Mike Cahoon

What makes a piece of art a classic? What makes a book important? Is the impact it had at the time of release enough, or does it need to continue to resonate with modern audiences across the ages for it to retain its status? That's the question I found myself asking as I plodded my way through my first and likely last Cormac McCarthy novel, Blood Meridian. As someone who loves both westerns and classics, I thought this novel was going to be right up my alley, but found myself sorely disappointed.

My biggest gripe with Blood Meridian is also likely one of its biggest selling points among its fans; the lack of structure. McCarthy seems far more concerned with presenting a meditation on human nature and the inherent darkness within ourselves than telling anything resembling a traditionally structured story. For much of the book, events seem to just happen, with little connective tissue to tie them together. And while this sort of gonzo, vibe driven narrative can and does work in other cases, I found myself yearning for more structure, more of a sense of the characters beyond the barely constructed cutouts that McCarthy presents us with.

Much has been made of the violence of this story, of the near constant and visceral descriptions of graphic, senseless violence. While I don't deny that these scenes were strongly written, they again did little to advance the plot. Rather, they went on so long and occurred so often that they lost much of their impact. Perhaps it is a sign of the times that I as a reader found myself bored with reading about our central characters pillaging innocent villages and scalping people, but the fact remains the same. Violence in a story is only useful in what it accomplishes for the narrative, and in this case, it felt like it accomplished very little beyond the shock value.

For my full review, please visit;

https://mikecahoon.com/book-review-blood-meridian/

I started Project Hail Mary as a book club read and was cautiously optimistic. I had of course seen the tidal wave of good reviews and all the hype, magnified by the recent release of the upcoming movie’s trailer. But I always worry when any book is getting that much attention. The risk of over hype from people jumping in the “bandwagon” is something I’ve been burned by before. Luckily, this was not one of those times.

This was my first Andy Weir novel. I had heard about his work for years and of course seen The Martian with Mark Wahlberg, but never gotten around to reading his actual books. Now that I have, what struck me the most was his unique gift for infusing an undeniable sense of humanity into his science fiction story. Don’t get me wrong, as a writer Weir has many strengths.

His passion for the science part of science fiction shines through on just about every page. His writing conveys a sense of technological wonder while still being extremely palpable, even to someone with zero scientific background like myself. He has a real knack for establishing a world that feels just a few years removed from our own, like we’re reading an account of something that might actually happen in about ten years. Pair this with his ability to create engaging yet flawed characters and maintain a steady, well structured story, Weir has a winning formula. It’s immediately plain to see where his success has come from.

For my full review, including spoilers, please visit; https://mikecahoon.com/project-hail-mary-by-andy-weir/

As a life long Stephen King fan, I have long been curious about the work of his son, novel, comic book, and screenplay writer Joe Hill. His various projects have always sounded interesting to me, but had ended up relegated to the limbo of my endless To Be Read list in favor of other works. However, when his most recent novel launched back in October to rave reviews, I decided it was finally time to give the throne of modern horror's heir apparent his due regard. After finishing the absolute tome of a novel that is King Sorrow, I’m happy to report I really enjoyed it!

Let's get the most obvious talking point out of the way first; I think there are obvious influences from Stephen King's work (as I would expect there to be for just about any modern horror writer). But Hill does an excellent job of creating a distinct voice and style. His authorial voice reads like someone who is a fan of his father's work, not someone trying to imitate it. Which is more than I can say for many up and coming horror authors in the modern age.

For the full review, please visit; https://mikecahoon.com/book-review-king-sorrow/

As a life long Stephen King fan, I have long been curious about the work of his son, novel, comic book, and screenplay writer Joe Hill. His various projects have always sounded interesting to me, but had ended up relegated to the limbo of my endless To Be Read list in favor of other works. However, when his most recent novel launched back in October to rave reviews, I decided it was finally time to give the throne of modern horror's heir apparent his due regard. After finishing the absolute tome of a novel that is King Sorrow, I’m happy to report I really enjoyed it!

Let's get the most obvious talking point out of the way first; I think there are obvious influences from Stephen King's work (as I would expect there to be for just about any modern horror writer). But Hill does an excellent job of creating a distinct voice and style. His authorial voice reads like someone who is a fan of his father's work, not someone trying to imitate it. Which is more than I can say for many up and coming horror authors in the modern age.

For the full review, please visit; https://mikecahoon.com/book-review-king-sorrow/

One thing that I personally love about indie fiction is the variety. Without being beholden to the whims of the mainstream publishing industry, indie authors are free to explore new and unique sub-genres, styles and take interesting risks. Keon Shore's debut, The Bad Apothecary, is a perfect example of the kind of cool, genre challenging variety that's coming out of the indie scene.

I received an ARC copy of this book without knowing anything about cultivation novels or their history. For those uninitiated, this style of writing draws its roots from Asian literature and was popularized by webnovels, focusing on a style of magic system called “cultivation”. In practice, this means the characters are focused on developing their abilities through a sort of defined leveling system, in this case called tiers. Comparisons can be drawn to the massively popular LitRPG genre, but these novels have a whole slew of their own tropes and conventions, and it was interesting to dive into this new world for someone who's spent his life mostly safely nestled in the embrace of western speculative fiction.

I freely admit that at first, the structure and style took some getting used to. But once I got into the rhythm it was quite enjoyable and I found myself flying through this and having quite a bit of fun with it. Shore's story is dark and gritty, but heavily emotional and full of strong moments that help you develop a real sense of connection to these characters. She does an excellent job of balancing her characters strengths with their struggles and weaknesses. Big wins feel earned and we are allowed appropriate room to properly feel their failures.

The story moves at a quick pace, throwing you into a world that is both alien yet easily accessible. The Asian inspired, “arcane punk” setting is fun and feels different than most other fantasy. Between the setting, the magic system and the characters, I found myself reminded of some of the classic anime shows movies I remember watching as a teenager, but with a more mature edge. If that sounds like it would be up your alley, I would recommend you check out this awesome new series!

I started Project Hail Mary as a book club read and was cautiously optimistic. I had of course seen the tidal wave of good reviews and all the hype, magnified by the recent release of the upcoming movie’s trailer. But I always worry when any book is getting that much attention. The risk of over hype from people jumping in the “bandwagon” is something I’ve been burned by before. Luckily, this was not one of those times.

This was my first Andy Weir novel. I had heard about his work for years and of course seen The Martian with Mark Wahlberg, but never gotten around to reading his actual books. Now that I have, what struck me the most was his unique gift for infusing an undeniable sense of humanity into his science fiction story. Don’t get me wrong, as a writer Weir has many strengths. His passion for the science part of science fiction shines through on just about every page. His writing conveys a sense of technological wonder while still being extremely palpable, even to someone with zero scientific background like myself. He has a real knack for establishing a world that feels just a few years removed from our own, like we’re reading an account of something that might actually happen in about ten years. Pair this with his ability to create engaging yet flawed characters and maintain a steady, well structured story, Weir has a winning formula. It’s immediately plain to see where his success has come from.

For my full review, including spoilers, please visit; https://mikecahoon.com/project-hail-mary-by-andy-weir/

What does it mean to be haunted nowadays? Virtually every culture in human history has a mythology concerning some incarnation of life after death. Stories about ghosts, spirits, demons and devils…they are as prevalent as any religion on earth. We have long been fascinated by the idea of otherworldly forces reaching out from beyond the veil, mysterious, often malevolent, and an ever present cultural touchstone that remains a staple in our modern media. But how do these myths and superstitions manifest in the age of the internet and smart phones and skepticism as the default setting for most normal people? Gus Moreno’s modern horror novel delves into that question in a book that is undeniably unsettling and uniquely captivating.

Using the all too real set up, This Thing Between Us hits the ground running by plunging the reader into the midst of a survivors struggle to cope with his wife’s untimely and gruesome passing. Our protagonist and point of view character is Thiago, an underachieving, second generation immigrant who lives his life perpetually as an outsider. He is a non-Spanish speaking Mexican who’s never quite fit in anywhere and never been able to make things in his life quite come together. Through a series of semi-secondary point of view flashbacks, we come to understand that the only thing in his life that truly seems to grant him some sense of belonging is his relationship to his now deceased wife, Vera. Interlaced between the current events of Thiago dealing with the fall out of Vera’s death, the retroactive unfolding and dissection of the relationship between them is truly one of the highlights of the novel. It builds in the reader a strong sense of connection with the couple and helps deepen the dread one feels as Moreno allows the events leading to her death to be revealed.

For my full review, please visit: https://mikecahoon.com/this-thing-between-us-by-gus-moreno/

Love, death, sacrifice; the big touchstones that give life meaning. These are the themes that hit home for most of us, creating some sense of shared experience with our fellow humans. It is this central core focus that gives Stephen King’s door-stopper novel, 11/22/63, its sense of tension, relatability and bittersweet catharsis that elevates it beyond the sum of its parts. Perpetually late to the party as I am, I only recently tackled the Master of Horror’s widely praised novel. Despite the novels critical acclaim and the its near universal praise for illustrating King’s authorial prowess, not just a horror writer, but a genuine master of the craft, I found many reasons to put off reading this one. I could blame a lot of contributing factors for this, but ultimately it comes down to my own proclivity to let me short attention span get the best of me. Like the proverbial squirrel, I am ever distracted by new, shiny things. So, while this particular book has sat on my TBR for years, I let it get pushed to the back burner over and over again in favor of some new, exciting release.

Recently, I got the notification from Libby (not for the first time) that 11/22/63 was available from my local library and I decided it was finally time to tackle the looming giant that I had time and time again ignored. Now, I gratefully thank whatever literary gods I finally made the commitment because, as it turns out, the master of horror can spin a genre blending tale of historical fiction, thriller and romance that keeps you glued to the page as well as any of his more spine tingling fare when he the mood strikes him.

For my full review, please visit: https://mikecahoon.com/11-22-63-by-stephen-king/

As a life long Stephen King fan, I have long been curious about the work of his son, novel, comic book, and screenplay writer Joe Hill. His various projects have always sounded interesting to me, but had ended up relegated to the limbo of my endless To Be Read list in favor of other works. However, when his most recent novel launched back in October to rave reviews, I decided it was finally time to give the throne of modern horror's heir apparent his due regard. After finishing the absolute tome of a novel that is King Sorrow, I’m happy to report it was really enjoyed it!

Let's get the most obvious talking point out of the way first; I think there are obvious influences from Stephen King's work (as I would expect there to be for just about any modern horror writer). But Hill does an excellent job of creating a distinct voice and style. His authorial voice reads like someone who is a fan of his father's work, not someone trying to imitate it. Which is more than I can say for many up and coming horror authors in the modern age.

For the full review, please visit; https://mikecahoon.com/book-review-king-sorrow/