sullyisreading's reviews
52 reviews

The Desperadoes and Other Stories by Stan Barstow

dark emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

A strong collection of short stories based in the fictional location of Cressley, following northern-English men and women living their lives, most often poor and struggling whether with their domestic life or due to who they are; I found this anthology endearing and at times hard to read, not for any fault of its own, but rather because of the frankly hopeless and depressing situations many of the characters in these stories find themselves in.

I've been reading this book on and off for about a year now, interspersed with other stories (ones less depressing), and this one stayed in my memory for its strong moments of irony, characterisation, and sometimes not so subtle messages - the story 'Gamblers Never Win' comes to mind immediately. Nevertheless, if the reader is open to realistic but depressing stories, featuring some sexist characters of a bygone-era, and death, this anthology will not delight, but certainly enthrall.

Lifeboat by Harry Harrison, Gordon R. Dickson

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I haven't read many novels that are shorter than two-hundred pages in the past - this is certainly changing though. I found the length of the story perfect for what was told, made enjoyable hut effective and intriguing writing about a pressure-boiler situation where survival is all that matters. Without giving too much of a spoiler, the conclusion ends very satisfying despite what is at stake.

Some things do not get explored entirely; although Giles solves his argument with Paul over the matter of life into the future for humans, alongside Albenareth, the matter of Adelman and arbite-slaves is left hanging in the air. Will humanity reach a point similar to what Paul wants, or Giles - can this be achieved without bloodshed? Questions are left hanging that could have been explored more, however this is not a serious issue. 

I wished to have known more about Mara, who stood out as the most interesting character to me besides the other main characters of the story, however she is left without much characterisation towards the end. For the length of the story, and the emphasis on survival in the plot, it makes sense that certain characters feel unexplored, however this is still something that feels could have been expanded on some more from a reading point of view. 

Overall, an incredibly enjoyable read, and I finished the book in around a week.

Battle Angel Alita 3 by Yukito Kishiro

adventurous dark funny tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Considering it took somewhere around half a year to finish volume 2, which had a strong start but a slow middle, with a decent end that gave me enough confidence to buy another volume - volume 3 assured me that I made the right choice.

The motorball sequences were wonderfully intense and fast-paced; this was sometimes to the point of detriment, and I was sometimes unsure of exactly what was happening. For the most part though, I found it very welcome compared to how slow the previous volume had felt. Everything culminated in a rewarding way, and the return of Zapan was both interesting and exciting, although short-lived.

The introduction to Desty Nova was great, he's a straight up mad scientist with a desire to see chaos brought to the universe - a polar opposite to the orderly, calm but determined science that Ido represents. Learning more about the greater scene and universe of Alita is very rewarding; flashbacks to Mars, learning more about Zalem and the Berserker body are all great!

A solid four out of five, as although there were some moments where I felt the story lacked, the action and continuation of the plot were excellent. The two year jump was sudden, as well as the fact Ed sold Alita's body... maybe I forgot when that happened, as it seemed to me like it was retroactively told to the reader instead of shown. Nonetheless, you won't go wrong with reading this volume.

The Star Diaries by Stanisław Lem

adventurous emotional funny informative lighthearted mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

Loved this anthology and was sad to see the end of it. It was on the same level of enjoyment for me as The Cyberiad was. Clearly, Stanislaw Lem wrote what he thought would be good instead of popular - as although most people and writers who I speak to about Lem have never heard of his works, I believe anyone can read a random story of his and enjoy it. 

I don't know if I have a favourite from this anthology; there were some parts where the story went slower, and this was not always captivating, but it never stopped me from enjoying the book or wanting to pick it up. Highly recommended.

The Crow by James O'Barr

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

I have read opinions that the movie is more cohesive than the graphic novel. I have now watched the movie and read its source, and I think both play an important part in conveying the message of The Crow. Pain, fear, despair, dread and death are all ancient to the human race and all life on Earth, and I believe this book captures this truth and situates it in the current day, where people die and survivors are left to mourn, where the only way to make things better is to not only live strong, but die strong too. 

I found the art expressive, although proportions were wonky at times. I admit I found that charming. Towards the end, knowing that Eric gave Sherri a chance to survive outside of her abusive household, and that he could return to Forever with his lover Shelly, I teared up, and pray like my partner does, that nothing so tragic should ever have to happen.

Battle Angel Alita Deluxe Edition, Vol. 2 by Yukito Kishiro

dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I thought the characterisation of Ido, after Alita disappears, is done excellently. From that point on though, I felt his desire to make Alita essentially crawl back to him felt somewhat out of character - by the end of the volume however, we see the Ido we recognise.

Alita herself goes through a similar progression as Ido, she feels quite drastically different, so much so that for a time I felt her deep dive into the world of Motorball was ruining my enjoyment for the story - once again, Yukito Kishiro keeps me engaged by highlighting the true essence of the character towards the end, and points out that she has matured through the angst previously shown, which I highly appreciated. 

The beginning of the second volume is essentially where the movie ends, and I feel it is my favourite part of the manga thus far, however I look forward to when I get the next volume and find out more about the story.

The Cyberiad by Stanisław Lem

adventurous funny informative lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

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

5.0

Can't recommend this book enough. I would love to learn Polish (or have the complete Cyberiad from Polish translated into the same quality of English as Michael Kandel used) to read the whole of Cyberiad as my copy misses an almost essential second-half of the story 'Altruzine'. 

I cannot put how wonderful an experience reading this is. I started it reading to myself, then would read out the stories to my partner before we went to bed. It is hard to rank the stories, each one has a completely different appeal, but with the exception of the final story in my copy of the Cyberiad, 'Prince Ferrix and the Princess Crystal', the main characters Trurl and Klapaucius keep a running thread through the entire rest of the anthology and in the opinion of mine and my partner's, the inventor couple are certainly more than platonic toward each other. 

I also had a fun exercise with 'Tale of the Three Storytelling Machines', and have roughly approximated that in levels of inception, from the grandest to most minor scale (looking at the story from the outside, at the actual book, closing in on the most minor scenario told within 'Tale of the Three Storytelling Machines'), that 13 different stories/scenarios are at play. This number may not be totally accurate, but it was the best I could come up with before my head almost exploded at the layers of storytelling the reader is presented with. Read this book if you want a satirical, sci-fi with medieval-setting, fun and insane experience.

The Norton Anthology of English Literature by
Did not finish book. Stopped at 0%.

I originally bought this anthology for a university course, however I switched off that course and now have it to read in my own time. I already have plenty to read, but I do plan to return to it someday, I think it is a genuine trove of fascinating stories. I primarily read Heart of Darkness, so my content warnings reflect that.

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Racism, Colonisation, and Cursing

Thumbprints by David Hutchinson

adventurous dark mysterious reflective 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

Interesting to say the least. The first three stories of this anthology held a continuity that I felt was missed in the rest of the book, although that is not to say the rest of the stories were not enjoyable despite that. My personal favourite stories from this book were 'Footprints in the sand', 'Ace in the hole' and 'Sense of adventure'. Each of them possessed something intrinsically unique and I felt had no dull moment, each line and paragraph leading well into the next. I feel some of the stories were left without enough told for the reader to make heads or tails out from what was told, but also considering that the author was 17 at the time of writing, the anthology is still mightily impressive.

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

challenging dark reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

Certainly interesting to read, if slow despite its relatively short length. The narrative form makes the prose clunky and winding for many parts, separating intriguing moments and insights into characters and the environment of the Congo between dull and sometimes lengthened out segments that are later condensed and make you wonder 'why couldn't the rest of the story follow this concise storytelling if possible?'