A fantasy novel inspired by Pride and Prejudice, the world of Heart Stone is full of monsters and a select class of people that kill the monsters while riding dragons. The fantasy elements did not really grab me, they were fine. Nothing too silly or cliche. So this takes us to the meat of it: the reworking of a beloved classic. Full disclosure Pride and Prejudice is one of my all time favorite books and I usually stay clear of rip-offs of Austen’s work (major […]
Watch out boy she’ll chew you up!
Junko Mizuno is a Japanese artist whose style is usually described as “Gothic kawaii”. Her illustrations are cute and childish but also erotic and grotesque. After Cinderalla and Hansel and Gretel, Princess Mermaid is her third and darkest retelling of a classic fairytale, and the one that differs the most from the original version (I’m referring to the Hans Christian Andersen story, not the sanitized Disney version). Princess Mermaid tells the story of three mermaid sisters who have sworn to avenge the death of their […]
An intriguing short story collection
After reading Forest of Memory, I decided that I needed even more Mary Robinette Kowal. So when I heard about a few of her short stories, I decided I needed to track them down. I discovered Word Puppets, an anthology with an introduction by Patrick Rothfuss. I was sold. Read the introduction first because it is hilarious. And even with his intro to Kowal, Rothfuss manages to cement the collection with major themes and ideas from Kowal’s work. It’s a great way to think about […]
Folktales Redux
Fairy tales have intrigued me due to the fact that they’re aimed at children yet carry very adult themes. If you’ve read Grimm’s you know that they almost always end in the maiming or death of someone. I find the fairy tale/folk tale genre is a short lesson that older generations pass on to the younger one. It’s dramatic enough to capture the young imagination, the lesson is clear enough, and there’s just enough fear to keep the young ones on the right path. Since […]
The Eyre Up There
One of the good things about joining a book club at my local library is that I am exposed to books that I wouldn’t normally choose. And since it’s run by the library, most of the selections are legit. In this case, I was shocked to find we were reading a book I had never heard of. The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde was a very different read for me. Time travel, alternate history, and alternate literary endings are not usually all thrown into the […]
Historical Fantasy Takes a Weird Turn
I finally got around to re-reading Betraying Season, the sequel to Bewitching Season, and now I remember why I was so reluctant to tackle this one again. Not only is it not particularly good, but it’s also weird. If the first book is a pleasant afternoon tea in a sunlit parlor, then the sequel is more like gnawing on stale fried chicken by the light of the full moon–odd, unsatisfying, and more than a little off-putting to witness. After her twin sister marries at the […]