I really had difficulties with reading over the past six months, maybe even longer than that. Anxiety is to blame"We weren't meant to live like this."
I really had difficulties with reading over the past six months, maybe even longer than that. Anxiety is to blame for stuttering attention span and perpetual exhaustion, but I'm finally turning a corner and reading in big fat gulps, like a parched person suddenly given an oasis with which to quench their thirst. It feels nice.
"Wool" was a perfect book to read while getting back into my gluttonous rhythm: short chapters and quick pacing meant I took the book with me everywhere and cracked it open at every opportunity, eager to find out what happens next in a way I hadn't felt in a long time. I have a lot of gratitude for Hugh Howey, if only for that. I did something else I haven't done in a while, which is avoid spoilers at all cost: I wanted to keep the excited curiosity going as long as possible!
My copy of this book has a blurb that compare it to "1984" and "Brave New World", and that felt like a huge boast to me: these are the freaking gold standards of dystopic sci-fi, and how any work could live up to that praise is something I struggled to imagine. But I soon found out that the world of "Wool" is one of suffocating claustrophobia, extreme surveillance of it's citizens and the way they behave, high secrecy and information withholding, control over reproduction... The world Howey dreamt up is deeply unsettling and, perhaps because of the classics of this genre that came before, also feels uncomfortably familiar. And yes, just like "1984" and "Brave New World", this is set in a unspecified but near enough future featuring technology that is not beyond what we can conceive right now.
Following unknown but catastrophic events, what is left of human civilization has come to reside in an enormous underground silo, encompassing over a hundred "floors". The world outside the silo is strictly taboo, as the view from external sensors make clear that the air outside is terribly toxic and would kill a person who would step outside in just a few moments. Most people are content with their lives in this strange structure, but some people ask themselves questions about what life in the silo was like, before a rebellion that took place about 140 years before the beginning of the narrative, when many servers were destroyed and all information about the past was lost.
One such person was the sheriff's own wife. She found something that made her utter words that are an automatic death sentence in the silo: "I want to go out". She is given a sort of hazmat suit and supplies with which to clean the sensors and she is sent outside, to clean so that citizens of the silo can see the outside devastation more clearly, and to die in the poisoned atmosphere they are hiding from. But something about her death makes no sense to her now-widowed husband - and not simply because of his grief. He soon follows in her footsteps outside the silo, leaving an ominous mystery for his successor to solve.
Said successor is an unlikely pick: Juliette was an engineer, working on the deepest levels of the silo, who had dedicated her life to keeping the main generator working. She had no experience or interest in law-enforcement but she ends up with the big job, where the suspicions of her detractors are confirmed: she asks too many questions and she is too smart. To say more would be spoiling the fun, so I will leave the summary at that, but trust me, things that happen from that point on are twisted, upsetting and fascinating.
The pacing was a pleasant surprise: I could barely put the damn book down, the action was rolling at a fast and gripping clip, and next thing I knew, I had gobbled down the entire book. And while some characters flirted a bit with stereotypes, I found them well-drawn up and easy to get attached to. Juliette has a lot of Ripley energy: smart, no nonsense, stubborn and highly qualified. She is the perfect character through which a reader can explore this strange world, and I loved her so much and rooted for her every step of the way. And what a way that was! Whew! I finished the book and took a long bath with a big glass of wine just to calm myself down.
I highly recommend this novel for all fans to dystopian sci-fi and readers who enjoy a good action-packed mystery. I am very excited to read the next tome in the trilogy!
I picked up this book after spying the trilogy in my aunt Karen's shelves and her enthusiastic endorsement of both the books and the series (which I just started watching last night, and it's freaking awesome already!). She is a wise person and she has excellent taste! Thank you Karen!...more
Nadia Gilani and I have very different backgrounds, but that didn’t stop me from nodding my head energetically as I read this fantastic little book! INadia Gilani and I have very different backgrounds, but that didn’t stop me from nodding my head energetically as I read this fantastic little book! It had been a while since I had last read a yoga book, and I was so thrilled to find one I connected with so strongly. Reading this actually revitalized my daily practice, even if this is not a how-to yoga book. It reminded me of what I love about it, and why it's precious.
Gilani is a long-time yoga practitioner and teacher, based in London. And there are things that she loves about yoga, and things she hates about it. In this book, she talks about her experience of discovering yoga, how it helped her during her struggles with eating disorders and substance abuse, how she tried to make a decent living teaching it, and what she has learnt along the way.
I was very familiar with a lot of what she wrote about: the co-opting of the practice by the fitness industry, the hyper-consumerist side of the industry that churns out endless “essential” props and accessories, the yoga teacher training system’s strange dynamics… All that stuff has kept me from engaging too much in the yoga community, as I find a lot of it weird at best and problematic at worst. It felt refreshing to see someone express similar options, just as it had been a breath of fresh air reading Jessamyn Stanley and “21st Century Yoga: Culture, Politics and Practice”. Just like Gilani, I love my yoga practice and cannot imagine my life without it now, but when I scroll through Instagram or wander into a Lululemon store, I often feel like I have been taking crazy pills. I haven't. The yoga industry is fucked up.
But the practice itself is amazing, and when it gets eclipsed by images that make people feel it's inaccessible, costly to practice and used as a conduit for capitalism, it makes me sad and frustrated - because that's completely missing the point of yoga. Gilani has very doable suggestions on how the community/industry can improve in order to bring itself closer to the goal of practice, and I loved reading what she had to say about it.
Gilani’s honesty and passion on a topic that clearly has profound meaning to her was wonderful and engaging to read: I will be going back to this book, and recommend it to anyone interested in modern yoga practice, whether they come to it as a yogi or simply as someone curious about the topic.
Merged review:
Nadia Gilani and I have very different backgrounds, but that didn’t stop me from nodding my head energetically as I read this fantastic little book! It had been a while since I had last read a yoga book, and I was so thrilled to find one I connected with so strongly. Reading this actually revitalized my daily practice, even if this is not a how-to yoga book. It reminded me of what I love about it, and why it's precious.
Gilani is a long-time yoga practitioner and teacher, based in London. And there are things that she loves about yoga, and things she hates about it. In this book, she talks about her experience of discovering yoga, how it helped her during her struggles with eating disorders and substance abuse, how she tried to make a decent living teaching it, and what she has learnt along the way.
I was very familiar with a lot of what she wrote about: the co-opting of the practice by the fitness industry, the hyper-consumerist side of the industry that churns out endless “essential” props and accessories, the yoga teacher training system’s strange dynamics… All that stuff has kept me from engaging too much in the yoga community, as I find a lot of it weird at best and problematic at worst. It felt refreshing to see someone express similar options, just as it had been a breath of fresh air reading Jessamyn Stanley and “21st Century Yoga: Culture, Politics and Practice”. Just like Gilani, I love my yoga practice and cannot imagine my life without it now, but when I scroll through Instagram or wander into a Lululemon store, I often feel like I have been taking crazy pills. I haven't. The yoga industry is fucked up.
But the practice itself is amazing, and when it gets eclipsed by images that make people feel it's inaccessible, costly to practice and used as a conduit for capitalism, it makes me sad and frustrated - because that's completely missing the point of yoga. Gilani has very doable suggestions on how the community/industry can improve in order to bring itself closer to the goal of practice, and I loved reading what she had to say about it.
Gilani’s honesty and passion on a topic that clearly has profound meaning to her was wonderful and engaging to read: I will be going back to this book, and recommend it to anyone interested in modern yoga practice, whether they come to it as a yogi or simply as someone curious about the topic....more
Updated with thoughts about the movie at the bottom.
I read somewhere that this book could aptly be summarized as a feminist, socialist riff on "FrankeUpdated with thoughts about the movie at the bottom.
I read somewhere that this book could aptly be summarized as a feminist, socialist riff on "Frankenstein", one of my favorite books, so I was quite eager to read it. In fact, I am amazed it never appeared on my radar before I was suddenly surrounded by trailers for the Yorgos Lanthimos movie adaptation. I guess this is the quiet type of amazing book, that flies just under the pop culture radar until some weirdo with an amazing eye for period pieces decides to make a movie out of it. Now I was in quite a hurry to read it because I wanted to go on a movie date with my bestie - and I much prefer reading the books before seeing the movies.
I am a sucker for a few things when it comes to books, and the whole "book within a book" framing is one, as is the adorable "this is a reproduction of a found manuscript" device. So as soon as I cracked this novel open, I was cackling maniacally.
There are so many wonderful layers to peel back with "Poor Things", starting with Bella, a woman who was resurrected, given her unborn child's brain and stitched back together. But even without trying to see her as a metaphor for anything, she is, first and foremost, a grown woman who is innocent of her society's arbitrary, sexist and oppressive rules. She has a child's candor and enthusiasm for experience and sensations, something neither her creator, Dr. Baxter, or the man who falls in love with her, McCandless, knows how to handle. In fact, no one knows quite what to do with Bella, who is in fact doing nothing more than being her purest self.
I love that while this is a perfectly executed pastiche of Victorian fiction, it never falls into clumsy presentism while discussing very modern ideas. The surrealistic elements, questionable narration and characters that defy stereotype classification make this a really remarkable novel. I am happy that it was made into a movie (can't wait to see it next week!) because that will hopefully bring it back into the spotlight. A little, weird, baroque treasure!
--
I finally went to see the movie, and I am delighted to report that I absolutely loved it! It's stunning, surreal, grotesque and magnificent!
Yes, the sex scenes are rather explicit, as where they are merely hinted at in the book, but I find that they are an important part of Bella's story, and it doesn't feel gratuitous. If anything, they are quite realistic in the sense that sex isn't always pretty.
The movie is gorgeous, but the dialogue is also incredible, as are the performances. Some details were changed, and I think the changes made sense for a smoother page-to-screen adaptation. This movie deserves every award it is nominated for!...more
My edition of "Anno Dracula" has a forward by Neil Gaiman, and obviously, the man who penned the brilliant mashup short story "A Study in Emerald" wouMy edition of "Anno Dracula" has a forward by Neil Gaiman, and obviously, the man who penned the brilliant mashup short story "A Study in Emerald" would love this book. I think you have to be able to appreciate pastiches of public domain classics to have fun with a book like this; as someone who loved "Penny Dreadful", I had a great time with "Anno Dracula".
Newman’s starting point is simple: what if, in the final showdown between Dracula and Van Helsing, the vampire had won? What if his plan to take over what he thought of as the civilized world actually worked? What kind of society would Victorian Britain turn into if vampires were openly roaming the land? Newman weaves the story of Jack the Ripper into his speculation of an England governed by a victorious Count Dracula, who had, in his climb to power, managed to marry Queen Victoria and impose himself as Prince Regent, as well as some characters of his own creation, such as Geneviève Dieudonné. And it’s fun, and silly and schlocky and I giggled my way through it.
I think I really appreciate what Newman did here partially because I found the execution to be spot on. He knows his Victorian horror very, very well, and deeply understands the characters and the settings, which allows him to play with their stories and voices in a way that feels consistent with the source material but also fresh and creative. For instance, I love that he stuck to the narrative device of Jack Seward’s wax recording diaries, that the Diogenes Club and Mycroft Holmes are featured in key roles, that he thought about how vampires would ‘age’ and interact with mortals in a world where their existence doesn’t have to be kept a secret and how that would affect the various government entities.
I think my only, extremely specific, complaint is that while he includes characters from so many other horror novels, he chose to briefly mention Lestat de Lioncourt as a bit of a poser, but that’s the Lestat fangirl in me, it’s not a big deal. What matters if that if any of what I just described sounds like fun, you will enjoy this book!...more
As I read this book, I kept thinking about Umberto Eco's "The Name of the Rose". Can you blame me: the story is set in a convent in Italy, it's about As I read this book, I kept thinking about Umberto Eco's "The Name of the Rose". Can you blame me: the story is set in a convent in Italy, it's about forbidden books and fanatical monks who hate them... Albeit with a strong feminist twist that Eco obviously did not include in his work, but I remember looking up from the book to tell my husband "if this ends with the library burning down, so help me..."
I had not read Clothier's other books before, but I was surprised that this wasn't a debut, as it felt a bit like one: it was throwing a lot of things at me without clear direction. Is this fantasy or historical fiction? Since she remained very vague about the setting, it was hard to tell which of the two genres she was going for. Some of the language is also modern enough to be jarring at times, especially if this is supposed to be historical. I'm a huge fan of stories about strange and special books, so I knew a bit about the Voynich manuscript, but a short intro about it, or at least a small note, would have helped clarify what the big deal was - especially the newer theories about it being a women's medicine manual or pharmacopeia.
Beatrice is the librarian in a convent. She is not terribly devout, but the convent is the only place she has ever truly felt safe and like she had a purpose. One night, her quiet existence is thrown into chaos when two injured women are whisked to the infirmary. Before they succumb to their injuries, one of them slips Beatrice a book and tells her to keep it hidden. Beatrice soon comes to understand that a group of itinerant monks are looking for this book with the intent of destroying it. She is very familiar with what happen to forbidden books, and her librarian heart can't bear the idea of any book being destroyed, but she realizes that this book is unlike any she has seen before. She can't make out the writing on the pages, but she has seen it somewhere before...
I was really hoping to enjoy this more than I did, which was quite dissapointing. The subject and themes Clothier chose to explore are fascinating, but she doesn't go far enough,nor does she truly develop the characters. It all felt superficial and thin. As much as "The Name of the Rose" was hard work, it did pay off and it did feel incredibly rewarding to read, which was not the case here.
A few articles about the Voynich Manuscript, if you are curious:
Have you ever been stuck in a conversation with someone, and you agree with everything they say while also wishing they would stop talking? That was wHave you ever been stuck in a conversation with someone, and you agree with everything they say while also wishing they would stop talking? That was what reading this book felt like.
I will start by saying that the concept of this book and its world-building is very clever and very creative. The idea of a far future where humans have not only explored space but also started terraforming new planets is amazing, and I appreciate the realism of assuming corporations will have taken that idea and ruined it by privatizing everything and trademarking the genetic modifications that have allowed hominids to live long and healthy lives. What does that mean for the daily lives of those sworn to protect the ecosystem, or people simply trying to live their lives peacefully? Will space exploration and new planets really solve the problems we created on Earth?
This book is composed of three separate but connected stories, set on the planet Sask-E, several hundreds of years apart. Those stories are about trans-humanism, ecological preservation, sustainability, person-hood, freedom of actions and speech, housing accessibility. All things that I consider to be very important and that I want to see discussed more in sci-fi, which has traditionally always been a wonderful genre with which to discuss real world issues. And yet, I couldn't wait to be done with this damn book, I really dragged my heels every time I picked it up.
It has been compared to Becky Chambers' "Wayfarer" series, which I love passionately. I'm sorry to say it's not on the same level. Chambers writes characters that I wanted to be friends with, whose lives I wanted to be a part of and for whom I rooted, even when they were dickish characters (looking at you, Corbin!). Of course I was on Newitz's characters' side, but more because they themselves stood up to corporations and greedy, disconnected executives who only cared for their own ambitions than because I felt anything for them.
This was a bummer. I wanted to love it, I wanted it to make me feel the way Chambers' books make me feel, and it just grated me. For all it's claim to be about people, this book's characters did not have the flesh and blood feeling that would have made me fall in love with its ideas....more
So, it's only fair to start this review by saying that I love the Dreadnoughts. This book was written the same year I first discovered them, so it doeSo, it's only fair to start this review by saying that I love the Dreadnoughts. This book was written the same year I first discovered them, so it does an amazing job of taking me right back to a cold February night at Foufounes Électriques, where they were opening for local psychobilly act The Brains, totally blew my mind and turned me into a huge and devoted fan. I had read on their MySpace page (yes, that was still a thing back then!) that they sounded like what would have happened if a crew of drunken pirates had taken over the Rancid tour bus - and I still describe them that way to people who have not had the pleasure of experiencing their music. I am still a fan to this day, and I can say confidently that they are one of the best live acts I have ever seen. If they have a show happening in Montreal, you will find me there.
So when I finally managed to secure a copy of this book, I read it immediately, while listening to "Legends Never Die" and "Victory Square" (you can find those records and all their music here: https://thedreadnoughts.bandcamp.com/).
These guys wrote a lot of songs about cider, gin and whiskey, so it was no surprise that a lot of this tour "diary" is about drinking. But mostly, it is about what it's like to be on the road when you are a small musical act with no real label support and have to figure it out as you go. I really enjoy reading about that but having had personal experience with that sort of thing, it might just be a nostalgia wank for me. It helps that I adore this band, of course! And that I was delighted to learn that they are actually pretty nerdy under the punk-pirate veneer - which doesn't surprise me, as a lot of their music is actually much deeper and more sophisticated than one might expect.
This is a serious piece of advice for aspiring musicians: read tour diaries like this one, like Henry Rollins' "Get in the Van", because that is the probable reality you will have to deal with if you get a band together and go on tour independently. It's a massive amount of fun, but an equally massive amount of work, logistics and demands on the body and the mind. Sure, there's a lot of partying that can potentially happen, but there is a lot of very hard work that is required to make that happen.
The photos are amazing! I really wished they had been coloured, but I know that's expensive to pull off on an indie press. What truly matters is that they absolutely capture the mad exuberance that you can expect if you ever decide to go to a Dreadnoughts concert!
If you know the band and love their stuff, you should definitely check it out!...more
It’s always a delight to dig into any work by Gemma Files: she has delightfully twisted and dark ideas that avoid clichés and provide the most wonderfIt’s always a delight to dig into any work by Gemma Files: she has delightfully twisted and dark ideas that avoid clichés and provide the most wonderful shivers of terror! I loved this collection even before I opened the book, just by the look of the cover art. It reminded me of the Aleister Crowley Thoth Tarot paintings, surreal and filled with strange symbolic meaning my brain can’t ever fully process. These short stories hit the mark with me on many levels: the GTA (that’s Greater Toronto Area for non-Canadians) setting is quite familiar, obviously, but a lot of her stories talk about archaeology, which is one of my great passions, there is plenty of weird occultism going on, and strange creatures unlike any I have read about before. Also, I am total sucker for eerie, atmospheric stories – and when it comes to that, she always delivers.
I wouldn’t know how to pick a favorite from this book. First off, it is quite dense: each story is rich with images and ideas that push the boundaries of the real world, there is a lot of creepy folklore that date from back when the world was savage and dark, and while there is often a decent amount of body horror, nothing in here is gratuitously gory. I’ve seen her writing describe as ‘fever dream-like’ and if you have read “Experimental Film”, you know that it’s true, but that she can nevertheless anchor her readers as she blends their brains. I would also call her stories more unsettling than typical horror, which is what I like about them so much, the vague sense of wrongness her characters wrestle with is so much more interesting to me than jump-scares. While her characters are often women, she tends to stay far away from stereotypes, and all her narrators are very distinct from each other – and quite diverse – so the perspectives and backgrounds always take me by surprise at the beginning of every tale.
The only gripe I had with this book is that one story contains some lines of dialogue in French, and it was clearly not checked by anyone who speaks even a tiny bit of French, and that really annoyed me because those lines are not hard or complicated. In fact, I checked and even Google translate got them right, so I have no idea what happened in the editing process that resulted in those lines not being proof-read adequately, but it was disappointing. I just think that if you are going to include lines in another language in a story to give it a context vibe, the least you can do is make sure you are using said language properly.
If you like weird fiction and literary horror, Ms. Files deserves a serious spot on your radar and bookshelves. Not every story in this collection is perfect, but everyone will leave a wonderful, creepy impression....more
I have seen John Scalzi’s name on my GR feed quite a few times, I love every episode of "Love, Death and Robots" he has written, and I was quite pleasI have seen John Scalzi’s name on my GR feed quite a few times, I love every episode of "Love, Death and Robots" he has written, and I was quite pleased to find two of his books in the loot book-Santa gave me over the holidays (thank you, Jason!). After some rather serious cosmic horror, I wanted a little palate cleanser, and Scalzi seemed like just the ticket!
I am a Trekkie, I was raised by one and I married one, so the basic premise of “Redshirts” was definitely a bull’s eye, especially given how much fun I have with “Lower Decks”. That said, you do not have to have grown up watching “Next Generation” with your mom to understand and enjoy this book – it probably does help a little bit, though!
Without giving too much away, this book is the story of Andrew Dahl, a young ensign who is so excited to be stationed on the flagship “Intrepid”, a very prestigious post anyone in the Universal Union would be excited about. But when he gets to the ship, he begins to notice odd things, like strange behaviors from his crewmates, who seem hell-bent on avoiding senior officers, especially one who seems to sustain weird and life-threatening injuries on a weekly basis. When a remarkably hirsute man tells him to “avoid the Narrative”, his curiosity gets the better of him and he begins to dig at al the weirdness he has seen since he got on the ship. And things will keep getting weirder from there.
Having read “Hench” a couple of years ago, it is very difficult not to compare the two books, as they both parody the life of the often expendable supporting characters we don’t really think about much when we read/watch sci-fi or superhero stories. But the tone between the two books couldn’t be more different. “Hench” was about office politics and doing the wrong thing for the right reasons and vice versa. “Redshirts” is about characters’ lives off the page (or screen), and whether or not their creators have a responsibility towards them. Annoyingly meta, I know – but in this case, it’s also very entertaining and hilarious. There is definitely a bit of “ouh, look how clever I am” from Scalzi here, but not obnoxiously so. If anything, I found his cleverness honest, because while he makes fun of many silly sci-fi tropes, he also makes fun of himself, and his ability as a writer to really give his work everything he’s got.
A very fun little romp, definitely recommended for the Trekkies out there – well, those who can deal with their favorite franchise being made fun of (with love, of course)....more
After reading my first novel by John Scalzi earlier this month, I knew right away that I wanted to check out more of his work. My husband just finisheAfter reading my first novel by John Scalzi earlier this month, I knew right away that I wanted to check out more of his work. My husband just finished “Starter Villain” last week, and he had a ton of fun with it, so naturally, I put it on top of the pile. I had a feeling this would be a home-run for me based on the synopsis alone: Scalzi’s blend of nerdiness and real-world issues is very appealing to me! I bet he’s also a massive “Venture Bros.” fan!
Charlie is not in a good place: he lost his job in business journalism, moved back into his childhood home to look after his father, got a job as a substitute teacher. Then his father passed away and his half-siblings would love for him to sell the house and split the money, but that would leave him homeless, and his chances of getting a business loan to buy the local pub aren’t looking great. He’s not sure what to do next when he hears that his estranged uncle Jake, his late mother’s brother, passed away and against all expectations, left him his entire estate. Charlie’s understanding of his uncle’s business was that he owned parking garages, but he soon learns that there is much more to it than that. What he inherited is not just an empire of weird shadow businesses and an island lair with an actual active volcano; it’s a responsibility to stand up to some really dumb, really rich people.
Nepo-baby villains, communist dolphins, genetically-modified cats who are super-intelligent; my husband told me he felt the book had been written just for me, and honestly, it certainly felt like it at some point! The humor was absolutely spot-on, I probably giggled at every page, and if I have one complaint, it’s that I wish the book had been longer.
Just like “Redshirts”, this is irreverently funny, fast-paced and very entertaining. This means there could be more character development and atmosphere, but it’s just too damn fun to hold that weakness against the book. We all need something fun and fluffy that goes down easy every once in a while, and this book is just the ticket, if that’s what you are looking for....more
This book caught my eye at the bookstore: with a title and cover art like that, I was intrigued. Obviously, the yogi in me was curious; I also think tThis book caught my eye at the bookstore: with a title and cover art like that, I was intrigued. Obviously, the yogi in me was curious; I also think that it’s really important to demystify and destigmatize sex work, and I was very interested to know what this woman’s journey had been like, so I picked it up.
Short review: this is a lot more about stripping and doing drugs than it is about yoga, and as such, I think the title is a bit mis-leading. Renaud really becomes involved in practicing and teaching yoga late in the second half of this book, and I was a bit disappointed that she didn’t discuss its impact on her life and work in greater depth – which is what I had been hoping for.
What we get instead is the story of woman who has always had an affinity for drugs, who discovered early in life that despite not feeling secure about her appearance, she also had very few inhibitions and could make a fun and profitable living as a stripper. That part of her story is fascinating and very informative: she describes how she got started in that line of work through an agency that would send her to clubs in the more rural regions of Quebec where she could practice her trade until she had reached the caliber expected in the Montreal clubs. She goes through a few romantic relationships and their challenges, her struggle with disordered eating, her drug use and how it eventually got out of control.
One thing that is very interesting is that Renaud is very lucid and unapologetic about her choices and her behaviors, but that is not to say she is defensive: she simply doesn’t think she should apologize for living her life on her own terms, she is well aware that not all her decisions and actions were smart, but she is also not going to feel bad or beat herself up about the past. She owns her actions and their consequences, and I have great respect for that. That is not to say I agree with her 100% of the time, but I get it. Constantly feeling like you should explain or justify your lifestyle is an exhausting waste of time; I would not have done the same thing if I had been in her shows but if she finds joy in her work and figured out how to enjoy getting baked without it becoming a problem in her life, who am I to judge?
As mentioned before, I wish she had dug a little deeper on the effects that yoga had in her life. I found the passages about starting a teacher-training program and shedding some of her own prejudices in the process really great, and her stories about the “guru” who kept all of his students under his thumbs a horrible and all too-common tale. But that was as far as we really went into her yoga journey. I was curious to know how it changed her relationship with her work and her body and her substances consumption, and those aspects felt a little glossed over.
I also felt like the prose was a tad uneven, and could have used a slightly more rigorous editor, just to make it flow more smoothly.
But don’t let that stop you from checking out this book. It is a very interesting story, told in a real down-to-earth way. Flawed but definitely notable....more
(Totally fictional conversation that never happened)
Jonathan Hickman: What would you say if I told you Wall Street is actually an eldritch cult and th(Totally fictional conversation that never happened)
Jonathan Hickman: What would you say if I told you Wall Street is actually an eldritch cult and that the inconceivably rich families at the top of the pyramid are there because they had made pacts with demons and Old Gods that demanded blood sacrifices on a regular basis?
Me: I’d say that makes as much sense as most economic theories I’ve read. Go on…
My friend Skot clearly has my number, because he recommended this graphic novel to me, and I was instantly riveted. I mean, secret societies, Lovecraftian monsters and noir detective stories are some of my favorite things, so it wasn’t a hard sell, but this graphic novel is not only a solid blend of those elements, but a well-written and beautifully illustrated murder mystery. It is unrelentingly dark, bleak and it gets really gory, so be warned that if this isn’t your cup of tea, don’t pick it up. However, if you can stomach that sort of thing (or are as deranged as I am and nod appreciatively at well-staged crime scenes), you will love this story of power, betrayal, occultism and murder.
I ordered the second volume as soon as I had finished the first, if that tells you anything about how eager I am to see what happens next!
Merged review:
(Totally fictional conversation that never happened)
Jonathan Hickman: What would you say if I told you Wall Street is actually an eldritch cult and that the inconceivably rich families at the top of the pyramid are there because they had made pacts with demons and Old Gods that demanded blood sacrifices on a regular basis?
Me: I’d say that makes as much sense as most economic theories I’ve read. Go on…
My friend Skot clearly has my number, because he recommended this graphic novel to me, and I was instantly riveted. I mean, secret societies, Lovecraftian monsters and noir detective stories are some of my favorite things, so it wasn’t a hard sell, but this graphic novel is not only a solid blend of those elements, but a well-written and beautifully illustrated murder mystery. It is unrelentingly dark, bleak and it gets really gory, so be warned that if this isn’t your cup of tea, don’t pick it up. However, if you can stomach that sort of thing (or are as deranged as I am and nod appreciatively at well-staged crime scenes), you will love this story of power, betrayal, occultism and murder.
I ordered the second volume as soon as I had finished the first, if that tells you anything about how eager I am to see what happens next!...more
Robert Jackson Bennett is one of those writers in whom I have total and blind faith: if he has a book coming out, I am pre-ordering it and that’s thatRobert Jackson Bennett is one of those writers in whom I have total and blind faith: if he has a book coming out, I am pre-ordering it and that’s that. While his most recent series, the “Founders” trilogy was not quite as awesome as his “Divine Cities” trilogy, it was still incredibly unique and fun. This new offering has been described as a Sherlock Holmes style mystery within a fantasy setting. And that is more than enough to get my attention!
I made the mistake of taking the book with me to the office and cracking it open during my lunch break. I was never so annoyed with having to go back to work after lunch, because 2 chapters in and I was already totally hooked. Bennett has a gift for incredible world-building that he sort of gently eases the reader in, giving you a wonderful feel for his setting before he’s even really described it.
As this is a murder-mystery, I will keep it brief and spoiler free, but here is what you need to know:
-The world-building is (as I have come to expect from Bennett) both weird and unique, drawing inspiration from familiar sources but flipping them on their heads to give the reader a glimpse of a place unlike any they have visited before. An entire society built around the idea of defending itself from threats that rise from the ocean every year and a surprising approach to transhumanism make the world of Daretana much closer to sci-fi than to fantasy, despite being a pre-industrial society, and I loved it! I actually wished he would have expanded that world-building even more: hopefully, the world expands in volume 2 and 3 of this trilogy!
-Bennett’s characters are never stereotypical, regardless of genre standards, and I find that refreshing every time. Ana and Din are obviously the most fleshed out, and maybe the supporting characters could have used a little more time and development, but they were intriguing creations I was happy to spend time with them, see how they react to the events and interact.
-The mystery has very interesting twists and turns that surprised me and kept me glued to the page and curious to see what the investigation would uncover next. The way it all unfolds sets up an interesting future in this world, and I am greatly looking forward to the next installment!
Now you might be wondering why 4 stars instead of 5. I think that compared to other books that Bennett wrote, this one feels a bit rushed. I think that he could have made it even better by giving it more breathing room, and letting us get better acquainted with his world, it’s baroque social structure and politics and the characters. I will be back for more, of course, but this one left me wanting just a little bit more than I would have liked for the first part of a trilogy.
If you have enjoyed Robert Jackson Bennett’s other works, you will certainly love this one too! If you are new to his work, this is a good place to start and see if his (totally underrated, in my opinion) imagination is for you!...more
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