Tag: Doreen

Bad Machinery Vol I: The Case Of The Team Spirit by John Allison

For Christmas, Jay bought me a physical copy of Bad Machinery’s first two volumes and ZOMG, I didn’t even know how much I wanted these till I had them! Oni Press has done an amazing job of translating the web comic to an oversized, glossy paperback that is luxe to the touch and weighty in …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2014/12/26/bad-machinery-vol-i-the-case-of-the-team-spirit-by-john-allison/

Dark Prayer by Natasha Mostert

So few books deserve the title “literary mystery.” Often, that phrase is given to books where ponderous writing and a quasi-mystical theme are draped over a poorly constructed plot, as if the fact that the book itself is so unenjoyable is some testament to how smart the reader must be to not only finish but …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2014/12/24/dark-prayer-by-natasha-mostert/

Horseman (The Hollow #1) by Christopher Golden and Ford Lytle Gilmore

Interesting take on the Sleepy Hollow/Headless Horseman mythology that was undermined by serious plot holes and obvious plot devices. The book is written in a very cinematic manner, and clearly serves as the lead-in to a series, but I spent way too much time being annoyed with Aimee and then with the writers for so …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2014/12/20/horseman-the-hollow-1-by-christopher-golden-and-ford-lytle-gilmore/

Carpe Demon (Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom #1) by Julie Kenner

The twists are quite clever, and the main character really is, as promised, like an alternate universe Buffy if she’d retired to the suburbs. A somewhat slight book, but not an unintelligent piece of escapist fiction.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2014/12/13/carpe-demon-demon-hunting-soccer-mom-1-by-julie-kenner/

Game Changer by Mihir Bose

Mihir Bose is a terrific investigator, resourceful, thorough and intrepid. The amount of work he’s put into uncovering the facts and organizing the data is just astonishing. I only wish his writing skills were up to that standard. Beyond even the silly mistakes that appear more a result of slapdash composition than anything else, the …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2014/12/11/game-changer-by-mihir-bose/

Skin Deep (Simeon Grist #3) by Timothy Hallinan

Was actually pleasantly surprised by this! Picked it up for free way back when I started using the Kindle app and never got around to reading it, so didn’t really expect much when I cracked it open. The beginning didn’t really do anything to dispel doubt (especially since this book was written as the first …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2014/11/30/skin-deep-simeon-grist-3-by-timothy-hallinan/

King Rat by China Miéville

Having read Perdido Street Station first, I’m fascinated to see how some of the themes are present here in nascent form. PSS is by far the superior book, but King Rat is a worthwhile entry to the urban fantasy oeuvre: grimy and bold and honest, if mean. It’s also a great take on the Pied …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2014/11/27/king-rat-by-china-mieville/

Véra by Stacy Schiff

Thank God that’s over. I’ve realized that I come from the school of thought that would much rather let an artist’s work speak for itself. Particularly when I admire a product, such as the exquisite Lolita, I find that looking into the way it was made rarely serves to make me appreciate it more. Such …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2014/11/26/vera-by-stacy-schiff/

Aphrodite The Beauty (Goddess Girls Book 3) by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

Quick, cute read that is a tween-friendly adaptation of Greek mythology. Had I encountered these books at that age, I would have much preferred them to the pettiness of the actual myths. Not for purists, obviously, but not a terrible way to introduce children to the Greek myths either.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2014/11/09/aphrodite-the-beauty-goddess-girls-book-3-by-joan-holub-and-suzanne-williams/

The Penguin Book Of Ghost Stories edited by J. A. Cuddon

Wow, I remembered so very little this re-read from the last (which was, granted, nigh on two decades ago.) The two stories that did stir memories, though faint, are likely the ones I will continue to remember, Ann Bridge’s “The Buick Saloon” and Marghanita Laski’s “The Tower”, both for the unflinching cruelty done to the …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2014/11/09/the-penguin-book-of-ghost-stories-edited-by-j-a-cuddon/