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Excellent writing, with some genuinely funny lines scattered throughout. The story meanders at times and some plot lines could have been merged for brevity's sake (not unusual for first novels), but overall the pages kept turning. I was expecting certain scenes that simply never materialized, which was disappointing. Presents itself as a historical reference, so often the narrative is overly dry and toned down, uncommon for a story about magic (Harry P this is not). From me a solid 3.5, but since that's not an option, I'll round up out of utmost love for Clarke's second novel, Piranesi.

Never really got into cyberpunk, so figure I should start at the beginning...

A book about everyday blessings and how to count them. Great to enjoy when you need a break from heartbreak, vampires, apocalypses, and other plot-driving dramas. The literary equivalent of a relaxing stroll on a lovely day.

Lanagan is one of the most original authors I've ever come across, both in style and imagination. Her writing has a lyrical quality that echoes the Australian vernacular that always leaves us rest-o-the-worlders perplexedly amused. This book is her first collection of short stories, and you might be forgiven for wondering if the author is actually of this world, because these tales, each one darker and stranger than the last, certainly aren't. I wouldn't recommend her to just anybody, but for those of us who get her, we really get her.

This was the first book to make me cry, and you always remember your first. I think I was ten. I read it again in my mid-20s and it made me cry like I was still a child. A blind boy on holiday with his mother at the seashore makes a new friend, but their meeting is no accident, and the mysteries pile up. Just a sweet, simple, desolate story about loneliness and redemption.

An enthralling adventure story in the style of Sword and Sorcery classics but with an African protagonist. (As a kid I didn't even notice the upended convention, I just loved the story.) A boy survives the massacre of his tribe and must find the battle skills, magic, and courage to avenge his family. Pretty sure this book laid the foundation for my love of Sword and Sorcery in the 80s and 90s (and there was a lot of it, mostly dominated by a well-known musclebound Austrian). I wore out my copy well into my tweens. I don't think I'd dare read it as an adult for fear of tarnishing fond childhood memories, but I wouldn't hesitate to hand a reading copy to adventure-loving young warriors-in-training.