Rating: 
Summary: This book will teach you how to dream!!
Review: A wonderful & fascinating friend recommended this book simply by saying "It will teach you how to dream!" By a stroke of luck I found it in a second hand book shop, immediately went to a cafe and began reading. 4 hours, and 4 cups of coffee later I emerged from a state of intense emotional and fantastical submersion. I felt like I had just been on an awsome adventure through a Salvador Dali painting and did not want the story to end. That night I had the most incredible, colorful and vivid dreams which I remembered with pure clarity. "Bones" has made my dreams make sense even though they make no sense. I finished the book the next day. I cried, I laughed, I was horrified. I was satisfied! Thankyou my dear friend Mark for you recommendation and thankyou Jonathan Carroll. I look forward to when we next meet....in my dreams!!
Rating: 
Summary: Surreal and captivating
Review: Carroll has written a lyrical, disturbing, and often beautiful fantasy. Because Rondua is a dream world specific to the main character, it is intially hard to feel truly interested in what happens there; the weirdness is a bit overwhelming. Eventually, though, Rondua comes to feel every bit as real and engaging as the "real world." Cullen herself is a bit like Rondua--intially not an entirely sympathetic character, she grows on you, especially after Mae enters the picture. Carroll's style is poetic and dreamy. You'll lose track of time occasionally, especially in the more deeply absorbing of the Rondua interludes, but there are other points where the plot drags. Carroll creates evocative (but not flowery) language, a dreamy atmosphere, an indefinable sense of menace, and some really interesting questions about where dreams and reality meet. I'm not running out to buy any more of Carroll's books, but fantasy fans could certainly do worse.
Rating: 
Summary: Bland
Review: Cullen James has a good life: wonderful husband, healthy baby, good friends. Then one day the Rondua dreams start. Bones of the Moon took a long time to get started, and even then didn't feel like it was moving. A few major characters seemed to serve no purpose, and though all of them were likable, liking them wasn't enough to justify the amount of time spent developing them. The characters that did matter were involved in a lackluster quest in a dreamworld devoid of interest. The writing was neither wonderful, nor horrid, but could have used more editing; it was not uncommon to read dialog several times over to verify who had said what. Unfortunately, Bones of the Moon was just boring.
Rating:
Summary: Bland
Review: Cullen James has a good life: wonderful husband, healthy baby, good friends. Then one day the Rondua dreams start. Bones of the Moon took a long time to get started, and even then didn't feel like it was moving. A few major characters seemed to serve no purpose, and though all of them were likable, liking them wasn't enough to justify the amount of time spent developing them. The characters that did matter were involved in a lackluster quest in a dreamworld devoid of interest. The writing was neither wonderful, nor horrid, but could have used more editing; it was not uncommon to read dialog several times over to verify who had said what. Unfortunately, Bones of the Moon was just boring.
Rating:
Summary: An Okay Quick Read
Review: For something good to happen, it's often the case something bad happens to cause the former. In Cullen's case, it's exactly this. Cullen finds herself pregnant by a man who liked her but "it wasn't love". She despondantly decides to have an abortion. Receiving a telegram from Milan, she's reuinited with Danny James, an old college friend who promises to punch her in the nose after the plane lands for not confiding in him. Following the comforting friendship and resulting romance, Cullen returns to Italy with Danny, where he plays basketball professionally, in order to forget her trauma and pursue this relationship. They get married. They have a child. The dreams start. These are no ordinary dreams. Not only are they lucid and powerful, they are also episodic. Cullen finds herself assisting her dream son, Pepsi, on a quest for the five Bones of the Moon, a quest Cullen is strangely familiar. Accompanying Cullen and Pepsi on their journey through Rondua, a skewed Oz-like land, Felina the Wolf, Mr. Tracy (a talking dog), and Martio the Camel assist and tease Cullen with hints of what is to come. As Pepsi becomes less and less dependant on his mother's aid, Cullen isn't sure what her purpose is in these dreams. And what's she to do when the unreality of Rondua is seemingly leaking into the real world? I was really looking forward to reading something from Carroll's body of work. I'm a huge fan of Neil Gaiman's work and he cites Carroll as an influence. However, I found the book quirky yet not intriguing and a bit assuming. Carroll mentions many apects of Rondua as if we should be familiar with them. The book also lacks explanation. Why is Cullen having these dreams? Were they caused by guilt? Why is Rondua affecting her real world in a manifestedly obvious manner? Cullen's real life is far more interesting than her dream world and, as a reader, I felt cheated when real characters were shunted aside for dream characters.
Rating:
Summary: An Okay Quick Read
Review: For something good to happen, it's often the case something bad happens to cause the former. In Cullen's case, it's exactly this. Cullen finds herself pregnant by a man who liked her but "it wasn't love". She despondantly decides to have an abortion. Receiving a telegram from Milan, she's reuinited with Danny James, an old college friend who promises to punch her in the nose after the plane lands for not confiding in him. Following the comforting friendship and resulting romance, Cullen returns to Italy with Danny, where he plays basketball professionally, in order to forget her trauma and pursue this relationship. They get married. They have a child. The dreams start. These are no ordinary dreams. Not only are they lucid and powerful, they are also episodic. Cullen finds herself assisting her dream son, Pepsi, on a quest for the five Bones of the Moon, a quest Cullen is strangely familiar. Accompanying Cullen and Pepsi on their journey through Rondua, a skewed Oz-like land, Felina the Wolf, Mr. Tracy (a talking dog), and Martio the Camel assist and tease Cullen with hints of what is to come. As Pepsi becomes less and less dependant on his mother's aid, Cullen isn't sure what her purpose is in these dreams. And what's she to do when the unreality of Rondua is seemingly leaking into the real world? I was really looking forward to reading something from Carroll's body of work. I'm a huge fan of Neil Gaiman's work and he cites Carroll as an influence. However, I found the book quirky yet not intriguing and a bit assuming. Carroll mentions many apects of Rondua as if we should be familiar with them. The book also lacks explanation. Why is Cullen having these dreams? Were they caused by guilt? Why is Rondua affecting her real world in a manifestedly obvious manner? Cullen's real life is far more interesting than her dream world and, as a reader, I felt cheated when real characters were shunted aside for dream characters.
Rating: 
Summary: Fairy Tale for Adults
Review: Having read and enjoyed both The Wooden Sea and The Land Of Laughs, I was pleased to find Bones of the Moon sitting on the shelf at my local bookstore. I was between books so I bought it, got it home and started on it right away. Bones of the Moon is familiar territory for any readers who have read other Carroll novels. Carroll deftly blends real life with fantasy to form his unique hybrid. Unlike other books I've read by him, however, Bones of the Moon dragged a little bit. And I'm not sure why. By the time I reached the end, I was emotionally involved and was very pleased overall. This or any other novel by Carroll is worth a read. His imagination is unparalleled and its plain to readers that he enjoys what he does. I think Carroll's books are, to adults, what the Narnia or Oz series were to us when we were kids.
Rating:
Summary: Fairy Tale for Adults
Review: Having read and enjoyed both The Wooden Sea and The Land Of Laughs, I was pleased to find Bones of the Moon sitting on the shelf at my local bookstore. I was between books so I bought it, got it home and started on it right away. Bones of the Moon is familiar territory for any readers who have read other Carroll novels. Carroll deftly blends real life with fantasy to form his unique hybrid. Unlike other books I've read by him, however, Bones of the Moon dragged a little bit. And I'm not sure why. By the time I reached the end, I was emotionally involved and was very pleased overall. This or any other novel by Carroll is worth a read. His imagination is unparalleled and its plain to readers that he enjoys what he does. I think Carroll's books are, to adults, what the Narnia or Oz series were to us when we were kids.
Rating:
Summary: Source Material for "Sandman"
Review: I bought this mainly because I knew that Neil Gaiman of "Sandman" fame had cited Jonathan Carroll as an inspiration. This particular book makes it quite clear the degree to which Mr. Gaiman is indebted to Mr. Carroll. Major plot points and themes from the "A Game of You" arc of "Sandman" were lifted from "Bones of the Moon". Both feature an adult's return to the dreamworld of their childhood, where they are guided by animal companions on a quest to save the land. And in both, some of these companions will die, and others will turn out to be...not quite what they seem. Oh, yeah, both protagonists have flamboyantly gay best friends, but that's pretty common these days in books, TV, and movies. It's a weird kind of marginalization, in which authors can feel they've shown solidarity with the homosexual community, while not actually elevating any gay or lesbian character to a lead role. But I digress. In any case, the "real world" settings of this book are largely a European's idea of life in urban America. There are scenes in Italy, where all of the Europeans are cool and interesting and unique. But once in NY, the only characters to drift into play are ethnic street scum and a famous movie director, who talks as if he is not quite of this earth, or perhaps as if he's French and takes himself and his art far too seriously. The entire book is--perhaps deliberately--permeated with a dream-like look and feel. People talk in odd ways, as if they've had days to think of their lines yet cannot understand their emotional essence. Characters accept improbable revelations all too readily, as if hungering for a connection with something magical. Yet the dreamworld of Rondua is presented in a rather pedestrian fashion, and seems to be a place that's a lot like our world, except with sillier names. This may be by design, as if Carroll is letting the reader fill in the dream reality by his or her self. He's largely content to simply mention things such as the Wooden Mice or the Perfumed Hammer and let the reader decide what these are. Be that as it may, the book will likely be of interest to any hardcore "Sandman" fans to show how Gaiman has transformed the material for his own purposes.
Rating:
Summary: Source Material for "Sandman"
Review: I bought this mainly because I knew that Neil Gaiman of "Sandman" fame had cited Jonathan Carroll as an inspiration. This particular book makes it quite clear the degree to which Mr. Gaiman is indebted to Mr. Carroll. Major plot points and themes from the "A Game of You" arc of "Sandman" were lifted from "Bones of the Moon". Both feature an adult's return to the dreamworld of their childhood, where they are guided by animal companions on a quest to save the land. And in both, some of these companions will die, and others will turn out to be...not quite what they seem. Oh, yeah, both protagonists have flamboyantly gay best friends, but that's pretty common these days in books, TV, and movies. It's a weird kind of marginalization, in which authors can feel they've shown solidarity with the homosexual community, while not actually elevating any gay or lesbian character to a lead role. But I digress. In any case, the "real world" settings of this book are largely a European's idea of life in urban America. There are scenes in Italy, where all of the Europeans are cool and interesting and unique. But once in NY, the only characters to drift into play are ethnic street scum and a famous movie director, who talks as if he is not quite of this earth, or perhaps as if he's French and takes himself and his art far too seriously. The entire book is--perhaps deliberately--permeated with a dream-like look and feel. People talk in odd ways, as if they've had days to think of their lines yet cannot understand their emotional essence. Characters accept improbable revelations all too readily, as if hungering for a connection with something magical. Yet the dreamworld of Rondua is presented in a rather pedestrian fashion, and seems to be a place that's a lot like our world, except with sillier names. This may be by design, as if Carroll is letting the reader fill in the dream reality by his or her self. He's largely content to simply mention things such as the Wooden Mice or the Perfumed Hammer and let the reader decide what these are. Be that as it may, the book will likely be of interest to any hardcore "Sandman" fans to show how Gaiman has transformed the material for his own purposes.
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