The notion of Victorian bourgeois society as sexually repressed weighs heavy on the general understanding modern society has of that by-gone time. Michel Foucault, in his History of Sexuality, seeks to dispell this unimaginative notion. Rather, he envisions the very notion of sexuality as a bourgeois invention, meant to negotiate between "power and knowledge," between... Continue Reading →
Saturday Star Wars: Chaos Rising (Thrawn Ascendancy #1) by Timothy Zahn — Book Review and Lingering Questions
Hullo everyone, and welcome back to Saturday Star Wars! It has been a while, hasn't it? Rest assured, I'm riding high on a Star Wars wave which'll keep me pumping out regular editions of this column for a few weeks, at least! Today, I'll share with you an excerpt of my Chaos Rising review, which... Continue Reading →
The Little Sister by Raymond Chandler – Book Review
This is my penultimate Philip Marlowe novel and I am so happy with it, you guys. The Little Sister is as self-reflective, exhausted and close to broken that I've seen Raymond Chandler's PI get. He's not having an easy time with what promised to be a simple enough missing person case, full of deceptive femme... Continue Reading →
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller—Book Review
I finished Joseph Heller's Catch-22 many months ago -- I've kept pushing the review further and further off because this is one of the classics, it's loved by many, disliked by some, downright hated by a chosen few. I find myself decidedly in the camp of the first, as this novel illustrated the absurdism of... Continue Reading →
The Faith Machine by Tone Milazzo — Book Review (Storytellers On Tour)
The Faith Machine is one of the strangest, most bizarre books I've read in recent memory, and no less fun for it. With spies, psychic abilities, tons of action and betrayal, Milazzo's novel channels Cold War thrillers mixed with almost Marvel-scale superpowers in a juggling act that was consistently entertaining throughout! Where shall I begin?... Continue Reading →
Catalyst by Tracy Richardson – Book Review (Ultimate Blog Tour)
DNF'd at 45%. Catalyst is one of those rare books that I just couldn't continue on with -- I found very little that worked for me in this piece of paranormal disaster fiction. The prose is servicable -- neither complex nor beautiful, it does provide crisp, clear description of what is going on, of who... Continue Reading →
The World Maker Parable by Luke Tarzian – Book Review
Self-Published Genre: FantasyPages: 140Format: ebook This is an interesting short novel, whose strengths include worldbuilding, an all-encompassing sense of mystery and intrigue, plenty of misdirection and a hell of a clincher. But first, lend me your ear. It's okay, come 'ere, come a wee bit closer. I've a secret to tell you -- the only... Continue Reading →
The Girl and the Stars by Mark Lawrence – Book Review
Release Date: 21 April 2020Published by: ACEGenre: Fucked if I know. Fantasy, sci-fi elements.Pages: 369Format: HardbackReview Copy: Courtesy of the author. The Girl and the Stars is a spectacular opening act to what promises to be one of the finest trilogies of this new decade*. So many of my fellow bloggers have spoken to the... Continue Reading →
I, Exile by David M. Samuels – Book Review
This book review was originally published over at booknest.eu. Self-PublishedGenre: Fantasy, Low FantasyPages: 220Format: Kindle e-bookCopy: Courtesy by the author through r/fantasy’s TBRindr list in return for an honest review; The opportunity of coming across a gemstone of a book is why I am happy to read the works of indie fantasy authors whose titles... Continue Reading →
Ecstasy and Terror by Daniel Mendelsohn – Book Review
I don't remember how I came across Ecstasy and Terror but I knew when I read its blurb that I would love it. Having read every one of the essays in this collection, I've found myself not only loving it but hungry for more of Mendelsohn's writing. This anthology by Mendelsohn(who is Editor at Large... Continue Reading →