L.A. Werewolves, Magic Bones and the King of Comics
In last Sunday’s Chronicle, I reviewed Toby Barlow’s “Sharp Teeth,” John Meaney’s “Bone Song” and “Kirby: King of Comics” by Mark Evanier.
The Kirby book is the unqualified success of the bunch. It’s a handsomely produced art book that also presents a heartfelt overview of the life of one of the 20th century’s most distinctive illustrators.
I was initially skeptical about “Sharp Teeth,” a werewolf novel in verse, but it eventually won me over. It’s well worth hunting down.
“Bone Song” gave me the most trouble. The mix of horror and crime noir felt off, and I never really cottoned to the death-ridden milieu.
By the way, this was the first issue of The Chronicle Book Review I’ve written for since the change to a tabloid format. Now I’m expected to deliver capsule reviews, and I have to add or edit lines to suit the art layout. That’s not my preferred method, but it’s better than losing the section altogether.
Tags: Book Reviews, fantasy, horror, newspapers, science fiction
March 22nd, 2008 at 4:19 am
“Sharp Teeth” was excellent – the blank verse format worked really well to tell the tale. I meant to review it for my own site but alas, it was a library book, and it looks like it’s moved on from my local library (course, I could just order it).
I might keep an eye out for “Bone Song” though, just out of curiosity.