Marth Muffins
Stone Hunger - 3/5Available hereGuid wee short tale fae [a: N. K. Jemisin 2917917 N.K. Jemisin https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1438215930p2/2917917.jpg]'s Broken Earth trilogy. Wee girl leuks tae survive in the post Cataclysm while on the hunt fir ah ah man smellin ah vinegar.Storie gets tae is point fast n deals well wae the wurld n themes (mainly've revenge, reconnection n forgiveness) it sets up (latter tae be explored n the [b: Fifth Season 19161852 The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth, #1) N.K. Jemisin https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386803701l/19161852.SY75.jpg 26115977] n is sequels). Jemisin's writing, while nae as polished is in later wurks, is still banging n is effective at gettin across emotional weight even n a short amoont've time.Oer'aw, a wurthwhile wee storie if yer a fan of Jemisin n their Broken Earth series.
Shade the Changing Man, Volume 3: Scream Time - 4/5
Yit another step up fae the previous volume, Scream Time raps up tha storyline wae the ‘American Scream' as Shade gaes toe tae toe wae it in a western gun battle. Alangside tis, Kathy is aff tryin tae deal wae her alcoholism, supported be Lenny, n uncoverers sum mair issues inside hersel. Stirts n ends wae twa wan-awf issues tae boot.
Fir tis volume Milligan cuts doon awn the unneeded alliteration, adjectives and sae forth and settles intae a much mair readable leid. Chris Bachalo's art his alsae improved a fair number since issue #1, become mair defined and expressive, Bryan Talbot's art fir the furst issue in tis collection wis ah bit rough though wae sum weird leukin (even fir tis beuk) faces and wooden positonin.
The characters continua tae engage, wae Kathy's struggles especially really hookin me, alangside Shade's shite treatment awf her, even if maist a've tha is in his subconscious.
Tha volume alsa wrapped up weel, considerin tis is the last collection avaliable've Shade, whilst still elavaetin plenty fir the future stories tae jump awf av fae, jest hopin tha DC gits thegither n finally collects the rest've tis series or else all hiv tae resort tae mair... illegal means tae read the rest've it.
O'eraw, Milligan n Bachalo r really beginin tae hit their stride wae tis volume n it leuks lik ah guid run awaits, if they ever decide tae collect it.
Shade the Changing Man, Volume 2: Edge of Vision - 3.5/5
Better than tha previous volume Peter Milligan gits intae the inner mind (literally) in tis collection. Continuin tae deal wae the ‘American Scream's' effects across America, Shade alsae his tae fight his ain bodies past.
Milligan continues tae hiv n impressive imagination, usasin his tools tae explore topics other tales wid need tae dae mair metaphorically. He kin get richt intae the minds've the American folken tae see how he thinks they tick.
Hooever, he continues (lik Jamie Delano's Hellblazer) tae uase actual metaphors real dodgly, wae lang, run-on sentences, filled wae a hale laid've unneeded adjectives n other descriptors. Whilst its nae as bad as Hellblazer, its still naticable n brings the beuk doon fir me.
O'eraw, characters continue tae engage (Lenny, introduced tis volume, leuks like their gonny be a stand oot), stories dae a great job aw've utilising their ability tae literalise metaphors, but the actual metaphors are tae o'erwritten wae adjectives n suchlike tae be effective.
Thistlebone - 3.5Ah solid fowk horror comic fae scribbler [a: T.C. Eglington 10786061 T.C. Eglington https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] an artist Simon Davis in the pages ave 2000AD. The storie follows Avril an Seema as they investigate the cult tha traumatised Avril as ah wean. Tis graws mair n mair sinister as the comic gaes on as Thistlebone's plans come the gether. Wit really sells tis beuk is the art be Davis. He his a sorta dreamlik style, wae fowk no exactly leukin ‘real', wurking wae the storie as wit's gaeing on aroond Avril seems tae become less n less ‘real'. It's watercolour (dinnae ken if it wis painted or no) leuk is beautifu an well wurth a keek at least.As fir the storie is a breath-ah-fresh air fae usual 2000AD, whilst I lik a bita Dredd or Anderson kicking arse and committin questionable acts is guid tae hiv ah different, slower paced n less action focused series. However, if yer familiar wae horror focusin on pagan cults n deities yeh'll maistly hiv ah fair clue is tae were the storie is headin which knocked the beuk doon fir me a wee bit. Still a fun read thae, wae sum guid ‘creep' factor at play (helped alang further be the art).Oeraw, great art fae Davis, guid, if predictable, storie fae Eglington. Recommended if yer wantin a fix ah pagan fowk horror wae sum bangin art. Read in tha original progs (2135 - 2144)
The Ballad of Halo Jones Book Three - 4.5/5The best a've the tree beuks a've Halo Jones be scribbler [a: Alan Moore 3961 Alan Moore https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1304944713p2/3961.jpg] and artist Ian Gibson. Halo, findin hersel in a deid end and wae nuffin leeft gais awf tae join the armie. Wit coms aw it is ah tru ‘war is hell' storie. She's lef wae trama, mair deid freends n guilty fae sum unfirseen consequences fae revious tales.The art be Gibson is fine, cartoony when it shed, gritty when is needed. The colourin wurk dun be Barbara Nosenzo fir the 2018 rerelease is nae half bad tae, thoug yeh kin kinda tell it wisnae drawn wae colur in mind.Aw in aw, a great storie aboot wit war kin dae tae a soul.
The Pastel City - 4/5Reed is pirt ah've the [b: Viriconium 304217 Viriconium M. John Harrison https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347891771l/304217.SX50.jpg 295248] collectd edition fae Gollancz Fantasy MasterworksAh peak beuk ah've the Swurd-n-Soucrery style ah fantasy, The Pastel City be M. John Harrison (n especially is sequels) his hid a muckle influece oer fantasy n ayond. The storie itsel taks ah fair bitty fae the wurks ah've [a: Michael Moorcock 16939 Michael Moorcock https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1424079041p2/16939.jpg], ah manny wae ah biggen effect in fantasy himsel. Mournfu landscapes, tragic, desperan protagonists n eerie happenins littr the beuk n aw the bitter fir it. Hooether, Harrison exceeds Moorcock fir me in a nummer aw ways. He is a hantle bitter it prose thin m, creatin images thit hiv life tae em, unlik Moorcock's mair wurkminlik style (fae wit ah've read ennywae). Awsoe, Harrison his ah talent ive creatin interestin backgroond details thit'll no be leuked intae bit form ah gyre wurld in the backgroond, creatin a feel ah unrealniss fir the reader, unlik other fantasy which offen tries tae mak the universe feel is real is possible.Oer aw, am leukin forward tae read mair intae tis scribbler's wurk in the future, ah hear it gits een bitter, bit there's unly wan wae tae fin oot!
The Truce at Bakura - 2.5/5
Ah awright wee Star Wars adventure fae the noo Legends timeline. Space lizards r invadin the galaxy, n the Alliance and Empire r teamin up tae put ah stap tae em. Set jest awfter the Battle ah Endor in Ep VI, it suprisinly carries a few tings oer fae it; Luke's greetin oer his recent frying be the late Emperor and Leia's comin tae terms wae who her biological faether is, aw interestin (if no fully developed) stuff.
Sum fun action set-pieces roond oot the beuk and sum characters are unintentionally set up fir later appearances doon the line (namely Gariel n Thanas).
Sae awf the Rebels gae tae fight the Isard's and Thrawn's av the galaxy afore a greater invader comes fae ayond their galaxy entire...
Tehanu - 5/5
Wan ah the bestest beuks av ever read, Le Guin kin construct sic a tale as nae other author kin. The struggles ah Tenar, Therru and, tae sum extent, Ged are sae real n well done tha yah canne help gettin yersel invested.
Tis is a thoughtful beuk, nae action scenes r darin escapades just a wumin gaein aboot her lif.
I'd dae tis is a mair ‘mature' storie tae, not just in terms ah its characters but alsa the plot and themes themsels.
O'erall, wan ah the best beuks av read, Le Guin can write.
The Ballad of Halo Jones - 4/5Yin ah [a: Alan Moore 3961 Alan Moore https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1304944713p2/3961.jpg]'s first major original comic creations with art by [a: Ian Gibson 12755 Ian Gibson https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1568546132p2/12755.jpg], Halo Jones wis written is individual episodes in British comic 2000AD in the 1980s. Follwin the storie ah normal girl Halo Jones as she gaes on a shopping trip. Noo tis daesnae soond the maist interestin storie bit Moore and Gibson manage tae insert sae much character and world intae tis tale is absurd.Halo Jones, her freend Rodice in a robot dug call Toby gae oot fir ah shoppin trip and the depressin alienation and cripplin poverty of the Hoop wae ah kick in the teeth it the end. Halo gaes tae escape at the end.The art be Gibson is well done in brings detail tae the wurld.O'erall, the storie is well wurth ah read, especially if yer a fan ah Alan Moore.
The Bull and the Spear - 3/5
Ah fine wee swurd and sucery tale fae a master of ‘em. Corum, Prince of the Silver Hand, sets oot tae fight sum Celtic flavoured enemies in a land ah never endin winter. The Fhoi Myore, based an the Irish legends of the Fomóire, come tae spreed cald an deeth tae the lands a the Mabden sae as tae mak their land lik tha of the Limbo they came fae. Corum, summoned be the few remainin folken of tis dying wurld, does his best tae defeat'em.
Tis is ah fine adventure yarn, but his ah little stretched, despite is short page count. The threat ah the Fhoi Myore, whilst considerable, is no so much felt directly be Corum who mainly comes across their handywork in the form of the desalet wasteland his wanderins tak him through. He fights their minions sure but the presence ah the Fhoi Myore is only really felt in the wings during tis beuk.
The atmosphere of the storie is ah high point. The description of ah cald n lifeless land, frozen under the march ah the gods ah Limbo is a powerful yin. Yeh kin feel the freezin wind as Corum does. Corum does a fair bita agnsty introspection at the beginnin ah the storie as well, which ah alwaes lik.
Character-wise is pretty stock. Ah've nae read any oh the other Corum beuks n sae far he seems lik a stock honourable hero (though fae wit a've gleaned tis is different in the previous trilogy). Medhbh, Corum's love interest, is maistly unnerdeveloped n whilst hers and Corum's relationship taks slightly mair tim than Elric and Zarozinia's romance to appear it still feels oot a left field, specially since Corum was in mourning for maist ah the beginning ah've the novel.
O'eraw, the beuk is a fine adventure wae ah loada action and sum well crafted atmosphere.
The Island of Doctor Moreau - 4/5Ah Sci-Fi classic fae [a: H. G. Wells 880695 H.G. Wells https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1588944685p2/880695.jpg], it tells the storie of one mr Prendick and his trials on the island've Doctor Moreau. A banging wee adventure plot, backed up wae sum clever commentary aboot relgion, morality in he like It awso helps tha its scribbled in a Victorian style wae plenty aw stiff upper lip Britishness tae gae aroond. Ends a smidge abruptly fir me taste but aside fae tha it's well wurth the short read.
Crash - 3.5/5
Cryin tis as ah ‘hallucinatory novel' as the blur ah ma copie states is as accurate ah descriptor of tis beuk as probably exists. It wurks beest (As I've learnd tae me dismay) if you gae through it quick, unlik wit ah ended up daeing (as yeh kin see fae how lang I wis readin tis fir). It'll flow a fair bit beeter readin it aw close the gether n how a teuk it in probably hurt ma enjoyment ah the wurk o'erall.
Oonywae, tae the beuk itsel. The protagonsist (the author himsel it seems) becomes increasinly sexually fixated on car crashes n their victims affer bein personally involved in a deadly heid-on collision. He spirals further n further intae ah new world of technological sexuality, joining it followers in praise of it.
Tis is a beau of a novel, in yeh can see the author desendin doon his pathway tae becomin lik his ‘mentor' (fir lack oh a beeter word) Vaughn. The imagery of the growin technological world and how is changin thems living waein it is a sight worth the readin. However, aside fae ma own slapdash readin ah the beuk, I had me own problems.
Furst, the writin aw the sex itsel, whilst intentionally sorta clinical wae a hint of discust fae the scribbler wis a bitty hard tae get through, there is only some much semen spraying ontae dashboards ah kin tak. Secondly, homosexuality seemed to be treated as the ultimate ‘perversity' in the tale, which rubbed me the wrang wae somewit. Both a these points, alonwae ma slow readin ah the storie brought the wurk doon fir me personally.
O'erall - 3.5/5
Halo: The Fall of Reach - 3.5/5
Ah guid tie-in tae the Halo game series fae Bungie (noo 343 Studios), tis beuk covers the Master Chief's origins is a kidnapped wean indoctrinated by the UNSC tae keep humanity under their control, tha is until the Covenant turn up tae messem right up. The storie leads right up intae the beginnin ah Halo: Combat Evolved wae a battered Pillar of Autumn discoverin a mysterious ring-world...
If yah cannae tell fae ma short summary, tis beuk adds a bita sorely needed moral ambiguity intae the Halo universe, notsae much be makin the Covenant any less over-the-top evil bit be makin the UNSC (or at least their intelligence branch ONI) mair... morally flexible, abductin kids no tae fight the alien threat which they didnae ken initially, but tae fight seccessionists on human worlds.
The beuk is fun though, lotsa engaging fightin linked taegither wae characters that, whilst stock tropes, are well realised. O'erall, if yer intersted in the Halo universe fir the, weel, universe n storie, then yeh cannae go wrang pickin tis novel up.
Hellblazer: The Fear Machine - 3.5/5
An awright epic from Jamie Delano's run on Hellblazer. The storie tak John Constantine awa from his usual surroundis of built-up England after been acussed iv murder sae does a runner tae the wild coontryside to hide oot wae a buncha hippies and Pagan goodness ensues.
Delano cotinues tae o'erwrite almaist every enternal monologue wae uneeded similes, metaphors, alliteration, adjectives, adverbs and mair; a canny figure oot why either. Half ah them didnae even mak sense, try tis yin on fir size “Constructing crazed geometries of terror in which to grow implaccable shiny-eyed beast of death and derangement”. Wit? I unnerstan tha he's gittin hit wae a physic blast aw fear, bit the metaphors still hive tae be unnerstable. Sae long as he's no scribblin internal monologue hooever he's no half bad as a writer.
The storie itsel is pretty guid although it gits awfy... abstract it the end and leaves alot hangin tae be picked up later. Ah alsa didnae no if John's wanted fir murder anymair after then end aw the tale, it wis never made clear if that hid been dropped or naw.
The art be [a:Mark Buckingham], [a:Richard Piers Rayner] and [a:Alfredo Alcala] wisnae tha guid, although am feein a sorta attraction tae it from sum sorta nostalgia. The art be guest artist fir pirt four, [a:Mike Hoffman], wis beeter fir sure.
O'erall, a fine read, if tae much use aw the flowery language in waes tha didnae mak sense, wae sum dodgy art and a strange endin.
The Time Dweller - 3.5/5
Tis is a collection ah short stories be Michael Moorcock. Me favourites wir the furst tae, ‘The Time Dweller' n ‘Escape from Evening' alangside ‘The Pleasure Garden of Felipe Sagittarius' bit ah'll wir itleast interestin in a historical context.
The Time Dweller
The title storie is n interestin wan aboot the major character, Scar-Faced Brooder (sums up maist Moorcock protagonists tae be fair), leavin unwelcom hame tae leern aboot the wurld of a deeing Earth nae langer meant fir us humes. He gaes tae a toon n learns sumhing of the nature ah time. N interstin tale n the source ah the bangin cover art fir ma edition it his sum commentarie on how traditons kin be stupid n tim is a construct.
Escape From Evening
Set in the same wurld is ‘The Time Dweller' tis carreed on the thems aboot tim n hoo yeah cannae gae back r firwurd, only liv noo. Deals wae a phenominon tha is so prevalent, the idealised past. Guid read.
The Deep Fix
A manny taks a buggerloada sum hird drug n gaes on a vision quest tae solve mental health firever! Intersting deek ah the inner mindscape wae sum twists waein twists fir the reader tae uncover. The ‘science' behind is affy dodgy tha, am nae sure thas who mental heelth wurks but oonywae.
The Golden Barge
As fir as ah noes tis is n extract frim the furst beuk Moorcock ever scribbled back in the mid-50s n it reads lik it. Tis extract doesny really staund alone n ah doobt the hole hing is oony beeter; I don't hing I'll be pickin the full storie up if a see it in the wild.
Wolf
An awright wee storie. Nuffin much tae sae aboot it really tha doesn't spoil it so ah will. Ah crazy bloke kills a wuman hingin shes sumwan else, mae much mair tae say.
Ah fine short read, nuffin much else.
Consuming Passion
Again, nuffing much tae say, an awright wae tae spent a few minutes of burning fun.
The Ruins
Mair intresting tha the previous twa. Ah, man wanders sum desolate ruins, leuks fir the wae tae git free it last. Where is he? Kin he git oot? Tas a spoiler innit so give it a read if yer wantin tae no fir yersel. Is awright tho.
The Pleasure Garden of Felipe Sagittarius
Me favourite storie ah the collection an alternate-reality, historical murder mystery mashup wae depreesd Hitler n ah corset wearin Bismark. Ah fun storie wae sum later connections tae the rest ah Moorcock's Multiverse.
The Mountain
Fine. Ah twa men leuk fir the last wuman aroond, bit wans gettin mair and mair disconnected n jest wants tae bask in tha beauty've the wurld fore the end. Again, fine, nuffin tae writ hame aboot really.
O'erall, ah fine read've 60s new wave sci-fi weirdness. If yah find it cheap someplace then yah might weel gae it a leuk o'er, if jest fir the cover art.
Darkness At Noon - 5/5
Wit a novel. A charactr study've ah man once say high in the Soviet Uni- I mean ‘Over There' tha he sat ah the table wae the Leader himsel, brought doon n shooved in a cell tae fir his supposed crimes. Wit follows is jest o'er 200 pages ah introspection, monologue n debate on the methods of a certain Georgian dictator n, less directly, his Russian forefather.
Weel wurth a read its easy tae see which side Koestler comes doon upon (maest, even then, dae) bit he doesny mak the represtnatives ah ‘No 1' intae strawmen tae be ripped doon, they've arguments hard tae refute with anything bit gut feelin. They follow logic tae its warped conclusion, the Revolution maest live on.
Tae conclude, if yer wantin sumhing capturin the feel've wit it musta been lik tae go through the Moscow trials then gee tis a read, if yer wantin sum historical accoont, tis willny cut it (obviously).
The Three-Body Problem - 4/5
A guid beuk feu ah intrestin sci-fi concpts.
The science is tha focus ah tis beuk fir sur n the charactrs tak ah back seat tae tis. Ah hink tha wis peerfct fir with tis beuk wis tryin tae dae is it aloos them concpts tae shin weyoot divertin attention awa on character.
If yer wantin a beuk filld wae intriguin scentific concpts, theories n appklications wae in enagagin storie thin tis is fir yeh, if yer wantin a character focused beuk thin leuk elsewhre.
Fup - 5/5A guid wee beuk be [a: Jim Dodge 158844 Jim Dodge https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1285967635p2/158844.jpg]. Fup the Duck coms tae stay wae Tiny and his Grandaddy Jake at their farm n, as in many a guid fable they learn thmeselves sum lessons. Not much mair tae say but well worth a read, specially if yah likd Dodge's oo'er work.
The Sandman: Endless Nights - 3.5/5Ah graphic novel anthology ah [b: Sandman 23754 Preludes & Nocturnes (The Sandman, #1) Neil Gaiman https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1411609637l/23754.SY75.jpg 1228437] stories be [a: Neil Gaiman 1221698 Neil Gaiman https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1234150163p2/1221698.jpg] along wa a bunch of great artists. A'll review each wan separate.Death: Death and Venice - 4/5 (Artist: [a: P. Craig Russell 38328 P. Craig Russell https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1416845206p2/38328.jpg])A guid wee tale of tae intersectin narratives tha both relate tae death, both the character an the concapt. The art is pretty guid and the story interestin, little else tae say tae be fair.Desire: What I've tasted of Desire - 4/5 ([a: Artist: Milo Manara])Brill art n a fin storie, tha is ah consistent ting in this beuk it seems. Overah an interestin historic tal wae sum Celtic leukin fowk. Dream: The Heart of a Star - 4/5 (Artist: [a: Miguelanxo Prado 260429 Miguelanxo Prado https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1337299844p2/260429.jpg])Agaen bangin art wae an awright storie. Lov tha it lets yah see other parts ah the galaxy, wit Death wis like fore she lightened up, Delight fore she turnd intae Delerium n wit the original Despair leukd like. Awright.Despair: Fifteen Portraits of Despair - 5/5 (Artist: [a: Barron Storey 105518 Barron Storey https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png])Ah undrstan why fowk didnae lik tis yin but a wis a massive fan ah the uniq wa this wis writ n illustrait. Is a loada shorts aboot different fowk in Despair illustrait n led oot in the still ah the Sandman covers. I wis a big fan.Delrium: Going Inside - 5/5 (Artist: [a: Bill Sienkiewicz 2719 Bill Sienkiewicz https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1272556630p2/2719.jpg])Ma favourite art ah the beuk. Tis storie is set n the heid aw Delrium aftr sheas wifdrin intae hersel cause ah sumhing (I hing it might be the affermath a Dream's deeth in [b: The Kindly Ones 71252 The Kindly Ones (The Sandman, #9) Neil Gaiman https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1339922887l/71252.SX50.jpg 2647]). The art is beutiful n laid oot in a, weel, delirious wa.Destruction: On the Peninsula - 3/5 (Artist: [a: Glenn Fabry 205493 Glenn Fabry https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1278254941p2/205493.jpg])The art in tis yin didnae dae nuthin fir me n the storie wisnae aw that interstin. It sorta fallaws on fae the Delrium storie previous as she recovrs. It dusnae focus on Destructon tha much but is enjoyable enouf.Destiny: Endless Nights - 3/5 (Artist: [a: Frank Quitely 21709 Frank Quitely https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1265722375p2/21709.jpg])All them stars are fir the art, Frank Quitely does beutiful work that is weel worth leukin at by itsel. The storie however isnae great, it jest goes frough wit Destiny does, which we already knew since he wis intraducd. Amazin art, passable ‘storie'.O'erallO'erall, is a collection of sum real guid tales (Delrium's n Despair's), Sum guid yins (Dream's, Desire's n Death's) n sum awright wins (Destruction's n Destiny's). Fin collecton that oony Sandman fan'll probably lik.
Bloodchild and Other Stories - /5Collection aw short stories n essays be [a: Octavia E. Butler 29535 Octavia E. Butler https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1242244143p2/29535.jpg]. I'll rate each story n essay by theresels.Bloodchild - 5/5Tis wans aboot a boy bein mad prignant be a big centipediey alien hing. Reel interestin leuk ah men gettin prignant an oother ways a livin. Has a load ah folken in slavry (witever yon author says in'r afterwurd) n has ah leuk intae thos folken beein indoctranated intae havin real painful wurm maggots comin oot ah them. Real dark and creapy way interstin themin, would fully recommend tis yin.The Evening and the Morning and the Night - 4/5No as guid as the first yin bit stuill wurth a read. Folken way ah disease tha maks em tear at their buidy tae try in free theirsels fir their fleshie prisons. The folken way the disease are stuck intae wards tae pretty much dee, it ain't pleasant. Hooevr, the protagonist in her boyfreend go tae an alternativ plase where they treat thos ill wae sum respect, geein them sumhing tae dae way their time. Overah, an interstin leuk at genetic disease in the waes tae support thems wae it.Near of Kin - 3.5/5Sorta spoiler sae skip this review if yer wantin nae ken ah wit happens. Pretty much a short tale aboot incest an its falloot (especially in wean form). Awright if brief. If yev've got the beuk yeh might is weel.Speech Sounds - 5/5Nother longer yin about disease. The Folken aw the world r struck dumb be disease. Most cannae speek or even reason weel enough fir societie tae function. Ah pessimistic storie way a ray ah hope ah the ending. Killer atmosphere wae an interestin storie behind it (as covered n the afterwurd), Definitely recommended.Crossover - 4/5Nother shorter yin, tis tim aboot a woman slowly losin it in'r dead end job, resortin tae drink and depression fir comfort. Ah cannae say mair wayoot spoilin but ah guid wee tale, worth a read fir sure.Positive Obsession - 5/5Ah short biographie aw Butler, coverin her early interest n Sci-Fi an tha hoo difficult it wis tae get hersel published, specially bein black an a wuman when hardly eny black folken or wumen wer writin or bein allooed tae writ in the USA. Alsa coovers sum ah the attitudes sum black folken had tae her Sci-Fi e.g. “Wit can we dae wi tis” oor “Sci-Fi isnae fir us” which awcourse is no true bit enforced on folken. Very well wurth tha read.Furor Scribendi - 4/5A fin it herd tae rate essay's, especially wins aboot publihin as wits written her, while havin guid advice on persistance, is often oot ah date as the industrie his maved on noo. Still, has sum guid advice on keepin writtin nae matter wit.Amnesty - 5/5Great storie aw alien colonisation aw the Earth an hoe folken are tryin tae adapt tae their new situation. Gaes tae guid detail oer hoo the ‘Collectives' cam tae Earth an wit they did tae thos they teuk, alsa deals wae the humans response tae tha. Coold be faulted fir bein tae dependant on dialogue bit side fae that a definite winner, completly recommend.The Book of Martha - 4.5/5A womun gees liftd up be God in telt tae change the wurld, anywa she kin. An interstin leuk ah wit Bulter hinks Utopia wid be lik and I hink, if it happnd, it'd be is usful as enyhing in actually gettin us there. Nother intrestin wee storie that gets yah hinkin on wit yer Utopia wid leuk lik and wit (an who) yed be willin tae sacrifice tae get it.Overall - 5/5A well worthy read ah maunly Sci-Fi tha gets yah hinkin, Butler writes simples but well and I'm mair tha open tae readin sumhing else be her. Hope yah lik this review, hanks fir readin this far (if yah hiv).