There are things that WWZ does well and others it does not so well.
The book is an incredible global overview of a zombie pandemic from start to finishThere are things that WWZ does well and others it does not so well.
The book is an incredible global overview of a zombie pandemic from start to finish via witness accounts from all over the world, with incredible amounts of historical, geographical, scientific and technical details and suppositions, covering every possible angle of the initial zombie invasion, to the ultimate attempt to reclaim the earth.
Breathtaking in scope and very thought-provoking, how would you survive in such a situation?
"Fear is the most valuable commodity in the universe."
Fear is maybe not the most valuable commodity, but certainly one of the most prevalent for stopping you in your tracks.
Entertaining in small bursts, WWZ tells its tale as hundreds of bitesize vignettes to paint a bigger picture.
That level of scope and imagination deserves four stars because it rarely stagnates through constantly updating viewpoints and incredible ideas as an ode to fighting to the end no matter what.
"But I knew it, leaning there with my face against the glass, looking at this monument to how easy it was to give up."
However, WWZ is no thriller, more like an encyclopedic report of every possible A-Z zombie related eventuality.
Divided into various sections: threat, invasion, being overrun, sitting back, and finally fighting back, there's loads of continuity from a scientific perspective, from a retrospective historical point of view, as if a zombie apocalypse actually took place, but from a storyteller point of view with personal ties and people that you root for and learn to love, the book is strangely empty and, dare I say it, boringly unfulfilling.
There's no character development or anyone to identify with because of how it jumps to the next eyewitness account under one of the broad zombie invasion timelines, instead of telling things from a continuous human identifier perspective, as a polar opposite to fenced-in settings with incredible depth of character, which is more satisfying to read.
WWZ deserves plaudits for tackling a zombie apocalypse scenario in such detail, but because it's so sprawling and outlandish - even ridiculous at times - already feels technically out of date while also forgetting the importance of individuals and communities to identify with.
As to the movie? I've seen it and have no idea how scriptwriters took the zillions of ideas and crafted a explosion of visual entertainment over a couple of hours, which has got very little to do with a book that should have been called World War A to Z(ombie)....more
Return to the Black Farm wallows in the same fetid muck as its predecessor, The Black Farm.
And it makes exactly the same mistakes! Pretty decent for aReturn to the Black Farm wallows in the same fetid muck as its predecessor, The Black Farm.
And it makes exactly the same mistakes! Pretty decent for about 50% before forgetting the rules of storytelling and throwing caution to the wind.
There's a little stroke of genius via the introduction of a new child character called Emily. She needs to be protected and cared for at all costs, giving the narrative a new sense of validity and impending danger, and there's a survival horror section en route to meet the Mud Man that's pretty gripping, squeezing through tiny tunnels and fighting off giant bugs on the edge of annihilation.
And then Elias Witherow digs his own lack-of-credibility grave once again.
No character development when it comes to the mud men except that they're squishy and rather sad - a whole chapter or backstory should have been penned! Instead, we get on with the bombastic action because that's the way the author writes. Maybe running out of ideas, getting desperate to please, or perhaps simply getting bored?
And then we go full on SMH Godzilla! Really.
And don't get me started about punching the living daylights out of angels and even God himself because you're SO ANGRY!
I'm giving this book 3 stars because there's a lot of good in it, but this is why Splatterpunk literature has a bad reputation - not necessarily because of the gore, it isn't even scary most of the time - except for the fantastical underground abyss section - but because of the cheap, half-arsed writing to ramp things up for spectacularly horrific literature, which often works the other way round.
And I also found the first-person-perspective really jarring at times.
I don't get it. Starts off well and then becomes absurd (part 2)....more
Annihilation in its simplest form means we're all going to die, there's nothing new about that, but instead of doing it in the conventional way, thereAnnihilation in its simplest form means we're all going to die, there's nothing new about that, but instead of doing it in the conventional way, there's an option to merge consciousness and body with a mysterious and ever-changing environment that's easy to enter but a nightmare to get back from.
The concept behind mysterious Area X is to feed it but not antagonize it, by sending in small expeditions of expertly trained scientists in the hope that one of them will hit on an explanation or solution through luck or repetition before Area X can take over the world.
Armed with basic equipment, the scientists probe an organic atmosphere or pocket that's pulsing, gradually expanding and relentlessly encroaching, and either mysteriously disappear or can't accurately explain what happened when they manage to get back.
This leads to bizarrely cosmic personal experiences in strangely adapting and morphing biomes that gradually distort the body and mind.
Seen through the eyes of a female biologist, she battles her environment and tries to get to grips with it at first and then simply survive.
Annihilation is a lonely book focused on horror and dystopia and if it was written by H.P. Lovecraft a hundred years ago, it would today be a cosmic horror masterpiece. Perhaps it already is?
The moaning creature in the reeds, suddenly getting closer, gaining speed, trapping its prey but never going in for the kill?
The organic writing on the tower wall that grows as it spreads, releasing spores that invade and suffuse, and somehow control the seasons and atmosphere.
The haunting lighthouse and whatever the hell it is at the top?
Cleverly written, we don't get to see the horrors as such even when described by the author, with his knack of relaying terrifying scenes without too many gritty details.
I watched the movie several years ago and found it equally strange and inconclusive but practically nothing like the book except for a group of unwitting soldier-scientists being left to fend for themselves in Area X. The book isn't as trippy as the film and follows an easier to understand plotline, but is still marvellously bizarre.
Fascinating and scary, I enjoyed Annihilation due to its isolation and hopelessness, for that sense of uncomfortable loss and disconnection.
If you love dystopia this is a real treat and top recommend.
It's also classified as science fiction because characters are cast into the unknown with limited resources and with major difficulties/resources getting back.
And the sense of devastation and bleakness in Annihilation is profound.
As well as the need to understand for yourself what's happening and further explore key landmarks to discover the source of the disarray.
Oddly enough, this is also a book about connection and love, and I liked that element very much....more
If you woke up tomorrow morning and everyone else was dead, how would you feel as the last survivor?
"Silence was, in a way, worse than his fears of dy
If you woke up tomorrow morning and everyone else was dead, how would you feel as the last survivor?
"Silence was, in a way, worse than his fears of dying or being seriously hurt in an accident."
At first it would be devastating, until you moved on to find other stragglers.
The Stand is a masterwork of dystopian bleakness, new relationships and ultimate hope.
I could tell this book was a new favorite after 20%, not just because of the amazing character development, but by how destruction of society is contrasted by brilliantly alive personality portrayals in comparison to the bleakness of nothingness, no conversation, laughter, hatred, or anything.
Some of the writing is fantastically imaginative and alliterate:
"It must have been bad, dying in here, he thought, as claustrophobia wrapped its stealthy banana fingers lovingly around his head and began to first caress and then squeeze his temples."
Serve me stealthy banana fingers for breakfast, lunch and dinner, any time.
There are similarities to famous books such as Swan Song by Robert McCammon, such as the underground tunnel to get out of New York, the global battle between good vs evil, and the book’s enormous length, plus all sorts of other references to classics by H.G. Wells and ‘The Time Machine’ and its sinister Morlocks, the Martians from ‘The War of The Worlds’, and ‘The Invisible Man’.
Plus references to Lord of The Rings and similarities between the Shire and its seemingly doomed plight against relentlessly encroaching evil, with the Boulder community, as well as the palantir or third eye concept that can be looked into or cast out to observe and spy on the enemy, which Swan Song borrows from also. There's even a reference to Flowers For Algernon in relation to M-O-O-N, laws yes, Tom Cullen.
The Stand is one of those strange books that I rated five stars early on and never wavered from that opinion, but at the same time found it a giant slog to read. As a relatively slow reader I like to paw over the details in my good old time, whereas a faster reader might find it more exciting?
I opted for the extended version released in 1989, with its extra 400 pages and 1200 pages in total, and occasionally regretted it because of the length. All the extra details and nuances may not be appreciated by a first-time reader, so if you've read it before, read it again.
The Stand is now my favorite Stephen King novel and rises above Carrie and Pet Sematary in my personal canon of his works, which isn’t saying much coming from a self-confessed SK lightweight who's only read eight of his titles.
The Stand is undoubtedly brilliant and meticulously planned, but it isn’t perfect.
The character building is top class but still developing at 80%! The amount of hometown navel gazing feels self-indulgent at times, especially with all the politics and religion to churn through.
But this also emphasizes Stephen King's incredible knowledge of key subjects, as well as mechanics, vehicles, weapons, incendiary devices, and so on.
This is what SK does best, researches, tweaks, fills in the gaps and gets you to care about everyone, before throwing all the pieces onto the chessboard for the ultimate game of do or die.
You know there are going to be casualties, but it’s a question of who, when and where?
However, there are other minor caveats in The Stand that make little or no logical sense, such as the abandoned vehicles strewn absolutely everywhere. Did I miss something? Was there an electromagnetic pulse device to shut down all machinery? No. People died over days and weeks from a virus that that gradually decimated everyone, not all at once while traveling on the road. This grated with me.
And the references to the past can seem dated at times, such as "Lovely Rita, meter maid, may I inquire discreetly, when are you free to take some tea with me?" from Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, which I totally appreciated, but younger readers may not.
But I’m seriously struggling to find more major criticisms with this book other than its other-worldly and sometimes dispiriting length.
What absolutely amazes me about The Stand is the way potential loopholes are always circumnavigated through perfectly planned logic, no matter how outlandish or stereotyped they may seem. With a book of this length you’d expect a few idiosyncrasies - and there are plenty in Swan Song - but hardly any in The Stand.
Even the ending, which a Goodreads friend advised me as not one of the best, is amazing. Yes, Mr. King, I did not expect that! It’s not quite a Samwise Gamgee moment and nothing will ever compare to the Lord of The Rings trilogy, at least not in my lifetime, but it’s a really good wrap up.
A quick call out to my reading group, Horror or Heaven and co-moderator @Theresa from the Stephen King Korner, for putting this read together and for keeping it that way. Cheers!
I’m really pleased that I was kicked enough up the ass to read this marvelous magnum opus!...more
From the way it's written and the strangely formal and antiquated tone, to the bizarre encounters with creatures on the islaWhat a weirdly wacky book!
From the way it's written and the strangely formal and antiquated tone, to the bizarre encounters with creatures on the island.
Okay, so you're marooned and cast off in the mould of Robinson Crusoe, but instead of finding coconuts and Man Friday, you come across strangely furtive beasts that defy accurate description, as well as mad whip-bearing scientists and drunken subordinates.
Life is mostly hell on the island as you're unable to fully relax, settle down or find suitable explanations and harmony.
Doctor Moreau conducts vivisections on animals to turn them into crossbreeds of various new creations with human characteristics, with the puma-man, the hyena-swine and various other bizarre concoctions putting in appearances, some friendlier than others, who live in tribal communities with no flushing toilets or modern creature comforts.
And that's where it gets bonkers. Animals have been engineered to talk and follow rulesets, with morals, inhibitions and some frightening behavior. They recite religious commandments and act like human beings.
The only trouble is, these human-animals are still beasts inside, on the precipice of returning to their primordial state.
This book encompasses science fiction because of its abstract technical elements, with a smattering of horror because of the strangely deformed beasts with atrophied limbs and claw-like hands who walk upright and furtively hide and spy in the bushes, probably due to their ugly countenances and wild instincts.
The message is that we're all essentially the same: beasts with deep cravings for blood and murder when you take away humanity, which is what keeps us in check.
This is a strangely comical, quaint and bizarre book, while also a little bit sad, haunting and frightening at the same time.
I recommend all four of H.G. Wells' novels published from 1895 to 1898, with The Time Machine and The Invisible Man being equally bizarre, and the incredible The War of The Worlds being the best of the lot....more
The words that regularly spring to mind while reading this book?
Depression Loneliness Hopelessness
This book was top voted the Horror or Heaven sci-fi grThe words that regularly spring to mind while reading this book?
Depression Loneliness Hopelessness
This book was top voted the Horror or Heaven sci-fi group read for December 2024, which is why I picked it up.
It's classic dystopia and a massive recommendation from me!
Author, Jacqueline Harpman, comes from Jewish descendants who were subject to Nazi oppression, so that might explain the destitute outlook of this book?
It's about a group of women who are held prisoner and live in a single cell from which they are never permitted to leave. A macroscopic concentration camp if you like in which they are observed and controlled 24x7.
There is no contact with the outside world and as a consequence there is no future or physical contact with anyone else.
The main character, as a child growing into a woman, has never met a man and only sees them as mute prison guards through prison bars. This heightens her separation.
Let's be clear. This book is not a misandrist statement against men! It's quite the opposite.
Although it may seem like a deep and depressing account of feminism, it doesn't hold any grudges or go on a crusade, but a fictitious account of life as a permanent prisoner and the forced limitations brought about because of it.
Most of all, it's fantastically bleak and dystopian because of the lack of hope or any potential for life improvement.
Classified as sci-fi, there are undercurrents of horror as well.
Some questions: Who or what else is out there? Why are we here in the first place? Are we all alone?
Jacqueline Harpman doesn’t answer these questions, but sets them on a platter to be mulled over.
You'll be as intrigued as I was to discover how everything holds together: Am I a prisoner? Are we on planet Earth? Is there a wider reasoning behind isolation?
The book also asks profound moral questions about staying or leaving, about looking after yourself or caring for others?
Yes, it’s mostly depressing and hopeless, but expresses the most important quality of all. The importance of contact! Contact with others. Without it we're lost.
One day we may come across other planets and civilisations, but in the meantime, each other is all we’ve got!...more
With a laboratory opening scene reminiscent of Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. You pray for what's coming next: test-tuThis book had so much promise.
With a laboratory opening scene reminiscent of Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. You pray for what's coming next: test-tube creations, strange experiments and possibly even worse.
But whereas Brave New World is a strangely brilliant book with realms of scope and funky ideas, even laugh-out-loud funny moments at times, Intercepts is closeted and restricted and doesn't expand or properly explain what felt so good at first.
Why does mankind think it's okay to treat experimental 'intercepts' like meaningless cattle or bunnies?
This isn't Nazi Germany and I was unhappy with the author's expectations of me.
Or maybe a Guantanamo Bay scenario where waterboarding is common practice and torture is just part of the deal? This sort of thing happens in real life so why not in books?
I accepted all of that: ✔ Secret government facilities hidden underground. ✔ Protocol and red tape that's not supposed to be flexible. ✔ People in authority who feel morally corrupt and wooden at best.
But Intercepts uses a banana skin storytelling method of gradually slipping up until the pack of cards tumbles down.
This made Intercepts transition from being a good read to a really rather empty one by the end.
We got: ❌ Boring bunkers! ❌ Pesky fiddling and predictable FBI agents. ❌ Silly CEOs who fail to get the work/leisure ratio right.
Although Intercepts is well written and entertaining, it's exempt from life-shattering reveals and lightbulb moments.
More in-depth scientific explanations were needed. More humanity and basic feelings. More crazy Bishop-styled synth moments from Aliens, with nasty white goo coming out of them. More excitement and better banter.
Intercepts is a fantastical concept at first that goes nowhere special by the end, which lacks in frivolous fun, wacky sidesteps or satisfying conclusions....more
Imagine a Norse god of a man with the widest chest and craziest good looks, wielding swords, golden helm on head and a moral viewpoint capable of chisImagine a Norse god of a man with the widest chest and craziest good looks, wielding swords, golden helm on head and a moral viewpoint capable of chiseling granite? That's Eric Brighteyes for you.
Imagine the most beautiful maidens in Iceland to die for, with oddly unattractive names like Groa and Gudruda, although Swanhild comes to the rescue as a beautiful name with a hell of a bad attitude.
Eric is a hero of heroes, a man's man and a woman's dream, loved by all for constantly being on the edge and fighting for what's right.
To my knowledge, this is the favourite book of director Stanley Kubrick, which is why I decided to read it. It has massive potential. It's also referenced by J.R.R. Tolkien as one of his major influences, which is another reason to explore its depths.
It actually feels like the birthing mother of Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin and the similarities are uncanny. Warring families from north to south, brave warriors, gorgeously conniving witches and bitches, romantic interests by the spades - this is probably the blueprint of everything we've grown to love about Middle Earth and Westeros.
This book was published in 1891, so imagine its use of formal language and the rather rustic storytelling method. Third-party pronouns are used all the time with 'they' did this, 'he' did that, and such and such happens in a rudimentary, straightforward, extremely informative and action-packed way with hardly any filler, which is surprising for such an old book.
The simplicity is reminiscent of The Once and Future King (Arthur) by T.H. White through its naive and open approach. You know you're in for a treat by chapter two but it takes a long time to heat up until the later third of the book.
Some of the terminology is absolutely awesome too, such as 'rede' to mean advice or counsel, and 'fey' as a warning or foreboding attitude, and the amazing 'weregild' phrase as a penalty for killing someone.
Eric Brighteyes isn't the most thrilling read and is strangely sedate and predictable most of the time, but is also historical, informative and unexpectedly charming.
I can't believe this book has had so little exposure. It's the ultimate marauding story of good versus evil with romantic undertones....more
Very entertaining, foul and fun, I want to give this five stars and am two millimeters from doing so but can't quite because I've read better books inVery entertaining, foul and fun, I want to give this five stars and am two millimeters from doing so but can't quite because I've read better books in the same genre that I enjoyed/shocked me more.
The book is relevant, irreverent, violent, funny and dare I say it, deeply endearing, and I'm now a David Sodergren fan and looking forward to more of his books such as Rotten Tommy and Maggie's Grave.
The main character, Muriel, is feisty, determined and unbreakable, as well as being likeable, identifiable and the perfect heroine.
The minus one is for the sublime to the ridiculous - I hate that expression - from the fantastical to the funky, from the mildly plausible to the downright silly.
This is an innovative and shocking book, but ultimately a tad too much and, as a novella of 200 pages, a lot explodes on the pages while also being rather low on scope.
But I laughed and marvelled at the ideas, wallowed in the friendships and sentiments, and guffawed at the extreme swearing and violence, like a breath of uninhibited fresh air.
Head successfully removed from ass, beware the 'c' word liberally sprinkled like pepper on a pot roast.
Corporations can sh*t on the little people from high and regularly do, but if you fight back and enjoy having fun, why not embrace entertaining indie horror with all its frills and frolics....more
Back in the day, 200+ years ago, a common scold or public nuisance would be tied to a ducking stool and dipped in the river, even more incredibly, womBack in the day, 200+ years ago, a common scold or public nuisance would be tied to a ducking stool and dipped in the river, even more incredibly, women suspected of being witches would supposedly float when rejected by the water; naturally, all of these women drowned.
Also back in the day, chastity belts were an actual thing (how did women go for a pee, pray tell) when their domineering alpha males were out of town, probably because these women had been taken by force anyway.
This is a book about injustice during a time when women were bullied and controlled by men just because of their gender, especially if they were haughty or out of place. It's difficult to believe such times ever existed!
Abitha, the main character in Slewfoot is 'obviously' an evil witch or something of that ilk because she goes against the grain, stands up for herself and doesn't take orders. Everything she does is for the good of her homestead, family unit and friends as she tries to get along and make a better life for herself, but other people don't see it like that and, as she struggles, starts to dabble with spirits and black magic to try and restore the balance.
The way Brom intertwines the spirit world and real world into the main plot is ingenious, as layers in their own realms while also vaguely visible and perceivable from the other.
The images and artwork are terrific too, and the entire concept of the book is refreshing.
Slewfoot (another name for Satan) is a strangely enchanting and beguiling book with a lot of soul and spirit, which somehow steers clear of bitterness as it tries to remain focused and serious, but I do have a few criticisms that stops it from being a five-star read.
It has really lengthy chapters with tons of splits that could have been whittled down a bit. It's also a bit far-fetched and unrealistic; what starts off as a gritty tale about an abused woman who at first seeks the right path, but then goes after redemption and revenge, gradually delves into fantasy, and although rewarding, feels less immersive and enjoyable by the end. Somewhere down the line it stopped being historical fiction and decided to roam into the shadow realm.
That level of unrealism marred the book for me as it started to become increasingly fantastical.
Also, horror is a loose-fitting tag that encapsulates practically anything with scary elements in it and if Slewfoot had been labelled 'fantasy' I may not have read it.
There are some shocking components in this book, especially the insight into how badly and unjustly women were treated hundreds of years ago, plus some extreme descriptions of harassment and torture.
I liked this book a lot, but the fantasy element overtook the gritty horror aspect by the end and lost a bit of realism because of it....more
Classified as sci-fi due to the main character, Dana, jumping back in time to tell the story from a modern day perspectiKindred is an incredible read.
Classified as sci-fi due to the main character, Dana, jumping back in time to tell the story from a modern day perspective, this is a fantastical tale of historical fiction in which slavery was rampant in the antebellum south from 1812 onwards.
Interesting fact: antebellum = before the American civil war in 1861.
Dana goes back to experience life as a slave but with certain story-related privileges, favored above the regular field hands subjected to the worst levels of brutality, but gradually giving you an insight as to what it must have been like during this historical period and how unbelievably harsh it was.
Think about it this way: millions of Jews were treated with grotesque barbarity and then mass exterminated at the end of WW2, but we often forget that black slaves were treated just a badly but over an extended period of time, making it seem less historically brutal than it actually was.
Octavia Butler does a brilliant job of telling the truth from an ingenious storyteller perspective with her straightforward prose and terminology, never pretentious or difficult to read, creating a time-travel adventure emotionally charged with ambiguous love and hatred, while constantly reminding you of the injustice of slavery and how incredibly unfair it was.
Thank you, Octavia, for opening my eyes a little bit wider than they were before. Everyone should read this book, whether it's for brutal historical facts or for storytelling brilliance.
Also look out for Beloved by Toni Morrison, which is more abstract and scary but with a similar insight into slavery.
I'm not usually a fan of these types of books, perhaps classified as black horror, but I am now. Next on my list is Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, for further insight and to find out more....more
This isn't a book, but a short story of only 34 pages. A juicy taster if you love the novella, or a blessing in disguise if you don't? I'm in the middThis isn't a book, but a short story of only 34 pages. A juicy taster if you love the novella, or a blessing in disguise if you don't? I'm in the middling pack and giving out a free review.
I don't know how to classify this literature? Fun to read, humorous erotic fantasy featuring sock puppets with knitting needles interweaving their twines, ooh err missus, in a weirdly steamy, under-the-cover woolen duvet romance?
Randy socks? Yeah, I'm up for it.
This is a bit creepy, but never horror, suddenly deciding to become scary near the end, achieved through the sudden and very jarring insertion of the c-word on multiple occasions for heightened effect, which stunned me for being so out of line with the quirky, smutty and YA sexy narrative.
What a shame the author turned this book into something it isn't, but I enjoyed the clever rephrasing of words, such as: "I wanted to make gloves with Brad." ...more
I'm a big fan of British parody, dry wit and humour, P.G. Wodehouse, Roald Dahl and Douglas Adams, even T.H. White, but for some reason I didn't get oI'm a big fan of British parody, dry wit and humour, P.G. Wodehouse, Roald Dahl and Douglas Adams, even T.H. White, but for some reason I didn't get on well with this?
Or maybe that's just it? Terry Pratchett being American and my tastes being deeply rooted in British concepts? A bit like climbing an icy mountain with skis instead of crampons.
A bridge too far, fantastical, sprawling and far-fetched for me.
Maybe time for a rethink and re-read at some point?...more
This is not what I was expecting at all and it's amazing how one misconception can turn into something else and something else again.
This is the storyThis is not what I was expecting at all and it's amazing how one misconception can turn into something else and something else again.
This is the story of King Arthur as a child growing up under the name of The Wart, tutored by wizard Merlin, who regularly turns him into animals (willingly) such as a goose, fish, ant, owl, hawk and badger as his spiritual 'education' if you like from the other side.
I was expecting medieval battles, careful strategic planning, pestilence, plague, horses skewered on pikes and all manner of gory details. Forget it, this is a book for kids in the guise of Harry Potter, Wind In The Willows, Alice In Wonderland and even a bit of Sancho Panza silliness from Don Quixote.
This is NOT my cup of tea at all, but still a wonderful book. The continuous sarcasm, humour and tongue-in-cheekiness completely threw me off, and I'm going to keep volumes 2, 3 and 4 open for a casual read when life needs a softener.
The Sword In The Stone is the first book of four under the broader title of The Once And Future King, the complete volume.
Four stars from me and a big thumbs up if this is your thing!...more
This is an amazing book and I disagree with anyone who says it's not well written.
Cormac McCarthy also writes 'horribly' and I have no problem with hiThis is an amazing book and I disagree with anyone who says it's not well written.
Cormac McCarthy also writes 'horribly' and I have no problem with him at all.
You'll appreciate this book if you can relate to personal loss, and that's not a signpost above my head to say I've experienced something that you maybe haven't, just the way I feel about this book.
The funny thing is, I'm not usually a fan of cosmic horror and rate H.P. Lovecraft around 3 stars, and I've come across so much commercial/mainstream horror over the last couple of years this book read like an absolute delight.
John Langan struggled to complete it over about 10 years, instead of churning it out under a tight publisher deadline, which is why so many books are top heavy these days and unfulfilling.
With its drawn out cosmic horror and fantasy elements, this heartfelt and bizarre book teaches you a few things about love and life as it magically swings between fantastical fiction and back down to earth again at the swing of a hat.
The "What about Lottie?" phrase bowled me over. You're in no state to be thinking about such basic sentiments under duress.
The Fisherman consists of a story within a story and I can see why some people might consider this cheap or poor writing, and it takes such a long time for the main adventure to go full circle, which is fair enough if you hate this book.
The main character loses his wife to cancer, while his friend also loses his wife and twin sons in a car accident. They suffer similar losses but in different ways, who then connect and become fishing besties.
We've all experienced loss to some degree. Divorce and losing my house, for example, but nothing in comparison to no longer seeing my sons on a regular basis, and I wept at the local bar when 'Wish You Were Here' came on the stereo, I can hardly bear that song these days, and this book reinforces the reality that I haven't lost anything at all except a nagging ex wife and some material possessions, hey, and my children are alive and well and I am actually rather blessed, blessed by your company and enjoyment of this book if you liked it as well.
Sometimes it takes a book from another person's perspective to open your eyes, and isn't that after all why we read? Whatever the genre, whatever the reason?
It's also important to thoroughly buy into the main characters and if you can't do that you've not got much to return to as the book goes full circle.
And if you don't like long and drawn out tales, you might not enjoy this book, especially if cosmic horror isn't really your thing. In the author's own words, this is "the shaggiest of shaggy dog stories".
Funnily enough, it's the mid-section of this book that's the most eerily compelling, with the 'main' story acting as a looking glass to get in and out of fishy hell.
There are many influences too: Kristopher Triana and the harrowing river scenes, Clive Barker for the trippily macabre concepts, Ronald Malfi and Cormac McCarthy for their desolate landscapes, and even a bit of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and The Hound of the Baskervilles.
The Fisherman is quite graphic and even sexual in places, but most of all fantastically bizarre in a relatable way.
What's your personal definition of hell? I know what John Langan's is: a watery grave inhabited by a giant Leviathan that can be hooked up and tapped into for whatever life-preserving powers seem most personal to you.
This book is educational, scary, gripping and rewarding, and I loved it for all its flaws.
Most of all it was a surprise u-turn from the boring cosmic horror platter I was expecting to hook onto my plate....more
This is a strangely wonderful collection of short stories, some of them interconnected, others independent from each other, with all of them being setThis is a strangely wonderful collection of short stories, some of them interconnected, others independent from each other, with all of them being set or focused on Mars.
First published in 1951 with the future being many decades ahead - Space: 1999 anyone? - one of the best stories is September 2005: The Martian, reminiscent of Solaris by Stanislaw Lem and the later movie adaptations in which the person you most desire to come back to life mysteriously reappears, in a magically profound and charming story that emphasizes the importance of living right now instead of holding on to the past.
That's the essence of The Martian Chronicles, beautiful and wondrous writing that portrays the fertile imagination of Ray Bradbury, perhaps borrowing from the naive Eloi species in The Time Machine by H.G. Wells, including mysterious twists and tales of the unexpected with occasional sinister and surreal elements that go beyond sci-fi and delve into darker realms.
The Martian Chronicles is odd, quaint and sometimes silly in places with its satirical sense of humor and eerie notes of H.P. Lovecraft cosmic wonder, undefined and lurking in the background, hiding behind dusty sand dunes, maybe hoping to catch you out or, who knows, waiting to bestow benevolence.
There's a sense of good versus evil, heaven over hell, Mars over a belligerent planet Earth that's now in decay.
The overall message gives you a sense of hope through radical change or flight, to get away from all the nonsense of petty politics, negative news and senseless perennial war, by shedding old skin and starting anew.
This book will need multiple rereads to grasp all the hidden messages behind our inevitable self-destruction and the demise of planet Earth, ultimately leading to escape and the beauty of eternal life in the stars, or Mars.
Dependent on the edition you own or obtain, some stories might be missing while others are present in certain versions, which is a bit of an annoyance, and not all the stories fit seamlessly together either, sometimes feeling disconnected.
But overall this is a wonderful collection of stories that showcase the insight, intelligence and quirky charms of Ray Bradbury....more
Such Sharp Teeth is kinda hip, sarcastic and tongue in cheek, but also rather superfluous and full of unnecessary day-to-day descriptions. It all depeSuch Sharp Teeth is kinda hip, sarcastic and tongue in cheek, but also rather superfluous and full of unnecessary day-to-day descriptions. It all depends on what you’re looking for in a book? Deep and profound, or witty, chatty and lighthearted? And although Rachel Harrison has a great sense of humour, the main character comes across as a bit scatty and dizzy (in a cool and likeable way) instead of supposedly super-successful, sexually active, twenty-something with an action-packed lifestyle.
And then there's werewolves, which although close relatives to vampires, nearly always come across as silly. Whereas vampires are cool and reflect our inner fears, werewolves come across as blundering hulks with ripped off clothes, lack of restraint and manic personalities, a bit like the main character, Rory.
I swore I was going to hate this book at 5%, but changed my mind because of how sarcastic and fun it is, but the main problem is the one-dimensional narrative and me-me-me problems all the time. It's a soap opera - a romping, romantic family drama with an ego the size of Manhattan, going on and on about personal feelings, trying too hard to relate to its target young audience, maybe, or perhaps I'm just a crusty old geezer by comparison for finding it cheap and immature. I need more science and hard data, more horror instead of moody humps!
My reading approach was to scan SST faster than I normally do to get it out of the way, mostly wanting it to end, and the unexpected and shocking statements for laughs and impact became a bit old, like nails growing so fast it's hard to masturbate, duh!
It sounds like I hate it, right? Honestly, I don't, and found it likeable in a rather pointless way, as unimportant with little overall direction or knife-edge thrills. It’s an overly indulgent family-boyfriend-buddy drama.
A fun read, and thumbs up for such a great sense of humour, but if you took away the werewolf element, this book would be forgettable pop opera.
Recommended further fun and emotional werewolf reading: Thor by Wayne Smith....more
I don't very easily DNF books but at 50% I was bored out of my wits!
This Written in 1764, you would never guess it.
Sarcasm aside, it's a real clanger!
I don't very easily DNF books but at 50% I was bored out of my wits!
This is the supposed father of gothic literature: set in a castle, howling in the battlements, damsels in distress and all the medieval checkboxes safely ticked away, but wow, what a boring read!
To be fair to Horace Walpole, the book wasn't actually written by him - it's a translation! - and he did a professional job of successfully interpreting the Italian text. At least that's what I gathered from the intro!
Otranto is set in an era when rulers had too much power and could treat their wives like objects - away to the cloisters m'lady and consider yourself well and truly divorced while I beget myself a tasty new lass. Multiple times. Ancient and chauvinistic are the most horrifying aspects of this book.
I have no idea what to make of the fantastical 'horror' elements either? Gigantic helmets, swords and boots! There must be a jolly giant hiding away in the belfry? Characters spend more time throwing indignant fits than fighting any terror.
Romeo and Juliet gone all wrong with angry randy viscounts.
I read this book to better acquaint myself with gothic horror and its history. There are allusions to Don Quixote (there's something weirdly pompous about it). Carmilla/Dracula. Edgar Allan Poe. Henry VIII and his misogynistic hips. Shirley Jackson (who is great). This is the epitome of gothnicity (I made that word up) but so dour to read.
Gothic literature had to start somewhere and here it is, but you don't need to go here and make the same mistake as me.
A really good book for getting back to sleep in the early hours of the morning. I slept like a rock!...more
Project Hail Mary is an entertaining, warm and hopeful book with stacks of rewarding qualities.
Characters are likeable, loveable and heroic and you'llProject Hail Mary is an entertaining, warm and hopeful book with stacks of rewarding qualities.
Characters are likeable, loveable and heroic and you'll be cheering for them throughout.
It's a good thriller that's worth a few hard-earned bucks passed on to the author.
I rate it highly, but for all that, can't quite give it top marks for the following reasons, which is where this review gets kinda serious:
Project Hail Mary is the antithesis of hard science fiction.
That's quite some statement considering it's jam packed with scientific reasonings and explanations from start to finish.
Some might say it's been dumbed down for the masses, but that would be unkind considering how informative and genuinely educational it is.
But when you explain things in such incredible detail, full of new and technical information, it's not sufficient to patch things together with glue or epoxy - or magical alien products put together by an incredibly efficient buddy - or to have magic fuels and energies explained to the nth degree that don't actually exist.
Project Hail Mary is fiction, fantasy, and feelgood bro-romance.
It's the next billion-dollar Guardians of the Galaxy movie.
Nor does it claim to be hard (factual) science fiction, just written as though it's supposed to be.
The book needs to be read at a fast clip to mitigate the taped together implausibilities, with enough scientific fact to pause and think things through, which also makes the action plod along in places as you hover between contemplation while shaking off doubts as pure fiction. It can be jarring at times.
I can't say much else without giving away spoilers.
I'm a linguist and struggle with languages on a daily basis, living abroad and getting by on a diet that's never fully native, no matter how fast technology continues to advance; new language barriers with blind aliens who communicate through musical notes cannot be broken down in one day through an Excel spreadsheet and a bit of hackneyed programming.
The entire book is like this: convenient solutions after supposedly hard facts.
Four stars for invention, entertainment and Stars Wars-fueled hope in a galaxy far far away. In the right hands this is going to make a terrific movie....more
Richard Alex
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