Reviews for Exanimo and the Seven Secrets of the Universe

The average rating for Exanimo and the Seven Secrets of the Universe based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2016-11-01 00:00:00 Michael Lockhart I knew Edward Richardson. He was a slim, decent, polite, quiet, very intelligent, rather shy Yankee of a type that is not seen in New England much any more. When I met him I supposed he was a Quaker and a retired librarian or school teacher . Nothing about him bespoke “soldier” in any way. He was the sort of man who would carry volumes of poetry into combat and indeed, he did. . This slim vanity press volume is an edited version of his war memoirs. It is not a literary masterpiece, but a straight up series of truthful recollections of his time served as a combat infantryman in Europe, especially in the final, bitter battles against the die hard Nazis. He was in combat almost every day for nine months, fighting in the Huertegen Wald, in the Bulge, watching the Remagen bridge collapse, fighting Hitler Youth in fanatic, terror filled ambuscades. Despite the horrors of combat: indiscriminate, random maiming, dirt, terror, death and an exhausting, relentless series of small shoot outs and artillery barrages, Richardson maintained his decency. He once walked a young German prisoner back three miles to the safety of a POW pen, whilst his exhausted and apathetic comrades urged him to ‘ just shoot the Kraut’ so he could get a couple of hours of sleep. The memoir is summed up best by this paragraph: “ The water filled ditch was filled with wounded men, crying for the medics. I was numb with fear as the German shells came down on us, all around us. One man, his arm torn off by shrapnel, screamed “ Fuck You God” over and over as he bled to death, writhing and kicking. Others cried for their mothers, most just screamed or called “ help” or begged God to save them. The ditch water was the color of tomato bisque.” Richardson cleaned up his recollections a little, but not much. This book is not a classic, but it is an honest and a true recollection of a decent mans’ life and what he experienced between 1943-46. Then he came home and quietly did his best to make a better world.

Review # 2 was written on 2012-10-31 00:00:00 James Stevenson I love this book not only out of nostaligia but for its art. It has scratchy hand-lettering and beautiful watercolor drawings which show us different aspects of a witch's life in an exposé style with humorous little comments throughout. I also love the other books by the Hawkins about vampires, monsters, ghosts, grannys etc. They were right up my alley. All of their books are quirky, funny and beautifully drawn. I just wish there was more information about the artists behind these books. I tried to find some interviews online but in vain.