I don’t understand how it is possible for a novel about time travel back to the Middle Ages can be so boring. And not just dull, but hard to read. Doomsday Book is supposed to be a classic work of fantasy that gets realistic with its presentation of the Middle Ages. An Oxford student (Kivrin) wants to visit the Middle Ages for study which have finally been made available for study, having been previously been deemed to dangerous (plague, wars, bandits, etc.) Her mentor Dunworthy […]
When we finally learn to time travel, it will probably be just as boring as this
On paper, this book is the complete package for me: time travel, a mysterious epidemic, a spunky female protagonist, academia, Christmas. I should have loved it. But it was a little… um…. super duper incredibly boring. I’m really looking forward to the Book Club conversation about this, because it would be nice to put my finger on why I didn’t just totally love it. There’s plenty of action, but it’s very repetitive, and never feels like it’s going anywhere. No build, just introduction of characters, […]
Ghostbusters Medieval Japan edition
I normally don’t enjoy short story collections until Yamada Monogatari: Demon Hunter. It’s just the right mix of adventure, comedy, fantasy, mythology, history, and drama. Yamada is an impoverished nobleman making his living busting evil spirits, ghosts, and monsters in medieval Japan. Two other characters show up through multiple stories who are both typecasts but still interesting: the warrior Prince Kanemore and the not-always-priestly exorcist priest Kenji. What makes them interesting is their interactions with Yamada because these conversations and adventures bring out details of […]
What happens when you combine medieval poetry and guns?
This book takes place some time after the first in the series (A Burnable Book) starring the real life medieval poet John Gower as a (probably) fictional detective. This series is based on a lot of research and historical accuracy is impressive. A possible problem with this second installment is that there is not a glossary of medieval terms or full list of sources for a reader unfamiliar to consult. The author notes that a source list accompanies the first volume, and only names those […]