the_dave's reviews
262 reviews

A Song for Quiet by Cassandra Khaw

4.0

A Song for Quiet is the first novella I have read by Cassandra Khaw, it was a brisk compelling horror story about the monster of grief and how one can be consumed by it or learn to live with it. It also is a story about monsters and men, which is something I always enjoy.

The Plots Against the President: FDR, A Nation in Crisis, and the Rise of the American Right by Sally Denton

5.0

An excellent and concise look at a sliver of history that has rarely been examined and at worst covered up, this book is an interesting look at a time in history when the American people wanted strong leadership and could have potentially had a fascist government installed. It also has some interesting parallels to today.

House. Tree. Person. by Catriona McPherson

2.0

I am generally a fan of the mystery genre, however this novel had characters that I couldn't relate too with a plot that falls apart with just a little thought. It also meanders in its story telling and it tries the unreliable narrator trick with little success.

Strange Weather by Joe Hill

5.0

I could hardly put this book down, all 4 of the novellas had me hooked. They are all excellent and tightly packed novels with characterization, action, horror, suspense, and even some heart felt moments. I could not have enjoyed this more.

The Suicide Exhibition by Justin Richards

3.0

This novel is an alternate history version of world war 2 wherein Nazis have discovered aliens and are trying to use that technology to win the war. It's a concept that has been done better in other books and mediums as Richards plot has one dimensional characters, some badly written lines, poor pacing, and too much of the plot relies on luck. This is a pulp novel, but it doesn't pretend to be otherwise and I have to say that I did actually enjoy myself when reading it and I want to read the sequel, so there's that. The Suicide Exhibition is definitely not for everyone, but if you want some decent alternate history action this could be for you.

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

5.0

Annihilation is one of the most atmospheric books I have ever had the pleasure of reading. This is a sci-fi suspense novel that loves to give detail to the environment but not the story, which involves a potentially unreliable narrator and many many mysteries of the land "Area X". It was hard for me to put down, but if you are not a fan of books ending with the mystery unsolved (or potentially even being closed to solved) then this may not be a book for you. Personally, I just want to go out and read the second and third books as soon as I can.

A History of the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team by Clemente A. Lisi

2.0

I really wanted to enjoy this look at the history of the US Men's national soccer team, however it was not meant to be. This book is badly produced propaganda for US Soccer, it tries to convince the reader that the men's team has been a national force and a good soccer team while the content of the book actively refutes that at every point. This is not me projecting, the thesis in the opening paragraphs of the book is that the men's national team has done more than any other team, regardless of sport, to galvanize the populace. Which is completely wrong. Not only that, but many many times within the history itself, the author makes a statement about how the team accomplished a feat but no one in the us read about it or cared. Even the recent history of the men's team is a tale full of misery and defeat.

One last note that really bothered me, the author does a good job of describing tournaments and matches and what they mean in the context of the time, but he states the outcome first before describing the match which makes reading about it not as exciting. Why do that?

Authority by Jeff VanderMeer

3.0

I truly wanted to like this book more than I did. Annihilation, the first book in the Southern Reach Trilogy, is a masterpiece in my mind. The mystery and excitement and danger of Area X were all compelling, along with the biologist narrator. This book, about the agency sending expeditions into the area changes all of that. No time is spent in the area but only within the agency. I know it is supposed to mirror area x in its way with the workers and how the work is done, but the main character, Control, wasn't special to me at all. The book drags for 2/3, it only becomes interesting at the end. It spends too much time trying to make the agency mysterious that it loses its charm. Vandermeer likes to write with detail, which worked amazingly well in Annihilation describing Area X as it's a mysterious place. This novel, it just slows the pace and makes the book dense. I'm still excited to finish the trilogy, but my excitement has been dampened.

Acceptance by Jeff VanderMeer

4.0

The conclusion of the Southern Reach trilogy is a satisfying end to the lovecraftian horror that Jeff Vandermeer has created. It answers some questions while leaving others open and even only hints at what the truth can be. I enjoyed this book more than the second, but the first "Annihilation" is still the best. There are few books that combine mystery and sci-fi and horror to such good effect. I had a great time reading the southern Reach trilogy.

The End We Start From by Megan Hunter

4.0

The End We Start From is a beautiful book that is brought to life by Megan Hunters prose and sparse story telling. The tale of a new mom adjusting to motherhood during a major environmental disaster is riveting, especially the way Hunter writes it like poetry. I couldn't put this book down, I only wish some parts were a little more clear in what was going on. With that said, the spare use of words is what makes this work haunting and imaginative and great.