Corey Redekop's Blog, page 44

Monkey Droppings - two short (and sweet) tales of death

Today, the Monkey fights his innate timidity and delves into a duet of terrors both subtle and gross.

Mind you, these are rather offbeat terrors, so the worry of night screams is diminished somewhat.

These'll be quick reviews, but heartfelt.

One Bloody Thing After Another
by Joey Comeau (2010)

There's something a little spooky about the girls, but Charlie can't put his finger on it. Everything's spooky these days. A headless woman in the lobby, haunting them from beyond the grave. A creepy...

Critical Monkey! Update the eleventh!

Eleven months? Did I read that right? Is it almost over?

Acceptance (seven reviews)

Lori L
Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
Roses of Glory by Mary Pershall
Spock's World by Diane Duane
A Texan's Honor by Leigh Greenwood
Star Wars: Rebel Dawn by A.C. Crispin
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer *ineligible for contention*
Love Comes Softly by Janette Oke
The Outlaws of Mesquite by Louis L'Amour

Corey Redekop
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
The Justice Riders by Chuck Norris
Jake and the Kid by W.O. Mitchell
Left Behind

Monkey droppings - Dog Blood by David Moody

The Monkey has the taste for blood and gore, for some reason.

Must be a monkey thing. No way humans have that impuse, right?

Right?

Dog Blood
by David Moody (2010)

NOTE: Spoilers abound in this review, particularly if you have not read Hater, Moody's unnerving first novel, and a direct precursor to the events in Dog Blood. Sorry, can't be helped.

When all the living have been infected and there's no one left to kill, what happens next? Does the hunger every go away, or is rotting all that's left...

Critical Monkey, entry seven! Flowers in the Attic - There won't be any trips to the dentist until your grandfather dies.

So, here we are. My very last (thank the various imaginary deities) Critical Monkey challenge.

Number seven. Acceptance.

Wonderful.

Not so wonderful, actually. My choice as capper to this tournament of evil is a staple of WalMart bookshelves, Safeway impulse racks, and pre-teen girl bedside tables. The Twilight of its time. A novel of potentially limitless awfulness, especially given its refusal to die a natural death.

I give you, Flowers in the Attic!

WHY I MIGHT HATE IT: C'mon, seriously? You ca...

Monkey droppings - Tell-All by Chuck Palahniuk

The Monkey sits down to read a spanking new novel by an old favourite.

One hundred seventy-plus pages later, the Monkey finishes the novel and is crushed by overwhelming despair.

Tell-All
by Chuck Palahniuk (2010)

NOTE: Before the actual review begins, I'd like to take a moment and discuss something I've been struggling with for some days. As you'll read, I well and truly (spoiler alert!) loathe this novel. But I admit to internal conflict in this. How is Tell-All, to my mind, as poor a...

Monkey droppings - talking animals galore!

The lonely Monkey, seeking companionship away from humanity, reads some Canadian novels about talkative animals.

Seriously, I must have a jones for anthropomorphism. Several of my favourite novels have animals (and objects) exhibiting human characteristics - The Bear Went Over the Mountain (bear), Firmin (rat), Winkie (teddy bear), Skinny Legs and All (can of beans, sock, painted stick, and spoon). On the tellybox, current favourite characters include Tim (bear) from The Cleveland Show and Bri...

Critical Monkey! Update the 10th!

Ten months down, two to go!

Acceptance (seven reviews)

Lori L
Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
Roses of Glory by Mary Pershall
Spock's World by Diane Duane
A Texan's Honor by Leigh Greenwood
Star Wars: Rebel Dawn by A.C. Crispin
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer *ineligible for contention*
Love Comes Softly by Janette Oke
The Outlaws of Mesquite by Louis L'Amour

Scrat
Bright Shiny Morning by James Frey
Hold Tight by Harlan Coben
Double Cross by James Patterson
Strangers in Death by J.D. Robb (Nora Roberts)
Lamb...

Monkey Droppings - Parrot and Olivier in America by Peter Carey

The Monkey grapples with feelings of vague disappointment in the face of overwhelming opposition by the majority of critics.

Ah, who needs friends anyway.

Overrated, really.

Parrot and Olivier in America
by Peter Carey (2010)

Peter Carey is unquestionably one of the more celebrated novelists around. The two-time Booker-winner has proven time and again that he is a master of language, and every new novel from the Australian author is a tempting treat.

His most celebrated works, such as Oscar and...

Monkey Droppings - A duo on dogma: "People will leap to the most lurid meaning they can find, even if it's one the author never intended."

Today, the Monkey examines two recent fictions on Christian mythology.

Fictions on mythology.

So...fictions on...fictions?

The Monkey's brain just melted under the pressure of so much meta.

The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ
by Philip Pullman (2010)

Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bible!
by Jonathan Goldstein (2009)

He took the loaves and the fishes, and blessed them, and then said to the crowd "See how I share this food out? You do the same. There'll be enough for everyone."
And sure...

Monkey Droppings - The Amazing Absorbing Boy by Rabindranath Maharaj: "This was the age of improvisation."

The Monkey wonders what, exactly, makes a Canadian 'Canadian.'

A love of donuts and beer?

A superior ability to withstand cold?

Facial hair?

The Monkey has come up with a theory on what it is to be Canadian, but he's far too polite to bother you with the details.


The Amazing Absorbing Boy
by Rabindranath Maharaj (2010)

A typical Canadian - or at least those I had met - was someone who fussed all the time. About everything. Toronto was getting too modern and ugly. Toronto was stuck in the past. Too...