#mird reviews stuff

[clevermird]

Review: Mahou Shoujo Kazumi★Magica

Subtitled “The Innocent Malice”, Kazumi Magica is the first of many spinoff manga of the hit anime Puella Magi Madoka Magica, and it’s a bit of an odd one, in my opinion. A young woman wakes up in a suitcase with no memories, carried by a man who seems shocked to see her. She’s rescued from this awkward and dangerous situation by two other girls who inform her that she is their best friend, Kazumi, and take her back to their house. But when she is attacked by a monstrous creature, she discovers that she has magical abilities, as do her friends – in fact, they are a part of a team of magical superheroes known as the Pleiades Saints and despite her ongoing memory loss, Kazumi finds herself pulled into their efforts to clear the city of witches and monsters as she begins to realize that her friends are keeping secrets. Kazumi Magica assumes that the reader knows Madoka Magica well, as much of the tension in early chapters comes from the realization that things don’t quite match up with the world the story is ostensibly set in and the story makes little effort to explain many of the worldbuilding conventions. This isn’t a critique, per se – it’s a spinoff, after all – more of a heads up and a warning that this review may contain spoilers for Madoka Magica. This manga is a bit of a mess. As the name might suggest, there are seven members of the Pleiades Saints and that’s way too many major characters for a story of this length. The pacing struggles (albeit not quite as bad as in Madoka's manga adaptation) and the action scenes are very poorly blocked, to the point that I frequently found myself skimming them and relying on the dialogue to tell me what was happening. And while none of it is any more graphic than a Barbie doll, I found the frequent nudity distracting and unnecessary. Where the story does shine, however, is the characters. Kazumi is a bit more confidant and assertive than Madoka, but no less likable, and while there isn’t much time to linger on the personalities of the rest of the Saints, I was intrigued by what I saw. I also enjoyed the look at some potential other reactions to the realities of the magical girl system (and the solutions attempted before Madoka’s final wish), as well as the contracts that others might have made. Puella Magi Kazumi Magica is a story with a lot of potential hampered by poor fight scene choreography and a plot that tries to do far too much with its allotted time. Worth checking out for strong fans of the Madoka universe, but not something that stands on its own merits.

Warnings: Similar to its parent series, Kazumi Magica features themes of slavery, suicide and child exploitation, as well as relatively bloody violence and the deaths of several teens. As mentioned above, nudity of the underage cast is a regular occurrence, although no nipples or genitalia are shown and the context is not typically a sexual one.

Rating: 5/10

[clevermird]

Review: Drachenfels (The Vampire Genevieve book 1) by Jack Yeovil

A bunch of people traveling to an isolated location where a mysterious figure kills them one by one. . . it’s a slasher movie in book form, just in time for Halloween! 

Twenty years ago, Genevieve Dieudonné was part of a band of brave companions that slew the infamous necromancer Constant Drachenfels at great personal cost. Now the leader of the group, Prince Oswald, has commissioned a grand play about the event, which draws Genevieve from hiding and reunites what remains of the heroes to witness the premier. But strange omens are warning of danger and when people start dying, Genevieve has to team up with disgraced playwright Detlek to prevent yet another bloodbath at the sinister Castle Drachenfels. 

This book was a ton of fun. After a dark, horrifying prologue, the tone lightens somewhat and the remainder of the story is a satirical look at the performing arts and the upper crust of society in the pseudo-early Renaissance society that the book represents, interspersed with a series of gruesome murders that make the story well-deserving of its reprint’s placement in the Warhammer Horror line. Drachenfels is a quick, breezy read with some genuinely funny moments and some really effective kill scenes. The massive cast of characters, although very one-note, are drawn in a way that makes you interested in them quickly and the plot progresses at a snappy pace. It’s predictable, but predictable in a way that feels comfortable rather than tired. 

However not everything is perfect – I found the romantic subplot very underdeveloped, to the point that when the epilogue proclaimed a “happily ever after”, I was genuinely confused. Despite being the title character, Genevieve feels a bit sidelined at points, particularly during the finale, and there really are just too many characters for a book of this length. 

Nevertheless, this book was just a lot of fun, exactly the kind of popcorn read that’s perfect for a rainy October night in. 

Warnings: As is typical for both Warhammer Fantasy and the slasher flicks this book was clearly modeled after, expect plenty of blood and gore, along with some light body horror and several suicides. As is also typical for the setting, many characters display pointed in-universe predjudices against a variety of real and fictitious groups.

Rating: 6/10 (but if going by how much I enjoyed it, 9/10)

[clevermird]

Review: The Old Republic: Revan by Drew Karpyshyn

I remember that back when this book was released, it was pretty controversial in the Star Wars fandom. Reading it now, I see why. 

The Old Republic: Revan follows two storylines: the first is that of former Sith Lord turned Jedi hero Revan who, years after the events of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, begins having strange dreams about a dead planet and sets out with Canderous Ordo to figure out what happened to him during the years that he can’t remember. Meanwhile, in an empire hidden in the Unknown Regions, Sith Lord Scourge investigates a series of murder attempts on a high-ranked Sith and begins to learn the truth about the man who sits on the throne.

The first thing that needs to be said about this book is that, while it makes a token effort to be accessible to Star Wars fans who aren’t familiar with the KOTOR games, it really assumes that readers have played at least the first one – characters and their relationships are given perfunctory introductions, important backstory is glossed over, and the story will generally have little impact if you don’t already know and care about this particular sub-era of the Star Wars universe. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing (it is a sequel/spinoff, after all), but it’s worth noting. 

With that being said, Drew Karpyshyn is an excellent writer. Even when little was happening in the story, his prose kept me engaged and the book was very easy to read. While the main cast is somewhat limited by what was established in the games (Revan, in particular, suffers from the bland “everyman” issues that result when writers are trying to adapt an RPG protagonist whose story is designed to be as flexible for player choice as possible), many of the new minor characters introduced are well-drawn and interesting for the amount of screen time they get. The fight scenes are fun and there’s a cool setpiece or two. 

It’s probably not much of a spoiler to say that the two storylines eventually converge. Around that point, we get a reveal that casts several major events from the KOTOR games in a new light and provides an explanation to some mysteries left unsolved in those games. I really was not a fan of this reveal. In my opinion, it cheapens several characters’ choices and makes one of the most interesting moral questions of the games moot. I also was not a fan of the ending, which I feel treats one of my favorite characters from the games poorly by denying them a resolution to their character arc in favor of turning them into support for Revan’s story. 

My overall thoughts on this book are hard to summarize, but I’d say that it’s a well-written, engaging book that falls apart more the longer I think about it. A must-read for Star Wars expanded universe completionists or for those desperate to know what happened after KOTOR, but confusing for those not familiar with the games and an ultimately unsatisfying addition to the universe. 

Rating: 6/10

[clevermird]

Review: Fire: Tales of Elemental Spirits by Robin McKinley and Peter Dickinson

Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits was one of the unexpected hits for me this year, so I was eagerly awaiting picking up the sequel. Sadly, while Fire has some good moments, it’s not nearly as stellar as its predecessor. 

Like Water, Fire is a collection of short stories – or, in this case, four shorts and a novella – all themed around one of the classical elements. Husband-and-wife team of Peter Dickinson and Robin McKinley take turns writing and although there are obvious differences between the two, their styles mesh well enought that the book still feels cohesive.

“Phoenix” (Dickinson) – A young girl meets an old woman and her mysterious young grandson, the keepers of a small patch of woods, and learns of their connection to the magical, immortal phoenix. This one started off really good and the middle of the story, while the protagonist raises the phoenix chick, was charming, but the plot went off in a strange and somewhat uncomfortable direction later on and the ending tried to shove in too much exposition too quickly. 

“Hellhound” (McKinley) – Miri adopts a giant dog with red eyes from the pound and when tragedy strikes the riding stables she runs with her family, she will learn just how extraordinary her pet really is. This one had a slightly rushed ending, but overall it was quite adorable. Miri and her family are all very likable and the plot has a good sense of tone. 

“Firewyrm” (Dickinson) – In an ancient, icy land, Tandin walks the dangerous ghost path to learn how to defeat the firewyrm that menaces his tribe. I liked the mythic, mystical tone here, it was fresh and new after the first two, more traditionally modern settings, and it was fascinating to learn about firewyrm ecology through Tandin’s eyes. There is, however, a subplot involving a curse that is broken in a way that was both under-explained and very strange. 

“Salamander Man” (Dickinson) – A young slave is purchased from his shopkeeper mistress by a wizard, but it turns out that there are other forces at work. This one started out promising as well, with some spare but evocative worldbuilding and an intriguing setup, but partway through it became incredibly rushed. It almost seemed as though Dickinson ran out of pagecount and was forced to just put in a summary of what he had planned to do with the rest of the story, which was extremely unsatisfying. 

“First Flight” (McKinley) – Ern’s brother Dag has been away training as a dragon rider, but as his official first dragon flight approaches, he is assigned to a dragon with a disability that makes it impossible for her to complete the task. Ern must overcome his self-doubt and help Dag find a way to make the dragon fly again. “First Flight” is the longest story by quite a bit, which works to its detriment a bit, taking a while to get going and overall meandering. Once again, however, the worldbuilding is fun and the characters charming and likable. The narrative voice feels like a refinement of the one from Dragonhaven, still an energetic first-person narrator, but slightly more focused and less chaotic. 

While there were a few stand-outs, overall, Fire was rather disappointing. None of the stories sucked me in the way the ones in Water did and the weaker tales were actively bad instead of being merely forgettable. While I still plan to pick up the final book in the series, Earth and Air, I’m not anticipating it nearly as much as I was anticipating this one. 

Warnings: Although it is subtle, “Salamander Man” contains an undercurrent of what I percieve as slavery apologism, seeming to contend that slavery is alright if you treat your slaves well. While it’s ambiguous if this is meant as in-universe or authorial sentiment and I like to give the benefit of the doubt and assume it’s the former, it made for an uncomfortable reading experience.

Additionally (spoiler alert), the plot of “Phoenix” involves a character aging in reverse, Benjamin Button style, and remaining with his wife (including at least occasionally sleeping in her bed) throughout the process. While the nature of their relationship as he becomes a child is not elaborated on, the possible implications are obvious enough that readers sensitive to these themes might want to skip this one.

Rating: 5/10

[clevermird]

Review: Cold Days (Dresden Files book 14) by Jim Butcher

(First off, apologies for getting this up late; I had a mini-crisis last night that kept me busy until very close to bedtime, but things are dealt with now and I am back on track!)

A wizard’s work is never done and nobody knows that better than Harry Dresden. At the end of Ghost Story, we found out that Harry was in fact only mostly dead and that Mab and the sentient island Demonreach have been keeping him alive as his spirit tried to prepare for the afterlife. But instead of resting on the laurels of having cheated death, Harry now plans to cheat fate. He might be the Winter Knight, but he has no intention of letting the role consume him and turn him into a monster the way it did his predecessor. However, he might not have that long to worry about it, as Mab’s first assignment might end his career early – she wants him to kill her successor, the Winter Lady Maeve. Reuniting with his half-brother Thomas and his infatuated apprentice Molly, he sets out to figure out how to do that.  Cold Days is a return to the classic form for the series – Harry discovers some kind of supernatural threat and has to stop it with the help of a selection of his allies – with an added twist. Instead of acting as a relatively lone wizard, this time he is an agent of the Winter Court, with resources and minions at his disposal. A lot of the story also focuses on his exploration of the powers that come with being the Knight and of his struggles with the new desires and temptations that such a position offers him. Honestly, I wish that this character arc had been explored a bit more. While it’s certainly something that will return in future books, it felt like there was little progression of it during this book, making the various scenes where it’s brought up start to feel a bit repetitive. Additionally, the main plotline of the book became a bit excessively complicated at times, making it a bit hard to follow.  Apart from that, though, this book was a lot of fun. Seeing Harry join up with his friends again and get back in action, getting answers to some of the questions left by the last book, and generally resuming the rip-roaring action that the series is known for was very enjoyable. Harry, Molly, and Thomas work very well as a trio and the book features the Fae Courts heavily, which was always one of my favorite parts of the worldbuilding. It will be interesting to see where Butcher takes the series from here, as several potential major plotlines are set up in the finale (and not just for Harry!).  Although Cold Days has a few weaknesses, it’s a solid entry in the now-sprawling Dresden Files universe that manages to mix the old status quo with the new quite effectively. 

Warnings: As mentioned above, much of the story deals with Harry’s struggle to contain the urges that the mantle of the Winter Knight gives him and as a result, there are frequent references to and threats of torture and sexual assault. The toxic and abusive nature of Harry’s relationship with Mab also recieves significant focus.

Rating: 8/10

[clevermird]

Review: Chalice by Robin McKinley

I enjoyed this book way more than I expected I would and I’m not at all sad about that.  Only a little while ago, Mirasol was just a simple girl with no greater goals than to continue taking care of her woods and her bees. But that was before the Master and the Chalice, who maintain the land via their mystical connection to it, both died suddenly and without proper successors. Chosen as the new Chalice, Mirasol must figure out the complexities of a role that supports an entire nation with nothing more than books to guide her. Further complicating matters is the new Master (who’s more strongly bound to fire than he is to is people), the politics of the rest of the land’s magical rulers, and the ripple effects of the previous Master and Chalice’s mistakes.  Chalice is far less about plot and far more about worldbuilding and vibes. Although the magic is ill-defined in many ways, what information we are given paints a very interesting picture that holds interest even when not much is happening and there are plenty of tantalizing tidbits about the world and characters beyond the scope of the book that also held my attention. The main heroes of the story are all very likable people and the story’s focus on caring for land and animals and on improving the lives of ordinary people gives it a very warm feeling. I genuinely enjoyed reading this one and following Mirasol’s and the Willowlands’ journey.  The book isn’t perfect, though. The beginning of the book throws a lot of terminology at the reader and doesn’t explain what it means until much later and while it is possible to do this in a way that builds tension and intrigue, in Chalice it mostly just serves to make the book feel confusing and needlessly difficult to read. Mirasol’s interior monologue gets a bit repetitive at points, the romantic subplot, while sweet, still felt a bit underdeveloped, and the ending was slightly rushed.  Really, though, this book was pretty darn good. Worldbuilding familiar enough to feel welcoming but unique enough to be intriguing, characters you want to see succeed, and enough lush descriptions of animals, food, and countrysides to set you smiling

Warnings: There are a few descriptions of burn injuries and insect bites that, while not especially graphic, do stand out in a relatively non-violent story. Additionally, a plot point revolves around the threat of a forced marriage.

Rating: 8/10

[clevermird]

Review: Space Marine by Ian Watson

When other Warhammer fans told me that Ian Watson's Draco was a bizarre, uncomfortable mess, I didn't believe them. They were right. So when they also told me that Space Marine had everything wrong with Draco and then some, I should have listened this time around.

Because they were right.

Space Marine follows three adolescent boys growing up on the hive world of Necromunda - Lexandro D'arquebus, the spoiled, hedonistic son of an official; Yeremi Valence, as close to middle-class as you get on Necromunda; and Biff Tundrish, a low-hive ganger with a distinctive spider tattoo on his face. For their own reasons, all three apply to join the Imperial Guard and selected as recruits to the Imperial Fists chapter of the Space Marines, where they will be molded into weapons to fight in the name of the God Emperor and a strange, complex bond will form between the three that will be the cause of both successes and failures as they fight their way across the galaxy. 

Oh man. . . where to start. The story itself had a decent setup. A coming-of-age tale following the training and missions of some young Space Marines will likely come to be a classic plot in Warhammer 40k literature, but it is one for a reason. The plot mixes the fantastic and sometimes horrifying realities of life in the 41st millennium with more down-to-earth and relatable relationships between the boys in a way that could have been very satisfying. 

Unfortunately, however, it was not. 

The character development, while intriguing and surprisingly complex in theory, is delivered in a "tell, don't show" fashion where, for the most part, the narration simply informs us how the boys feel about each other rather than allowing them to express their feelings in dialogue or actions. On the other hand, the action scenes have the opposite problem - they're so overwritten that it becomes difficult to tell what's going on in a sea of obscure vocabulary and flowery metaphor. 

All this, however, pales in comparison to the content. As a gothic space opera setting, Warhammer 40k is no stranger to horrific and sometimes gross elements. But Watson plays these up to the point of repulsing the reader not just from the events of the story, but from the book itself, seeming to glory in comparing architecture to genitalia, describing various forms of self-harm, and, most importantly, talking about poop. I lost track of how many times this book finds increasingly convoluted reasons for the characters to touch poop, eat poop, poop their pants, etc., to the point that it's not clear if this was supposed to be some kind of obscure social commentary, a terribly failed attempt at gross-out humor, or simply the author's fetish. 

All that being said, despite the low rating, I can't quite bring myself to hate this book. It's not a good 40k book, it's not a good story, and even at its short page count, it overstayed its welcome, but the absurdity pushes it firmly into 'so bad its good' territory and I enjoyed reading it and quoting some of the more absurd parts to my friends. 

Warnings: In addition to the previously-mentioned frequent references to excrement, the book is full of other assorted grossout descriptions, as well as graphic violence, torture, religious self-harm, and some light body horror.

In addition, the relationship between the three boys is often played for homoeroticism, but the way it’s written makes it clear that Watson thinks this is disturbing and toxic and, intentionally or no, comes off as homophobic

Rating: 2/10

[clevermird]

Review: Deerskin by Robin McKinley

I’ve read and reviewed plenty of books by Robin McKinley before, and by now, I’m well-familiar with her signature style. A plucky but down-to-earth heroine (often with a love of horses), a fairytale-esque ambiance, a light romance plot, and a happy (if somewhat rushed) ending. In many ways, Deerskin is more of the same, but in just as many, it’s completely different.

The most beautiful woman in the seven kingdoms is in need of a husband. Her father sets many tasks for the suitors, but in the end, the prince of another land wins her hand. Although the two are madly in love, the queen falls ill, leaving behind their young daughter and a plea for her husband to never marry again unless it is to a woman as beautiful as she is. As the princess grows into womanhood, her similarity to her mother becomes increasingly evident and her father makes a horrific choice. Beaten, traumatized, and half-mad with fear, the princess runs away and begins trying to survive in a world that she has never experienced before.

This book was rough. While I’m no stranger to dark and disturbing content, seeing it written out here in such a dreamy, restrained style added to the horror in ways I was not prepared for.  From the very first page, we’re hit by something “off” and the first segment of the story is extremely effective, slowly unwrapping the self-centered and shallow nature of the royal parents and the life their daughter leads, culminating in the horrific violation that provides the incitement for the rest of the book.

From there, the story follows the princess’ survival and recovery – the two are inextricably intertwined – as she struggles through a winter alone in the woods and then seeks out a new life in another land. Each of these segments I think I enjoyed a bit less than the last, although I didn’t dislike any of them. The climax is satisfying and, while perhaps I would have preferred a slightly more extended conflict, it didn’t feel as rushed as some books by this author and I rather liked the slightly open-ended nature of the final scene. Healing, like many things in life, is not something that simply ends with Hallmark-movie neatness. McKinley’s typical attention to horses as companions and protectors for the protagonist is swapped here for a focus on dogs, but the featuring of animals as characters in their own right is still endearing and brings a much-needed softness to an otherwise deeply sad story.

There are a few things to dislike, however. The story drags a bit toward the 2/3 mark and, while many of the more coincidental or “easy” moments in the story are acceptable in its nature as a fairytale retelling (this one being based on the story known in various iterations as “All Furs” or “Donkeyskin”), there were times when I found the resolutions slightly straining to disbelief. While I wasn’t as bothered by it as I often might be – the focus here is on the princess’ inner journey, not the events of the plot itself – it is still a mark against the book.

While Deerskin is a far cry from much of the authors’ other work, I think it will wind up becoming one of my favorites, a portrayal of tragic and horrific circumstances suffused with hope and affection. 

Warnings: As implied, an incestuous rape is a major event whose emotional and physical effects are felt throughout the rest of the story; while the sex itself is not described in graphic detail, the rest of the incident is, as is the physical and emotional damage afterword. Additionally, harm to animals is a frequent occurrence and there is a scene involving a miscarriage.

Rating: 8/10

[clevermird]

Review: That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis

The third entry in C.S. Lewis’ Space Trilogy is the one with the cover that terrified me as a child.

Once again, this book is a tonal and thematic departure from the previous installments and at first seems to be completely unrelated. Gone is Professor Ransom, gone are the eldiel and the interplanetary journeys. Instead, we focus on Mark and Jane Studdock, a junior fellow and a graduate student, respectively, at Bracton College. Although only married for half a year, their relationship is already lifeless and disinterested, with Mark too focused on petty ladder-climbing at work to give his wife any attention or respect and Jane emotionally withdrawn as a result. Soon, however, both have their equilibrium interrupted when Jane begins experiencing prophetic dreams and Mark is targeted for recruitment by the mysterious scientific and political organization known as the National Institute of Coordinated Experiments. Before either of them realize it, they find themselves entangled in a deadly battle for the soul of England. 

Although it still has some crazy moments, That Hideous Strength dials back on the trippy elements and supernatural metaphors of Perelandra in favor of more direct social commentary, offering quite pointed thoughts on the corruption of science to suit the political aims of those in power, on the manipulation of the public through the press, and of the willingness of otherwise-decent people to go along with evil simply to fit in. There’s also a fair amount of musing on gender roles and on the nature of mankind – suffice to say, Lewis is not a fan of Transhumanism. Although spiritual elements are felt throughout, the actual plot feels almost akin to a prequel to 1984.  My feelings on this book are mixed. On the one hand, I found the characters of Jane and Mark to be well-drawn and complex with believable flaws and interesting character arcs, and some of the side characters were quite likable. When the social commentary hits, it really hits, and some of the moments inside of N.I.C.E. are genuinely effective horror. The book was very rarely boring. 

On the other hand, a fair bit of the social commentary doesn’t really land, either. The discussion of gender roles in particular left me confused as to what, exactly, Lewis was trying to say at times and the themes were heavy-handed enough that readers who don’t agree with them will struggle to enjoy the story. The tone is rather inconsistent, too, with some of the fantastical elements feeling shoehorned in and the finale seeming almost cartoonish in comparison to the terrifyingly grounded tone of earlier segments. 

Although a narratively satisfying conclusion to the Space Trilogy with some very effective moments, That Hideous Strength ultimately feels unfocused and somewhat preachy. I enjoyed reading it well enough, but I think it would have benefited from a few more drafts. 

Warnings: The plans of the N.I.C.E. involve many potentially disturbing activities, including on-screen torture and human experimentation and off-screen murder, kidnapping, and animal cruelty.

Additionally, one of the major villains seems to be heavily based on negative stereotypes of lesbians, to a degree that many readers will find her character uncomfortable or offensive to read.

Rating: 5/10

[clevermird]

Review: Wolf Riders edited by David Pringle

I reviewed Ignorant Armies a few months ago and absolutely loved it. In fact, I believe it was tied with The Secret History for my favorite read of 2023. So looking at my TBR pile and finding another Warhammer Fantasy short story collection edited by David Pringle, I had high hopes. And while Wolf Riders doesn’t quite live up to its predecessor, it’s still well worth the read. 

Like Ignorant Armies, this book takes place in the grim and perilous lands of the Warhammer Fantasy universe, a Tolkien-esque world with an early Renaissance flair. The eight stories cover a range of settings and topics and although the focus on the malevolent Chaos Gods is downplayed, there is slightly more attention given to non-human characters to balance it out.

“Wolf Riders” – The return of Gotrek and Felix, the Dwarf-and-Human duo from the opening story of Ignorant Armies, this time guarding a group of human refugees through a dangerous mountain journey as bad luck seems to stalk the caravan.

“The Tilean Rat” – A Halfling is hired by a mysterious Elven woman to look for the titular rat statue, supposedly of only sentimental value.

“The Phantom of Yremy” – A mysterious thief stalks the streets of a Bretonnian town, seemingly with a vendetta against the magistrate.

“Cry of the Beast” – A young man and his adopted father find an Elven girl washed up on the beach after a shipwreck

“No Gold in the Gray Mountains” – Bandits hiding out in an abandoned, supposedly-haunted castle abduct a young noblewoman and must figure out how to keep her alive long enough to ransom her

“The Hammer of the Stars” – A schoolboy and his friends suspect trouble when exotic strangers come to town.

“Pulg’s Grand Carnival” – Seeking a place where he isn’t outcast, a young albino is persuaded to join a carnival run by the charismatic but airheaded Pulg, but a local businessman is out to get rid of Pulg an his carnival by any means necessary.

“The Way of the Witchfinder” – A servant of one of the Gods of Law sets out on his first mission.

Of the stories, “Tilean Rat” was probably my favorite. In addition to homages to the classic film noir The Maltese Falcon, the story was just a lot of fun, with twists and turns and a brisk, lively pace that made it an easy read. The last two stories, however, are by far the weakest of the bunch, with “Pulg’s Grand Carnival” being too long and having an unimpressive climax, and “Way of the Witchfinder” being too short to properly develop the characters or action. 

Gotrek and Felix’s return offers a lot of new development to their characters and dynamic and while I preferred ” Geheimnisnacht”, it was also one of the more enjoyable stories in the bunch. 

This book was pretty solid. I doubt that it will become a great favorite of mine, but each story was engaging and several of them are well worth rereading. 

Warnings: As is typical for the setting, expect plenty of violence and some light body horror, as well as spatters of animal cruelty.

Rating: 7/10

[clevermird]

Review: Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis

Clearly, whoever put together my list of the "great classics" was thinking ahead. After the long, somewhat archaic Moby Dick, they suggested something lighter and more accessible with The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. However, while I agree that the book is a classic and well-deserving of being "one of the greats", I've read it many times, the last of which was less than two years ago. So I decided to replace it with another work by the same author. His most famous non-Narnia work, The Screwtape Letters, I read even more recently and most Lewis is firmly in the realm of non-fiction. But then my eyes landed on the so-called Space Trilogy. Equipped with Project Gutenberg access and a vague memory of my grandmother liking the books when I was a kid, I stepped into Out of the Silent Planet completely blind. What I found surprised me greatly. Professor Ransom, a talented linguistics teacher, is on a walking tour of England when he runs into an old schoolmate who seems to be working on a mysterious project in a secluded house. Accepting the offer of tea, Ransom finds himself drugged, kidnapped, and packed onto a space ship headed for planets unknown, while his captors clearly plot some kind of sinister fate for him at their destination. This book was a lot of fun. Ransom was a very likable protagonist. He's no hero, no great and inspiring leader, and realistically freaks out at some of the situations he's thrown into. Yet rather than stay in a panic, he keeps pulling himself out because he's just such a nerd. After the initial horror of his kidnapping, for example, he soon adjusts to what's going on and forgets to be particularly scared because he's in *space* and it's *cool*. The aliens are genuinely alien and some of the descriptions of the fantastic landscapes are quite inspiring.  Perhaps the most surprising thing, however, was the thematic undertone and how modern it felt, for lack of a better word. I'm used to older literature having messages that didn't age well, but some of the central themes of this one - that going to another place where people already live to take their things and exploit their natural resources is bad (even if those people do not look or talk like you) and that evil ideas dressed up in pretty words are still evil - feel very relevant and wouldn't be out of place in a scifi novel published last year. Not revolutionary, but still surprising in a book written in the 1930s. Not that everything was perfect. The story drags a fair bit in the second act and I would have liked a bit more character development. I also wasn't a fan of the meta element introduced in the last few chapters, which I felt weakened my enjoyment significantly.  Still, I had a lot of fun with this book and am cautiously optimistic to see how this relatively self-contained story will progress in the next two books. 

Rating: 7/10

[clevermird]

Review: Changes (Dresden Files 12) by Jim Butcher

Harry Dresden’s life is turned upside-down when, within five minutes, he learns three things: 1. His ex-girlfriend Susan secretly had their child several years ago. 2. That child has now been kidnapped by the Red Court vampires. 3. If they don’t rescue her, she will be sacrificed in some kind of black magic ritual. Although shocked and hurt, Harry doesn’t hesitate to join the hunt, but soon finds that he’s woefully underpowered for this fight and that in order to have a chance, he’s going to have to be willing to sacrifice more than he ever has before.

This book was fantastic. The plot starts on page one and never really lets up, with every battle gaining a little ground for our heroes at the cost of something dear to Harry – a plot structure that I love. Fan favorite characters like Molly, Sanya, and Mouse get moments in the spotlight, we get a few more backstory and worldbuilding reveals, and the finale was intense, emotional, and dramatic. This really is an edge-of-your-seat experience for Dresden fans.

Not that the book is without flaws. While I enjoyed all of the fan service, it does become obvious at some point that that’s what it is – scenes meant to make the audience happy rather than being strictly necessary to the plot. And similar to White Night, the action in the finale is a bit difficult to follow. 

But really, these are nitpicks and as it stands currently, Changes is easily in the top three Dresden Files books for me so far. 

Warnings: The entire plot of the book hinges on a young child being at risk of torture and death.

Rating: 9/10

[clevermird]

Review: A Knot in the Grain and Other Stories by Robin McKinley

I’ve really grown to appreciate short story collections over the past year and a half. They offer authors a chance to explore new ideas without the need to pull a whole novel out of them and give readers a handful of stories that can be consumed in one or two sittings, perfect for a light break in between longer or more challenging works.

A Knot in the Grain and Other Stories is the second anthology that Robin McKinley has put out (although she has contributed to several multi-author collections as well) and unlike The Door in the Hedge, this one is entirely original stories:

“The Healer” – A mysterious stranger arrives in town and might be able to help the town healer’s apprentice, who is unable to speak.

“The Stagman” – As the day she is to ascend her parents’ throne approaches, everyone around young Ruen grows increasingly nervous about her ability to rule and her regent uncle resorts to drastic measures to keep his power. 

“Touk’s House” – A witch takes a man’s youngest daughter in exchange for saving the life of one of his other children and raises her as her own. 

“Buttercups” – An old widower finds love again, but his young wife’s interest in a hill at the edge of the farm unleashes something magical.

“A Knot in the Grain” – Teenage Annabelle moves to a new town and finds a mysterious box in the attic of her new house. 

Like most of McKinley’s work, this book was cozy and comforting. There’s no dramatic final battles or bloodstained showdowns, but it doesn’t really need them. “Knot in the Grain” especially was very down-to-earth, the magic of adolescence mixed with the sweet sadness of having to move that was very relatable and warm. The descriptions of landscapes and scenery in the stories was lush and inviting as always and most of the stories have a light sprinkling of romance to them.

Not everything works here, however. The main romantic couple of “Touk’s House” has a dynamic that makes me very uncomfortable and while the book makes a token effort to acknowledge the strangeness of their situation, it’s quickly handwaved away and I’m left with serious doubts as to whether it’s actually a healthy situation for the heroine to be in. Not that I require all my couples to be happy and wholesome, of course – far from it! – but it fits in oddly with the rest of the stories, most of which are fluffy and lighthearted and the one that isn’t (“Stagman”) having a much clearer grasp on the fact that it’s not a healthy dynamic between the two main characters, leaving me to wonder if McKinley even realized what she was doing in “Touk’s House”.

Apart from that, though, (and the common McKinley sin of rushed endings on a few of them) this collection was enjoyable and relaxing, bringing a new sense of wonder with each new story and a great way to unwind for a few hours.

Warnings: “The Stagman” contains an attempted human sacrifice that, while not graphic, readers might not expect in an otherwise light-hearted book. As alluded to in the body of the review, “Touk’s House” involves a romance with a questionable age gap, pseudo-incest (adopted siblings-ish), and possible grooming.

Rating: 7/10

[clevermird]

Review: Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica

I wasn’t originally planning to review comics on this blog, but I’ve recently started reading more manga and decided “why the heck not?” Although I can’t promise this will become a regular thing, I wanted to highlight this series because it’s such a puzzle to review.

Madoka Kaname is an ordinary 14-year-old girl with a family that loves her and severe self-confidence issues. On a visit to the mall with her best friend, they encounter magic-wielding superhero Mami Tomoe and Kyubey, the strange catlike creature that gives her power. Madoka and her friend receive an offer: they too can have their deepest wishes granted in exchange for becoming magical girls and fighting monsters! But as they consider the possibilities, it becomes clear that a mysterious new student at their school knows far too much about Madoka and will stop at nothing to keep her from accepting Kyubey’s deal. And when Mami is killed by one of the monsters she fights, Madoka and her friends realize that they are dealing with forces well beyond their control.

Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica is the print adaptation of the hit anime Puella Magi Madoka Magica and reviewing it is tough. I try to base reviews of adaptations on their own merits rather than endless comparisons to the source material. But here, it’s impossible. Madoka Magica is one of my all time favorite shows (anime or no) and this manga adaptation can’t really hold a candle to it. The spectacular visuals are much reduced by being forced into still black-and-white images, the character development is summarized, and while many sequences are almost shot-for-shot with the anime, the manga feels rushed and harried, trying to cram entire episodes into single 40-page comic chapters. If I hadn’t seen the show first, I would have been alternately overwhelmed by rapid-fire plot points and bored with scenes of pathos focused on characters that I’d barely had time to connect with.

That being said, the story it tries to adapt is worthwhile. While familiarity with the “magical girl” genre of anime helps greatly in appreciating the story, even those who have no idea what it references can enjoy the slowly unfolding revelations of what it really means to be a magical girl and the tragedy and beauty of the characters’ lives. The plot explores themes of fate, sacrifice, idealism vs cynicism, and the difficulty of true selflessness. It’s impossible to convey without major spoilers exactly why the story is so impactful, but the finale is legitimately the only TV show episode or movie that I can’t watch without tearing up – and they are tears of both sadness and joy.

In the end, my opinion on Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica is one that is a bit of a rarity for me – just watch the show instead.

Warnings: In contrast to the poppy, colorful visuals, this series contains relatively bloody violence, the deaths of several young teens, suicide, and themes of slavery and child exploitation.

Rating: 4/10 (for the manga), 10/10 (for the anime)

[clevermird]

Review: The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley

I first read this book when I was about twelve and I remember not caring for it at all – Disney’s Robin Hood was one of my favorite movies, I’d eagerly devoured several other print versions of the legend and in comparison, The Outlaws of Sherwood seemed boring, tame, and unadventurous. But reading it again as an adult has given me a new perspective and I think I can now say that this book is actually quite good.  Robin has no dreams of becoming a famous outlaw or a legendary marksman. He’s just a young Saxon man trying to survive the Norman occupation of England. But when the bullying he endures from his fellow forest rangers escalates to an accidental murder, he flees into the depths of Sherwood Forest where his best friends, idealistic miller’s son Much and discontented noblewoman Marian, convince him that his impulsive act of rebellion could become a symbol for something much more powerful. And as more people gather in the woods, each with their own cause or hurt driving them to risk everything, it seems as though Much and Marian may be right.  This book attempts a more realistic take on the Robin Hood legend than some other depictions, examining in a very subdued way how legends are built and heroes forged from the collective efforts of larger groups and of the value of symbols to a movement, as well as the ways that those of different backgrounds and talents can nonetheless contribute – cooking, carpentry, and contacts with the outside world prove to be as valuable to the outlaws as trick shooting in many cases. What my younger self interpreted as a frustrating lack of excitement and flash seems now to be more of a simple, down-to-earth approach to the story (although still peppered with the author’s signature wry humor and romanticism). The result is an oddly relaxing story that nonetheless still delivered on some tense moments. Also worth noting is that this is perhaps the first book I’ve read by Robin McKinley where I didn’t feel like the ending was rushed, and in fact the climax and denouement felt very well-paced to me.  The only major critique I have for this book is actually the main thing that bothered me as a child as well, and although the sharpness of the complaint has blunted since then, the point remains. Towards the end of the book, several of the supporting characters take increasing prominence in the narrative, to the point that by the climax, most of the story is from their perspective. While this is, I believe, deliberate, to emphasize the theme of Robin Hood being a collective symbol rather than a single man, I started to feel as though Robin (who I did quite like with his practical cynicism and reluctant soft heart) was becoming a bit player in his own story.  Nonetheless, The Outlaws of Sherwood is a really solid read for fans of Robin Hood or of historical fiction with a fairytale-esque bent. It brings little new to the table, but the comfortable prose and likable characters more than make up for it. 

Rating: 8/10

[clevermird]

Review: Draco (Inquisition War 1) by Ian Watson

Hoooooo boy.  So, recently I undertook a project to read every single Warhammer 40k novel in release order. The first of these was a book called Inquisitor, which was later renamed to Draco when it was re-released. It has developed a bit of a reputation among 40k fans as being bizarre (and not in a good way). I thought going in that surely it couldn’t be that bad – fans do tend to exaggerate these kinds of things, after all. I was wrong. Draco tells the story of Inquisitor Jaq Draco and his retinue, who have been dispatched to a hive world to covertly oversee the cleansing of a genestealer infestation. But just when he thinks that everything is safe, he discovers a mysterious alien threat and a man who seems to be able to subvert the sacred divinations of the Emperor’s Tarot. This book was bonkers. The “alien threat” turns out to be a semi-ethereal tentacle monster that can give you orgasms. There is a point where one of the inquisitor’s retinue is tied up by some bad guys and for some reason, the narration thinks it’s important to note that he was tied up for so long that he crapped himself. A bit character wears “alien fetus earrings” for no apparent reason. At one point, they travel to a planet that has been corrupted by Slaanesh and we are treated to descriptions of pulsing, genital-shaped buildings and a giant, bloated woman who slowly deflates when her nipple piercings are removed. Sure, the last ones can be explained by “planet corrupted by the prince of excess”, but the whole thing together gives off a grimy, gross, horny-and-not-in-a-fun-way vibe. Furthermore, the writing itself isn’t that good. Draco is stiff and emotionless, his shapeshifting assassin companion is interesting but underdeveloped, and the navagator and the squat that fill out his retinue seem intended as comic relief, but fail to do much of anything funny. The story lurches from plot point to plot point based on revelations that often aren’t sufficiently explained and while I wasn’t expecting the ending to the first book in a trilogy to wrap everything up perfectly, the last chapter rendered the entire last several chapters pointless. Even as a 40k novel, it’s of limited use – there’s only a few direct contradictions with later lore, but there’s enough things that are weird or just really unlikely that you’re not gonna get much info about the setting from it. The prose is incredibly overwrought in places as well, making it a bit of a slog to read even beyond the content. And to top it all off, there was a sexual assault included that really rubbed me the wrong way with how it was handled and how cavalierly it was treated by the narrative.  The only saving grace the story has is that the base premise with the alien creature and the mysterious harlequin-man is actually not a bad idea and there was some moments where the overly-flowery description managed to hit the right note and suck me in, capturing the baroque nature of the setting quite well on its best days. I’d say that Draco is really more useful as an interesting bit of 40k fandom history than it is as an actual book in its own right. Might be fun to read drunk with a friend, but other than that, I’d skip it. 

Warnings: As previously discussed, one of the characters is raped in the book, although it takes place off-screen and is not discussed in graphic detail. There’s also plenty of 40k’s typical over-the-top violence and light body horror.

Rating: 3/10