Book Review – Page 7

Book Review: “We Should All Be Feminists” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

11th May 2023Leave a comment

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s “We Should All Be Feminists” is book 16 of 2023.

And—yeah, okay—it might be a bit of a cheat, considering its length. But my wife bought the book, and I couldn’t resist blowing through it in an hour.

Based on a TEDx talk that Adichie gave in 2012 of the same name, “We Should All Be Feminists” is what you’d expect. It’s a look at a contentious subject, one that people are wary of due to its volatile nature. But, and Adichie makes this point, it shouldn’t be so divisive. This is one of the many parts Adichie and I agree upon.

The book makes some excellent points about feminism. Adichie’s look at the roles of men and women is refreshing and on point. And the brevity of the book works to its advantage. I agreed with much of what Adichie said, except for a few moments.

The not-so-trans-positive statement “women can have babies, men cannot” got a raised eyebrow. Not surprising for a woman who defended J. K. Rowling. Also, “loss of virginity is a process that usually involves two people of opposite genders”? Not very LGBTQ+ friendly. So, whilst Adichie makes some excellent points, she also makes some blunders. For a book about feminism, I had hoped that it would have been more progressive.

Have a read—it won’t take long—but remember, it’s not the most inclusive piece of feminist literature.

Book Review: “The Institute” by Stephen King

10th May 2023Leave a comment

I chose a book that waited a while on my shelf for my next read of 2023, Stephen King’s “The Institute”.

I’m a King fanboy; everyone who knows me knows that. So let me cut right to the chase: this book is brilliant. It is absurd that the man is still pumping out books of this calibre at this stage in his career. King has written so many classics that he could get away with phoning it in at 75. But that’s not King’s style. Instead, he has added another masterpiece to his long list of masterpieces.

The book follows two characters. The first is a shamed policeman on the search for something new. The second—and most important—is a boy, kidnapped in the middle of the night and taken to a detention centre in Maine. Where else would King set it?

It’s, of course, less horror than some of King’s other works. But it recalls his other pieces, such as “Firestarter”. If you’re a fan of his kids-with-psychic-powers books, you’ll adore “The Institute”. Hell, even if you’re not, I’d still recommend it. It’s that good.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll repeat it, King is king.

Book Review: “Some Will Not Sleep” by Adam Nevill

26th Apr 2023Leave a comment

Adam Nevill’s “Some Will Not Sleep” is book 14 of 2023.

Nevill’s is a name I’d heard of in horror circles. He penned “The Ritual”, which others have recommended to me. Alas, I have yet to read the book or see the movie. But, based on “Some Will Not Sleep”, I will give it a shot at some point.

“Some Will Not Sleep” is, as the subtitle suggests, a collection of “selected horrors” from Nevill. The stories—from various points in his career—cover many horror subgenres.

As with Clive Barker’s “Books of Blood Volume 1”, not every story is solid gold. But there are far more hits than misses in Nevill’s collection. And when the horror hits, boy, does it hit. Some tales within are absolute fire and disturbing in imagery, plot, and implication. I particularly enjoyed his unique twists on tried-and-true horror formulas.

Give “Some Will Not Sleep” a shot if you are on the fence about Nevill’s work. The man’s shorter fiction is easy to read and packs a punch.

I want to read more from Nevill, which is the best compliment I can give.

Book Review: “Das unheimliche Labor” by R. L. Stine

23rd Apr 2023Leave a comment

It seems fitting that my 13th—my lucky number—read of the year is also my first German book ever.

I debated reviewing it because it’s a children’s book. But then I thought, “Why the hell not?” I’m proud to have finished a text in German, and I had a good time doing so.

My German isn’t great—it’s a complex language!—so adult books are off the table, at least for now. Yet, having loved “Goosebumps” as a kid, I reasoned that reading “Gänsehaut” in German would be a good starting point.

Which brings me to R. L. Stine’s “Das unheimliche Labor”! The story follows two kids who are the children of a mad scientist. Their father—who specialises in experiments on plants—has recently lost his job. The reasons for this are mysterious. The unemployed doctor has now set up a lab in his basement at home, which the children cannot enter. But, of course, the kids can’t help their curiosity.

Some of the German was beyond my capabilities—quite a bit. But I got the general gist of where the story was going and who each character was. It was great practice, and I will dive straight into another German “Goosebumps” book.

As an adult, I love horror, even horror made for kids (I adore the “Goosebumps” movies!). “Das unheimliche Labor” is no different; I had a blast with it. The twists are clear, and the threat isn’t too serious. Of course, nobody will die as they do in Stephen King’s novels. But it’s pure, innocent, goofy fun.

And that’s what all reading should be: fun.

Book Review: “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” by Hunter S. Thompson

15th Apr 2023Leave a comment

“Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” by Hunter S. Thompson is book 12 of 2023.

I’ve always been curious about this book since my emo teen years. Avenged Sevenfold’s “Bat Country” begins with a specific quote. “He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man.” That led me to discover Thompson’s use at the beginning of his 1971 Gonzo novel.

The book begins with Thompson—under the name Raoul Duke—and his attorney setting out for Las Vegas. They have a rented car, which they’ve stuffed full of every drug under the sun, and a job to cover the Mint 400 race. Along the way, they get into various escapades, and the task changes to infiltration. Finally, hundreds of cops attend a Drugs and Narcotics Conference. At what better place could two acidheads hang out? Some of the events get quite stomach-churning, but Thompson shies from nothing. He observes even the most depraved events with a keen, drugged-up eye.

I wouldn’t say there’s a story to “Fear and Loathing”, but each chapter focuses on its mini turmoil. The book focuses a hilarious lens on the American Dream and the sixties hippie movement. Despite the looseness of the plot—if one can call it such—”Fear and Loathing” is very readable. I tore through it in a few days. I’m unsure what I’ve read now that I’ve finished it. But I had a blast with it.

The review on the back cover was correct; Thompson is brilliant and outrageous.

Book Review: “Books of Blood Volume 1” by Clive Barker

10th Apr 2023Leave a comment

Book 11 of 2023 comes from an author I’ve always meant to read: Clive Barker.

“Books of Blood Volume 1″—the first in a six-book series—contains Barker’s various short stories. I’d always loved 1987’s “Hellraiser”, adapted by Barker from one of his books, “The Hellbound Heart”. So a collection of his shorter fiction seemed like a decent place to start. Having finished the short “Volume 1”, I still think it was a good idea.

Considering that “Books of Blood” was Barker’s first published work, it’s pretty good. In general, the quality of the stories is uneven, but the highs far outshine the lows. ‘The Midnight Meat Train’ and ‘Pig Blood Blues’ are exceptional horror tales. The other pieces also have something to offer. At its worst, “Volume 1” is okay, but at its best, it’s spellbinding. I see why it made such a splash when it arrived in the eighties; it signals more excellent works to come.

I recommend “Volume 1” and look forward to reading Barker’s follow-up books.

Book Review: “Dreamcatcher” by Stephen King

6th Apr 2023Leave a comment

For book ten of 2023, I took on Stephen King’s Dreamcatcher.

I’d heard in circles—and from King himself—that Dreamcatcher wasn’t anything special. Some considered it poor, as far as King’s standards go.

The story revolves around a group of boys/men (it bounces forward and backwards in time). This group once did something heroic as children, and that action now affects them as adults. In the present, they are on their yearly hunting trip when a bewildered man stumbles out of the forest. In the snowy stillness, the man rants and raves about lights in the sky and clutches his bloated gut.

Having demolished it in a few days, all I can say in response to the criticisms of this book is: “Huh?” I adored Dreamcatcher. It had everything that made me fall in love with King’s writing in the first place. Excellent horror, gross-out scenes, unpredictable twists and turns? Check. Fantastic characters, unpulled gut punches, and incredible tension? Check. Sure, the middle slows down the action, but it’s so King can weave the threads together for the finale.

The ending hit me like a ten-tonne truck, and I dare anyone to read the last 20 pages or so and not have goosebumps.

Undeserving of its less-than-stellar reputation, I can give Dreamcatcher two thumbs up.

Book Review: “The Passenger” by Cormac McCarthy

21st Mar 2023Leave a comment

It took me a while—as everything McCarthy has written has—but The Passenger was my ninth read of the year.

And what can I say about this piece? I almost don’t know what I’ve read. It doesn’t make sense, and there’s no neat ending, and I can’t help but feel that that’s the point.

It opens with Bobby, a salvage diver, coming across a crashed plane with a missing passenger. Yet, the novel doesn’t occupy itself with solving this mystery. Instead, it delights itself by creating more.

The story spirals outwards.

An unnamed agency is after Bobby because of what he saw on the ocean floor. Bobby’s sister is dead by suicide a decade before the novel begins. She hallucinates a cast of characters, the chief of which is the Thalidomide Kid, a caustic enigma. Bobby’s father helped make the atomic bomb. Countless debates on God, life, death, physics, morality, and sin clutter the pages. Time seems to move forward and backwards at the exact moment.

Does any of this make sense to you?

It didn’t make sense to me.

And it was beautiful.

Please read it.

Understand it—or don’t.

Isn’t that life?

Confusing and beautiful?

Book Review: “Backlash” by S. A. Hoag

24th Feb 2023Leave a comment

S. A. Hoag’s Backlash is my eighth read of the year.

I wanted to review the works of other indie authors, and Hoag is the first. Backlash follows three characters after a great war has devastated the land. They volunteer to protect the last vestiges of humanity from the new world’s dangers. These three share eerie psychic abilities because they are genetically enhanced.

The setting is fascinating. As a horror and sci-fi nerd, apocalyptic tales always pique my interest. (After all, Fallout is one of my favourite video games.) Yet, Hoag wastes no time or energy on long-winded expositions and infodumps. Instead, she places the reader in the middle of the characters and trusts you are smart enough to figure it out.

The story moves at a breakneck pace, and Hoag keeps descriptions bare bones. This approach lets the story race past, uncluttered and streamlined. I’ve read short stories a tenth of Backlash‘s length that took me longer—I devoured it in two days.

Give Hoag’s work a shot; it won’t disappoint.

Book Review: “Grave Predictions”

20th Feb 2023Leave a comment

Grave Predictions was my seventh read of 2023.

I picked up Grave Predictions because it contained Harlan Ellison’s “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream.” I’d always wanted to check out this short story but could never find it anywhere—and I didn’t want to pirate it. Then, after a chat with friends about disturbing ideas—such as Roko’s basilisk—Ellison came up. Thus, I decided I needed to read it and find a copy.

The collection as a whole stands as a bit hit-and-miss. “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream”—the reason I got it in the first place—was excellent, as expected. As were several other stories, such as King’s “The End of the Whole Mess”. I also enjoyed the early pieces from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. The progression through the decades was a nice touch. But a few parts did not work for me.

It’s worth the price of admission for some of the more standout stories. Of course, some are weaker than others. But the high moments make it all worthwhile. And that closing story is breathtaking.

Please give it a go, but don’t be afraid to pass on the stories that aren’t working for you.