roadtripreader's Reviews (357)

This is one of the best if not the best anime out there.  The storyline has sizeable stakes, there is loss and throughout the story you're not sure who you're rooting for more: Alucard-Belmont-Sypha / Dracula-Lisa-Isaac / The Sister Vampires / Hector poor naive Hector or the Night Creatures.

When I received this book, I was in vampire heaven or hell (take your pick) and decided to do a re-watch the series and found myself binge-watching each season twice this week.  The artwork and seeing how the game was brought to life for a different screen and wider audience has been a treat.

If you have a shred of love for the gothic world of Castlevania - this book is such fun.

Yes, I am Toto and I adore this book.
Is it weird that I found this cozy?

One of my favorite scenes set that is weirdly wholesome:

The stranded astronaut stumbles into a somewhat oxygen rich fold inside this dark crypt he's been hopelessly lost in. The glass flowers- beautiful. The massive whatever the hell that was creature that strode past him - strangely comforting. The mechanical little eggs on legs which may or may not contain little humanoid aliens but we'll never know because it would be rude to open them up you know - utterly adorable. And then they set off in a direction predestined and our Astronaut Rendell and by default, Toto (us, the readers) follow along but not curiously, for companionship on that desolate place. I loved this.

Just picture this lone astronaut walking at the center of these little moving Egg-Men machines and their shiny lights. He is a huge bipedal monster but he is their bipedal monster.

"They Bring the light and I, Gary Rendell of Earth, bring the muscle. Two-fisted space action!"

Geez Tchaikovsky, give others a chance to be great writers too. What the hell man.
Hit after hit after hit.

 

Okay Kimberley Lemming - you've won me over.
 I'm inlove with demons now.  Who knew.
That's it.  That's the Review.

From the future looking back - all the way back to our time right now. The same way we look back to before the Dark Ages. What a book!

This book hits different as a child of parents who followed 2 violently opposing Abrahamic religions. (My siblings and I are basically proof these 2 religions can coexist I guess). Something eery about this story. It feels like the moment when hope is snuffed out - and yet, a slither remains. The way Tchaikovsky weaves the Casting Out/The Severance is magnificent, filled with the dread and the threat of violence both physical and emotional without actual violence in the way we understand it. The horror of being cut off and left to fend out in the wild and even hope that somehow, what is set in stone can be reversed are all themes in the opening chapters and just so haunting.

At first, I willed the community to see their error which was that ancient bag of bones Doctor's fault entirely - yet the community of Aro was set in its ways. Immovable, unchangeable and also ridiculous. And that right there is the moment I noticed what Aro and the Severance represented. And yet; the metaphor, the allegory, the curtain still wove and told this tale with painful elegance. Thereafter all I wanted for the main character was liberation and peace away from that community.

The Ghosts who took over the human host and dictated utter garbage to keep the sheep in check and unquestioning, not curious, just docile and at peace. But ambition and questioning, that seed of knowledge, first in the village of Orvo, via Ilbis, The Architect and then Sharskin, the Outcast Priest Would-Be-God granted "wisdom" and "truth" and who yearns for followers in a more frightening fashion that the ghosts of the old communities.

A new cycle begins. Like Moses but without the tribes of many, just Handry and Ostel, of they wandered into the "desert" in search of their place to belong. "Where it all began"

I digested this book in a way that the poor protagonist couldn't digest even an ounce of "normal" food thanks to the severance he did not deserve. 

 I threw this book clear across the room when I read the first 4-5 pages. Okay I threw it mentally, in my mind because I could never throw my precious ereader. You get it. To the task at hand. To put it in this book's language: this book was way to sassy malassyand I was way way too engrossed in actual literary art to appreciate that even though it sounded like a 16 year old tiktok wannabe influencer wrote it hoping to get it adapted to a disney-plus series (eh ... maybe more Netflix speed) - it might be a goodish book.

Cut to 3 days later (I wrestled with myself to pick it up again instead, opting to read short stories and...news articles in the interim until I could muster the right amount of pep in my step and vibe appropriate outlook to get through this) I read it in one sitting. I'm no book snob! Yay! What a relief. A little patience like a sprinkle of salt on McDonald's french fries is heavenly.

The actual concept and story is really good. It could have benefited from less of the colloquialism and slang and overuse of the vibes and slang like "suss" for suspicious. The book is not meant to be taken seriously - that's what the author would have you believe but I can't help but feel like when the smart kid/s in class dumbs themselves down in conversations to make friends and not be singled out as a nerd. In this case, this book is clever wrapped up in stupid dialogue and to cover up what could potentially be a great writer with some solid worldbuilding.

What's not to like?

Hhhmm, how about I say that it can be a little too on the nose in its attempt to be "easy breezy sexy teasey". Also the use and abuse of the word "audacity" . Okay we get it, too many things in this book have the sheer audacity etcetera etcetera. To quote that meme "I can't even ..."

So, what's to love here? I'll adopt the Book's linguistics and set the asswhopping alligators vibe:

1. A village called Boohail. Imagine saying, Hi! My name is (insert here) and I'm from Boohail. I'm Boohailian...A Boohailee, Boohailonite ...all of which sounds just about right in its delightful absurdity.

2. Cinnamon, Cumin, Chili even Cherry- these people sound really gorgeous. In any case I felt compelled to add cinnamon my coffee this morning and sprinkle cumin into my chicken stirfry for lunch with a healthy helping of some fiery chili and I couldn't decide if I wanted a glass of Cherry liquer or cherry jam on crackers as a snack so I had both.

3. A Quest! A not-so-good-ole-fashioned Quest

4. Fallon sounds sinfully hot so there's that.

I mean at the end of the day, I didnt hate it as my first initial gut reaction. Solid 3.5 

 

(Read the short stories but selected the audible to add to my challenge so I dont waste book tracking space.)

I found my way to this collection of short stories through Randomizer by Andy Weir. Mainly because he was part of a scifi challenge I had set up for myself and I hadn't read anything by him before. So a short story seemed fitting. I loved the story - but then I discovered there was a whole collection of gems and let me tell you something for nothing:   If Randomizer is the lower end of poignant short stories well this collection is worth way more than the paper it's printed on.

My Top 3

(which is really not fair seeing as all these stories struck a cord and made me think and made me google and fall headfirst into rabbit holes of quantum physics and then spiralled all the way to my nonfiction bookshelf and finally just finding more open ended questions that made me go ... hhhmm)

My nerd soul met with my geek spirit and together we have thoroughly reveled in this collection. 

 I know what I want for christmas/easter/my birthday/every gift giving holiday out in the known universe - I want a BrainPal.  If turning a hue of green is a side effect, have at it.  Just think how many books I could read and inner thoughts I could transmit ...  wait scratch that last part out.

Speaking of books - this one is the quintessential ragtag team that steps up to the plate as last minute replacements and takes the team a couple steps close to the finale (I keep thinking loveable Keanu Reeves in "The Replacements"...well of course that was endearing.). I very quickly wanted the Clarke to succeed in their last minute mission.  And yes, everyone on board b-teamed their way into my heart.  What can I say, I'm still a sucker for the underdog story.

Scalzi has this knack for dialogue, shall we say the art of creating cohesive conversation that feels not just natural but you're never tempted to skip over swathes of chattering to get to the action because it more often happens while in conversation.  Case in point, the unexpected Polk Pod, space, shrapnel and explosion. All of this in the middle of a simple conversation weighing the odds of survival and calculating how much air to use up and laughing would take up to much air and ...boom, everything explodes. That executed with finesse.

Honestly, there are so many gems to be dug up in conversation.  Take the conversation between CDF's Field Tech Wilson, Hart Schmidt and Ambassador Abumwe, the tail end of which is just gold:

“He’d better be,” Abumwe said. “Because, Lieutenant Wilson, the
warning I gave to my staff goes double for you. If you fail, this mission
fails, even if my half goes well. Which means I will have failed because
of you. I may be low on the diplomatic totem pole, but I am sufficiently
high enough on it that when I push you, you will die from the fall.” She
looked over to Schmidt. “And he’ll kill you when he lands.”

{...more facts being spit like a sick beat on a Migos track by Abumwe here and Wilson reciprocating }

“I’ll do my best,” Wilson said.
“Your best got you stationed on the Clarke,” Abumwe said. “Do
better than that.”

I love the consistency of John Scalzi's writing and it's ability to yank you from your couch in a room in a house/apartment in a city, in a country, on a continent on earth and shove you headfirst into the world of the Colonial Union and the Conclave and all else in the Old Man's War Universe and you feel like you belong there and that you've always been a member for one of the frigate ships. 

What's the exact opposite of breaking the fourth wall? I don't mean suspending disbelief - this series has been about a good-guy millionaire (is that an oxymoron?) who interacts with his delusions and hallucinations in the most extrodinarily supernatural way and he made a living out of it. Stephen Leeds really is nothing without his aspects. And as such, let me bid them adieu directly.

Meeting in the White Room now please. Yes thank you:

LUA! What is the Samoan word for hero? You are steadfast, a much needed "spirit" guide on a deserted island. What a welcome surprise. BIG LOVE to you dude.

Audrey Audrey Audrey, you gave Stephen that weird sensation that he was interacting with an aspect that was highly self-aware. A reflection of his break in sanity but not a nightmare. It was, strangely reassuring.

Kaylani Mr Stephen clearly relies on you to gather up the troops and gather the troops you did even if you "gathered" up your own husband while you were at it.

Arnaud- merci monseuir, the camera worked and took us 4 hours back to see that lying sneaky no-good Sandra who...okay I digress. The camera worked.

Torquiose - hey my dude, your artistic skills are mad rad. Catch a wave sometime and enjoy the vibes.

Chin, well what can we say - you came through with a solid assist. Pat on the back to you.

Ngozidarling, sometimes you just need to take your shoes and socks off, stick your feet in the mud and then dive in. It'll do you some good.

JC- ever the protector. I do a sweep of my surroundings whenever I go out now and never sit with my back facing the exit. You'd be proud.

Ivy - Might I suggest a curse word every once in a while? It really is liberating. For all the little nudges and nods of approval through Stephens social interactions, you've remained a class act.

TOBIAS - would you be surprised to hear that even I can hear your voice melodically recounting some interesting tidbit of information. A salve for the mind. I will miss your calming presence.


And the rest of the gang, all 50 of you. Be good, take frequent walks, get some fresh air, look at some art. Be nice to Barbara the new chaueffer. And above all else, keep Stephen Leeds secret and safe. Oh and all of you were right which means Stephen was right - Sandra is trouble. What kind of mind pulls from the shadows to create aspects but then sits at the pier with dead bodies at her feet? Trouble that's what it is...unbridled trouble.

 "Carry on my wayward son...
They'll be peace when you are done
Dum dum dum ...Don't you cry no more"
Okay cue guitar rift here, then cut to scene of 1967 Chevrolet Impala cruising on a road through the pine wooded trail of the Great American Outdoors.

This book is not like Supernatural at all. But the first chapter was like a madeleine (a full-blown sensory trigger) to my memories of watching Sam and Dean Winchester exorcising, becoming possessed by and even liberating demons. So for that dose of nostalgia alone, Prosper's Demon gets my "seal of approval" which is nothing more than a thumbs up for sheer reader engagement.

Okay folks, to the nitty mcgrittyy then:

KJ Parker's demonologist/exorcist is perfectly horrifying.  His hunt for demons that do not die is an interesting premise and bodes well for anyone with philosophical leanings as the never-ending cycle of questions it spawns. Would you continue to do the task of eradicating something that not only popped up again in much the same form elsewhere weeks later - or would your just give up and resign yourself to the fate of whatever destruction the entity will bring about? Is this an allegory for the human need for purpose? We do something for the sake of purpose but in the end one can't take that career or lack thereof with one to the coffin, So we do the "life purpose" search-secure-endure thing as a way to cope with being alive. 

See what I mean? One can't help waxing philosophical when reading this account.

Master Prosper is a master of hogwash philosophy talking about "art is the greatest force for good". Yawn. It's money, money is the ultimate source for good but it's been historically in the wrong hands. The few hands, the global 20% hands. So the avenging exorcist  (our protagonist) is right in most accounts - Master Prosper is 40% bull... but it's the other 60% that is dangerous and what that 60% wants to achieve with the heir to the newly born heir to the throne.


What's interesting about Parker's work is that he created a world so close to ours he doesn't even need to mention that this story takes place in the same universe as Pulling The Wings of Angels. 

Something evil this way comes.