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tobin_elliott's reviews
289 reviews
Something is Killing the Children, Vol. 7 by James Tynion IV
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? Yes
5.0
Finishing off the story that was started in the last collection, I wasn't expecting a lot, to be honest. Blah blah, they'd figure out how to kill the thing that's killing the children, blah blah, they'd kill it.
Boy, was I wrong.
This was utterly fantastic, probably the best arc of the series so far.
Boy, was I wrong.
This was utterly fantastic, probably the best arc of the series so far.
Anterior Skies, Vol 1: A Genre-Bending Anthology of the Weird and Cosmic by C F Page
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
When I went to start this review, I was shocked at how few reviews this book had garnered because, quite frankly, this is possibly THE best multi-author anthology I've ever read.
Page has gathered an incredibly diverse group of very talented authors and the stories are almost uniformly brilliant and wildly different from each other.
I know the big trend in indie anthologies now is to have a unifying theme. I've been published in several myself. And, while each one will still have diverse stories, each is tightly bound to that theme and, to me, the experience is somewhat lessened. Not always, but often.
But, to me, what was even more shocking (in a seriously pleasant way) was that, typically, with any anthology, I'll find that I maybe like a quarter, or as much as a third of the stories, and the rest kind of land like filler. They tend to be okay, but not memorable.
This collection had precisely three stories that I wasn't overly fond of, and not one of them was because they felt like filler, or they weren't memorable. Honestly, in each case, it felt more like I wasn't smart enough to get what they were going for. I feel like the fault fell to me, not the stories. And for a collection of 30 different pieces—running from larger ones, 20+ pages, to single-page flash pieces, and even a bit of poetry—to have three that didn't quite grab me? Only three?
That, my friends, is an impressive feat. This collection has it all. Yes, there's a theme, and it's cosmic horror, but that's such a broad, vague canvas that these stories reach from deep space, to deep underwater, and all points in between.
If you want to read stuff that will disturb you, make you think, leave you in awe, and simply blow your mind?
Then this is literally the only anthology you need.
Page has gathered an incredibly diverse group of very talented authors and the stories are almost uniformly brilliant and wildly different from each other.
I know the big trend in indie anthologies now is to have a unifying theme. I've been published in several myself. And, while each one will still have diverse stories, each is tightly bound to that theme and, to me, the experience is somewhat lessened. Not always, but often.
But, to me, what was even more shocking (in a seriously pleasant way) was that, typically, with any anthology, I'll find that I maybe like a quarter, or as much as a third of the stories, and the rest kind of land like filler. They tend to be okay, but not memorable.
This collection had precisely three stories that I wasn't overly fond of, and not one of them was because they felt like filler, or they weren't memorable. Honestly, in each case, it felt more like I wasn't smart enough to get what they were going for. I feel like the fault fell to me, not the stories. And for a collection of 30 different pieces—running from larger ones, 20+ pages, to single-page flash pieces, and even a bit of poetry—to have three that didn't quite grab me? Only three?
That, my friends, is an impressive feat. This collection has it all. Yes, there's a theme, and it's cosmic horror, but that's such a broad, vague canvas that these stories reach from deep space, to deep underwater, and all points in between.
If you want to read stuff that will disturb you, make you think, leave you in awe, and simply blow your mind?
Then this is literally the only anthology you need.
Scarlet by Brian Michael Bendis
I love the premise of this series, and I understand how it came out of the Occupy movement. Bendis and Maleev have their fingers firmly on the frustrated pulse of the world where (almost) everyone sees the corruption, hates it, but tends to shrug and say, what can I do?
And then they came up with Scarlet, the little terrorist that could.
As I said, I love the premise, and the first few issues are great, when the initial stakes are small. I do feel it goes off the rails a bit as the stakes get bigger, but...
...but...
...having said that, there's so much truth in here, there's so much to love, from the simple, everyday observations, to the real world scenarios that happen every day (and get swept under the rug every day), to the incredible art of Maleev, bringing those observations and scenarios to life.
In the end, this is flawed, but it's also a comic that demands certain elements, I guess. And it's also some of Bendis's best work, and it's absolutely Maleev's best.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-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
4.0
Maybe people should stop worrying about being the hero of their own story and start worrying about how many stories they are the raging asshole of.
I mean, that's just—can you imagine?
That should be a religion, too.
I love the premise of this series, and I understand how it came out of the Occupy movement. Bendis and Maleev have their fingers firmly on the frustrated pulse of the world where (almost) everyone sees the corruption, hates it, but tends to shrug and say, what can I do?
And then they came up with Scarlet, the little terrorist that could.
As I said, I love the premise, and the first few issues are great, when the initial stakes are small. I do feel it goes off the rails a bit as the stakes get bigger, but...
...but...
...having said that, there's so much truth in here, there's so much to love, from the simple, everyday observations, to the real world scenarios that happen every day (and get swept under the rug every day), to the incredible art of Maleev, bringing those observations and scenarios to life.
In the end, this is flawed, but it's also a comic that demands certain elements, I guess. And it's also some of Bendis's best work, and it's absolutely Maleev's best.
Bad Blood: The First Book of the Aphotic by Tobin Elliott
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I've had my books on my "currently reading" shelf forever.
I'm not one of those authors who's going to review my own book. I'm biased. I like it.
However, now that I'm getting them done as audiobooks, I can sing the praises of these stories from an entirely different perspective.
Jenn Johnson is the narrator of these audio versions. And on this first one, she absolutely nails it. The narration is absolutely incredible.
So...for the book, I'll let the readers decide...but for the narration? Five full well-deserved stars.
I'm not one of those authors who's going to review my own book. I'm biased. I like it.
However, now that I'm getting them done as audiobooks, I can sing the praises of these stories from an entirely different perspective.
Jenn Johnson is the narrator of these audio versions. And on this first one, she absolutely nails it. The narration is absolutely incredible.
So...for the book, I'll let the readers decide...but for the narration? Five full well-deserved stars.
Freaky Deaky by Elmore Leonard
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
You know, there was a point there where I was reading a ton of Elmore Leonard. I was picking up his back catalogue at the same time he was still releasing new work.
And I loved it all.
Then, I pretty much finished everything I had by Leonard and he passed away. And the world lost a brilliant writer. I was so bummed, I don't think I've read any of his books since he passed, almost 11 (!) years ago.
So, it was high time to read some more. This was one I'd somehow missed from his catalogue and, while it's not his absolute best, man, it was refreshing to dive into Leonard's characters, his incredible dialogue, and his "everyone's out to screw everyone else" plots.
His books are simply fun. Filled with people you immediately recognize and either love or loathe.
I've gotta read some more Leonard.
And I loved it all.
Then, I pretty much finished everything I had by Leonard and he passed away. And the world lost a brilliant writer. I was so bummed, I don't think I've read any of his books since he passed, almost 11 (!) years ago.
So, it was high time to read some more. This was one I'd somehow missed from his catalogue and, while it's not his absolute best, man, it was refreshing to dive into Leonard's characters, his incredible dialogue, and his "everyone's out to screw everyone else" plots.
His books are simply fun. Filled with people you immediately recognize and either love or loathe.
I've gotta read some more Leonard.
John Lennon vs. the U.S.A.: The Inside Story of the Most Bitterly Contested and Influential Deportation Case in United States History by Leon Wildes
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
A very good book about a large element of John's life that I knew very little about.
I knew he and Yoko had had issues staying in America, and that the government wanted him out, but I truly thought it all hinged on the drug charge.
There's so much more to the story and, while there's a lot of legal maneuvering here, Wildes doesn't ever stray too deeply into the weeds, and is careful to explain all the ins and outs of the procedures.
And, of course, I'm sure it was as shocking to discover how terribly and illegally the government was proceeding, just as it was for the Watergate case that exploded around the same timeframe.
Overall, I really enjoyed this, and I'm glad I got more educated on this facet of John's life.
However, one thought hit me after I finished this.
Had John lost his case...had he been deported from the US...if he hadn't been in New York City on December 8, 1980...
Would he still be with us?
I knew he and Yoko had had issues staying in America, and that the government wanted him out, but I truly thought it all hinged on the drug charge.
There's so much more to the story and, while there's a lot of legal maneuvering here, Wildes doesn't ever stray too deeply into the weeds, and is careful to explain all the ins and outs of the procedures.
And, of course, I'm sure it was as shocking to discover how terribly and illegally the government was proceeding, just as it was for the Watergate case that exploded around the same timeframe.
Overall, I really enjoyed this, and I'm glad I got more educated on this facet of John's life.
However, one thought hit me after I finished this.
Had John lost his case...had he been deported from the US...if he hadn't been in New York City on December 8, 1980...
Would he still be with us?
Ever by Terry Moore
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
I absolutely adore Terry Moore's work. He can pretty much write anything from general slice-of-life fiction to horror to SF to...well, darn near anything.
This one is another switch up, going for more of a human vs the angels story with a heavy biblical backstory. I think Moore may have got a bit too ambitious to contain this story in too-few pages. It was interesting, it was mostly fun, it had all the trademark Terry Moore touches: gorgeous art, witty dialogue, some thought-provoking ideas, and some darkness and light.
But overall, it felt a touch rushed and it didn't hit me as much as his other stuff.
This one is another switch up, going for more of a human vs the angels story with a heavy biblical backstory. I think Moore may have got a bit too ambitious to contain this story in too-few pages. It was interesting, it was mostly fun, it had all the trademark Terry Moore touches: gorgeous art, witty dialogue, some thought-provoking ideas, and some darkness and light.
But overall, it felt a touch rushed and it didn't hit me as much as his other stuff.
Dreamcatcher by Stephen King
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.25
This novel is just a hot freaking mess. It's hot garbage. It's a dumpster fire.
The first time I read this, I remember being not overly impressed, but I didn't actually hate the thing.
This time around, I was ready to just stop at least five times...in five days. Through the entire miserable experience, I kept wondering if this was a trunk novel he'd had kicking around during his drug-addled days. After I finished I found out he wrote it longhand while recovering from the accident.
My problems are many with this novel, but there's a couple of overriding elements that just ruined this experience for me.
The first is, King can't really write SF. He obviously loves the genre, and it's obvious that he tries to bring a human element into it. He tried it with TOMMYKNOCKERS and he'll give passing nods to it down the road in UNDER THE DOME and a little less in THE INSTITUTE. But, at least for me, while it always starts out really promising, it never works out.
The second reason—again, just for me—that it doesn't work out, and why this book is so much of a dumpster fire is because of all the "in the head" stuff that King slathers into this novel. We're in Henry's head. We're in Jonesy's head. We're in Mr. Gray's head. There's rooms in there. And boxes. And fax machines.
And it, to me, comes across as really amateurish and boring.
There's other stuff. The chase scene that runs about a third of the novel. Even the set up that runs a third of the novel before the military shows up. Kurtz is easily one of the worst characters King's ever dreamed up.
And yet...
There's smaller, far less important (and often completely unneeded) scenes, mostly centred around the four guys and Duddits when they were young that hinted at the incredible writer King can be.
This, at times, felt like a twisted IT pastiche, and I also (once again, personal opinion) feel that, had King done alternating young group/older group chapters, it would have been a better paced novel.
It's absolutely not the worst book that has Stephen King's name on it (that is, and always will be the toilet paper replacement GWENDY'S FINALSHIT TASK) however, I'd always considered King's other SF travesty TOMMYKNOCKERS as his worst solo novel. I've reconsidered that. It's now only second worst.
This one now sits comfortably in that spot.
The first time I read this, I remember being not overly impressed, but I didn't actually hate the thing.
This time around, I was ready to just stop at least five times...in five days. Through the entire miserable experience, I kept wondering if this was a trunk novel he'd had kicking around during his drug-addled days. After I finished I found out he wrote it longhand while recovering from the accident.
My problems are many with this novel, but there's a couple of overriding elements that just ruined this experience for me.
The first is, King can't really write SF. He obviously loves the genre, and it's obvious that he tries to bring a human element into it. He tried it with TOMMYKNOCKERS and he'll give passing nods to it down the road in UNDER THE DOME and a little less in THE INSTITUTE. But, at least for me, while it always starts out really promising, it never works out.
The second reason—again, just for me—that it doesn't work out, and why this book is so much of a dumpster fire is because of all the "in the head" stuff that King slathers into this novel. We're in Henry's head. We're in Jonesy's head. We're in Mr. Gray's head. There's rooms in there. And boxes. And fax machines.
And it, to me, comes across as really amateurish and boring.
There's other stuff. The chase scene that runs about a third of the novel. Even the set up that runs a third of the novel before the military shows up. Kurtz is easily one of the worst characters King's ever dreamed up.
And yet...
There's smaller, far less important (and often completely unneeded) scenes, mostly centred around the four guys and Duddits when they were young that hinted at the incredible writer King can be.
This, at times, felt like a twisted IT pastiche, and I also (once again, personal opinion) feel that, had King done alternating young group/older group chapters, it would have been a better paced novel.
It's absolutely not the worst book that has Stephen King's name on it (that is, and always will be the toilet paper replacement GWENDY'S FINAL
This one now sits comfortably in that spot.
Superman: Red Son by Mark Millar
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Ah, Mark Millar...one of those comic book writers who, along with Brian Michael Bendis, Alan Moore, Dave Sim, and Donny Cates, used to be really good, but then...I don't know...maybe started believing their own press? But somehow, some way, they just started pumping out less than stellar product.
I cannot and will not read anything Millar puts out now, but I thought going back a couple of decades might be a safe bet. Turns out I was wrong. Maybe this is where the problems started.
I know most people absolutely love this graphic novel and, to be fair, there's a lot to love. It's Millar's What If...? take and there's some cool stuff here, including the actual underlying idea. The art is fantastic.
But my biggest problem with Millar is that he writes like a hyperactive child with no attention span, and this book reads like a horribly hacked up abridged version of a much longer and much better story.
Millar, it seems, has given up on stories with any sort of build up, or nuance, and instead writes a series of set pieces that look cool. He introduces and throws away characters in the span of a couple of pages. Instead of a narrative, there's just a few familiar faces that go through their motions to get to the big build up and pay off at the end.
And Lex Luthor? While Millar takes liberties (as he should, in this what if scenario he's sketching—and it's all sketch, not painting) with all the pre-existing characters, it's Lex that's so stupidly over the top. Millar's basically mashed Dr. Manhattan from Watchmen, and Tony Stark from Iron Man into this frenetic, stupidly obsessed anti-hero.
If only Millar had a fraction of his obsessiveness to detail, this graphic novel would have been longer, paced better, and would have been far more satisfying.
As it is, it feels like it was a quickly babbled out joke just to get to his three-or-four page punchline at the very end.
I cannot and will not read anything Millar puts out now, but I thought going back a couple of decades might be a safe bet. Turns out I was wrong. Maybe this is where the problems started.
I know most people absolutely love this graphic novel and, to be fair, there's a lot to love. It's Millar's What If...? take and there's some cool stuff here, including the actual underlying idea. The art is fantastic.
But my biggest problem with Millar is that he writes like a hyperactive child with no attention span, and this book reads like a horribly hacked up abridged version of a much longer and much better story.
Millar, it seems, has given up on stories with any sort of build up, or nuance, and instead writes a series of set pieces that look cool. He introduces and throws away characters in the span of a couple of pages. Instead of a narrative, there's just a few familiar faces that go through their motions to get to the big build up and pay off at the end.
And Lex Luthor? While Millar takes liberties (as he should, in this what if scenario he's sketching—and it's all sketch, not painting) with all the pre-existing characters, it's Lex that's so stupidly over the top. Millar's basically mashed Dr. Manhattan from Watchmen, and Tony Stark from Iron Man into this frenetic, stupidly obsessed anti-hero.
If only Millar had a fraction of his obsessiveness to detail, this graphic novel would have been longer, paced better, and would have been far more satisfying.
As it is, it feels like it was a quickly babbled out joke just to get to his three-or-four page punchline at the very end.
Shang-Chi: Master of Kung-Fu Omnibus, Volume 2 by
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
The Moench/Gulacy issues (up to issue 50) are mostly brilliant and well worth the read. After Gulacy left, the series went through a mess of consistency issues, flipping between artists Jim Craig, Mike Zeck, and finally Pat Broderick and deadlines were missed and for most of the next 15 issues, the series suffered.
But overall, Moench is a good enough author (if a tad long-winded and with a propensity to get a bit silly at times), to at least hold my interest, if not fully engage me in the back half of this collection.
But overall, Moench is a good enough author (if a tad long-winded and with a propensity to get a bit silly at times), to at least hold my interest, if not fully engage me in the back half of this collection.