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990 reviews
Muscle by John Davies
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
This novella is lean and mean. Neat and tidy. Problem, solution, rising tension and an ending like a punch to the gut. Damn effective.
Frankie is just one of those characters that absolutely would choose the old-school one-on-one fight to settle matters. As a reader, you’re planted right into his mind to recognize and witness his strength, his wishes and his fears. And it is definitely so that with age comes wisdom, and with wisdom amplify the fears. But Frankie does what has to be done. There is his standing and status on the line, and everything rides on that – it’s a pride thing. Yes, it’s a bit primal, but look, whilst we may walk on two legs, we’re not far from the rest of animal kingdom in that sense.
No offense to men, but they’re pretty simply creatures. Hardly ever do they complicate things. Men say something once, only ever give them a solution if they ask for it, otherwise you’re a sounding board, and just let them at it. They’ve got this. They’ll solve shit their own way. So, the relationship Frankie has with Chloe is like a textbook scenario. Frankie wants to not make Chloe worry, whilst at the same time hiding his fears and shame because as a man he’s surely not meant to show any sign of weakness. Chloe takes Frankie’s aloofness as a sign of no longer being wanted, and perhaps even being cheated on.
So, yeah, there’s quite the bit of human condition in this short and punchy novella, on a personal level as well as within a relationship dynamic. Damn well delivered to the page, too.
As to the other aspect of this story – the gangster, the fight – let me put it this way: it’s on a perfect balance with Frankie’s headspace musings. In this novella, Frankie’s state of mind can’t happen without the external conflict. Probably the best thing about reading this novella is that it doesn’t stretch belief. It could easily be a a crime report, you know.
Make no mistake, this novella is male, through and through. So, roll your shoulders, take a deep breath, and dive in. It does stay in your head for a while. At least, it has been lingering in my head for a while. I think it’s that damn ending.
Anyway, get this, it’s a super fast read and it pairs well late at night with a cold bottle of beer.
Frankie is just one of those characters that absolutely would choose the old-school one-on-one fight to settle matters. As a reader, you’re planted right into his mind to recognize and witness his strength, his wishes and his fears. And it is definitely so that with age comes wisdom, and with wisdom amplify the fears. But Frankie does what has to be done. There is his standing and status on the line, and everything rides on that – it’s a pride thing. Yes, it’s a bit primal, but look, whilst we may walk on two legs, we’re not far from the rest of animal kingdom in that sense.
No offense to men, but they’re pretty simply creatures. Hardly ever do they complicate things. Men say something once, only ever give them a solution if they ask for it, otherwise you’re a sounding board, and just let them at it. They’ve got this. They’ll solve shit their own way. So, the relationship Frankie has with Chloe is like a textbook scenario. Frankie wants to not make Chloe worry, whilst at the same time hiding his fears and shame because as a man he’s surely not meant to show any sign of weakness. Chloe takes Frankie’s aloofness as a sign of no longer being wanted, and perhaps even being cheated on.
So, yeah, there’s quite the bit of human condition in this short and punchy novella, on a personal level as well as within a relationship dynamic. Damn well delivered to the page, too.
As to the other aspect of this story – the gangster, the fight – let me put it this way: it’s on a perfect balance with Frankie’s headspace musings. In this novella, Frankie’s state of mind can’t happen without the external conflict. Probably the best thing about reading this novella is that it doesn’t stretch belief. It could easily be a a crime report, you know.
Make no mistake, this novella is male, through and through. So, roll your shoulders, take a deep breath, and dive in. It does stay in your head for a while. At least, it has been lingering in my head for a while. I think it’s that damn ending.
Anyway, get this, it’s a super fast read and it pairs well late at night with a cold bottle of beer.
Au kolhoosikorrale! by Andrus Kasemaa
funny
lighthearted
reflective
3.0
Tekitas kahetisi tundeid. Kohati ajas korralikult itsitama, siis oli selline väljakutset esitav (mis oli hea) ja seejärel veidi, mhh, nurgeline. Nagu kildudest kokku pandud tervik. Väärib lugemist küll.
When I Look At The Sky, All I See Are Stars by Steve Stred
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.0
When I Look At The Sky, All I See Are Stars has a multitude of cool things to it. The title and book cover are top notch, and the reason this book caught my eye. The next cool thing hit me when I started reading – the Reader Beware page at the very start. That?! Ohhh. That page markets the book all on its own, believe me.
As you gathered from the blurb, we have David at a mental health facility where doctors are trying to determine his diagnosis to properly treat him. There are multiple interviews being conducted with him by doctor Rachel Hoggendorf, and when things get weird and the unbelievable is tabled at the facility’s board meeting (which includes a couple of priests) to discuss next steps for David, doctor Darryl Dravendash is tasked with working alongside Rachel.
Now, if someone told you they were possessed by a 400-year-old demon, you would have a hard time believing it. But if you did believe it, would *you* not think that this demon comes with some sort of perks? 400 years is a long time, and clearly, they have some powers if they’re actually hanging about in someone’s meatsack. I would expect a wealth of knowledge, a great source of wisdom, minds being blown at all the things we don’t know about the past and might get to know about the future.
Alas, in this book, the demon has hooves and it takes great joy in 2 things. Priest-killing and orgies.
So, yeah, it does not take long for things to get weird and chaotic. In fact, the book’s structure plays a big role in throwing the reader through loops. Poor possessed David addresses the demon more than the doctors, and within each chapter, it takes a little second to know exactly who is talking. Weirdly, there weren’t like multiple POVs or anything but there were some timeline jumps and before/afters. I don’t mind the chaotic structure, personally. Sometimes it adds to the whole atmosphere of the book, as was also the case with When I Look At The Sky, All I See Are Stars.
I don’t know what I expected from this book based on the blurb, but I guess, in a sense, I can say I was surprised. I surely did not expect the full on satanic take to this story, definitely did not expect an entity with hooves, even though it’s promised in the blurb. If anything, I feel this novella is more of a tease. It’s a glimpse of a whole chonk of a horror story of cosmic powers and land of ash and orgies. As this title stands, it only scrapes the surface, yet it has left me with thoughts swirling in my head. I’m still thinking about it… It also remained unclear whether the characters are allowing the possession to happen (due to their ambitions) or whether they are taken against their will.
At 130 ebook pages, I feel like it didn’t get to the depths I would have liked – there’s so much potential to keep the doom and gloom going. So many avenues to explore. I would have loved more of the cosmic feel and motivations of the greater power. Does the story imply that everything beyond this life is shrouded in darkness? Does it suggest that even if we think some greater power will deliver greatness, there’s actually nothing once you step over a threshold.. Nothing else, but some ash, starry darkness, and deep orifice exploration? Essentially, though, I think the moral of the story is that if you want a lot, if your ambitions are great, you will likely sell your soul to the devil to get them, except in reality you end up losing it all. Bar the orgies. Yes, I keep coming back to the orgies. There are a few very graphic scenes occurred of all sorts of orifices being filled with genitalia. Sadly, I am beginning to think that sinful sexual acts are all that drive humanity forward and orgies will always be the endgame. You may make a pact with the devil to get rich and powerful, but the payment will always be in the naked. That’s all that the sins and ambitions boil down to. Sigh.
Generally, I prefer my horror to be slightly more personal, and I don’t mean orgies-personal. A bit of emotional foreplay, say, before the slashing and the bodily fluids start. I didn’t quite feel the presence of the characters as strongly – they were mostly just play-things here (which is sort of suitable as they are possessed, afterall). We simply didn’t have time or the page count to really get stuck into the nitty-grittys. But anyway, that’s okay, too. That may have been the goal here. Also, this is purely a personal preference. Some folks do not like the focus on the characters as much, they want the plot to deliver the oomph. I mean, with horror, who cares, most of them usually die anyway, right?!
The ending of this story can be translated into multiple meanings. But the general ‘after’ – who knows?! The opportunities are as many as there are stars in the sky, or grey flakes in the land of ash. It’s either the bleakest scenario, or the best outcome. Depending on the reader’s personal point of view on matters of religious, spiritual, and life experience. But boy, I sure do hope these real life interactions Stred made with people in the world of cults are okay.
Anyway, this is my first Steve Stred book, and I am curious for more. If you have read Steve Stred, do let me know which book of his I should read next!
As you gathered from the blurb, we have David at a mental health facility where doctors are trying to determine his diagnosis to properly treat him. There are multiple interviews being conducted with him by doctor Rachel Hoggendorf, and when things get weird and the unbelievable is tabled at the facility’s board meeting (which includes a couple of priests) to discuss next steps for David, doctor Darryl Dravendash is tasked with working alongside Rachel.
Now, if someone told you they were possessed by a 400-year-old demon, you would have a hard time believing it. But if you did believe it, would *you* not think that this demon comes with some sort of perks? 400 years is a long time, and clearly, they have some powers if they’re actually hanging about in someone’s meatsack. I would expect a wealth of knowledge, a great source of wisdom, minds being blown at all the things we don’t know about the past and might get to know about the future.
Alas, in this book, the demon has hooves and it takes great joy in 2 things. Priest-killing and orgies.
So, yeah, it does not take long for things to get weird and chaotic. In fact, the book’s structure plays a big role in throwing the reader through loops. Poor possessed David addresses the demon more than the doctors, and within each chapter, it takes a little second to know exactly who is talking. Weirdly, there weren’t like multiple POVs or anything but there were some timeline jumps and before/afters. I don’t mind the chaotic structure, personally. Sometimes it adds to the whole atmosphere of the book, as was also the case with When I Look At The Sky, All I See Are Stars.
I don’t know what I expected from this book based on the blurb, but I guess, in a sense, I can say I was surprised. I surely did not expect the full on satanic take to this story, definitely did not expect an entity with hooves, even though it’s promised in the blurb. If anything, I feel this novella is more of a tease. It’s a glimpse of a whole chonk of a horror story of cosmic powers and land of ash and orgies. As this title stands, it only scrapes the surface, yet it has left me with thoughts swirling in my head. I’m still thinking about it… It also remained unclear whether the characters are allowing the possession to happen (due to their ambitions) or whether they are taken against their will.
At 130 ebook pages, I feel like it didn’t get to the depths I would have liked – there’s so much potential to keep the doom and gloom going. So many avenues to explore. I would have loved more of the cosmic feel and motivations of the greater power. Does the story imply that everything beyond this life is shrouded in darkness? Does it suggest that even if we think some greater power will deliver greatness, there’s actually nothing once you step over a threshold.. Nothing else, but some ash, starry darkness, and deep orifice exploration? Essentially, though, I think the moral of the story is that if you want a lot, if your ambitions are great, you will likely sell your soul to the devil to get them, except in reality you end up losing it all. Bar the orgies. Yes, I keep coming back to the orgies. There are a few very graphic scenes occurred of all sorts of orifices being filled with genitalia. Sadly, I am beginning to think that sinful sexual acts are all that drive humanity forward and orgies will always be the endgame. You may make a pact with the devil to get rich and powerful, but the payment will always be in the naked. That’s all that the sins and ambitions boil down to. Sigh.
Generally, I prefer my horror to be slightly more personal, and I don’t mean orgies-personal. A bit of emotional foreplay, say, before the slashing and the bodily fluids start. I didn’t quite feel the presence of the characters as strongly – they were mostly just play-things here (which is sort of suitable as they are possessed, afterall). We simply didn’t have time or the page count to really get stuck into the nitty-grittys. But anyway, that’s okay, too. That may have been the goal here. Also, this is purely a personal preference. Some folks do not like the focus on the characters as much, they want the plot to deliver the oomph. I mean, with horror, who cares, most of them usually die anyway, right?!
The ending of this story can be translated into multiple meanings. But the general ‘after’ – who knows?! The opportunities are as many as there are stars in the sky, or grey flakes in the land of ash. It’s either the bleakest scenario, or the best outcome. Depending on the reader’s personal point of view on matters of religious, spiritual, and life experience. But boy, I sure do hope these real life interactions Stred made with people in the world of cults are okay.
Anyway, this is my first Steve Stred book, and I am curious for more. If you have read Steve Stred, do let me know which book of his I should read next!
Trollgrave by Alex S. Bradshaw
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Trollgrave… The most Norse of the Norse-inspired books that I’ve ever read, that is for damn sure!
It starts as something simple. A look at god-speaker Alvir’s life as a wandering healer, his troubles, his regrets, his work. But when Alvir accepts a request to go and check on another god-speaker, what he finds changes everything – himself, his beliefs and the world as he knows it.
There are some interesting conflicts in the book, both between the enemy and the people, the people amongst themselves, and additionally, the main character Alvir brings to the table not one but two difficult internal conflicts. Driven by his faith in Gods – and believe you me, Alvir’s faith is incredibly strong, indeed – I thought his personality tiptoes on the border of being very close to unreasonable with some things. I felt like we weren’t far off blatant prejudice. That’s one of the things that was well done about this story – the personal convictions of all characters were so full on strong, but as the story progressed and fate, or Gods, sent the most difficult of obstacles Alvir’s way, I became to realize that even if he is blessed by the gods and able to wield magic, he’s still human. Alvir displayed a lot of conflicting emotions and he felt rather lost, albeit with a strong purpose. I do enjoy a character who is a step beyond cookie-cutter.
Once the plot of the book explodes into epic proportions, there is no escape from the story. You’re in it for the long haul. There are twists and unexpected enemies, as well as multiple battle scenes worthy to be blown up on a big TV screen. Which brings me to the writing.
My goodness, Bradshaw can deliver. The detailed descriptions in this book? Wow. Trollgrave took me right into the time and place. It’s all pine needles, moss, fern, and mushrooms. It’s God-speakers and Windborn, and rune-magic, it’s trolls and spirits and the very nature.
Overall, admitting that whilst the pace was on the slow side for my tastes, Bradshaw really made up for it with his skill to deliver atmosphere. Particular favourites of mine were, as you can tell by the quote I chose, the forest scenes and the rune-weaving magical scenes. To die for! *chef’s kiss*
Get yourself immersed in this magical adventure with high stakes, for in the end it will all be oh, so worth it!
A Hot Dose of Hell by Steve Stark
challenging
dark
funny
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
Jesus wept… I mean, one never picks up a splatterpunk horror and expects to laugh, but for all intents and purposes, I did laugh. Not like a ha-ha-ha embarrassed chuckle, but I full on cackled! Stark delivers some stellar characters, personalities and witty dialogue. Where appropriate.
But… leaving the gore-fest and fun aside… Things are quite serious, as Stark has taken 2 completely opposite sides of society and portrayed the glaringly obvious and realistic rift in between them. As far as horror fiction goes, there is quite a bit of realistic mirror images of society reflected back from the pages. Equally as grim and sad as it is deluded and cruel. Stark doesn’t shy away from taking the gist of each problem in society and delivering it like a fist to the face. Homelessness, drug abuse, prostitution, children in care… Politics, social media, propaganda, profits… The utter hypocrisy of the world. Always the us versus them.
A Hot Dose of Hell is a 260 page controversy-fueled epic apocalypse! It has everything one can expect from a book 100% of the population will take offense to. Half of said population for half of the book, and without missing a beat, Stark delivers a blow to the other half, for he does not discriminate, we all get our fair share of pain from this read. My most painful moment was delivered by dialogue of appreciation for a cover of Enter Sandman by Metallica, taking place in a hipster bar. What can I say, the book’s a balanced act.
I appreciated the fact that the story takes time to set the scene and we get a quick understanding of our characters and their motivations. Once this is done, you’re hit with: “I wonder who, if anyone, will make it out alive from this?!” So, make no mistake, a total zombie-infested gore-fest it may be, but it is a story with meat on its bones.
Oh, and Stark, if you’re reading this? Screw you, Mister! I’ll never look at doorknobs the same way ever again!
A Rival Most Vial by R.K. Ashwick
adventurous
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
A Rival Most Vial – the book I was looking the LEAST forward to in SPFBO9. I groaned when I saw this fantasy romance make a finalist because please don’t make me sit through some fluffy feelings, I beg! And there better not be a love potion, grumble-grumble.
And well, I joked about it to the team, that if I did end up liking it, I would have to ‘man up’ and admit it. So here I am, admitting the fact that I LOVED this book so hard! It was cute, fun, the right amount of quirky, and not over-the-top graphic with the intimate scenes. It was perfectly balanced, like Ambrose’s potions!
A Rival Most Vial is an ‘opposites attract’ kind of story. I wouldn’t say it’s ‘enemies to lovers’ because I wouldn’t call the opposing sides of a healthy business rivalry enemies. Besides, Eli really doesn’t have it in him to hate anyone, I think. He has a very warm, open personality, he is bubbly and one of those people that just adventure through life, restlessly, day at a time, only planning for a short time and hoping they’ll make it. Ambrose, on the other hand, is exactly the kind of eagle-eyed perfectionist that can drive a non-perfectionist simple in the head. Ambrose is the opposite of fun. He does not allow himself to feel joy.
Ambrose and Eli both have quite the development arc during this story. Their respective ‘figuring it out’ moments were one of the reasons I loved this book. It was so pleasantly human. We all have internal conflicts that hold us back from any number of things and to witness both Ambrose and Eli having to take a hard look at their ‘default settings’ to then make a step towards an improvement added that layer of emotional depth for me.
In addition to the main plot and main characters, there were two things that made this book an absolute joy to read… The writing and the setting.
Sometimes it happens that the idea in a book is good, but I just seem to stumble over words to get to the end. It’s like skipping along a riverbank on rocks of different sizes. Enjoyable and fun, but oh, so much work. A Rival Most Vial was a smooth sandy beach as far as the eye can see. When reading simply happens automatically, because the connection in between the words, your eyes and your brain is seamless. I don’t know how else to describe it. A Rival Most Vial is a polished piece of work, and it deserves the acknowledgement. It also deserves to be one of the SPFBO9 finalists!
Regarding the setting, I adored the atmosphere in this book. The secondary set of characters is made up of merchants, each as unique as you can imagine. If I was to describe the feeling I got from the wholesome friendships on the ‘shopping street’ then I would compare it to the camaraderie one can feel in A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers. The warm feeling of found family and lifelong friends. And when this emotion is done well, there truly is no need for anything overly dramatic to happen. Someone doesn’t have to die a death, someone doesn’t have to be sacrificed, someone doesn’t have to escape mercenaries or save a country from war… None of that awful, grim stuff. Sometimes there is beauty in simplicity. For me, A Rival Most Vial is a ‘stop and smell the roses’ kind of read, and it is purely about people – human and non-human. The glorious synchronicity of living together in a close-knit community, helping each other, celebrating each other’s successes, and helping each other in difficult times. I would recommend this for anyone looking for a book to take them away from the harsh realities, because A Rival Most Vial will wrap you in a comfy hug and make you smile.
Oh! PS! I LOVED the chapter headings! Brilliant little touch that made the essence of this book complete.
PPS! There’s no love potion! Yay!
Daughter of the Beast by E.C. Greaves
adventurous
dark
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Not only did E.C. Greaves undertake a huge risk writing a coming-of-age story from a female perspective, he also twisted the common conception that females are naturally caring, soft and harmless by default by making the Vulkari, the savage raiders, the ruling gender of the Vulkari, females. Vulkari come off the page as dog-like beings. Scraggy, shaggy kind of mutts who are rowdy, loud, murderous and cruel. Females are the ones that go raiding, the ones that live on the road, covered in dirt. This was a clever idea by Greaves. It challenges how we generally tend to see the female sex and their role in society at large.
Zyntael Fairwinter is a young girl at the start of the story, and she gets taken by the very Vulkari. At the start of her capture, she suffers from terrible abuse from the Vulkari leader and slowly, Zyntael finds that she is becoming one of them, one of the sisters, fighting and raiding with them, living their life with the traditions they hold. This could be reaching, unbelievable, hard to accept. But, when I think back to how Zyntael herself was portrayed to act towards her childhood friend, a boy, I think she had a bit of a mean streak in her all her life. A tiny mean streak. But every spark can be turned into an inferno when given the right amount of oxygen. I wonder if her tiny mean streak helped her adapt to the life on the road with the Vulkari, to overcome the ill-treatment, to live like them, to become a warrior. Or, it’s possible the motivations behind our main character actions are more psychological, in which case an additional layer of depth can be applied to the novel.
The plot of Daughter of the Beast is a good introduction, a solid start to a trilogy. It has set the scene, it has firmly solidified the various pieces in the game and sets up the reader to expect big things from the sequel. That said, there was also something big enough happening in this volume – because the Vulkari leader also had a vision, and Zyntael found herself a pawn in the midst. I am very curious to find out how this trilogy continues.
Greaves writes impressive descriptions. But I expected nothing less, because people who are talented with art, can somehow transfer their creativity with words, too. In that sense, I found the book enjoyable to read. In summary, Daughter of the Beast is a rather unique tale and it had plenty of action to keep me engaged. Most importantly, I think the story will only keep getting stronger and I intend to continue with the trilogy.
The Pariah by Anthony Ryan
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.75
I do have to commend myself for having clearly very good taste in books because this, around 600 pages baby, was time incredibly well spent.
Anthony Ryan has it. The ’it’ in storytelling skills that effortlessly delivers a chonk of a story in SO MANY words and all of it SO GOOD.
As is my wont, I rarely revisit the blurb once I have acquired a book. I know I own a title because something about it caught my eye, and it may be months, in some cases years, before I actually read the story. This is the case with The Pariah – I got the book a couple of years ago and before I finally sat down to read it a few days ago, I didn’t bother with the blurb. Boy, was I not prepared for the full blown adventures I was thrown into.
Main theme? I guess, I could say that it is heavily surrounded by faith. Every character in this book is in one way or another impacted by the religious aspect. Some sort of god(s) and their Earthly Martyrs, and something else otherworldly besides. At this point I have to say that The Pariah has a very good tease with a certain book in the story and a Sack Witch; and Ryan knows full well that he has captured the attention of all who have entered into this trilogy. We all want the details, we will continue reading.
But on to our main character, Alwyn Scribe. This book is Alwyn’s recollection of events. It’s a history book, sort of. A journal of his, containing all of the events he found himself in the midst of, and all of the people his paths crossed with. But, before Alwyn was a scribe, he was an outlaw… an outcast… an unwanted… a pariah. But interestingly, what Alwyn also is, is an optimistic and curious mind. I found it so refreshing to follow his thought trails – he almost approached all of the obstacles with finding some new avenue to pursue. And the outlaw wisdom this story holds is incredible… Ryan has created a character that will subtly show you his ways and demonstrate just how well he reads other people without outright saying so.
The Pariah is both a plot and character-driven story. It is vast! It will take you to forests, to new lands and towns as well as on multiple journeys to danger. It will take you to imprisonment and freedom, all at once. There is undoubtedly a strong character development arc for our main character Alwyn, who through unimaginable and yet genius plot twists, goes from a simple, albeit very observant, outlaw to a standing as high as a knight. It is the adversity that Alwyn faces at all times and how he deals with it, that will easily make him a favourite character. He is no anti-hero, he’s probably not a hero either, but he is just and he is brave. It’s a character you will follow without losing momentum, wanting to know „What happened next?“
The Pariah is an adventurous fantasy which yields new revelations on every page. There are small scuffles, 1:1 fights, and all-encompassing wars. I wouldn’t say the book is fast-paced, but I would absolutely say that THIS is how medium to slow-paced books are written. The details and dialogues and interactions with people and places are skillfully done. This book will surely quench the thirst of any fantasy reader looking to be blown away, and I will certainly continue with Alwyn’s story, as well as anything else Ryan has or will be publishing.
The Gulag Doctors: Life, Death, and Medicine in Stalin's Labour Camps by Dan Healey
dark
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
Not an easy read in any sense, but the research gone into this is incredible. An important book for various reasons, I think the most important being that it continues to take the history into the future.
There is ample personal detail about the doctors in this book - how they dealt with camp life and the system. How in this particular evil, they chose to do a little bit of good at personal risk.
But of course, it's also an important portrayal of Stalin's regime and how people, no matter how intelligent and valuable to society, were only suitable for hard physical labor that likely killed them when they happened to speak against the Soviet.
In cases you could see how one human went from a prisoner being the victim of and hating the system, to making their way to a position of comfort - e.g. no longer in the mines or hard labor, and instead to a position of a nurse. Once a nurse, they settled into it, some even becoming doctors later in life, and thus becoming a cog in the system. In a sense, they paid the good deed done to them forward by helping others, but at the same time, the system was not so bad to them anymore so why shake the status quo. I know, it's a bit harsh, but it is what it is.
It never ceases to amaze me how humans alone can make this world a hell on earth. It never ceases to amaze me how every now and again there is one human who seems to garner a mass following, or causes a mass hysteria that transcends generations... and all of it to do horrible things. These "great" leaders who are an immovable tank in the face of the few who will try to fight it... secretly, silently, at great risk, by helping. I mean, mind blowing.
Anyway... some quotes:
"In Berzin's first year as a Dalstroi chief executive, he delivered half a tonne of gold; the rates climbed dramatically in the mid 1930s, until in 1937 alone Dalstroi gave 51.4 tonnes to the Soviet state. Dalstroi's gold fed Stalin's Five-Year-Plan hunger for imported Western technology to fuel industrialisation. It also fed the Berzin team's love of flashy cars: the Dalstroi chief drove a Rolls Royce, and other officials brought - to this roadless corner of Eurasia - at least one all-terrain Citroen and a Mercedes. Yet as late as 1939 Magadan's Sanotel only had one automobile at its disposal for ambulance duties."
*
"The Gulag made some prisoners so desperate to be ill that they literally became mentally ill."
*
"'You're not mentally ill,' he said to me softly and assuredly. 'You are in a reactive condition tied to extraordinary psychic burdening. Do not make anything up: there's no need to play at being mad. I do not intend to send you back. Act naturally and do not do anything stupid.' I looked at Sokolovsky with mistrust. When you have seen so much evil from people it is hard to believe in the benevolence and noble intentions of a stranger. I was 25 years old."
*
"In Glazov's own words: 'The Sangorodok was not so much a hospital, as a throng of the dying. A transport of prisoners arrived with many dead, and he notes how their frozen remains made a grim impression: These corpses were brought to us in the morgue. In the morning we were to conduct several autopsies. We entered the morgue; it was crowded with frozen corpses. [...] Some of the dead were standing on their legs and leaned against a warm stove. The sight of reclining corpses surprised no one, but the dead standing on their feet and warming up by the stove was unusual and unpleasant.'"
There is ample personal detail about the doctors in this book - how they dealt with camp life and the system. How in this particular evil, they chose to do a little bit of good at personal risk.
But of course, it's also an important portrayal of Stalin's regime and how people, no matter how intelligent and valuable to society, were only suitable for hard physical labor that likely killed them when they happened to speak against the Soviet.
In cases you could see how one human went from a prisoner being the victim of and hating the system, to making their way to a position of comfort - e.g. no longer in the mines or hard labor, and instead to a position of a nurse. Once a nurse, they settled into it, some even becoming doctors later in life, and thus becoming a cog in the system. In a sense, they paid the good deed done to them forward by helping others, but at the same time, the system was not so bad to them anymore so why shake the status quo. I know, it's a bit harsh, but it is what it is.
It never ceases to amaze me how humans alone can make this world a hell on earth. It never ceases to amaze me how every now and again there is one human who seems to garner a mass following, or causes a mass hysteria that transcends generations... and all of it to do horrible things. These "great" leaders who are an immovable tank in the face of the few who will try to fight it... secretly, silently, at great risk, by helping. I mean, mind blowing.
Anyway... some quotes:
"In Berzin's first year as a Dalstroi chief executive, he delivered half a tonne of gold; the rates climbed dramatically in the mid 1930s, until in 1937 alone Dalstroi gave 51.4 tonnes to the Soviet state. Dalstroi's gold fed Stalin's Five-Year-Plan hunger for imported Western technology to fuel industrialisation. It also fed the Berzin team's love of flashy cars: the Dalstroi chief drove a Rolls Royce, and other officials brought - to this roadless corner of Eurasia - at least one all-terrain Citroen and a Mercedes. Yet as late as 1939 Magadan's Sanotel only had one automobile at its disposal for ambulance duties."
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"The Gulag made some prisoners so desperate to be ill that they literally became mentally ill."
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"'You're not mentally ill,' he said to me softly and assuredly. 'You are in a reactive condition tied to extraordinary psychic burdening. Do not make anything up: there's no need to play at being mad. I do not intend to send you back. Act naturally and do not do anything stupid.' I looked at Sokolovsky with mistrust. When you have seen so much evil from people it is hard to believe in the benevolence and noble intentions of a stranger. I was 25 years old."
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"In Glazov's own words: 'The Sangorodok was not so much a hospital, as a throng of the dying. A transport of prisoners arrived with many dead, and he notes how their frozen remains made a grim impression: These corpses were brought to us in the morgue. In the morning we were to conduct several autopsies. We entered the morgue; it was crowded with frozen corpses. [...] Some of the dead were standing on their legs and leaned against a warm stove. The sight of reclining corpses surprised no one, but the dead standing on their feet and warming up by the stove was unusual and unpleasant.'"