Book reviews 6-22-26
Black Arts by Megan Giddings. 5/5
Black Arts is a collection of elegant, beautifully-written stories about the human condition, living in society as a woman of color, and the uncanny, each with its own twist and reveal. Living women interact with the hungry ghosts of their apartment building; people celebrate and mourn the end of the world; a ghost haunts a woman’s granddaughter; a woman revisits the scene of a strange and mysterious event from her youth–every story is delectable and beguiling. Giddings’s stories are gems, full of originality and depth.
First Chance by Kasey Lansdale. 1/5
This detective procedural novel is so bad, I hardly know where to begin. Oh, wait, I do: apparently Landsale thinks the only way to indicate that a character is trans is to have other characters use their deadnames. No, just no. If that isn’t enough to keep you from giving this a try, I’ll go on: the protagonist is pretty unlikable and boring, the plot is over-stuffed and, simultaneously, plotlines are underdeveloped. The time period is initially ambiguous–we could be in the 80s for a while until cell phones show up–and Lansdale’s attention to detail and verisimilitude in setting, characters, the modern world, et al are sorely lacking. The characters act in ways that don’t make much sense and/or seem to follow the rules of a very different universe; obstacles are brought up and then dropped; the use of simile and metaphor is constant and annoying, as are the “folksy” aphorisms that appear all too often. I’d give this zero stars if I could.
Everything Happens So Much by Andrew H. Murray. 1/5
First I felt this was a take on Jasper Fforde, and then maybe it was Terry Gilliam,and then it turned into Terry Pratchett, and then there was some preachyness, and finally at the end it was just a weak pastiche. Absurdist and surreal, the book–and its footnotes–give off an irritating smugness and “aren’t-I-clever?” impression when, no, it isn’t clever, it’s a unrestrained and seemingly unedited self-indulgent work.
The Calamities by Chuck Wendig. 4/5
The Calamites is a nice, solid Gothic horror novel. It’s got ancient lineages, houses and families in turmoil and bearing long-standing grudges and/or rivalries, non-human people, precious artifacts and, er fluids, mysterious and strange people and doings, wealth beyond measure, body horror, and psychological horror. The plot moves along pretty well, with a few pauses for flashbacks and chapter epigraphs (some real, some from the world of the novel), although it occasionally drags or is overwritten. The characters are fine and actually learn and change a bit over the course of the book. Since it’s no secret that this is book one of a series, readers shouldn’t be too disappointed about the ending, which leaves off with more questions than resolutions.
Harbour of Hungry Ghosts by Eliza Chan. 4/5
Harbour of Hungry Ghosts is a solid anti-capitalist, anti-colonialist book that uses the British Opium Wars and their takeover of Hong Kong as its setting. Here, traditional Chinese lives, beliefs, systems, and communities are invaded by those of the British, including the British fae and other supernatural entities. Within this world, Kiamling trains with her grandmother to kill demons, bless dwellings and businesses, and handle all matters supernatural. But Kiamling is an angry teen, and when her grandmother is taken to another world by a monster, she has to grow up fast. Except that she doesn’t. She’s not noble and thoughtful, like Sabriel, nor able to analyze situations and act quickly, like Buffy. She relies on instinct, even when she knows she really needs to be using her brain over her brawn. Slowly, she begins to realize that adults are people too, with complex emotions and ambitions and callings, and begins to realize the value of her grandmother, her sister Jingling and her childhood friend Hoi. While she never actually becomes likeable, she’s a complex protagonist and her (tiny bit of) development as a character is well-done. The other main characters could use a little more development and description, but since they mostly serve as reasons for Kiamling to behave badly, I can see why they’re left underdeveloped. The story itself is genius, with various supernatural and undead entities from different cultures fusing with one another, and the concept that the British are using their own legions of ghosts and monsters to manufacture a war. The detail of both Chinese and English lore and the ways in which the supernatural are dealt with is fascinating, and the world is one I can hear and smell and see thanks to Chan’s writing.
The eARC I read has a number of grammar errors, poor word choices, and writing traits that took me out of the story many times. There are a lot of misused words and incomplete sentences that come at jarring times. The biggest issue is misplaced modifier phrases at the beginnings of sentences. like “Walking home at night, the trees looked like spooky aliens.” This kind of error makes things very unclear.
Otherwhere by Carolyn Forché. 5/5
This collection brings together poems from all periods of Forché’s long career, providing readers with a sense of the broad scope of topics and events that trigger her to write while also seeming intimate and familiar. She writes about the war in Ukraine, her grandmother’s roots and language, diaspora, the lives of refugees, the horrors of war, simple joys. This is the perfect collection for newcomers to her always astonishing and original poetry.
Legends & Lattes: The Graphic Novel by Travis Baldree. 1/5
I enjoyed the original, text-only version of this novel, which epitomized the “cozy fantasy” genre. However, the graphic novel adaptation lacks the charm and fun of the novel. It lacks Viv’s swagger and grit, Tandri’s complex emotions and how others view her as a succubus, and many of the many important elements that made the novel so delightful. A lot of graphic novel adaptations have to cut down on dialogue and character interiority, but Legends and Lattes does so too much, leaving readers with only the faintest whispers of the characters, their problems and realizations and actions, their emotions and desires, and the conflicts that have to be resolved. A big disappointment.
Love and Desire in the Promised Land by Salomé Parent-Rachdi. 5/5
This hits hard: the creators conducted interviews, had meals with, and shared tea with residents of Israel and Gaza, asking about their love lives under fraught circumstances. They had just finished the book when the October 7 attack occurred, followed by the ongoing genocide against Palestinians. They places you see in the art no longer exist, many of them, and subjects have been wounded and displaced. With that in mind, it could feel futile to read about mixed-religion couples, non-sexual co-parents, Orthodox ob-gyns and their too-often ignorant patients, the hidden sex lives of Arab women, gay men, and others. But at the same time, it ca be good to know that sch couples exist and can thrive, that people are still finding love and lust. The book is fascinating and the art is outstanding. Parent-Rachdi knows what questions to ask and how to ask them, and while some interviews come to an abrupt end–as does the whole book–it’s a terrific work of ethnography in a complex place.v
