The classics, Dear Reader! They possess a foundational cultural force, are the prism through which we can understand much about a society at a certain point in time, and are often inextricably linked with imperial values (you can find more about this last point in Frank Kermode's book, The Classic, as David Damrosch points out... Continue Reading →
Previous || Next When I read the first volume of Thompson and Casagrande's Black Widow run last week, I was taken with the masterful way in which the Black Widow is imbued with brand new purpose. This second volume builds on the solid foundation set up in Ties That Bind by seeing Nat and Yelena... Continue Reading →
Previous || Next Last time, I spoke about the Dictator's capacity to inject emotional tension by unravelling other characters in horrific ways, either by mistake or by design. Giving the Dictator the stage in-between action sequences is even more rewarding than having them in the thick of it, bending allies to their will rather than... Continue Reading →
There's something delectably fun about a villain that's perfectly defined by their name, especially when that name is a monosyllabic nouns like "Pride" or "Sin" or "Ruin". Everything's on the label - you can be comfortable in your expectations as to the goals they'll pursue but how they get there is anybody's guess! It's also... Continue Reading →
I was thinking about what blog posts to write this week and one question wouldn't leave me alone: Why do I like dark fantasy so much? There's no one single answer to this but the title of this post is one possible response. Dark fantasy, good dark fantasy, with its surfeit of tragedy, brings catharsis... Continue Reading →
Hullo, everyone, welcome, welcome to a slow, chill Monday post. It's nice and short and groovy, and it's about an Alix E. Harrow short story I listened to yesterday on Audible. It's part of Audible Plus's catalogue, and a breeze in the air at some forty-four minutes of listening time. Like everything else Harrow has... Continue Reading →
Another weekend is close to an end and so it's time to once more look to the future! Before your regularly scheduled Sunday Star Wars posts make their long-awaited return, let me inspire you to read more by talking about a few of those THICC fantasy series I hope to get through in the coming... Continue Reading →
Black Widow comics don't often click with me. I've tried a few of her short-lived ongoing series and none appealed until this one. Written by Kelly Thompson and illustrated by Elena Casagrande, this is a story of Natasha Romanoff as I hadn't seen her before, vulnerable and lost to herself but also happy. The first... Continue Reading →
An update like this has been overdue, I think - and as I find it easier to write down my thoughts here rather than on Goodreads, here goes! David Copperfield by Charles Dickens This bulky boy is a challenging read, to be sure, but no less gripping. I've read some Charles Dickens before - Bleak... Continue Reading →
Short story anthologies are a difficult sell right now, especially ones based on existing properties. It's no surprise Josh Erikson describes Short Changed: Stories from Ethereal Earth as a passion project, one he doesn't expect will be widely read or reviewed. He is likely right; all the more shame, really, as the stories within this... Continue Reading →
The Grimoire Reliquary 