I’m not sure how old I was when I first read this book, but I do remember that it was a favorite. Some parts of this have stuck with me for over twenty years, influencing how I think ghost stories should work. Having been born in 1986, I still definitely feel like we 90s kids got the best ghost stories. We had a lot of authors that we still pass on to younger generations today. I’m honestly horrified when I meet a young reader-especially of […]
No, really, it’s a comedy
This one is a reread for me, but it’s been about a decade, so there were a few things I’d forgotten. Not a lot, though. I don’t know how many of you are Dean Koontz fans, but this is another one of his that is basically a normal good guy versus a supernatural evil creature. Of course, there’s the requisite side characters and side-kicks, and, in this case, a decent portrayal of first generation American angst. One thing I definitely have to say about him […]
Imagine a Studio Ghibli film as an 80s novel
The Nargun and the Stars won a Hans Christian Andersen medal, I’m assuming sometime in the seventies when it first came out. My copy is the 1988 reprint and you can really tell based on the cover. I can’t remember at all why and where I picked this up, but I’d bet it was because of the title, not the cover art. Post-reading, I am, as usual, mostly bugged by the inaccuracies. Oh well. So, based on the title, I’d have guessed this book would […]
Coffee Shop’s Theory of the Trilogy
I’m back! After finishing my committed 52 reviews, I ended up not reviewing for a while, because life etc. NB: Much of what follows is from the slightly more technical and in depth blog post concerning my attempts to explain the theory behind why part 2 of any trilogy is often the least fun or entertaining. As of now, the Dragon Lords series is a trilogy; I have no idea if the author will keep it that way or continue with further installments. I read […]
I came to this book both too early and too late
Well, this book ages really, really poorly. Some spoilers below. It reads exactly like the time it was written (1989): “progressive” enough to include, at least superficially, a cast of characters including a same-sex couple and people of color in mixed-race relationships, as well as treatment of the AIDS epidemic and drug abuse that leans more sympathetic than condemning. However, it’s not exactly “woke” enough to avoid stumbling into some major Don’t Do That’s. Weetzie, pixie bohemian darling protagonist, is signified as being creative and […]
Better than the Potter comparison
I read this book because I started following Dr. Okorafor on Twitter a few years ago. I don’t remember exactly what made me decide to follow her but I do know that part of it was due to my desire to avoid insularity. That and I’d heard great things about her books. I’ve already read the first two novellas in her Binti series; the third won a Hugo Award this year! Akata Witch, if I were to grossly over simplify, is a different take on […]
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