Beyond the Main Arc: Diving into BRZRKR Bloodlines Volume 1

by in Comics and tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

But wait, there’s more! In the opening of my BRZRKR Volume 3 review, I’d claimed that we’d reached the end of the BRZRKR comics, or more specifically, “AN end” as there was still a spinoff series and a novel left to explore in this gruesome series that seems to work as hard as possible to cover its pages in blood red ink.

We’re finally tackling that first volume in the spinoff: BRZRKR: Bloodlines Volume 1. A complaint I’d had at the end of the main series, was that I felt the story had lost some of what I originally liked about the series in the first place, getting to see our immortal hero, B, in exotic periods of history. It seems somebody was listening, or more likely that many others were in love with this same element, as this is the main conceit of the first volume of this spinoff.

Through the course of Bloodlines, we’re taken to two mythical places, Atlantis — let me just ring that alarm a little louder . . . ATLANTIS!!! — and a mythical desert kingdom called Olos. If Olos is from a real myth or legend, I couldn’t discover it with a brief google search. The shape of some of the pyramids present in panels of the city, and the gladiator style fighting pits, first led me to believe that perhaps the Olos were some desert dwelling parallel to the Aztecs, but looking at some of the ziggurats of ancient Mesopotamia, it seems more likely that this is the culture referenced.

Indeed one of the main plot points of the issue revolves around their queen, who was traded as a peace offering to the king of Olos by another desert tribe. A tattoo on the queen’s back depicts her tribe as vaguely Ancient Egyptian, and so Mesopotamia fits better with this data.

In any case, BRZRKR Bloodlines Volume 1 is essentially split right down the middle with a story taking place in each of these two settings. Poetry of Madness is the Atlantean adventure, while Fallen Empire takes place in the desert kingdom of Olos.

In both of these stories, I thought it clever how B is essentially the reason for the “loss” of these two mythical ancient civilizations. I was thrilled at the chance to explore a live and functioning Atlantis at the start of Poetry of Madness, and excited to see what the worldbuilding would look like and how it would interact with B’s story. Without spoiling too much, I’ll admit I was somewhat disappointed by the results, as it seems the Atlantis of the BRZRKR universe is more in line with the one found in H.P. Lovecraft’s mythos than Plato’s dialogues.

I still haven’t read much Lovecraft (or much Plato), but I am aware of his racial prejudices. I’m also aware of his influence on Speculative Fiction as one of the founders of the genre. A book like The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin expertly grapples with this dichotomy and calls out the bad while still managing to acknowledge the good. A Poetry of Madness — likely a reference to Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness now that I stop to think about it — is not all that skillful or deep. B’s inevitable slaughter of an eldritch horror does not really read like a condemnation of Lovecraft’s work if that is how it was meant to come across. It felt a bit more like something done for the sake of being ‘awesome’ without much further thought.

As such, some elements felt a bit off in today’s climate, like the depictions of some of the villainous characters, specifically the leader of the cultists. I’m not sure where the inspiration for these characters came from per se, but it seems like it could be easy to have just recycled them from an earlier era.

So, I guess Poetry of Madness wasn’t really my speed; however, I did enjoy Fallen Empire much more.

Its plot was more engaging, and B’s character has a bit more depth. Most of the BRZRKR comics so far seem focused on his immortality and status as a hero, but Fallen Empire reminds us that despite all of that he is still just a man — prone to weakness, gullibility, and revenge — and his immortality only means that there are heavy consequences for those who wrong him, and little consequence for him when he behaves badly.

I also felt the worldbuilding a bit more mysterious, with the introduction of a group of scribes with strange markings on their skin which inscribe chronicles on stone tablets in a cave . . .

I felt the tone returned to its more stoic roots as opposed to the sort of awkward attempts at humor forced into Poetry of Madness (referring to B’s obsession with ancient documents as ‘endless scrolling’ is genuinely funny but just felt completely out of place in the story).

One final thing, I may just be an idiot, but it wasn’t obvious to me in either piece what the ‘Bloodlines’ part of the title was in reference to. The POV for each story is from two women that knew him, however, he never sleeps with one of them (I think), and if a child is born from the second one, it’s never shown. Also the ‘rules’ of his curse seem to prevent any children surviving, even though the end of Volume 3 of the original series seems to change that, it would not have been in effect during these stories.

I’ll be curious to see if this is better revealed in BRZRKR Bloodlines Volume 2!

So Give ‘BRZRKR Bloodlines Volume 1’ a Read?

Yea, I’d say this one is worth the read. While I didn’t particularly enjoy the first story, A Poetry of Madness, I felt the second adventure in the desert kingdom of Olos, Fallen Empire, was able to keep the tone and feel we’re familiar with from previous BRZRKR comics, but give us another angle into B’s character, emphasizing his more human qualities.

In general, I found that much more enjoyable, and am still interested in finishing out the series.

That’s all I have for this week. What are your thoughts? Has anyone read this before? What did I miss? And why is it called Bloodlines?

Leave your thoughts in the comments. Looking forward to talking about this one!

Left Wanting More Yaga: A Review of Akira Otani’s ‘The Night of the Baba Yaga’

by in Book Reviews and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Content Warning: Two different characters in this book each experience attempted sexual assault through the course of the story. Violence of all kinds (but especially against women) is a major element of the story, and is often described in explicit detail.

Though I (still) haven’t published any fiction yet which features the most infamous witch in Slavic folklore, the Baba Yaga, I can’t help but collect references here and there as I read, and try (barely if convenient) to keep up with current depictions, uses and representations of this mythic and legendary figure.

So when I was walking around a Barnes and Noble, looking for a copy of We Used To Live Here (shows how long my backlog is), and spot a blood red cover which depicts a woman’s face — covered in gore — in a shadowy distorted rectangle which hints subtly (or perhaps not so subtly) at the shape of a samurai sword, and bold white text proclaiming: The Night of Baba Yaga . . .

Well there was never really any chance I wasn’t going to pick that up. I was further intrigued by the inclusion of a queer love story, and especially by the description: “Part kick-to-the-solar-plexus” martial arts thriller . . . “

Like who doesn’t want to read that?

But mostly, I was wondering what the heck Baba Yaga had to do with what I assumed (mostly correctly) would be a John Wick style Yakuza beat down.

Before reading, I had some vague notions of a large immigration to Japan by Russians hoping to escape persecution during the Russian Socialist Revolution of 1917. After reading this book (novella?), I did some googling and found out from the Russians in Japan wikipedia page, that “the first recorded landing of Russians in Japan was in 1739 in Kamogawa . . . “

Also from that page, I learned there was a Russian Orthodox mission in Japan as early as 1861, and that Russians were landing in Hokkaido even earlier than 1739 only that the island was not under Japan’s administration at that time. During the 18th century Russians were often described as “Red-haired Ainu”, and the page mentions that in modern times there is quite a bit of discrimination against Russians with 72% (in 2012) of Japanese voting for Russia as the most unfavorable country (this has apparently only increased with the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine).

This historical context is mostly pretty absent from The Night of Baba Yaga. The main character, Yoriko Shindo, comes from Hokkaido (where the earliest unrecorded Russian landings were), but other than like ONE reference to her mother having (I think) blonde hair, and (if I’m remembering correctly) blue eyes, and some talk of Shindo’s grandmother always being bundled up despite her being from somewhere very cold, there is very little that connects the events of the book with the Baba Yaga other than some fairytales Shindo’s grandmother would tell when Shindo was growing up.

I’ll admit, I was hoping for the Baba Yaga element to have a higher relevance throughout the story, but taken for what it is, The Night of Baba Yaga still has quite a few aspects which are quite enjoyable. Its pacing is relentless, and I actually really enjoyed the effect of the kind of stunted, two or three word sentences which appear frequently throughout the prose. The fight scenes (of which there are many) are graphic, but beautifully choreographed and never dull to read (a feat to be sure).

I also enjoyed Shindo and Shoko’s romance, though — as with seemingly everything about this book — it did not evolve in quite the way I expected. I love the following description from Kathryn on the Contemporary Japanese Literature blog:

“I’ve seen social media reviews hailing The Night of Baba Yaga as ‘an inspirational queer romance,’ and it 100% most definitely is not that. Nobody does any learning or growing in this story, which has exactly zero social commentary. Rather, The Night of Baba Yaga is an adrenaline-laced lesbian power fantasy about being the most badass fighter you can be until you die.” – Contemporary Japanese Literature: The Night of Baba Yaga

And this kinda just works.

We’ve got a fair bit of words down now so I’ll try to start wrapping things up. Other than wanting to see more Baba Yaga throughout, I had two other gripes about the story. The first was with one of the twists which involved some non-linear storytelling (I hope that didn’t give too much away). Usually I love this sort of thing, but it didn’t feel well executed here (perhaps I’m just becoming a bit of snob).

And the second has to do with the content warning up above. Depiction of rape — or in this case attempted rape — in fiction is a whole mess of things which I’m not going to try to unravel here. However, I will say that it is not my favorite thing to read. I think its inclusion in this story made sense, but I just didn’t enjoy reading those scenes.

Give The Night of Baba Yaga a Read?

I think the answer to this question will largely depend on what you’re looking for when you read (or in the mood for at the moment). If you ARE looking for “adrenaline-laced lesbian power fantasy”, then I’ll second Kathryn in saying “. . . {this book} is the best at what it does, and what it does isn’t very nice. This short and compulsively readable novel gets in, gets messy and gets what it came for.”

I can’t say I was really looking for Lesbian power fantasy in particular when I picked up The Night of Baba Yaga, however, despite all my gripes listed above, I’m mostly glad I did.

That’s all I have for us this week! What’s your take? Has anyone read this one before? Are there connections between Baba Yaga and Japanese culture I’m unaware of?

Leave your thoughts in the comments! I’m looking forward to talking about this one!

#NationalVelociraptorDay the 3rd! Celebrate by watching ‘Invisible Raptor’!

by in Dinosaurs and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

It’s that time again! #NationalVelociraptorDay!

This year’s offering is more on the Velocipastor side of things than the Raptor Red side, and nowhere even close to what I probably should be doing which is learning some honest-to-god facts about Velociraptor.

That being said, let’s ignore legitimately meaningful experience for one more year and instead fill our brains with the cinematic equivalent of cotton candy.

Mmm. So good.

Invisible Raptor is once again, pretty much exactly what it says on the tin: a Jurassic Park style velociraptor escapes a secret dinosaur cooking lab and begins wreaking havoc on the nearby town. It’s even more unstoppable and terrifying than usual because well . . . nobody can see it.

If that sounds goofy and stupid as hell, that’s because it is; however, as we’ve learned in previous celebrations of this holiday, that does not mean it isn’t entertaining. Somehow Sean Astin — Samwise Gamgee himself! — had the incredible intuition to say yes to this movie and though he has a very small part, his performance really sets expectations for the rest of the film. Caitlin McHugh was the only other vaguely familiar face in the cast, though when I looked her up on IMDB, all the movies she was in that I knew, I didn’t remember her part in.

But of course the two stars are undeniably Michael Capes (as Dr. Grant Walker) and David Schackelford (as Deniel ‘Denny’ Deniels). Capes is kind of a weird mix of the original JP’s Alan Grant and Deadpool’s Wade Wilson (without the immortality) . . . and I don’t even know where to start with Schackelford’s character . . . maybe someone you’d see in a Tremors movie?

In any case, the duo is simply ridiculous in the weirdest, best (and bro-iest) way possible. We should all be so lucky to have such friends around to help us hunt invisible dinosaurs (a sentence I’d never though I’d write but am really glad I did).

Most of what I write about on this blog, and most of my enjoyment in reading books, watching film/television, or playing games, is hunting for references and allusions to other pieces of literature or pop culture. Obviously, Invisible Raptor takes its biggest, and most noticeable swings at the ‘Jurassic’ franchise. Part of me hopes that the reason the raptor is invisible is budgetary, but I would place more money on perhaps a rights issue.

However, this seemingly absurd premise IS PLAUSIBLE in the Jurassic World movies. Think Indominus Rex from Jurassic World 1 and even in Michael Chrichton’s The Lost World in which Carnotaurus has such good chameleon-like camouflage as to be effectively invisible. With this in mind, it is not hard to view this movie’s hilarious and absurd premise as a bit of a satire of “classic” dinosaur fiction.

But the devil is in the details, and Invisible Raptor has plenty of little references to look for throughout, whether it be the opening credit text which resembles the infamous Jurassic font, or lines from those movies being echoed in increasingly ridiculous contexts. There’s a joke involving mosquitos and amber which I thought actually kinda clever (though very crude), and even the main character’s name is unapologetically the same as the main character in the original Jurassic Park. I’m not even sure that counts as allusion.

However, Invisible Raptor generally seems to do an incredibly good job of staying firmly in the mode of parody, without ever getting too derivative. For as many a joke about something Jurassic Park related, there are other ridiculous gems like naming the titular raptor ‘Chance’ so as to allude to Chance the Rapper as “Chance the Raptor” (there are several other plays in this bit which ends up forming a kind of “who’s on first” of musicians).

It was this type of humor that I found the most enjoyable and where I feel the film was strongest. Where I felt the film struggled to hold me was its reliance on crude humor to keep the laughs coming. Indeed, the film’s main comedic currency is often paid in denominations of blood, gore, piss, and shit (oh and once semen). I enjoy a good poop joke as much as the next person but in this film I felt they overplayed that type of humor.

As I said about Velocipastor in my original #NationalVelociraptorDay post back in 2022, if you’re hoping to see some scientifically accurate dinosaur depictions, or even some decent dinosaur facts, this movie probably isn’t the place for it. However, there weren’t any obvious (to me) mistakes that weren’t part of the gag so to speak, and I actually thought it somewhat prescient that when Capes and McHugh are touching the tranquilized raptor (ala Dr. Grant, Satler and the Triceratops in Jurassic Park), Capes is excited to be proven right that they had feathers.

Give ‘Invisible Raptor‘ a Watch?

Generally, I feel like I’d give a pretty enthusiastic yes given you’ve got a strong stomach for plot and humor revolving around bodily fluids. Double that enthusiasm if (like me) you have a love of dinosaur books and films and enjoy a lot of reference and allusion in your viewing experience.

But if crude jokes are a turn-off, or you’re looking to pick apart the science, you probably should just watch something else.

That’s all I have for this week. Has anyone seen this film yet? What were your thoughts? Your favorite part? Leave your thoughts in the comments section.

Thanks for going with me on this wild journey, and happy #NationalVelociraptorDay!

Beyond the Body Count: A Review of John Wick 1

by in Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

With all the BRZRKR comics I’ve been reading lately, and the absolute gush I did about The Matrix back in 2024, it seems like this blog is becoming quite the fan of Keanu Reeves . . . and I see nothing wrong with that.

Wanting to keep the theme going, I thought I’d do another movie since, after all, that’s what he’s mostly known for. But what to choose? Maybe something more modern?

Keanu seems to be showing up in everything these days, but I think probably his biggest part in recent years has got to be John Wick. This series has already blown through four installments to date, a TV series (The Continental), and is expecting an Ana de Armas led spinoff (Ballerina) in 2025 (I’m reading a John Wick 5 is also likely).

With so much happening in the world of this character RIGHT NOW, it shocked me to realize that his first adventure released just over ten years ago in 2014, making it a contemporary of Jackalope Wives, Red Rising, and The Pyramid (none of which I had actually read/seen during 2014 lol).

In any case, John Wick DID make an impression on me in 2014 as probably the coolest action movie I’d seen that year. No bullet time here. And I don’t think any slow motion either. All the fights in John Wick are taken at speed, with the combatants moving in fluid yet strategic motions to gain the upper hand. Apparently, the portmanteau “gun fu” has been around since the Hong Kong action cinema of the 80s, but it seems significant that I’d never heard the term until people were talking about the fights in John Wick.

Viewing the movie now (in 2025), I hate to admit that its veneer has worn slightly with the passage of time. The special effects, stunts, and choreography are still top notch, and I’m sure there are plenty of other blogs out there which can describe this movie’s feats in those areas in much greater detail, and better track their significance to the overall art of filmmaking. However, on this blog, I don’t really have the background needed to interrogate such topics, and generally have to stick to expressing just what I feel while reading/watching/playing.

And this time around, I was still dazzled by all the fights, but also had my eyes peeled for a bit more.

I didn’t really find much else though. John Wick is not particularly deep or philosophical with most of the heavy thematic lift coming from the constant warnings by the other characters of the simple moral assertion that being an assassin is wrong, and a sorta of vague belief in karmic retribution (John and the main antagonist are fated to hurt each other because of all the hurt they brought to others).

In terms of noir and action thrillers — this movie is often cited as Neo-Noir — it probably isn’t the most actively misogynistic movie out there, but it is still steeped in those traditions and carries them forward — whether intentionally or not — through the character of Ms. Perkins. She’s pretty much the only female character in the film (there is also a female bartender with a few lines) other than John’s wife who is already dead before the film starts.

From her introduction in the lobby of The Continental, we’re made to assume she’s kinda just there to be looked at (not off to a great start) but then she ends up taking on a larger role as a minor villain. I’m not quite sure what to make of the fact that John does not actually kill her, but she still ends up dead by the end of the film.

It may also be worth noting that like 90% of the male characters in the film are also dead at the end, so part of me wants to believe it’s just that everybody dies in this movie, but I can’t quite get there.

Looking at the sum of these “major” roles — John’s dead wife, and Ms. Perkins — it almost feels like the movie is attempting to sidestep the more problematic issues with its plot, and just not quite getting there. John’s wife seems to be the easiest example of this, almost like the writers were thinking:

“Oh if his wife dying sends Wick on a rampage, we’re Fridging women, but if his wife is ALREADY dead, and the PUPPY DYING sends him on the rampage we’re in the clear.”

Unfortunately, if we stop to think about this for more than just a second, we’ll realize it’s still just the same old problems.

Give ‘John Wick’ a Watch?

Despite the critiques above, the film is still quite entertaining for its action sequences alone, and I’d argue still manages a kind of iconic status in our larger society sheerly through this single aspect. But if you’re looking for something a little more transcendent, you won’t find it here.

That’s all I have for this week. What are everyone’s thoughts on this recent (ish) classic? Are you excited to delve into further chapters of the John Wick saga? How do you think the series will try to address some its critiques with an Ana de Armas led chapter in 2025? What’s your favorite ‘gun fu’ movie?

Leave your thoughts in the comments! Looking forward to discussing this one!

Until next time!

Great Audiobooks Part 2: Four Hours Long

by in Uncategorized and tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

We’re back with part two of our “Great Audiobooks” series. Part 1 covered books between three and four hours long, and listed some amazing titles like The Black God’s Drums, Thornhedge, and Untethered Sky.

This week, we’ll again reference the book which got this whole thing rolling, and list out four more titles which I felt are really great reads (listens).

For any curious, this series came about because I have a recurring drive which lasts about a novella’s worth of time, and as such, find myself in constant need of recommendations for good, but relatively short books to listen to. Most of the posts I come across recommending audiobooks don’t seem to take length into account. So here’s me being the change I want to see in the world, and writing the posts I would want to read. Hopefully someone out there will find these useful.

These next five titles should all come in at almost exactly 4hours long. Enjoy!

Your Shadow Half Remains

4hrs

I see references to the pandemic in fiction here and there (John Scalzi’s The Kaiju Preservation Society comes to mind), but I don’t think I’ve yet read any “Pandemic Novels”, by which I mean I don’t think I’ve really read anything yet that attempts to grapple with just how long we were stuck inside our homes.

The pandemic in Your Shadow Half Remains is undoubtedly worse than what we experienced in real life, yet I was constantly amazed at just how true it felt to lived experience. Riley’s constant anxiety about whether or not the “rules” had changed, seemed to echo our own constant updates regarding how, when, where and what our quarantine should look like. Simply seeing another person and not knowing if you are suddenly in danger, or worse, putting them in danger with your presence.

This novella leans hard into all of that. And while I’m curious how it will hold up in the opinion of future generations who haven’t had this to deal with, it is definitely something to read right now.

The Deep

4hrs 1 min

This book’s title says it all. On the surface, The Deep is a story about merpeople born of pregnant slaves thrown overboard and left to drown in the Atlantic during the crossing to America (already a weighty subject), but there is so much more history and context surrounding this piece, that readers will quickly find they’ve left the shallow end.

Highlights for me were its immersive setting, the inner struggle of its main character Yetu, and its position as another link in a chain of storytelling which spans multiple decades and mediums of artistry.

This one stays with you . . .

Penric’s Demon

4hrs 2 min

Compared with the last two novellas I’ve listed, Penric’s Demon is a much lighter affair. I’m not sure I’d classify it as a “cozy fantasy”, or at least not in the way my inexperienced (with that genre) eyes feel that genre looks these days in early 2025, but it definitely has a smaller scope then a lot of fantasy (a plus in my book).

As discussed in the post, Bujold is known for the partnerships in her work, but I also noted her humor, and her magic which feels systematic, yet suffers no loss of awe or wonder for it.

Definitely worthy of all the accolades it’s received.

Across the Green Grass Fields

4hrs 3min

Probably a lot of folks are familiar with the Wayward Children books by now. To date, there are something like TEN novellas in this series, the most recent published just this January (2025).

I read the first three of these before I’d really picked up blogging again, and then sort of lost track of things a few installments later. Across the Green Grass Fields is the last one I read, and likely my favorite of the bunch so far. For as much as these books are supposed to be about what happens to children AFTER they return from their portal fantasy, I couldn’t help but fall in love with the Hooflands. There is also some very nuanced yet blatant critique of gender performance worth reading and thinking about.

Another great read.

Jade Setter of Janloon

4hrs 5min

Admittedly, I didn’t listen to this one, but got an ebook ARC through Net Galley. However, I just love this author, and the Green Bone books in general. It may seem like an impossible task to provide a truly engaging story set in Kekon following the masterpiece that was Jade Legacy, but Jade Setter of Janloon does a more than admiral job.

In fact, for any experiencing a bit of Green Bone withdrawal, I felt this book was the perfect fix. Fonda Lee is undoubtedly a master when it comes to writing compelling characters, and we see some old favorites in JSoJ, but where the book truly shines is in the dynamics between its new cast, and the ever evolving mystery they must solve before the end.

A great read for veterans of the series, but also a compelling entry point for new fans!

Wrapping Up

Well, that’s all I have for now. If you missed the first part of this list, please go check out Great Audio Books Part 1 which are all between 3 – 4 hours long.

And while I have you, what are some of your favorite novellas on audio? Any I should have included on this list? Or maybe the next one? (Stay tune for a Part 3 coming soon! lol)

Leave your thoughts in the comments. Looking forward to talking about this with everyone!
See you next time!

Lightning Strikes Thrice: A Review of Rebecca Yarros’s Onyx Storm

by in Book Reviews, Fantasy and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The writing project I mentioned back in my Goals for 2025 post has been eating up a lot of reading time recently and 527 pages — despite being gripping reading — has become something of a marathon for me when in my previous eras it might have been a week’s light reading. Which makes it feel like this review has taken forever to finally get to, however, I’ve finally finished Onyx Storm, and the following simple cliche feels appropriate:

Rebecca Yarros has done it again!

Or perhaps, given the book’s focus around a particularly electric protagonist, perhaps I should say that Yarros has managed to make lighting strike a third time.

However you wanna put it, the gist is, Onyx Storm is another exciting entry into an already excellent series. Much the same as I felt about Fourth Wing and Iron Flame, not every choice Yarros made was my favorite, but overall I felt the book was quite good and even has its own kind of “Sanderlanche” — in which you hit a point near the climax of the book where it doesn’t matter how late at night it is, you’re staying up and reading until the end — only instead of going to bed late, I woke up really early so I could finish the book before work.

A Yarrolanche, I guess.

Mostly I enjoyed the expansion of the world beyond The Continent, hopping around islands and getting to see different societies outside of Navarre.

Side note: I half wonder if Yarros was dreaming of a vacation while writing these scenes, or had just come back from a particularly fulfilling one, because for me, they stood out as especially enticing, and I honestly wished more of the book could have taken place in those environs. Perhaps I’m the one in need of a vacation.

I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say we learn more about Adarna’s kind (the Irid) in this book, and of course I enjoyed that as well. It’s still a bit mysterious at this juncture what their overall roll will be, but it’s a mystery I’m intrigued by.

Another element of this novel which I thought interesting was an increasing relevance of gods and goddesses within the world. Up until now, there has really only been mentions of the different members of this world’s pantheon, and the religious practices undertaken in their worship. Onyx Storm broadens this view quite a bit with much more focus on various rites and a general sense that these gods are real and have tangible, measurable effects on the world.

I wouldn’t say we’re going full godpunk, however, Onyx Storm seems to take a big step in that direction.

But probably my main response after finishing this book was of course the thing that this series does best, which is leave me wondering what-the-F-just-happened in the saddest and most emotional way, which is indeed the very reason why we read it. For that shock; for that devastation (ok I’m being a bit dramatic).

In terms of endings — no worries, I won’t spoil — I don’t think I was as gutted as I felt after finishing Iron Flame, but the amount of questions I had at the end of Onyx Storm was WAY higher. My need to read the next one is roughly parallel to the amount of said questions. I want to know the answers! (sorry getting a bit dramatic again)

While everything I’ve written previously is undoubtedly good press for Onyx Storm, not every bit was so awe inspiring. Onyx Storm is undoubtedly the most ambitious part of the series to date, with the most characters, the most plot lines, the most places and the most things to do and keep track of (for both author and reader). And in order to accommodate that, I think we see the most risks being taken in the story’s structure, and the most conventional wisdom being discarded (whether on purpose or not) in its craft.

An example that comes quickly to mind is towards the end when a lot of head hopping starts taking place to give us different perspectives of the final battle, and probably also to allow some of the cliffhangers more space to do their work. With one exception (Xaden’s brief POV in Iron Flame), we have not been in the POV of these characters at any time previously that I can remember (though my memory is pretty bad) and so it’s a bit jarring to suddenly get these perspectives in the final chapters of the story.

Xaden’s POV specifically feels a bit more “OK” (earned) since we’ve seen it at least once before and is actually pretty important for main character development reasons; however, I didn’t feel the others were as necessary and really felt like moves by the author to make the previous chapter’s cliffhanger have greater weight.

During one of these tangents I was basically crying the scene was so sad, but the scene hardly seemed to effect anything in the larger plot so it felt a bit like a move, placed there just to get a few tears flowing before the big finale. Perhaps (I hope) I’m wrong, and the larger ramifications of the scene will become apparent in the next book, but for now, I can’t see the connections (perhaps there are too many rebellion relics clouding things lol)

I don’t have a link, but I think another piece of conventional wisdom states that it’s generally ill advised to start a book or chapter with a character waking up, as generally this is the least interesting thing they will do during the day.

New conventional wisdom I have after reading Onyx Storm is that waking up is only the least interesting thing the character will do during the day if they’re not imminently about to have sexy time. Then I guess the reader WILL be interested haaha.

But the fact of the matter is, the sum of all of these “mistakes” was still a desperately compelling book so perhaps “the rules” have changed. Or perhaps we make our own rules. That seems like a sentiment both Violet and Xaden could get behind.

Give Onyx Storm A Read?

Yup! Yarros has already produced two excellent dragon-packed adventures, and Onyx Storm is no different. Personally I enjoyed getting some time away from The Continent and seeing the wider world our beloved heroes inhabit. And while there are a few things I didn’t love — head hopping towards the finale etc. — the book was ultimately a great read.

Also, could we get a spin-off series of just Ridoc and Aotrom pranking each other and going on adventures? I would read that just as quick!

That’s all I have for you this week. Has anyone read this one yet? Thoughts? What theories are you most curious about? Which do you want proven right? Which do you hope are proven wrong? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

Until next time!

Scalzi’s Wit Finally Curdles (Slightly): A Review of ‘When The Moon Hits Your Eye’

by in Book Reviews, Sci-Fi and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

I’m not sure what I was hoping to get out of this book, but whatever it was, I’m not quite sure I got it.

Don’t get me wrong, When The Moon Hits Your Eye‘s initial conceit is hilarious. The moon has turned to CHEESE! It still makes me laugh just thinking of it. And I would definitely argue that in the opening chapters of WtMHYR, Scalzi capitalizes on this conceit with the expert level humor and wit which have made him a household name, and (according to Joe Hill) “. . . the most entertaining, accessible writer working in SF today.”

Essentially, in the face of something incomprehensible, powerful and important people respond incomprehensibly. Scalzi hits this mark hard, often, and with hilarity. Smart and important scientists are clueless, powerful leaders (the world over) look like idiots, and rich entitled billionaires could not have been more humiliated if they’d been tarred and feathered in the streets.

But somewhere along the way, I felt like this book lost its semblance of being a work of fiction, and kind of became just a long (and only somewhat humorous) rant atop a soap box. Which is fine, and every author’s prerogative; however, I guess I just enjoy a little more subversion in my satire. Make us tease out your references, make us dig for deeper meaning.

In my review of Starter Villain, I admired Scalzi’s ability to make his politics palatable to the masses. Despite my general agreement with said politics, this was not that.

My critiques above, were compounded by the large cast of characters, and the constant switching of perspectives. It was honestly, a bit exhausting, and there were several times which I considered putting the book down instead of trying to get interested in a new set of characters. Many chapters felt so totally unconnected to the main thrust of the story that (IMHO) they read like filler.

In the afterword, Scalzi writes:

“I thought this would be an easy novel to write because, honestly, how hard could it be to write a book about the moon turning to cheese, have each chapter represent a day in the lunar cycle, each chapter with mostly different characters in mostly different places in the United States reacting to it in ways specific to them alone? Pffft, anyone could do that!

Anyway. This was not an easy novel to write, and also I am deeply proud to have written it. Thank you for reading it.”

He’s making light of things here, but I think even he can sense that his ambition for the structure of this novel was high, and for my tastes he just didn’t quite reach it.

He shot for the moon and ended up with some stinky cheese.

Give When The Moon Hits Your Eye a Read?

I can’t believe I’m writing this about a Scalzi book, but I actually think this one is missable. Normally I applaud Scalzi’s ability to make his works political without sacrificing story or entertainment, but in this piece I think he perhaps bit off more than he could chew. A large cast of characters with little connective tissue only made things worse, causing a hilarious premise to collapse in on itself (not unlike the cheesy moon of this story).

If any reading are worried that my love affair with Scalzi has ended, don’t be. There are still MANY other works he’s penned which I LOVE and am hoping to revisit soon (expect more Scalzi reviews on this blog!). Scalzi also wrote in his acknowledgements that he considers Kaiju Preservation Society, Starter Villain, and this book as a kind of trilogy (interesting), but his next book “. . . takes place in space and will have aliens and spaceships in it”.

Sounds excellent. I’ll be greatly looking forward to whatever he does next.

That’s all of my thoughts on this one. Has anyone else read it yet? What were your thoughts? And what would you do if the moon suddenly turned into CHEEEESE!!! Wrong answers only (lol).

Leave your thoughts in the comments. I look forward to talking about this one! See you next time.

Celebrating 20 Years of God of War!

by in Video Games and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

God of war turns twenty today. Two decades have passed since we first took up the iconic chain blades and began murdering gods left and right.

As one of my favorite videogame series of all time, I’ve referenced God of War on this blog numerous times in as variegated contexts as explanations of cool fantasy tropes like Marks of Magic, or where I could see emerging tech integrate with fictional maps to enrich the reader’s experience.

My What Gods And Goddesses I’d Want to See in a God of War Game Set in Ancient Egypt! is still one of the highest performing posts on this blog, and remains one of my favorite pieces I’ve written for A&A.

But for some reason I’ve never written a review of the first game (or any of the games). So, with all the hubbub Sony is giving this anniversary and rumors of an announcement of a remaster of the first three games circulating, it seemed as good a time as any to blow the dust off my old Playstation 2 and give the game another play through.

I would have been only fourteen years old when this game released and I remember very vividly the awe I had first playing it. For 2005, the graphics were just incredible and the sense of wonder I felt at the sheer scale of some of the levels — say Pandora’s temple which sits on the back of a TITAN!! — was beyond compare. Looking back at some of the other games I have on the PS2, I don’t really see any other games with similar gameplay mechanics (Prince of Persia: Sands of Time is probably closest), so mashing ‘O’ to overpower a minotaur, or the kind of button sequences used in many of the boss fights were also quite new to me.

Of course, at fourteen, the sort of juvenile portrayals of sex and sexuality did not bother me . . . I was a juvenile.

But twenty years have gone by, and I was a bit anxious to start playing the game again. Could it live up to the game I had in my memory? Would I be as impressed at thirty-four as I was at fourteen?

The answer is mostly yes but with some problematic no’s thrown in. Obviously the graphics are almost laughable in this day and age, and generally I’m glad the series has moved away from the over-the-top depictions of sex that these early installments were known for (although as we’ll discuss later, a certain misogyny seems inherent in the series) but I’m happy to say that even with the passing of time, this game is still just fun to play.

It only takes a few minutes to get yourself reacquainted with the graphical limits and once you do, God of War becomes just as much a spectacle as anything else out there in today’s market.

Another criticism I often hear, is that compared to the later games, and games today in general, God of War‘s plot is scant to nonexistent. I suppose this is true to some degree. You can play through God of War’s entirety in about ten hours while the most recent iteration (God of War: Ragnarök) is clocking in somewhere at around sixty hours if you play through all the side quests. However, I’d say its plot is startlingly more cohesive then something like Tomb Raider 1 (although I suppose the ten years — and a whole console generation — separating the two games does not really put them in the same category).

I think a more appropriate critique of the plot would point out the game’s misogyny, and its hypermasculine ideals. Madeline Ricchiuto touches on this in her review of God of War 2018 for Bleeding Cool, paraphrasing the problem with this first game (and subsequent games in the “Greek Era”) perfectly in a single sentence.

“I dislike the games mostly because of their adherence to toxic hypermasculine ideals, their incredibly long rap sheet of throwing women in refrigerators (and treating them like props at best when not killing them to give Kratos motivation), and the tone-deaf storytelling that relies far too much on grand scale and dramatic proclamations to prop up what is essentially a soap-opera plot” – Review: God of War Repeats Too Many of the Series’ Misogynistic Mistakes

Harsh, but true. Nearly every woman in this first installment is either a sex object or dies brutally so that Kratos has an excuse to also murder brutally (I think Athena is the only woman who makes it out alive this go round).

With news of an Amazon television show in the works, and all these rumors of remastering the first games again, it has me wondering if simply a remake (read as REWRITE) of the story could make sense, and what that might look like for our god slaying anti-hero.

Coming back to gameplay, something that always fascinates me about the later games, is how many layers you can pull back from the environment, and how much there is to discover just by exploring. I was pleased (and impressed) to see that this was a precedent set by the original God of War, though obviously to a somewhat lesser extent. But there are plenty of cracked walls to break open and secret passages to swim through.

Speaking of puzzles, the traps in God of War are prime as well. And mostly pretty unique? There is a good deal of block/statue pushing (reminiscent of Tomb Raider mentioned earlier), a few spike pits, and (for any tracking it) one use of a light beam reminiscent of Indiana Jones.

But mostly Kratos’s interactions with the environment involve lifting heavy things (by spamming R2), avoiding spinning floor-saws, jumping on moving platforms and balancing on precarious beams (some with blades attached). These elements — along with the cathartic strain before finally busting open a loot chest — will all become staples of future games in the series, and honestly inspire legions of future platformers. These mechanics may have originated in other places (I haven’t played every video game ever), but for me, it will always be God of War which did them best.

So, Give ‘God of War (1)‘ Another Play Through?

Ultimately, I’d say yes. Despite some majorly problematic themes (which I just kinda had to ignore), I did enjoy coming back to this one. Part of it was surely nostalgia, but God of War‘s primary attraction has always been its spectacle. The sheer awe and wonder which the player experiences while playing. How cool are these chain blades? How brutal was that move which killed that monster?

After twenty years, that wonder is still there. Despite blocky graphics and rising expectations for storytelling in videogames, God of War still delivers on its primary conceit.

It’s just fucking cool.

That’s all I have for us this week. Has anyone played this one recently? How did it feel then as opposed to now? How might we rewrite it a bit to update it to be more palatable to a modern audience? What’s your favorite monster from the game? From Greek mythology in general?

As always leave your thoughts in the comments below, and happy 20th God of War! You’re still a legend round here.

Great Audiobooks Part 1: Between 3-4 Hours Long

by in Book Reviews and tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Last week, I reviewed Your Shadow Half Remains, an excellent (but somewhat harrowing) novella which I listened to while on a long drive which generally takes between two and a half to three hours depending on traffic. Tack on a similar ETA for the drive home, and you’ve got a solid four to five hour round trip for which an audiobook just seems the perfect thing to combat the silence.

Since this is the route to visit family, making this drive has been, and will continue to be, a sort of recurring event for which I’m always looking for more things to listen to along the way. However, I don’t think Libby allows you to sort works by length in hours (yet), and listicles of audiobook recommendations don’t seem to be quite that specific, usually just turning up whatever audiobook is popular of any length.

So, applying some advice from Toni Morrison — who said: “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it ” — to blogging, I’m writing the post I want to read, and hoping that somebody else out there might want to read it too.

This list was not intended to include only Speculative Fiction, but that’s pretty much what I mostly read. You’ll notice there is a lot of crossover here between this list and the list of Hugos I’ve reviewed. Looking in the novella category seems a reliable way of finding works of the right length, as does the Locust: Recommended Reading lists. I found my most recent read in the 2024 list.

All the books in this list are between 3-4 hrs long. When I originally conceptualized this list it was 15 books between 3-5 hrs long but it became a bit unwieldly to read (and to write), and so I’ll probably follow this post up with a 4hr version, and a 5hr version.

I’ve tried to provide a sentence or two as a recommendation, but of course clicking the link to my actual review will give you a better idea. Enjoy!

The Black God’s Drums

3 Hrs 4 min

I have to admit, I actually didn’t listen to this one, but found a print copy of it at my local library. However, I thought it was just too good not to include. P. Djeli Clark is kinda THEE steampunk author for me these days, and he appears several times on this list (and on my blog).

The Black God’s Drums is a good representation of Clark at his best, showcasing his ability to write queer representation, richly detailed alternate history, and a truly great cast of leading women. Where I felt what made The Black God’s Drums stand apart from the rest of Clark’s canon, was its setting, and the prominence of Orisha gods and goddesses. Its setting in New Orleans also seems to kind of place it within a moment in speculative fiction which I found interesting.

Highly recommend this one.

The Haunting of Tram Car 015

3hrs 22 min

I promise, this list is not only P. Djeli Clark titles. But our second entry is another title from his works, this time, one of the A Dead Djinn in Cairo stories. I LOVE these stories although looking at my review from 2022, The Haunting of Tram Car 015 was not my favorite of the bunch. However, it offers a unique haunting (how many tram cars have you seen haunted?), and some cool prescient messaging in the final scene which occurs at a women’s suffrage rally.

I hope I can write something as cool someday!

Thornhedge

3hrs 43 min

Fair warning, we’ll see a lot of T. Kingfisher in future iterations of this post. This first recommendation is a Locus Best novella and also took the 2024 Hugo rocket. In my initial reading, I wasn’t quite sure what made Thornhedge stand out among the mass of other fairytale retellings, but some further reflection led me to think that perhaps people were mostly affected by the story’s inclusion of a Muslim Knight, and the representation afforded to “ugly” (or at least not classically beautiful) characters. Personally, I was mostly in love with the Greenteeth.

Another great read!

Riot Baby

3hrs 46min

Another Hugo contestant. Looking back at my review from 2021, I think I was certainly having a lot of feelings about Riot Baby. Always a good sign. I described it as prescient, insightful, and powerful. It is raw emotion, and a vivid critique of the connection between racism and technology in society. It’s fully realized characters (even the throw away ones), and a new take on the Chosen One trope.

It’s just so good.

Untethered Sky

3hrs 59 min

Of course we’re all familiar with Fonda Lee’s Green Bone Saga, and the skill and precision with which that story was crafted. It’s a whole a vibe, and probably one that we could all use some therapy after reading (which I mean as good thing. I love those books!).

Untethered Sky is its own vibe, and was for me, even more proof that Fonda Lee is just good at this. It wasn’t luck (I don’t think anyone thought it was).

Still Grimdark, and still VERY emotional, but Untethered Sky pioneers new territory for this author, focusing on Found Family instead of literal family, and taking on some weighty topics like the true cost of obsession. It features positively written autistic characters, references to persian mythology, and beautifully written prose.

Don’t walk, fly towards this one!

Wrapping Up

That’s all I have for now. As I mentioned before, stay tuned for Part 2 (4hrs), and Part 3 (5hrs) to be released in the coming weeks. Hoping someone found this useful!

Oh, before I forget! Does anyone have any recs for audiobooks around this length? I’d love for you to leave them in the comments! Did I mention any books you loved? Any you didn’t like? Let me know!

Until next time!

The Pandemic Trauma We Haven’t Processed: A Review of ‘Your Shadow Half Remains’ by Sunny Moraine

by in Book Reviews, Horror and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Listened to this on a drive to visit family a few weekends back and while I think the story is incredibly compelling — and can see why it was included in the Locust: 2024 Recommended Reading list — it is perhaps not exactly the sort of thing that will have you on an even keel as you chat idly over sandwiches, or sip beer at the bowling alley.

Your Shadow Half Remains is unsettling. Macabre, and gritty, it is a fictional lens through which we can see the world as it could be if we let the intrusive thoughts win. It is a lens through which we can see how little difference there is between that world and reality. What the world might look like if everything fell apart. And perhaps most surprisingly, how similar that would look to now.

Alright, enough theatrics, what the hell am I talking about? I don’t like to give spoilers or summaries in my posts, but a basic understanding of the book’s premise feels important to know going in. I sorta picked this one up based on its availability (the library had a copy ready to borrow) and its length (which coincided with how long I had to drive) and didn’t really read the premise further than its comps which are The Last of Us and Bird Box.

Note: I love The Last of Us (with a slight preference for the show over the game), but have never seen Bird Box though I have a vague understanding that it might be similar in vibe and premise to A Quiet Place which I thought was great.

Essentially YSHR is set during a sort of half-finished apocalypse caused by a pandemic in which looking someone directly in the eyes may cause you or them to go into a murderous rage in which someone usually ends up dying. Generally it is whoever is closest to the “infected”, and when there is nobody within range, the “infected” will generally kill themselves. Pretty brutal.

There’s no patient zero like in a traditional zombie apocalypse (it starts happening all over the world simultaneously) and no real defense other than locking yourself away, smashing all your mirrors (apparently even looking at your own face can “infect” you), and avoiding contact with anyone and everyone until you either make a mistake and accidently get infected, or crack under the pressure of isolation and kill yourself from the hopelessness of it all.

Yea. Not a light read (lol).

The main character, Riley, is already starting to buckle under the weight of it all when the story begins, however it seems to the reader like she has a pretty steady handle on things at the beginning of the story, lonely sure, but alive and steady; until a new person moves into town, and Riley and this new person form as much of a kind of friendship as one can in this bizarre and fearful world.

Two things stand out while reading (or listening to) YSHR. First and perhaps most obvious is the brutality of the situation. But the second thing is in the details, in the documentation of a sort of collectively remembered trauma which up until now, I don’t feel many are talking about.

The isolation, the anxiety and uncertainty, the constant evolution (or devolution really) of things we relied on. The incomprehensibility of the world around you, despite better and more up-to-the-minute coverage of the state of things through social media and regular news. The complete failure of the government or scientists (in the early days) to provide any real understanding or guidance. The inconsistency of experience. The constant change in the supposed “rules” of just about everything . . .

Feel familiar?

It’s an interesting approach. In many respects, the pandemic experienced in YSHR is clearly a lot worse than what we experienced in real life during Covid-19. And yet it feels like truth, and like the unsaid thing we all were feeling during those times as we tried to survive because seemingly the only way out was through.

I also can’t help but think about how this book will read maybe 15 years from now. Not by me, but by the kids who were young, or not even born yet when the pandemic happened. It obviously won’t hit in the same way, but I’m so curious as to how it will hit for those future generations.

If there is any part of YSHR which I feel is evergreen, or might hit similarly for readers whether or not they have lived through their own pandemic, it’s what Ancillary Review of Books called the novella’s “…most fascinating element…” which is:

“…the examination of our innate need for human connection. In our lives, we seek out human connection, even though there is always the possibility that the connections we form will end up hurting us.” – If Looks Could Kill: Review of Your Shadow Half Remains by Sunny Moraine

Give ‘Your Shadow Half Remans‘ a Read?

Yes, but maybe don’t rush into anything which requires you to be cheerful after you’ve read it. This story will sit with you, and I think it is worth the experience to sit with it for a while.

There were a few times while driving I thought to turn it off, but I think what kept me listening, was that despite all the broken glass littering the story, this novella is itself a kind of mirror, reflecting back the collective trauma of perhaps one of our toughest times to date. That despite the danger in looking, this book seems to make us feel seen.

That’s all I have for you this week. Has anyone read this one before? What where your thoughts? Is it too soon to be reading “Pandemic Novels”? Leave your thoughts in the comments section. I’m looking forward to talking about this one!

Until next time . . .