Review: I'm in love with D.Z.C.'s writing...
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 19, 2014
So, this moved quicker. I finished it in one sitting. While I loved the pace of this story, I found myself begging for more Estrade and Nicolas time. Estrade seemed less prevalent in this book. It was the relationship between Nicolas and Estrade that had me so loving People Like Us. Maybe it’s just me, but I didn’t get enough banter between them. Maybe it was because there were other characters that took up more page time...I’m not really sure I could explain it appropriately. I just miss Estrade. Anyways, the story moved along fast enough that I really didn’t notice my pouting until it was over.The details were there, but not as heavy as People Like Us. I appreciated what I was given in Xanadu because I didn’t feel overwhelmed by everything. I nestled right in and enjoyed the ride.Nicolas’ is still a character I love and smile at with unashamed fondness, while frowning at him on occasion. Estrade...oh how I love him. Like I said, I wish I had more time with him in this book. Especially his interactions with Nicolas. The other characters were needed for the story but did get on my nerves, just as they did to the other characters, which, I guess, was the point.Once again, there are some unanswered questions in this book. Don’t expect a nice and neat ending where everything miraculously comes together. They’ll be some stuff unanswered. Again, I’m fine with it. We’re still in Nicolas’ first person view so he doesn’t know everything. As I said in my review of People Like Us, it added a mysteriousness that had me screaming and grinning. I like that I didn’t know everything. Such is life, right?Of course it is the humor and writing that I absolutely love. I was sad to finish it because I wanted to keep reading and smiling. This one didn’t get me to laugh aloud, but I rarely do in books. I smiled quite a bit, grinned a few times, and thought about the book for days after I finished it (which means I loved it and it stuck with me).To conclude my ramblings, I’ll say it again: I am a HUGE fan of D.Z.C. and will ready anything he throws at me. He truly is a gifted author. Matter of fact, I have his ghost stories on my list (another genre I usually don’t read), but there are many other books in front of it (although, I might cheat and read it one night since it’s super short). However, as much as I love his books and writing, it’s time for me to return to my beloved fantasy genre for a bit. Boy, how I’d love it if he wrote one of those. Huh...what a wonderful idea! Please, D.Z.C.? Pretty please? Magic? Creatures? And the same cynical protagonist type lead? Please!