Marth Muffins
Saga, Volume 2 - 2/5
See my review for Saga, Volume 1, my opinion has not changed on the series (yet).
Two things to add. Firstly, can we stop using the sexually abused child as little more than motivation for the 'edgy killer bounty hunter man' please Brian (pretty convenient she can just so happen sense the rings Marko's got with him too)? Secondly, the cute seal person was very cute and is up there with Lying Cat as the only two people in Saga's universe that I care about.
I would stop reading but I've already gotten up to volume 5 out of the library so I'm going to keep going. You never know, I might end up enjoying it.
Saga, Volume 1 - 2.5/5
Reminded me a lot of J.M. DeMatteis' Moonshadow in terms of world (space fairy tale universe at war with vaguely defined anti-consumerism/late-stage capitalism message), brilliant art and a ‘coming-of-age' storyline (becoming an adult in Moonshadow, being new parents in Saga).
However, despite loving Moonshadow a whole lot when I read it back in 2020, Saga is not drawing me in nearly as much. Brian K. Vaughan's writing annoys the shite out of me, trying to write what he thinks sounds like ‘cool' or ‘kickass' dialogue that almost always makes me cringe. It reminded me a lot of the game ‘Life is Strange' where a bunch of middle-aged male Québécois developers tried to write Washington State teenage girls and, in my view, failed wildly (although, to be fair, I've never been to the USA, never mind the Pacific Northwest). Now, Moonshadow was overwritten, with long paragraphs written in a pseudo-Romantic style, although that made a lot of sense as the main character had grown up reading only those sorts of books.
Additionally, the tone switches at a whiplash pace, going from comedic levity to child brothels at the drop of a coin. Now, I believe that a story should have more than one tone to carry it through but the sudden shifts from one extreme to the other disorientate me far more than anything else. You could argue that that life is like that, disorientating, but it makes a difficult read personally.
Now, my issues with the writing do not take away from Fiona Staples fantastic artwork and they deserve every award they've gotten for it. Her character designs are memorable, sticking in your mind (spider-lady being a horrific example). Her art is a 5 star deal.
Saga's story is fine, sci-fantasy Romeo and Juliet don't kill themselves and have a wean but are pursued by their families to kill them and take their baby. It's a good set up to branch off from and I am interested in seeing what happens next so I'll be getting the next volume out of the library and hey, made the writing will grow on me.
Overall, a beautiful comic with incredibly irritating writing. I'll definitely check out the second volume though to see where it goes however.
Edit: Lying Cat is great though.
When William Came - 2/5
London, unner the jackboot've the Second Reich, is explared be ah returned English son, Murrey Yeovil, whoase disgusted be wit he finds. All the while his wife, Cicely, plots tae ingratiate hersel wae the inner circle've the ‘Teuton conquering race' and rebuild England fae the inside.
‘When William Came' is a veery funny beuk, baeth intentionally n noe. H. H. Munro, gaein be his pen-name Saki, mixes his witty ‘comedy of manners' (or maybe wae the sci-fi unnerpinnings a proto-Mannerpunk novel) wae his raether... interestin ideas oan race n wit does n doesnae coont is colonialism. Course, the beuk wis written in 1913 sae its no unexpectit thit its positions seemed ootdated tae me in current year bit it wis funny, in ah ‘tis doesnae affect me sae ah kin laugh aboot it' sorta wae.
Wan serious problem wae tis novel is thit Saki neever seems tae ken where he's gaein wae it, weavin scenes the gither thit, weel booncin awf wan another weel, nuffin really progresses in. Yeah kin tell Saki mainly wrote shart stories is he seems mair it hame wae the vignettes where he shows life unner German rule, n wan hilarious wan set in India with British colonisers lamentin the faw've the hameland.
O'eraw, interestin tae see wit wis gaein awn in the mind've folken jest afore the ootbreak've WW1 n hoo the attitudes've the time informed em bit still doesnae resolve the faults've the story structure itself, or the colonial n racist attitudes of the author, nae matter when it wis written.
Read is part've the ‘England Invaded' collection edited be Michael Moorcock.
October: The Story of the Russian Revolution - 3.5/5
A dense, well written account of Russia's February and October 1917 Revolutions, alongside a narrative of how the first transformed into the second. Mieville is obviously very passionate about the subject (as the fact that he took the time to write a book about it can attest) and he makes clear his biases right at the beginning. He is a Marxist and he does not try to disguise the fact that he is very sympathetic towards the various Socialist and Communist parties that play a part in the events.
However, broadly, he still tells the story of both Revolutions as fairly as he can, focusing in on the failings of each government that ultimately resulted in the Revolutions which threw them out, and the Civil War brewing against the new Socialist order as October closes. Initially we follow the Tsar's administration as it swept away by under the weight of public anger, replaced by the bickering between, and within, both the Provisional Government and Petrograd Soviet.
Some of the most interesting material covered though comes when the narrative leaves the streets of the Petrograd and gives brief looks in at what is happening in the rest of Russia. Learning a little about the All-Russian Muslim Women's Congress in Kazan, the political struggles under the shadows of oil derricks in Baku or the steady radicalisation of the Latvian Soviet in Riga brought home that this Revolution was not solely a Petrograd one but encompassed the entirety of Russia's Empire.
Overall, an engaging, well told history of the Russian Revolutions, clearly written with care and, whilst it is partisan in places, it doesn't fall fully into a Bolshevik apologist piece. Worth a read if you're interested in a critical moment in not only Russian but world history.
England Invaded - 3/5
‘England Invaded' is n interstin anthologie've ‘future shocks' writtin pre-WW1 (mainly takin fae the 1910s in tis case) collected be seminal English fantasy author Michael Moorcock. The bulk've tis beuk is made up've the novel ‘When William Came' be H. H. Munro, beeter kent is ‘Saki' which I've reviewed separately.
‘The Use of Advertisement: An Aeroplane Adventure' be Tristam Crutchley fae 1909
Ah fun wee storie thit predictin the comin dominance've aircraft durin the later 20th centurie as weel is sum quarters dislik earlie oun've air power in warfare.
‘When the New Zealander Comes' be Professor Blyde Muddersnook (brilliant name be the wae) fae 1911
Ah tale coverin the fear've British decline thit pervaded the late 19th tae early 20th century, a troupe've New Zealand archeologists come tae investigate the ruins've of desolate London, occupied be ah tribe cawed the Cockneys.
Sum nice imagery've ah watery St Pauls bit aside fae thit nae aw tae engain, guid showcase've colonial anxiety thae.
‘The Monster of Lake LaMetrie' be Wardon Allan Curtis fae 1899
Ah strange wan. Twa scientists thit believe in the hollow-earth theory explore Lake LaMetrie fir proof, comin across a creature fae the distant past thit seems mair intelligent thin furst assumed...
Deals a lot wae racial ideas've ‘savagery' thit folken it the time were richt intae, specially affer wan've the scientists brain's are transplanted intae the creature's bodie.
Another interestin historical piece thit's mair thin ah wee bitty dodgy noo a days, as maist in tis collection are. Wurth ah read jest tae see where the strangeness ends up thae.
‘The Abduction of Alexandra Seine: A Tale of the Twentieth Century' be Fred C. Smale fae 1900
Awricht we tale aboot twa men tryin tae rescue their daughter n girlfriend respectively. Predicts ability tae travel lang distances in ainly ah couple hoors alangside the ability tae talk lang distance instantly wae voice n video. Nae all tae engagin thae.
‘Is the End of the World Near?' be John Munro fae 1899
N article aboot hoo the end've the wurld is near due tae overpopulation and excessive fuel uase drainin aw the air fae the atmosphere. The arguments seem michtae absurd noo bit sum still inform frighteningly awn oor very real struggle against human-made climate change n resource scarcity.
‘When William Came' be H.H. Munro (‘Saki') fae 1913
Reviewed separately.
O'eraw, n interestin delve intae the hopes n fears've of Brits it the height've Empire, be it predictions've of planes, mass communication, the collapse, bith racial n societal, of the nation or the fears of resource loss, it wis wurth ah read tae see wit the Brits've generations past thought the future'd be lik.
Lady with Lapdog and others stories - 4/5
An array of stories centred around the futile, but still hopeful, existence of many fully realised characters, developed so clearly by Chekhov in the short time available in the tales themselves. Ward 6 was a particular favourite.
One flaw I did find which may be related to this specific collection, is that many of the stories focused on roughly the same sort of character, namely a lower-to-mid middle class doctor with relationship issues concerning the women in his life, i.e. Chekhov himself. Again, this many have been a flaw with this specific collection, it choosing to focus in on those stories, than to indicate anything of the rest of Chekhov's work.
Overall, wonderfully, detailed character portraits that mix both a common despair and a common hope.
The End of All Songs - 4/5
An excellent conclusion to Moorcock's masterful Dancers trilogy that stretches itself from the alien shores of the Lower Devonian to the familiar haunts of the end of time. This finale is far less focused on comedy as the previous two volumes, though there is still plenty present, instead centring itself upon the romantic entanglements and internal lives of our two protagonists, Jherek Carnelian and Mrs Amelia Underwood.
This is where the book shines, with these two characters whose struggles, whilst at times a hint too melodramatic for my tastes, are at all times consistent in their drama. Neither individual's moral beliefs change with the snap of a finger as the plot demands. Amelia (the real lead of this book) remains, despite her wild adventures, a late Victorian housewife who can see intellectually that her ideals do not fit her new surroundings but cannot truly divest herself of them entirely. Additionally, Jherek still holds himself as the ever bemused innocent from time's end but he struggles emotionally when he sees the emotional turmoil of his beloved, finally understanding a little of Victorian morals.
Additionally, Moorcock takes the time, with this last novel being almost the same length as the previous two stories combined, to explore more of the philosophical implications of his setting. For example, the end of time's inhabitants seeming lack of moral strictures leads to Amelia's distress, fearing that she will lose her own Victorian morality now that she is stuck with them for what promises to be eternity. This is much to the confusion of Jherek, who does not understand why this should trouble her so deeply.
The ending however feels a little too... clean for me with both Jherek and Amelia travelling through time to the start of a new cycle of the universe where both their nature's can play out more openly. Additionally, the gene pool of just the two of them is not anywhere close to wide enough for the development of a new human race, infertility through incest seems like its going to be inevitable. It feels like a copout, resolving the emotional conflicts of both Amelia and Jherek from an outside source, although this resolution is set up with hints earlier on in the story.
However, the character's stories are still there and stand out as Moorcock's best work in that department (from the work of his I've read at least) and the comedy, whilst tempered down a little, still rings true most of the time, getting a couple of good laughs from me.
Overall, a solid 4 out of 5, reduced one point for the convenient ending and the sometimes overdone melodrama present in some scenes.
The House on the Borderland - 3.5/5
‘The House on the Borderland' is an Edwardian weird fantasy novella that very much acts as a bridge between earlier and later scribblers, combining Lord Dunsany fantasy works with the gothic stories popular in the Victorian period into something more closely resembling Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith.
This is most evident in with the incredible scenes where our protagonist falls through space/time and discovers an alien landscape dominated by statues of human gods and containing a house that resembles, but not quite, the house he had just left behind, sickly jade replacing the plain stone. The whole thing reeks of a cosmic horror, that an alien unknown hides just out of view to drive people mad.
However, the story falls down for me in the middle portion, between cosmic journeys, when the protagonist has to deal with a siege of the entity's pig-men servants. It feels a little silly and unnecessary although it is kind of fun at the same time but still it detracts from the tone of cosmic dread slightly.
Also the story is, predictably for the time, fairly sexist towards women and is not exactly favourable towards the Irish (the action on Earth takes place in the west of Ireland), treating both condescendingly.
However, it is still a quality story of horror on a cosmic scale that is key in tracking the development of cosmic and gothic horror as a whole.
Listened to as an audiobook.
The City & The City - 3.5/5
Cities creep intae our minds in ways we don't expect; concrete reflects back meaning unique to each individual. Our psyches infect cities, making them into their own little world, leaving the physical reality whilst forging a mental one; the City and the City.
But, sometimes, those two worlds don't stay separate, they Breach into each other and we show our city to the world, what we think of each building and street, divorced from their physical reality. But do we really want to see one another's ideas of the world? Or would it be easier to lock them away inside, hide them and show only the physical city, so as not disturb those other realities hiding all around us?
And that is the real strength of this beuk, its ability to create a city of the mind for its main character, Tyador Borlú. We watch him in Beszel, in ‘his' city, as it falls apart whilst in that very same street, but an entire country away, invisible Ul Qoman towers reach for the sky. All the while he works his job as a detective for the Beszel Extreme Crime Squad, following the trail of a murder only to find evidence of a centre of control, a city within the cities, Orciny.
In the end, the controlling force of Orciny is revealed to be a lie, a lie exploited by companies and governments to exploit the gullible and the paranoid for their own profit; the Deep State a creation of The State.
However, where the story really falls down for me is in the characters themselves. Borlu and his colleagues never really felt more than their stock character traits, Borlu himself as the hardboiled film noir detective, Corwi the young ambitious partner and Dhatt the any means but with a good heart partner. They never really developed past that point and it feels like a missed opportunity, leaving them as little more than half-formed clichés.
The story itself is fun, a murder mystery with plenty of twists and turns to keep the pace up, tying the city and the city together in a maze of plotting.
The writing itself is exceptional, it flows and forms the themes and world in such a way to capture both the noir atmosphere and the psychogeography of the cities. When Borlu looks out over a park or down a street you can feel the two worlds jostling for space whilst simultaneously, and desperately, trying to ignore one another.
Overall, read for the cities, not for their inhabitants.
Red Screen - 2/5
Strangeness surroonds the mirder've ah womin n the Polis micht jest stumble acroass sumhing thit's even mair disturbin...
Ah veiry shart storie fae Stephen King thit is perfectly fine. Naewhere near the best've King's tales bit ah perfectly serviceable time wae nuffin specially memorable happenin.
Wan major critisism is hoe King handles referencin the real wurld. It feels mair oot've place thin it daes in yer usual King storie, lik there wis a blank space thit later git filt wae ah relevant event. Jest felt dodgy done.
O'eraw, fine. Money dis gae tae support ah guid cause thae in the American Civil Liberties Union.
The Dark Domain - 4/5
Ah bangin collection've weird-horror shart stories fae early 20th century Poland. Grabinski's fears've the new technologies thit were springin up aroond him echoes throoghout everie storie wae train tracks windin their way in an oot've almaist everie tale.
The best stories've the collection r thaise thit plaie intae wit Grabinski cawed ‘psychofantasy', delving deep intae Grabinski's ideas've if the mind n its powers, wae many've Freud's ‘theories' on psychology wurkin theresels in there.
Fae the mind's constructions bleedin oot intae the physical wurld in ‘The Area' tae twa conflictin ideas've time warpin wan another in ‘Saturnin Sektor' the weirdness've Grabinski's tales are baith refreshin n frightenin. If yer lookin fir weird tales thit bring tae the surface fears foond in the dark domain've yer ain mind then gee tis beuk ah read.
Interesting Times - 3.5/5
Ah fairly guid Discworld tale fae Sir Terry. Rincewind maks his return affer ah lang absence (since Eric if ahm mindin richt) tae head awf fir n orientalist adventure in nae-China, joined be Ghenghiz Cohen n ah number've local rebels.
Fairly funny yin, thae it relied ah little awn the weirdness given be orientalism fir a number've the jokes. Still, ah lik Rincewind ah fair bitty n seein him awn the run aroond wis fairly guid fun.
O'eraw, ah fine wee Discworld adventure, if nae one've Sir Terry's best.
Listened tae on audiobook. Ah love Nigel Planer.
What I Did - 4/5
Ah super collection've 3 comics fae Norwegian creator Jason.
Hey, Wait - 4.5/5
Ah heartbrecking storie aw aboot loss n wit it can dae tae a life. Nae aw doom n gloom though. Weel wurth ah read.
Shhhhh! - 4/5
Ah sweet, if melancholy, collection've sharts aboot ah birdman's life n times as he finds love, family, death n life again aw waeoot ah wurd. Wonderful use've pictures tae tell ah tale.
The Iron Wagon - 3.8/5
The maist wurdy've the collection due tae bein an adaptation've wan've the original Scandi crime novels. Ah fun, if predictable (ah assume tis wis wan of the original tae dae the twist tha the protagonist is actually tha murdarar), murdar mysterie. Despite guessin wit wis gonny happen early on it wis still a fun read fir sure. Beautiful colour wurk wae the reds added intae the usual black n white artwurk.
O'eraw - 4/5
Ah wunnerfae collection've stories thit are sad, bit nae nihilistic, n showcase thit pictures dae ah beeter job've tellin a storie than wurds kin dae alone.
Children of Albion Rovers - 3/5
Classic Scottish anthology've novellas fae the nation's up-in-coming scribblers've the 90s.
Pop Life - Gordon Legge - 2/5
Ah fine storie fae Gordon Legge ae aboot the lives've 3 vinyl junkies tryin tae reconnect affer sae lang apart. Serves is, sumwit predictable, purpose, if nae veery memorable in is execution.
After the Vision - Alan Warner - 4/5
Probably ma second favourite've the collection, ah drunken, drug-fuelled ramble across Glasgae wae plenty've starnge feuks aroond. Really enjoyed the ‘haziness've it', wae aw the different people dippin in an oot've the storie it aw times an the weird shite they git up tae while they're there. Does sorta feel lik an exerpt fae ah larger piece though.
The Brown Pint of Courage - James Meek - 3/5
Ah fine tale, wis weird bit didnae have the same sorta dream lik quality've Alan Warner's storie previous. Gleeful authoritarian traffic wardens piss aff feuk and tak bribes aw while dealing wae their sexual predator commandant boss and relationship issues. A lik'd it bit it didnae feully hit the strangeness spot fir me.
Submission - Paul Reekie - 1/5
Really didnae lik tis wan. A rambly leuk intae sumwans letters tae a freind. It desnae gae onny were n mainly gaes aff intae talking aboot sum random poet r philosopher (which maks sense considering is a rambly letter bit it diesnae wurk in the storie). The wan bitty ah found interestin is the in storie shart in tha middle aboot the boy it school written be the protagonist's freind, aside fae tha, nuffin.
The Dilating Pupil Laura Hird - 4/5
Best storie aw the collection. Ah self-loathing bastard've a teacher tries tae get it awf wae wan av his receptive pupils n fails spectacularly. The shitey nature've iv the main character n (wit ah saw) the tricksy natur've the pupil gave the storie an interestin ‘edge' tha the other stories were aw trying tae achieve. Sadly funny is weel.
The Rosewell Incident Irvine Welsh - 3.5/5
Funny storie fae Welsh've ah the local young team bein abducted be aliens afore they sendem tae rule the wurld. Is ah great premise, if strecht a little be the end, feu've great jokes. Bit padded tae wae sum no sae connected stories playing oot alangside the alien stuff. Those wir funny tae mind, jest wish they'd tied mair thegither it the end.
Report O'eraw
O'eraw, a fine wee collection've novellas thit reek've Scotland in the 90s. Wurth ah read if yeh come acrossem or are interested in Scottish counterculture writing fae the time.
The Hollow Lands - 3.5/5
(Read as part ah The Dancers at the End of Time series collection)
Ah wonderfully fun romp through time filled wae comedy, commentary n calamity as Jherek messes aboot at the end of time afore gaeing leuking fir Mrs Amelia Underwood in the late 19th century.
Funny n sumwhit heartfelt it dis sorta run a wee bitty thin despite is shart length, especially as is very similar tae beuk wan. There are a few tae monny coincidences fir ma taste is weel, though considering the nature of the story as an absurd comedy it kin get mair've a pass fae me.
O'eraw, a guid time. Cannae wait tae sink mma teeth intae the last wan!
A Dead Djinn in Cairo - 3.5/5
Ah real fun wee short describin ah supernatural murdar mysterie in ah Cairo thit his ended up the centre've the wurld affer magic enters it anew, throwin the hawns've British aff it and bringin new inventions fae the new non-human incomers.
A fun mysterie if ruint ah bitty fir me wae the whole end oh the wurld shenanigans it finished wae that engaged me throughoot n described a real engagin alternate historie, wan that is nae sae awften seen in English scribbled fantasy.
Hooever, Ah felt there wisnae really enough tim tae develop the mysterie, the wurld n the characters wae the page-coont given in such ah shart wurk which brought it doon a wee bitty fir me. Ahsae, it didn't really feel lik the year it wis set, 1912. Noo ah ken thit magic his come intae the wurld bit it seems lik sum social attitudes are decidedly mair... modern in their presentation. That knocked the storie ah bitty fir me personally.
Apart fae that a storie well wurth a read an am excited tae see wit Clark kin dae wae a larger page count in the same wurld wae theirThe Hauting of Tram Car 015 novella.
Frankenstein - 3.5/5
Ah bitty angst-ridden fir me wae a loada shakin fists in tha air n cursin lif fir is cruelty. Awsae hid problems wae the wa tings jest sorta happened kis the plot needed em tae (see aw the stuff in Ireland and how the monster awwaes kenned wir Victor wis maist've the time). These hings come wae the Gothic and Romantic territory hooever.
Ah cannae dispute is influence awn literature as a whole though, it being wan've the first feully recognisable Sci-Fi beuks and ah noteable wurk in baeth Gothic n Romantic (tha movement n no the ‘genre') literature tae.
Despite is agnsty nature it wis well wurth tha read, jest tae see where sae much've modern writin his come fae.