@cephalaspis77.bsky.social
Contagion and Other Stories: Excellent collection of surreal kafkaesque horror. The anti-Mormon theming is laid on a bit thick at times. One piece of imagery from Two Brothers literally made my skin crawl. Grade: A*
June 3, 2025 at 11:32 PM
Contagion and Other Stories: Excellent collection of surreal kafkaesque horror. The anti-Mormon theming is laid on a bit thick at times. One piece of imagery from Two Brothers literally made my skin crawl. Grade: A*
Perfect Victims by Mohammed El-Kurd: The unmitigated righteous anger of a people that have been wronged so grievously by Israel and the Western World. It is ruthless in its deconstruction of the MSM's complicity in genocide. Grade: A**
June 2, 2025 at 11:02 PM
Perfect Victims by Mohammed El-Kurd: The unmitigated righteous anger of a people that have been wronged so grievously by Israel and the Western World. It is ruthless in its deconstruction of the MSM's complicity in genocide. Grade: A**
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas: I think it's biggest problem is for an adventure novel the four heroes are given a constant string of wins until about the final act, so it's hard to feel much tension for them all. I did like the cast, though. Grade: B.
June 1, 2025 at 10:52 PM
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas: I think it's biggest problem is for an adventure novel the four heroes are given a constant string of wins until about the final act, so it's hard to feel much tension for them all. I did like the cast, though. Grade: B.
S. by Doug Dorst and J. J. Abrams: A gimmick book with a very good gimmick but unfortunately I just found it something of a drag to get through. It feels like both the concurrent narratives are missing a third act. Grade: B.
May 20, 2025 at 8:19 PM
S. by Doug Dorst and J. J. Abrams: A gimmick book with a very good gimmick but unfortunately I just found it something of a drag to get through. It feels like both the concurrent narratives are missing a third act. Grade: B.
Cosmicomics by Italo Calvino: The first story in this collection, "The Distance of the Moon", is genuinely fantastic and has incredible imagery. It's so good that it makes all the other basically fine story feel really disappointing. Grade: B.
March 26, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Cosmicomics by Italo Calvino: The first story in this collection, "The Distance of the Moon", is genuinely fantastic and has incredible imagery. It's so good that it makes all the other basically fine story feel really disappointing. Grade: B.
The Children of Hûrin by J. R. R. Tolkien and Christopher Tolkien: I find Tolkein's world far more suited to epic myths- complete with all the blood and ironic tragedy and incest than it is to the main LOTR story, which I've always considered pretty meh. Grade: A*
March 26, 2025 at 4:46 PM
The Children of Hûrin by J. R. R. Tolkien and Christopher Tolkien: I find Tolkein's world far more suited to epic myths- complete with all the blood and ironic tragedy and incest than it is to the main LOTR story, which I've always considered pretty meh. Grade: A*
Mr. Einstein's Secretary by Matthew Reilly: It's quite silly in places- doing the "identical twin switcheroo" interlaced with the Holocaust really is something- but I can't deny I had fun with it. A return to form after Cobalt Blue. Grade: B.
March 24, 2025 at 12:10 AM
Mr. Einstein's Secretary by Matthew Reilly: It's quite silly in places- doing the "identical twin switcheroo" interlaced with the Holocaust really is something- but I can't deny I had fun with it. A return to form after Cobalt Blue. Grade: B.
The Little Mermaid (1989): The character writing is great and the animation is fantastic, especially during the storm scenes. My one complaint is I think the whole Vanessa plot point feels underdeveloped- using hypnotism feels like a cop-out. Grade: A.
March 23, 2025 at 9:17 PM
The Little Mermaid (1989): The character writing is great and the animation is fantastic, especially during the storm scenes. My one complaint is I think the whole Vanessa plot point feels underdeveloped- using hypnotism feels like a cop-out. Grade: A.
Alien: Romulus: Basically fine. It introduces /just/ enough into the formula to stop it from feeling like a total rehash. I noticed the aliens were even more phallic than usual in this, which was nice. Grade: B.
March 20, 2025 at 11:47 PM
Alien: Romulus: Basically fine. It introduces /just/ enough into the formula to stop it from feeling like a total rehash. I noticed the aliens were even more phallic than usual in this, which was nice. Grade: B.
Between Two Rivers by Moudhy Al-Rashid: A great history of ancient Mesopotamia that crafts an intricate portrait of people's lives. It really succeeds in humanizing them, and showing that they were still fundamentally the same as us. Grade: A.
March 20, 2025 at 12:27 AM
Between Two Rivers by Moudhy Al-Rashid: A great history of ancient Mesopotamia that crafts an intricate portrait of people's lives. It really succeeds in humanizing them, and showing that they were still fundamentally the same as us. Grade: A.
Rizzio by Denise Mina: Very short but that's probably to its advantage. The conspirators all feel suitably petty, although Mary and the titular Rizzio feel a bit passive and reactive. On the whole great historical fiction. Grade: A.
March 7, 2025 at 11:20 AM
Rizzio by Denise Mina: Very short but that's probably to its advantage. The conspirators all feel suitably petty, although Mary and the titular Rizzio feel a bit passive and reactive. On the whole great historical fiction. Grade: A.
The Seventh Function of Language by Laurent Binet: As someone who knows nothing about the French philosophy of language scene in the 1980s the fact that I think it's basically fine is probably massively to its credit. Suffers from suddenly introducing a new bad guy at the end. B.
March 5, 2025 at 5:49 PM
The Seventh Function of Language by Laurent Binet: As someone who knows nothing about the French philosophy of language scene in the 1980s the fact that I think it's basically fine is probably massively to its credit. Suffers from suddenly introducing a new bad guy at the end. B.
The Mabinogion trans. Sioned Davies: This one kinda goes into the "Beowulf" category for me in that it's probably better read as a cultural artifact than because it's a story that still resonates like the Iliad for example. Grade: C.
February 28, 2025 at 9:21 PM
The Mabinogion trans. Sioned Davies: This one kinda goes into the "Beowulf" category for me in that it's probably better read as a cultural artifact than because it's a story that still resonates like the Iliad for example. Grade: C.
Bibliomysteries ed. Otto Penzler: A weirdly high amount of stories about the Nazis. Best stories were The Book of Ghosts and It's in the Book. Worst was The Final Testament which was just about how much the author hates Arabs. Grade: B.
February 27, 2025 at 11:19 PM
Bibliomysteries ed. Otto Penzler: A weirdly high amount of stories about the Nazis. Best stories were The Book of Ghosts and It's in the Book. Worst was The Final Testament which was just about how much the author hates Arabs. Grade: B.
Method and Madness by Norman G. Finkelstein: Like the Mieville book I read last, it's a mostly dry academic text that I basically agree with politically. Makes a fairly interesting defence of nonviolent resistance. Grade: B.
February 21, 2025 at 10:54 PM
Method and Madness by Norman G. Finkelstein: Like the Mieville book I read last, it's a mostly dry academic text that I basically agree with politically. Makes a fairly interesting defence of nonviolent resistance. Grade: B.
A Spectre, Haunting by China Mieville: I guess this is my first foray into anything that could be considered theory. It's dry, but honestly a lot less dry than I expected. Grade: B.
February 20, 2025 at 12:28 PM
A Spectre, Haunting by China Mieville: I guess this is my first foray into anything that could be considered theory. It's dry, but honestly a lot less dry than I expected. Grade: B.
Corpsemouth by John Langan: Most of these stories suffer from either Ready Player One nerd nostalgia baiting or overexplaining things for no reason. That said "Supplement" and "Mirrorfishing" are both good enough to give it some grace. Grade: B
February 14, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Corpsemouth by John Langan: Most of these stories suffer from either Ready Player One nerd nostalgia baiting or overexplaining things for no reason. That said "Supplement" and "Mirrorfishing" are both good enough to give it some grace. Grade: B
The Road Back by Erich Maria Remarque: I don't think there's much here that AQOTWF didn't already do a lot better. AQOTWF also didn't have a really nasty misogynistic streak to it. Some nice imagery and monologues but a lot of it falls into melodrama. Grade: C.
February 13, 2025 at 4:35 PM
The Road Back by Erich Maria Remarque: I don't think there's much here that AQOTWF didn't already do a lot better. AQOTWF also didn't have a really nasty misogynistic streak to it. Some nice imagery and monologues but a lot of it falls into melodrama. Grade: C.
Greece Against Rome by Philip Matyszac: There's a lot covered in this book and I'd probably accuse it of trying to do too much but it is very interesting and an undercurrent of dry wit throughout carries it. Grade: A.
February 8, 2025 at 1:10 AM
Greece Against Rome by Philip Matyszac: There's a lot covered in this book and I'd probably accuse it of trying to do too much but it is very interesting and an undercurrent of dry wit throughout carries it. Grade: A.
Book rankings for January
February 2, 2025 at 2:17 AM
Book rankings for January
The Argonautica by Apollonius of Rhodes: Medea is not only a really well-developed character but honestly she's more interesting and well-rounded than Jason himself. Grade: A
January 30, 2025 at 12:23 AM
The Argonautica by Apollonius of Rhodes: Medea is not only a really well-developed character but honestly she's more interesting and well-rounded than Jason himself. Grade: A
A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan: DNF. It felt less like a natural history of dragons and more a natural history of the main character, who isn't very compelling. Grade: D
January 26, 2025 at 7:22 PM
A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan: DNF. It felt less like a natural history of dragons and more a natural history of the main character, who isn't very compelling. Grade: D
Women Talking by Miriam Toewes: It's a solid exploration of sexual violence that completely focuses on the voices of its survivors, but I have to say for such a dialogue-heavy piece the characterization wasn't as deep as I think it could have been. Grade: B.
January 23, 2025 at 10:49 PM
Women Talking by Miriam Toewes: It's a solid exploration of sexual violence that completely focuses on the voices of its survivors, but I have to say for such a dialogue-heavy piece the characterization wasn't as deep as I think it could have been. Grade: B.
Ghost on the Throne by James S. Romm: Excellent history of the succession crises following Alexander the Great. The story of Eumenes in particular has to be one of the most compelling historical narratives I've ever read. Grade: A*
January 22, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Ghost on the Throne by James S. Romm: Excellent history of the succession crises following Alexander the Great. The story of Eumenes in particular has to be one of the most compelling historical narratives I've ever read. Grade: A*
By The Fire We Carry @rebeccanagle.bsky.social: This book made me genuinely angry at times. The sheer hypocrisy and greed from the US and Oklahoman governments is absolutely disgusting and this book is an uncomfortable reminder the times of native oppression are far from over. Grade: A*
January 12, 2025 at 12:04 AM
By The Fire We Carry @rebeccanagle.bsky.social: This book made me genuinely angry at times. The sheer hypocrisy and greed from the US and Oklahoman governments is absolutely disgusting and this book is an uncomfortable reminder the times of native oppression are far from over. Grade: A*