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octavia_cade's Reviews (2.64k)
Nightshade: 20th Century Ghost Stories
Elizabeth Bowen, L.P. Hartley, John Cheever, James Leo Herlihy, Muriel Spark, F. Marion Crawford, Jean Rhys, Ilse Aichinger, Max Eberts, Joyce Carol Oates, Robert S. Phillips, Christopher Tilghman, Henry James, Gabriel García Márquez, Ellen Glasgow, William Goyen, Alison Lurie, William Trevor, Edith Wharton, Max Beerbohm, Kathy Chwedyk, Joan Aiken, Rudyard Kipling, Shirley Jackson, Franz Kafka, Elizabeth Spencer
I think it's fair to say that this collection of ghost stories has something for everyone. The unfortunate downside of that is it also has something that everyone will hate. I thought there were some excellent stories in here (particularly those by Aiken, Jackson, and Lurie) - but there were some as dull as ditchwater, and I stand amazed that they were ever published at all, let alone gathered up for reprints.
A quick and easy read. Has very much the tone of one of the more light-hearted Buffy episodes, I reckon. Well-populated with a number of quirky characters; I ended up liking the best friend more than the main character, however. Turning teenage girls into (literal) brain dead, boy-crazy zombies was a twist I could have done without, though Cam at least is presented as having full and deliberate agency, so that's something.
Overall an enjoyable read, and the abomination of the title - a cross between body horror and creature horror that takes insect form - is truly fantastic. A wonderful monster.
I couldn't get behind the characterisation so much, however. The Edgard near the beginning of the book seems so different from the end that they may as well be different characters; I find Indra's feelings for her adoptive father so black and white as to be totally unbelievable (the man rescued her as a newborn and subsequently raised her, and this entire storyline would be so much more effective if she were torn between father figures); and finally the devoted family man loses his infant child by... no, I can't say, it's too ridiculous. Plus the monster resolution seems too easy: there's a limit to the power of positive thought.
Worth reading for the monster, though.
I couldn't get behind the characterisation so much, however. The Edgard near the beginning of the book seems so different from the end that they may as well be different characters; I find Indra's feelings for her adoptive father so black and white as to be totally unbelievable (the man rescued her as a newborn and subsequently raised her, and this entire storyline would be so much more effective if she were torn between father figures); and finally the devoted family man loses his infant child by... no, I can't say, it's too ridiculous. Plus the monster resolution seems too easy: there's a limit to the power of positive thought.
Worth reading for the monster, though.
I found this difficult to like, although no doubt my reaction is rooted in bias. I don't have a lot of patience with mysticism at the best of times, so I don't think I'm the right audience for this book. Also, I rather get the impression that I've come in in the middle of a series, so I could be missing context.
I understand from the note at the end of the book that this is semi-autobiographical. Given this, I don't want to be too hard, but I simply could not warm to the main character. I don't know, I just found the whole thing a bit too self-congratulatory.
I understand from the note at the end of the book that this is semi-autobiographical. Given this, I don't want to be too hard, but I simply could not warm to the main character. I don't know, I just found the whole thing a bit too self-congratulatory.
This started out so excellently. I preferred the action taking place in this world to that in the new/strange land - the former was horrific and awful and visceral, with the deeply creepy walriders interspersed with enemy soldiers. The strange land felt more same-oldy to me - abandoned castle, quest, beautiful maiden with rape backstory (which immediately knocked a star off, I can tell you, I'm so sick of rape being the go-to drama for the sole female character). Just less interesting all round. Still, the mix was working for me overall, but the strong beginning petered off into a muddled end which was a bit disappointing, considering how quickly this book grabbed me when I started it.
The cover art is amazing, though.
The cover art is amazing, though.
Interesting collection of stories. I haven't read a lot of paranormal romance, so I thought a collection might be a good place to start. As with most anthologies, some stories were better than others - in this, I particularly liked "A Maze of Trees" by Claudia O'Keefe; "Fir Na Tine" by Sandra McDonald; and the absolutely charming "Single White Farmhouse" by Heather Shaw - but overall it was an enjoyable read and I'll be looking for more in the genre, I think.
I really enjoyed this. It's not perfect - my usual dislike of fairyland aside, while the women characters were fascinating in their own ways I found absolutely all of the men crashing bores, which is a problem when the two primary male characters are the love interests of the truly fantastic pair of sisters who are the heart of the story. I kept thinking "Come on you two! You can do better than this, surely!" Also a bit frustrating are the short glimpses of Imogen's supposedly genius fairy tales, which are really pretty average - this would be less of a problem if the mentor character didn't gush so over them; it made me doubt her taste and sense. Oddly (despite the first person) when Howard isn't trying to convey Imogen's work the writing is much better, I thought.
Still the women's characterization is excellent, the relationship between the sisters is excellent, and the language is lovely. I think this is a first novel? Very assured if so - and if Howard writes more I'll definitely be reading them.
I can only hope those future books make out in the cover art stakes better than this though, because that's a truly uninspiring cover and R&R deserves so much better. Was Saga trying to spin this very interesting story as "worthy but dull as ditchwater"?
Still the women's characterization is excellent, the relationship between the sisters is excellent, and the language is lovely. I think this is a first novel? Very assured if so - and if Howard writes more I'll definitely be reading them.
I can only hope those future books make out in the cover art stakes better than this though, because that's a truly uninspiring cover and R&R deserves so much better. Was Saga trying to spin this very interesting story as "worthy but dull as ditchwater"?
I want to rate this higher, I really do. Primarily for the language, which is colourful and sensual and really quite wonderful. If only the other aspects of this book matched up.
It reminds me a bit of another recent read of mine, Roses and Rot. They both trip over the same hurdle, and in all fairness I'm not really sure what can be done about it. Both Imogen and Shazi are meant to be wonderful story-tellers - one doing fairy tale retellings to lure in actual fairies, another telling stories to save her life by morning. In neither case do I find their abilities convincing - which is odd, because both authors are fantastic with language! I just tend to feel they spend so much time upping their character's abilities that by the time we actually see these abilities presented, they are... underwhelming at best. Shazi's tales, from my perspective, didn't merit a stay in fingernail cutting let alone strangulation... but as I said, this is the type of thing where you have to suspend disbelief, as it's hard to present a creative genius convincingly.
My bigger problem was with Shazi herself. I can't help it; I deeply dislike her. In fact I tend to dislike pretty much all these people. The Caliph is a mass murderer; he slaughters (or has slaughtered, no difference really) young girls over and over, and perhaps he has a genuine reason for it - perhaps not, this is another thing I found less than convincing - but the majority of people around him don't know this! And instead of stabbing him from behind, they just let him go on his merry murderous way. Shazi is by far the worst example of this. She's manoeuvred herself into wifedom because the Caliph killed her best friend and she wants revenge. But literally two days after the marriage she's in love with him, and poor murdered Shiva can go hang. (Literally.) And yes, there's some lip service to Oh-the-guilt! but that's what it is - lip service. It's been a long time since I've felt such a level of contempt for a YA protagonist, but this weak little traitor absolutely deserves it. Stop having every single character tell me how wonderful she is, book. She's not, and all that propping up is irritatingly undeserved and only makes me hate her more.
It's a problem that goes all through the story. There are brief mentions of riots because - who'd have thought! - the peasantry don't like their daughters being slaughtered, and good for them. But not only do the riots stop when the Caliph doesn't kill Shazi (because apparently she's just so special that the angry mob suddenly handwaves away all the other girls who've died... HATE), but the Caliph's all too happy to send soldiers out to quell the mob, which kind of defeats the whole purpose of sacrificing (others) for the greater good anyway, when you're happy to keep stacking up bodies like firewood.
In short: lovely language, but most of the characters need to die in a fire.
It reminds me a bit of another recent read of mine, Roses and Rot. They both trip over the same hurdle, and in all fairness I'm not really sure what can be done about it. Both Imogen and Shazi are meant to be wonderful story-tellers - one doing fairy tale retellings to lure in actual fairies, another telling stories to save her life by morning. In neither case do I find their abilities convincing - which is odd, because both authors are fantastic with language! I just tend to feel they spend so much time upping their character's abilities that by the time we actually see these abilities presented, they are... underwhelming at best. Shazi's tales, from my perspective, didn't merit a stay in fingernail cutting let alone strangulation... but as I said, this is the type of thing where you have to suspend disbelief, as it's hard to present a creative genius convincingly.
My bigger problem was with Shazi herself. I can't help it; I deeply dislike her. In fact I tend to dislike pretty much all these people. The Caliph is a mass murderer; he slaughters (or has slaughtered, no difference really) young girls over and over, and perhaps he has a genuine reason for it - perhaps not, this is another thing I found less than convincing - but the majority of people around him don't know this! And instead of stabbing him from behind, they just let him go on his merry murderous way. Shazi is by far the worst example of this. She's manoeuvred herself into wifedom because the Caliph killed her best friend and she wants revenge. But literally two days after the marriage she's in love with him, and poor murdered Shiva can go hang. (Literally.) And yes, there's some lip service to Oh-the-guilt! but that's what it is - lip service. It's been a long time since I've felt such a level of contempt for a YA protagonist, but this weak little traitor absolutely deserves it. Stop having every single character tell me how wonderful she is, book. She's not, and all that propping up is irritatingly undeserved and only makes me hate her more.
It's a problem that goes all through the story. There are brief mentions of riots because - who'd have thought! - the peasantry don't like their daughters being slaughtered, and good for them. But not only do the riots stop when the Caliph doesn't kill Shazi (because apparently she's just so special that the angry mob suddenly handwaves away all the other girls who've died... HATE), but the Caliph's all too happy to send soldiers out to quell the mob, which kind of defeats the whole purpose of sacrificing (others) for the greater good anyway, when you're happy to keep stacking up bodies like firewood.
In short: lovely language, but most of the characters need to die in a fire.
Extremely informative and clearly written, directed at the layman which is useful (I'm a biologist myself, but all I know about is plants). A really very well done example of science communication.
I do think the title is inadequate, though. Much of this book is evolutionary biology, describing how specific organs developed and the similar features found in other organisms at other times. The chapter on the lungs, for example, talks about fish and frogs as well as humans. In some ways this book feels like an inspiration for Dawkins' The Ancestor's Tale, which I was reminded of while reading - but though I prefer the Dawkins book, the Asimov one is still very good indeed.
I do think the title is inadequate, though. Much of this book is evolutionary biology, describing how specific organs developed and the similar features found in other organisms at other times. The chapter on the lungs, for example, talks about fish and frogs as well as humans. In some ways this book feels like an inspiration for Dawkins' The Ancestor's Tale, which I was reminded of while reading - but though I prefer the Dawkins book, the Asimov one is still very good indeed.
I'd heard this book was a classic, so I've been meaning to read it for a while now. And you know, it was alright. Parts of it were amusing, but I also felt as if the book as a whole was like a joke that went on too long. Perhaps if I'd read it as a kid I'd feel more love and nostalgia for it, but though I'm glad I've finally read Tollbooth, I can't see myself ever going back to it in the future. Once was enough.