Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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About MarkAbaddon

CBR11 participant
CBR12 participant
CBR13 participant
CBR14 Participant
CBR15 Participant
CBR18 Participant

Somehow I have turned into a real life Ross Geller, having now been married 3 times. Otherwise, just your normal Jewish geek living in MN. (Learn more about this Cannonballer: MarkAbaddon's Quick Questions interview.)

MarkAbaddon's Reviews:

Station Eleven-a surprisingly optimistic apocalyptic story

Station Eleven by Emily Saint John Mandel

April 16, 2020 by MarkAbaddon 3 Comments

I admit, when I saw this come up as a featured book for Cannonball Read, I was a bit wary. Not because I was not a fan of the book, I was. However, reading a book about society rebuilding after a devastating plague seemed a bit masochistic during these days of isolation due to COVID-19. But I am glad I did. This books speaks to the resiliency of our species, both from a physical, as well as a cultural standpoint. One of the keys to […]

Filed Under: Fiction, Speculative Fiction Tagged With: apocalypse, Emily Saint John Mandel, Fiction, Michigan

MarkAbaddon's CBR12 Review No:11 · Genres: Fiction, Speculative Fiction · Tags: apocalypse, Emily Saint John Mandel, Fiction, Michigan ·
Rating:
· 3 Comments

An excellent adaptation of a classic novel

Kindred by Octavia Butler

April 13, 2020 by MarkAbaddon Leave a Comment

Some stories hit you harder than others. Reading this graphic novel, shortly after watching the film Harriet, struck like a thunderbolt. Some people, mostly belonging to a certain political party, have attempted to make slavery seem not so bad. Which is why works like Kindred are so important. In Kindred, Dana, a young black woman, married to a white man in 1976, finds herself transported back the mid 1800s to save a white ancestor of hers. She bounces back and forth between the time periods […]

Filed Under: Fiction, Graphic Novels/Comic Books, History, Speculative Fiction Tagged With: #Science Fiction, Fiction, Graphic Novel, historical fiction, octavia butler, Racism, Slavery, time travel

MarkAbaddon's CBR12 Review No:10 · Genres: Fiction, Graphic Novels/Comic Books, History, Speculative Fiction · Tags: #Science Fiction, Fiction, Graphic Novel, historical fiction, octavia butler, Racism, Slavery, time travel ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

The Book of the Phoenix-a great work by a new favorite author

The Book of the Phoenix by Nnedi Okorafor

February 29, 2020 by MarkAbaddon 3 Comments

I first heard of the works of Nnedi Okorafor through a friend who attended a writing workshop with her many years ago but this is the first work of hers that I have read. And I loved it but it is a complicated, dense work. The story begins in Africa. The world has been devastated by some calamity and this older man is seeking shelter to avoid an unusual storm. In a cave, he finds computers that provide him with a recording of the woman […]

Filed Under: Fiction, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction Tagged With: Africa, afrofuturism, dystopia, Nnedi Okorafor, revenge, Speculative Fiction

MarkAbaddon's CBR12 Review No:9 · Genres: Fiction, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction · Tags: Africa, afrofuturism, dystopia, Nnedi Okorafor, revenge, Speculative Fiction ·
Rating:
· 3 Comments

The Water Dancer – a brilliant novel

The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates

February 12, 2020 by MarkAbaddon Leave a Comment

Since I know Ta-Nehisi Coates was writing the Black Panther comic for a couple of years, and the blurb I read about this book was that it was about a young man with extraordinary abilities, I thought it would be a more action oriented style of novel. I could not have been more wrong. Yes, the main character, Hiram Walker, does possess an ability he calls conducting, but it is used very infrequently in the story as he really does not learn how to use […]

Filed Under: Fiction, History, Speculative Fiction Tagged With: civil war, Coates, Harriet Tubman, revenge, Slavery, special abilities, Ta-nehisi Coates

MarkAbaddon's CBR12 Review No:8 · Genres: Fiction, History, Speculative Fiction · Tags: civil war, Coates, Harriet Tubman, revenge, Slavery, special abilities, Ta-nehisi Coates ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

How to take a beloved fantasy story and ruin it

Elric Volume 3 The White Wolf by Michael Moorcock

February 9, 2020 by MarkAbaddon Leave a Comment

As I mentioned in my previous reviews, I love Elric and have read many of the stories set in his universe over the years. I have no idea who the hell this is supposed to be because this main character ain’t Elric. Sure, he is supposed to be Elric, looks like him, even talks like him on occasion, but this is not The Albino Ruler of Mlenibone. Elric is many things but dumb is not a description that would generally be applied to him (Self […]

Filed Under: Fantasy, Graphic Novels/Comic Books Tagged With: #fantasy, Elric, michael moorcock, Stormbringer

MarkAbaddon's CBR12 Review No:7 · Genres: Fantasy, Graphic Novels/Comic Books · Tags: #fantasy, Elric, michael moorcock, Stormbringer ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Well, this Elric series went bad quickly

Elric Vol 2 Stormbringer by Michael Moorcock

February 8, 2020 by MarkAbaddon Leave a Comment

I had a bad feeling about this book after finishing the last volume that was, unfortunately, proven correct. Especially with stories like Elric, I have no issue with writers taking liberties with the story t provide a new perspective on the tale. Where I have a problem is when the changes completely distort the main character to the point of  making him unrecognizable. Elric has always been a self centered, self pitying character but he was never evil, despite being the ruler of a kingdom […]

Filed Under: Fantasy, Graphic Novels/Comic Books Tagged With: Elric, michael moorcock, Stormbringer, Sword and Sorcery

MarkAbaddon's CBR12 Review No:6 · Genres: Fantasy, Graphic Novels/Comic Books · Tags: Elric, michael moorcock, Stormbringer, Sword and Sorcery ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments
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