Book Reviews In Brief: Palahniuk; Murakami; Dr. Strange

Rant, Chuck Palahniuk.

Palahniuk definitely has a penchant for some graphic and graphically disturbing writing– not unlike a Paul Verhoeven of print. Rant is no exception. It explores familiar themes (for this author) of megalomania, urban distrust and unrest, and the dual beauty and grotesqueness of the life as a human, through spider bites, car wrecks and a touch of the fantastic. As you read this book, you will learn new things, about disease, about psychology, about cars, and about the nature of time itself.

They say magic happens at borders– at bayshores, in doorways, in the twilight hours…

Rant was an enjoyable read for me, more engrossing than his last full novel, Diary, and just ultimately an interesting story.

After Dark, Haruki Murakami

A solid and swift entry by a great writer, who often uses shades of fantasy to color his deeply introspective novels. One might liken a Murakami work such as Hard-Boiled Wonderland to Terry Gilliam’s Brazil, in that respect. Nothing quite so grand here in After Dark, but it is a modest, thoughtful, and interesting read.

Dr. Strange: The Oath

I don’t get down to the comic store as often as I used to, but when I was younger, the character of Dr. Strange always allured me. “Marvel: Ultimate Alliance” on the Wii? Yeah, that’s Doc on my team.(Northwest Avengers Assemble!) I almost picked up these comics individually, but I was glad to see that they put the story in one graphic novel, because the they didn’t have issue #1.

The Oath is just awesome. It is just clichéd enough to be the Dr. Strange you love, even to the verge of self-mockery at parts, but the story is novel and engrossing, with characterization built off of more than repeated one-liners. If you were ever a fan, pick this one up.

2 comments June 7th, 2007