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davramlocke's reviews
777 reviews
Midnight Tides: Book Five of the Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson
dark
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It's odd how a book can, mid-series, jump a continent, not feature (almost) any of the previous characters in the series, and still be so successful at what it's trying to do. It also sets up plots points that I assume will play out in later books that themselves will tie in to earlier books. It's truly dizzying.
I did not love Midnight Tides as much as I did House of Chains or Memories of Ice, and in many ways it mirrors those books without being as impactful, but that does not mean I was ever bored or disengaged. This is another Malazan book, and if you love the previous entries, you'll probably like this too. Yes, it has moments of horror that will have you talking on forums about how grossed out you were, but it also has humor and camaraderie, and manages not to kill off every single character you've grown to like. Midnight Tides is just different enough to be a strange entry into the series but also familiar.
I did not love Midnight Tides as much as I did House of Chains or Memories of Ice, and in many ways it mirrors those books without being as impactful, but that does not mean I was ever bored or disengaged. This is another Malazan book, and if you love the previous entries, you'll probably like this too. Yes, it has moments of horror that will have you talking on forums about how grossed out you were, but it also has humor and camaraderie, and manages not to kill off every single character you've grown to like. Midnight Tides is just different enough to be a strange entry into the series but also familiar.
The Mystery of Mary Rogers by Rick Geary
3.0
This is a quick read; it probably wouldn't take anyone more than an hour of focused time. It tells the story of a famous murder in Edgar Allen Poe's time, and indeed he is in the book and even wrote his own story about the supposed death of Mary Rogers. The graphic novel gives a little info, but no conclusions because the case was sadly never satisfactorily solved. The style is decent, but almost too comical for its source material, which is actually pretty dark. The language is maybe a little too simplistic as well, as though it was written for a younger audience, though a younger audience certainly shouldn't be exposed to tales of failed abortions and gang rape murders.
Anyway, an interesting read and does boast some factual information.
Anyway, an interesting read and does boast some factual information.
Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths by Shigeru Mizuki
3.0
I hadn't expected Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths to be quite as manga-ish as it is. Yes, it reads back to front like manga, and boasts plenty of manga like accolades on its cover, but for whatever reason I have a hard time associating the genre of manga with a subject as serious as World War II. When I read descriptions of this book, it sounds like a dour, moving tale of a troupe of Japanese soliders, and in some ways it is, but the majority of the story is almost slapstick in nature. Even death is shown in a light-hearted manner in many cases, with comical looking heads flying around the screen and characters lamenting their friends' deaths with half-hearted jokes or strange comments. There are more serious aspects to the book, and the lion's share of them come in the last sixth of its pages, but their impact isn't as emotional as I was led to believe.
I liked the book, and there are some incredibly well-drawn scenes from Mizuki. He has a strange style where his backgrounds are incredibly detailed and complex, while the characters in the foreground are completely comical and cartoonish. And there is some emotional weight involved, as I said, particularly towards the back end.
I suppose in the end this is a little too 'manga' for me to really enjoy. Maybe for true manga readers this is some kind of holy grail, which would make sense. For me, it was mostly just silly, interesting, but silly. Then again, maybe there is some honesty in that.
I liked the book, and there are some incredibly well-drawn scenes from Mizuki. He has a strange style where his backgrounds are incredibly detailed and complex, while the characters in the foreground are completely comical and cartoonish. And there is some emotional weight involved, as I said, particularly towards the back end.
I suppose in the end this is a little too 'manga' for me to really enjoy. Maybe for true manga readers this is some kind of holy grail, which would make sense. For me, it was mostly just silly, interesting, but silly. Then again, maybe there is some honesty in that.
Spent by Joe Matt
4.0
I have never read a book, comic or otherwise, with as much raw, unfettered honesty as is within the pages of Spent. Joe Matt relates a very short span of his own like that delves into the deepest, most disturbing parts of his own mind, and it's like watching a train derail and come spiraling in through the kitchen window.
The title implies the subject matter. Spent refers to the feeling Matt has after he's pleasured himself. He boast an addiction to pornography second to none, and spares the reader nothing in describing every minute detail of his particular habit. It's frightening to read, but also astonishing and in many ways wonderful. He claims at one point in the book to lack self-awareness, but here is a man who, unlike millions or billions of other men, is not lying to himself. He may not have his head on completely straight, but he's honest. Whether or not that makes him happy is the dispute of the story.
This is a book I would not recommend to just anyone, but for anyone wishing to peer into the dark room of a chronic masturbater, or even for someone who needs to look in a mirror and see a warped reflection of their own habits, this is something worth reading.
The title implies the subject matter. Spent refers to the feeling Matt has after he's pleasured himself. He boast an addiction to pornography second to none, and spares the reader nothing in describing every minute detail of his particular habit. It's frightening to read, but also astonishing and in many ways wonderful. He claims at one point in the book to lack self-awareness, but here is a man who, unlike millions or billions of other men, is not lying to himself. He may not have his head on completely straight, but he's honest. Whether or not that makes him happy is the dispute of the story.
This is a book I would not recommend to just anyone, but for anyone wishing to peer into the dark room of a chronic masturbater, or even for someone who needs to look in a mirror and see a warped reflection of their own habits, this is something worth reading.
The Great Northern Brotherhood of Canadian Cartoonists by Seth
4.0
Reading The Great Northern Brotherhood of Canadian Cartoonists is like walking through an old, dusty downtown area of some small midwestern town. You can picture what it must have looked like in its heyday when the cobbled roads were still fresh and every store still held a sign for some antique shop or corner cafe instead of the "for rent" and "closed" signs that are more common. It's a graphic novel about the history of cartoonists in Canada, a relatively obscure topic unless you happen to be acquainted with the Drawn and Quarterly Crew of artists (or unless you're a middle-aged Canadian).
The book takes its reader on a tour of a building called the GNBCC, a sort of club for cartoonists to gather, an Elk's Club for artists. It's unclear to me whether or not this building is factual or if its merely a metaphor for Canadian cartooning, and a quick internet search doesn't yield much in the way of results, but regardless, it's a surprisingly fascinating look into a history that most people, at least in the US, have no clue about. It's also very apparent just how much Seth cherishes this history and the legacy that is has left to him and to his peers.
His style is reminiscent of many old cartoonists, a move that is probably deliberate and flattering to the masters of the art. His writing is both dry, but reverential, making a reader feel like he's talking more about a religion than about a sect of popular culture. This is my first foray into Seth's work, but I find myself every bit as impressed as I was with Chester Brown or Matt Joe, and whether or not this is the best introduction to his work is debatable, but I know I'll be seeking more of it out.
The book takes its reader on a tour of a building called the GNBCC, a sort of club for cartoonists to gather, an Elk's Club for artists. It's unclear to me whether or not this building is factual or if its merely a metaphor for Canadian cartooning, and a quick internet search doesn't yield much in the way of results, but regardless, it's a surprisingly fascinating look into a history that most people, at least in the US, have no clue about. It's also very apparent just how much Seth cherishes this history and the legacy that is has left to him and to his peers.
His style is reminiscent of many old cartoonists, a move that is probably deliberate and flattering to the masters of the art. His writing is both dry, but reverential, making a reader feel like he's talking more about a religion than about a sect of popular culture. This is my first foray into Seth's work, but I find myself every bit as impressed as I was with Chester Brown or Matt Joe, and whether or not this is the best introduction to his work is debatable, but I know I'll be seeking more of it out.