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itshaldun's reviews
48 reviews
The Electric State by Simon Stålenhag
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
The simplest way to describe the Electric State would be “a beautiful nightmare”. It is set in an alternate reality 90s USA, in a post-apocalyptic (but not quite) world.
The main selling point of this graphic novel is, well, the graphics. Every single painting in this book could be a museum piece, there isn’t a single weak panel. Though digital, art is in style of oil paintings, although impossibly detailed to be one. They are incredibly atmospheric, with strong lighting and panoramic distance to them. They are what I’d imagine Edward Hopper would draw if he was interested in post-apocalyptic cyberpunk-ish nightmares.
The lore of the setting is told by our characters reminiscence of past, although the actual story and what our characters are up to aren’t told that much at all. Instead, the paintings are there to guide you through the setting, and in a way allow you to mold the story to your own imagination. Depending on your interpretation, it could be an astonishingly plain story with low stakes, or could be the beginning of a new era.
The book has all the criticisms of capitalism you love to hear, such as the excessive consumption, corporate takeover of nations, and man-made horrors beyond comprehension. Yes, please tell me how fucked up it all is!
Honestly, I can’t even exactly pinpoint why I’m not giving it 5 stars, maybe it just didn’t quite resonated with me as well as I hoped it would. However, if the book was just the imagines alone, I’d still give it 4 stars.
Seriously, going through the pages of this book with a glass of whiskey in your hand (which I didn’t have) on a rainy day (it wasn’t raining) is such a mood. Try it.
The main selling point of this graphic novel is, well, the graphics. Every single painting in this book could be a museum piece, there isn’t a single weak panel. Though digital, art is in style of oil paintings, although impossibly detailed to be one. They are incredibly atmospheric, with strong lighting and panoramic distance to them. They are what I’d imagine Edward Hopper would draw if he was interested in post-apocalyptic cyberpunk-ish nightmares.
The lore of the setting is told by our characters reminiscence of past, although the actual story and what our characters are up to aren’t told that much at all. Instead, the paintings are there to guide you through the setting, and in a way allow you to mold the story to your own imagination. Depending on your interpretation, it could be an astonishingly plain story with low stakes, or could be the beginning of a new era.
The book has all the criticisms of capitalism you love to hear, such as the excessive consumption, corporate takeover of nations, and man-made horrors beyond comprehension. Yes, please tell me how fucked up it all is!
Honestly, I can’t even exactly pinpoint why I’m not giving it 5 stars, maybe it just didn’t quite resonated with me as well as I hoped it would. However, if the book was just the imagines alone, I’d still give it 4 stars.
Seriously, going through the pages of this book with a glass of whiskey in your hand (which I didn’t have) on a rainy day (it wasn’t raining) is such a mood. Try it.
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar
medium-paced
2.25
I hereby revoke the author’s thesaurus license. Straight to thesaurus jail with you.
Here is the problem with time travel. It’s not mind-blowing anymore, it’s overused, and it’s really, really hard to do without introducing logical fallacies and time-loops. This book is no exception.
If you want a love story with elements of time travel, go watch Steins;Gate. It is the only time travel story that doesn’t fall apart when you spend more than minute to think about it.
I enjoyed the taunting letters slowly turning to intrigue to flirtation to love. That’s about it. Oh, and it has references to Ozymandias poem. Go read that, that one actually doesn’t waste your time!
Here is the problem with time travel. It’s not mind-blowing anymore, it’s overused, and it’s really, really hard to do without introducing logical fallacies and time-loops. This book is no exception.
If you want a love story with elements of time travel, go watch Steins;Gate. It is the only time travel story that doesn’t fall apart when you spend more than minute to think about it.
I enjoyed the taunting letters slowly turning to intrigue to flirtation to love. That’s about it. Oh, and it has references to Ozymandias poem. Go read that, that one actually doesn’t waste your time!
Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
This book was not what I expected! The back cover has two reviews saying the book is deeply romantic, and I would like to have what they’re smoking.
Nah, this book is more of a cosmic horror story. There are body horror elements in here that would feel at home in a Junji Ito manga. Throughout the book I kept wondering if whatever happened and is happening is natural or paranormal, and the book manages to walk that line for a long time. There are Kafkaesque elements as well with Miri trying to reach the Centre.
There are two narrators, one mostly talking about the present day and the other the disaster in the past. Going back and forth between these two felt refreshing and kept the mystery of either narration going.
Okay, now for the negatives. First of all, while reading the book, my trains from Frankfurt to Würzburg kept getting canceled, so I have to deduct 50 points from Gryffindor for that.
The second is that I find the narration of Miri a bit boring, especially compared to the narration of Leah, because nothing much happens. She usually ruminates about life, but I did not find those all that interesting. She is a flawed character, but she doesn’t have much likable traits to balance that.
Fiction is famous for not having therapy, but this time we have therapy but no doctors or ER because holy shit they should’ve just gone to a doctor 30 pages in.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and I’d actually really like to see a Junji Ito manga or maybe even a movie adaptation of it. The most interesting parts for me was the eldritch and body horror. If there was an overarching theme I missed, it was probably not interesting enough for me to notice. Don’t hate the playa, hate the game.
Nah, this book is more of a cosmic horror story. There are body horror elements in here that would feel at home in a Junji Ito manga. Throughout the book I kept wondering if whatever happened and is happening is natural or paranormal, and the book manages to walk that line for a long time. There are Kafkaesque elements as well with Miri trying to reach the Centre.
There are two narrators, one mostly talking about the present day and the other the disaster in the past. Going back and forth between these two felt refreshing and kept the mystery of either narration going.
Okay, now for the negatives. First of all, while reading the book, my trains from Frankfurt to Würzburg kept getting canceled, so I have to deduct 50 points from Gryffindor for that.
The second is that I find the narration of Miri a bit boring, especially compared to the narration of Leah, because nothing much happens. She usually ruminates about life, but I did not find those all that interesting. She is a flawed character, but she doesn’t have much likable traits to balance that.
Fiction is famous for not having therapy, but this time we have therapy but no doctors or ER because holy shit they should’ve just gone to a doctor 30 pages in.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and I’d actually really like to see a Junji Ito manga or maybe even a movie adaptation of it. The most interesting parts for me was the eldritch and body horror. If there was an overarching theme I missed, it was probably not interesting enough for me to notice. Don’t hate the playa, hate the game.
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It’s a modernization of David Copperfield, set in Lee County USA. The plot follows the life of the titular character growing up in poverty. It is beautifully written, extremely sad, and touches issues of institutional poverty and malicious drug policies. For these reasons it is a buffet for marxists and class politics.
Despite this, I had some issues with the book. First is the entire middle section, in which the book changes tone quite drastically, turning into a high-school drama with too many inconsequential characters introduced. It also stays it’s welcome for far too long, lasting about 200 pages. The second issue I had is the pure misery-porn in every other section. The book had no middle ground in that sense, a section that is bittersweet—maybe except the very end.
Overall, though, it’s a really good book that tells an unrelentingly dark story, that takes time to discuss the reasons the setting it is in is the way it is. Even though I was familiar with some of the ridiculousness of suburban hell, the book still managed to further my understanding of how rotten to the core that system actually is. If you don’t mind the high-school journey in the middle, and the sometimes over-the-top misery, you will not find many faults with this book.
ATTENTION: YOU HAVE NOW ENTERED THE SPOILER ZONE
The book is mostly realistic in its depiction of poor, neglected suburban areas, with most people being addicted to some sort of drug. So the story is full of people making questionable choices. This, though, does not make it less frustrating to read when Demon keeps fucking it up and almost completely wastes the second chance he stumbled upon in life. I was genuinely angry to see him leave behind the rich foster family that treats him well because of high-school love.
Character wise, there are some to root for, but many of them, especially the ones introduced in the middle, I didn’t care about. Angus is the single best thing in this book, and the only teenager that wasn’t a complete idiot. We stan for Angus in this house. She is the best sister someone can hope for, and it was really refreshing to see a healthy step-sister relationship in a book…for a time…
Did you know that Lee County is only about 300 miles away from sweet home Alabama? Just something random I wanted to share.
Despite this, I had some issues with the book. First is the entire middle section, in which the book changes tone quite drastically, turning into a high-school drama with too many inconsequential characters introduced. It also stays it’s welcome for far too long, lasting about 200 pages. The second issue I had is the pure misery-porn in every other section. The book had no middle ground in that sense, a section that is bittersweet—maybe except the very end.
Overall, though, it’s a really good book that tells an unrelentingly dark story, that takes time to discuss the reasons the setting it is in is the way it is. Even though I was familiar with some of the ridiculousness of suburban hell, the book still managed to further my understanding of how rotten to the core that system actually is. If you don’t mind the high-school journey in the middle, and the sometimes over-the-top misery, you will not find many faults with this book.
ATTENTION: YOU HAVE NOW ENTERED THE SPOILER ZONE
The book is mostly realistic in its depiction of poor, neglected suburban areas, with most people being addicted to some sort of drug. So the story is full of people making questionable choices. This, though, does not make it less frustrating to read when Demon keeps fucking it up and almost completely wastes the second chance he stumbled upon in life. I was genuinely angry to see him leave behind the rich foster family that treats him well because of high-school love.
Character wise, there are some to root for, but many of them, especially the ones introduced in the middle, I didn’t care about. Angus is the single best thing in this book, and the only teenager that wasn’t a complete idiot. We stan for Angus in this house. She is the best sister someone can hope for, and it was really refreshing to see a healthy step-sister relationship in a book…for a time…
Did you know that Lee County is only about 300 miles away from sweet home Alabama? Just something random I wanted to share.
Men Without Women by Haruki Murakami
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.75
This was my first Murakami book, and I chose it because it had a strong title and because it was a collection of short stories. I did not had much expectations, but I was prepared for the worst because the title could’ve been taken to any direction.
And any direction it went. The short stories are all connected by each stories protagonist being troubled by a woman in some shape or form. But they have no other commonalities than that. My enjoyment of each story was wildly different.
There are stories, namely “Yesterday”, “Drive my Car”, and ”Kino” that I enjoyed thoroughly. These stories had a sense of emotional maturity that other stories lacked in my opinion. “Yesterday” made me tear up, even. Some stories, like “An Independent Organ” though, take quite a step back in maturity (Imagine dying from lovesickness 🙄) and gender portrayal.
That’s another issue, while I was able to relate to some men in the story, the female cast was more often than not very flat. I guess it’s not surprising from a book titled like this, but still made some parts hard to read.
I don’t know how much of a design feature this is vs how much Murakami doesn’t know how to write women, but otherwise his writing was very efficient, introspective and captivating. I will go ahead and give him the benefit of the doubt, and start reading a novel from him soon.
And any direction it went. The short stories are all connected by each stories protagonist being troubled by a woman in some shape or form. But they have no other commonalities than that. My enjoyment of each story was wildly different.
There are stories, namely “Yesterday”, “Drive my Car”, and ”Kino” that I enjoyed thoroughly. These stories had a sense of emotional maturity that other stories lacked in my opinion. “Yesterday” made me tear up, even. Some stories, like “An Independent Organ” though, take quite a step back in maturity (Imagine dying from lovesickness 🙄) and gender portrayal.
That’s another issue, while I was able to relate to some men in the story, the female cast was more often than not very flat. I guess it’s not surprising from a book titled like this, but still made some parts hard to read.
I don’t know how much of a design feature this is vs how much Murakami doesn’t know how to write women, but otherwise his writing was very efficient, introspective and captivating. I will go ahead and give him the benefit of the doubt, and start reading a novel from him soon.
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Did not finish book. Stopped at 18%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 18%.
It was a cold cloudy Saturday afternoon. I was leaning forward in my chair, turning the pages of Rebecca with a heavy look on my face. The realization was hitting me that I was not meant to finish this book, for it had failed to cure me of even a trace of boredom–another failure, a classic too.
I put the book down and looked outside. A wave of despair washed over me, as tears welled up in my eyes. As they ran down my cheeks, I, with a heavy heart, uttered a silent whisper:
“Forgive me book club, I’ve failed you. I wish there were some other way…”
It was at that moment, when I reached the depths of despair and the lowest of lows, I was blinded by a ray of light coming through my window. I wanted to see it, but it was too blinding. I could only cover my eyes in defense. Not long after, a voice of a thousand angels cried out:
“I have heard your prayers, my child. Your despair resonates with me. I shall offer you salvation, from your boredom”
I dared to look up. It was Sir Alfred Hitchcock, the Master of Suspense himself, towering before me. I was at a loss for words. He continued:
“A picture show in motion. An art where every frame is a painting. Pinnacle of visual stimulation. It shall forever quench your boredom”
I found the courage to speak up:
“Thank you, Master Hitchcock. I won’t disappoint you”
A box descended from the clouds. I gingerly reached out with my cold, shaking hands and grabbed it. It was a Rebecca DVD. When I looked up, Master of Suspense was already gone.
Without missing a beat, I put the DVD in the DVD player I got from a flea market. At the time I didn’t know why I was drawn to it, but now everything was making sense. I was destined for this.
The movie started. “finally”, I said. I can have some quality time, and banish my boredom forever. I hardly held my tears of joy. This was it…
But the movie fucking sucked too bro, what the fu
I put the book down and looked outside. A wave of despair washed over me, as tears welled up in my eyes. As they ran down my cheeks, I, with a heavy heart, uttered a silent whisper:
“Forgive me book club, I’ve failed you. I wish there were some other way…”
It was at that moment, when I reached the depths of despair and the lowest of lows, I was blinded by a ray of light coming through my window. I wanted to see it, but it was too blinding. I could only cover my eyes in defense. Not long after, a voice of a thousand angels cried out:
“I have heard your prayers, my child. Your despair resonates with me. I shall offer you salvation, from your boredom”
I dared to look up. It was Sir Alfred Hitchcock, the Master of Suspense himself, towering before me. I was at a loss for words. He continued:
“A picture show in motion. An art where every frame is a painting. Pinnacle of visual stimulation. It shall forever quench your boredom”
I found the courage to speak up:
“Thank you, Master Hitchcock. I won’t disappoint you”
A box descended from the clouds. I gingerly reached out with my cold, shaking hands and grabbed it. It was a Rebecca DVD. When I looked up, Master of Suspense was already gone.
Without missing a beat, I put the DVD in the DVD player I got from a flea market. At the time I didn’t know why I was drawn to it, but now everything was making sense. I was destined for this.
The movie started. “finally”, I said. I can have some quality time, and banish my boredom forever. I hardly held my tears of joy. This was it…
But the movie fucking sucked too bro, what the fu
The Book of Bill by Alex Hirsch
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
WELL, WELL, WELL! HEY THERE NERDS! I AM…HARDON THE NERDCLUB MEMBER, I AM DEFINITELY NOT POSSESSED BY BILL! I AM WRITING THIS WITH MY OWN FINGERS AND TWO EYES!
THIS BOOK HAS THE SECRETS TO THE UNIVERSE, YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY BUY IT! AND PUT IT SOMEWHERE WHERE IT CAN SEE YOU! IF IT ASKS FOR YOUR BLOOD AT NIGHT, THIS IS PURELY INTENTIONAL.
SAY, ANY OF YOU FREAKS KNOW HOW TO CREATE AN INTERDIMENSIONAL PORTAL? THIS MEAT PUPPET HAS NO IDEA. I THINK WE CAN HAVE A GOOD DEAL!
I AM GOING TO DRINK SODA LIKE A NORMAL PERSON NOW. SEE YA LOSERS!111
JHW D KREEB VXFNHU
THIS BOOK HAS THE SECRETS TO THE UNIVERSE, YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY BUY IT! AND PUT IT SOMEWHERE WHERE IT CAN SEE YOU! IF IT ASKS FOR YOUR BLOOD AT NIGHT, THIS IS PURELY INTENTIONAL.
SAY, ANY OF YOU FREAKS KNOW HOW TO CREATE AN INTERDIMENSIONAL PORTAL? THIS MEAT PUPPET HAS NO IDEA. I THINK WE CAN HAVE A GOOD DEAL!
I AM GOING TO DRINK SODA LIKE A NORMAL PERSON NOW. SEE YA LOSERS!111
JHW D KREEB VXFNHU
Tomie by Junji Ito
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
“Es ist verboten, einen Manga von Junji Ito mit weniger als 5 Sternen zu bewerten”
- Angela Merkel
“Damn, maybe the second one was too much”
- Harry S. Truman
“If Junji Ito took a shit between the pages of an empty book and sent it to me, I’d still rate it 5 stars”
- Haldun Bucak
It’s hard for me to decide if I like Uzumaki or this more. Uzumaki certainly feels more complete of a story with a distinct plot, whereas this feels more like a collection of short stories. There is no conclusion to be reached, or a narration to close.
But strangely, I like that as well. It gives the feeling that Tomie is still out there, and that your life is just a one small encounter with her away from completely crashing down. It adds to the existential horror of it.
Compared to Uzumaki, the horror in this book is much more human. Tomie is an embodiment of sexism in culture, a woman consumed by material desires and good looks, that ruins the lives of “proper” men she comes across. But at the same time, she is a perpetual victim, fated to be murdered and mutilated by the same men whom she manipulates and plays with.
Her effect on other woman are also toxic. She is either in a never-ending power struggle with other woman and other copies of herself, or she is an object of jealousy and frustration. Her harsh altitude towards other woman who she deems uglier than her (read: everyone) causes these poor woman to either completely lose self-esteem, go insane, or give in and turn into a copy of her. Simply brilliant.
I believe Junji Ito does a phenomenal job highlighting the toxic effects of sexism and sexist culture in both men and women, and it’s crazy to think that this was written in 1987.
It goes without saying that it is beautifully illustrated, disturbing, and sometimes absurdly funny. Although there are some stories that felt out of place, or repetitive, I cannot rate this book any lower than a perfect 5, but that’s hardly a surprise for anyone.
Buy gold, bye!
- Angela Merkel
“Damn, maybe the second one was too much”
- Harry S. Truman
“If Junji Ito took a shit between the pages of an empty book and sent it to me, I’d still rate it 5 stars”
- Haldun Bucak
It’s hard for me to decide if I like Uzumaki or this more. Uzumaki certainly feels more complete of a story with a distinct plot, whereas this feels more like a collection of short stories. There is no conclusion to be reached, or a narration to close.
But strangely, I like that as well. It gives the feeling that Tomie is still out there, and that your life is just a one small encounter with her away from completely crashing down. It adds to the existential horror of it.
Compared to Uzumaki, the horror in this book is much more human. Tomie is an embodiment of sexism in culture, a woman consumed by material desires and good looks, that ruins the lives of “proper” men she comes across. But at the same time, she is a perpetual victim, fated to be murdered and mutilated by the same men whom she manipulates and plays with.
Her effect on other woman are also toxic. She is either in a never-ending power struggle with other woman and other copies of herself, or she is an object of jealousy and frustration. Her harsh altitude towards other woman who she deems uglier than her (read: everyone) causes these poor woman to either completely lose self-esteem, go insane, or give in and turn into a copy of her. Simply brilliant.
I believe Junji Ito does a phenomenal job highlighting the toxic effects of sexism and sexist culture in both men and women, and it’s crazy to think that this was written in 1987.
It goes without saying that it is beautifully illustrated, disturbing, and sometimes absurdly funny. Although there are some stories that felt out of place, or repetitive, I cannot rate this book any lower than a perfect 5, but that’s hardly a surprise for anyone.
Buy gold, bye!
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.0
I think it starts out really strong. It was fun learning about the patient zero and slowly discovering how this version of zombies work. It was also very refreshing to read a zombie story that was actually worldwide instead of just USA. There were many parts of the story that felt extremely believable, such as government cover-ups and misinformation.
Unfortunately, between pages 100-200, the book starts to become very repetitive, where many of the stories boil down to “yeah there were a fuckton of zombies and it was horrible”. After the Great Panic, quality of stories increase a little, focusing on people trying to survive in this new “normal”. Then with the military stuff it takes a repetitive and boring turn again.
As I said, I found many things to be believable, but there were some parts of the story that was so unbelievable that it made me question the validity of the other sections as well (one is about certain two countries currently at war, the second is the space station stuff, and the last one are the feral humans).
One last complaint I have is the regarding the multinational nature of the book. The book starts strong, including many unique places of the world such as Tibet, Brazil, Greece etc. But the more book progresses, the more USA centric the stories become, to the point that around 60-70% of the stories are from USA towards the end. It’s kind of a shame that the author tried to break the USA-centric curse but fell back to the comfort of his own country again.
Also how the fuck is it possible that after all humanity went through and how every nation underwent MAJOR change, USA was still trying to bring back capitalism? The book literally ends with how US banks are reopening again as if THAT’s the hope for the future.
Stop it, get some help.
Unfortunately, between pages 100-200, the book starts to become very repetitive, where many of the stories boil down to “yeah there were a fuckton of zombies and it was horrible”. After the Great Panic, quality of stories increase a little, focusing on people trying to survive in this new “normal”. Then with the military stuff it takes a repetitive and boring turn again.
As I said, I found many things to be believable, but there were some parts of the story that was so unbelievable that it made me question the validity of the other sections as well (one is about certain two countries currently at war, the second is the space station stuff, and the last one are the feral humans).
One last complaint I have is the regarding the multinational nature of the book. The book starts strong, including many unique places of the world such as Tibet, Brazil, Greece etc. But the more book progresses, the more USA centric the stories become, to the point that around 60-70% of the stories are from USA towards the end. It’s kind of a shame that the author tried to break the USA-centric curse but fell back to the comfort of his own country again.
Also how the fuck is it possible that after all humanity went through and how every nation underwent MAJOR change, USA was still trying to bring back capitalism? The book literally ends with how US banks are reopening again as if THAT’s the hope for the future.
Stop it, get some help.
Rouge by Mona Awad
Did not finish book.
Did not finish book.
I read 10 pages, fell asleep, and never picked it up again.
I’d say maybe some other time, but I must not tell lies.
I’d say maybe some other time, but I must not tell lies.