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jstilts's reviews
53 reviews
Let the Old Dead Make Room for the Young Dead by Milan Kundera
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A short story in every sense: one that takes place in under a day and mostly over a single conversation - and covers 40 small-format pages.
"Let the Old Dead Make Room for the Young Dead" concerns a 35 and 50 year old chancing upon each other after a one-night stand 20 years previously, their sense of self-image, their insecurities and desires - and what they think they need to feel in order to be fulfilled once this stage of their life is over.
The point of view alternates effectively from chapter-to-chapter in this brief but interesting slice 1960s Czechoslovakian encounter.
"Let the Old Dead Make Room for the Young Dead" concerns a 35 and 50 year old chancing upon each other after a one-night stand 20 years previously, their sense of self-image, their insecurities and desires - and what they think they need to feel in order to be fulfilled once this stage of their life is over.
The point of view alternates effectively from chapter-to-chapter in this brief but interesting slice 1960s Czechoslovakian encounter.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Body shaming
Minor: Grief
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I didn't know what genre this book was, and I really highly recommend going into this thoughtful, funny, slightly unhinged book without even reading the back cover - nor in fact any more of my review!
The book follows Duszejko - an elderly Polish lady - living remotely enough that in winter she only has two neighbours, and makes an income from keeping watch on and maintaining the houses of those that can't stand to live there in the colder seasons. She spends her time looking after the local wildlife, railing against hunters and poachers, translating Blake into Polish, and researching the horoscope in all sorts of unusual ways.
One morning one of her two neighbours discovers the other dead, and as they tend to the corpse Duszejko becomes convinced he was murdered by the very animals he hunted.
This surprising book reads almost as a stream-of-conciousness from a narrator that is not so much unreliable as mildly out of touch with reality.
Her worldview is disarmingly cosy and endearing, sometimes heartbreaking, and it's so wonderful to follow her unusual trains of thought - not just of her life but the very mechanics of existence itself - that it's easy to forget that Duszejko's state of mind is probably unhealthy, especially as she rarely if ever seems to be in anything approaching peril.
At once both relaxing and compelling, I honestly didn't want this book to end - but the terrible truths being laid out were done so with such verve it had me laughing in glee at the audaciousness of the author.
Highly recommended!
The book follows Duszejko - an elderly Polish lady - living remotely enough that in winter she only has two neighbours, and makes an income from keeping watch on and maintaining the houses of those that can't stand to live there in the colder seasons. She spends her time looking after the local wildlife, railing against hunters and poachers, translating Blake into Polish, and researching the horoscope in all sorts of unusual ways.
One morning one of her two neighbours discovers the other dead, and as they tend to the corpse Duszejko becomes convinced he was murdered by the very animals he hunted.
This surprising book reads almost as a stream-of-conciousness from a narrator that is not so much unreliable as mildly out of touch with reality.
Her worldview is disarmingly cosy and endearing, sometimes heartbreaking, and it's so wonderful to follow her unusual trains of thought - not just of her life but the very mechanics of existence itself - that it's easy to forget that Duszejko's state of mind is probably unhealthy, especially as she rarely if ever seems to be in anything approaching peril.
At once both relaxing and compelling, I honestly didn't want this book to end - but the terrible truths being laid out were done so with such verve it had me laughing in glee at the audaciousness of the author.
Highly recommended!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia, Grief, Murder, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Misogyny, Animal death, and Death
The Cheater's Guide to Love by Junot Díaz
emotional
funny
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A short story that goes at a rattling pace - I don't usually like to read anything of any length in one sitting, but the writing style absolutely demands you don't stop.
Set in Boston and the Dominican Republic, every chapter covers a year from the end of Yunior's long term relationship. While it's absolutely his fault (he cheated with fifty women over six years!) and while his attitude to women is pretty awful, you can't help hoping he will pull out of the spiralling social life, physical health and mental health whirlpool that is almost entirely of his own creation.
Full of strong language and bad attitudes, this is a fun fast-paced read.
Set in Boston and the Dominican Republic, every chapter covers a year from the end of Yunior's long term relationship. While it's absolutely his fault (he cheated with fifty women over six years!) and while his attitude to women is pretty awful, you can't help hoping he will pull out of the spiralling social life, physical health and mental health whirlpool that is almost entirely of his own creation.
Full of strong language and bad attitudes, this is a fun fast-paced read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexism, Pregnancy, and Sexual content
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Toxic relationship
Shanti by Vikram Chandra
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Beautiful and absorbing, strange and lovely - stories within stories that are sometimes straightforward, sometimes extraordinary.
Less than a hundred pages long (shorter if this book was a standard shape) but written so that I feel I've experienced the world of a fully fleshed out novel.
Less than a hundred pages long (shorter if this book was a standard shape) but written so that I feel I've experienced the world of a fully fleshed out novel.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror and War
Minor: Grief
Sherlock Holmes - The Vanishing Man by Philip Purser-Hallard
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Another rare good entry in Titan books' "The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" series that presents a rather good "locked room" mystery where a scientific study into the supernatural sees a man vanish from a locked observation room in front of several witnesses in order to claim thousands of pounds in prize money for the feat.
Holmes is tasked with scientifcally deducing how the deed was done and locating the vanished man, which neatly side-steps Titan's apparent remit to hobble Holmes' scientific world with pointlesly unsolvable supernatural plots - much to my satisfaction!
While I can boast I saw broadly how the locked room problem was achieved from the outset (and I'm proud to say by whom), the mystery deepens as an accomplice is clearly required but hard to pin down from the list of suspects - and eventually a shocking murder is committed, with seemingly impossible forensic results regarding the time of death.
Well written and frequently funny, the chapters are also thoughtfully interspersed with newspaper cuttings, bits of novels and so-forth to add context and flavour to events and characters, occasionally misleading in interesting ways as it is read, the conceit being Holmes has gathered these together for Watson years after the fact to assist with his writing of the adventure. There's even a map and a schedule of observers on duty to refer back to as the plot unfolds, the sort of thing I love when Agatha Christie does it.
Not the most thrilling Holmes ever written, but satisfying and funny - a very enjoyable read.
Holmes is tasked with scientifcally deducing how the deed was done and locating the vanished man, which neatly side-steps Titan's apparent remit to hobble Holmes' scientific world with pointlesly unsolvable supernatural plots - much to my satisfaction!
While I can boast I saw broadly how the locked room problem was achieved from the outset (and I'm proud to say by whom), the mystery deepens as an accomplice is clearly required but hard to pin down from the list of suspects - and eventually a shocking murder is committed, with seemingly impossible forensic results regarding the time of death.
Well written and frequently funny, the chapters are also thoughtfully interspersed with newspaper cuttings, bits of novels and so-forth to add context and flavour to events and characters, occasionally misleading in interesting ways as it is read, the conceit being Holmes has gathered these together for Watson years after the fact to assist with his writing of the adventure. There's even a map and a schedule of observers on duty to refer back to as the plot unfolds, the sort of thing I love when Agatha Christie does it.
Not the most thrilling Holmes ever written, but satisfying and funny - a very enjoyable read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Gore
Dead Space by Ben Templesmith, Antony Johnston
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Grim, dark and a little nasty - but all beats this graphic novel is aiming for in both the story and the art style. At first glance (especially given some of the cover art) Dead Space appears to be Zombies-In-Space, but that's really not what is going on here - it's more a tale of mass hysteria.
I won't spoil the plot - which it carefully reveals piece by piece - but Dead Space follows a mining colony that uncovers an artifact on a distant world that strangely resembles objects of religious significance to many, and appears to have a dangerous affect on everyone's state of mind. It's a little unsettling, and has plenty of gory moments.
The art style suits the story very well, and adds an extra layer of unsettling animalistic tension as - even before things get weird - everyone is drawn with long tall gumless teeth, talon-like fingers, lumpy or gristle-like features and everything and everyone is watercoloured with a grimy wash. There's probably a name for this art style, and while it sounds like I'm criticising it I'm not - it's very effective.
While this isn't quite my sort of thing, I recommend it to anyone looking for a bit of nihilistic space opera to change things up a bit - but you may want to read it during daylight hours!
I won't spoil the plot - which it carefully reveals piece by piece - but Dead Space follows a mining colony that uncovers an artifact on a distant world that strangely resembles objects of religious significance to many, and appears to have a dangerous affect on everyone's state of mind. It's a little unsettling, and has plenty of gory moments.
The art style suits the story very well, and adds an extra layer of unsettling animalistic tension as - even before things get weird - everyone is drawn with long tall gumless teeth, talon-like fingers, lumpy or gristle-like features and everything and everyone is watercoloured with a grimy wash. There's probably a name for this art style, and while it sounds like I'm criticising it I'm not - it's very effective.
While this isn't quite my sort of thing, I recommend it to anyone looking for a bit of nihilistic space opera to change things up a bit - but you may want to read it during daylight hours!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Body horror, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Confinement, Pandemic/Epidemic, Police brutality, and Panic attacks/disorders
science fiction, infection,gore, religion,mass hysteria
Mostly Hero by Anna Burns
Did not finish book. Stopped at 14%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 14%.
Written as an almost stream-of-consciousness from the third-person-perspective of the narrator, this conceit doesn't bring the book any life or novelty as it seems to be deliberately charting a childish simple supervillain-noir tale with no interesting characters, ideas, themes nor even some kind of direction to a plot.
Only 18 pages in and it's too tiresome to continue this not short enough short story - I peeked ahead and it seems to carry on in this tedious fashion throughout. No idea who the audience is for this book, but I'm not among them.
Only 18 pages in and it's too tiresome to continue this not short enough short story - I peeked ahead and it seems to carry on in this tedious fashion throughout. No idea who the audience is for this book, but I'm not among them.
The Strange Taste of Metal by K.A. Burgess, K.A. Burgess
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Full disclosure: I picked up this book because the cover caught my eye, then the title intrigued me, then I realised I know the author!
It's labelled as Book One, but the story is completely self-contained with a satisfying ending, although I will be very happy to read more about these characters in the future.
"A Strange Taste of Metal" begins on Mars where people have been living there long enough that it's shifting from being purely an Industrial Port to include a tourist economy. Once we've nicely settled into this relatively grounded environment, met most of the characters and set up some intrigues, the plot takes us and them to explore a distant and almost unexplored world bursting with unique alien life. This part of the book - which makes up the bulk of the novel - is a tale of exploration and survival as we unlock the mysteries of this world and this crew, and what it means for Mars, Earth and the rest of the populated solar system. While this sounds more of a fantastical sci-fi it's themes of scientific survey and survival keep it well grounded and relatable. The final (quarter, maybe?) of the book veers into hard sci-fi that also makes for a good upping of the tension, but I would also have happily stayed stuck on the new planet, although I doubt the crew would agree!
I had great fun reading this book - quickly immersed and invested in the world and the characters, fooled by some of the twists, and worried when I realised I was nearing the end that it was all going to be over. Looking back, while the book certainly feels very satisfyingly complete I can see a few dangling threads that the next book could pick up on - and I very much look forward to that happening.
It's labelled as Book One, but the story is completely self-contained with a satisfying ending, although I will be very happy to read more about these characters in the future.
"A Strange Taste of Metal" begins on Mars where people have been living there long enough that it's shifting from being purely an Industrial Port to include a tourist economy. Once we've nicely settled into this relatively grounded environment, met most of the characters and set up some intrigues, the plot takes us and them to explore a distant and almost unexplored world bursting with unique alien life. This part of the book - which makes up the bulk of the novel - is a tale of exploration and survival as we unlock the mysteries of this world and this crew, and what it means for Mars, Earth and the rest of the populated solar system. While this sounds more of a fantastical sci-fi it's themes of scientific survey and survival keep it well grounded and relatable. The final (quarter, maybe?) of the book veers into hard sci-fi that also makes for a good upping of the tension, but I would also have happily stayed stuck on the new planet, although I doubt the crew would agree!
I had great fun reading this book - quickly immersed and invested in the world and the characters, fooled by some of the twists, and worried when I realised I was nearing the end that it was all going to be over. Looking back, while the book certainly feels very satisfyingly complete I can see a few dangling threads that the next book could pick up on - and I very much look forward to that happening.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Medical content
Minor: Gore, Grief, Infertility, and Confinement
Intruders by Adrian Tomine
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A very short graphic novel - you can take your time and read it in 15 minutes - but also the perfect length. "Intruders" follows a soldier between tours of duty who no longer feels welcome living at his sister's house, but by chance soon finds himself with access to what was once his marital home, now populated by strangers.
On paper his next actions appear psychotic, but watching events unfold through his eyes and with his narrative it almost seems inevitable. A touching and tense tale.
The minimal art style and narration is very effective, and the decision to put only a single panel on each page of this small volume is essential to the pacing of this perfectly formed short story.
On paper his next actions appear psychotic, but watching events unfold through his eyes and with his narrative it almost seems inevitable. A touching and tense tale.
The minimal art style and narration is very effective, and the decision to put only a single panel on each page of this small volume is essential to the pacing of this perfectly formed short story.
The Storm of Echoes by Christelle Dabos
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A satisfying conclusion to the series, but it's not just a wrapping-up of plots: The Storm of Echoes puts Ophelia through more hardships as she explores and suffers through yet another institution in this strange world. As much as Books 1 and 2 felt like a pair, Book 3 and 4 do much the same, elevating the third book somewhat.
There are interesting and sometimes distressing themes introduced, including the deportation of refugees and minorities, forced institutionalisation and medical experimentation - all new to this book, which for a final is very welcome.
As for the ending, it kept me on my toes right to the very finish - I've not read much fantasy for a very long time, and while I think this pretty much played to it's own rules there was a lot introduced in the final half of this book, so I can't honestly say I feel completely happy there was a through-line from the first to the last book... and looking back there are perhaps a few rather convenient coincidences along the way. Still, I highly recommend the series as a whole!
There are interesting and sometimes distressing themes introduced, including the deportation of refugees and minorities, forced institutionalisation and medical experimentation - all new to this book, which for a final is very welcome.
As for the ending, it kept me on my toes right to the very finish - I've not read much fantasy for a very long time, and while I think this pretty much played to it's own rules there was a lot introduced in the final half of this book, so I can't honestly say I feel completely happy there was a through-line from the first to the last book... and looking back there are perhaps a few rather convenient coincidences along the way. Still, I highly recommend the series as a whole!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Deportation, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Body horror, Dysphoria, Infertility, Ableism, Murder, and Death
Minor: Terminal illness