carrionkid's Reviews (86)

I Would Haunt You If I Could by Seán Padraic Birnie

I Would Haunt You If I Could

Seán Padraic Birnie

2.5
Truly a collection of short horror stories that's barely horror and manages to be repetitive and tepid at best.
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The Fissure King: A Novel in Five Stories by Rachel Pollack

The Fissure King: A Novel in Five Stories

Rachel Pollack

4.0
Could've been edited a bit more thoroughly before going to print but overall a very fun and clever urban fantasy work!
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Body Shocks by Ellen Datlow

Body Shocks

Ellen Datlow

2.5
This was really mid and maybe only 5 of these stories were any good. Some of them were barely even body horror. Not really worth it.
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Wolf in White Van by John Darnielle

Wolf in White Van

John Darnielle

5.0
I have nothing to say, save for "oh my god" and "holy shit"
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Composite Creatures by Caroline Hardaker

Composite Creatures

Caroline Hardaker

2.0
I truly wanted to like this book but the narrator was the most milquetoast centrist and pathetic character possible. She's a pushover with absolutely no moral fortitude and barely grows as a character during the book. On top of that, this book requires an unreal level of suspension of disbelief, one that far exceeds any other effective science fiction book. The entire extinction of almost all animal and insect life would be an ecological catastrophe, not one where you could still maintain a functioning society with cars and insurance agencies.
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The Fulfilments of Fate and Desire by Storm Constantine

The Fulfilments of Fate and Desire

Storm Constantine

4.5
Very satisfying ending to the trilogy, a perfect stopping point. Very interesting to finally have a book from Cal's perspective and I feel like Constantine finally honed her craft to a more polished level!
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The Bewitchments of Love and Hate by Storm Constantine

The Bewitchments of Love and Hate

Storm Constantine

3.5
A good followup to the first book, and interesting to see the species move further from humanity and try to find its own place in the world.
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The Enchantments of Flesh and Spirit by Storm Constantine

The Enchantments of Flesh and Spirit

Storm Constantine

4.5
Really compelling world building and a really interesting take on post apocalyptic fiction, plus it fucks around with gender! Some of it aged badly but for the most part it holds up and I enjoyed it thoroughly!
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Crygender by Thomas T. Thomas

Crygender

Thomas T. Thomas

1.5
In concept, this seemed like an extremely fun premise. In execution, it was written in extremely juvenile prose despite being about a bordello island, features some of the least sexy sex scenes ever, literally none of the dialogue sounds like a human would ever say it, and it completely ignores material facts of medical transition that have been reasonably public knowledge since the 1940s, choosing instead to fabricate claims of "conflicting" hormones resulting in the body breaking down and ultimately death, among other egregious misuses of scientific terms.
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Imajica by Clive Barker

Imajica

Clive Barker

4.5
An incredibly sprawling and carefully constructed work. It's long and dense but ultimately the payoff is worth it regardless of it's faults and weaknesses. Absolutely inspired and fantastical.
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