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5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
 Fireflies in Winter and Softland wins big with me Aug 11, 2008
By J. Kircher
"J.K."
I am the first to write a review of this magnificent book. I was first impressed with this size of this book. It is a 7X10 book and comes complete with several illustrations. The book is a combination of two short novels and is an easy to read piece of fiction. The first story Fireflies in Winter is touching and also has a nice sense of fantasy. Celia is a great character and as a reader you cannot help but open your mind to the possibilities of this story. Although it is fiction, it could have easily been based in real life events. It relays the terrifying adventure of a cancer diagnosis and the coming of age of teenagers in a manner that anyone can follow. Softland, the second novel included, is a world of colorful characters and adventures. The imagery is stunning and it plays to the kid in us all. Based on true fears that an obsessive compulsive individual might possess, this story open up a world of imagination and love. These two stories are not only worth picking up they are worth re-reading over and over.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
An honest work of love, but has its flaws Aug 28, 2008
By Stephen Mathis
"Solus Tacitus"
Before I begin, I'd just like to say, truthfully and superfluously, that the front cover is the most simplistically beautiful and fitting cover for a book I have ever seen, even more so than the cover of 'The Great Gatsby'. It's no surprise, when you think about it, that the cover is drawn by the author himself. I just had to profess my love for the cover, despite the real importance of this work being nestled snugly underneath it.
THE TEXT INSIDE, though, it's beautiful too, but more so in the images it conjures in the mind and how it can cause one's chest to flutter. It becomes evident early on that these two dreamy stories, and the author-drawn art, are a labor of love. I can tell you there's not a much better feeling than reading a book written by a guy who loves what he's doing, who wants to take you on a journey through the surreal landscape of his own mind. It can be sad, as the very first page all but admits; there's going to be some tears shed in the name of love. But I'm not lying to you when I say I'm at my happiest when this book is giving me those little pangs of sorrow, and even then, it never feels manipulative.
Now, onto the bad news: This book--especially the first story, 'Fireflies in Winter'--has a lot of grammatical errors. The spelling is fine, but sometimes the sentence structure is a bit wonky, and could have been fixed with just a little tweaking. In other rare instances, the punctuation makes no sense, with commas being stuck next to each other in the most arbitrary of places. Some errors even interfere with the story's cohesion and temporal structure (9/11 happened around 9:15 at night?). It's kind of jarring when you're really into the book, and a random error just sweeps you away from an ethereal beach filled with autumn trees, and you realize you're just staring blankly at funny-shaped symbols on a piece of manufactured wood.
Errors aside, you should almost certainly enjoy these two pieces of fiction, unless you're some kind of evil grammar Nazi. (Random diatribe: I knock James Patterson at every possibly avenue, and I'll say I got a hell of a lot more slices of awesomeness out of Fish's book than any of Patterson's.)
This--Matthew Fish's first published work--leaves you looking toward the future and anticipating more, because he can tell a damn interesting story when it gets right down to it. As it stands though, this book is exactly like a gorgeous green-eyed girl with a scar running down from her eye to her neck, and I'd be a fool not to love her despite it.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
A suprising story that came out of nowhere, Aug 14, 2008
By Song Young Woo
I recently picked up a copy of Matthew Fish's 'Fireflies in Winter and Softland' I found the cover very appealing, (I know never judge a book by a cover, however...) I was ultimately surprised with the quality of the two stories, and with my recent disappointment in other more highly publicized titles that have been recently released, I found these two stories a breath of fresh air. 'Fireflies in Winter' (although a little hard to get into in the very beginning) carried my attention throughout the entire story and ended in such a way that both surprised me and left me unusually moved. The ending is still in my mind right now. 'Softland' Was an excellent read as well, with interesting (different) characters and a storyline that was very well done. I did not believe that the ending of Softland could in any way compare to how the ending of 'Fireflies' made me feel, however, I was (thankfully) wrong. A beautiful ending- My only question now, is what's next?
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Two books that could have been perfect. Oct 30, 2008
By Joshua Byer
"Cabbage, What?"
Fireflies in Winter and Softland are actually two books in one. They both share a minor connection but are totally different stories. Fireflies in Winter has an excellent plot and a very well fleshed out main character. The story is both intriguing and well thought out. However, the book also suffers from very poor editing. A great read if you can get past the editing.
Softland is by far the better of the two books and doesn't suffer from so many editing problems. Softland is a story that takes place in a fantasy setting called the Abyss. The author does an incredible job creating a unique world full of interesting creatures and people. It also has one of the best endings I have ever read.
Overall I highly recommend this book, especially Softland.
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