I like Anders writing. This is based originally upon reading a short story in a dystopian anthology about the future of the US about a peculiarly split bookstore (the penultimate entry in this collection) and then Anders’ novel The City in the Middle of the Night. So I was excited to try out her short fiction, a format she claims to be her favorite.
She indeed does a good, occasionally great, short story. They are on the longer side of short and are always well rounded, meaning they read more like a mini novel than a slice of life scenes from a movie sort of things. They are lively, fun and wildly imaginative. They are pretty much exactly what you might want out of speculative fiction, but…here comes the but…they are also imbued heavily with messages (political, social, economic, you name it, it’s there) and messages can overwhelm the story and here at times do. Mind you, sometimes a message is what takes the story from good to great, but the thing is that purely depends of how relevant the readers finds the message and so when it comes to Anders’ writing, user mileage may vary. Drastically. With that said, for this reader some of the stories didn’t work and not because of the disagreement with the message, more because of how much message there were. The collection begins perfectly with what might have been my favorite story about surviving apocalypse with only a genie for company. It’s clever, cute and fun and demonstrates all of Anders’ effervescent charms as a writer perfectly. The next story is good too. And then it begins to meander. It stands to mention that Anders is a transperson and as such the subjects of gender, sexuality, etc. are obviously very important to her and these things are heavily featured in her writing. Her favorite story is one of three in this collection from a postapocalyptic queer wilderness of San Francisco. Those stories did nothing for me. I mean, everyone’s pansexual, queer and hip…yey, great, and then what. The pronoun juggle alone was exhausting. It’s almost as if the author took this opportunity to try out every pronoun there is and imagine some more. That’s the recurring theme in the book and with a lot of characters, their love lives are a rainbow colored mess, often in a way that steals focus from the narrative itself. It’s understandable for an author who considers themselves one of a marginalized minority to want to imagine words where it’s the norm, but it’s just so…overpowering. And I know, I know, I’m most definitely going to get accused of homophobic anger or transphobia or something, because these days political correctness has all but steamrolled any attempt at critical thinking and who would dare not to wave the flag right next to the person waving it. And I can assure you that isn’t the case. I’m hugely supportive of the queer community and I’m thrilled for Anders to have her literary platform. It just doesn’t quite work for me in fiction in these quantities. And having dared to say that…it stands to also mention that the general tone of the stories started to get tiresome after a while, the effervescence can only take you so far, the hip bubbly quality of youth and young hip characters who seem to be composed almost entirely of quirks…tiresome. This is far from YA, but there’s a certain underlying dearth of maturity in Anders’ characters. When she’s on, she’s on. Power Couple is such a clever story about the insanity of the unrealistic expectations our society paces on young people to have their entire life worked out by college. Or 6 months, 3 days, a story of a relationship between a man who can see the future and a woman who can see many possible futures. Very clever, indeed. Although the latter story does have that heavy quirk thing going for it. The time travel story is fun too. Overall, it’s very much a mixed bag. A wildly left of the center, quirky, rainbow coalition of queer punks of all stripes surviving the strikingly imagined speculative scenarios of Anders’ terrific hopped up imagination. There’s plenty of organic storytelling talent and genuine cleverness on display here. Context wise it’ll work differently for different readers. But celebrating diversity is kind of a theme here anyway. Thanks Netgalley.
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To my legitimate surprise, I actually read all three Shades of Magic books. I prefer standalones, I don’t care for fantasy and I don’t like overly long books and yet somehow I managed to read a fantasy trilogy comprising three large volumes. It wasn’t even the right kind of magic, not the kind I’m interested in.
So what gives? Well, for one thing they are actually quite well written, imaginative and immersive. And for another, I’m a completist, so after book one I was compelled to continue. The latter is also a reason for this graphic novel election. Because the world of the books is so elaborate and layered, it lends itself well to spin offs and graphic adaptations are as good of a way to spin as any. And so there’s this story, a prequel of sorts, a tale of a brash young prince sent away by his father to a far away and dangerous corner of the empire as a way of teaching him a lesson. In the books he is known as Maxim Maresh, the King of London and the adoptive father of Kell. But most kings began as princes and this is a pretty exciting origin story as far as origin stories go. It features more of the characters from the books, including a kickass lesbian warrior. There’s even a pirate queen. So it’s fun. Or mostly fun. It’s still too fantasy for me. And the art didn’t exactly wow. It’s good, but has that video game slickness that isn’t really my favorite. But overall it was entertaining enough and the completist in me already plans to read the other books. For fans of the Shades of Magic universe, though, this is an absolute must. Or maybe these graphic novels will introduce that trilogy to more readers. Either way, magic awaits. Wired Magazine calls these books a delicious nightmare and they are not wrong. There is something distinctly delicious about the nightmares these books spin. Nd terribly addictive.
I loved book one and was eagerly awaiting the next installment and it didn’t disappoint. The adventures of the mysterious black barn and people obsessed with it and affected by it continues, this time revealing more about the barn’s origins, but the answers to questions ratio is still tantalizingly off. It’s the sort of story that revels a few of its secrets to you and then asks you to stay put promising more. A tease, but a gorgeous one. Literally. Well drawn out and well drawn. There are still revolutionary things being done with panel arrangements. I love it. And yes, objectively, the wow factor is somewhat reduced the second time around, which is just pure psychology (the freshness of that first itada moment just isn't the same), but it's still so very good. Now it’s back to waiting, since the library only got the first two volumes so far for some reason. Waiting and hoping and wishing and dreaming…of delicious nightmares. Excellent and terrifying, read if you dare. Recommended. I can’t believe I’m the first person reviewing this book. It should be more popular. Mysteries are popular. Ubiquitous, really. I know, I read tons of them. I don’t need to be sold on their appeal. By a lifelong interest in social psychology propelled me to find out more and reading this book covered all I wanted to know and more.
Mind you, this isn’t just a book plaining the appeal of mystery as a genre, it covers all aspects of mystery, in daily life, in art, in music and more, there is proper brainscience to go with the explanations, but the basic fact is this…we like mysteries, we are wired to like them. We want to be intrigued, surprised, fooled even, so long as it’s exciting, so long as its unpredictable and fresh. The author gallops from lowbrow fun like Law and Order and sports and popular music to the decidedly highbrow things like Bach to Mona Lisa and public education innovations, and, of course, there’s a lot about books too. And at every turn there’s a trick from the mystery box (which itself in a narrative trick) being utilized. It’s about a certain way of living, the wanting of immaterial treasures and intangible pleasures of the mysterious world. Einstein said it best, but then, of course, he was a genius, The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. He to whom the emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand wrapped in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed. Nd so this book is a fascinating, edifying and entertaining journey to be taken on. Pop science at its best. And an absolute delight to read. I sincerely hope my review will inspire more readership for this book, it certainly deserves a wider audience. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley. We live in the age of selfishness. It didn’t begin with Ayn rand, but this book does. And then goes on to cleverly connect her specific brand of lunacy to the present day ugliness through theoretical links of ideology and very real and tangible link of Alan Greenspan, a once upon a time Rand disciple who went on to become a longtime chairman of the Federal Reserve until 2006 and had entirely too much to do with the financial crisis that followed almost immediately after.
Ayn Rand was a character. Ayn Rand was a caricature, really, and thus lends itself perfectly to being featured cartoonishly. The thing is…every single thing about her theories, her thinking, her ideas…it’s all perfectly explicable, given her background. She’s a perfectly epitome of you can take the girl out of (insert country of origin), but you can’t take (country of origin) out of a girl. She left behind a totalitarian regime of conformity and oppression and went on to reinvent one in the new world. Every ugly and wrong thing she loathes, she brought with her. And she didn’t seem to realize it either. She comfortably preached individualism while actively submitting her followers to her will and rule and abiding no dissent. She extolled the virtue of self reliance, perfectly comfortable accepting assistance from her relatives who helped her get established in her new country. She even accepted government’s assistance late in life when she needed it, from the safety net she has been so determined to destroy with her ideology. So yeah, hypocritical and hypercritical, she was a critically panned author who tended to wrap her ideology in oversentimental overwritten tomes that extolled selfishness as virtue and money as the most important thing of all. That’s a reductionist version of her life, but this reviewer is trying for brevity. That’s also chapter one of the book. The subsequent two chapters take you into the making of a financial crisis and its aftermath. And here I’ll try to be even more reductive…making of was caused by uncontrolled greed and made possible by deregulated markets and the aftermath was surpassingly slap on the wrist mild. And thus we are currently living in a society with the most striking and ever increasing wealth disparity and nothing is likely going to be done about it. The author seems to be more optimistic than me, but then again this book was published in 2015. That’s practically ironic. Or just sad. To publish such a scathing condemnation of a great American socioeconomic tragedy a year before The US took a decisive (avalanche style) turn downhill, to rant about a financial crisis when nowadays the very democracy is in crisis…yeah, no words. But some closing words must be said…Cunningham is good. This was my second read by him and he’s got a knack for explaining complex things simply, with simple but fun cartoons to go along. And so this was a very good guide to the whys and wherefores of American financial system for anyone interested. Not an easy read, great injustices don’t really make for those, but an important one. And that timing…oh, man. Ayn Rand may be on the cover of this production and featured heavily in it, but it wasn’t her fault, she’s more of a gargoyle presiding over a great temple to Mammon that American dream greed built. The age of selfishness is a comfortable age to live in, but it’s brutal for the soul. The author takes a much more polemic approach to it and as a result the book is very ne sided and very partisan and very much the case of preaching to the choir. It seems unlikely that the people on the right (who are according to the book are statistically more stuck in their ways and less willing to accept new information and change their minds) might read this book and see the error of their ways. And people of the left probably already know all these things and are powerless to change them. Such is life. Knowledge is probably meant to empower, but it mostly just frustrates. There’s a reason there’s that saying about ignorance… For anyone choosing to forgo ignorance and its cozy promises, this is a good and informative read For fans of musical themed conspiracy theories and gorgeous art there’s this book. Based on a wildly speculative what if this novel imagines a world where in 1966 Paul McCartney drove into a tree and died. And imagines it so vividly, in such technicolor splendor, that the presentation wows the readers the same way the band’s music might delight them.
There isn’t much to the story, this isn’t a text heavy production, it’ll take you thirty minutes at most to get through. The plot is interesting, especially for fans, but the art is the star of the show here. It’s so stunning, so striking,, so spectacular. The colors sing. The panels dance. The portraiture is terrific. It’s just a thing of beauty to behold. For that alone, you gotta check it out if you get a chance. Recommended. Some time ago I read McGregor’s Out of Reach and it was ok, fine, nothing special. Exactly the sort of random quiet very mild very British somewhat older thriller that Endeavor Press (sometimes known as Lume) seems to specialize it.In other words nothing that would necessarily make you want to read more of the author immediately and certainly nothing to prepare me for how good of a second impression McGregor would make.
What a striking difference between the two books. I actually checked to make sure it was the same author and not a namesake. And now to the review itself… Once upon a time a vile man (the vilest of all really, a theater producer among other things) named Randolf Joscelyne married a pretty widow with two young children. A readymade family that he selected for their pliability and then placed firmly under his thumb and pushed down. The boy, older at the time, survived by becoming withdrawn and distant. The mother retreated into denial. But Cecily, who was only six, didn’t stand a chance. She became her stepfather’s special project, his protégé, his victim. Years passed, Cecily grew up and as an adult she is terrifying. A morbidly obese, bizarrely sexualized force of pure sociopathic will decked in designer clothes, she has become a power player in her own right as an interior decorator for the elite. She’s at the top of her game, but her mental state is snowballing into an avalanche, because her stepfather has never let go of her. After all, she belongs to him. A daddy’s girl until the end. So essentially this is her story. Though Cecily aka Joz shares the book, she is the star of the show, a grotesque one at that, but in a mesmerizing can’t look away sort of fashion. Yes, technically there is another protagonist, Faith, she just doesn’t quite have the same presence. Faith is an artist who specializes in expensive reproductions of famous works. Joz hires her for a commission, realizes Faith has something she wants and the rest is…a nightmare. Because Joz has become a sort of destructive force that nothing and no one is safe near. Faith is undergoing a separation from her stool sample of a spouse, while pregnant. So lots going on. But she’s the sane one here. So when her and Joz get locked in a battle of wills, she’ll have that going for her. That was a lot about the plot and it’s interesting and good and there’s much to be said (if one chose to) about the relationship dynamics, especially the balance of power in the male/female relationships, be it father/daughter or man/wife, the paternalistic, possessive, proprietary angle of it all and it pays to remember here that this isn’t a modem book, it’s just older enough to reflect different attitudes all that, but…but the most important thing here, the thing that makes this book stand out is the really striking depiction of evil personified in a complex multifaceted way. When you meet Joz she’s repulsive, abhorrent, vile. There’s an animal abuse scene that’ll slay you. Joz is hateable and easy to hate. And yet as the novel progresses and we learn more and more about the making of her (as it were) and the years and years of the horrible psychological abuse, she becomes something almost…pitiable. That’s no easy task to accomplish. And for that, many kudos to the author. This isn’t really a thriller as such or maybe it can eb considered a dark psychological thriller, but there’s no mystery elements. This is more of a finely tuned psychological drama about trauma and its echoes. Emotionally it’s right on the money, a real gutpuncher of a story. A difficult, devastating, bleak read, but fans of psychological fiction will likely grimly delight in it. Recommended. What's up with the cover, though. Random, generic, nothing to do with the book. I’m not a Trekkie. I do have a fine appreciation of Star Trek, though, and so I’ve seen a lot of the movies and somehow a bunch of STTNG or Star Trek The Next generation for the uninitiated and Data has always been my favorite character. There’s just something about that golden android that has always spoken to the on the spectrum aspects of my psyche.
And of course, it’s impossible to separate Brent Spiner from his most famous character. Funny how that works, the man is now pushing seventy and has been acting for decades, TNG was only on for seven years or so and yet to me and I’m sure millions of others he will always just be Data. It’s a signature role and (pun intended) a pure gold as far as those go. And so how awesome is it that Spiner wrote a book and it’s just as much of a delight, albeit a tonally and otherwise different one, from his most iconic role. Don’t know what kind of a book data would write, but Spiner stuck with the good ole’ write what you know and produced this MemNoir (how cute is that) of autobiography mixed in with thriller elements from his years on Start Trek. Because truth is subversive under the best of circumstances and fan fiction takes that and subverts it even further by its nature, you can technically take this pretty far. And Spiner does. Outlandishly, outrageously so. Casting himself as a victim of a mysterious obsessive fan who ends up with two gorgeous female twin protectors (indistinguishable but for their coiffure). There are, of course, all sorts of other shenanigans, including hilariously rendered real life cast of the show. It’s a proper treasure trove of a book for Trekkie, but it’s also an absolute highhearted comedic delight for all other readers. It’s a quick, cute and charming read that cleverly interweaved facts and fiction until you’re not quite what’s what and find it no longer matters because you’re having so much fun with it. Randomly…turns out Data’s back on Star Trek Picard. I didn’t even know that. Guess with enough golden pancake make up you can get something like tv immortality. Excellent. Data lives on. And not just in the memories of fan and in syndication, but live (as it were) for the next generation in real life. Awesomeness. So yeah, whatever your thoughts (but they should be all positive, really) on androids, this charming take on the high cost of fame is sure to delight and entertain. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley. Make no bones about it, antlers and snow have never been more terrifying.
Road of Bones invites you to take an unforgettable ride through the forbidding wilderness of Siberia. And no, just because there are actual paved roads there it doesn’t make it any more inviting or welcoming. And yet the legendary road along the Kolyma is exactly where two longtime friends Tieg and Prentiss are headed, seeking fame and fortune, or at least a someversion there off. It’s Tieg’s idea, one of the many ideas which over the years have made and often cost him and his friends money. Tieg’s an optimist, always on lookout for the next great story to make a documentary out of and he believes he found it here, in the snowed in remoteness of Siberia. The place is, of course, beyond haunted, with something like 600 000 people buried along it and beneath it, dead while laboring under Stalin’s imperative to create the great road. But what is such superstition to the cynical seen it all pair of first world adventurers. And so off they go. And that’s where the novel’s first scene finds them. Nearly careening off to certain death. Regaining control, they finally arrive to meet their local guide and proceed to their destination, a tiny town at the end of the world, but once they arrive there, they find all its denizens gone, all but one small girl. And there’s something hungry out there after her, after them. Time to get heroic, especially for Tieg, who has never gotten over his baby sister being abducted and murdered while on his watch, when they were both kids. For Prentiss and a local woman they pick up along the way, it’s more of an along for the ride sort of thing. And what a ride, the frying pan into the fire nightmarish trajectory through the snowed in place where every single thing, natural and otherwise, is trying to kill them. At first it seemed like it might be too action forward of a story for me, but it quickly settled into proper and more measured psychological frights and turned out into an excellent production overall. Don’t know why I don’t read more of this guy. The writing’s really good, very dynamic, very vivid, has a certain cinematic quality to it, all while maintaining the appropriately bleak atmosphere and tone. Loved the use of real life events and local culture, customs and mythology. It’s Siberia, people… it doesn’t need a sign saying Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate. It’s understood. Didn’t quite help with surviving the latest heating wave, but certainly distracted from it. A Great fun read. A well crafted literary supernatural thriller.Recommended. Thanks Netgalley. Expanding on the same logic that posits that any technology sufficiently advanced will be undistinguishable from magic, any magic sufficiently advanced can be deemed black magic. And punished accordingly.
Aha. And you thought it was just another witches story. I requested this book immediately upon finding it on Netgalley, because I really liked Cooke’s The Nesting. It was an excellent suspense thriller that flirted with the supernatural. With this book the flirtation is over. Cooke decided she liked it and put a ring on it. Funny thing, though, because I was kind of expecting the same thing and because I’ve been reading so many thrillers, my brain was desperately to sort out the plot with pure logic of the real world…something the book contravened at every turn. There are some things you can rationalize, some things you can explain and that there’s finding your baby sister that’s been missing for 22 years and have her still be the same age as she was when she disappeared. Which is exactly how the novel begins, with the 31 year old Luna receiving the most welcome and yet strangest of news. Luna is just one of the three hippieishly named babies of Liv and once upon a time liv took all her babies to a small Scottish island under the guise of an art commission, but really as more of a desperate getaway from life. The island as it turns out has had a long storied past with witches and wildlings. The kind of past that has echoed throughout the years and well into the present. And Liv steps right in the middle of it. Madness ensues. The novel jumps timelines and narrators quite freely, but not too dizzyingly, to weave a fascinating sum total tapestry of superstition, magic and…one more thing that’s a surprise and won’t be revealed in this review. Suffice it to say there are plenty of books about witches and there are plenty of books about wildlings/changelings. I’ve read a bunch of them. None of them have the twist this book does. And for someone to produce something so wildly fresh and original in a fairly clichéd done to death genre is no small feat. So many kudos to the author. And it is precisely that originality that makes it easy to overlook some logistical snafus, like most things adult Luna does. From her inexplicable aversion to marrying her beloved baby daddy to her perfect acceptance of her unchanged baby sister. But then again, this is speculative fiction, so a certain suspense of disbelief is definitionally required. I just really loved the fact that it was impossible to figure out until it was explained, for the truth of this story is much, much stranger than fiction…as it were. Plus the writing’s excellent. Great characters and once again, much like in The Nesting, there’s a very potent place presence. There’s an unusual building (this time the old lighthouse) and there’s the unusual place, a Neolithic Scottish village that marches to the beat of its own weird drum and both are so well rendered, they in fact become characters themselves. All good, very good. Made for a very exciting, engaging read. The difficult to put down kind. A must read for fans of dark supernatural thrillers. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley. |
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