Who would have thought that retailing was so complicated?

After reading this book, I almost wanted to go and open up a retail outlet of some sort to experiment with some of Underhill’s findings.

I thought I’d try another Koontz book to see if he’s managed to change his style at all.

I found this book fairly typical of his contemporary work: somewhat 2D, almost cartoonish characters. Granted, there’s no Man, Dog, Woman theme like his older books (eg. Watchers–which was one of the first books of his that I read; and really enjoyed).

Although I found the book a little stale in parts, it’s intelligent and ties up nicely.

Clive Barker’s imagination has captivated me from the first book of his that I read (Weaveworld). Unfortunately Abarat didn’t. Granted, it’s a children’s book and maybe I’m too grown up to appreciate it, but it didn’t do anything for me.

Or maybe it’s because he’s setting up the story for future books in the series…nevertheless, I’ll pass on the second installment.

This book surprised me with its thematic texture. It’s about how morality is not a function of sexual exploration or lifestyle choices, but simply a function of truth. Morality is how truthfully we interrelate our lives with one another–irrespective of what we do in our lives.

Iles plays with us in the book, many times leading us down a banal path of plot development, only to snatch it away and replace it with something more gripping and refreshing.

Just finished this. Very well detailed action. Very poor and unbelievable characterization. Very simple, uninteresting dialogue.