∎ Descargar Gratis Dreams of Shreds and Tatters Amanda Downum 9781781083277 Books

Dreams of Shreds and Tatters Amanda Downum 9781781083277 Books

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Dreams of Shreds and Tatters Amanda Downum 9781781083277 Books

This is the first book I've read of this author so I can't speak to her other works, but I enjoyed this book. I wonder if--number of books published aside--she's coming closer to making a leap forward in her writing ability. I base this on how the quality wavered, but the best bits were very, very good. Another reviewer called it muddled but I didn't feel that at all. At her best, her descriptions were unique to herself and lyrical.

It did have some aspects I see a lot in modern horror/fantasy/weird fiction that I very much dislike, but even some of these were less offensive and even enjoyable in the way she handled them. For instance; I had to look up some of the words she used. To completely and blatantly brag, I have a very large vocabulary *cough* 99% percentile *cough* and seldom have to look up words. But the words she chose added to the feel of the story and seemed like valuable acquisitions--gifts to me if you will. She didn't call anything gibbous or squamous; her vocabulary is larger and further reaching than her influences. She's a loud, proud Word Geek and uses it well.

Speaking of influences, it draws on numerous sources--"The King in Yellow" (obvious from the cover), Sherlock Holmes, the Lovecraftian Mythos, "Labyrinth", Greek myth and mystery cults among them (hello, the artist's name is Blake...think William Blake). Sometimes it took me out of the book a bit when one of these references rolled by; but I found myself smiling and not often rolling my eyes.

Several of the characters are Queer in one way or another--and while this seemed forced it didn't feel as forced as it sometimes does. I particularly liked the way Liz and Blake's sexuality is established. It makes their relationship a sudden puzzle to solve which was way more compelling than simply telling what was going on.

Downsides:
The book does rush towards the conclusion as if she was eager to be done.

The progression of each character's exhaustion, anxiety, pain or illness often beggars belief--it gets turned to 11 way too early and stays there unable to go any higher. Better pacing and more varied ways of manifesting symptoms would be good. Again, sometimes it was very well done, but these moments sort of stood out.

The characters need more differentiating. I liked how occasional notes in their personalities and physicalities would be hit upon but not belabored. More of that please.


Tags : Dreams of Shreds and Tatters [Amanda Downum] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Lovecraftian urban fantasy, but it's Lovecraft with all the worst exceses taken out. Beautifully written and brilliantly paced.<BR><BR>When Liz Drake's best friend vanishes,Amanda Downum,Dreams of Shreds and Tatters,Solaris,1781083274,Artists;Fiction.,Coma - Patients,Dreams,Dreams;Fiction.,Fantasy fiction,Fantasy fiction.,Nightmares,Secrecy,Vancouver (B.C.),American Horror Fiction,American Science Fiction And Fantasy,FICTION Fantasy Dark Fantasy,FICTION Fantasy Urban,FICTION Horror,Fantasy,Fantasy - Dark Fantasy,Fantasy - Urban,Fiction,Fiction - Fantasy,FictionFantasy - Dark Fantasy,FictionHorror - General,Horror - General

Dreams of Shreds and Tatters Amanda Downum 9781781083277 Books Reviews

I was initially very excited to read this book, especially since I love the off track dark twisted fantasy fiction BUT--- it has been over a month now and I CANNOT FORCE MYSELF TO FINISH THIS STORY. I can't. I have tried and then taken a break, picked it back up and tried again. Slept on it and came back again. No dice. It is sloppily written specifically concerning characters and the lack thereof in connecting story lines. It is also very slow paced and just downright boring. Does not in any way live up to the anticipated hype that I originally expected. Bummer.
Well written and well in keeping with the interesting edges of current horror fiction. Surprised it's not a best seller.
As a King in Yellow fan, I greatly enjoyed this new entry in the Yellow Mythos, and I hope to see more stories by the author.
Dreams, madness, magic, and the forbidden city of Carcosa. Unlike most other urban paranormal tales, the author limited the amount of real world magic - a plus.
I'm giving it two stars rather than one because it's not cringingly bad, but I just couldn't get into it and only got half way through. The main problem is that there's just nothing catching my interest. The plot seems to just meander. The writing is unremarkable. Other reviews talk about atmosphere, but I didn't notice a whole lot of that. Maybe it comes in later. Maybe you need background knowledge on this Yellow King in order to get into it.

I guess one of the issues is that it has kind of a fanfiction vibe. I get that some people really like that aesthetic, but it's not to my taste. The characters seem to be written to be relatable to people who feel alienated. Everyone seems to have some shade of depression or anxiety or ptsd. There's lots of angst. There's lots of people taking care of people who are angsting. I know there's an audience for this but it isn't me.
Imagine the best World of Darkness game you can think of. Now strip out the mythology and replace it with equal doses of Lovecraft and Chambers, as filtered through the delightful kaleidoscope of Amanda Downum's own personal vision, and what you're left with is an urban fantasy that owes more to Clive Barker than to Kim Harrison.

The best parts of Dreams of Shreds and Tatters are probably when the novel is repurposing Lovecraft and Chambers, mixing them with Greek myth to create a cocktail that's often headier than its component parts. It's rare enough to find a novel that engages at all with Lovecraft's dreamlands, rarer still to find one that does so to such great effect, while still remaining its own creature. The descriptions of Carcosa alone are worth the price of admission.

Before writing this, I skimmed some of the other reviews on Goodreads, and one of the complaints I saw repeated was that people felt lost, disconnected, as if there was stuff going on that they didn't understand. Maybe this is just an indication of what I'm looking for that's different from other readers, but I loved the intricacies of this book. The competing factions of mages, the vying supernatural entities, the various cabals and sub-plots that were never fully resolved. The sense, ultimately, that what we were seeing was a small part of a vastly--perhaps infinitely--larger picture. A very personal story against a cosmic backdrop.
This is the first book I've read of this author so I can't speak to her other works, but I enjoyed this book. I wonder if--number of books published aside--she's coming closer to making a leap forward in her writing ability. I base this on how the quality wavered, but the best bits were very, very good. Another reviewer called it muddled but I didn't feel that at all. At her best, her descriptions were unique to herself and lyrical.

It did have some aspects I see a lot in modern horror/fantasy/weird fiction that I very much dislike, but even some of these were less offensive and even enjoyable in the way she handled them. For instance; I had to look up some of the words she used. To completely and blatantly brag, I have a very large vocabulary *cough* 99% percentile *cough* and seldom have to look up words. But the words she chose added to the feel of the story and seemed like valuable acquisitions--gifts to me if you will. She didn't call anything gibbous or squamous; her vocabulary is larger and further reaching than her influences. She's a loud, proud Word Geek and uses it well.

Speaking of influences, it draws on numerous sources--"The King in Yellow" (obvious from the cover), Sherlock Holmes, the Lovecraftian Mythos, "Labyrinth", Greek myth and mystery cults among them (hello, the artist's name is Blake...think William Blake). Sometimes it took me out of the book a bit when one of these references rolled by; but I found myself smiling and not often rolling my eyes.

Several of the characters are Queer in one way or another--and while this seemed forced it didn't feel as forced as it sometimes does. I particularly liked the way Liz and Blake's sexuality is established. It makes their relationship a sudden puzzle to solve which was way more compelling than simply telling what was going on.

Downsides
The book does rush towards the conclusion as if she was eager to be done.

The progression of each character's exhaustion, anxiety, pain or illness often beggars belief--it gets turned to 11 way too early and stays there unable to go any higher. Better pacing and more varied ways of manifesting symptoms would be good. Again, sometimes it was very well done, but these moments sort of stood out.

The characters need more differentiating. I liked how occasional notes in their personalities and physicalities would be hit upon but not belabored. More of that please.