michael_benavidez's reviews
360 reviews

Note: I did not read the final story, The Monarch of the Glen, seeing as how it takes place two years after American Gods. I have yet to read American Gods, so I will come back to this story once I've read it.


This book is fantastic, it is amazing. Each story is different from the last, in style, in content, in any way possible. It's kind of like reading an anthology of different authors, and yet at the same time it all has that lovable sense that comes with Gaiman's writing.
There is no set genre, they hop to whatever his liking is. Some contain vulgarity, others are perfect children tales. Some are complex, others are simple. yet each and every one is top-notch Gaiman. I loved each one.

The Red Dragon is a twistedly amazing story. It’s fast paced, intelligent. You can tell that he did his research on practically every matter. The way things work, the psychology, everything. This is where it kind of loses it though. There seems to be so much that you need to understand and the author needs to spell out for you before he goes into it, that there seems to be large moments of info bursts. While good at times, others it just bores.
Another thing that seemed to really throw me off was Dolarhyde’s backstory. It seemed as though he was told to include more of him, and why he is the way he is, that it felt rehearsed. It stuck out from the rest of the book in a bad way. The style was different, it was rushed, not paced very well, and just all in all odd feeling.
Everything is rather fantastic though. The characters are human, they’re flawed and relatable, to a point. The story is paced extremely well, kind of like a Hollywood film. The detective side of the story is pretty well written.

Here's a book that is quite surprising.
When I first read it when I was younger, I remember it being more "adult". this volume doesn't really have anything "adult" worthy, except for the leads thoughts on a certain chiseled villain, pixie, and vamp. The way it's handled though is pretty awesome.
So as other reviews will tell you, this is an alternate earth where Inderland (or was it Underland, i can't remember) folk (the fantasy creatures) were outed. The specifics you can read in the other reviews, but the short and sweet is that they're treated like a social class difference and racial. They've got a separate (competing) police force, one for magic folk, one for normal folk.
Sooooo
We're thrown in with an attractive witch (not drop dead sexy but still sexy) hunter who tracks down magic folk doing crimes, and brings them in. She knows he stuff. She hates her job and quits with a a vamp and a pixie. this creates issues, and thus the plot is weaved.
Just let me note that none of this is info dumped onto the reader (which is a huge pet peeve when done). We're thrown in feet first and slowly given details. Thankfully he witch isn't a know-it all, and funny, so she takes things in stride while learning for the benefit of the reader.
Fully immersive world, amazing characters who are witty, and their own personalities.
One star off though for a shit ending. I like that it's left a few threads untied for the sake of future books, but it just seemed too abrupt after having covered up the main portion of the story. still a definite read.

More than Scars is very much a character driven story. Forget the plot, this isn't about plot. this is about the growth of the characters. From the two main leads, to those that surround them, they all carry their own special personalities.
There is a bit of plot, but it really isn't central to the story. The plot focuses on two things, getting the two leads together, and a mystery that I won't really get into because it doesn't play too much until the third act.
What matters is that the two leads are both haunted, scarred in their own separate ways. This is a story about their healing. Yes the romance is at the front, but it isn't forced it's natural. Sarah Brocious allows the characters to develop their own relationship. Every now and then there will be a bit of a push from the plot to hurry up the growth, but even then it doesn't feel forced but just a bit of incentive. Don't read for the plot, but for the characters, because that is what makes this story so amazing and cheesy (I love cheesy, I shall admit it) and quirky and just fun.

At first I thought this was a funny, dark, mindless thriller. I was wrong. It is smart. Very smart, and amazingly crafted. Several story lines weaved into one story, with characters that'll make you laugh and just hate. Even the hateful characters will make you laugh.
There's a lot to say, but I can't think of what to say.

It's a horror. That's a given. The horror aspect gives a feeling of paranoia, it really digs into your bones when shit gets going.
There's a mystery involved as well. This part really helps the story to keep you guessing as to what's going on and why? It adds the needed depth to help push the story, to give it a plot instead of just making us paranoid about something living in our head.
I actually thought I had it figured out at the beginning after the surgery. Then when that went to hell, I thought I had it figured out again, then THAT went to hell and well you get what I mean. Maybe a little predictable but it still keeps you guessing.
Very awesome story.

This is a hard book to review.
It's a fast read, and for the most part it's a good read. Like anything that contains multiple stories (in this case, stories in the form of poems), there are some better than others. But that isn't to say that the lesser poems hurt the book overall.
I love the ideas that Justin gives, he creates some really elegant ideas, and throws about some abstract and straight forward things that really are inventive. However, sometimes it seems like he's stretching so far, and for the sake of the poem forces some kinda cheesy sort of rhyme schemes in order to complete the story. Other than that, they really are good poems.
The one part in which he does excel is the horror aspects. He seems to have complete control of the horror thoughts and just disturbing imagery in these poems, more so than the others. This really makes me excited to dive into his other poems book which seems to primarily on horror.

This book is magnificent. The plot is meh, but we're not reading for the plot. We're reading for the imagination, the ideas, and the characters.
Shadow can be a boring character, and hell they even point it out. That this is a guy that isn't reacting to his dead wife, or Gods (new and old), and just all these other things that normal people would react to. The fact that they explain it and incorporate it into the story really amazed me. And for as boring as early Shadow can be (because at the halfway point he does grow), he really grows on you. But what Gaiman does best is relish in the sites, the Gods, the ideas that these people came with the those that traveled over to the States. It's a beautiful book. Truly worth a read.

Sadly I didn't read this back to back with the Red Dragon, so I can't remember how the writing may have changed/matured. Hell I didn't even look at the publishing dates...just realized I'm on the internet, one moment folks.
Red Dragon- 1981, Silence of the Lambs- 1988. So there was some fair time in between books, and maybe that's why the writing style felt a bit different. Or it could be me, that with the books I had read before hand, were so fast paced and less on detail that with this one taking its time on every bit of detail, it felt long winded.
And really that's the only criticism I have for this. It seems like he throws in the most random details at every moment. I wish I could have some examples, but I read this during two of the busiest and best weeks ever, and couldn't really take notes.
However, other than that, this book is fantastic. It's a slow burn. Everything is a build up to the moments you know that shit is going to hit the fan.
It's a crime book that slowly transforms into a horror story by the end, with these two "people" who are basically soulless monsters being the villains. It's a fantastic read, where I was able to forget about the movie and enjoy it on its own.

Much better now that the plot seems to be kicking. One thing I got to give props for is that they don't really attempt to bring the readers up to speed on who the character is or why. This seems a plot centered story, that can't waste pages on backstory that might not matter to the story at hand.
So the action is going, the characters are in place, and yeah it's better than the first issue. Seeing as how these are the only two issues I have, it might be some time before I revisit the full arc. However, before I do, I want to read the original Criminal Macabre run, and see how that influences my thoughts on the story.