Rating: 
Summary: Original, or at least new to this reader. Refreshingly so.
Review: I can't predict if anyone else will feel the same way I did about this novel. I certainly liked it, and will read a dozen or so other books before tackling another one by the same author, just to let things sink in some more.I was drawn to the book by this quote of the author, from a LOCUST interview. Stewart here speaks of magic, but to me it is the magic of fiction to enchant, the magic of insight to enlighten, the ah ha! experience. If you like this quote, you may enjoy this book as much as I did: "There are several different kinds of truth in the world: truths of one, truths of two, and truths of three or more.' "Truths of three or more are what science is concerned about. They're external, and they're about the manipulation of the world that is shared by everyone.' "Truths of two would be things like the love you have for someone else - very difficult to measure or quantify, but clear to that individual.' "Truths of one are those things that seem intensely true and meaningful to you but are impossible to communicate, to measure and give to someone else in quite the same way you can give someone else a wave length or a hundred kilos of mass, or whatever.' "And when you get magic like you have in a role-playing game, that is profoundly concerned with using theoretically magical things to manipulate the external world - like, 'With this spell, you can generate a fireball that will do this much damage to a physical structure' - that's like a truth of three or more. It seems to me, magic in its most important sense is about those truths of two and one. It has to have some transformative, powerful relationship to the people doing it. Science does not. The whole point about science or technology is that once it's engineered out, it doesn't matter if you turn on the light switch or I turn on the light switch. Magic shouldn't be like that. It isn't reproducible, isn't the same for everyone. It's intensely personal, and speaks to those more personal and subjective truths."
Rating:
Summary: Original, or at least new to this reader. Refreshingly so.
Review: I can't predict if anyone else will feel the same way I did about this novel. I certainly liked it, and will read a dozen or so other books before tackling another one by the same author, just to let things sink in some more. I was drawn to the book by this quote of the author, from a LOCUST interview. Stewart here speaks of magic, but to me it is the magic of fiction to enchant, the magic of insight to enlighten, the ah ha! experience. If you like this quote, you may enjoy this book as much as I did: "There are several different kinds of truth in the world: truths of one, truths of two, and truths of three or more.' "Truths of three or more are what science is concerned about. They're external, and they're about the manipulation of the world that is shared by everyone.' "Truths of two would be things like the love you have for someone else - very difficult to measure or quantify, but clear to that individual.' "Truths of one are those things that seem intensely true and meaningful to you but are impossible to communicate, to measure and give to someone else in quite the same way you can give someone else a wave length or a hundred kilos of mass, or whatever.' "And when you get magic like you have in a role-playing game, that is profoundly concerned with using theoretically magical things to manipulate the external world - like, 'With this spell, you can generate a fireball that will do this much damage to a physical structure' - that's like a truth of three or more. It seems to me, magic in its most important sense is about those truths of two and one. It has to have some transformative, powerful relationship to the people doing it. Science does not. The whole point about science or technology is that once it's engineered out, it doesn't matter if you turn on the light switch or I turn on the light switch. Magic shouldn't be like that. It isn't reproducible, isn't the same for everyone. It's intensely personal, and speaks to those more personal and subjective truths."
Rating: 
Summary: Shallow read
Review: I couldn't make it past the second chapter. The book completely failed to make me want to suspend my disbelief. The book opens with a character who finds a body that looks just like him. He immediately procedes to do an autopsy on the body in a boathouse - all the while chatting with his siblings as if nothing were out of the ordinary and it was just another day. Tim Powers and James Blaylock do "urban magic" much, much better.
Rating: 
Summary: Ridiculous and unbelievable
Review: I couldn't make it past the second chapter. The book completely failed to make me want to suspend my disbelief. The book opens with a character who finds a body that looks just like him. He immediately procedes to do an autopsy on the body in a boathouse - all the while chatting with his siblings as if nothing were out of the ordinary and it was just another day. Tim Powers and James Blaylock do "urban magic" much, much better.
Rating:
Summary: Eerie, compelling, and fascinating
Review: I picked up this book on a reccomendation, and read it in one night, literally unable to put it down. The book is marvelous - full of unusual and vivid imagery and well drawn out characters that draw you into this alternate Earth. The author has a knack for tiny touches that add huge amounts of detail to the overall story. A fantastic book, in every sense of the word.
Rating:
Summary: Eerie, compelling, and fascinating
Review: I picked up this book on a reccomendation, and read it in one night, literally unable to put it down. The book is marvelous - full of unusual and vivid imagery and well drawn out characters that draw you into this alternate Earth. The author has a knack for tiny touches that add huge amounts of detail to the overall story. A fantastic book, in every sense of the word.
Rating:
Summary: Butterflies have never seemed so sinister.
Review: I was seduced into buying this book at a time when I was feeling particulary hungry for a good read. Resurrection Man did not disappoint. Sean Stewart has written a genre-bending tale about three siblings' reluctant journey towards self-knowledge that skillfully combines elements of fantasy, sci-fi, and horror with downright lyric prose. The language of this book is easily one of its greatest strengths. Stewart's style is at once fluid and precise, impressionistic and razor-fine. The characters are deftly drawn, with Dante and Jet, the two brothers at the story's center, standing out as particularly rich and true. Readers looking for a moving and original fantasy from a skilled storyteller will be well-served by Resurrection Man
Rating:
Summary: Shallow read
Review: If plot is important to you, look elsewhere. While the novel is fairly well written, nothing really happens in it. Its setting is a world like our own except that magic has returned. Unfortunately, this point is kept WAY in the background. In fact, there's very little brought forth in this novel. Characters are never really developed, settings are colorless, and -- again -- plot is very shallow. Like a splash of water on the countertop shallow. I'm not certain how this received a "notable book" award, or if that award is really as prestigious as it sounds. That said, Stewart isn't a bad writer; it's just not a very good story. Maybe his newer books (like Galveston) are better.
Rating: 
Summary: Very strange story and world
Review: It was Don Webb who first pointed me in Stewart's direction, but it took me quite a while before I finally picked up a novel of his. This of course was due to no active avoidance, but simply because I have way too many books to read as it is. Still, if I never got any recommendations, I would miss out on some amazing books, of which Resurrection Man is one of them. I like fantasy based in the real world--something magical hidden under the surface. When young, I remember being fascinated by magicians, tarot cards, and voodoo. I liked science fiction, but ESP and telekinetics did not intrigue me as much as the rituals of fantasy. This was the difference between science and magic, even when both could accomplish the same effect. Later in life, this preoccupation with magic had me gravitating to magic realism in my reading, a subject which I still actively seek out. Resurrection Man is not quite magic realism (at least in my definition of the term) because Stewart's world is not our own. It has many similarities, but the differences--angels working for the police, feng shui necessary for building placement--are striking. What makes Stewart seem like magic realism is for his style of writing about this alternate world, almost laconic, but seemingly realistic. The plot is a strange mixture of mystery and secrets that also appealed to me, as the protagonist must deal with his own angelic nature (not as heavenly as you might think), the past of his aunt's husband, and a possible child, both born yet unborn. I liked Resurrection Man a lot, and I'm looking forward to reading another book by Stewart to see if he can capture my interests so completely once again.
Rating:
Summary: An intriguing blend of Dark and Urban fantasy genres
Review: Stewart has created what is without a doubt one of the most cutting edge fantasy novels I have ever read. Brilliantly combining elements of dark fantasy which border on plunging this narrative into the category of a horror and urban fantasy elements which bring the events depicted almost too close to home, the result is a novel which will both make your hair stand on end and force you to think about its implications long after you read it. The narrative style is tightly woven and highly engaging to those who are looking for a break from the traditional fantasy style. To describe the originality of Stewart's vision I would say that this novel borders on genius; to describe its appeal, well, it certainly won't be everyone's cup of tea. In point of fact this novel would probably appeal to a fairly small demographic of "fringe fantasy" fans. Let me simply say if you liked the X-files or the Outer Limits TV Shows or Movies like The Dark Crystal or The Last Unicorn this book will appeal to you. For the average Joe this book might be a little too dark for your taste; start with something lighter but still on the fringe like Gregory Mcguire's Wicked or, always a classic, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
| 
