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tobin_elliott's reviews
508 reviews
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.
Dune: The Graphic Novel, Book 3: The Prophet by Kevin J. Anderson, Frank Herbert, Brian Herbert
0.25
As promised in my review for the second installment in this rather comatose adaptation, I did indeed buy the last volume hoping (vainly) that it might improve.
This is the worst of the lot. The art this time around didn't even try to swing for the fences. An attempt would have been appreciated. Instead, we get 190 pages of dull, static people standing around, stiffly jumping or supposedly fighting, and lots of close ups of mostly dull expressions. For a book with the main title "DUNE" we get very little imagery of the greater world, and what we do get is boring.
So, dull, uninteresting, workmanlike art that has no place in an epic story as grand and challenging as DUNE.
But worse than the art is the writing by the man that proves that, on occasion, the apple can fall exceptionally far from the tree, then just keep rolling farther and farther away. Frank Herbert was a very cerebral, very distinctive author and, for a kid who apparently grew up hearing his father read his stories, he absorbed nothing of his father's careful cadence or storytelling ability. I've called the art workmanlike. But the writing? I think the only word that works here is "inept".
Oh sure, he knows all the terms. He knows all the characters. But where Frank would have subtle, mysterious conversations that bent and twisted with subterfuge and hidden meaning, Brian's got Paul just bellowing, "I'm the Kwisatz Haderach!" for all and sundry, like he's freaking Kanye West. The dialogue is stunted and choppy and dull, the pacing terrible. He's wrung the book through an old dirty sock and filtered out all that was fun and awe-inspiring and wondrous about DUNE and instead just strung a series of words and sentences along to barely hint at one of the most incredible stories of the 20th century.
This is awful. I've tried and tried to read something with Brian Herbert's name attached to it, but with this last garbage money grab, I'm officially done. This was crap.
Go read the book. Leave these adaptations in the washroom where the paper will get better use.
This is the worst of the lot. The art this time around didn't even try to swing for the fences. An attempt would have been appreciated. Instead, we get 190 pages of dull, static people standing around, stiffly jumping or supposedly fighting, and lots of close ups of mostly dull expressions. For a book with the main title "DUNE" we get very little imagery of the greater world, and what we do get is boring.
So, dull, uninteresting, workmanlike art that has no place in an epic story as grand and challenging as DUNE.
But worse than the art is the writing by the man that proves that, on occasion, the apple can fall exceptionally far from the tree, then just keep rolling farther and farther away. Frank Herbert was a very cerebral, very distinctive author and, for a kid who apparently grew up hearing his father read his stories, he absorbed nothing of his father's careful cadence or storytelling ability. I've called the art workmanlike. But the writing? I think the only word that works here is "inept".
Oh sure, he knows all the terms. He knows all the characters. But where Frank would have subtle, mysterious conversations that bent and twisted with subterfuge and hidden meaning, Brian's got Paul just bellowing, "I'm the Kwisatz Haderach!" for all and sundry, like he's freaking Kanye West. The dialogue is stunted and choppy and dull, the pacing terrible. He's wrung the book through an old dirty sock and filtered out all that was fun and awe-inspiring and wondrous about DUNE and instead just strung a series of words and sentences along to barely hint at one of the most incredible stories of the 20th century.
This is awful. I've tried and tried to read something with Brian Herbert's name attached to it, but with this last garbage money grab, I'm officially done. This was crap.
Go read the book. Leave these adaptations in the washroom where the paper will get better use.
Wonderworks: Science Fiction and Fantasy Art by Michael Whelan, Polly Freas, Frank Kelly Freas
5.0
Michael Whelan's an incredible artist, and it's incredible how much of his work I own on old paperbacks.
But as others have said, this is his earlier stuff and, while much of it is very good, it is after this period that he became even better (though he I will always believe he did one of the best Elrics ever).
The printing of this book is not as good as it should be to truly showcase the art, but it was also published way back in 1979, and printing has improved greatly since then.
So, this is a good introduction to the early days of Whelan, but like I said, it was only upward from here.
But as others have said, this is his earlier stuff and, while much of it is very good, it is after this period that he became even better (though he I will always believe he did one of the best Elrics ever).
The printing of this book is not as good as it should be to truly showcase the art, but it was also published way back in 1979, and printing has improved greatly since then.
So, this is a good introduction to the early days of Whelan, but like I said, it was only upward from here.
The Art of John Byrne: Or "Out of My Head." by John Lindley Byrne
3.75
This is a weird one. Yes, it's got great John Byrne art all through it, from finished, polished work right through to quick doodles. It's got commentary by Roger Stern, Terry Austin, and Chris Claremont. It has a long interview with Byrne, all of which is interesting.
However, it is shockingly full of ridiculous spelling errors (half of which seem to be other artist and author names, which is simply unforgivable), and all those people who write about Byrne seem to be doing their best to say nice things about him, but you can almost see the strain beneath the smile. Claremont's the only one who seems mostly comfortable, but it wouldn't be long before he and Byrne would have their falling out.
The interview is most illuminating in how Byrne casually bashes others...Bob Layton, Jim Shooter, hell, even the guy who made Byrne look good, Terry Austin...though it's interesting to feel the dislike toward Shooter while also seeing Byrne grudgingly admit that Shooter pushed him to be a better storyteller.
You can also clearly see that Byrne is, sadly, starting to not just believe in his own press, but getting ready to wallow in it. It's too bad because, while Byrne still had some decent years and ideas ahead of him, he was also about to quietly flame out from all that hubris and not playing well with others.
Which is too bad. While he's still secured his place among the top comic artists, he literally could have been right up at the top.
However, it is shockingly full of ridiculous spelling errors (half of which seem to be other artist and author names, which is simply unforgivable), and all those people who write about Byrne seem to be doing their best to say nice things about him, but you can almost see the strain beneath the smile. Claremont's the only one who seems mostly comfortable, but it wouldn't be long before he and Byrne would have their falling out.
The interview is most illuminating in how Byrne casually bashes others...Bob Layton, Jim Shooter, hell, even the guy who made Byrne look good, Terry Austin...though it's interesting to feel the dislike toward Shooter while also seeing Byrne grudgingly admit that Shooter pushed him to be a better storyteller.
You can also clearly see that Byrne is, sadly, starting to not just believe in his own press, but getting ready to wallow in it. It's too bad because, while Byrne still had some decent years and ideas ahead of him, he was also about to quietly flame out from all that hubris and not playing well with others.
Which is too bad. While he's still secured his place among the top comic artists, he literally could have been right up at the top.
Michigan Basement by Thomas Ligotti
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
Gotta say, while this is Ligotti, it's also Trenz and, after reading both CRAMPTON and now this, I feel Trenz adds a bit of a "commercializing" aspect to the standard Ligottian nightmare. I find that reading Ligotti on his own is like entering a really bad dream.
But reading a Ligotti/Trenz collaboration is a slightly different experience. It's still dreamlike, but it's a touch easier to grasp, a little more mainstream. The pros and cons can be argued, however, I just choose to run with it.
And, in this case, I enjoyed the hell out of this. It's bizarre, it's mostly unexplained, and there's a lot less clowns than the source material, but overall, this is a movie I'd enjoy watching. It's got a bit of a David Lynch feel to it.
But reading a Ligotti/Trenz collaboration is a slightly different experience. It's still dreamlike, but it's a touch easier to grasp, a little more mainstream. The pros and cons can be argued, however, I just choose to run with it.
And, in this case, I enjoyed the hell out of this. It's bizarre, it's mostly unexplained, and there's a lot less clowns than the source material, but overall, this is a movie I'd enjoy watching. It's got a bit of a David Lynch feel to it.
Avernus Island by Patrick McNulty
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
I don't know if there's a specific word to describe the feeling I'm currently experiencing, having just finished my second Patrick McNulty read... it's the feeling of excitement, knowing I've found yet another indie horror author who is a freaking master of his trade, and that I now know I have to read everything the guy's written.
But that's the feeling I'm feeling right now.
This book...what do I even say about this? McNulty takes the clunky "family inherits haunted property, finds out how bad it is" trope that's so ridiculously overdone that I absolutely avoid that kind of storyline at all costs now, and he mostly ignores every aspect of it and makes it his own. So, that's the first plus.
Then, he crafts a story that's so simple it shouldn't actually be enough story to fill a novel...and he fills a novel with a perfectly paced, well-written, intelligent storyline that builds and builds and then explodes. Second plus.
There's very few authors that I read lately that I have trouble setting their books aside. I can read a couple of pages, or a couple of chapters, and yeah, the story's still gonna be there whenever I pick up the book again. But this one had me very reluctantly setting the book down and thinking about the story all the time before I could pick it back up again. I blasted through this in two sittings. Third plus.
I am officially a fan now. This book was absolutely phenomenal.
But that's the feeling I'm feeling right now.
This book...what do I even say about this? McNulty takes the clunky "family inherits haunted property, finds out how bad it is" trope that's so ridiculously overdone that I absolutely avoid that kind of storyline at all costs now, and he mostly ignores every aspect of it and makes it his own. So, that's the first plus.
Then, he crafts a story that's so simple it shouldn't actually be enough story to fill a novel...and he fills a novel with a perfectly paced, well-written, intelligent storyline that builds and builds and then explodes. Second plus.
There's very few authors that I read lately that I have trouble setting their books aside. I can read a couple of pages, or a couple of chapters, and yeah, the story's still gonna be there whenever I pick up the book again. But this one had me very reluctantly setting the book down and thinking about the story all the time before I could pick it back up again. I blasted through this in two sittings. Third plus.
I am officially a fan now. This book was absolutely phenomenal.