You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
jdhacker's Reviews (1.48k)
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Weaker than the companion/parallel trilogy taking place in the modern era. I'd probably give it 2.5-2.75 instead of 2, but limits of the rating system.
The biggest points against it: 1)there's some really distasteful anti-lgbtqia language in here, and while I think the point is that we're supposed to see those views as incorrect it still feels pretty uncomfortable given when it was written and that it was written by a straight cis white male. 2)overall the plot and major antagonist feel a lot less well/believably written than in the companion trilogy. At least there, there was a pretty considered effort to explain why and how the antagonist was able to achieve what he did (from his education and background, to early attempts at organization, to a consolidation of knowledge resources whether in print or in the form of experts). There really isn't any of that here...yet the antagonist is able to demonstrate knowledge and expertise *well* beyond what should be available to him across a wide array of technical and historical fields.
The biggest points against it: 1)there's some really distasteful anti-lgbtqia language in here, and while I think the point is that we're supposed to see those views as incorrect it still feels pretty uncomfortable given when it was written and that it was written by a straight cis white male. 2)overall the plot and major antagonist feel a lot less well/believably written than in the companion trilogy. At least there, there was a pretty considered effort to explain why and how the antagonist was able to achieve what he did (from his education and background, to early attempts at organization, to a consolidation of knowledge resources whether in print or in the form of experts). There really isn't any of that here...yet the antagonist is able to demonstrate knowledge and expertise *well* beyond what should be available to him across a wide array of technical and historical fields.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
My only issue with this, and really the second book in the series as well, was the repeated kidnapping attempts/subplots. It seemed a little overdone after the second one, I feel like it was a real plot stretch to keep a focus on the kids since the author knew the next generation was going to be the focus of the series moving forwards.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
First of all, let's not feed into the Vandermeer's and Mieville's...whatever it is...by calling this 'weird fiction', 'the new weird', or even 'speculative fiction'. Its urban fantasy, and calling it anything else is just silly and pretentious.
Kraken is, as stated, an urban fantasy novel featuring a fairly bumbling everyman (Billy)evolving into his powers and role as a savior of sorts over the course of a story involving stolen giant squid, museums, multiple religions and apocalypses, and a cast of characters who like our main character are not necessarily detailed and deep enough to really identify with deeply.
Structurally, its a bit of a mess, and while the language is interesting and something I adjusted to eventually, its bit off the wall and in places incomplete feeling (especially where dialogue is concerned). A large number of characters speak a bit like hard drug addicts I've known over the years, with a patois and pattern of speech that seems to assume everyone hearing them is in the know about what their parlance or at least should be. And maybe that's the point? Since being aware of the hidden magical side of London makes all of the characters that same sort of niche, ignored population. But at least among the professionals you'd expect a few to depart from that.
Honestly, the most interesting character is one of the secondary ones, Wati, and likely because its where Mievelle really gets to lean into his personal politics. Specifically, labor/union politics. Wati has the most interesting and complete background, and feels the most relatable despite not being a 'person'. I think with a lot of other characters (Goss and Subby spring to mind, as well as several of the other antagonists as well as secondary protagonists like Collingsworth). The structural issues have to do with too many deux-s ex machina (though maybe that's the point given the number of religions in the book) and an absurdist number of plot twists, especially in the final quarter of the book.
There's also a weird 'love interest' of sorts shoe-horned into the last few pages (almost an epilogue, definitely a denouement) that previously had no indications throughout the book that it was a possibility that feels really clumsy and forced.
Did I enjoy the book? Yes. Did I adjust to and even come to enjoy a few of the faults like the language? Sure. Was it even, to an extent, 'fun'. Yeah. But was it 'weird fiction'? Definitely fucking not. Was it the masterpiece of writing I expected from all the hype surrounding Mieville? Also most certainly not. It feels like the same sort of escapist, fun, kind-of-power-fantasy urban fantasy I've casually enjoyed since I was a teenager, with one interesting politically laden (and ultimately unimportant) subplot.
Am I done with Mieville? Probably not. I'll give one or two more books a shot to see if I get a more deft integration of his leftist politics with fantasy/horror, or more of the supposed 'weird' that's supposed to be here (though I take any designation from the Vandermeer's with a grain of salt). Barring that, at least its kind of sophomoric power fantasy fun.
Kraken is, as stated, an urban fantasy novel featuring a fairly bumbling everyman (Billy)evolving into his powers and role as a savior of sorts over the course of a story involving stolen giant squid, museums, multiple religions and apocalypses, and a cast of characters who like our main character are not necessarily detailed and deep enough to really identify with deeply.
Structurally, its a bit of a mess, and while the language is interesting and something I adjusted to eventually, its bit off the wall and in places incomplete feeling (especially where dialogue is concerned). A large number of characters speak a bit like hard drug addicts I've known over the years, with a patois and pattern of speech that seems to assume everyone hearing them is in the know about what their parlance or at least should be. And maybe that's the point? Since being aware of the hidden magical side of London makes all of the characters that same sort of niche, ignored population. But at least among the professionals you'd expect a few to depart from that.
Honestly, the most interesting character is one of the secondary ones, Wati, and likely because its where Mievelle really gets to lean into his personal politics. Specifically, labor/union politics. Wati has the most interesting and complete background, and feels the most relatable despite not being a 'person'. I think with a lot of other characters (Goss and Subby spring to mind, as well as several of the other antagonists as well as secondary protagonists like Collingsworth). The structural issues have to do with too many deux-s ex machina (though maybe that's the point given the number of religions in the book) and an absurdist number of plot twists, especially in the final quarter of the book.
There's also a weird 'love interest' of sorts shoe-horned into the last few pages (almost an epilogue, definitely a denouement) that previously had no indications throughout the book that it was a possibility that feels really clumsy and forced.
Did I enjoy the book? Yes. Did I adjust to and even come to enjoy a few of the faults like the language? Sure. Was it even, to an extent, 'fun'. Yeah. But was it 'weird fiction'? Definitely fucking not. Was it the masterpiece of writing I expected from all the hype surrounding Mieville? Also most certainly not. It feels like the same sort of escapist, fun, kind-of-power-fantasy urban fantasy I've casually enjoyed since I was a teenager, with one interesting politically laden (and ultimately unimportant) subplot.
Am I done with Mieville? Probably not. I'll give one or two more books a shot to see if I get a more deft integration of his leftist politics with fantasy/horror, or more of the supposed 'weird' that's supposed to be here (though I take any designation from the Vandermeer's with a grain of salt). Barring that, at least its kind of sophomoric power fantasy fun.
Shadows at the Door - An Anthology
M. Regan, K.B. Goddard, Helen Grant, Daniel Foytik, Cameron Trost, Pete Alex Harris, Christopher Long, Barney Bodoano, Mark Cassell, Mark Nixon, Kris Holt, Caitlin Marceau, Andrea Janes, J.C. Michael
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
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
First things first, this books is *heavy*. As in physically heavy, especially considering its not monumental 282 pages. High quality, heavy, glossy stock was used for the pages in this hardback volume, which really make the creepy, minimalist black and white pencil or ink style drawings pop. Similar art graces the thick, sturdy dust jacket.
For those unfamiliar, Shadows at the Door is also a horror fiction podcast, and a number of the authors in this volume will be familiar to regular listeners, including the delightful M. Regan ('Deep') who was the initial reason I ordered this anthology beyond the simple desire to help support Shadows at the Door more broadly.
The podcast and anthology curators are British, and self-admittedly lean more towards a British sensibility in the sort of horror/ghost-stories they favor (think 'The Watchman' or the works of M.R. James). I think they've done an excellent job here selecting stories that retain the feel of those classic British ghost stories but coloured by a modern sensibility (Nixon's 'Quem Infra Nos', Holt's 'Black Shuck', Janes 'Nor Gloom of Night'). Though I have it shelved as 'weird fiction', largely because in many cases we have unexplained endings, they feel more like the twist or unexplained endings of those ghost stories of yesteryear or The Twilight Zone than what either purists or the Vandermeers might consider 'The Weird'. Some, like Cameron Trost's 'The Sorrowful Wife' even have what one might consider a happy ending.
For those unfamiliar, Shadows at the Door is also a horror fiction podcast, and a number of the authors in this volume will be familiar to regular listeners, including the delightful M. Regan ('Deep') who was the initial reason I ordered this anthology beyond the simple desire to help support Shadows at the Door more broadly.
The podcast and anthology curators are British, and self-admittedly lean more towards a British sensibility in the sort of horror/ghost-stories they favor (think 'The Watchman' or the works of M.R. James). I think they've done an excellent job here selecting stories that retain the feel of those classic British ghost stories but coloured by a modern sensibility (Nixon's 'Quem Infra Nos', Holt's 'Black Shuck', Janes 'Nor Gloom of Night'). Though I have it shelved as 'weird fiction', largely because in many cases we have unexplained endings, they feel more like the twist or unexplained endings of those ghost stories of yesteryear or The Twilight Zone than what either purists or the Vandermeers might consider 'The Weird'. Some, like Cameron Trost's 'The Sorrowful Wife' even have what one might consider a happy ending.
emotional
informative
slow-paced
Used for a graduate course in gerontology and counseling. This was a pretty comprehensive overview of all phases of the impacts of and planning for death and dying, either personally or secondhand, across most demographic categories. Legal/moral issues, developmental impacts, death practices, dying, and bereavement are all covered in extensive detail. Very readable for the graduate student despite its size and density. Probably best supplemented by specific country/state/municipal regulations regarding these issues as this is taking a broad look rather than a specific regional look.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Given my opinion of the rest of the 'Callista Trilogy', and Barbara Hambly's Star Wars writing, the real question here might be, 'Why did you read this trash?' Maybe its because I'm a completionist, maybe its because I enjoy torturing myself...maybe, like Bantam, the Star Wars tie-in franchise of this era, and Hambly herself, I just can't stop throwing good money after bad. I'm going to try to tease out at least one or two positives here along with all the negative though. However, even the good has some serious flaws.
The Good(ish):
One thing Hambly does well here is the internal monologues of C3pO while he and R2D2 are on their own solo adventures throughout the novel. Though the repeated, and for that matter repetitive in nature, of their mishaps grew tiresome, it was enjoyable to follow them as separately from the rest of the cast of characters as we all know to a degree their perspective was key to the original trilogy ala Hidden Fortress. Getting C3PO's internal thought processes was a good way to flesh this out.
Hambly's writing style and language are also more elevated than what we typically get from a Star Wars novel. Unfortunately, that works to her disadvantage and probably should have been worked on more with her editor. The escapist Space Opera/Scifi/Action-Adventure/Space Fantasy nature of this franchise doesn't work terribly well with the more elevated language she tries to employ and feels shoe-horned and out of place and cumbersome rather than the more intellectual delight it could have been in other genres.
Finally, I know from browsing that Hambly writes a good deal of horror, and while I haven't read any of it I may give it a try as I think she might really shine there. Why, you ask? Well, some of the more horror leaning scenes in the book (primarily those involving Dzym and the drochs, but also Taselda) represent some of the most engaging and interesting writing here. Again, it just doesn't fit very well into the Star Wars 'genre'.
The Bad:
Whew...there's a lot. Some of the weaknesses and flaws in the Good(ish) above already touch on a few of the issues. A lot of the problems can be boiled down to this being an author clearly unfamiliar with universe/franchise in which she is writing. We have a lot of stuff about the Force and Jedi generally that makes absolutely no sense in the context of the broader Star Wars continuity, from them actively engaging with/using negative emotions as drivers for action to even more basic issues how Lightsabers work/behave ('tangling' together?), to Jedi that have simply had their powers degrade(?) over time somehow that goes unexplained yet mysteriously have their powers back when its convenient for the story. We have species represented in totally different ways from the established canon (Ho'Din being 25 meters tall?). You know, just an obvious lack of familiarity with the established universe in which she's working.
Rather than find ways to creatively incorporate Luke (and for that matter Leia's) powers as a Jedi into the ongoing story, we yet again have a lame plot device (the Force works different on this planet? but apparently only for Luke because the evil but somehow not darkside/sith jedi seem to have no problems here?) with scant information rendering him basically powerless.
Despite being a feminist author who frequently gives strong and interesting female characters in her non-franchise work, we similarly have Leia rendered effectively powerless, as well as without agency by being drugged a significant portion of the book. We also somehow have a (still)powerless (and uninteresting) Callista able to teach Leia more about lightsaber combat in one training session than in all the time she has spent with Luke?
As mentioned, we have Callista back, still powerless, and ultimately with no character evolution nor resolution. She's back for maybe the last quarter of the book, since, you know, this book ostensibly is still to a degree about Luke's bizarre search for her, and ultimately, not only do they never speak, they only see each other at a distance once, briefly, and she is (thankfully) never heard from again in the EU. Just as with the first two books of the trilogy, especially since we're well aware of the potential dark side/negative consequences of Jedi embracing love, we have a really out of place and nonsensical love story shoehorned in with no payoff at all.
Speaking of the pointless return of characters...Admiral Daala suddenly re-appears in the final maybe 30 pages of the book. Even though up to that point we have zero reason to believe she would be involved. So, after her second resurrection/miraculous escape from certain, observed, death, she returns with still more Star Destroyers to...save the day? Given how little of the book she appears in, there is VERY thin rationalization for her change of heart, and certainly not accompanying character development one would expect to accompany it. Also, everyone just seems to be willing to forgive her for, you know, mass murder, planned genocide, war crimes, etc. and let her and her forces...settle on a planet to be farmers?
There's also a very brief re-appearance at the Noghri at the very beginning of the book. Which I would have been happy to see, especially as ostensibly part of the point of this book on Hambly's part was Leia coming to terms with her relationship with/to Vader. They could have played an ongoing and interesting part of that character development. However, within a page or two, despite everything we know about their prowess and skills, they are summarily killed and none of their kind show back up.
Its, frankly, a mess. It mostly feels like really lazy writing, combined with someone not really caring to learn anything about the franchise they're working in. The parts that *don't* feel lazy, feel like they were written for an entirely different genre or book.
Skip this, like the rest of the Callista Trilogy. A truly terrible waste of time, that I'm not even sure how it got published.
The Good(ish):
One thing Hambly does well here is the internal monologues of C3pO while he and R2D2 are on their own solo adventures throughout the novel. Though the repeated, and for that matter repetitive in nature, of their mishaps grew tiresome, it was enjoyable to follow them as separately from the rest of the cast of characters as we all know to a degree their perspective was key to the original trilogy ala Hidden Fortress. Getting C3PO's internal thought processes was a good way to flesh this out.
Hambly's writing style and language are also more elevated than what we typically get from a Star Wars novel. Unfortunately, that works to her disadvantage and probably should have been worked on more with her editor. The escapist Space Opera/Scifi/Action-Adventure/Space Fantasy nature of this franchise doesn't work terribly well with the more elevated language she tries to employ and feels shoe-horned and out of place and cumbersome rather than the more intellectual delight it could have been in other genres.
Finally, I know from browsing that Hambly writes a good deal of horror, and while I haven't read any of it I may give it a try as I think she might really shine there. Why, you ask? Well, some of the more horror leaning scenes in the book (primarily those involving Dzym and the drochs, but also Taselda) represent some of the most engaging and interesting writing here. Again, it just doesn't fit very well into the Star Wars 'genre'.
The Bad:
Whew...there's a lot. Some of the weaknesses and flaws in the Good(ish) above already touch on a few of the issues. A lot of the problems can be boiled down to this being an author clearly unfamiliar with universe/franchise in which she is writing. We have a lot of stuff about the Force and Jedi generally that makes absolutely no sense in the context of the broader Star Wars continuity, from them actively engaging with/using negative emotions as drivers for action to even more basic issues how Lightsabers work/behave ('tangling' together?), to Jedi that have simply had their powers degrade(?) over time somehow that goes unexplained yet mysteriously have their powers back when its convenient for the story. We have species represented in totally different ways from the established canon (Ho'Din being 25 meters tall?). You know, just an obvious lack of familiarity with the established universe in which she's working.
Rather than find ways to creatively incorporate Luke (and for that matter Leia's) powers as a Jedi into the ongoing story, we yet again have a lame plot device (the Force works different on this planet? but apparently only for Luke because the evil but somehow not darkside/sith jedi seem to have no problems here?) with scant information rendering him basically powerless.
Despite being a feminist author who frequently gives strong and interesting female characters in her non-franchise work, we similarly have Leia rendered effectively powerless, as well as without agency by being drugged a significant portion of the book. We also somehow have a (still)powerless (and uninteresting) Callista able to teach Leia more about lightsaber combat in one training session than in all the time she has spent with Luke?
As mentioned, we have Callista back, still powerless, and ultimately with no character evolution nor resolution. She's back for maybe the last quarter of the book, since, you know, this book ostensibly is still to a degree about Luke's bizarre search for her, and ultimately, not only do they never speak, they only see each other at a distance once, briefly, and she is (thankfully) never heard from again in the EU. Just as with the first two books of the trilogy, especially since we're well aware of the potential dark side/negative consequences of Jedi embracing love, we have a really out of place and nonsensical love story shoehorned in with no payoff at all.
Speaking of the pointless return of characters...Admiral Daala suddenly re-appears in the final maybe 30 pages of the book. Even though up to that point we have zero reason to believe she would be involved. So, after her second resurrection/miraculous escape from certain, observed, death, she returns with still more Star Destroyers to...save the day? Given how little of the book she appears in, there is VERY thin rationalization for her change of heart, and certainly not accompanying character development one would expect to accompany it. Also, everyone just seems to be willing to forgive her for, you know, mass murder, planned genocide, war crimes, etc. and let her and her forces...settle on a planet to be farmers?
There's also a very brief re-appearance at the Noghri at the very beginning of the book. Which I would have been happy to see, especially as ostensibly part of the point of this book on Hambly's part was Leia coming to terms with her relationship with/to Vader. They could have played an ongoing and interesting part of that character development. However, within a page or two, despite everything we know about their prowess and skills, they are summarily killed and none of their kind show back up.
Its, frankly, a mess. It mostly feels like really lazy writing, combined with someone not really caring to learn anything about the franchise they're working in. The parts that *don't* feel lazy, feel like they were written for an entirely different genre or book.
Skip this, like the rest of the Callista Trilogy. A truly terrible waste of time, that I'm not even sure how it got published.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
An excellent collection of horror, science fiction, and weird fiction from Planet X Publications. It is in the vein of, and certainly going to appeal to fans of, classic Twilight Zone, Night Gallery and Outer Limits both in theme and style. If you loved those creative, one shot, stories by the masters of that era, you'll love these short, creative, mind bending tales from the masters of today.