L.S. Popovich's Blog, page 13

Review of Of Kings, Queens and Colonies by Johnny Worthen

Humans have relocated to a ten-planet system called Coronam. Each planet has its drawbacks and advantages. Various factions proceed to war over the resources and ownership. This is an epic with medieval warfare, space ships, and political subtexts. Told through 16 points of view, the tale could get a little convoluted, but each chapter offered […]

Review of Ruins by Peter Kuper

A worthy and important work of graphic storytelling.  A married couple take a sabbatical in Oaxaca. He is a struggling insect-enthusiast, and she is working on a novel. They gravitate away and toward one another while they explore the urban desolation and natural splendor of their surroundings. It resonates strongly with political tensions, historical tidbits, […]

Review of by Crystals of Empire Trilogy by M. Poyhonen

The Crystals of Empire is an immersive fantasy tale with a steep learning curve. In time, the pieces fall into place, but the beginning eased me in with a recognizable setting steeped in mythological undertones and relatable character interaction. While I did not get on with the dialects, the dialogue was functional offering a good […]

Review of Time goes by… By Hiroshi Nagai

Review of End Man by Alex Austin

The first thing I appreciated about End Man was the Vaporware/ Outrun aesthetic of its cover, followed by its intriguing premise. Wherever corporate corruption is brought upon the chopping block I am game for a foray into speculation. Then you get oodles of commentary on mortality and how the virtual world contains online remnants of […]

Review of Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

2 stars for Neil Gaiman and 6 stars for old Norse authors. A glance at the cover would lead one to believe that Neil Gaiman wrote this book. He is the “author” after all. But what did he actually do? He retold the tales. His language is entertaining, but he might have used invention and […]

Review of Anthem by Ayn Rand

Writing in the first person plural toward a central theme, Ayn Rand tests the reader’s patience.  I recommend Doris Lessing instead. Her wonky, awkward descriptive power is more attuned than Rand’s. Rand has a tendency to produce a monotone. I was picturing THX 1138 the whole time. Naming characters with numbers was also a poor […]

Review of Liar, Dreamer, Thief by Maria Dong

Told in first person present tense.  A dysfunctional protagonist leads us through her obsession with a coworker. The main character self-consciously sabotages herself through ritual superstitions and coping mechanisms. The list of her disorders is not delineated but the reader may observe tell-tale signs of nearly every social issue a person can contain within one […]

Review of My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

Not much left to be said about this brilliant book.  It was brilliant and disturbing and a perfect reading experience. Another first person narrative by this famous author plumbing the depths of human loneliness, wish fulfillment and modern society. A magnificent satire and unputdownable headlong plunge into the heart of all that is wrong with […]

Review of Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh

My ranking of Ottessa Moshfegh’s books. 1. My Year of Rest and Relaxation2. Homesick for Another World3. Lapvona4. Eileen5. McGlue6. Death in Her Hands Lapvona was midrange Moshfegh, in my opinion. It lacked the intimate first person perspective of her other works and possessed a cold, alien tone, making use of uncommon sentence rhythm, like […]