Daniel Stalter's Blog, page 6

THE ETERNAL ENEMY

The Eternal Enemy
by Christopher Pike

 

Spoiler-Free Review:

The Eternal Enemy was a mixed bag. I love everything about the cover art of the 90s paperback edition. The VCR-centric plot was unique and dated in the best of ways. This was definitely one of Pike’s weirdest, and it’s a shame the overall book felt rushed. The main character didn’t feel as vibrant as Pike’s protagonists typically do, and the twist relied on a momentum-stopping forty-page info dump just as things were getting really in...

THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN OF PASADENA

Goosebumps #38: The Abominable Snowman of Pasadena

 

Spoiler-Free Review

The Abominable Snowman of Pasadena is interesting in that it failed in different ways than I expected. It had some really fun elements and ideas, but the shoddy execution made for a confusing adventure story. I’ll start with the good; it didn’t waste time with fake scares, it had fun with some of the familiar tropes, and it used the isolation of its setting effectively. It also had some genuinely funny bits; I particularly...

FAVORITE MOVIES 2022

I didn’t watch quite as many movies this year, including missing the whole summer thanks to moving. But I’m still enjoying tracking them on Letterboxd.

Just like with my music and book lists, these are movies I watched this year. I don’t care what year they were released.

 

10. Nope

It may have fallen short of some of its ambition, but I still really liked this movie. There are scenes from it that will stick with me forever.

 

9. Bros

It wasn’t perfect, but it was genuinely funny. It’s a shame...

FAVORITE BOOKS 2022

This is where I list and write about the books that I don’t review on my blog. I’ve included a few of the nostalgia books on this list in earlier years but opted not to this year. The Midnight Club, The Beast, and The Christmas Killer could have all been contenders. But this year I read a lot of great novels and comics that I wanted to give my little spotlight to.

Follow me on GoodReads (and like my reviews, cause that gets me traffic on here).

 

10. The Changeling
by Victor LaValle.

The best h...

FAVORITE ALBUMS 2022

It’s been an interesting year for music. Lot’s of concerts for the first time since the pandemic started. Struggled with finding new avenues for discovering new music. I want to resist the temptation to turn into a curmudgeonly old man who hates all new things for as long as I can, but I can hear the (heavy metal) siren song calling.

You can find my Favorite Songs 2022 playlist on Apple and Spotify.

 

10. Halestorm – Back from the Dead 

The album’s first half is significantly better than the se...

THE CHRISTMAS KILLER

The Christmas Killer
by Patricia Windsor

 

Spoiler-Free Review:

The Christmas Killer was a pleasant surprise for me. A Christmas miracle, if you will. Praise Saturn. Patrica Windsor delivered some of the best-written prose I’ve seen in a Point Horror book. It’s really a shame this wasn’t a more popular title. She managed to contrast the dark and depressing aspects of winter with the bright and merry elements of Christmas to maximum effect. The use of a foreboding atmosphere with its slow-burn p...

THE HEADLESS GHOST

Goosebumps #37: The Headless Ghost

 

Spoiler-Free Review

I enjoyed the way that The Headless Ghost shook up the tried and true Goosebumps format ever so slightly. Getting the background on Hill House and the Twin Terrors helped define the two main characters right out of the gate. There were some great ghost stories woven into the plot. The atmosphere is foreboding. Some of the visuals were among the goriest since Welcome to Dead House. The ending felt rushed, especially when you consider how s...

THE WRONG NUMBER 2

Fear Street #27: The Wrong Number 2

   

Spoiler-Free Review

The Wrong Number 2 was a sequel in search of a story. RL Stine has said himself that the only lessons in his books are to run. That couldn’t be more evident than in this book, as the entire plot relied on Chuck having learned absolutely nothing from his ordeal in the first Wrong Number. So the entire thing was just a cascade of terrible decisions. This is by far and away my least-favorite literary plot device. I get that there are stup...

BALTIMORE COMIC CON

 

Baltimore Comic Con

October 28-30, 2022
Baltimore Convention Center
Baltimore, MD

 

 

Overview:

I reserved my table for Baltimore back in January 2020, so it felt strange finally getting to the event almost three years after the fact. I split the table with my good friend Lindsay, who recently launched Skeltonizer Designs. I’m really grateful I was able to turn the weekend into an excursion with a friend. We had some great food and wine. We had some important conversations about relationship...

THE HAUNTERD MASK II

Goosebumps #36: The Haunted Mask II

 

Spoiler-Free Review

The Haunted Mask II managed to give a unique spin on its predecessor. It ultimately fell short, but I appreciated that it had its own charm. I like that the original cast of characters is all here but still gave us a different protagonist. Instead of Carly Beth, we got to go inside the head of her friend and occasional bully, Steve. Steve is determined to get his hands on a mask like the one Carly Beth had worn last Halloween, but instea...