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josh_keane's reviews
19 reviews
Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism by Yanis Varoufakis
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
The Con Artists by Luke Healy
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A beautiful graphic memoir. One of the best I have read in recent years. Delicate and brunt at the same time. It's a tale of dichotomies which also does some good work at highlighting the two central protagonists of this story. It feels odd to phrase it that way, the book being based on the writer's lived experience but it's a testament to the author's charm that it comes across that way. Absolutely recommended.
The Lake of the Dead by André Bjerke
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Painfully contrived.
The Vessel by Adam L.G. Nevill
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
My third and so far favourite of Nevill's books. This book fires at all cylinders, it's short, punchy and fast-paced, reminiscent of a paperback thriller, not usually the kind of thing I go for but Nevill pulls it off with aplomb. The book, if anything, is a little too short. The, ostensible, central villain takes a bit of a sudden turn. Nevill signals it throughout all of their appearances but it needed a scene or two more to sell it. However, the way Nevill turns the typical folk-horror ending on its head was very rewarding. If you like classic nail-biting horror well, few are doing it as well as he is.
A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Is this a touch on Jackson's original? No. Her work remains a pioneer of the genre and one of the finest of its kind. Interestingly enough, Alison Rumfitt's "Tell Me I'm Worthless" does a more successful job on using Jackson's original as a jumping off point, however, despite coming into this with many misgivings (though keeping an open mind) I greatly enjoyed Hand's novel and will certainly be reading more from her.
It's important to think of this as Hand's own work. This is not a sequel. It builds on from the original. The novel itself comments on what is effectively Hand's act of literary ventriloquism. In fact, it can be read as commentary on this phenomenon as a whole and, to be fair, Hand's is by far the most successful of these posthumous sequels I have read. Hand has done very well here and I encourage you to read this book as two things at once, her own, her own incarnation of Hill House (Hand's entity is very different from Jackson's, I would argue) and as something working from Jackson. You will enjoy it the most in that way and find it more rewarding too. Also, for what it's worth, this is a much snappier novel which, depending on your preference you may even prefer.
It's important to think of this as Hand's own work. This is not a sequel. It builds on from the original. The novel itself comments on what is effectively Hand's act of literary ventriloquism. In fact, it can be read as commentary on this phenomenon as a whole and, to be fair, Hand's is by far the most successful of these posthumous sequels I have read. Hand has done very well here and I encourage you to read this book as two things at once, her own, her own incarnation of Hill House (Hand's entity is very different from Jackson's, I would argue) and as something working from Jackson. You will enjoy it the most in that way and find it more rewarding too. Also, for what it's worth, this is a much snappier novel which, depending on your preference you may even prefer.
Providence Compendium by Alan Moore and Jacen Burrows Hardcover by Alan Moore
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Finished re-reading Providence recently. The first time I read it I felt quite strongly that it was one of Alan Moore's better works. Revisiting it has caused the series to really jump up the ranks. For comparison, I think Jerusalem is the finest thing Moore has ever penned with From Hell being a close second. However, I now feel Providence has taken that second spot.
Providence, like many of Moore's most interesting pieces, looks at a fundamental shift of human culture and the conditions of modernity as both a personal and greater shift in an individual personality. The modern, though it was beginning to form earlier, has its true awakening and is seen as a traumatic fissure in cultural identity after the horrors of the first world war and the greater violence that characterised the early 20th century. But, it is also narratively realised through the trauma of our central hero. For Moore, Lovecraft's unique and uniquely ubiquitous fiction is one particular manifestation of the modern. In this book Moore asks if art of fiction changes the world or if the world changes art or fiction, a simple question with a myriad answers all memorably visualised as the book hurtles to its incredible conclusion.
One thing, if you are going to read this it is very much necessary you are familiar with Lovecraft's work and have a general overview of his influence. This book is of course not an endorsement of Lovecraft's heinous view of the world, it is very much a counterpoint. There is also some genuine criticisms to be made about the length of the chapbook entries and the font used to bookend each chapter (Moore needed an editor there), however, you will be rewarded if you push through them and read.
Providence, like many of Moore's most interesting pieces, looks at a fundamental shift of human culture and the conditions of modernity as both a personal and greater shift in an individual personality. The modern, though it was beginning to form earlier, has its true awakening and is seen as a traumatic fissure in cultural identity after the horrors of the first world war and the greater violence that characterised the early 20th century. But, it is also narratively realised through the trauma of our central hero. For Moore, Lovecraft's unique and uniquely ubiquitous fiction is one particular manifestation of the modern. In this book Moore asks if art of fiction changes the world or if the world changes art or fiction, a simple question with a myriad answers all memorably visualised as the book hurtles to its incredible conclusion.
One thing, if you are going to read this it is very much necessary you are familiar with Lovecraft's work and have a general overview of his influence. This book is of course not an endorsement of Lovecraft's heinous view of the world, it is very much a counterpoint. There is also some genuine criticisms to be made about the length of the chapbook entries and the font used to bookend each chapter (Moore needed an editor there), however, you will be rewarded if you push through them and read.
Brainwyrms by Alison Rumfitt
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A book that I cannot recommend but will readily endorse. I count her previous novel, "Tell Me I'm Worthless", among the greatest haunted house stories ever written but it is here where she finds her voice, a voice I am hoping will continue to grow and develop over subsequent works.
Listen, you'll know by the blurb whether you're going to enjoy this or not, if you have doubts heed the content warning and if that's off-putting this probably isn't the book for you, it's challenging but if you're up to the challenge it is rewarding. Few books have managed to capture what life is like in the digital era and few books are as willing to hold a bile-flecked mirror up to English society.
Listen, you'll know by the blurb whether you're going to enjoy this or not, if you have doubts heed the content warning and if that's off-putting this probably isn't the book for you, it's challenging but if you're up to the challenge it is rewarding. Few books have managed to capture what life is like in the digital era and few books are as willing to hold a bile-flecked mirror up to English society.
This Plague of Souls by Mike McCormack
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Lives up to Solar Bones and echoes/alludes to his earlier work. "Notes From a Coma" is a good touchstone, if you enjoyed that you will enjoy this. It will keep you guessing until the end and never shows its hand entirely, almost certainly a book that will be rewarding to return to.