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tobin_elliott's reviews
503 reviews
Brief Cases: More Stories from The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
5.0
Again, like SIDE JOBS, a great glimpse into the events between the larger stories. The bigfoot stories are a particular gem, but they're all fun.
Side Jobs: Stories From the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
5.0
Excellent glimpse into the "in-between" adventures that Dresden often refers to in the main series, as well as a glimpse into some of the side characters. I had fun reading these in between the main novels.
Battle Ground by Jim Butcher
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wow.
Just...wow.
This was Harry Dresden's AVENGERS: ENDGAME episode, and honestly, I don't get all the grumbling about how it was one long action scene. Look at the book that preceded it, at all the set-up that book did to lead to this. Look at the actual title of this book. OF COURSE it's pretty much one long battle.
And, as far as I'm concerned, Butcher utterly nailed it.
It's rare that I want to both devour a book just to get to the end, yet want to hold off and make it last because the ride is just so incredible. But this book did that. It's a freaking rollercoaster, and Butcher doesn't shy away from killing off some of the players.
I don't want to say too much, but seven months ago (to the day, in fact) that I wrote my first review for the Dresden Files, and said that it was "fun" but I also ended on a cautious "Let's see where it goes from here" note...I never expected it to end here (so far).
This series, since about the fifth book in, has almost consistently exceeded my expectations in every way, and this (so far) is the culmination of that. I truly enjoyed every second of my reading experience with this one.
It's gonna be hard to beat.
Because...
...wow.
Just...wow.
This was Harry Dresden's AVENGERS: ENDGAME episode, and honestly, I don't get all the grumbling about how it was one long action scene. Look at the book that preceded it, at all the set-up that book did to lead to this. Look at the actual title of this book. OF COURSE it's pretty much one long battle.
And, as far as I'm concerned, Butcher utterly nailed it.
It's rare that I want to both devour a book just to get to the end, yet want to hold off and make it last because the ride is just so incredible. But this book did that. It's a freaking rollercoaster, and Butcher doesn't shy away from killing off some of the players.
I don't want to say too much, but seven months ago (to the day, in fact) that I wrote my first review for the Dresden Files, and said that it was "fun" but I also ended on a cautious "Let's see where it goes from here" note...I never expected it to end here (so far).
This series, since about the fifth book in, has almost consistently exceeded my expectations in every way, and this (so far) is the culmination of that. I truly enjoyed every second of my reading experience with this one.
It's gonna be hard to beat.
Because...
...wow.
The Art of Heavy Metal, the Movie by Carl Macek
4.25
I really enjoyed this. It's been far too long since I watched this movie, and this book just made me want to watch it all the more.
It's a fairly light read, talking about the various animation studios and artists involved, and how they adapted to original artist styles, and the problems they had to overcome. I did learn a lot, I had no idea how much of a Canadian production this was, from animation to voice work, or how many of my favourite comic book artists were involved behind the scenes (Neal Adams, Mike Ploog, Howard Chaykin, etc.).
I enjoyed this book a lot.
It's a fairly light read, talking about the various animation studios and artists involved, and how they adapted to original artist styles, and the problems they had to overcome. I did learn a lot, I had no idea how much of a Canadian production this was, from animation to voice work, or how many of my favourite comic book artists were involved behind the scenes (Neal Adams, Mike Ploog, Howard Chaykin, etc.).
I enjoyed this book a lot.
Whispers from the Black: Volume Two by Stuart Knott, Stuart Knott
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This second set of Whispers from the Black somehow feels far darker than the first collection, and no, that's not a complaint.
Knott is a great writer, and he knows the things that scare you, horrify you. He's very good at digging under your fingernails, prising them up with painful ease, then scraping out all your fears to show you.
Each story here is good, but there's one that takes up almost half the book, "The Acolyte," and it's...freaking...insane. This is the story that shows you all the things Knott can do. Imagine a collaboration between Clive Barker and James Herbert, and you're coming close. This could easily have been an entry into Barker's HELLRAISER series, with a couple of name changes. It's dirty, it's violent, it's horrible, it's disgusting...and it's absolutely brilliant.
I love reading different indie authors—being one myself—as much for the stories as to see the decisions they make, the paths they chose to take their stories down. Knott consistently chooses paths I wouldn't. And I enjoy that, because he can pull off the things I could never do justice to. That adds a whole other level of enjoyment for me.
When I read Knott, I always know I'm in the hands of a fantastic storyteller.
Knott is a great writer, and he knows the things that scare you, horrify you. He's very good at digging under your fingernails, prising them up with painful ease, then scraping out all your fears to show you.
Each story here is good, but there's one that takes up almost half the book, "The Acolyte," and it's...freaking...insane. This is the story that shows you all the things Knott can do. Imagine a collaboration between Clive Barker and James Herbert, and you're coming close. This could easily have been an entry into Barker's HELLRAISER series, with a couple of name changes. It's dirty, it's violent, it's horrible, it's disgusting...and it's absolutely brilliant.
I love reading different indie authors—being one myself—as much for the stories as to see the decisions they make, the paths they chose to take their stories down. Knott consistently chooses paths I wouldn't. And I enjoy that, because he can pull off the things I could never do justice to. That adds a whole other level of enjoyment for me.
When I read Knott, I always know I'm in the hands of a fantastic storyteller.
The Fantastic Art of Rowena by Rowena Morrill
4.25
Growing up in the 70s, if you were a genre book reader, there were just certain artists that were on your radar. Frank Frazetta. Boris Vallejo. Chris Foss. Michael Whelan. The Brothers Hildebrandt...and Rowena.
Each one carved out their own niche, and each did it well. Rowena was not one that perhaps consistently grabbed me, possibly because I found her figures, while gorgeously rendered, always felt a bit stiff (compare them to the fluidity of a Frazetta or a Vallejo), but the color palette and the imagination was always top notch.
This is a short, yet illuminating overview of her earlier work. She would produce much greater paintings later, and absolutely earned her spot as one of the top tier fantasy/SF illustrators of her time.
I really do miss the paperback covers of the 70s and 80s. They just don't do them like that anymore.
Each one carved out their own niche, and each did it well. Rowena was not one that perhaps consistently grabbed me, possibly because I found her figures, while gorgeously rendered, always felt a bit stiff (compare them to the fluidity of a Frazetta or a Vallejo), but the color palette and the imagination was always top notch.
This is a short, yet illuminating overview of her earlier work. She would produce much greater paintings later, and absolutely earned her spot as one of the top tier fantasy/SF illustrators of her time.
I really do miss the paperback covers of the 70s and 80s. They just don't do them like that anymore.
The God of the Dead (The Monsters & Mayhem Collection Book 3) by Patrick McNulty
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
Three books, three five-star reviews. That's impressive.
This is the third and final (to my knowledge) of McNulty's "Monsters and Mayhem" collection, and every single book has been utterly mind-blowing. Every one—as the series promises—featured a monster...and mayhem...lots and lots of mayhem.
But here's the thing I've noticed about this author...
There's a right way and a wrong way to do creature features. The wrong way is to come up with a really cool monster, then just throw bodies at it for the sake of the gore and death and mayhem.
The smarter way is to give us characters that we absolutely don't want to see die. Characters that we see ourselves in. Characters that we care about. And then bring in that cool monster.
McNulty throws the wildest stuff at us (and this final book has the wildest of the bunch, believe me), but before he does, he takes time and care to ground the reader in a very real, very relatable world before he begins slapping us around with the mayhem.
And good lord, can he bring the mayhem. Once the action starts, it simply does not let up, and I mean that in all the best ways. His writing is believable, the plots are simple, yet effective, and there's one thing that's very important to me that he does well.
For all this stuff to happen? It happens without the characters making incredibly stupid decisions.
McNulty now sits toward the very top of my favourite horror authors list. And I'll read anything he writes now.
This is the third and final (to my knowledge) of McNulty's "Monsters and Mayhem" collection, and every single book has been utterly mind-blowing. Every one—as the series promises—featured a monster...and mayhem...lots and lots of mayhem.
But here's the thing I've noticed about this author...
There's a right way and a wrong way to do creature features. The wrong way is to come up with a really cool monster, then just throw bodies at it for the sake of the gore and death and mayhem.
The smarter way is to give us characters that we absolutely don't want to see die. Characters that we see ourselves in. Characters that we care about. And then bring in that cool monster.
McNulty throws the wildest stuff at us (and this final book has the wildest of the bunch, believe me), but before he does, he takes time and care to ground the reader in a very real, very relatable world before he begins slapping us around with the mayhem.
And good lord, can he bring the mayhem. Once the action starts, it simply does not let up, and I mean that in all the best ways. His writing is believable, the plots are simple, yet effective, and there's one thing that's very important to me that he does well.
For all this stuff to happen? It happens without the characters making incredibly stupid decisions.
McNulty now sits toward the very top of my favourite horror authors list. And I'll read anything he writes now.
Murder on the Inside: The True Story of the Deadly Riot at Kingston Penitentiary by Catherine Fogarty
5.0
This one was an eye opener.
Not quite a year ago, I made the trek to Kingston and spent an informative couple of hours wandering the grounds and facilities of Kingston Penitentiary. The tour guides had a lot of stories on both the history of KP, as well as some generalized stories.
For me, all I'd known, before walking in, was that it was one of the first prisons in Canada, and that it had housed the human garbage known as Paul Bernardo for a time. So, I was stunned to find out about the riot that took place in '71. I would have been about 8 at the time, but I don't remember hearing anything about it.
On the way out, I picked up this book to learn more about it, and I finally got around to it. And...wow. How has there never been a movie made about this?
The ins and outs of this story, the twists and turns, it's truly an incredible story, and an important one on a few different levels. I don't want to spoil anything, but if you're a true crime buff of any measure, this is absolutely a book that should be in your collection.
Incredible story.
Not quite a year ago, I made the trek to Kingston and spent an informative couple of hours wandering the grounds and facilities of Kingston Penitentiary. The tour guides had a lot of stories on both the history of KP, as well as some generalized stories.
For me, all I'd known, before walking in, was that it was one of the first prisons in Canada, and that it had housed the human garbage known as Paul Bernardo for a time. So, I was stunned to find out about the riot that took place in '71. I would have been about 8 at the time, but I don't remember hearing anything about it.
On the way out, I picked up this book to learn more about it, and I finally got around to it. And...wow. How has there never been a movie made about this?
The ins and outs of this story, the twists and turns, it's truly an incredible story, and an important one on a few different levels. I don't want to spoil anything, but if you're a true crime buff of any measure, this is absolutely a book that should be in your collection.
Incredible story.
Fear of the Hunt: Book 2 of The Hunt Series by Steven Ross
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
4.25
I am a fan of Ross, and when I found out he'd done a follow-up to his LOVE OF THE HUNT, I bought the book immediately...
...and then apparently sat on it for ten months. Blame my ridiculous TBR pile. Anyway, I'm remedying that now.
This is a fun and interesting follow-up. LOVE set the stage, and introduced us to Victor and Ross's own brand of sentient zombies. Now, I'm the first to admit, I am not a fan of the zombie genre, as a whole, and usually scrape my enjoyment from the human element fighting against them (see: WALKING DEAD) (yeah yeah, I know, I'm a cliché, sue me).
But Ross has done something interesting here...in this volume, there's almost a total lack of "normal" humans. This one's close to ALL! ZOMBIES! ALL! THE! TIME!
...and yet, Ross has a somewhat self-loathing, and mostly selfless monster in Victor. If I have one complaint with Victor, it's that he falls in love far too quickly, but hey, I've never lived through a zombie apocalypse, so what do I know?
Still, when we finally meet the big bad in this one...and I do mean *big bad*...this story takes on a somewhat surreal aspect that I really enjoyed. I mean, it's pretty much a Christmas tale...with more carnage.
Ross is a hell of a writer, and he can weave a story that sucks the reader in easily. This one is no exception. I had a great time with this one.
...and then apparently sat on it for ten months. Blame my ridiculous TBR pile. Anyway, I'm remedying that now.
This is a fun and interesting follow-up. LOVE set the stage, and introduced us to Victor and Ross's own brand of sentient zombies. Now, I'm the first to admit, I am not a fan of the zombie genre, as a whole, and usually scrape my enjoyment from the human element fighting against them (see: WALKING DEAD) (yeah yeah, I know, I'm a cliché, sue me).
But Ross has done something interesting here...in this volume, there's almost a total lack of "normal" humans. This one's close to ALL! ZOMBIES! ALL! THE! TIME!
...and yet, Ross has a somewhat self-loathing, and mostly selfless monster in Victor. If I have one complaint with Victor, it's that he falls in love far too quickly, but hey, I've never lived through a zombie apocalypse, so what do I know?
Still, when we finally meet the big bad in this one...and I do mean *big bad*...this story takes on a somewhat surreal aspect that I really enjoyed. I mean, it's pretty much a Christmas tale...with more carnage.
Ross is a hell of a writer, and he can weave a story that sucks the reader in easily. This one is no exception. I had a great time with this one.
Peace Talks by Jim Butcher
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
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
5.0
I'm reading quite a few reviews about how weak this book is, but honestly, I feel like Butcher set up the main storyline perfectly to deliver the unexpected punch that will set up the following book.
Yes, this is very much an intermediary story in the grander scheme, and sometimes that's necessary.
Personally, I enjoyed the heck out of this one. The stakes have been raised yet again, some conflicts starting to boil, and interesting alliances coming into fruition.
At this point, I trust Butcher to deliver the goods.
Yes, this is very much an intermediary story in the grander scheme, and sometimes that's necessary.
Personally, I enjoyed the heck out of this one. The stakes have been raised yet again, some conflicts starting to boil, and interesting alliances coming into fruition.
At this point, I trust Butcher to deliver the goods.