Sotto Voce's Blog, page 9

The Darkness That Slept (Tristen Kozinsky & Keegan Konzinsky)

I needed a very long time to get on this book, and I devoured all the available series of The Song of Ice and Fire in a small fragment of that time.

Too many things and different parts are happening from the beginning that I have difficulty following what is happening. This wouldn't be much of a problem if I was reading something I am familiar with. But in fantasy settings, they are wholly different animals with their own rules and words. What are the tasks, what is going on, why is the backgrou...

Rise of the AI

With the rise of AI in the creative world (no Skynet yet, sorry to disappoint you), there are discussions about how AI will affect artists, writers, and other creative fields in the near future. The majority is worried that AI will replace them because it is fast, has unlimited sources, and is most likely more manageable and cheaper. No author block and no books in series that take longer than a decade (I am looking at you, George!)

Personally, am I worried? Strangely, no. Not always for good re...

Another Zombie Apocalypse: Volume 1 (Joshua Grant)

 

What can I say about this Zombie Apocalypse comic?

I am pleasantly surprised about how much I like it. I have watched my fair share of zombie and apocalyptic shows, but this is my first time reading a zombie comic book.

There are five chapters in the comic. The book is very well-illustrated; for some reason, it gives me the classic feeling of comic books I loved as a child. I can't remember which comic, something that came in two colors only, orange and white. I am not even sure if it exists so...

Jigsaw Beginnings (David Alyn Gordon)

 

I have to admit this book is not what I thought it was from the title, but for good reason.

The first part of the book captivated me. It drew my interest straightaway to keep me reading. For around one-third, the plot hops back and forth between the modern era and the war period, where the characters are transported into. I am a fan of jumping narratives for storytelling. Although it doesn't work for every book, it works here. I also appreciate relevant historical facts and how they are worked ...

The Great Contagion (Jeff Chapman)

Fantasy is not my forte, but I find this book enjoyable. It follows a story through a cat, well, not exactly a cat. It carries us through her daily life, going around the town when a great sickness kills like a wind sweeping through a sand castle.

The vibrant and imaginative language is the strongest element of this book; readers can visualize the scene vividly, just like a snake releases itself from the tree coil by coil. On the other paw, some scenes also felt longer than they should have, base...

The Yellow Face (Arthur Conan Doyle)

 

I like this story, the client, Holmes, and Watson's interaction, and we don't see this a lot: Sherlock being humbled by a case.

The case is so simple, there is no elaborate scheme and general knowledge needed, and those are the charm of this case, and have the honor of escaping Sherlock.
Sherlock Holmes is an intriguing character; having been a big fan of the BBC adaptation (except for Season 4), I am beginning to fall with the subtlety of his canon character. What is better than having a lovely ...

The Adventure of the Red Circle (Arthur Conan Doyle)

 

Spoiler review

I like the story, and I don't feel that it ends abruptly because we don't need to resolve everything. But I do have some nitpicking.

The couple was aware of their dire situation, so let's imagine this. Was it necessary for the husband to signal Beware three times? Anyone would be suspicious to see that, no?
ATTENTA three times! 1 20 20 5 15 20 1 times three. In total, someone could see 246 flashings without the message going anywhere! Other people are living opposite, and I don't ev...

Bilaluna (Ann Birdgenaw)

 

I am a fan of astronomy, and I love nature. This book has both!

We follow the journey from Matt's point of view, and in the middle of the book, it switches to Celeste's. I think it works well, and I like them both, especially Celeste's, since she has some familiar traits like mine. I also had something similar to worry stone, although, thankfully, I didn't need it for long.

Even though this is the second book, readers miss nothing because we briefly learn about what happened in the first book soo...

CHLOE DOLLS (Ed Morawski)

 

My favorite genre is Speculative Fiction and realistic SciFi, so I was excited to read this book and had high expectation from the beginning.

The opening gets me because Vincent is my favorite song, and it's very fitting with the scene from the first chapter. I read through the book easily as it kept me interested, although I stumbled here and there because some, perhaps it's not accurate to describe them as expositions, maybe lengthy explanations were distracting to me. I love it when authors ...

BLIND CERULEAN (Gene Kendall)

I have to admit that I was quite frustrated for one-third of the book. I was confused about where it was going, who the characters were, and what it was about. Wasn't a fan of a sudden second-person narrative as well, and the main supposedly protagonist that I found unlikeable. The narrative also jumped to different scenes and characters without any indication, making it hard to follow. Another thing that was too jarring for me: the product placements! There were too many of them, especially in ...