Writing a mystery with no solution is an easy thing to do. All you need is some inscrutable pieces of information and no way for a reader, or the characters, to be able to piece the whole thing together in a way that brings satisfaction. Bad writers do this kind of thing all the time and try to pass it off as enigmatic. It takes a master to write a mystery with no solution and still make the journey feel worthwhile to the reader. That […]
Like hope, stupid also floats.
Quite possibly the stupidest, most aggravating character in recent memory blunders her way through a mystery like an amateur Inspector Clouseau. It’s staggering how many poor decisions our hero Laura “Lo” Blacklock makes on a minute to minute basis. I had to keep checking that the author wasn’t actually a man writing under a woman’s pseudonym because this is one of the most misogynistic books I’ve read in some time. Sample dialogue: “I groaned at my own stupidity…” “Why didn’t I listen to…” “How could […]
Anosche.
If there was any confusion that this series could be filed under YA, A Conjuring of Light obliterates that idea swiftly. The first book introduced the world and characters, the second made us care about them, and the third puts them through absolute hell. But in a good way, closing out the Shades of Magic trilogy and earning its place as one of the greatest fantasy works of all time. Yep, it’s that good. When we last left Kell, Lila, Rhy, and all the rest […]
Once More With Feeling
Old wounds, old enemies, and old questions all play a big part in season 10 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer from Dark Horse Comics. For the first time since the series was restarted in comics format this season feels the most like the original television series in both scope and the characters and how the interact with each other. If you are not caught up on the series I will try to quickly summarize the pertinent bits. If you are not familiar with the series […]
…thou shalt see that it is barren.
Like many of you I have had an adverse reaction to the state of politics over the last few hellish months since President Eats-His-Steak-With-Catsup-Like-A-Goddamn-Child was sworn in to office. To be honest it still feels like a nightmare and I find myself jolting at least once a day when I remember that the people of the United States elected that lying gasbag as the President. This is why I don’t watch shows like Black Mirror. When this is our reality there is no reason to […]