Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

About MarkAbaddon

CBR11 participant
CBR12 participant
CBR13 participant
CBR14 Participant
CBR15 Participant

Somehow I have turned into a real life Ross Geller, having now been married 3 times. Otherwise, just your normal Jewish geek living in MN. (Learn more about this Cannonballer: MarkAbaddon's Quick Questions interview.)

MarkAbaddon's Reviews:

Full Throttle – Another good short story collection from the Kings

Full Throttle by Joe Hill

by 1 Comment

I have enormous respect for authors who step out of their comfort zone to try new things in their writing style. Joe Hill has always done that and this collection is no different. Most of the stories work but unfortunately some fell flat to me. When one takes chances, that is invariably a result, but as a reader I respect the effort and it makes me want to read more of that author going forward. There are two stories Joe wrote with his Dad, Stephen […]

A Beautiful Modern Fairy Tale from Neil Gaiman

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

by 2 Comments

I decided to re-read this short novel when I saw a video of Neil dedicating the actual lane referenced in this story in his hometown in England & I am so glad I did because I loved it much more the second time through. Let me get some minor quibbles out of the way first: are there aspects of this book that are a bit repetitive from Neil’s earlier works? Yes. Fans of Sandman or Anansi Boys can pick out scenes, characters and themes that […]

A wonderful surprise-an intelligent, articulate science graphic novel

The Dialogues by Clifford V. Johnson

by Leave a Comment

I attend a science fiction/fantasy convention every year and during one of the panels on the Physics of the Avengers this past year, the speaker recommended this graphic novel, which was written by a friend of his. Hard science explanations in a graphic novel format intrigued me, but I was unsure if it would actually work over the entire work. While it drags in some places, I really enjoyed this graphic novel. There isn’t a coherent story, but rather the author chooses to use the […]

A new version of a classic short story from Neil Gaiman

Snow, Glass, Apples by Neil Gaiman

by Leave a Comment

I admit it, I am a Neil Gaiman fanboy. There are two shelves in my library devoted to his works and this short story, Snow Glass, Apples, sits among the greatest pieces he has created. So what is it about? Take the story of Snow White, keep all of the elements of the story we are familiar with (the stepmother, the dwarves, the stepmother’s attempt to kill Snow White, the Forest, etc.), then invert some, distort others and create a whole new perspective on a […]

Magnificat – an incredible ending to this series

Magnificat by Julian May

by Leave a Comment

It has been a lot of fun re-reading all 9 books in this series but it finally comes to an end with Magnificat. Julian May truly has crafted a series that is extraordinary in scope and with characters who are vibrant. And that series does come full circle in this final installation. One of my favorite TV shows is Firefly and a quote from that show that I love is “It’s not about the destination, it is about the journey.” We have know from the […]

Diamond Mask – well, no one bats 1.000

Diamond Mask by Julian May

by Leave a Comment

It had to happen eventually, I did not care for this book, the first one in the series that I would describe in this manner. Why? The titular character, Dorothea MacDonald. All of the previous books, including the ones set in the Pliocene, are focused on the Remillard family. The abrupt shift to another character, and one who is not terribly sympathetic early on, is jarring. Diamond Mask is placed in danger from an early age by Hydra and Fury, and it honestly does not […]



Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo