mars2k's Reviews (234)

Neoreaction a Basilisk: Essays on and Around the Alt-Right

2.5

dark funny informative medium-paced

God, I had such high hopes for this one. I suppose, in that sense, I am partially to blame for the disappointment I’m feeling right now.

The strengths and shortcomings of the titular essay can be found repeated throughout the collection. I want to start with those strengths. This book was one of the funniest I’ve read recently, and it was genuinely thought-provoking at times. The extended mythological framing was neat, and the tangents about Milton’s Paradise Lost and Blake’s The Book of Urizen, though largely irrelevant, were undeniably interesting.

I think my favourite chapter was Theses on a President, which was closer to prose than it was to an essay. Sandifer’s writing style worked well there.

It’s less well-suited to her essays, however. The acerbic wit that enthralled me at the start soon became pure venom. Anger about neoreaction is understandable and justified, but she doesn’t harness that anger properly. Her writing is tarnished with rampant ableism, mockery of drug addicts, and a few homophobic jabs for good measure.

Something that’s hard to ignore is the way Sandifer falls in step with the figures she condemns. Not ideologically, of course – I’m by no means accusing her of being a cryptofascist – only in the sense that she dances the same rhythms of performative “pwnage” and she tries to beat neoreactionaries at their own games, which means she’s always playing defence. She tries to poke holes in their logic but, as the saying goes, you cannot reason someone out of a position they didn’t reason themselves into. I feel like these are fairly obvious blunders that anyone familiar enough with the alt-right to feel confident writing an entire book about it should have known to avoid. It made for a frustrating read.

YouTube channel Innuendo Studios has an excellent series of videos ("The Alt-Right Playbook") on this topic which I would highly recommend if you're interested. I can't say I recommend Neoreaction a Basilisk, unfortunately.

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British Weird

James Machin

3.5

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

My views on each individual story, in the order in which British Weird presents them:

Man-size in Marble by Edith Nesbit (1893) – 3.0☆

A neat concept which could have been fleshed out a little more.

No-Man’s-Land by John Buchan (1900) – 4.0☆

Starts off as an intriguing mix of anthropology and cryptozoology, but ends up leaning into the former (with all the racist undertones you’d expect from a story of this era). It is well written, though.

The Willows by Algernon Blackwood (1907) – 5.0☆

Spectacular. I honestly do not understand how Blackwood pulled it off (a horror story which closes with the words “like an otter” ???) A fascinating exploration of subjectivity and objectivity, truth, ignorance, and the unknowable.

Caterpillars by E F Benson (1912) – 3.5☆

The constant second-guessing and use of disclaimers undercut it a bit, but the concept was solid enough and the payoff was satisfying.

The Bad Lands by John Metcalfe (1920) – 2.5☆

Not for me. I’m not entirely sure what the author was going for or what the point of the story was.

Randalls Round by Eleanor Scott (1927) – 2.5☆

The “spooky folk traditions” trope doesn’t really do anything for me. Also, I found it odd that the author chose to write in the third person rather than the first.

Lost Keep by L A Lewis (1934) – 4.5☆

Kind of silly but well executed. The twists and turns and time skips make for an engaging story.

N by Arthur Machen (1934) – 2.0☆

Incredibly dry. I feel bad giving it such a low rating but it legitimately bored me to tears. I could not tell you what it’s about.

Mappa Mundi by Mary Butts (1937) – 3.0☆

I really don’t know what to make of this one. While the atmosphere is certainly otherworldly and ethereal, it lacks the horror element and instead feels kind of... wistful? It also gives off extremely queer vibes but maybe that’s just me.

The collection ends with an essay (also by Mary Butts) called “Ghosties and Ghoulies: Uses of the Supernatural in English Fiction.” It wasn’t great. I won’t give it a rating, though, because I read this book for the short stories, not this essay.

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Pedagogy of the Oppressed

Paulo Freire

4.5

challenging hopeful informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

Pedagogy of the Oppressed is dense, but there are some really solid ideas in there. Definitely worth a read. I’ll be reflecting on Freire’s arguments for a while, I think, to fully process and internalise them.

I admire the unconditional empathy demonstrated throughout the book. Freire points out that though the oppressed obviously suffer the worst effects of oppression, it also impacts the oppressors in negative ways. He also stresses the importance of sincerity, respect, and trust, promoting a dialogical approach to revolutionary praxis. We should work with our peers, not impose our will onto others. We should be striving to liberate all people, not to enact revenge and to become oppressors ourselves.

The whole text is critical yet kind and full of hope.

“In order for the oppressed to be able to wage the struggle for their liberation, they must perceive the reality of oppression not as a closed world from which there is no exit, but as a limiting situation which they can transform.”

“At the point of encounter there are neither utter ignoramuses nor perfect sages; there are only people who are attempting, together, to learn more than they now know.”

“As long as I fight, I am moved by hope; and if I fight with hope, then I can wait.”

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The Adventure Zone: The Crystal Kingdom

Griffin McElroy, Clint McElroy, Justin McElroy, Travis McElroy, Carey Pietsch

4.0

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

The Adventure Zone: The Crystal Kingdom surprised me. Of the podcast arcs, it’s one of my least favourites – I’d hardly be the first to point out the railroading – but of the graphic novel adaptations, I think this might be the best so far.

It differs quite significantly from its podcast counterpart, with the pacing improved drastically and some plot points moved around or cut entirely. This thoughtful editing meant more attention could be given to the important details, like the Millers’ backstory, the Cosmoscope and the planar system it reveals, Kravitz (and his burgeoning relationship with Taako), etc.

That said, the pacing isn’t perfect. The Pocket Spa scene, for example, played out over a total of one (1) page. The joke was that Taako opted out of the action in favour of a leisurely respite, but because it was treated with the same urgency as combat it just didn’t work.

Pietsch’s artwork is great, though I was a little overwhelmed by the amount of sound effects. I did miss Griffin’s music but I know there’s not really any way it could have come across on the page – it’s just one of those things that doesn’t translate into this medium. Oh well.

As I said at the top of this review, I think The Crystal Kingdom is probably my favourite TAZ graphic novel so far. I’m looking forward to The Eleventh Hour (my favourite Balance arc)

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Die, Vol. 1: Fantasy Heartbreaker

Kieron Gillen

4.5

adventurous dark hopeful 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

I enjoyed this even more than I thought I would. Hans’s painterly art style is gorgeous and Gillen’s worldbuilding is fantastic. The meta aspects of the story are handled really well. The classes (Dictator, Neo, Godbinder, Grief Knight, Fool) are all really interesting, both mechanically and in terms of what they tell us about the characters.

Ash was already my favourite character, but “This is the point where, if this was a different kind of story, I’d come out with a simple answer” made me love her. It’s great to see a character who is definitely queer but whose queerness isn’t taxonomically categorised. I suspect her identity will be pinpointed later on, but I appreciate the angst-free ambiguity she exists in at this moment. You love to see it.

I do have a few complaints but they’re relatively minor and nitpicky. I felt this volume was a little too exposition-heavy, for example – a lot was explained via Ash’s narration rather than being shown and demonstrated. I needed more time to get to know the characters before the action started, and some characters (eg: Matt) were underused and sidelined.

But still, the things I like greatly outweigh any criticisms I may have. I will definitely be checking out the rest of the Die series.

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In the Dust of This Planet

Eugene Thacker

2.0

dark medium-paced

In The Dust of This Planet is the first book in the “Horror of Philosophy” trilogy, though the name of the series is a little misleading. It isn’t really about the horror of philosophy, or the philosophy of horror for that matter – the book mostly discusses mysticism and demonology. These are subjects I find fascinating though, so I won’t complain too much about that.

One thing I did appreciate was the creative structuring of each chapter. The first chapter, for example, is presented as three quæstio, each broken down into articulus, sed contra, and responsio. I thought this approach was innovative and added some medieval flavour to the otherwise dry material.

When I say dry, I mean dry. Unfortunately, interesting subject matter does not guarantee an interesting book. The author doesn’t seem to really understand the topics he’s talking about, or want to engage with them in detail. It’s all very vague and handwavy and though some of Thacker’s points are repeated ad nauseam, none is properly explained or explored in-depth. Assertions and tenuous links are pretty much all he has to offer.

I have deleted my 250-word rant about bourgeois demons (you’re welcome) so allow me to skip to the final chapter. It’s about “The Subharmonic Murmur of Black Tentacular Voids” which is, according to Thacker, “an anonymously authored poem that has been circulating on blogs, forums, and even in a number of scholarly journals.” For an example of the latter he cites an issue of the “Journal of Literary Psychoplamsics [sic]” edited by Sonia Haft-Greene. I can find absolutely no record of either the poem or the journal prior to the publication of this book, and Sonia Haft-Greene was H P Lovecraft’s wife who died in 1972 so I doubt she ever wrote articles about internet phenomena.

So it’s a hoax, then. I have to assume Thacker wrote the poem himself and tried to pass it off as some kind of spooky creepypasta-esque meme.

The worst thing is it’s not even a good poem. Genuinely one of the worst I’ve read.

I can safely say I will not buy anything else published by Zer0 Books after having read Capitalist Realism (mostly “kids these days” bellyaching), Babbling Corpse (which veered off into some rather fashy territory at the end), and now this. I won’t be reading the rest of the “Horror of Philosophy” trilogy.

As you can probably tell, In The Dust of This Planet is not a book I would recommend. If you’re interested in horror or occultism, there are better books out there.

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Dracula

Bram Stoker

4.0

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

If Dracula had ended after chapter four, I might have given it a full five stars. The first fifty-odd pages are undoubtedly the best part of the book. Jonathan Harker is trapped in Dracula’s castle, and slowly realising that he is trapped. The atmosphere is tense and eerie. Both Harker and Dracula are interesting and well-developed characters, and the interactions between them are great.

I want to talk for a moment about Count Dracula specifically. In the first four chapters he is depicted as (seemingly) kind, hospitable, careful, and emotionally intelligent, but there’s something sinister about him too. There’s also quite a bit of queer subtext. Dracula is a complicated and sympathetic character at this point, but later his characterisation changes drastically and he ends up being reduced to a cartoonish villain with very little depth. He also becomes a much less prominent part of the narrative – he’s not entirely absent, but he takes on more of a peripheral role. I wish we’d seen more of him. (Interestingly, this is the exact reverse of my view regarding Frankenstein’s monster)

Of course, I must address the elephant in the room – the bigotry. Dracula is a character crafted from several antisemitic tropes. His hooked nose is emphasised many times, and there are parallels between his vampirism (specifically his preying on children) and blood libel. Something else that stands out when viewing the character through this lens is the way he is presented as both an immensely powerful mastermind and a weakling with a “child-brain” – proto-fascist rhetoric, perhaps? The book as a whole is riddled with xenophobia, racism, ableism, and sexism. In many ways it’s a product of its time. Its age doesn’t excuse these problematic elements, but it does offer some context at least.

I was led to believe that Dracula is slow-paced but for a gothic horror story it’s actually very quick. It’s relatively well-written, and the epistolary format is executed well. Excellent build-up to an anticlimactic ending. There’s so much more I could say about the characters and the story (both praise and criticism) but I think I’ll wrap things up here.

Overall I did enjoy Dracula and I’m glad I finally sat down and read it. It’s certainly not without its flaws but I think it’s worth reading if you haven’t already.

“The last I saw of Count Dracula was his kissing his hand to me, with a red light of triumph in his eyes, and with a smile that Judas in hell might be proud of.”

Content Warnings

Poor

Caleb Femi

4.0

challenging dark reflective sad fast-paced

Poor is a good collection of poems. Some of my favourites include Barter, Ingredients & Properties of Concrete, Concrete (III), The Moon Gave no Name to Tides, and A Designer Talks of a Home / A Resident Talks of Home (II).

I felt the photos didn’t really add much.

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Zami: A New Spelling of my Name

Audre Lorde

5.0

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Zami: A New Spelling of My Name is truly incredible. It’s beautifully written; raw, evocative, heartachingly sincere. Reading it, I felt like there was always something almost said – secrets just barely hidden behind a veil of metaphor, accessible only to those who know what to look for.
At times, the major themes of relationships, the self, and truth are explicitly highlighted, while at others they permeate the text almost – but not quite – unnoticed.

My only complaint (and even then it isn’t really a complaint) is that the book ends somewhat abruptly. I found myself yearning for a few more chapters. Still, I don’t think that’s enough to bring my rating down from its well-deserved five stars. If anything, it just goes to show how enthralling Lorde’s writing is.

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Racecraft: The Soul of Inequality in American Life

Karen E. Fields, Barbara J. Fields

4.0

challenging dark informative tense medium-paced

Racecraft is not without its flaws, though it’s certainly not without its merits. Perhaps I ought to start this review with those positive aspects.

The thesis is solid. The book explores the relationship between race and racism (proposing that racism creates race rather than the other way around) and coins the term “racecraft” to describe this process of manifesting race. The authors provide many examples of racecraft in action, both historical and contemporary. They go so far as to suggest that slavery preceded racism as we understand it today, arguing that black people were dehumanised and treated as property first, and then that inferior status was attributed to their race.

The witchcraft analogy works well – the “illusion of race,” a framework of “truth” based on assumption and confirmation bias rather than biology. I was pleasantly surprised that witchcraft wasn’t just dismissed as nonsense – “a middle ground between science and superstition” is a good way of explaining it.

Beyond the core premise of the book, however, things start to get a little muddled. The authors make it clear that they don’t like race being described as a social construct, which seems odd to me. After all, they use phrases like “an invisible realm of collective understandings” to describe racecraft, and repeatedly point out that race has no biological basis and is constructed? socially? I’m left with this feeling that I must be missing something, because otherwise this is a glaring contradiction.

There’s also opposition to the idea of reclaiming race as an identity, ie: celebrating blackness. The authors almost seem to call for a so-called “colourblind” approach, a complete rejection of race as a concept... but then they also reject that idea, so I’m not sure what they’re trying to say.

In the end the book didn’t feel like it was really saying anything. There was an excellent breakdown of race, racism, and racecraft, and a ton of examples presented and explored, but then...? It felt like it was building to something, some kind of call to action that never came. The conclusion felt rushed and lacking.

At one point I thought I’d give this book five stars, but I’ve since lowered that rating to four. Despite a very strong start, the book lost steam in the latter half. Overall Racecraft is good and worth reading, but the contradictions and overly academic writing made it a bit confusing at times.

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