Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


“That which does not kill us,” I said, “has to get up extra early in the morning if it wants to get us next time.”

Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch

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Peter Grant and his partner of sorts, Lesley May, have to do a lot of explaining themselves. Not just their actions as members of The Folly, the (tiny) branch of the London Met that deals with “unusual circumstances”, but also every reference that they make about the modern world. Why is that? They’re making these references to The Nightingale; their commanding officer who has been fighting the bad guys (thieves, murderers, Nazis) since before WWII. Before WWII? But how? Well, Nightingale stopped aging in the […]

Gods, Goddesses, Mortals, Action!

The Red Pyramid book one of The Kane Chronicles by Orpheus Collar

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Rick Riordan is a popular author. I have not had the pleasure of reading his novels, but I have meet him once and have read two of his books adapted for the graphic novel format. The Red Pyramid book one of The Kane Chronicles was adapted by Orpheus Collar. And while it is a good story (we are following Egyptian mythology this time), it is also a slow story in places. It took me several days to finish it, as I was only able to […]

“There shall be a fire that knows your name”

Annihilation: A Novel (The Southern Reach Trilogy Book 1) by Jeff VanderMeer

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I’m not adept at describing great things. Maybe at comparing great things. This book reminds me of some of my all-time favorite science fiction: the unbearable and beautiful encounter with the unknowable in Kubrick’s 2001, the complete experience of organic otherness in Clarke’s Rendezvous with Rama, the blissful insanity resulting being in the midst of the majesty of nature and space in Alex Garland’s movie Sunshine. This book has all of those things, and it’s also it’s own creation. If you’ve ever seen a trailer […]

Dreamy but Derivative (also CANNONBALL!)

And I Do Not Forgive You: Stories & Other Revenges by Amber Sparks

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These stories have been told before. Most are fairly clever fairy tales retold, some are veiled retellings of myth and history, and a few are sparkling new. They have been told before in the sense that they are retellings, but they have also been told before in the sense that other authors have done these before, and done them better. It was difficult to find the author’s voice; reading the collection felt less like one author’s work and more like an anthology of the who’s […]

Spooky Spelunking Ahoy!

Whispers Under Ground by Ben Aaronovitch

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…but before we dig in, let’s celebrate a Pulp reference! Well, our victim had a thirst for knowledge,” said Stephanopoulos. “He was a student at St. Martins College. Ha! Delightful. This series is chock full of geeky innuendo. Come for a magical rollick through London, but stay for the myriad Harry Potter, Terry Pratchett, Dr. Who, and Tolkien references- just to name a few. Somehow, despite many references to the fantasy that came before and continues to ripple around the world of Rivers of London, this […]

Another Fun Romp Through the Rivers of London

Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch

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Peter Grant is back, and he is diving further into the underbelly of London and the under-the-table world of magical police work. In the last outing, Midnight Riot, I was treated to a great deal of London’s history. There was another blast of history this time as well; it remains a primer on the foundations of the city and running commentary on the architectural abominations foisted upon the area since the ’50s. Were it not for all the gore and sex I’d say that ol Prince […]



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