, passion play, drama built upon dreaming ... and, for whatever reason, it worked for me.
And, um, I liked (enjoyed) them. ... And I think this one was the best of the four (although the Guardians of the Galaxy was a close second)....
For context, and this is all about context, here's the others:
- Iron Man: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16002129-iron-man -
- X-Men: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14885900-astonishing-x-men -
- Guardians of the Galaxy: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23546821-guardians-of-the-galaxy
I was surprised that I enjoyed this one so much given that, I was never really a Doctor Strange fan (although I enjoyed the movie far more than the critics - I found it hugely entertaining, nicely cast, and well done); and, ahem, I figured I'd be bored after having read a few of these back-to-back. And, yet ... the author (whom I wasn't really familiar with), set the hook nicely early on, kept things moving at a brisk pace, interjected enough humor to make it fun, and wrapped it up before I had a chance to get bored.
Having said all of that, I think that the primary reason I found it more enjoyable than, say, Iron Man or X-Men, is that, well, Doctor Strange is supposed to be, well, strange, and magical and mystical and unconventional and other-worldly and not bound by normal conventions and ... so ... Doctor Strange doesn't need to be bound by the reality-based, analytical, common sense tethers than we crave in our science fiction.... It's magic, and it's not sleight-of-hand, don't look behind the curtain magic, it's ... just ... magic, so there's no rules. And, once you start making stuff up, well, the same goes for vocabulary ... in a spell, a good rhyme counts for more than logic or reason or Webster's or American Heritage or even the OED. C'mon, in magic, babble or mumbo jumbo rules!!!
Closing riff - and this isn't a spoiler - but I expect that anyone that took a course or two in Psychology in college or has studied or read about dreams will either be completely appalled or highly amused by the book's premise and primary story line. This isn't Gaiman's epic, sublime Sandman graphic novel run, but it's an exposition, passion play, drama built upon dreaming ... and, for whatever reason, it worked for me.
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