Scott Graham
The urge to call this tale Lovecraftian is strong, but I pull back from that description. I will go so far as to say that there is a Lovecraft inspiration present in the incarnation of the fantastical aspects in the narrative, but it’s missing the demented nature, i.e, the craziness of a Lovecraft story. Two friends and coworkers pursue all the fishing holes of the Catskill Mountain region, and ignore the warnings of one stream, the ill omened Dutchman’s Creek. Told in two timelines, one historic, incorporated within and bisecting the other more contemporary tale. The historical story stands separate from the contemporary tale and is effective on its own. The contemporary tale builds on the historical story that exists as a warning to the curious. The reader is given all the information they need to suss out the way the story goes, but the narrative imagery is described so well that it plays out very vividly in the reader’s movie screen of the mind. Nightmarish and shudder inducing.
The urge to call this tale Lovecraftian is strong, but I pull back from that description. I will go so far as to say that there is a Lovecraft inspiration present in the incarnation of the fantastical aspects in the narrative, but it’s missing the demented nature, i.e, the craziness of a Lovecraft story. Two friends and coworkers pursue all the fishing holes of the Catskill Mountain region, and ignore the warnings of one stream, the ill omened Dutchman’s Creek. Told in two timelines, one historic, incorporated within and bisecting the other more contemporary tale. The historical story stands separate from the contemporary tale and is effective on its own. The contemporary tale builds on the historical story that exists as a warning to the curious. The reader is given all the information they need to suss out the way the story goes, but the narrative imagery is described so well that it plays out very vividly in the reader’s movie screen of the mind. Nightmarish and shudder inducing.
Saitama fights a series of assorted villains and a mercenary without the notoriety that he deserves and decides he desires. Good tongue in cheek humor and exposition through inner dialogue and conversation between adversaries helps move the plot(s) along at a brisk pace.
Saitama fights a series of assorted villains and a mercenary without the notoriety that he deserves and decides he desires. Good tongue in cheek humor and exposition through inner dialogue and conversation between adversaries helps move the plot(s) along at a brisk pace.
Added to listOwnedwith 108 books.
Saitama fights a series of assorted villains and a mercenary without the notoriety that he deserves and decides he desires. Good tongue in cheek humor and exposition through inner dialogue and conversation between adversaries helps move the plot(s) along at a brisk pace.
Saitama fights a series of assorted villains and a mercenary without the notoriety that he deserves and decides he desires. Good tongue in cheek humor and exposition through inner dialogue and conversation between adversaries helps move the plot(s) along at a brisk pace.
Like Liu’s other short story collection, The Paper Menagerie, The Hidden Girl is a mixed bag, but most of the stories that you pull from the bag are interesting, thought provoking, and even tug at your heart a few times. They are best when the story is exploring the idea of the human/computer singularity and whether or not humanity would actually be much changed in the surrendering of the body. The other speculative stories are also quite good; the weakest tales are the more fantasy based selections in my opinion. The author seems to be better suited to calling out the pitfalls of advancement, or at least moralizing on it gently. Well worth the read, but beware of a couple clunkers.
Like Liu’s other short story collection, The Paper Menagerie, The Hidden Girl is a mixed bag, but most of the stories that you pull from the bag are interesting, thought provoking, and even tug at your heart a few times. They are best when the story is exploring the idea of the human/computer singularity and whether or not humanity would actually be much changed in the surrendering of the body. The other speculative stories are also quite good; the weakest tales are the more fantasy based selections in my opinion. The author seems to be better suited to calling out the pitfalls of advancement, or at least moralizing on it gently. Well worth the read, but beware of a couple clunkers.
Fun battles between exagerated cartoon monsters and the inexplicably strong hero who can vanquish foes with the eponymous one punch. A fun amuse bouche for between novels. A quick palate cleanse if you would.
Fun battles between exagerated cartoon monsters and the inexplicably strong hero who can vanquish foes with the eponymous one punch. A fun amuse bouche for between novels. A quick palate cleanse if you would.