squeeb13's reviews
24 reviews

Apollo's Song: New Omnibus Edition by Osamu Tezuka

dark emotional sad 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

I had no idea what to expect when going into this. I am familiar with the name Osamu Tezuka, but I had never read any of his work before. I just knew that he was considered the god of manga due to his work like Astro Boy, and Black Jack. So I was taken pretty aback by how dark and also emotionally deep this story went. The best thing I can compare it to, is that it’s very similar to A Clockwork Orange. We have a fundamentally broken person, who’s moral code coincides with violence and is then taken in by an institute to torture this out of him. So yes, it’s actually shockingly similar. The main difference is that this story used a much more confusing road to make its point, but definitely delivered in terms of entertainment value. I don’t want to say too much more because I don’t want to give everything away. But if you are curious about this one at all, definitely check it out. It’s intense to say the least, but that’s what makes it so enthralling to read. 

As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

dark reflective relaxing medium-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

3.0

First time approaching Faulkner, and I must say I wish I had more of an idea of this one before jumping in. I went in wanting some Southern Gothic, and technically I did get that to the fullest extent. But I subliminally left out one word for myself, supernatural. I regret not doing so because I then found myself being a bit disappointed that this book wasn’t scratching that itch in my brain. With that being said, this is still a good book that deserves to be read. I would’ve gotten more out of it if I took the relevant context to thought before approaching this. Therefore I would say that I appreciated it to the fullest extent. Faulkner does a lovely job at writing unique characters that all feel innately human and live by their own rules and code. He also crafts a bleak world full of hardship and grit. These are things that I feel won’t ever age. 

Assassin's Creed: The Fall by Karl Kerschl, Cameron Stewart

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Didn't blow me away, but it had some really good twists and turns and the ending was fantastic. It really had the essence of the series, so they succeeded in that sense. 

Assassins Creed The Fall #2 by Karl Kerschl

dark tense fast-paced

3.5

Assassins Creed The Fall #1 by Karl Kerschl, Cameron Stewart

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

dark funny reflective 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

5.0

Absolutely loved this one and was shocked and delighted to see how faithful the film was to this book. There weren't very many changes and the few that they made for the movie were ones that I was glad to see. Absolutely twisted tale on delinquents and how the justice system thrives on creating a culture of hyperviolence. 

Ecotopia by Ernest Callenbach

hopeful informative inspiring slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

From a fiction standpoint, this book is not very good. It's not horrible, just boring. But you have to cut the author some slack, considering the fact that he is an Ecology professor. But when it comes to everything speculative in this book, I actually found it to be quite fascinating. Once you realize that this book was published in the mid 1970's you will understand that it's impact runs a lot deeper. Nowadays, the concept of "going green" is old news, and sometimes dismissed as nothing more than greenwashing from lazy corporate entities. But ultimately this is a cautionary tale if we really do want to see our future generations not only survive, but thrive. 

1984 by George Orwell

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book is very unique to me. The reason why, is because from a technical standpoint, I thought this book kinda sucked from a writing standpoint. The characters felt very wooden and stilted to me, that any sort of emotional development felt very forced and strung along. The atmosphere left a lot to the imagination, and not because it's text on paper. But you cannot deny its power, the absolute vice grip it has on modern discourse, especially in the US. It's social and political themes transcend time and the book itself, and are considered some of the most powerful themes to come out of such a work of fiction. That is something I have to give it credit for, and that it will stick with me forever. 

The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton

mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I personally found this book to be incredibly interesting, but I know it won't be for everyone. It's extremely rooted in science, and reality and is chalk full of terminology and scientific theory. I get how that can be boring, but to me that's what stood out. It felt scary because it came across as extremely plausible, something that could happen in real life. It just may at some point in time! But for anyone that wants a scientific thriller that is set within reality, definitely read this one. 

Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void by Tim Lebbon

adventurous funny medium-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? No

2.5

I was pretty disappointed with this. Definitely not a bad book by any stretch, just lacks any sort of oomph to make it memorable in any sense. I found the world building and character traits to be really enthralling, and is what hooked me in to this book. But the action, the centerpiece of what goes on in this story is insanely forgettable to say the least. I noticed that almost every fight scene is written the exact same way too. It felt like the author of this book wanted to write a Star Wars story, but without taking any inherent risks to possibly alter the grand legacy or timeline of the franchise. So instead of something interesting that takes place WAY before anything else in the series, we have an absolute bookend, something safe and boring to collect dust.