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The Familiar #4
Hades
When a viral video puts twelve-year-old Xanther under a spotlight of scrutiny at school, her little white cat—still slumbering, still unnamed—offers the only escape, though it comes at a price. Not even Xanther’ parents can deny the strange currents now shuddering around their eldest, touching off inexplicable happenings. Entities troubling the dreams of the twins seem to have singled out Freya. Despite invitations to a gala at The Met, Anwar fears the solution to their financial difficulties might expose more than just his family to dangerous consequences. Something greater is at hand, something terrible is at stake. And all the while, faces unfamiliar to the Ibrahims draw closer and closer: Jingjing, in Singapore, clutching charms, boards a plane for Los Angeles; Cas and Bobby, with visions of Xanther in Mefisto’s Orb, must elude attacks from the sky. Strangers collide . . . though will those intersections lead to alliances or war? And does the dance at the center of Volume 4 augur the liberation of our better angels or the release of a creature set to feast on the wings of hope?
880 pages, Paperback
First published February 7, 2017
20 people are currently reading
2733 people want to read
About the author
Mark Z. Danielewski
19 books8,304 followersMark Z. Danielewski is an American author best known for his books House of Leaves, Only Revolutions, The Fifty Year Sword, The Little Blue Kite, and The Familiar series.
Danielewski studied English Literature at Yale. He then decided to move to Berkeley, California, where he took a summer program in Latin at the University of California, Berkeley. He also spent time in Paris, preoccupied mostly with writing.
In the early 1990s, he pursued graduate studies at the USC School of Cinema-Television. He later served as an assistant editor and worked on sound for Derrida, a documentary based on the life of the Algerian-born French literary critic and philosopher Jacques Derrida.
His second novel, Only Revolutions, was released in 2006. The novel was a finalist for the 2006 National Book Award.
His novel The Fifty Year Sword was released in the Netherlands in 2005. A new version with stitched illustrations was released in the United States 2012 (including a limited-edition release featuring a latched box that held the book). On Halloween 2010-2012, Danielewski "conducted" staged readings of the book at the REDCAT Theater inside the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Each year was different and included features such as large-scale shadows, music, and performances from actors such as Betsy Brandt (Breaking Bad).
On May 12, 2015, he released the first volume, The Familiar (Volume 1): One Rainy Day in May in his announced 27-volume series The Familiar. The story "concerns a 12-year-old girl who finds a kitten..." The second volume, The Familiar (Volume 2): Into the Forest was released on Oct. 27, 2015, The Familiar (Volume 3): Honeysuckle & Pain came out June 14, 2016, and The Familiar (Volume 4): Hades arrived in bookstores on Feb. 7, 2017, and The Familiar (Volume 5): Redwood was released on Halloween 2017.
His latest release, The Little Blue Kite, is out now.
Quick Facts
He is the son of Polish avant-garde film director Tad Danielewski and the brother of singer and songwriter Annie Decatur Danielewski, a.k.a. Poe.
House of Leaves, Danielewski's first novel, has gained a considerable cult following. In 2000, Danielewski toured with his sister across America at Borders Books and Music locations, promoting Poe’s album Haunted, which reflects elements of House of Leaves.
Danielewski's work is characterized by experimental choices in form, such as intricate and multi-layered narratives and typographical variation.
In 2015, his piece Thrown, a reflection on Matthew Barney's Cremaster 2, appeared on display at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.
Official "Yarn + Ink" apparel inspired by his books House of Leaves and The Familiar is now available through his official website, Amazon and Etsy.
His latest short story, "There's a Place for You" was released on www.markzdanielewski.com in August 2020.
Read more on his Wikipedia page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Z....
Danielewski studied English Literature at Yale. He then decided to move to Berkeley, California, where he took a summer program in Latin at the University of California, Berkeley. He also spent time in Paris, preoccupied mostly with writing.
In the early 1990s, he pursued graduate studies at the USC School of Cinema-Television. He later served as an assistant editor and worked on sound for Derrida, a documentary based on the life of the Algerian-born French literary critic and philosopher Jacques Derrida.
His second novel, Only Revolutions, was released in 2006. The novel was a finalist for the 2006 National Book Award.
His novel The Fifty Year Sword was released in the Netherlands in 2005. A new version with stitched illustrations was released in the United States 2012 (including a limited-edition release featuring a latched box that held the book). On Halloween 2010-2012, Danielewski "conducted" staged readings of the book at the REDCAT Theater inside the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Each year was different and included features such as large-scale shadows, music, and performances from actors such as Betsy Brandt (Breaking Bad).
On May 12, 2015, he released the first volume, The Familiar (Volume 1): One Rainy Day in May in his announced 27-volume series The Familiar. The story "concerns a 12-year-old girl who finds a kitten..." The second volume, The Familiar (Volume 2): Into the Forest was released on Oct. 27, 2015, The Familiar (Volume 3): Honeysuckle & Pain came out June 14, 2016, and The Familiar (Volume 4): Hades arrived in bookstores on Feb. 7, 2017, and The Familiar (Volume 5): Redwood was released on Halloween 2017.
His latest release, The Little Blue Kite, is out now.
Quick Facts
He is the son of Polish avant-garde film director Tad Danielewski and the brother of singer and songwriter Annie Decatur Danielewski, a.k.a. Poe.
House of Leaves, Danielewski's first novel, has gained a considerable cult following. In 2000, Danielewski toured with his sister across America at Borders Books and Music locations, promoting Poe’s album Haunted, which reflects elements of House of Leaves.
Danielewski's work is characterized by experimental choices in form, such as intricate and multi-layered narratives and typographical variation.
In 2015, his piece Thrown, a reflection on Matthew Barney's Cremaster 2, appeared on display at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.
Official "Yarn + Ink" apparel inspired by his books House of Leaves and The Familiar is now available through his official website, Amazon and Etsy.
His latest short story, "There's a Place for You" was released on www.markzdanielewski.com in August 2020.
Read more on his Wikipedia page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Z....
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
October 11, 2017
Re-read Update: While there is maybe some legitimate critique about the plot spinning wheels in Vol. 4--to re-frame the conversation in TV-speak--it's clear this book is setting up the chess pieces for a real walloping blow in the "season final" that is book 5. Also, if you're reading these books simply for the plot and not connecting with the layers of significance, connexion, meaning, myth, and mystery, why read MZD at all?
-----
The self-doubt and the skepticism I once felt upon picking up the newest installment in The Familiar is now gone by Hades, volume 4 in this insane, spiraling 27-part (fingers are crossed quite determinedly and [semi-]permanently) series. And as soon as I cracked the first page, I was hooked, drawn fully, immersively back into its tangling web-world of elucidations, obfuscations, mystifications and cascade of reflexive, referential themes, easter eggs, motifs and more. This is not just a story about a 12-year old girl and her cat. It's not even "just a story" at all. Danielewski, in destroying narrative form, exploding genre tropes (particularly with his sights on pulp genres) and applying the rubrics of the classics (if the title Hades wasn't signifier enough) has created in The Familiar a contemporary myth. It is also an essential Global novel (it has a bit of the zeitgeist, but, really, it feels beyond that even) with the scope of uncovering identity as a shared experience, rather than an individual one.
It's not even a single myth, it's a full mythology in a scale that's on par with the ancients. We have creation myth (one that seems to be pointing to ideas of simulation & simulacrum; is reality real?), we have myths of morals (new morals for the contemporary, global world that search beyond good and bad, though must operate within those parameters), a myth of unity (one that is slowly drawing together an almost [almost] comically diverse rainbow coalition) and, of course, entertainment myth, where rich lines of connexion are drawn between distant players, elevating the acts of mere mortals to the power of deities--the myth of uplift (though, methinks there will be inversions to come).
To even begin turning over the stones on the rich web of narrative in The Familiar is a trip down a rabbit hole, a rabbit hole with paper-covered walls of conspiracy. A conspiracy whose conclusion is one thing: Truth. That capitalized, metaphysical version of the word. The version that one can only get to through myth and story--the reason Humanity has these forms. I don't know what Truth Danielewski's working towards is--though I have some inklings, it would be reductive and myopic to limit them to a parenthetical. But I do know I'm along for the ride as long as it goes.
While these 880 page books read like 250/300 pages, it's significant to note that by the time you've finished Hades, you've torn through (at least) 1,000 pages and 120 chapters in the blink of an eye. I'm already prepped to dip back in for a full re-read in preparation for Redwood, Season One's conclusion. Perhaps you'll join me?
In my reviews, to this point, I don't think I've broached the book-series-as-TV-series topic, nor have I really done much explication of plot, or speculated about where the story lines are headed. That's mostly because I don't want to be prescriptive by engaging that in a review--these are the things you go out and have a conversation about. And I think this is a significant part of Danielewski's design. A beautiful vision where water cooler talk takes aims at big, hairy ideas enrobed in a peculiar book featuring a little girl and a kitten; a vision of talk about "what happened this time on The Familiar" instead of reality shows and formulaic scripts. Just accessible enough for every Tom, Dick and Jane, but rewarding and rich enough for those of us with a predilection for "big" books. In essence, everyone should read The Familiar.
It should be clear at this point that The Familiar series is going to wildly surpass House of Leaves in terms of literary accomplishment--and that's even if Pantheon doesn't let MZD see this thing through to all 27 volumes. We're only at 4/27ths of the story (and only promised 10 so far), but I know one thing for certain: Pantheon had damn well better.
Volume 1: One Rainy Day in May
Volume 2: Into the Forest
Volume 3: Honeysuckle & Pain
-----
The self-doubt and the skepticism I once felt upon picking up the newest installment in The Familiar is now gone by Hades, volume 4 in this insane, spiraling 27-part (fingers are crossed quite determinedly and [semi-]permanently) series. And as soon as I cracked the first page, I was hooked, drawn fully, immersively back into its tangling web-world of elucidations, obfuscations, mystifications and cascade of reflexive, referential themes, easter eggs, motifs and more. This is not just a story about a 12-year old girl and her cat. It's not even "just a story" at all. Danielewski, in destroying narrative form, exploding genre tropes (particularly with his sights on pulp genres) and applying the rubrics of the classics (if the title Hades wasn't signifier enough) has created in The Familiar a contemporary myth. It is also an essential Global novel (it has a bit of the zeitgeist, but, really, it feels beyond that even) with the scope of uncovering identity as a shared experience, rather than an individual one.
It's not even a single myth, it's a full mythology in a scale that's on par with the ancients. We have creation myth (one that seems to be pointing to ideas of simulation & simulacrum; is reality real?), we have myths of morals (new morals for the contemporary, global world that search beyond good and bad, though must operate within those parameters), a myth of unity (one that is slowly drawing together an almost [almost] comically diverse rainbow coalition) and, of course, entertainment myth, where rich lines of connexion are drawn between distant players, elevating the acts of mere mortals to the power of deities--the myth of uplift (though, methinks there will be inversions to come).
To even begin turning over the stones on the rich web of narrative in The Familiar is a trip down a rabbit hole, a rabbit hole with paper-covered walls of conspiracy. A conspiracy whose conclusion is one thing: Truth. That capitalized, metaphysical version of the word. The version that one can only get to through myth and story--the reason Humanity has these forms. I don't know what Truth Danielewski's working towards is--though I have some inklings, it would be reductive and myopic to limit them to a parenthetical. But I do know I'm along for the ride as long as it goes.
While these 880 page books read like 250/300 pages, it's significant to note that by the time you've finished Hades, you've torn through (at least) 1,000 pages and 120 chapters in the blink of an eye. I'm already prepped to dip back in for a full re-read in preparation for Redwood, Season One's conclusion. Perhaps you'll join me?
In my reviews, to this point, I don't think I've broached the book-series-as-TV-series topic, nor have I really done much explication of plot, or speculated about where the story lines are headed. That's mostly because I don't want to be prescriptive by engaging that in a review--these are the things you go out and have a conversation about. And I think this is a significant part of Danielewski's design. A beautiful vision where water cooler talk takes aims at big, hairy ideas enrobed in a peculiar book featuring a little girl and a kitten; a vision of talk about "what happened this time on The Familiar" instead of reality shows and formulaic scripts. Just accessible enough for every Tom, Dick and Jane, but rewarding and rich enough for those of us with a predilection for "big" books. In essence, everyone should read The Familiar.
It should be clear at this point that The Familiar series is going to wildly surpass House of Leaves in terms of literary accomplishment--and that's even if Pantheon doesn't let MZD see this thing through to all 27 volumes. We're only at 4/27ths of the story (and only promised 10 so far), but I know one thing for certain: Pantheon had damn well better.
Volume 1: One Rainy Day in May
Volume 2: Into the Forest
Volume 3: Honeysuckle & Pain
January 24, 2018
In this chapter/volume of The Familiar, I found myself regretting that I am reading copies from my library rather than purchasing my own. The reason for this is that the Narcons make a lot more interjections in this volume and many of them are references back to preceding volumes which, of course, I could not look up because the books have gone back to the library!
"Narcons" won't mean much to people who have not read Volumes 1-3, but these "narrative constructs" are much more active and make the overall meta-narrative aspects of the series more prominent. Add to this that the distinct story lines are starting to merge more rapidly now and it feels like things are really starting to get moving.
But we know this sense of movement is a bit of an illusion. Danielewski is taking his time with this story. Each volume is 840 pages long and there is no sense of a rush to get anywhere. I imagine that anyone who has got as far as Volume 4 has decided to commit to the journey. If all goes to plan, there will be 27 volumes with Volume 6 due out soon-ish and the others following at roughly 6-month intervals. The question is whether both publisher and (enough) readers will stick around for long enough to see it through. Also, I suppose there is a question as to whether Danielewski will stay with the same story for so many years. Or will he do a Mantel and head off to other projects leaving his readers frustrated?
The typesetting remains a distinguishing feature. As I read some parts of this one, I was reflecting on how many writers introduce tension or panic into their stories by shortening their sentences so the reader feels like they are rushing through. Danielewski takes this one step further by putting each of those shortened sentences on its own page. The physical experience of turning the pages so rapidly really does make you feel the sense of urgency at those parts of the story. And that contrasts well with the pages that are graphic or full of unusual markings where you are forced to slow right down and spend several minutes on a single page.
There is little point in summarising what happens in this volume. For me, it was largely about establishing more and firmer links between the different stories. Jingjing is now in America and has met with Luther. Luther and his gang have encountered Ozgur. These are just examples of how things are connecting. Meanwhile, Xanther continues to take centre stage (at one point literally) with her unnamed cat whilst her parents continue to struggle for money and have to make a big decision about the ominous looking Galavadyne corporation.
There is a very real sense of pieces being moved around ready for a grand finale.
Finally, I can't believe it took me until part way through this fourth volume to realise what "katla" means. It's been staring me in the face for 3-and-a-bit volumes but I somehow never thought about it. Very Bladerunner.
I will read Volume 5 soon and that will complete the first series. I am keen to know how that works out and interested to know how it will pick up in Volume 6 whenever that is available.
"Narcons" won't mean much to people who have not read Volumes 1-3, but these "narrative constructs" are much more active and make the overall meta-narrative aspects of the series more prominent. Add to this that the distinct story lines are starting to merge more rapidly now and it feels like things are really starting to get moving.
But we know this sense of movement is a bit of an illusion. Danielewski is taking his time with this story. Each volume is 840 pages long and there is no sense of a rush to get anywhere. I imagine that anyone who has got as far as Volume 4 has decided to commit to the journey. If all goes to plan, there will be 27 volumes with Volume 6 due out soon-ish and the others following at roughly 6-month intervals. The question is whether both publisher and (enough) readers will stick around for long enough to see it through. Also, I suppose there is a question as to whether Danielewski will stay with the same story for so many years. Or will he do a Mantel and head off to other projects leaving his readers frustrated?
The typesetting remains a distinguishing feature. As I read some parts of this one, I was reflecting on how many writers introduce tension or panic into their stories by shortening their sentences so the reader feels like they are rushing through. Danielewski takes this one step further by putting each of those shortened sentences on its own page. The physical experience of turning the pages so rapidly really does make you feel the sense of urgency at those parts of the story. And that contrasts well with the pages that are graphic or full of unusual markings where you are forced to slow right down and spend several minutes on a single page.
There is little point in summarising what happens in this volume. For me, it was largely about establishing more and firmer links between the different stories. Jingjing is now in America and has met with Luther. Luther and his gang have encountered Ozgur. These are just examples of how things are connecting. Meanwhile, Xanther continues to take centre stage (at one point literally) with her unnamed cat whilst her parents continue to struggle for money and have to make a big decision about the ominous looking Galavadyne corporation.
There is a very real sense of pieces being moved around ready for a grand finale.
Finally, I can't believe it took me until part way through this fourth volume to realise what "katla" means. It's been staring me in the face for 3-and-a-bit volumes but I somehow never thought about it. Very Bladerunner.
I will read Volume 5 soon and that will complete the first series. I am keen to know how that works out and interested to know how it will pick up in Volume 6 whenever that is available.
April 25, 2017
And we're back to Book 1, where it feels more like the parts than the whole. The narratives were bland (did anything at all happen, actually, aside from Xanther going to see a ballet and some Very Obvious "they're all connected" moments?). The writing style bugs me again (I know everyone says Xanther speaks like a twelve-year-old girl, but does everyone also teach high school and hang out with twelve-year-old girls all day because they don't sound like that -- the use of slang was often cringeworthy ("on fleek"??! no one EVER said that seriously, even in 2014!)). I cared less about characters I'd previously enjoyed; I didn't feel creeped out or even, really, engaged. Even the design seemed less affecting (save a few gorgeous pages). Danielewski no :( I was with you, man!
But I'll be back. I've come this far; I'm in it for the long haul. I just can't take much more of the following things:
- Jingjing and Shnork's language patterns (I'm sorry, I don't find it in any way effective)
- Xanther being so perfect and everyone loving her even though she comes off completely average (this MIGHT be because of the 'cat', in which case: forgiven. Otherwise omfg. I loved Xanther, but she irritated me bigtime in this volume.)
- Relatedly: the Ibrahim family having ALL these wealthy and famous friends??? Why??? They seem pretty average??????? This needs to be explained; intercharacter connections (and, cough, a book like this) only work if they're not deus ex machina, and it's looking a lot like that, right now.
- Characters doing the same thing over and over without any real progress (Cas' narrative was initially my favourite, but like...they're scrying and running. Like ok thanks that's enough do or explain something already.)
- Weird graphic design for the sake of weird graphic design (not ALL the design -- some's really effective -- but some of it is just "look what we can do with a computer, aren't we cool!")
- The constant self-referencing (that "tFv1 p.235" shit). We get it. You're writing a big ole book and you want us to know things will come back. Don't be precious about it. If we want to doublecheck, we will -- or put out something online with all the references. It takes from the detective work and the reading experience to see it in-text.
- Things that are BORING. A lot of this is BORING. I don't need constant action but give me something that isn't characters speaking in tendrils. I worry that the form is getting in the way of the content; that this could easily be a single volume. The padding is getting a bit...apparent.
- The cat. I don't like cats. Can it transmogrify into an eternal being or whatever it actually is already.
However -- to be fair, and because the back of Vol 4 had Goodreads reviews so I don't want Danielewski to hate me, things I loved:
- Astair. I love Astair. I JUS LOVE HER. She's the realest and most layered of the characters, for me, and I love how her internal personal & parental conflicts are treated. Stoked to hear about her family history and rich-ass parents!
- CONSPIRACY THEORIES can we have more of these, please?! Fewer animal references, more Galvadyne!
- The Hades & Persephone ballet. FUCKKKKin' eh. Can that be choreographed in real life?! Someone! Brilliant interpretation of the myth.
- other things maybe? I enjoy these books, I do; I just...didn't have much of an experience with this particular one. I hold Danielewski accountable to actual literary quality: he can do it, and it doesn't have to rely on these little ~mysteries~ and printing errors to be decoded on Reddit. More of Vol. 3's intensity, characterization, and interwoven plotting -- less rambling & snarky hat-tips.
P.S. Before y'all jump on my review bitching that I didn't "get it," yeah okay maybe I didn't! But my barometre of books I don't "get" is whether I CARE enough to "get" them -- and I cared about Vols. 2 & 3. I went back to them. And I ain't rereading Hades. Gimme Volume 5 --- let's have a season finale worth giving a shit about.
But I'll be back. I've come this far; I'm in it for the long haul. I just can't take much more of the following things:
- Jingjing and Shnork's language patterns (I'm sorry, I don't find it in any way effective)
- Xanther being so perfect and everyone loving her even though she comes off completely average (this MIGHT be because of the 'cat', in which case: forgiven. Otherwise omfg. I loved Xanther, but she irritated me bigtime in this volume.)
- Relatedly: the Ibrahim family having ALL these wealthy and famous friends??? Why??? They seem pretty average??????? This needs to be explained; intercharacter connections (and, cough, a book like this) only work if they're not deus ex machina, and it's looking a lot like that, right now.
- Characters doing the same thing over and over without any real progress (Cas' narrative was initially my favourite, but like...they're scrying and running. Like ok thanks that's enough do or explain something already.)
- Weird graphic design for the sake of weird graphic design (not ALL the design -- some's really effective -- but some of it is just "look what we can do with a computer, aren't we cool!")
- The constant self-referencing (that "tFv1 p.235" shit). We get it. You're writing a big ole book and you want us to know things will come back. Don't be precious about it. If we want to doublecheck, we will -- or put out something online with all the references. It takes from the detective work and the reading experience to see it in-text.
- Things that are BORING. A lot of this is BORING. I don't need constant action but give me something that isn't characters speaking in tendrils. I worry that the form is getting in the way of the content; that this could easily be a single volume. The padding is getting a bit...apparent.
- The cat. I don't like cats. Can it transmogrify into an eternal being or whatever it actually is already.
However -- to be fair, and because the back of Vol 4 had Goodreads reviews so I don't want Danielewski to hate me, things I loved:
- Astair. I love Astair. I JUS LOVE HER. She's the realest and most layered of the characters, for me, and I love how her internal personal & parental conflicts are treated. Stoked to hear about her family history and rich-ass parents!
- CONSPIRACY THEORIES can we have more of these, please?! Fewer animal references, more Galvadyne!
- The Hades & Persephone ballet. FUCKKKKin' eh. Can that be choreographed in real life?! Someone! Brilliant interpretation of the myth.
- other things maybe? I enjoy these books, I do; I just...didn't have much of an experience with this particular one. I hold Danielewski accountable to actual literary quality: he can do it, and it doesn't have to rely on these little ~mysteries~ and printing errors to be decoded on Reddit. More of Vol. 3's intensity, characterization, and interwoven plotting -- less rambling & snarky hat-tips.
P.S. Before y'all jump on my review bitching that I didn't "get it," yeah okay maybe I didn't! But my barometre of books I don't "get" is whether I CARE enough to "get" them -- and I cared about Vols. 2 & 3. I went back to them. And I ain't rereading Hades. Gimme Volume 5 --- let's have a season finale worth giving a shit about.
December 31, 2017
Part 4 of The Familiar accelerates the merging of the different storylines, as expected. Jingjing flies to LA from Singapore and is immediately confronted by Luther. He, and Tian Li pursue their search of their cat; 8,778 miles away!
Steady Eddie Anwar potentially sells his soul in search of paid employment, an income. The obviously nasty Galvadyne inc. reveals a small part of itself.
The police force and gangland Los Angeles circle one another, where Oz and Juarez have an unlikely respect, or admiration, for the other's shooting skills.
The HADES of the title moves Xanther centre stage in the story (literally and metaphorically!).
Classical performance drama; Persephone in Hades, by the deliciously named choreographer,"Myla Mint".
Lightning stones (or nightmare stones) bring together storyline narrative and what I had previously taken to be simply the logo/ image of the book's type setters. I gather that Danielewski has coined the phrase "signiconic" or sign + icon wherein text and image merge. The stones are a good example of this.
To anybody reading this without knowledge of the series, such quick summary extracts will sound disjointed, random.
A lot goes on in The Familiar. Mark Danielewski has taken his time in constructing a multi layered, subtlety referenced work of some scholarship and imagination. It's a glimpse of a future, the incorporation of the mystic, the reality of life's dangers, the togetherness of a family unit.
It's a big time commitment such that I fear not enough readers will sign up for the long ride, and then how commercially viable is the series continuance?
That's for contemplation when I've completed the final instalment of the first series, Redwood.
Steady Eddie Anwar potentially sells his soul in search of paid employment, an income. The obviously nasty Galvadyne inc. reveals a small part of itself.
The police force and gangland Los Angeles circle one another, where Oz and Juarez have an unlikely respect, or admiration, for the other's shooting skills.
The HADES of the title moves Xanther centre stage in the story (literally and metaphorically!).
Classical performance drama; Persephone in Hades, by the deliciously named choreographer,"Myla Mint".
Lightning stones (or nightmare stones) bring together storyline narrative and what I had previously taken to be simply the logo/ image of the book's type setters. I gather that Danielewski has coined the phrase "signiconic" or sign + icon wherein text and image merge. The stones are a good example of this.
To anybody reading this without knowledge of the series, such quick summary extracts will sound disjointed, random.
A lot goes on in The Familiar. Mark Danielewski has taken his time in constructing a multi layered, subtlety referenced work of some scholarship and imagination. It's a glimpse of a future, the incorporation of the mystic, the reality of life's dangers, the togetherness of a family unit.
It's a big time commitment such that I fear not enough readers will sign up for the long ride, and then how commercially viable is the series continuance?
That's for contemplation when I've completed the final instalment of the first series, Redwood.
February 28, 2017
The back of this book contains review blurbs of Volume 3 from GoodReads users who liked it. They didn't pick mine. Maybe I can be on Volume 5. Here's my review:
"A magnificent tour de force! I couldn't put it down!" --James Patterson
"Danielewski is a wizard. Xanther's story will resonate with today's youth and I love all the font changes and shit." --Ursula K. Le Guin
"Fans of Game of Thrones and Harry Potter will love it!" --Neil Gaiman or someone
"A magnificent tour de force! I couldn't put it down!" --James Patterson
"Danielewski is a wizard. Xanther's story will resonate with today's youth and I love all the font changes and shit." --Ursula K. Le Guin
"Fans of Game of Thrones and Harry Potter will love it!" --Neil Gaiman or someone
March 3, 2017
By now, some of you are deciding that I'm going to award Danieleswi an automatic five stars 27 times, assuming all volumes of this ambitious project are released. Truth be told, I'm more than willing to remove a star, perhaps two, if the story line starts to flag or the art progression become predictable. But damned if Danielewski isn't weaving together the characters and story lines with just the right touch of suspense, while leaving many things unexplained. There is even a hint of why the prelude capsule story of the last days of Anwar Sadat matter to this book - though as is the case very often in The Familiar series, we are often unsure as to whether we dare to know how the elements are weaving together, or where the story is headed.
The other Anwar in this book is pondering a job with the effusively huggy and chummy Silicon Valley company Galvadyne ("no, don't do it, Anwar!"), which has no obvious horrific sides, but seems linked to subtly nefarious things, and whose CEO shows too much interest in Anwar's daughter Xanther, and in Anwar's transitory friend Mefisto. Said Mefisto, meanwhile, is tied ever closer to Bobby, Cas, and the underground protectors of The Orbs. Mefisto also seems to show up in the same clubs as Turkish LAPD Detective Ozgur, who is sharing information with Israeli researcher Warlock. Warlock, meanwhile, appears tied in with the Orb-minders.
Some may be shaking their heads at this point, convinced they do not like novels with an international cast of characters numbering in the dozens. But have no fear! Danielewski makes it easy for us by color-coding the top outward-facing corners of the book's pages for easy reference to one particular sub-plot. Each succeeding book makes greater use of page references to previous books to help the perplexed.
Our central protagonist, Xanther, travels outside California in this volume, and progresses further in understanding that her odd seizures may not be epilepsy at all, and that her relationship with her still-unnamed cat helps to ground her expanding adolescent personality. Danielewski makes greater use of visual art in Hades in order to bring Xanther into sharper focus. The seizures are illustrated with dense and dark forests, collections of stones which may represent nightmares or something worse, and scorch marks on the pages as Xanther sets her wider world on fire.
There will be readers who find all of the trappings of the series too clever by half, but they would likely be the type of readers who would never consider picking up a graphic novel, either. The Familiar is a larger-than-life speculative fiction tale, told with grace and bravado, that deserves to announce itself with artwork and type-fonts that leap off the page. Most of its readers no doubt anticipate that Danielewski must take a breath or two at some point, and that a volume in the series will lag a bit in its ability to carry the story forward. So far, we have not hit that point. Danielewski is delivering a relentless panorama as big as the planet.
(In answer to a question on Goodreads, let me reiterate that these books are not self-contained novels. If they seem interesting, begin with Book 1 and progress through the volumes sequentially. If your eyes glaze over, you can quit early. But chances are, you will find The Familiar a bullet-train series in speculative fiction. The train left the station, but you still have time to scramble on board.)
The other Anwar in this book is pondering a job with the effusively huggy and chummy Silicon Valley company Galvadyne ("no, don't do it, Anwar!"), which has no obvious horrific sides, but seems linked to subtly nefarious things, and whose CEO shows too much interest in Anwar's daughter Xanther, and in Anwar's transitory friend Mefisto. Said Mefisto, meanwhile, is tied ever closer to Bobby, Cas, and the underground protectors of The Orbs. Mefisto also seems to show up in the same clubs as Turkish LAPD Detective Ozgur, who is sharing information with Israeli researcher Warlock. Warlock, meanwhile, appears tied in with the Orb-minders.
Some may be shaking their heads at this point, convinced they do not like novels with an international cast of characters numbering in the dozens. But have no fear! Danielewski makes it easy for us by color-coding the top outward-facing corners of the book's pages for easy reference to one particular sub-plot. Each succeeding book makes greater use of page references to previous books to help the perplexed.
Our central protagonist, Xanther, travels outside California in this volume, and progresses further in understanding that her odd seizures may not be epilepsy at all, and that her relationship with her still-unnamed cat helps to ground her expanding adolescent personality. Danielewski makes greater use of visual art in Hades in order to bring Xanther into sharper focus. The seizures are illustrated with dense and dark forests, collections of stones which may represent nightmares or something worse, and scorch marks on the pages as Xanther sets her wider world on fire.
There will be readers who find all of the trappings of the series too clever by half, but they would likely be the type of readers who would never consider picking up a graphic novel, either. The Familiar is a larger-than-life speculative fiction tale, told with grace and bravado, that deserves to announce itself with artwork and type-fonts that leap off the page. Most of its readers no doubt anticipate that Danielewski must take a breath or two at some point, and that a volume in the series will lag a bit in its ability to carry the story forward. So far, we have not hit that point. Danielewski is delivering a relentless panorama as big as the planet.
(In answer to a question on Goodreads, let me reiterate that these books are not self-contained novels. If they seem interesting, begin with Book 1 and progress through the volumes sequentially. If your eyes glaze over, you can quit early. But chances are, you will find The Familiar a bullet-train series in speculative fiction. The train left the station, but you still have time to scramble on board.)
March 4, 2017
This far in, my reviews will become much more specific. Previous entries: One Rainy Day in May, Into the Forest, Honeysuckle and Pain.
I’m starting to get worried here. The series has gone from front and center in the new section of Green Apple Books to requiring a kind of sojourn where I have to ask multiple people and look all over for the latest episode. “Looks like there is no review copies this time”, says the clerk. I fear for the series reaching 25 or whatever.
Which is a shame, because Volume 4 is excellent. It finally, finally, begins to get over the issue I had taken in the past few volumes: Too slow. Characters treading water. Hades drives the characters together, develops plot and mystery. Even Shnork, our most aimless character, coughing and driving his cab around for 3 volumes, receives the character development he sorely needed.
Nearly every chapter has some relationship to the greater plot. Anwar is still job hunting, but this thread now takes him down shadowy corporate wormholes. Most of the characters have now converged on LA. Ozgur meets half the rest of the cast, previously isolated. It’s all tense and well connected. Though not flawless. Erstwhile and supremely creepy hitman Isandorno spends most of the book with a mysterious woman, whose identity is heavily hinted at (and it’s intriguing), and then spends his last chapter doing nothing.
Indeed, there’s still quite a bit of teasing — we leave one character with a warehouse full of guns and an idea of what they’re going to do with them. Actually now that I think of it, there’s two characters with cliffhangers involving separate gun mysteries. But with the next volume referred to as the “Season 1 finale”, this feels appropriate, and I’m seriously looking forward to this fall.
The series has flirted with horror and continues to do so. Danielewski achieved notoriety through House of Leaves, of course, and his grasp on spatial horror remains sharp. Xanther’s little sisters are plagued by nightmares (surely the kitten is to blame…), and in one scene, one of them is crying and pointing at a corner, repeating “There is a ladder in the floor.” Instant chills.
This was originally published at The Scrying Orb.
I’m starting to get worried here. The series has gone from front and center in the new section of Green Apple Books to requiring a kind of sojourn where I have to ask multiple people and look all over for the latest episode. “Looks like there is no review copies this time”, says the clerk. I fear for the series reaching 25 or whatever.
Which is a shame, because Volume 4 is excellent. It finally, finally, begins to get over the issue I had taken in the past few volumes: Too slow. Characters treading water. Hades drives the characters together, develops plot and mystery. Even Shnork, our most aimless character, coughing and driving his cab around for 3 volumes, receives the character development he sorely needed.
Nearly every chapter has some relationship to the greater plot. Anwar is still job hunting, but this thread now takes him down shadowy corporate wormholes. Most of the characters have now converged on LA. Ozgur meets half the rest of the cast, previously isolated. It’s all tense and well connected. Though not flawless. Erstwhile and supremely creepy hitman Isandorno spends most of the book with a mysterious woman, whose identity is heavily hinted at (and it’s intriguing), and then spends his last chapter doing nothing.
Indeed, there’s still quite a bit of teasing — we leave one character with a warehouse full of guns and an idea of what they’re going to do with them. Actually now that I think of it, there’s two characters with cliffhangers involving separate gun mysteries. But with the next volume referred to as the “Season 1 finale”, this feels appropriate, and I’m seriously looking forward to this fall.
The series has flirted with horror and continues to do so. Danielewski achieved notoriety through House of Leaves, of course, and his grasp on spatial horror remains sharp. Xanther’s little sisters are plagued by nightmares (surely the kitten is to blame…), and in one scene, one of them is crying and pointing at a corner, repeating “There is a ladder in the floor.” Instant chills.
This was originally published at The Scrying Orb.
February 11, 2017
Danielewski is up to his best tricks again. Questionable reality. Questionable truth. ⠮Satya?⠝ So many questions. ⠮So buttons?⠝ An origami of characters coming together. katla katla-katla. Drawing the reader in, not only to engage, but to be apart of, to experience, what they are reading. ⠮Reddit couldn't do it, maybe goodreads can?⠝
May 14, 2024
-3.5? I guess?
I don't know, I loved reading it, but it felt like very steady? Not too many things have seemed to happen or excite me.
Based on the fact he had plans to make a lot more books, this is practically a filler, which would have been fine if that was the context now. But since there's only one book left, I can't help but feel a little disappointed.
Obviously not his fault at all, it's just how I'm feeling based on the fact there's only 5 books in the series.
Honestly I'm almost wanting to push off book 5 because I KNOW I'm going to be lost after finishing it.
Based on plot?? I think 2 might be my favorite. But based on the amount of characters and information each book gives, I find myself struggling to recall plotlines of the first 2 books.
I don't know, I loved reading it, but it felt like very steady? Not too many things have seemed to happen or excite me.
Based on the fact he had plans to make a lot more books, this is practically a filler, which would have been fine if that was the context now. But since there's only one book left, I can't help but feel a little disappointed.
Obviously not his fault at all, it's just how I'm feeling based on the fact there's only 5 books in the series.
Honestly I'm almost wanting to push off book 5 because I KNOW I'm going to be lost after finishing it.
Based on plot?? I think 2 might be my favorite. But based on the amount of characters and information each book gives, I find myself struggling to recall plotlines of the first 2 books.
October 11, 2019
Look, I tried. I really tried. I don't have the energy in me to sit through any more.
When I first joined Goodreads, I would read through many reviews, often times focusing on 2-4 star reviews to see what people really thought. To my surprise, I found a staggering number of reviews left by readers who didn't finish the book. At the time, I didn't agree with this practice. I felt one should finish a book before giving an analysis on it.
Then I thought back on it and realized if someone was not enjoying a book, then there isn't a need to continue on. They have the information they need. Still, in some cases I believe readers called it quits too early. (For instance, one review I found for an earlier volume in this series, the reader quit on page 84. Which if you are this far into the series, you know is only about a chapter in.) However, most of these reviews were from people several hundred pages in.
I stopped reading The Familiar Volume 4 on exactly page 500. I had every intention of pushing through and continuing on. I wanted to know where this story with Xanther went and what would happen. After finishing a 24 page Ozgur chapter, in which the only important information came in the last 5 pages, I was faced with a 36 page Anwar chapter. So the book sat on my night stand. Every night I would see it, and every night I didn't want to read it. I didn't want to force myself to sit through another overly-long chapter in which the first 90% was unnecessary.
One night I had nothing else to do, so I sat down and started reading it. I was bored. I forced myself to read every word, and then eventually started skimming, and eventually got to the end and realized, most of that chapter didn't matter. Maybe the last 5 pages. To my horror, I flipped the page and was met with a 37 page Astair chapter. I knew it didn't need to be that long. Her chapters have never needed to be so long.
I saw the trend. I had seen it for some time, but here it had become incredibly obvious. Not wanting to waste my time, I just skimmed the chapter. Most of it didn't feel like it was going anywhere. Then, on the very last page in a horribly formatted style, we get something interesting. But that something was not built up in the first 36 pages. It was not built up in the other Astair chapter in this book. It was not built up in the first 3 books. It literally came out of nowhere.
Then, I saw the title for the next chapter. HADES. The same title as this Volume. I gave up. 500 pages into a 831 page story, and only NOW are we getting to the point of this volume... I assume. That tells me what I have already known since Volume 2. This book was way too long.
It's not long because it is 831 pages. I don't mind that. What I mind is how it is 831 pages, when it really only needs to be 300. There's a pretty big difference between 300 and 831. That's 531 pages of unnecessary, excessive filler. That is the greatest detriment to this entire series. There is absolutely no reason for these books to be nearly as long as they are.
The more I read, the more obvious it becomes how forced the length is sometimes. At the end of volume 3, the last two chapters are stupidly long more because there was 100 pages to go to reach the 800 make, and less because it would take that long to tell the story. There is a lot of that in this volume as well, as I pointed out above. Chapter after chapter find themselves extended in one way or another with the main purpose of filling space and not caring so much about building the world, or developing characters or advancing the story.
It feels like Danielewski tries to do this, or thinks he is, but if you asked me what any of these characters are like, I can tell you about some. Xanther, Cas, her nemesis, Lutero are all pretty easy to define. Astair? Anwar? I can't really tell you. I have ideas and some basics, but nothing that makes them feel like real people. This is Volume 4. I should have had all that by the end of Volume 1.
That's the other problem with these books. The formatting. Don't get me wrong, when I started Volume 1, it worked well. I loved the idea! Each perspective it's own formatting, and font was something I had never seen before. It did really help differentiate the characters. However, looking back, Volume 1 was also incredibly misleading. Everything I heard about the book made it seem like a self-contained story revolving around this one day, and how the different perspectives would come together based off of that single event. Yet here I am in Volume 4, and that still hasn't happened, and supposedly won't until Volume 5.
Then I have to ask, how necessary was it to put in so many difference perspectives from the beginning? Also, and maybe more importantly, how necessary was it to combine all these perspectives into a single book? Was it really that important to have JingJing for the first 3 volumes when they don't really do anything? Do we really need a chapter from Xanther, and Xanther's dad, and Xanther's mom all talking about the same things? However much I like Cas' story with the Orb, do we really need to continue cutting to it, when the only connection to Xanther was a throwaway line at the beginning of Volume 4?
Obviously I haven't read Volume 5 yet, and maybe every perspective comes together and it becomes this glorious uniting of them all, but from what I have already read in this series, and from what I have concocted from all I've read, I know that won't happen. If it does, to any extent, I know that a lot of what came before won't be necessary. (Like Astair touching herself in the shower or Lutero having sex with multiple hookers and the page-long descriptions of each.)
That is the problem with Volume 1's promise. Because of what I had been told about the story, including from this very website, I expected something that hasn't been delivered yet. AND, when realizing the perspectives won't come together for a long time, it doesn't really make sense to have them all, and for them to be there all the time. When that doesn't make sense, and being the primary gimmick of these books, the entire series falls apart.
Why did I need to read 3 and a half volumes before getting ONE interesting chapter with Ozgur? It really feels like his story hasn't started until now. So he shouldn't have been in the story until now. Instead, he has one more chapter in this book and that's it. Don't worry though, JingJing has two!
It's obvious to tell there is too much in these books, too much useless information, when Danielewski had to include reminders of events from previous books by literally saying which volume and which page they occurred on. (e.g: TFV3 pg187) It's not like it happens once or twice either. No, it's a constant inclusion. It really shows how much needed to be cut out. Can you imagine if another book series did this? Imagine if Harry Potter put on the invisibility cloak and then Rowling including HPB1 pg 87. It wouldn't feel right, because, it's not.
It's an attempt to get around the filler by adding another gimmick, and making it seem intentional, when in reality, it's necessary as it points out the only important parts of the previous stories.
In the first 3 volumes, the gimmicks of the chapters weren't really a problem. For the most part. Most of the chapters were fine, and some were quite bad. JingJing and Astair being the worst in my opinion. In this volume, it really became clear how those gimmicks were being used to extend the length of the book. Multiple times in this volume will a chapter resort to having one or two words on a page. Or a single sentence. Astair gets it really bad with both single sentence pages, and also the blocky, spaced out words that force your eyes to dart back and forth over the page. (Which yes, I'm sure is intentional.) It didn't add anything to the story, and instead made me want to stop reading. With Astair, that is on top of the obnoxious overuse of parentheses within parentheses. This volume has multiple instances where that isn't even necessary, and removing some of the parentheses turns the sentence into nonsense.
All of this takes away from the focus of this series. Xanther and her cat. A cat, which by the way, still hasn't really done anything. "It's helping Xanther control her powers!" Yeah, it did that in Volume 2. What else has it done since then? Nothing. Nothing at all.
This series really should have started by focusing on Xanther's perspective. Maybe Volume 1 could be Xanther and her parent's perspectives. Maybe 1 or 2 more. But it really should have been more focused on Xanther, the cat, and the immediate impact of the two being together. 3 and a half volumes later, and as I just said, there hasn't really been an impact. "But Xanther opened all those lockers at school! And that thing with the tiger!" Yup. The time with the dogs too. All 3 of which are the same exact thing. There isn't really a progression. Because there are SO many perspectives, we haven't really seen that much of Xanther. In all, we've had maybe 10 chapters with her? Less than a single book's worth.
That is why, to me, the gimmick of the formatting fails. Halfway through Volume 4, and I still feel like I'm on Act 1. Volume 5 is the "end of the season" apparently. Yet, it doesn't feel like where getting near an end at all. Sure, some of the perspectives have started to mention Xanther finally, but that's it. Mention. It's that promise from Volume 1 again.
Maybe, if Volume 1 had been more focused on Xanther and her parents, and maybe even JingJing, the Volume 2 could have not had Xanther directly, and focused on Lutero, Isadorno, and Ozugr, and there would be clear hints and mentions of whatever happened with Xanther, keeping it connected (And showing this volume takes place at the same time), while not over-crowding the book either. Volume 3 could be Cas and the rest. Doing the same thing, but this way, each story would be more focused. If, and only IF, Danielewski wrote each book to the length it needed to be, and not to a forced number.
But that didn't happen. Instead we have 5 volumes of over-crowded perspectives filled with unnecessary filler, really dragging down what could be an otherwise fantastic story, that is just never really given the room to spread its wings.
However, above all of that, there is one major flaw with Volume 4. The writing is just bad. Not saying the story is bad. No, Xanther's story continues entertaining to read. No, the writing itself is poor. This is no doubt a side effect of forcibly writing to fill the 880 pages. When a story takes 5 pages to tell but Danielewski makes it 20, the writing is going to suffer. There are moments of pure nothingness. Moments of boredom. I even realized an instance of the classic "As you know" trope, which is the biggest sign of poorly written exposition.
I wish this series had been good. I wish I could have enjoyed this more. That promise from Volume 1 is never going to be fulfilled now. I'm not going to read the last 331 pages of this book. I have no motivation nor desire to do so. I'm certainly not going to read Volume 5. Sadly, I don't think we'll ever see more than that. 27 Volumes forcibly written to fit 880 pages is not going to be good. 4 volumes of it already isn't.
After having read the first 3 volumes and 500 pages of this, and having read Danielewski's other books, I think House of Leaves was a fluke. I think that just worked because of the years and years put into it and carefully crafting what it was, while the rest of his works show how Danielewski's writing really is.
More focused on the gimmick than telling a compelling story.
When I first joined Goodreads, I would read through many reviews, often times focusing on 2-4 star reviews to see what people really thought. To my surprise, I found a staggering number of reviews left by readers who didn't finish the book. At the time, I didn't agree with this practice. I felt one should finish a book before giving an analysis on it.
Then I thought back on it and realized if someone was not enjoying a book, then there isn't a need to continue on. They have the information they need. Still, in some cases I believe readers called it quits too early. (For instance, one review I found for an earlier volume in this series, the reader quit on page 84. Which if you are this far into the series, you know is only about a chapter in.) However, most of these reviews were from people several hundred pages in.
I stopped reading The Familiar Volume 4 on exactly page 500. I had every intention of pushing through and continuing on. I wanted to know where this story with Xanther went and what would happen. After finishing a 24 page Ozgur chapter, in which the only important information came in the last 5 pages, I was faced with a 36 page Anwar chapter. So the book sat on my night stand. Every night I would see it, and every night I didn't want to read it. I didn't want to force myself to sit through another overly-long chapter in which the first 90% was unnecessary.
One night I had nothing else to do, so I sat down and started reading it. I was bored. I forced myself to read every word, and then eventually started skimming, and eventually got to the end and realized, most of that chapter didn't matter. Maybe the last 5 pages. To my horror, I flipped the page and was met with a 37 page Astair chapter. I knew it didn't need to be that long. Her chapters have never needed to be so long.
I saw the trend. I had seen it for some time, but here it had become incredibly obvious. Not wanting to waste my time, I just skimmed the chapter. Most of it didn't feel like it was going anywhere. Then, on the very last page in a horribly formatted style, we get something interesting. But that something was not built up in the first 36 pages. It was not built up in the other Astair chapter in this book. It was not built up in the first 3 books. It literally came out of nowhere.
Then, I saw the title for the next chapter. HADES. The same title as this Volume. I gave up. 500 pages into a 831 page story, and only NOW are we getting to the point of this volume... I assume. That tells me what I have already known since Volume 2. This book was way too long.
It's not long because it is 831 pages. I don't mind that. What I mind is how it is 831 pages, when it really only needs to be 300. There's a pretty big difference between 300 and 831. That's 531 pages of unnecessary, excessive filler. That is the greatest detriment to this entire series. There is absolutely no reason for these books to be nearly as long as they are.
The more I read, the more obvious it becomes how forced the length is sometimes. At the end of volume 3, the last two chapters are stupidly long more because there was 100 pages to go to reach the 800 make, and less because it would take that long to tell the story. There is a lot of that in this volume as well, as I pointed out above. Chapter after chapter find themselves extended in one way or another with the main purpose of filling space and not caring so much about building the world, or developing characters or advancing the story.
It feels like Danielewski tries to do this, or thinks he is, but if you asked me what any of these characters are like, I can tell you about some. Xanther, Cas, her nemesis, Lutero are all pretty easy to define. Astair? Anwar? I can't really tell you. I have ideas and some basics, but nothing that makes them feel like real people. This is Volume 4. I should have had all that by the end of Volume 1.
That's the other problem with these books. The formatting. Don't get me wrong, when I started Volume 1, it worked well. I loved the idea! Each perspective it's own formatting, and font was something I had never seen before. It did really help differentiate the characters. However, looking back, Volume 1 was also incredibly misleading. Everything I heard about the book made it seem like a self-contained story revolving around this one day, and how the different perspectives would come together based off of that single event. Yet here I am in Volume 4, and that still hasn't happened, and supposedly won't until Volume 5.
Then I have to ask, how necessary was it to put in so many difference perspectives from the beginning? Also, and maybe more importantly, how necessary was it to combine all these perspectives into a single book? Was it really that important to have JingJing for the first 3 volumes when they don't really do anything? Do we really need a chapter from Xanther, and Xanther's dad, and Xanther's mom all talking about the same things? However much I like Cas' story with the Orb, do we really need to continue cutting to it, when the only connection to Xanther was a throwaway line at the beginning of Volume 4?
Obviously I haven't read Volume 5 yet, and maybe every perspective comes together and it becomes this glorious uniting of them all, but from what I have already read in this series, and from what I have concocted from all I've read, I know that won't happen. If it does, to any extent, I know that a lot of what came before won't be necessary. (Like Astair touching herself in the shower or Lutero having sex with multiple hookers and the page-long descriptions of each.)
That is the problem with Volume 1's promise. Because of what I had been told about the story, including from this very website, I expected something that hasn't been delivered yet. AND, when realizing the perspectives won't come together for a long time, it doesn't really make sense to have them all, and for them to be there all the time. When that doesn't make sense, and being the primary gimmick of these books, the entire series falls apart.
Why did I need to read 3 and a half volumes before getting ONE interesting chapter with Ozgur? It really feels like his story hasn't started until now. So he shouldn't have been in the story until now. Instead, he has one more chapter in this book and that's it. Don't worry though, JingJing has two!
It's obvious to tell there is too much in these books, too much useless information, when Danielewski had to include reminders of events from previous books by literally saying which volume and which page they occurred on. (e.g: TFV3 pg187) It's not like it happens once or twice either. No, it's a constant inclusion. It really shows how much needed to be cut out. Can you imagine if another book series did this? Imagine if Harry Potter put on the invisibility cloak and then Rowling including HPB1 pg 87. It wouldn't feel right, because, it's not.
It's an attempt to get around the filler by adding another gimmick, and making it seem intentional, when in reality, it's necessary as it points out the only important parts of the previous stories.
In the first 3 volumes, the gimmicks of the chapters weren't really a problem. For the most part. Most of the chapters were fine, and some were quite bad. JingJing and Astair being the worst in my opinion. In this volume, it really became clear how those gimmicks were being used to extend the length of the book. Multiple times in this volume will a chapter resort to having one or two words on a page. Or a single sentence. Astair gets it really bad with both single sentence pages, and also the blocky, spaced out words that force your eyes to dart back and forth over the page. (Which yes, I'm sure is intentional.) It didn't add anything to the story, and instead made me want to stop reading. With Astair, that is on top of the obnoxious overuse of parentheses within parentheses. This volume has multiple instances where that isn't even necessary, and removing some of the parentheses turns the sentence into nonsense.
All of this takes away from the focus of this series. Xanther and her cat. A cat, which by the way, still hasn't really done anything. "It's helping Xanther control her powers!" Yeah, it did that in Volume 2. What else has it done since then? Nothing. Nothing at all.
This series really should have started by focusing on Xanther's perspective. Maybe Volume 1 could be Xanther and her parent's perspectives. Maybe 1 or 2 more. But it really should have been more focused on Xanther, the cat, and the immediate impact of the two being together. 3 and a half volumes later, and as I just said, there hasn't really been an impact. "But Xanther opened all those lockers at school! And that thing with the tiger!" Yup. The time with the dogs too. All 3 of which are the same exact thing. There isn't really a progression. Because there are SO many perspectives, we haven't really seen that much of Xanther. In all, we've had maybe 10 chapters with her? Less than a single book's worth.
That is why, to me, the gimmick of the formatting fails. Halfway through Volume 4, and I still feel like I'm on Act 1. Volume 5 is the "end of the season" apparently. Yet, it doesn't feel like where getting near an end at all. Sure, some of the perspectives have started to mention Xanther finally, but that's it. Mention. It's that promise from Volume 1 again.
Maybe, if Volume 1 had been more focused on Xanther and her parents, and maybe even JingJing, the Volume 2 could have not had Xanther directly, and focused on Lutero, Isadorno, and Ozugr, and there would be clear hints and mentions of whatever happened with Xanther, keeping it connected (And showing this volume takes place at the same time), while not over-crowding the book either. Volume 3 could be Cas and the rest. Doing the same thing, but this way, each story would be more focused. If, and only IF, Danielewski wrote each book to the length it needed to be, and not to a forced number.
But that didn't happen. Instead we have 5 volumes of over-crowded perspectives filled with unnecessary filler, really dragging down what could be an otherwise fantastic story, that is just never really given the room to spread its wings.
However, above all of that, there is one major flaw with Volume 4. The writing is just bad. Not saying the story is bad. No, Xanther's story continues entertaining to read. No, the writing itself is poor. This is no doubt a side effect of forcibly writing to fill the 880 pages. When a story takes 5 pages to tell but Danielewski makes it 20, the writing is going to suffer. There are moments of pure nothingness. Moments of boredom. I even realized an instance of the classic "As you know" trope, which is the biggest sign of poorly written exposition.
I wish this series had been good. I wish I could have enjoyed this more. That promise from Volume 1 is never going to be fulfilled now. I'm not going to read the last 331 pages of this book. I have no motivation nor desire to do so. I'm certainly not going to read Volume 5. Sadly, I don't think we'll ever see more than that. 27 Volumes forcibly written to fit 880 pages is not going to be good. 4 volumes of it already isn't.
After having read the first 3 volumes and 500 pages of this, and having read Danielewski's other books, I think House of Leaves was a fluke. I think that just worked because of the years and years put into it and carefully crafting what it was, while the rest of his works show how Danielewski's writing really is.
More focused on the gimmick than telling a compelling story.
March 27, 2023
I ordered all 5 and I am hostage to sunk cost fallacy- send help. There’s a story in here somewhere but it’s annoying to read and completely masturbatory. I am a huge fan of 5 year sword and house of leaves. These are a war of attrition probably for someone smarter than me.
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April 8, 2023All these threads are beginning to converge!
February 18, 2018
The Familiar has taken a breath in the most incredible way. This book slowed down the plot a hair. It felt like a cat that was rearing back to pounce, and The Familiar is ready to pounce. Structured like a TV show, this "episode" is right before the finale. Even it a tad bit slower of pace it has still succeeded in being my favorite volume of The Familiar.
#BeAHymnForGood
#BeAHymnForGood
May 16, 2025
I know the series ended very prematurely but still…that cat better have a name in the next one 😭
February 19, 2017
If you're looking for a read that transcends words on a page, The Familiar is it, as Danielewski has me scouring the internet, feasting on information in regards to this wonderful universe he's created.
And being as the books are set up as a TV series, I am looking forward to binge-watching the rest (of the show (even if it does span the better part of a decade)).
And being as the books are set up as a TV series, I am looking forward to binge-watching the rest (of the show (even if it does span the better part of a decade)).
April 8, 2017
I think I waited too long to post this review. Usually, I like to digest them a bit, but this was a mite longer than usual...
Still, much as I loved this one, I think I remember the main pieces of my reaction to this.
The main piece is that it felt much more "in a series" than the past volumes. The individual arc of the story isn't as strong for this one, and it becomes--to me--more about connecting past pieces and setting up the next volume than fully working on its own.
Does that make it bad? No. But it didn't have the singular investment driving me along this time. I enjoyed what I read, and I'm eager for Volume Five, but as a single volume, it just felt a little "less than" than the previous volumes.
Still, I'm trusting Danielewski will blow my mind and break my heart in the next one, and I truly love this series.
Still, much as I loved this one, I think I remember the main pieces of my reaction to this.
The main piece is that it felt much more "in a series" than the past volumes. The individual arc of the story isn't as strong for this one, and it becomes--to me--more about connecting past pieces and setting up the next volume than fully working on its own.
Does that make it bad? No. But it didn't have the singular investment driving me along this time. I enjoyed what I read, and I'm eager for Volume Five, but as a single volume, it just felt a little "less than" than the previous volumes.
Still, I'm trusting Danielewski will blow my mind and break my heart in the next one, and I truly love this series.
March 2, 2017
What (in heavens((or hells)) name ) the frick is going on.
Xanther the focus point, aided by which? (witch) a young *OLD* blind toothless kitten*DOG*? Is she the (FONT?) source of Power that the rest of the cast are revolving {resolving} around either willingly or not, while shady and other worldly [wordy] forces attempt to affect and manipulate?
The Familiar continues to astound beguile and mystify in equal measure. Strongly advise anyone to get into this genre defying epic before the proposed 27 volume becomes too daunting.
Better than Christmas because it comes around twice a year
Xanther the focus point, aided by which? (witch) a young *OLD* blind toothless kitten*DOG*? Is she the (FONT?) source of Power that the rest of the cast are revolving {resolving} around either willingly or not, while shady and other worldly [wordy] forces attempt to affect and manipulate?
The Familiar continues to astound beguile and mystify in equal measure. Strongly advise anyone to get into this genre defying epic before the proposed 27 volume becomes too daunting.
Better than Christmas because it comes around twice a year
September 24, 2017
"Just one cage finding another. Maybe wider. Maybe bigger. Still cage. All of it. With horizons for bars."
The Familiar, Volume 4 takes place between August and September 2014. All of the different characters in The Familiar are really starting to come together. Luther and Ozgur see each other at the gun range. Jingjing and Xanther just barely miss each other at the airport. Luther sells drugs to Jingjing.
There are also thematic overlaps between the characters. Luther suddenly knows a word he shouldn't know, like Xanther suddenly knowing French. Xanther is the star of a viral video and gets unwanted fame. Cas also gets unwanted fame in her own circle. Cas spends some time in little Switzerland and Xanther's friend says he wants to go to Switzerland. After the events of Volume 3, the first few chapters imply Xanther is dead. Also, Cas almost gets blown up.
Now that she's in eighth grade, things seem to be looking up for Xanther since the bully she had the most trouble with is now in high school. Shnorhk, the least interesting character from the first three volumes, finally becomes interesting as we learn that he has been avoiding dealing with the loss of his daughter.
Ozgur is having relationship troubles. Anwar gets a job offer in New York. Luther, who's had a voracious sexual appetite up until now, is now having impotence issues. Astair is haunted by the lion that almost killed Xanther. Jingjing comes to Los Angeles with his aunt, although the long plane ride is particularly difficult for him due to his drug withdrawls.
We learn Bobby and Cas are also known as Sam and Hailey (which were the names of the main characters from another Danielewski novel, Only Revolutions.)
Cats continue to be a theme. Shnorhk's wife adopts a cat. Ozgur noticies a Bast pendant he gave someone has been regifted. Cat emoticons are hidden in the code Mefisto left Anwar. Luther sees a cat appear on the firing range.
In addition to the ubiquitous cats, cages was another theme I noticed in Volume 4. For example, Anwar wonders if thoughts can have hinges and suddenly swing open like a cage. Also, he and Xanther watch a show about cages. I liked the part where Anwar's friend told him "The hangover grants us the pleasure of experiencing a return to health."
There's a scene I particularly liked in which Xanther and Anwar are backstage at The Met. Although they appear ethereal while performing, the second the audience isn't watching, the ballerinas drop their facade. If they get injured on stage, they don't let on until they're backstage. We see sweat pouring from them, smell their body odor, and hear their profanities. We see how difficult it is for them to make ballet look effortless.
As an aside, I noticed the back cover of the book had a few five star Goodreads reviews for the previous volume. It occurs to me this is a good marketing strategy. Not just the usual strategy of putting good reviews on the cover to encourage people to buy it, but the strategy of including regular people's reviews to encourage them to leave five star reviews in the hopes of seeing their name on the back cover. (The Familiar also includes pictures of cats people send in, another way to encourage people to buy the book to see if their cat picture made it in to this volume.)
The Familiar, Volume 4 takes place between August and September 2014. All of the different characters in The Familiar are really starting to come together. Luther and Ozgur see each other at the gun range. Jingjing and Xanther just barely miss each other at the airport. Luther sells drugs to Jingjing.
There are also thematic overlaps between the characters. Luther suddenly knows a word he shouldn't know, like Xanther suddenly knowing French. Xanther is the star of a viral video and gets unwanted fame. Cas also gets unwanted fame in her own circle. Cas spends some time in little Switzerland and Xanther's friend says he wants to go to Switzerland. After the events of Volume 3, the first few chapters imply Xanther is dead. Also, Cas almost gets blown up.
Now that she's in eighth grade, things seem to be looking up for Xanther since the bully she had the most trouble with is now in high school. Shnorhk, the least interesting character from the first three volumes, finally becomes interesting as we learn that he has been avoiding dealing with the loss of his daughter.
Ozgur is having relationship troubles. Anwar gets a job offer in New York. Luther, who's had a voracious sexual appetite up until now, is now having impotence issues. Astair is haunted by the lion that almost killed Xanther. Jingjing comes to Los Angeles with his aunt, although the long plane ride is particularly difficult for him due to his drug withdrawls.
We learn Bobby and Cas are also known as Sam and Hailey (which were the names of the main characters from another Danielewski novel, Only Revolutions.)
Cats continue to be a theme. Shnorhk's wife adopts a cat. Ozgur noticies a Bast pendant he gave someone has been regifted. Cat emoticons are hidden in the code Mefisto left Anwar. Luther sees a cat appear on the firing range.
In addition to the ubiquitous cats, cages was another theme I noticed in Volume 4. For example, Anwar wonders if thoughts can have hinges and suddenly swing open like a cage. Also, he and Xanther watch a show about cages. I liked the part where Anwar's friend told him "The hangover grants us the pleasure of experiencing a return to health."
There's a scene I particularly liked in which Xanther and Anwar are backstage at The Met. Although they appear ethereal while performing, the second the audience isn't watching, the ballerinas drop their facade. If they get injured on stage, they don't let on until they're backstage. We see sweat pouring from them, smell their body odor, and hear their profanities. We see how difficult it is for them to make ballet look effortless.
As an aside, I noticed the back cover of the book had a few five star Goodreads reviews for the previous volume. It occurs to me this is a good marketing strategy. Not just the usual strategy of putting good reviews on the cover to encourage people to buy it, but the strategy of including regular people's reviews to encourage them to leave five star reviews in the hopes of seeing their name on the back cover. (The Familiar also includes pictures of cats people send in, another way to encourage people to buy the book to see if their cat picture made it in to this volume.)
March 26, 2021
Each book gets a little bit faster, a little bit more frantic, and thankfully, a little bit more connected. Pieces are starting to come together, and the larger story is starting to make a clearer picture. Poor Xanther, with her unnamed blind kitty, suffering through epileptic seizures (that the cat also suffers with her), and suddenly she's almost linking with wild animals, total strangers, and even worse, total strangers are starting to link with her, and her family. A gypsy knows her name (but not where she is), a Vietnam family (the original owners of the cat) knows where she is, but not who she is, and race to find her, because as the cat is dying, so is their mother. A drug dealer, a ballet/Broadway musical director, a cab driver, all the stories are starting to mesh in a very unfunny Seinfeldian way!
Again, due to the style of Danielewski's writing, this book LOOKS very intimidating, but is actually a pretty fast read, with some pages completely blank, some with only illustrations, some with only one or two lines a piece on them...but rest assured, the entire story will submerge you and make you feel like a kid again, anxious to turn the page and see what happens next. I normally put a little time between books in a series, just to see how strong the story stays with me when I return, but since I know the next book is (unfortunately) the last (and not volume 27, like Danielewski hoped), I'll be jumping right into The Familiar Book 5 because I really need to know if Xanther gets to name her cat...or if she even gets to keep it (and if she doesn't, can she, or the cat, survive?!). You have to read the opening acts, but this particular book is getting to the good stuff!
Again, due to the style of Danielewski's writing, this book LOOKS very intimidating, but is actually a pretty fast read, with some pages completely blank, some with only illustrations, some with only one or two lines a piece on them...but rest assured, the entire story will submerge you and make you feel like a kid again, anxious to turn the page and see what happens next. I normally put a little time between books in a series, just to see how strong the story stays with me when I return, but since I know the next book is (unfortunately) the last (and not volume 27, like Danielewski hoped), I'll be jumping right into The Familiar Book 5 because I really need to know if Xanther gets to name her cat...or if she even gets to keep it (and if she doesn't, can she, or the cat, survive?!). You have to read the opening acts, but this particular book is getting to the good stuff!
May 12, 2022
Warning - Spoilers
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The house in Asheville that Cas and Bobby were staying in explodes, but they managed to escape with the orb.
A video of Zanther's encounter with the lioness goes viral.
While Luther is at the gun range, there is a Cease Fire announcement due to "animal intrusion". It's a cat.
Teyo visits The Mayor and Isandorno with his girlfriend, Cynthia.
Astair is working on her thesis and practices Tai Chi with Zanther, but she can't stop thinking about the lioness.
Anwar has a job interview with Galvadyne, Inc. He takes Zanther with him to New York City for the interview. While they are there, they go to museums and the ballet. Anwar notices that Zanther has cut a large hole in the back of the expensive leather jacket Astair's parents bought for her. The cat was sleeping on it, and Zanther didn't want to disturb it, so she just cut a hole around the cat.
Zanther has a seizure in New York. At the same time, back home, Astair finds the cat having a seizure.
Özgur meets with Wizard, another member of Cas and Bobby's group. Wizard tells him something he saw in an orb about Oz's past that no one but Oz could know. Then Wizard gives him a flash drive containing documents on Galvadyne. It's revealed that Oz was at the gun range at the same time as Luther, Tweetie, and Juarez.
Shnorhk argues with his friend, Mnatsagan, but later returns and is embraced by him and the other musicians.
Jingjing and Tian Li arrive in Los Angeles. Jingjing sees one of Zanther's 'Found' posters and calls Anwar about the cat.
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-
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The house in Asheville that Cas and Bobby were staying in explodes, but they managed to escape with the orb.
A video of Zanther's encounter with the lioness goes viral.
While Luther is at the gun range, there is a Cease Fire announcement due to "animal intrusion". It's a cat.
Teyo visits The Mayor and Isandorno with his girlfriend, Cynthia.
Astair is working on her thesis and practices Tai Chi with Zanther, but she can't stop thinking about the lioness.
Anwar has a job interview with Galvadyne, Inc. He takes Zanther with him to New York City for the interview. While they are there, they go to museums and the ballet. Anwar notices that Zanther has cut a large hole in the back of the expensive leather jacket Astair's parents bought for her. The cat was sleeping on it, and Zanther didn't want to disturb it, so she just cut a hole around the cat.
Zanther has a seizure in New York. At the same time, back home, Astair finds the cat having a seizure.
Özgur meets with Wizard, another member of Cas and Bobby's group. Wizard tells him something he saw in an orb about Oz's past that no one but Oz could know. Then Wizard gives him a flash drive containing documents on Galvadyne. It's revealed that Oz was at the gun range at the same time as Luther, Tweetie, and Juarez.
Shnorhk argues with his friend, Mnatsagan, but later returns and is embraced by him and the other musicians.
Jingjing and Tian Li arrive in Los Angeles. Jingjing sees one of Zanther's 'Found' posters and calls Anwar about the cat.
November 21, 2022
Book #4 of 5. The series covers nine different viewpoints, three from characters in the same family. It's complex enough that it's difficult for me write a coherent explanation of the book.
By this book, the characters are starting to converge or at least pass one another, and I really enjoyed these meetings. It's clearly moving toward some kind of conclusion, although I have no idea what that might be.
At the heart of the story is a 12-year-old girl named Xanther who's found an animal in book one and her parents. There are very light touches of supernatural things happening here, and personally I enjoy them.
I also can't mention this book without mentioning the typography. Danielewski made a name for himself with House of Leaves, noteworthy for its typographic experiments that added quite a bit to the book's mood and feeling of disorientation. Here, the odd typography is happening again - a different font and style and layout for each character. I enjoy it, though I'm not always sure it adds as much to the story. But that's the risk of experimentalism. Ultimately, I find the characters and the story compelling enough that I enjoy the books and am definitely here for book 5.
By this book, the characters are starting to converge or at least pass one another, and I really enjoyed these meetings. It's clearly moving toward some kind of conclusion, although I have no idea what that might be.
At the heart of the story is a 12-year-old girl named Xanther who's found an animal in book one and her parents. There are very light touches of supernatural things happening here, and personally I enjoy them.
I also can't mention this book without mentioning the typography. Danielewski made a name for himself with House of Leaves, noteworthy for its typographic experiments that added quite a bit to the book's mood and feeling of disorientation. Here, the odd typography is happening again - a different font and style and layout for each character. I enjoy it, though I'm not always sure it adds as much to the story. But that's the risk of experimentalism. Ultimately, I find the characters and the story compelling enough that I enjoy the books and am definitely here for book 5.
October 8, 2017
Surprisingly, not a lot happens here.
More connections are made, more characters meet each other, more bullshit undecipherable JingJing nonsense - by the way, is he a villain? Will he and Xanther team up? I feel like he's an obnoxious villain. I want him gone. I don't want him around for 27 fucking volumes.
Luther pees in some Big Gulp cups.
Cas looks into her orb again a few times.
Panther goes to a play.
Hope you don't want to know what happened to that tiger that escaped, because that shit is never touched upon here.
Another mildly interesting cliffhanger.
I get that this is 27 volumes, so this will be a slow burn, but a lot of this feels like what has already happened with very little movement forward. But I get it, we're only 1/7 of the way through this thing.
Kind of curious how much total time this story takes up. We're 4 volumes in and it's been about five months. Will it continue as about a month per book? So a little over 2 years? Hmm. Interesting, but really limits what can happen I think.
More connections are made, more characters meet each other, more bullshit undecipherable JingJing nonsense - by the way, is he a villain? Will he and Xanther team up? I feel like he's an obnoxious villain. I want him gone. I don't want him around for 27 fucking volumes.
Luther pees in some Big Gulp cups.
Cas looks into her orb again a few times.
Panther goes to a play.
Hope you don't want to know what happened to that tiger that escaped, because that shit is never touched upon here.
Another mildly interesting cliffhanger.
I get that this is 27 volumes, so this will be a slow burn, but a lot of this feels like what has already happened with very little movement forward. But I get it, we're only 1/7 of the way through this thing.
Kind of curious how much total time this story takes up. We're 4 volumes in and it's been about five months. Will it continue as about a month per book? So a little over 2 years? Hmm. Interesting, but really limits what can happen I think.
December 21, 2022
I am a huge fan of this author and this series of books have blown my mind. The creativity, the inventiveness, the intrigue, I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. I love the way the story is written, the different fonts used, the way the author creates urgency but haven’t a sentence or a word on a page, you really feel this sense of movement. And that contrasts well with the pages that are graphic or full of unusual markings where you are forced to slow right down and spend several minutes on a single page. The Narcons make more interjections in this volume and many of them are references back to preceding volume, so if you haven’t read volumes 1-3 it won’t make sense to you. Add to this that the story lines are starting to merge more rapidly and it feels like things are starting to come together. I am looking forward to volume 5 where the first series will come to a completion. There is a volume 6 in the works so I will be curious to see where the author goes with the story, and how.
June 6, 2020
These books continue to be stunning!
I've put up disclaimers for the other installments if you'd like to click and read them. I won't be listing them for the last two books with the assumption that if the reader has gotten this far into the series, than they already know the circumstances going forward.
Now the storylines of the characters have crossed in more evident ways, the connections and how they all fit together becoming far more obvious. The characters even begin to have encounters with one another, though they might not fully grasp the significance of such apparent minor events. Even in real life, you never know just who it is you're passing on the street, and what that casual encounter might provide in the future!
The POVs are shorter and quicker, helping to build the tension to what seems to be the inevitable crack! It all makes me very eager to jump into number 5!!
I've put up disclaimers for the other installments if you'd like to click and read them. I won't be listing them for the last two books with the assumption that if the reader has gotten this far into the series, than they already know the circumstances going forward.
Now the storylines of the characters have crossed in more evident ways, the connections and how they all fit together becoming far more obvious. The characters even begin to have encounters with one another, though they might not fully grasp the significance of such apparent minor events. Even in real life, you never know just who it is you're passing on the street, and what that casual encounter might provide in the future!
The POVs are shorter and quicker, helping to build the tension to what seems to be the inevitable crack! It all makes me very eager to jump into number 5!!
March 12, 2017
Having read 4 of these now, I continue to get more and more drawn into this story. The characters (and the meta-characters) along with the format make this possibly the most interesting story I have ever gotten into. The experience of reading these books is hard to put into words, which is unfortunate because I struggle with how to recommend these books to friends. With 4 books down (and around 20-ish?) to go in the series, I can definitely advocate taking the plunge to anyone who is not scared of a challenging but fully worth it investment. Volume 3 was the first truly un-put-down-able book in the series, and v4 was just as good if not better.
November 22, 2017
These books are complicated. They are on one hand brilliant and engaging, yet also on the other hand, frustrating, and vague, and confusing. For an 800+ page book, very little happens. It feels like we're moving to some sort of culminating ending at some point but that movement is at a snail's pace that makes me wonder why I keep going and what some of the story lines have to do with each other. And then by the time the book ends I'm completely sold on reading the next one. The series plot is also nearly impossible to explain. When people ask me what it's about I usually respond with "a cat". And yet it's so much more than that.
July 3, 2023
Again another fantastic continuation of this series and by far my favourite book so far out of the four I've read.
I am loving how all the characters are slowly interacting and is it incredibly bittersweet that there is only one more book to go knowing that this series will likely never be finished.
But it is an amazing tale to experience despite knowing it will not come to a satisfying resolution in the fifth and final volume of Season One. I am so very glad for the time I have spent with these characters and these will definitely be books that I pick up and read again throughout my life.
I am loving how all the characters are slowly interacting and is it incredibly bittersweet that there is only one more book to go knowing that this series will likely never be finished.
But it is an amazing tale to experience despite knowing it will not come to a satisfying resolution in the fifth and final volume of Season One. I am so very glad for the time I have spent with these characters and these will definitely be books that I pick up and read again throughout my life.
September 3, 2017
Pretty sure each one of these is better than the last (or the story is more fleshed out, which makes it better than the last). This one was particularly awesome (I actually had favorite quotes, not just pages based on aesthetics). The characters are getting more and more woven together -- and gah at the ending that definitely left me wanting #5 right away!
So, all in all, MZD worked his magic yet again, and it's all coming together. Can't wait to see what the final chapter of the 1st season has in store... and where he takes it from there.
So, all in all, MZD worked his magic yet again, and it's all coming together. Can't wait to see what the final chapter of the 1st season has in store... and where he takes it from there.
March 2, 2018
A cat and her girl...a fascinating convolution that I'm enjoying immensely. I finished reading it a week ago, and have decided to hold off on reading #5 for now. I've gotten into a rhythm with this series and need to read other things that are teetering on my nightstand. I'm hoping for #6 in the near future, keeping my ear to the ground, tho' I am mildly grateful for a pause, I am hungry for more...
December 23, 2017
Well, only 10 more years before this projected 27 book series is finished. Things are pulling together, slowly and mysteriously. Story lines are converging, characters are meeting, the main plot (Xanther and her still unnamed cat) as compelling as ever. There are still times when I have no idea what is happening, but I can't stop reading! One more book to go and that ends the first "season".
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