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randanopterix's reviews
79 reviews
The Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
I can feel pretty distinctly that my opinion of this book is going to improve over time and I’m giving it a very favorable rating on account of it being completely unlike any other book I’ve ever read, despite being an extremely challenging read. The appendix where G.W. speaks of his “translation” of the book as if he had received a distinct and very real futuristic vision and this is his recounting of it REALLY threw me for a loop.
I really want to talk about the way Wolfe depicts women, because I think it’s really unique, even if I did find it a little unsavory at times. All of the women characters are viewed pretty singularly through a sexual lens (the only exception I can think of is Valeria, the little girl towards the beginning of the book). I found this to be disrespectful, but only because it was the only lens that we were able to experience the women characters through.
HOWEVER, the way that Wolfe characterizes his women, and the way he describes Severians bespoke feelings towards each of them was interesting and surprisingly nuanced. I appreciated the way Severians relationship with (and desire for) each of them was differentiated. From his pure infatuation with Thecla, his carnal need for Agia, and his genuine emotional connection with Dorcas.
I highlighted this part: “….the second [type of woman] will never permit us to give them what we give the first. Agia enjoyed my admiration and would have been moved to ecstasy by my caresses; but even if I were to pour myself into her a hundred times, we would part strangers.”
Pretty cool book, I’m definitely reading more just to pick apart a little more of this world’s mysteries.
I really want to talk about the way Wolfe depicts women, because I think it’s really unique, even if I did find it a little unsavory at times. All of the women characters are viewed pretty singularly through a sexual lens (the only exception I can think of is Valeria, the little girl towards the beginning of the book). I found this to be disrespectful, but only because it was the only lens that we were able to experience the women characters through.
HOWEVER, the way that Wolfe characterizes his women, and the way he describes Severians bespoke feelings towards each of them was interesting and surprisingly nuanced. I appreciated the way Severians relationship with (and desire for) each of them was differentiated. From his pure infatuation with Thecla, his carnal need for Agia, and his genuine emotional connection with Dorcas.
I highlighted this part: “….the second [type of woman] will never permit us to give them what we give the first. Agia enjoyed my admiration and would have been moved to ecstasy by my caresses; but even if I were to pour myself into her a hundred times, we would part strangers.”
Pretty cool book, I’m definitely reading more just to pick apart a little more of this world’s mysteries.
The Grownup by Gillian Flynn
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
2.0
This story was definitely hurt by its short length. I enjoyed the character building for the main character in the first half but the second half fell extremely flat for me.
I think the “reveals” at the end would have felt more earned if they had the opportunity to happen gradually. Instead everything was just sort of fed to us in one giant infodump right at the end and then story just sort of ended on a “okay but maybe I’m lying? 🤨”. I know Ms Flynn loves her surprise endings but it’s kind of hard to pull off one so convoluted in only like 60 pages.
I just ended up feeling kind of disappointed BUT, I read it in less than an hour by borrowing it from the Internet Archive so I don’t really have that much to complain about. I am glad I didn’t spend money on it though.
Update 10/13/2023: The further I get from this short story the uglier it sits in my mind. I think I hated this thing. A convoluted nothing plot that ended up not meaning a single thing at the end.
I think the “reveals” at the end would have felt more earned if they had the opportunity to happen gradually. Instead everything was just sort of fed to us in one giant infodump right at the end and then story just sort of ended on a “okay but maybe I’m lying? 🤨”. I know Ms Flynn loves her surprise endings but it’s kind of hard to pull off one so convoluted in only like 60 pages.
I just ended up feeling kind of disappointed BUT, I read it in less than an hour by borrowing it from the Internet Archive so I don’t really have that much to complain about. I am glad I didn’t spend money on it though.
Update 10/13/2023: The further I get from this short story the uglier it sits in my mind. I think I hated this thing. A convoluted nothing plot that ended up not meaning a single thing at the end.
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was a pretty welcome breather after The Troop.
The storyline is convenient but ultimately comforting. A nice story that pretty much anyone can read about like, the power of friendship and community. A perfect little pick-me-up. Felt like one of the better episodes of an animated show for 13-17 year olds. The audiobook is very nice.
The storyline is convenient but ultimately comforting. A nice story that pretty much anyone can read about like, the power of friendship and community. A perfect little pick-me-up. Felt like one of the better episodes of an animated show for 13-17 year olds. The audiobook is very nice.
After Dark by Haruki Murakami
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The Amber Spyglass: His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-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? It's complicated
3.75
The Troop by Nick Cutter
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This book is an absolute fucking nightmare, I mean this in the best way possible.
Not for even the remotely faint of heart, I usually have a strong stomach for media like this but event I had to avoid the book for a couple of days when my real life got stressful.
Not for even the remotely faint of heart, I usually have a strong stomach for media like this but event I had to avoid the book for a couple of days when my real life got stressful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Fatphobia, Miscarriage, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Dysphoria
The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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
4.75
This was literally the most stressful book I've read in like a year. Super compelling, This book got me to read 200 pages in a day which like, never happens.
Stan Tensoon forever
The Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The biggest thorn in my side with these books is all the gender related in-fighting there is. Not to brag, but when I see a guy make a stupid decision my first thought is usually something like “well that’s not how I’d do that” or maybe even “this guy is an idiot”. I DONT actually think “typical idiot man behavior! 😤” or “I’ll never understand MEN”.
It’s a little sad to me to think that Robert Jordan may have never had a genuine interaction with a woman that wasn’t utterly predicated by the assumption of unbreachable differences determined by gender binary. I digress.
I still really love these characters. Rand especially changes a LOT over the course of this book. I almost was gonna take a break from WoT after this one, but the last couple pages pulled me back into it.
It’s a little sad to me to think that Robert Jordan may have never had a genuine interaction with a woman that wasn’t utterly predicated by the assumption of unbreachable differences determined by gender binary. I digress.
I still really love these characters. Rand especially changes a LOT over the course of this book. I almost was gonna take a break from WoT after this one, but the last couple pages pulled me back into it.
Authority by Jeff VanderMeer
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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
3.5
A slow paced book with 4-5 page exciting moments interspersed.
I found the books mysteries to be compelling but found myself a little disappointed at their ‘resolutions’. What I loved about the first book was that, even though you are never given straight answers to the underlying mysteries, you were given enough information to where you could start forming theories as you went along. I felt like, even though this book is longer than the last, I wasn’t given enough to chew on and mull over while the secrets revealed themselves.
When exciting moments happened they were EXCITING. They are unsettling, bizarre, and frightening. Obviously something in the style of writing kept me entertained (despite my complaints) because I finished the book in no time flat.
The pacing was my worst enemy in this book. Even in the final act, the climax of the book happened about 30 pages from the actual end (a significant amount of pages for a book on the smaller side), with grating in depth descriptions of cross country travel in between.
I enjoyed seeing how the alien wonder of Area X contrasted with the banal office setting of this book. When the big moments happened they felt HUGE because of the contrast. But it may have been the banal setting that stripped the magic away from the other sections of the book.
I’m still very much looking forward to the next book (the cliffhanger pulled me right back in). I think this book suffered the middle book’s curse of feeling transitional between a story’s beginning and it’s end.
I found the books mysteries to be compelling but found myself a little disappointed at their ‘resolutions’. What I loved about the first book was that, even though you are never given straight answers to the underlying mysteries, you were given enough information to where you could start forming theories as you went along. I felt like, even though this book is longer than the last, I wasn’t given enough to chew on and mull over while the secrets revealed themselves.
When exciting moments happened they were EXCITING. They are unsettling, bizarre, and frightening. Obviously something in the style of writing kept me entertained (despite my complaints) because I finished the book in no time flat.
The pacing was my worst enemy in this book. Even in the final act, the climax of the book happened about 30 pages from the actual end (a significant amount of pages for a book on the smaller side), with grating in depth descriptions of cross country travel in between.
I enjoyed seeing how the alien wonder of Area X contrasted with the banal office setting of this book. When the big moments happened they felt HUGE because of the contrast. But it may have been the banal setting that stripped the magic away from the other sections of the book.
I’m still very much looking forward to the next book (the cliffhanger pulled me right back in). I think this book suffered the middle book’s curse of feeling transitional between a story’s beginning and it’s end.
MOX by Jon Moxley
adventurous
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
CZW SURE WAS (IS?) DOIN A LOT OF COCAINE HUH….