So. John “Jack Shandy” is on his way to avenge his father when the ship he is traveling on is attacked by pirates.
And so it begins
For a rabid Stephen King fan, I took a really long time to get to the Dark Tower series. I wanted to wait until it was all done — I’d heard the gasps of Dark Tower fans when King was struck by the van, and I didn’t want to be one of the many stranded with an unfinished series. But then he did finish it, and still I drug my feet, until my best friend (hi Cat!) told me to read the damn thing (I […]
Mindbending
So I finally read Alif the Unseen. Wow — what a genre-bender. So many questions about belief, ideology, loyalty, technology, humanity, and identity are explored across multiple metaphysical planes and in achingly familiar real-world contexts. To back up to a plot summary, which I’ll ape from Goodreads: “In an unnamed Middle Eastern security state, a young Arab-Indian hacker shields his clients—dissidents, outlaws, Islamists, and other watched groups—from surveillance and tries to stay out of trouble. He goes by Alif—the first letter of the Arabic alphabet, and […]
Where were you when the world ended?
“[…]All he needed was a little faith.” “In humanity?” Ginger asked dryly. [Lacey] met his gaze directly. “Don’t be ridiculous. In the circus.” — Location 2587, Kindle Edition I haven’t stayed up until the wee hours of the morning to finish a book since I was in my 20s. A Circus of Brass and Bone, however, not only kept me up most of the night reading but also proves that not all circuses/carnivals in fiction are questionable at the least, creepy on average, and downright evil […]