Justin Partridge > Recent Status Updates

This thing is BARRELING now. It’s been a total blast and genuinely striking in its simplicity

Revenge..

…REVENGE…

REVENGE!!!

The reveal about the dollhouse’s loom made me go exclaim “NO FUCKING WAY” to an empty room. This thing rules.

“There are histories of the event, should you wish to read them. But the history is also the story and stories have a better way of telling histories. And quicker too.”

There is also quite a lot of Richard III here too. It’s fascinating all around.

This has well and truly kicked off and it’s both SO VERY KING but also unlike anything I’ve read from him. It reminds me a lot of his short stories with a liberal dash of Robert E. Howard and explicit cosmic horror.

I am starting to really fall in love with this. Both as a weird b-side from him and part of his overall Dark Tower canon.

I am so happy I can finally clock all of these Lovecraft references that filter through all his books. Like the casual reveal that Flagg has a piece of Leng Glass and the MOTHERFUCKIN’ NECRONOMICON. This has been a real treat thus far.

Pinchot’s narration of this is kinda incredible so far.

“Bad men had more in common with dogs than Ol’ Split-Foot”

So this is already crazy interesting. Both as an example of King stretching out into a different genre and as a counterpoint to THE STAND. As this Beam is seemingly about 1000-2000 years post-Trips. But still armed with all sorts of touchstones and callbacks to the world before it moved on. Very excited to get deeper into this.

Gee do I love Dan Abnett a whole lot.

The tears were close now. It wouldn’t take much to set them off. But he knew the sight of them would set Tom to crying as well. So he choked them back for the moment.

“We’re Americans, goddammit! I mean…we WERE Americans!”

I had forgotten completely about how Glenn starts calling Flagg stuff like “Azathoth” and “Nyarlathotep” TO HIS FACE. Any time King directly acknowledges stuff he came up with, it’s so good. And feels so purely HIM too.

You could say he never FLAGGED from his duty.

Glenn then said a very curious thing. “I will fear no evil.” And then the discussion was apparently closed.

I was kinda worried about this and Fear of the Dark blending in with one another (despite this one being written before FotD) but it’s really starting to differentiate itself for me while also having similar touchstones.

The most interesting being that these both are placing obviously heroic and noble Doctors (5&8) in hellish conditions with gruff assholes. Who curse and flip the bird. It’s hooking me for sure.

It didn’t matter. Nick would tell him. And he would see him again once he had returned. He missed Nick, laws yes.

Now this is starting to cook and it’s very Nyssa/Tegan heavy, so I’m having an obviously shippy blast.

There have also been two really awesome First Doctor gags (mentions of the fluid-link and fault detector) so I think I made the right choice starting this finally.

“Call me Richard.”

She knew he was here.

Even before he spoke, he knew.

“Naaadine. Nadine. Oh, how I love to love Nadine.”

I’m pairing a Baxendale with a Baxendale!

In the introduction for Fear of the Dark, he talked about how he had only written stuff for the Eighth Doctor books until then. Which was crazy to me as I only really associated Baxendale with the PDAs (since he wrote one of my first; Atom Bomb Blues). But this has a very fun start! It’s got a neat setting and Sam is very cute. Excited to get into it more.

A dice roll decided between this and Asylum from the Past Doctor Adventures (which I have read before but like as a teen). Also because I’ve still seen/heard frighteningly little Fifth Doctor.

But this has started out pretty fun! The introduction from Baxendale is great (this was his first novel for the PDA range!) and it’s sold the ethos of Davison pretty well so far. I hope the Tegan/Nyssa stuff is good.

“It was getting harder to believe. And the wind blew hard. All night.”

I totally forgot but fucking love love love the detail that Flagg doesn’t have any lines on his hands.

BOOK III: THE STAND.

“This Land is My Land/
This Land is Your Land/
From California/
To the New York Islands/
This Land Was Made For You and Me.”
-Woody Guthrie

I am headed into some of the more emotionally terse and terrifying bits but I really love the detail of the workers in the Free Zone binging through random technical manuals and farming encyclopedias.

“Oooooh how I looooove to looooove Nadineeeeeee”

I am kinda barreling now as this is due back soon and also because I’m starting to enter it’s final movements (which are just fucking CRACKING to read/listen to still). A few things I hadn’t noticed (or forgot) was the whole Leo/Joe Shine moment! Is his ping-pong ball one of the Rainbow? Also this narrator is still great but this copy is badly mixed. 👎

“September 2nd”, Ralph had said.

September 2nd.

I don’t know if I will finish this this weekend like I want, but it’s still great fun. Just hanging out with the Third Doctor and Sarah Jane is really charming and engaging. I feel like this could be one I would appreciate even more with a reread later on.

Chapter 55. I totally forgot how unnnnnncomfortable all the Nadine/Harold stuff is.