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angethology's reviews
302 reviews
The Liminal Zone by Junji Ito
4.5
An amazing short story collection that touches on themes the title implies — that limbo or gap between the living and the dead, and the emotional rollercoaster of going through grief in life and being in "empty" spaces holding more power than what the naked eye sees.
There are a lot of raw and perceived negative emotions explored from a more spiritual or even religious perspective. Some characters seem to empathize deeply to a detriment, absorbing people's suffering, others are blinded by an alternate reality in which they seek comfort — either at their own, or at others' expense.
Slumber and Madonna are my personal favorites, but all four stories are excellent. Madonna in particular surprised with its very culty, overtly feminist critique of religion. This collection is great if you prefer even more profound & psych motifs.
There are a lot of raw and perceived negative emotions explored from a more spiritual or even religious perspective. Some characters seem to empathize deeply to a detriment, absorbing people's suffering, others are blinded by an alternate reality in which they seek comfort — either at their own, or at others' expense.
Slumber and Madonna are my personal favorites, but all four stories are excellent. Madonna in particular surprised with its very culty, overtly feminist critique of religion. This collection is great if you prefer even more profound & psych motifs.
Soichi: Junji Ito Story Collection by Junji Ito
3.5
Soichi is such a little shit, probably the most annoying character in the Ito-verse even though there are objectively worse and more evil characters lol.
The Soichi stories were never a favorite of mine, but reading this entire anthology made me surprisingly invested in him, especially his family's lore. Somehow didn't get bored of his stupid little pranks, my fav stories are Soichi's Birthday, Teacher of Cloth, and Rumors.
The Soichi stories were never a favorite of mine, but reading this entire anthology made me surprisingly invested in him, especially his family's lore. Somehow didn't get bored of his stupid little pranks, my fav stories are Soichi's Birthday, Teacher of Cloth, and Rumors.
Deserter by Junji Ito
4.25
Insane how much Junji Ito's short stories pack a punch, the titular story is probably one of my favorites of all time by him and the fact the book ends with it makes it more impactful, esp with its more covertly sociopolitical view of war entangled with grief.
I think this anthology is even more intricate and full of twists than other anthologies (if that's even possible), even his longer works, and every story gets progressively better. Some of my other favorites are Bullied, Village of the Siren, and A Father's Love. A lot of focus on fucked up fam dynamics. One of Junji Ito's best works.
I think this anthology is even more intricate and full of twists than other anthologies (if that's even possible), even his longer works, and every story gets progressively better. Some of my other favorites are Bullied, Village of the Siren, and A Father's Love. A lot of focus on fucked up fam dynamics. One of Junji Ito's best works.
Black Paradox by Junji Ito
3.75
Maruso, Taburo, Baracchi, and Pii-tan meet through website Black Paradox, a suicide website. Wanting to finalize their ideations, they backtrack when things go awry and find an opportunity to find new meaning in life. The Paradonite, magically ejected from their bodies, is a beautiful, unique mineral that opens up a new, dazzling world.
As always, Junji Ito's artwork is wonderful and shows you the grotesque side of seemingly alluring stuff in life. There's always a catch to infinite beauty and a new world to dominate or replicate on earth, and this book particularly shows you that no object, wealth or technology can truly fulfill your soul. When greed comes in the picture, the state of one's anxiety or uneasiness is only replaced with a temporary happiness that serves as junk food, and bites you back in the ass in the end. I love the acceptance and hopelessness at the end, where the characters seem to be much worse off than they were in the beginning. Not my favorite Ito book, but still a good read, also get a "cute" bonus story at the end.
As always, Junji Ito's artwork is wonderful and shows you the grotesque side of seemingly alluring stuff in life. There's always a catch to infinite beauty and a new world to dominate or replicate on earth, and this book particularly shows you that no object, wealth or technology can truly fulfill your soul. When greed comes in the picture, the state of one's anxiety or uneasiness is only replaced with a temporary happiness that serves as junk food, and bites you back in the ass in the end. I love the acceptance and hopelessness at the end, where the characters seem to be much worse off than they were in the beginning. Not my favorite Ito book, but still a good read, also get a "cute" bonus story at the end.
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
2.75
“It is very hard for evil to take hold of the unconsenting soul.”
I do consider this overall a well-written book; it focuses on the main character's (Ged) journey to attaining power, knowledge and most importantly a sense of community and his own flaws in becoming a wizard. In theory, this gets down to the brass tacks of a solid fantasy book with a wonderful message, clear character development, and a somewhat intricate world-building particularly suitable for young adults, but it is perfectly fine for all ages.
But since I'm already quite picky when it comes to the fantasy genre, this book didn't really manage to captivate me throughout so I was so tempted to keep skimming. There are quite a few high stakes, but it's overall still a bit unsuspenseful for my personal taste, the constant explanations for certain locations kind of went over my head. I think it's simply a case of me not being the right demographic for this book.
I do consider this overall a well-written book; it focuses on the main character's (Ged) journey to attaining power, knowledge and most importantly a sense of community and his own flaws in becoming a wizard. In theory, this gets down to the brass tacks of a solid fantasy book with a wonderful message, clear character development, and a somewhat intricate world-building particularly suitable for young adults, but it is perfectly fine for all ages.
But since I'm already quite picky when it comes to the fantasy genre, this book didn't really manage to captivate me throughout so I was so tempted to keep skimming. There are quite a few high stakes, but it's overall still a bit unsuspenseful for my personal taste, the constant explanations for certain locations kind of went over my head. I think it's simply a case of me not being the right demographic for this book.
Mickey7 by Edward Ashton
3.5
"We're constantly being rebuilt; one board at a time. If you actually take on this job, you'll probably be rebuilt all at once at some point, but at the end of the day, it's really no different is it?"
[3.5 stars] Seeking to escape utopian planet Midgard (Earth), Mickey Barnes dares to sign up for a job that usually requires recruiters to draft convicts: an Expendable, on a beachhead colony to colonize the icy Niflheim. As an Expendable, Mickey becomes a jack of all trades, mainly doing all the dirty and dangerous work that would usually end in someone's demise. And this is where Mickey's advantage — or rather, curse — comes in clutch; like a video game, he's able to respawn as a new iteration of himself as much as he needs to. However, his somewhat immortal capability doesn't diminish the pain and fear he encounters in his (near)death experiences. Ironically, his "expendable" status makes him quite the opposite, yet he's often looked down on by a part of the crew. Mickey's usual terror of dealing with these missions, however, is replaced with a new one when his 8th clone exists at the same time as his 7th — and it's something that should have never happened.
Despite the interesting philosophical and heavy reflections on the meaning of one's identity in regard to having multiple iterations or clones of yourself, the book is overall quite funny and even has straight up "cornball" humor. In terms of tone, it reminds me of "Project Hail Mary" by Andy Weir. Mickey Barnes is a somewhat relatable character, being the soft-hearted antihero who admits himself that he's a mediocre person compared to his peers, and reduces his entire persona, to his main hobby or the "only" thing he's good at: history. He's also frustratingly pathetic to an extent (especially during the part before he joined as an Expendable), but the back-and-forth between his 7th and 8th iteration is quite hilarious at times. I do feel like this aspect should have been capitalized on more because despite the extremely high stakes, the main interactions present between them are "I'm scared I'll get caught," "I'm gonna starve." I also appreciate the emphasis on how advanced tech — even as Mickey is constantly denigrated and demoralized by the crew regardless of how much he's saved people — doesn't equate with advanced morals, and funnily he's more so objectified for it, in all ways possible. And the Ship of Thesseus analogy is my favorite.
It's not the fully fleshed book I want from a funny sci-fi book, but I still had a good time reading it and will be reading the sequel.
[3.5 stars] Seeking to escape utopian planet Midgard (Earth), Mickey Barnes dares to sign up for a job that usually requires recruiters to draft convicts: an Expendable, on a beachhead colony to colonize the icy Niflheim. As an Expendable, Mickey becomes a jack of all trades, mainly doing all the dirty and dangerous work that would usually end in someone's demise. And this is where Mickey's advantage — or rather, curse — comes in clutch; like a video game, he's able to respawn as a new iteration of himself as much as he needs to. However, his somewhat immortal capability doesn't diminish the pain and fear he encounters in his (near)death experiences. Ironically, his "expendable" status makes him quite the opposite, yet he's often looked down on by a part of the crew. Mickey's usual terror of dealing with these missions, however, is replaced with a new one when his 8th clone exists at the same time as his 7th — and it's something that should have never happened.
Despite the interesting philosophical and heavy reflections on the meaning of one's identity in regard to having multiple iterations or clones of yourself, the book is overall quite funny and even has straight up "cornball" humor. In terms of tone, it reminds me of "Project Hail Mary" by Andy Weir. Mickey Barnes is a somewhat relatable character, being the soft-hearted antihero who admits himself that he's a mediocre person compared to his peers, and reduces his entire persona, to his main hobby or the "only" thing he's good at: history. He's also frustratingly pathetic to an extent (especially during the part before he joined as an Expendable), but the back-and-forth between his 7th and 8th iteration is quite hilarious at times. I do feel like this aspect should have been capitalized on more because despite the extremely high stakes, the main interactions present between them are "I'm scared I'll get caught," "I'm gonna starve." I also appreciate the emphasis on how advanced tech — even as Mickey is constantly denigrated and demoralized by the crew regardless of how much he's saved people — doesn't equate with advanced morals, and funnily he's more so objectified for it, in all ways possible. And the Ship of Thesseus analogy is my favorite.
It's not the fully fleshed book I want from a funny sci-fi book, but I still had a good time reading it and will be reading the sequel.
The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw
3.25
"You can't save me, because I'm not in peril."
A solid short story collection about Black women in church being in touch with their own desires, having their own unexpected scandals, and finding their own identity outside of the church. It encompasses all kinds of stories, from queer ones to ones with complex, problematic fam dynamics.
And most importantly, it shows the stereotypes that Black church women can often be reduced — there's a variety of stories that particularly highlight the 'transgressions' that all kinds of women can engage in, sometimes without shame, and other times with a bit of contemplation. Like a lot of short story collections, some of them are a hit or miss personally, but I think it's one worth reading. "Snowfall," "How to Make Love to a Physicist," and "Instructions for Married Christian Husbands" are my favorites.
A solid short story collection about Black women in church being in touch with their own desires, having their own unexpected scandals, and finding their own identity outside of the church. It encompasses all kinds of stories, from queer ones to ones with complex, problematic fam dynamics.
And most importantly, it shows the stereotypes that Black church women can often be reduced — there's a variety of stories that particularly highlight the 'transgressions' that all kinds of women can engage in, sometimes without shame, and other times with a bit of contemplation. Like a lot of short story collections, some of them are a hit or miss personally, but I think it's one worth reading. "Snowfall," "How to Make Love to a Physicist," and "Instructions for Married Christian Husbands" are my favorites.
We Could Be Rats by Emily Austin
1.5
I've never been so unmoved and unimpressed by a book that explores suicide and depression. Thought this would be such a meaningful, or cute book for me I can resonate with as I have a sister myself where we often call each other a rat as a joke. In the first half, the novel is divided into chapters labeled as final letter attempts by Sigrid, each one taking a trip down memory lane in hopes of finding the perfect letter to leave behind — a letter that leaves traces of sunshine behind, yet Sigrid can't help but manages to cloud it with dark memories every time.
In theory, this sounds like a unique concept, even more so when a twist is revealed in the second half from the perspective of Sigrid's sister, Margit. But this ends up feeling like a teenager's whiny diary who's on their first venture into writing. And although some of the issues that Sigrid faces, such as addiction, feeling inadequate compared to their sibling, and homophobia, are all common issues that the average person can at least relate to, the morsel of sympathy I had slowly depleted like a deflating balloon as I make my way through the book.
It feels entirely self-indulgent and, worst of all, because of how much backtracking there is, the first half is utterly meaningless. [Beware for spoilers from now on] You can't end every chapter with "lol nvm I lied," every single time and justify it using an unreliable narrator, it's just half a step away from the fav middle school creative exercise, ".. and then she woke up." I can absolutely empathize with someone going through depression, suicidal ideation, abusive family dynamics etc — but to act like those are "technically a kind of cancer or aneurysm, but metaphorically," is so .. cringe-worthy. And the constant rhetorical validation and questioning like, "How about you? How are you feeling? Are you sad because I'm dead?" is actually exhausting to read, what in the wattpad writing.
I don't need characters like Sigrid to be a "perfect victim"; being unlikeable is one thing, and something I can appreciate in fiction. But employing this narrative technique for further exposition every time feels extremely lazy and uncreative. I don't feel anything after reading this book except annoyance, I don't see the siblings' multilayered, complex relationship the way the author intended. Instead, it feels emotionally manipulative. The author is basically telling me exactly how to feel, as opposed to trying to tug at my heartstrings using well thought-out language and background, and I'm not the type to not get emotional with these types of stories.
Super surprised at the positive reviews here, but oh well. I do have one favorite quote that is super adorable: "I used to joke, "I wish we were rats" because, if i could choose how the world worked, we would all be rats at a fair .. We would roll around in garbage and suck on our sour keys."
In theory, this sounds like a unique concept, even more so when a twist is revealed in the second half from the perspective of Sigrid's sister, Margit. But this ends up feeling like a teenager's whiny diary who's on their first venture into writing. And although some of the issues that Sigrid faces, such as addiction, feeling inadequate compared to their sibling, and homophobia, are all common issues that the average person can at least relate to, the morsel of sympathy I had slowly depleted like a deflating balloon as I make my way through the book.
It feels entirely self-indulgent and, worst of all, because of how much backtracking there is, the first half is utterly meaningless. [Beware for spoilers from now on] You can't end every chapter with "lol nvm I lied," every single time and justify it using an unreliable narrator, it's just half a step away from the fav middle school creative exercise, ".. and then she woke up." I can absolutely empathize with someone going through depression, suicidal ideation, abusive family dynamics etc — but to act like those are "technically a kind of cancer or aneurysm, but metaphorically," is so .. cringe-worthy. And the constant rhetorical validation and questioning like, "How about you? How are you feeling? Are you sad because I'm dead?" is actually exhausting to read, what in the wattpad writing.
I don't need characters like Sigrid to be a "perfect victim"; being unlikeable is one thing, and something I can appreciate in fiction. But employing this narrative technique for further exposition every time feels extremely lazy and uncreative. I don't feel anything after reading this book except annoyance, I don't see the siblings' multilayered, complex relationship the way the author intended. Instead, it feels emotionally manipulative. The author is basically telling me exactly how to feel, as opposed to trying to tug at my heartstrings using well thought-out language and background, and I'm not the type to not get emotional with these types of stories.
Super surprised at the positive reviews here, but oh well. I do have one favorite quote that is super adorable: "I used to joke, "I wish we were rats" because, if i could choose how the world worked, we would all be rats at a fair .. We would roll around in garbage and suck on our sour keys."
Severance by Ling Ma
3.0
"But what is the difference between the fevered and us? Because I remember too, I remember perfectly. My memories replay, unprompted, on repeat."
Habits and routines are some of the most important aspects of being human; without them, whether for better or worse, society and infrastructure would collapse. We've seen a huge disruption for example when COVID started — for many it was an extremely trying time, but others see it as almost a break from the monotonous drudgery of capitalism, or at least realize how much society has succumbed to consumerism and making bread. "Severance" explores both of these aspects, where production coordinator Candace Chen learns to live in a new world where the majority suffer from a fungal infection, "Shen fever." The "fevered" are essentially harmless zombies stuck in mechanical routines until their demise.
The book switches between the past and present, showing Candace's present post-apocalyptic life trapped in a strange cult, and before the fever took over — where she was essentially stuck in a "cult" of the corporate overlords at her job with Spectra. Even when death knocks at one's door, Candace is still keen on working her job for an unthinkable amount of money, despite that kind of currency being functionally useless in the new world. As she says, "money is freedom," but what does that freedom entail when your entire worldview shatters with that philosophy's disappearance? Candace funnily becomes "fevered" in her own way, although her creativity does resurface as she becomes the renowned "NYGhost" blogger and photographer, documenting the devastating state of New York. Having no regular 9-5 job means Candace has to find herself again and create a cohesive identity without being entrenched in capitalistic norms.
Yet, her post-apocalyptic life, mirrors her previous one: both involve being stuck in a limbo, waiting for a path to unravel itself to her, sticking to what's convenient until push comes to shove and she finally has to sculpt her own desires concretely. A lot of the events happening around boil down to her own indecisiveness, and I think that's something that resonates with a lot of people because of how society operates today. We're constantly on survival mode, which eats away at our individuality and creativity, and most of all a sense of community. Similar to the plot, the language and writing style is structured in a way that includes a lot of repetition, almost boring and matter-of-fact. I think this is where it sometimes loses my interest — although intentionally written in a way that shows her stoicism, some parts felt too rambly and just like Candace, the readers do a lot of "waiting around" for something more meaningful. I had a big urge to DNF, but fortunately things do pick up halfway through.
The last part is reminiscent of the film "Dawn of the Dead" (1978), where it takes place in a mall, and besides it symbolizing the ultimate, nostalgic setting of American consumerism, it figuratively and literally traps people under the disguise of being a safe haven. That connection probably made it more interesting for me, but overall I had higher expectations for this book.
Habits and routines are some of the most important aspects of being human; without them, whether for better or worse, society and infrastructure would collapse. We've seen a huge disruption for example when COVID started — for many it was an extremely trying time, but others see it as almost a break from the monotonous drudgery of capitalism, or at least realize how much society has succumbed to consumerism and making bread. "Severance" explores both of these aspects, where production coordinator Candace Chen learns to live in a new world where the majority suffer from a fungal infection, "Shen fever." The "fevered" are essentially harmless zombies stuck in mechanical routines until their demise.
The book switches between the past and present, showing Candace's present post-apocalyptic life trapped in a strange cult, and before the fever took over — where she was essentially stuck in a "cult" of the corporate overlords at her job with Spectra. Even when death knocks at one's door, Candace is still keen on working her job for an unthinkable amount of money, despite that kind of currency being functionally useless in the new world. As she says, "money is freedom," but what does that freedom entail when your entire worldview shatters with that philosophy's disappearance? Candace funnily becomes "fevered" in her own way, although her creativity does resurface as she becomes the renowned "NYGhost" blogger and photographer, documenting the devastating state of New York. Having no regular 9-5 job means Candace has to find herself again and create a cohesive identity without being entrenched in capitalistic norms.
Yet, her post-apocalyptic life, mirrors her previous one: both involve being stuck in a limbo, waiting for a path to unravel itself to her, sticking to what's convenient until push comes to shove and she finally has to sculpt her own desires concretely. A lot of the events happening around boil down to her own indecisiveness, and I think that's something that resonates with a lot of people because of how society operates today. We're constantly on survival mode, which eats away at our individuality and creativity, and most of all a sense of community. Similar to the plot, the language and writing style is structured in a way that includes a lot of repetition, almost boring and matter-of-fact. I think this is where it sometimes loses my interest — although intentionally written in a way that shows her stoicism, some parts felt too rambly and just like Candace, the readers do a lot of "waiting around" for something more meaningful. I had a big urge to DNF, but fortunately things do pick up halfway through.
The last part is reminiscent of the film "Dawn of the Dead" (1978), where it takes place in a mall, and besides it symbolizing the ultimate, nostalgic setting of American consumerism, it figuratively and literally traps people under the disguise of being a safe haven. That connection probably made it more interesting for me, but overall I had higher expectations for this book.