Dave J. > Recent Status Updates

So, only three stories out of thirteen were okay-ish weird fiction, which is a bummer. And out of the other ten ghost stories, I only liked the three written by Edith Wharton, E. Nesbit, and C.P. Gilman. The rest were more or less shoddy or predictable. I ended up not being able to finish five of the stories here.

Well, six stories in and the weird fiction finally appears. I take back what I said in my previous update--now it's clear that this collection is a mix of genres. The two weird fiction stories that I've read seem to be nods to both Lovecraft and Hodgson, but they're unfortunately underwhelming stories. Too much telling, not enough showing.

Misleading title--so far, at least. It should instead be "Women's Supernatural Horror" or "Women's Ghost Stories." As for the stories themselves, the first two are rough and didn't draw me in, but the following three are excellent (there are thirteen stories in total here). If the quality stays the same then I'll definitely enjoy the rest of this book.

What an experience this trilogy has been. I can't believe it's over. But thankfully there are still more of Peake's books to check out (as well as the fourth novel in Gormenghast put together by Peake's widow, Maeve Gilmore.)

"Such a sensation can become too powerful for the human body. It is as easy to control as a sliding avalanche. It takes a sacrosanct convention and snaps it in half as though it were a stick. It lifts up some holy relic and throws it at the sun. It is laughter. Laughter when it stamps its feet; when it sets the bells jangling in the next town. Laughter with the pips of Eden in it."

"So Juno returned to her home, and it was true that it had already become a place of echoes, shadows, voices; moments of pause and suspense; moments of vague suffering or dwindling laughter...moments of acute nostalgia where she stood all unwittingly at a window in a haze of stars; or of sweetness hardly to be borne when the shadow of Titus came between her and the sun as it rose through the slanting rain."

Justice at last?

"A primordial love for his birth-place, a love which survived and grew, for all that he had left his home, for all that he was a traitor, burned in him with a ferocity that he could not understand. All he knew was that as he stared at the spider-man, he, Titus, began to age. A cloud had passed over his heart. He was not so much in the thick of an adventure as alone with something that smelt of death."

"By the Sun, Moon and Stars and the Golden Apples of the West!"

The stories after the first one are an improvement in writing style, but they still have issues, namely that there is more telling than showing, and at key points we are told what to think of characters and their decisions. The stories themselves are lacking in tension, too. I found the previous books' personal dramas a lot more compelling.

It's been difficult to put this one down. The narrator spares no one and refuses to favor any of the characters, which makes each scene all the more intriguing.

Dull and uninspired so far. Lots of world-building that feels out of place this late into the series. The tone is dry and the characters lack depth. Going to read a couple more stories just to see if the collection improves.

Lots of unexpected, exciting turns throughout. The connected stories are largely satisfying and surprisingly cerebral. There's even a proto Doc Brown later in the book. I didn't plan on reading the next one, but I'm kind of tempted...

I can't believe this is the only fantasy novel Mirrlees ever published. It's on track to becoming one of my favorites.

A very liberating read so far. I may not agree with or understand all of it, but it has certainly given me a lot to consider.

This is starting to remind me of Gulliver's Travels (specifically the 90's miniseries -- I haven't read the book yet), which is just about as absurd iirc. This third book may not be as good as the first two, but it's entertaining so far.

The world is intriguing and mysterious. The characters are not as well written, but they could be worse.

Been enjoying this one a lot so far. The characters are vivid, entertaining, and full of life. The intrigue built around the fabled "Fairyland" and its unshakeable influence is done well. And the writing is pleasant, but not sweet or lulling--hinting here and there of truly strange (and dark?) times ahead in the book.

Out of the pan and into the absurdist fire.

"Ready must thou be to burn thyself in thine own flame; how couldst thou become new if thou have not first become ashes!"

A disappointing end to a wonderful series. I agree with some of the more negative reviews: this final volume is mostly overwritten and unfocused. I found it tough to care for the tertiary characters and alien conflicts that just seemed to serve as mere roadblocks, and nothing more. It's always difficult to create an impactful ending, but I was hoping for more from Moore.