The Sandman. Book Two. Written by Neil Gaiman.

Includes: Season of Mists arc, short stories Thermidor, August, Three Septembers and a January, A Game of You arc, The Song of Orpheus arc, short stories the flowers of romance, Death - a winter's tale and How they met themselves. 

I liked most of the stories. My favourite was Season of Mists, which is fantastic. Morpheous goes to hell to free an old lover but he finds Lucifer quiting his job and closing hell. I also liked Thermidor, about a woman rescuing Orpheus' head during the french revolution and August, a story about Roman Emperor Augustus. 

The chapters are drawn, inked, coloured by a long list of artists. This is one thing that characterises this series: the inconsistency of the art. So much credit to the writer who keeps everything together into coherent, gripping, and interesting story lines. 

Some chapters are good (my favourite in the art department is Kelly Jones, who draws most of the Season of Mists arc.), but there are chapters that are just a pain to read (like most of A Game of You).

The Craft of Dying. The Modern Face of Death by Lyn H. Lofland.

I really, really good read. This book includes a 86 page essay, an excellent introduction by John Troyer and an epilogue by Ara A. Francis, which discusses how (and if) things have changed since the Craft of Dying was first published in 1978. It also includes endnotes and a long bibliography. 

The essay discusses 3 main topics: 

1. The situation of Modern Dying - in the past, maybe until 1 century ago, "dying," the stage in which a person knew their lives were ending, lasted minutes, hours or days. In modern times, thanks to scientific and technological advances, we can know well in advance if we are affected by a terminal illness. This knowledge makes the "dying" stage more prolonged than before. In addition to this, and because of how western societies are organised, death takes place in secularised and bureaucratic contexts (e.g. hospitals.) Because of this the dying are organisationally segregated. 

2. Individual constructions about death - discusses how dying is shaped through 4 dimensions of choice: space (if death takes a central role in the dying's life or if it's only marginal), population (to spend last days with others who are in the same situation), knowledge (who knows about the dying) and stance (attitude towards death). There are also other factors, that could be out of control, but which affect the process greatly: the disease process, the social organisation and culture of medical practice, the available resources, the surrounding others. 

3. Collective Constructions - discusses the Happy Death Movement, which appeared in the mid 70s, and which promoted reforms such as: A. Talk more about death (to oppose death as taboo). B. Rearrange death - less dying in hospitals which are poor settings for dying, promote Dying Places (like hospices) and Home Death. C. Alter the structure of the law - to look into euthanasia, death with dignity, and natural death.

The Fever in Urbicande by François Schuiten and Benoit Peeters.

Part of the Obscure Cities series. ❤️❤️❤️❤️ It's about a cube that grows and grows and grows, invading a whole city. Interesting premise, but obviously, it doesn't end there. The story highlights the implications on the city and its government, on its people, and the inequalities that separate them.

Dog will have his day by Fred Vargas.

Recently, I've been in the mood for crime noir authors from France. After reading Hammet, Cain, and Chandler, I felt like changing countries. A few weeks ago, I read Fatale by Jean Patrick Manchette, and wow 👌 Then I found this book in the public library by super famous writer Fred Vargas. 

Dog will have his day is a standalone following an unemployed detective. He starts a murder investigation after finding a tiny piece of human bone, possibly excreted by a dog. Helped by a couple of friends, he follows the dog traces and voila, ends up in a small town enquiring about the death of an old woman... 

I really enjoyed this read despite a couple of unrealistic coincidences. It is well written and gripping, with a fantastic plot and interesting characters. Sometimes annoying, sometimes funny buy always odd 😁. The solution to the crime was satisfactory.

Fogtown by Andersen Gabrych and Brad Rader.

Gripping and great fun. Liked the story, the art not so much.

The Neutronium Alchemist by Peter F. Hamilton.

😕😕😕 This is the second book in the Night's Dawn trilogy. Found some interesting concepts and some interesting storylines and characters but overall I'd say this was a long, boring experience. I personally found all the storylines and chapters featuring old resuscitated characters (the possessed) uninteresting (e.g. Al Capone). Not for me. However, the concept of the Alchemist is still intriguing (a sort of apocalyptic weapon), I might go ahead and read the third book. Oh and I also want to know how the beyond and the reality disfunction, which allow the dead to come back to reality, works.