This wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. I was fishing around and looking for something like a traditional English Christmas Eve ghost story. And thaThis wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. I was fishing around and looking for something like a traditional English Christmas Eve ghost story. And that’s how I came across this book.
Instead, this book is a parody of that whole tradition. It is extremely funny as a lampoon of that tradition. The story telling is weak, most likely because that’s not the point of this work at all. The ending is also a little abrupt, as if the author didn’t quite know how to wrap it up. I was left with the feeling that this is was because, once the parody part was done, he didn’t see much point in working the rest of it through to its full conclusion.
Either way, it’s short and funny and enjoyable. ...more
Beautiful and well written. It’s only flaw is that it is clearly just the last act of a novel that never got written. It’s a bit like tuning in for thBeautiful and well written. It’s only flaw is that it is clearly just the last act of a novel that never got written. It’s a bit like tuning in for the last half hour of Silence of the Lambs. All the work that led you to the end sequence is missing and you can’t help but feel robbed. ...more
This is a tough volume to slog your way through. It’s nearly a thousand pages of notes and observations on academic papers published regarding archeolThis is a tough volume to slog your way through. It’s nearly a thousand pages of notes and observations on academic papers published regarding archeological sites. The book earns a full two stars just for the breadth of research it took to put this whole tome together. It’s somewhat breathtaking.
The book looses three starts because in a thousand pages of detailed academic analysis, he wasn’t able to convince me - even fleetingly - that his position made any sense whatsoever. Nor why his position mattered contrary to the dominant paradigm. And the reason why he didn’t argue “why it should matter” is because he hides a hidden agenda from the very start. He wants to prove the veracity of the Hindu Puranas. I don’t mind an author trying to do such a thing. In the West, plenty of scholars try to prove the truth of the Old and New Testaments. That’s not a new thing. But I find it disingenuous when they try to do that, but do not own that that is what they are doing. ...more
I adored the first book in this series and was so excited for a chance to read this sequel. Health issues made me sit on it for a bit and it was tortuI adored the first book in this series and was so excited for a chance to read this sequel. Health issues made me sit on it for a bit and it was torture to not get to it, wondering what happened to Os at the end of the first book. This one picks up from that cliffhanger ending and grabs you from the start by setting up a clever mystery which drives the subsequent action.
One the whole, I think this second installment in the Spectral Investigator series is better than the first. (That says something, because I gave 5-stars to that one as well.) With the establishing of relationships, introducing main characters and concepts, and the basic world building out of the way in the first book, Beckett is free to lead us through a couple hundred pages of fun, fast-paced action. We have here a novel filled with demons, monsters, witches, interpersonal drama, and trans-dimensional conflict laced with the witty repartee and moved by lovable and now-familiar characters.
This book develops the ensemble cast of characters more than the first does, and to good effect. The heart and soul of this novel, however, is still the protagonist Pru Osgood. She is clever, vulnerable, defiant, and messed up in all the right, relatable, and endearing ways. This is made all the better by the fact that I still can’t think of another queer paranormal investigator series in any media.
I’m a big fan of Cooper S Beckett. I think he’s one of the most enjoyable writers out there that you probably don’t know about. Do yourself a favor- read Osgood Riddance and this both. Then sign up for email list and get the short, Osgood Con as well. You’ll be hooked. ...more
In this short volume, a reissue of a previously published work, the great Anabaptist theologian Eberhard Arnold offers an in-depth but concise treatmeIn this short volume, a reissue of a previously published work, the great Anabaptist theologian Eberhard Arnold offers an in-depth but concise treatment of the conscience, it's role in the greater understanding of the grace of God, and effects of clinging to conscience when rightly understood.
Arnold starts with the theological paradox of the conflict and mutual support of both law and spirit in the role of the Christian's life. He sees conscience as a God-given call to live a more just life as well as a vehicle through which God calls us to repentance. He details the ways in which the conscience is unreliable without a life lived in tandem with God, teaching that only a life lived with and dedicated to Jesus Christ as Lord will purify the conscience and make it reliable. He sees conscience as only being able to find it's true bearings when a person experiences the life of spiritual rebirth.
Arnold then spends some time discussing how modern society has turned it's back on the role of the conscience, denigrating it as out of step with our search of self-fulfillment. He takes task most especially with the Freud and modern psychoanalysis. Some of this section might been seen as dated by readers, but it is worth keeping in mind both that this work is somewhat older and Arnold was not a professional psychologist.
This work will probably be pretty daunting to many readers who haven't ventured much beyond sermons in their reading of formal Christian theology. That said, it is not insurmountable to any who are willing to give it a try. Arnold is not overly abstract or complicated, but he does refer to theological issues which often don't make it into the sermonic life of the local congregations.
Arnold was a paragon of the Christian life well-lived. He was considered a sort of living saint by many in his day. He should be heard on what he has to say, even if the reader may not always agree with him. He does an excellent job of making his writing compatible with most Christian theological traditions. Certainly, any Protestant or Evangelical Christians will find what he was to say illuminating and insightful. In all probability, most Catholic, Orthodox, and Pentecostal Christians will as well....more
Rebecca Bischoff's book "The Grave Digger" turned out to be a very different book than I expected, but I was not disappointed. What I thought would beRebecca Bischoff's book "The Grave Digger" turned out to be a very different book than I expected, but I was not disappointed. What I thought would be something of a macabre supernatural mystery set in 1875 Ohio, turned into a straight out mystery (and a bit of a thriller at times) for middle school readers.
The story follows Captain "Cap" Cooper, a clever boy from a poor family. His mother is pregnant and in need of money for doctors. His father teams up with a shady local named Lum. With young Cap tagging along to help, they rob graves of their bodies with the intention to sell them to regional medical schools. Bishopff does a decent job of exploring the moral ambiguities of this work, exploring why it was wrong, why someone might come that sort of work, and why there was a legitimate need for cadavers in the 1870s.
The story seems at first to take a turn towards the supernatural. Since this happens somewhat late in the first act, it seems like this is the direction the novel is set. I was surprised when the story took a turn toward an elaborate mystery, involving a number of important characters who aren't what they seem. This evolves into an even more elaborate plot which adults would find far fetched, but younger readers may really enjoy.
Bischoff does a decent job of providing middle school aged readers with a sense of 1870s America. During the course of the novel, we are given tastes of post-Civil War race relations. We see the role of women who are social marginalized, but can also be central to the power dynamics of a family and community. Cap's family plight speaks to the differences of class which were becoming stark as the end of the century neared. Characters he encounters also speak to the growing entrepreneurialism and inventiveness of the era. All in all, it is a good taste of the time Ms. Bischoff is trying portray.
My only criticism is how Ms. Bischoff resolves the two main storylines of the novel. The mystery thriller part is resolved in a way which I think is far fetched. However, as stated above, I think young readers will not find it so. The other storyline regarding the possible "supernatural" skill Cap may or may not have to developed is resolved in a what I found personally groan worthy. That said, readers who have not already read a shelfful of novels or seen a few hundred movies may genuinely not find it cliche as I did....more
Whickering Place is my second book by Clark. Sadly I didn’t like this one as much as Hoarder House. I found it less original, the characters less compWhickering Place is my second book by Clark. Sadly I didn’t like this one as much as Hoarder House. I found it less original, the characters less compelling, and the flow at times a little painfully slow. There were also several typos which at times distracted.
A deeply traumatic event leaves Avery with a crippling case of agoraphobia for ten years. When her estranged artist father dies, she inherent Whickering Place - queue spooky theme music here - a large home with a troubled past shrouded in history. It’s the typical set up for some form of haunted house story. Clark goes through all the right motions in setting her story up, but I personally felt a bit like boxes were being checked.
The house does have a variety of troubling personages who begin vying with Avery for control of the old estate. Bowman takes two horror story standards and finds news spins on them. This should have kept them interesting, but I thought it ultimately made them a little more dull. I didn’t find the requisite explorations into how they are different interesting. It was sort of tedious, especially by the end.
Avery’s struggles with agoraphobia and posttraumatic stress disorder are consuming for her throughout the first 2/3 of the book. Without these character traits she would’ve been a very dull protagonist. However, they didn’t add enough to make me feel like she was a fully three dimensional character, especially after these traits seems inexplicable sporadical as the plot moves forward.
A love triangle is added to the story which, I’m sorry to say, just seemed sort of groan worthy. I also wondered if Clark thought so as well, since the triangle seems half heartedly committed to. But feeling half heartedly installed into the narrative, it makes me wonder why it was there at all.
There are also a series of chapters interspersed throughout the novel from the perspective of the antagonists which “haunt” Whickering Place. I never found these quite believable. They seemed off, like they were intrusive into a story that really could have gone better with out them....more
In “Hoarder House” R C Bowman draws on elements of horror, sci-fi, and fantasy to created a fully satisfying mix that harkens back to the classical WeIn “Hoarder House” R C Bowman draws on elements of horror, sci-fi, and fantasy to created a fully satisfying mix that harkens back to the classical Weird Fiction tradition of Clarke, Lovecraft, and Blackwood.
Like so much of the best cosmic horror, we start with an everyday protagonist doing something mundane, even boring. As the story unfolds, we learn that this time the mundane is a gateway to a realization that the universe is bigger, more complex, and a boat-load more terrifying that previously realized. And that’s just where Bowman starts.
What ensues is just under a hundred pages of squeamish, mind twisting turns which ratchet up ever greater feelings of unease. Page by page, Bowman wipes away any elements of comfort and stability. Jobs aren’t your friend. Houses aren’t your friend. Objects in homes aren’t your friend. Friends aren’t even your friends. You aren’t even your own friend. In fact, the whole damn cosmic multiverse isn’t your friend.
Two final things. Firstly, Bowman has a superb imagination. I will not provide any spoilers, but there are section which require fantastic imagination on the author’s part. Bowman hits her target beautifully, managing to avoid being derivative. (Which, in my experience, is the biggest pitfall for any authors who do a bit of fantasy.)
The second is both caution and complement- Bowman seasons her novella with a strong dose of body horror. It’s not for the faint of heart. I’ve read so much body horror at this point, I thought I was mostly immune. Bowman’s novella politely points out that I was lying to myself. I hardly slept the night after I read the book. I was so creeped out. I kept waking up and checking my body to make sure all was sound and well. Body horror isn’t for everyone, so for you folks that’s a warning. But for everyone else, that’s an invitation to let Bowman creep the heck out of you.
If you enjoy weird fiction, horror, dark fantasy, or dark sci-fi, then this novella is well worth your time.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review....more
Andrew “The Weirdling”
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Books:
2019
(157)
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