Lena’s Comments (group member since Nov 17, 2014)

Lena’s comments from the Spells, Space & Screams: Collections & Anthologies in Fantasy, Science Fiction, & Horror group.

I enjoyed the first one with the late great Bill Paxton. Some of the special effects have shown their age but the movie showcased the latest science, an unexpectedly great supporting cast, and the kind of love story I’d never seen. Are there any other movies that start with divorce papers and a new fiancé, lol?

I don’t get the impression from the new film that the science, or toys, have come far. I think the film will be dependent on people looking for some CGI and Glenn Powell eye candy. The Powell angle is not helped by how cringy the chemistry seems between him and that weak Bridgerton looking Helen Hunt replacement.

Oh dear, a warning. Crossing my fingers. And I just checked, it’s 3AM in Christchurch! Insomnia?

There’s a chance Michael Keaton just made a great movie: https://youtu.be/S4bWGRvDrOU?si=bAHVX...
Anyone getting Memento vibes?

One of Our Bastards is Missing by Paul Cornell ★★★★☆
I enjoy alternate history stories, especially royal ones! Though this did take some time to get into and I still don’t understand the intricacies of the balance. But politics are always a tricky balance.

The Calculus Plague by Marissa Lingen ★★★☆☆
A story about memory transfer and what we may do with it.

Erosion by Ian Creasey ★★★★☆
An augmented man bound for a new world gets into an accident causing him to cut off his own foot. The foot becomes a symbol of all he will leave behind and an acceptance of his increasingly inhuman physicality.

The Nearest Thing by Genevieve Valentine ★★½☆☆
An unsatisfactory and unmemorable story of scientists falling for their android.

Tk’Tk’Tk by David D. Levine ★★★½☆
A salesman on an alien planet struggles until he unburdens himself of humanity and goes full native. The transition is abrupt but he finds peace.

The Waters of Meribah by Tony Ballantyne ★★☆☆☆
At first I was on board with experimenting on a rapist for public good. Drugged up on Compliance he had to obey even the violation to his body. Then rape was defined as sharing ideas and evil as curiosity and I balked.

Finished! https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

After Words by John Langan ★★★½☆
A couple has a long lusty evening while the husband shares memories of the sex witch he dated in high school.

No Light, No Light by Gemma Files ★★★½☆
Two men travel to Iceland to create a new Year Without Summer in order to combat climate change. One hallucinates about Loki.

The Lord of Misrule by M. Rickert ★★★½☆
A little brat in purgatory latches on to a kindergarten teacher once a year on Christmas. His requests for playmates are not optional, but at least he helps hide the bodies.

The Visitation by Jeffrey Ford ★★☆☆☆
They did as the religion required but were still cursed. Either it’s a shit religion or hundreds of years of reinterpretation have dangerously confused the rules.

Bread and Bombs by M. Rickert ★★★☆☆
A rather brutal story of children eating violence and dishing it out like The Children of the Corn. Mostly what I was thinking was that I remember being afraid of planes low in the sky. Actually, it still tightens my gut.

The Tale of the Wicked by John Scalzi ★★★★☆
Getting flexible with some classic Asimov. An intelligent war ship decides war is not worth their time.

Strood by Neal Asher ★★★½☆
That took a few tries to get into but I enjoyed the love lorn cancer eating alien.

Agreed, I did not like that book or what happened to Alia. It was crushing. But as the new version is more focused on the politics I can see him enjoying that.

Gravé of Small Birds by Kaaron Warren ★★★½☆
You really must find out what the prize is before you claw your way to victory.

Cold by Cassandra Khaw ★★★★☆
“No rest for the wicked. Make them hurt for me.”
A short sad story about being exhausted with the cruelty of man.