Hmm. This was a very straightforward adaptation of the book, which I appreciate (especially Coraline's agency in the ending!), but the art didn't do aHmm. This was a very straightforward adaptation of the book, which I appreciate (especially Coraline's agency in the ending!), but the art didn't do anything at all for the other mother's world. The animated movie, to which I couldn't help comparing it, did a really great job at the creepy make-believe and flattening of that world, and I was really hoping that the art in this comic would be able to create the same effect. It didn't, though -- in fact, it missed in two directions. The art went strongly for a realistic look which worked well for the opening to ground it in this world and also make it clear just why Coraline was so bored with this world. However, the same style was used for the other world, missing a chance to do a Wizard of Oz color transition, and while this could have made the other world creepier it just made it bland. Coraline never seemed to be enchanted or trapped or frightened in that other world. There wasn't any magic....more
Okay, so I kind of have a secret weakness for Secretly Ninja Teenagers --
Okay, so by "secret" I kind of mean "anybody who knows me might have to thinkOkay, so I kind of have a secret weakness for Secretly Ninja Teenagers --
Okay, so by "secret" I kind of mean "anybody who knows me might have to think for a second or two to guess it" --
Okay, so I probably don't actually mean "secret". Shut up.
ANYWAY.
This is a fun book. It runs up along the edges of embarrassment squick pretty hard, but it doesn't go over; I think what saves it in the end is the solidarity among the girls. There's no depth to it, no real examination of politics or consequences, but it is frothy and delightful. (And, for those of you worried about these things, (view spoiler)[there is no convenient memory-wipe at the end of things (hide spoiler)].) I'm going to put the rest of the series on my looks-interesting shelf, because I suspect that they're also sweet and funny....more
This book was a gift from my dad, who clearly wants to find some common book grounding with me, his science fiction reading daughter. Sadly, I don't tThis book was a gift from my dad, who clearly wants to find some common book grounding with me, his science fiction reading daughter. Sadly, I don't think that paranormal romance is really going to be our meeting point.
Don't get me wrong -- I definitely enjoyed reading this book! As everyone keeps saying in tones of shock, it's really well written. There are lingering, loving descriptions of tiny minutiae and a plot which, if described, would sound like it ought to fit into a book a third the size of this one, yet I and most other reviewers didn't find the book to be particularly slow. I didn't know that this book was only the first part of a series (a trilogy?) going in, and I didn't realize it until I reached about 90% and the conflict was showing no signs whatsoever of reaching even minimal resolution. That was rather frustrating!
There were a number of moments of pure hedonistic geekery over things like the Bodleian Library, manuscript illuminations, oenophilia, phylogenetics, and, of course, tea. Mmm, tea. By about halfway through the book, though, the geeky joy was starting to feel like luxury porn, like the richness of the environment was the point of the story rather that part of its support and advancement.
The world-building of the paranormal side, I will say, didn't make much sense to me. Vampires, in a clever twist, actually perform gene therapy when they replace a human's blood with their own blood, so I'm going to let that one go. Witches have hereditary magic use, and have apparently gone thousands of years globally with a strict inbreeding policy -- the question of whether witches are actually cross-fertile with humans is never addressed, despite the huge preoccupation with species genetics, and I think we're supposed to believe that it's all been one consistent social force keeping anyone from trying, ever. But daemons make no sense as a category, since they appear to be humans with mental illnesses (mostly hypomania) -- yes, considered demons or demonically-influenced at many points in history, but unless you're creating a world which never developed a mental illness concept (but which was medically identical to our world otherwise) there's going to be a long period of time during which most daemons are presumed human.
And that is, of course, not going into the actual implications of having mental illness as a marker of being nonhuman. Nonhuman is seen pretty universally as immediately and obviously better than human by everyone in this book, which seems like the most fantastical element of all.
Do I need to talk about the sexual politics? Let me just skim and say that yes, there is a huge heaping of "I must be the alpha male and you cause me great distress when you don't obey me so if you really loved me then you'd let me boss you around and be an overprotective asshole, and you'd totally forgive me for doing really horrific things to everyone but you because you believe on the basis of nothing whatsoever that I could never hurt you which is all that matters to you (plus I have all of the money in the world and buy you expensive presents which you protest but come to expect)". Yeah. And there was a side order of "I show that I am a gentleman by not rushing into penetrative (procreative) sex but by instead introducing you to the marvels of cuddling and foreplay and non-penetrative sex (which neither you nor I consider actual sex so it must be an amazing vampiric invention), none of which have ever previously been part of your sexual consciousness in any way despite the fact that you were raised as a woman and these are traditional women's sexual pleasures".
So, yeah. There we are. But it was really well written!...more
Five stars for the Batman/Starman crossover; wavering between two and three for the Ghost crossover. Is that one of Ghost's usual artists? Is there alFive stars for the Batman/Starman crossover; wavering between two and three for the Ghost crossover. Is that one of Ghost's usual artists? Is there always so much cleavage? And why must "sad girl deceived by transparent bad guy" be such a common plot? Let's just go back to punching Nazis and tentacle monsters, please. It's hard to go wrong punching Nazis and tentacle monsters....more
Huh. I was bored silly by the first novel in this series, but this manga -- which follows that novel pretty much exactly -- is not bad at all. I pickeHuh. I was bored silly by the first novel in this series, but this manga -- which follows that novel pretty much exactly -- is not bad at all. I picked it up in the library because Takahiro Arai's art intrigued me, and that was clearly the right call: Darren and Steve are tiny and determined and adorable in this book the way they just weren't in the original. I think I'll be following this one in manga....more
Totally awesome premise -- librarians in an urban war to defend books! the first female Library Defense Force soldier! -- and an execution which makesTotally awesome premise -- librarians in an urban war to defend books! the first female Library Defense Force soldier! -- and an execution which makes it boring when it's not irritating. Alas. (Apparently it's based on a series of novels, but those novels aren't translated into English.)...more
I'm not sure where I got this book, actually; I think it must have been some free promo.
It's not a great book, but it's pretty much exactly what I wanI'm not sure where I got this book, actually; I think it must have been some free promo.
It's not a great book, but it's pretty much exactly what I wanted to read right now so I'll call it good. The paranormal side of the paranormal romance was interesting, and several times the characters said "we should call the cops!" and then actually called the cops, so, y'know, extra bonus points to the plot there. Then again, it loses points for the use of rape to prove just how bad the bad people are. I also didn't buy the romance angle as strongly, but that's not really why I'm here....more
My biggest problem with this book was that I thought I was getting a book about a teenaged witch in which witches hunted vampires but then this young My biggest problem with this book was that I thought I was getting a book about a teenaged witch in which witches hunted vampires but then this young witch learned that friendship! can! transcend! etc. And for the first third of the book, that's what I got, and so I was lured in.
Unfortunately, when the jaws of the actual book snapped shut, it turned out that I was trapped with a book that was really about the ~tragic~ ~immortal~ ~angst~ of twin vampire brothers and their desperate need -- expressed in poetry -- to have a threesome with our (un)lucky witch protagonist. She just needs to ~understand~ that they're good on the inside! And that it hurts them ~so much~ when they don't suck human blood! *cough*blueballs*cough*
...You know, I was going to give this book two stars for being moderately technically proficient, but now I don't wanna....more
Gorgeous artwork, gorgeous character work, hardly anything in the way of plot. Apparently this is just a kicker on the end of a 52 plotline? I love thGorgeous artwork, gorgeous character work, hardly anything in the way of plot. Apparently this is just a kicker on the end of a 52 plotline? I love this, but I don't actually know if I love it enough to wade into 52....more
I really enjoyed this collection -- I didn't read it cover to cover, as you can tell from the liveblogging status updates, but I did end up reading evI really enjoyed this collection -- I didn't read it cover to cover, as you can tell from the liveblogging status updates, but I did end up reading every story in it. (I always feel a little embarrassed when I circumvent an editor's careful sequence of stories, but in this case I'm glad I did: I don't think I would have wanted to end on the last story in this book, which was The Master Miller's Tale by Ian R. MacLeod. I don't like my fantasy (1) emo or (2) mostly horror.)
Stories I did really like were: * Light by Kelly Link, which reiterates what all of those people who've been recommending Kelly Link to me have been saying about the wacky and interesting; * Teashop by Zoran Zivkovic, which was not as clever as it thought it was but which was still delightful, especially with the tea; * The Rope by Noreen Doyle, which was a little bit horror and a little bit non-futuristic science fiction, but all in a really good way; * Stray by Benjamin Rosenbaum & David Ackert, which has possibly the best characterization of an immortal/mortal pairing I've ever read, seriously; * Singing of Mount Abora by Theodora Goss, which was a shiny perfect fairy tale of a fantasy story; * Bufo Rex by Erik Amundsen, which was another excellent fairy tale; * A Diorama of the Infernal Regions by Andy Duncan, which was a really great use of a girl as a protagonist; * and The Cambist and Lord Iron by Daniel Abraham, although I'm not entirely sure that this was a fantasy story per se....more
Lots of very nice world-building in this one! My expectations were low -- basically, I liked the title and the description sounded not unreadable -- bLots of very nice world-building in this one! My expectations were low -- basically, I liked the title and the description sounded not unreadable -- but they were definitely exceeded and then some.
I'm not sure how I feel about the floating POV, with half of the book first person from Sam and half a floating third person omniscient, but it got the job done well enough. (When you have sections in villain POV and it's not awful, you're doing something well enough.) (The extended origin-story flashback from his mother I could have done without, though.)
Sam was self-aware without breaking the fourth wall; he had white-boy-angst without feeling special; he had special powers that genuinely made his life suck instead of making him special; he was a smart-ass without being too cute; he was scared without being heroic. In short, he was a pretty good protagonist. Ramon, Frank, and Brooke made an excellent set of hero's friends, too. It wasn't all spectacular -- the pacing was a bit uneven, although the book was such a fast read that I didn't ever have time to get bored -- and the sequel hooks were a little obvious (although intriguing). Brid didn't get nearly enough development for her role but she got too much to be dismissed as an extra, which was another thing which felt uneven.
Hmm. So far this review has been mostly "there were so many ways that this could have sucked, but it didn't: yay", and I don't think that really does justice here. I enjoyed this book proactively as well! I liked these characters and this world and would like to read more of them!...more
1. I like Sophos, in a way which really, really underscores how much of a Mary Sue type Gen is. 2. Yes, even here.**spoiler alert** Immediate thoughts:
1. I like Sophos, in a way which really, really underscores how much of a Mary Sue type Gen is. 2. Yes, even here. 3. So...Gen as Emperor of the Mede by the end of book five? Or will it take until book six? 4. There had better be actual appearances of Sophos' sisters in the next book! 5. And of Eddis, for that matter! 6. Oh, poor Berrone. 7. Gods: kind of creepy!...more
I had read the title story in some collection, so I was a little worried that I'd already read this whole book and just forgotten to record it, but noI had read the title story in some collection, so I was a little worried that I'd already read this whole book and just forgotten to record it, but no, the others were all new, and all good. I definitely enjoyed Instead of Three Wishes again, about a young woman who finds traditional fairytale rewards vaguely embarassing in that teenaged way, and I really liked Leroy Roachbane and The Nightmare too, both of which are about little boys being boys but with very different takes. The Baker King was funny but more fairytalish than the others, and didn't really fit. Factory didn't really fit either -- it's a bittersweet scifi/dystopia ghost story, sort of -- but I like it more so I mind less. A Plague of Leprechaun was cute, and Aunt Charlotte and the NGA Portraits was playful, and I'm sure it was no mistake that their framing devices matched their themes so neatly (in a fun way, not a clunky way)....more
The chief amusement of this book was that it made me nostalgic for all of that time that I wasted as a teenager playing the game on which this book isThe chief amusement of this book was that it made me nostalgic for all of that time that I wasted as a teenager playing the game on which this book is based -- but hey, it was an awesome game, so, y'know, I enjoyed reading this a lot.
It wasn't The DOOM Comic of yore (, ), of course, which is and always will be the DOOM adaptation against which all others must be compared, and I think that where it missed most of its mark was that, unlike the comic, the book tried to take the "oh noes, demons are invading our space station" concept in a semi-realistic way -- which meant that this was basically the novelization of the protagonist's trauma and mental breakdown mushed awkwardly with the demands of the plot that the protagonist blow a lot of demons the fuck up. These things can mesh instead of mush -- see, for example, Alien -- but this book seems a little too self-conscious of its genre conventions to really get you into the head of the protagonist where you need to be to make that work, at least if you're me. (I will grant that most of that self-consciousness was probably necessary for the nit-fixing of the original game elements for semi-coherent world-building.)
Speaking of the protagonist, though: a lot of this book was the sensitive exploration of the feelings of the protagonist (a Marine named Fly, short for Flynn) for a fellow Marine named Arlene, who appears in person about halfway through the book. When Arlene isn't present, she's a kickass Marine who runs through the station well ahead of Fly, killing things, blazing the trail, and making Fly generally feel second-best; he spends his time day-dreaming about what great friends they were and how all of the Marines respected her so much. When she appears, Fly immediately goes into macho protect-the-little-lady mode, which the book obliges by setting Arlene up to be rescued a couple of times. And, of course, it's Arlene who's all we-must-rescue-the-homeworld in order to inspire Fly to do his part in the fighting. I think that the story of Arlene and her sidekick Fly would have made a much better book, especially because any concept of "chain of command" was pretty much blown out of the water from page one, so it wouldn't matter that Fly technically outranked her.
Or maybe I just need to go digging through my old backups to see if I have a copy of DOOM which can be installed on a modern computer so that I can blow up a few demons of my own.......more
Pleasing and clever, especially with the use of the first-person to hide information, but probably not something I would have picked up on its own merPleasing and clever, especially with the use of the first-person to hide information, but probably not something I would have picked up on its own merits; what's been recommended to me is the series as a whole....more
The only interesting parts of this book are the characters of Tremane, who is hardly given any time at all, and Karal, who shares far too much of his The only interesting parts of this book are the characters of Tremane, who is hardly given any time at all, and Karal, who shares far too much of his time in this book with the thoroughly irritating An'desha. Everyone else gets no development in this book because we're still supposed to care about them from the previous trilogy, which quite obviously I don't.
And then there's the plot. I know that reading Lackey for the plot is like reading Playboy for the articles, and yet. Ouch....more
This is an ambitious biography of Bertrand Russell, and I feel like it overreached itself. None of its aspects felt thoroughly explored and many were This is an ambitious biography of Bertrand Russell, and I feel like it overreached itself. None of its aspects felt thoroughly explored and many were actively off-putting. The "logic vs madness" theme, for example, was picked up and dropped again multiple times and managed to conflate many different mental illnesses without addressing any of them except as punishments for other people's sins. The "democracy solves war" framing device dragged its punchline out far too long for such a weakly supported conclusion. And through it all, Bertie Russell came across as the least interesting person in the room at all times judging by personality, life history, and mathematical insight -- quite a feat for the protagonist. He was also often the least likable, and when someone else was shown to be worse, he was always admiring them. I'd always had the vague notion that Russell, like many of his peers, was an interesting guy; I hope that this is not an accurate representation....more
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