The Wandering Inn: Book 13 - The Empress of Beasts by Pirateaba
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Five stars for consistent, great entertainment. Characters and real character progression take the font seat here, as elsewhere, but especially here.

Pisces evolution, or rather, his unearthing, has been especially sharp and painful. I can't believe I once kinda rather disliked him.

As for all the rest, I'm still fascinated by the King of Destruction and how smart he is to use EVERY tool at his disposal, including the kids and our world's tech. He's so damn charismatic. But isn't that the true danger? A cult of personality has always been our single most dangerous opponent. *stares pointedly out into the distance*

Either way, the climax of this one was rather low-scale but it seems to be long-term with potential for massive grief on a huge scale, later, assuming certain people don't throw away Pisces like they had thrown away goblins. Of course, him being a necromancer probably means exactly that in the end. *rages*

My synesthesia smells nothing but clean, clean soap. I suppose that's for the best.


Personal note:
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The Wandering Inn: Book 12 - The Witch of Webs by Pirateaba
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After the last, I kinda expected a continuation of the hints of magic invading technology drawn from our world into theirs, but I was NOT expecting a full-on witch novel that not only gives nods to Pratchett, with a direct reference to Weatherwax, but a full-on novel doing the crankiness and utter individuality of each memorable member of a coven coming to seek sanctuary with the quirky blind emperor.

Hell, they don't even get to meet the emperor for most of the book, instead aiding and hindering and causing varied ruckuses across River Hill while a certain wind runner tags along, trying to learn everything she can.

It was an utter delight to read. And the general/witch, having it all out with the greatest witch of them all? It was everything you'd want in a spat between a mother and a daughter, but deeper. Even the truly evil can love their daughters. So, yeah, THIS one hit really hard.

Especially the full climax to this tale. It hit HARD. Every step of the way, we hope. We see signs. The story was so gripping. And then it... ripped my heart out.

Just wow. It's going to live rent-free in my head for quite some time. And while I've got you here listening to me, I should mention--this series is GREAT!

Damn.


My synesthesia smells smoke on the wind and a hot breeze at my back. Run... run... run...

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The Wandering Inn: Book 11 - The Titan of Baleros by Pirateaba
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm literally caught in a neverending spiral of storytelling that I can't imagine escaping from.

Each book immediately drives me to the next, and despite them being MASSIVELY long, I rarely feel THIS invigorated or feel the need to keep reading this effortlessly.

That's coming from someone who reads 500 books a year on average. So, let me spell it out: this series is special.

So many damn threads, with fun times, dire times, angry times, funny times, and sad times, I'm utterly losing myself in this world and all its people. Even the people that I know are either evil or close enough as to make no difference. Hell, I even love the people who've betrayed me (them, the characters,) and the god-damned town that keeps having likable people that do such horrible things to others that I also like.

It's driving me crazy. And I love every single second of it. And best of all, there is UNDERSTANDING. There is COMPASSION. It's beautiful. So very beautiful.

Am I right, little doom bringer? Am I right, you damn drakes? Am I right, innkeeper?

*Deep Sigh*

This series has now developed into a gem of surpassing worth--at least to me. Whatever faults it might have, it will never be unwanted or unappreciated. It is always welcome in my heart and hearth.

My synesthesia smells cornered rats, tears, and an immense swelling of hope. It also smells like spring.


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Starman Jones by Robert A. Heinlein
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm upping my rating on this re-read.

Why?
Because it hit all the right spots.

1951 Heinlein Juvenile.

I guess I simply had a great time about an angry farm boy running off to see the sea--um, I mean, the stars. Of course he gets to know scoundrels and pretty girls, but also strange animals and aliens, too. But more importantly, this is a tale about shipboard regulations, climbing that competence ladder, and throwing yourself on the mercy of good men.

Or failing that, surviving long enough to get everyone else home.

It kinda sounds like an old, CLASSIC tale, but it reads fresh, lively, innocent, and full of wonder.

And pure technical terms, I'd call this a classic. Well-written to the core. For enjoyment? Same. All I know is that I've read a number of long-running series from even a handful of years ago that do exactly this kind of thing, and they're also extremely popular.

But what can I say? Heinlein is kinda a master.

My synesthesia smells bananas and rations, but that isn't a bad thing. My back is certainly a bit straighter now. I feel a bit of pride, too.


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The House at the End of the World by Dean Koontz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dean Koontz always has this thing: easy-read style, apparently normal but unassumingly bad-ass unreliable narrators, and either a lovable dog (requisite!) or, in this case, a fox joining the heroes for a ride, and often either a supernatural or a SF insertion in what is, ostensibly, a long-standing mainstream horror/thriller.

I grew up seeing him everywhere on the shelves and for quite some time, he was always head-to-head against Stephen King.

Now, while I'll always die on the SK hill, Koontz DOES have a big place in my heart for consistency, comfort, and great quality writing that mostly never surprises, but always delivers what we readers always seem to want. Cliché stuff? Sure, but the GOOD stuff. Timelessly fun stuff.

Fast forward to just two years ago, when this book was published. It has all of what I mentioned, but a serious hate going on for fascism.

I approve.

But other than that, it's pretty much a B-movie SF horror designed for fun thrills--and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

My synesthesia thinks it just ate some fast food. A nice juicy burger with french fries.


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The Wandering Inn: Book 10 - The Wind Runner by Pirateaba
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After the previous doorstopper, my anger at the town is still rather bright-hot. And even though we're getting back into the Wind Runner's story, not to mention Ruin's and a certain doctor, I'm still hot over the aftermath of the goblins.

This book leads us out of those very depressing woods. Things aren't better, so to speak, and I wouldn't blame her for never really forgiving ANY of them, but there is hope for new adventure and growth and there ARE some nice people out there. Indeed, I can think of a couple of GREAT blacksmithing sequences that had me practically cheering for how fun they were.

So much happens. I can't stress to you enough just how huge these stories are, of how vast and varied and interesting they are. And best of all, everything continues forward from what has already been built. Think One Piece, the weight of so many events, great characters, and then get an idea about THIS particular series.

The best part IS that it has serious stuff going on, even epic battles, serious consequences, WHILE carving out really beautiful, light-hearted, even GOOFY sequences to let the happiness, the caring, shine.

These books are showing me just how much I'm unwilling to set any laurel upon grimdark fantasy. It has its place, but it can be so damn draining. The Wandering Inn, however, effortlessly recharges me even as it builds to the serious bits.

Hence: it's an endlessly enjoyable read.

My synesthesia is now, quite simply, stuck with true bubbly drinks that literally float in my mouth. I can't quite figure out whether I want to cough or laugh at any moment.


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The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Re-Read 2/22/25:

Comfort food Pratchett.

And for that, I do solemnly swear that I will pretend that rats have intelligence on the off chance that the rats will follow through with their promise to pretend that I do, too.

Nice to return to this, even if it isn't my favorite Pratchett.

It's very satisfying.

My synesthesia review would have to include an immense amount of cat fur. It will be found everywhere, including over all my favorite in-house rodents.


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Re-read 2019

This may be billed as a YA novel by the redoubtable Pratchett, but I'm just going to shrug. It's fun and funny and I will always look at this novel as a sly reference to Vernor Vinge's A Fire Upon the Deep, including multiple minds linked together to make a full intelligence. No, not wolves. RATS. Such a lovely image.

But no, this isn't all this is.

Talking rats and one very special talking cat and a stupid-looking boy con their way through Discworld. What more could anyone want? Villains, pied pipers, rats in human skin? Ah! But this is Pratchett and we've got all that and sausages that don't deserve the name sausage.

It really is quite delightful. :)

No. Not the sausage. The BOOK. :)

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The Last Hero by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Re-Read 2/21/25:

I've never read a book so bright.

How bright?

Incandescent.

--Just like my behind.

I'm telling you, it's HOT.

My synesthesia thinks it's somewhere between a 3 and 4 quadrillion-million Scoville score. With an elephant on top.


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Original review:

The Last Hero has rapidly become one of my favorites out of the whole Discworld series.

This is funny because I originally gave it a 4 star.

So, why the change of heart?

It's the stars, baby. It's the stars.

Heroism is underrated. And wildly misunderstood. Good thing we have a huge cast of great characters here to destroy the world for us. I mean save it.

Or do I?

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Demon in White by Christopher Ruocchio
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

People said this book was better than the first two, and my first reaction was: so I have to wade through a lot before it gets good? Hmmm.

So, let me back up. My impression of the first was... not so great. It wasn't bad, I was seriously annoyed by the outright and obvious riffs to other IPs, to how it outright rode those IP coattails, and the ideas were all pretty common in good space operas. The whole thing was written to draw out a lot of words, like an epic fantasy, but house it in far future SF a-la W-40k and Dune. I even blew off reading the second for a long time until I kept hearing--yet again--that they all get great by book 3.

Fast forward to now.

So, the writing is better, the characters seem more fluid and the pacing is definitely MUCH better. And beyond that, the story gripped me--even getting me super thrilled by the half way mark. I want my mind challenged with creative options, after all, and the idea of where all this might be headed, at long last, got me pumped.

The action nearing the end, the epic battle, wasn't anything to sneeze at, either.

So, I guess I'll have to jump on the bandwagon, or even make a heretical digression, and say, "Hey, hardcore SF enthusiasts: if you don't want to mess around, just go ahead and read the third book. You won't be dissatisfied."

It's not like I need an epic SF that reads like an epic Fantasy. What I really want is an epic SF that reads like an EPIC SF. I don't need endless battles. I want EVERYTHING. Mystery, character development, massive amounts of worldbuilding in service to entertainment, and all the twists and turns that I could ever desire.

We're getting there now.

My synesthesia finally gave me a lightshow before, during, and after an outdoor concert after I was reading this. I'm thinking it's more like a Pink Floyd than anything else. All the softer, louder, and quirky moments included. And yes, this is high praise.


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僕のヒーローアカデミア 42 [Boku no Hero Academia 42] by Kohei Horikoshi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book hangover.

Well, it IS the last one. The finale was quick, at least for this volume, and the aftermath was, in my opinion, a bit too rushed, but it is as I should have expected.

Sadness. The end. I guess this means I need to move on.

I think, maybe, Deku got a bit shafted. That kid really did everything, didn't he? I know the message says otherwise, but damn.

My synesthesia just smells rubble. The only really great part was the talking with the old villains, or at least their wrap-ups. That was cool.


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僕のヒーローアカデミア 41 [Boku no Hero Academia 41] by Kohei Horikoshi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is one hell of an almost-end. The final moments, the final build-up, and release...

And of course, there's the requisite twist, the fan service, and the acknowledgements to all the other shonen that came before it. (I actually DO respect that a LOT, considering that it STARTED that way).

I think it's sticking to a great, if short, landing. Not quite there yet, but this feels like a great blow-out. I'm already feeling sad that the next is the last volume.


My synesthesia needs to take a nice, warm bath after this one. It's definitely made me dirty and raw.


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僕のヒーローアカデミア 40 [Boku no Hero Academia 40] by Kohei Horikoshi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Penultimate resolutions here. Fan service, too, but self-aware and frankly not bad at all. All for One... is such a monster.

As for WHO gets the spotlight next, I won't spoil, but damn... that was great. Very satisfying.

Deep breath.

Next volume will be enormous. Deku vs Shiggy. End battle.

My synesthesia is burning with much more than woodsmoke and accelerants now. It's heady.


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僕のヒーローアカデミア 39 [Boku no Hero Academia 39] by Kohei Horikoshi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ah, what originally drove me to the series is back for one final stand. All Might. What a glorious, tragic sight at the very end of all things. So beautiful.

And before that, Toga's finale. Also beautiful. A truly winning end. I honestly teared up and had to stop reading for a moment. Such simple things can turn a battle.

My synesthesia begs for a coppery moment of silence.


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僕のヒーローアカデミア 38 [Boku no Hero Academia 38] by Kohei Horikoshi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm finally catching up--and will now complete the manga. I can't believe I put this off.

Stopping in the middle of the final war... what was I thinking? Oh, right, it was still being published.

But now, I'm in the thick of it, Toga, Shiggi, even All for One in their glory, with heroes falling. Very heady stuff. But the last panel? A real whopper. Satisfying.

My synesthesia insists it's burnt rubber and propellants, but at a distance. The destruction is in the very air I breathe.


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Dandadan, Vol. 4 by Yukinobu Tatsu
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Right now, I think I would like to thank the floors and walls for being hard.

That's all. A no context review.






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The Wandering Inn: Book 9 - Tears of Liscor by Pirateaba
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

To be honest, I got a VERY bad feeling about this book by the cover, alone. I knew I was going to hate what was coming, but the question, as always, was WHO would die.

God damn it. After reading this absolutely enormous book and loving every single moment of it, from the quiet, happy times, to the dark questions, to the burning desire to just treat people RIGHT even when they're not even considered PEOPLE by others, to the despair, the lines that couldn't be stepped over, to the god damn brilliant heroism, I'm just at a total loss.

This book destroyed me.

Whatever quibbles I might have about its writing takes a seat WAY back in the bus to the actual storytelling. It's everything I want--long, detailed dives into every single important character in the series. -- On every side of every conflict.

Economy of writing is far from everything. It's like saying that a thing is superior ONLY because it's cheap. Well, guess what? Vast, sprawling tales that all come together eventually, full of heart, humor, and yes, tragedy, all set and colliding in an absolutely enormous worldbuilding, is like truly living another, rich life. And yes, the whole is greater than its parts.

And as for this particular book, I want to RAGE against Liscor and all the damn people I'd grown to love there. I just can't believe that these people DID that.

*cries in memory*

To my synesthesia, I can only taste ashes on my tongue, where just before, I had been eating hearty minestrone soup.



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ダンダダン 3 [Dan Da Dan 3] by Yukinobu Tatsu
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is so wild. The juxtaposition of real pathos -- twice -- sliced up with genuinely funny situational OP wild shit between angry ghosts and alien abductions and, yes, a continuing focus on this poor boy's missing balls, has got to be one for the record books.

I thought Demon Slayer was good at making us feel pity for the monsters even as we ruthlessly put them down, but this one is just as good at the pathos, PLUS it skewers modern life, PLUS it's laugh-out-loud funny, plus I just wanna go AWWWWWW at the young love/misunderstanding scenes. And it all just works. Wild.

To my synesthesia, it's all cake and ice cream. :)


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I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a surprise. I never thought I'd have an opportunity to read something like The Road but only have it good-natured--even in the face of declining society, murder, bobbing bodies, slavery, and total dystopia.

Most Dystopias I've read really double down on the ugly, laying it really thick on how bad people are. But while this one has that, it feels VERY much like an INFP novel, trying to find inner peace and the good in the world while it all falls apart around him. In other words, like me.

So yeah, I thought this was a surprising great novel, even if it exposes my weaknesses--while also pleasantly highlighting a few of my own strengths. There's a line he won't cross, and while he's weak in most ways, he's strong in the ones he values--and never mind what others think.

Solid.

To my synesthesia, it's a journey, and all journeys smell of trail mix, sweat, and campfires. Especially of burning wood.


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ダンダダン 2 [Dan Da Dan 2] by Yukinobu Tatsu
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Woo hoo! I'm having a great time with this.

Between beating Turbo Granny at her own game, losing to another battle with a crab, a freaking DELIGHTFUL first kiss, and some really bad-ass best friends (damn, Momo is blessed there), I'm just lapping this stuff up. One part YA positive relationship that also happens to be wild, and another part supernatural OP drama--which may not SOUND like it's all that unusual from a lot of manga, but in this case, it has a pitch-perfect humorous spot that switches between them on a dime.

Loving this. I'm still chortling. The situational humor is just SO GOOD. Just a few great nods to Inuyasha, even better, maybe, and the rest is so damn snappy.

To my synesthesia, it's all strawberries and cream alongside a souped up bowl of great ramen. Nom nom.


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The Price of Valour by Django Wexler
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

While I appreciate the roundness of the story for what it is, weaving the events of the first two, with their different PoVs, I have to admit I didn't think this one was all too interesting. I loved the events in the second novel, mind you. I felt the need and the drive. This one was a bit bland in comparison, or I was hoping to see it build something rather more interesting here.

I'm not going to say it was bad. But honestly, with all the Military Fantasy I've read over the years, this is pretty middle of the road. The demon names angle is in the background, and sometimes at the fore, but it's hardly the core of the page time. I'll continue his writing, eventually, but I think I'm gonna take a break from straight Mil-F for a moment.

To my synesthesia, I must say that I had the distinct impression of an old stone hallway with recently disturbed a layer of dust reaching my nose.


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Dandadan, Vol. 1 by Yukinobu Tatsu
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I got a big kick out of the anime when I first saw it. Just a little raunchy, very irreverent, and it has a premise too sweet to ignore. A girl who believes in ghosts and a boy who believes in aliens challenge each other's disbelief... and it all goes to shit in the most spectacular way.

It's already OP funny, and we haven't even finished the showdown with Turbo Granny.

Of course, I know where all this is headed, but I'm delighted to see that the anime is following the manga brilliantly.

To my synesthesia, it's like I'm sucking on jawbreakers. Simultaneously sweet and it goes super hard. Yeah. I know how that sounds. lol


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The Wandering Inn: Volume 8 by Pirateaba
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I can try, but probably fail, to describe what I feel about this book: I could keep reading it forever. As simple as that, it is simultaneously perfectly accurate and woefully meaningless.

It's like this: if I were stuck in Dickens' time period, with very little access to entertainment we take for granted, and I'd rely on sitting around family, with lamplight, to read the latest installment of a serial publication, I'd probably treat it like the true social event that it really is. We can all get excited, together, with the next grand twist in the lives of these people, and talk about how they made us feel, whether they made us rage or pissed at how THIS GOOD GUY could turn SO EVIL, and marvel at the evolution of everyone, even the places, in such a HUGE tale.

Well, that's this, but modern. I'm sitting here in my own skull, amazed at the full journey, wondering about lost allies, huge exploits, dangers to come, and huge arcs still unfinished. It's a whole world in every great sense of the world, and I'm here for it. Total immersion.

The laughter, the pain, the growth, the setbacks, and the slow realization that this whole series is one enormous, glacial game of chess. Proper and fitting, if you consider the inkeeper's obsession.

Well, it's still awesome. All of it. It's hard to believe that the first huge book is just a mere intro to a vast story, but here we are.

To my synesthesia, I swear I'm just curling up to a warm cup of tea on a cold night.


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The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It turns out this book rather surprised me. I originally didn't want to read it because I wasn't sure I'd want to get into the head of Snow and his youth.

Turns out, I shouldn't have worried. After just re-reading the original trilogy with its moral and ethical slant that IS NOT good, this one is pretty much a more deeply explored version of the same. Why keep the Hunger Games going, after all? Is it genuinely a good reason to keep the bread and circuses BECAUSE we all think that the world will devolve into violence without them?

Well, Rome asked that question. History is forever forgotten, too.

Well, I can see these books playing to both sides of the question, obviously, and fooling either kind of reader into buying into the rationale or its obverse.

Back to this particular book--I actually PREFERRED her writing in this prequel over the original trilogy. It got rid of the cringe, gave us genuinely interesting, even likable characters (yes, I'm looking at you, Snow) and their twisted descent.

Maybe I'm just weird, but I think this was better than the trilogy--but perhaps not as good as the single first book by itself. The other had simplicity on its side. But I'll be the first to admit I love complicated, rich tales, so that might explain why I preferred this one overall.

To my synesthesia, I swear I was smelling and tasting a vanilla chiffon cake. While there was love, it was truly sweet.


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Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Ok, so. I think this still has a fairly important place in the whole dystopian SF scene, even if its MESSAGE was a little, or even a lot, muddled. It obviously affected tons of people and shone a spotlight on violence and revenge. But that being said, I have to turn my attention to the lesser (or if we go by word count, much greater) interpersonal messages.

Because, let's face it, this is a three-way teen drama dressed up in SF civil war.

Ok. That might even be what so many people want, too, but on this re-read, the whole play between Katniss, Peeta, and Gale just feels so... icky. Sure, Katniss does what she does for Peeta out of loyalty, more like what anyone would do for a friend, not a lover, and Gale just got strung around and he obviously got fed up, too. There's just nothing really redeeming about the romance, and maybe that would have been fine if there wasn't SO much page time devoted to it.

Why am I nit-picky about this? Because it was kinda like this from the very start, and far from resolving into something REAL or SATISFYING, it became as dull as dishwater--just like the ideals of the rebellion.

War is bad, mmm'k? Gotcha. Blown up children absolutely suck. But having a horrific scene or a dozen doesn't make up for the depression or the lack of hope.

Didn't I finish the first book with tons of hope? Yep. Did the second give me the feel like there might be a silver lining? Yep. But sadly, the third's actual silver lining just felt like alcoholism. To my synesthesia, I just smelled cheap alcohol and sadness.

Then again, perhaps that's the point.



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ONE PIECE 110 by Eiichiro Oda
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Huge fights are happening, pure chaos. The elders, a buster call, and best of all, Vengapunk himself stealing the show.

He's really something, and no doubt. Almost *all* the secrets in the series come out here. Not just to us, but to the whole damn world--and it's about the world, the Void Century, and of course, a lot of it is about Nika.

Luffy's still an idiot, but Bonnie is shining like a diamond.

This stuff is damn amazing.

To my synesthesia, I smelled oil and hot metal in the bright, bright sunshine.



Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in GoodReads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

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ONE PIECE 109 by Eiichiro Oda
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Brilliant. Again.

If the end of the previous volume wasn't emotional enough, we get the real payoff of Kuma and Bonnie at the beginning of this one. I'm shocked and elated and actually screaming at the page. Yeah, it's that kind of thing. I'm affected by it as much as "I want to live" or "Aaaaaaacccceeeeeee!".

But things just get HAIRY as hell after that. We've got the BIG fight. The elders. Luffy. The Giants. All the Pacifistas. It's crazy. I'm loving every second of it.

To my synesthesia, I feel like I've walked into a Bed, Bath, and Beyond. An overwhelming panoply of smells assaulting all my senses, almost KO-ing me. It's not something I can handle too much of, but for a brief time, it's kinda everything all at once and transcendent.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to DM requests. I think it's about time I get some eyes on them.

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ONE PIECE 巻百八 〝死んだ方がいい世界〟 by Eiichiro Oda
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Damn it, Oda!

I'm catching up again, but just when I thought it might just be non-stop SF action on Vengapunk's high tech island, with an epic battle between Luffy and Kizaru, we get thrown into a heavy, sweet, and gorgeous flashback featuring none other than Kuma.

Kuma.

So. After reading that, I broke into tears. Oda has a real talent for causing a massive release of emotion in his readers. In me.

And now I'm raging. I really, really hate the world government. Fascism in its purest form, right here.

I just can't get over how good the writing is. It completely re-interprets all the huge scenes from before, deepens everything, and makes me CARE so much.

To my synesthesia, it reads like a cherry lollipop--if the only memory I had of cherry lollipops were the ones that were given to me when I was a child by the biggest, sweetest, bear of a father figure in my life. The father figure who would sacrifice everything and anything to save me--and does.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to DM requests. I think it's about time I get some eyes on them.

Arctunn.com

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Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Re-Read 2/9/25

Honestly? Middle-book syndrome. It's still good, but I have to compare it to the first.

That being said, once I got through all the moaning and groaning between Katniss and Peeta, their mismatched love-life, I found the bones of a pretty good story with only a few moments that made me ask, yet again, how the hell they got there without an author forcing the issue.

Did I hate it all? No, not at all. I was rooting for them all BECAUSE I wanted to see the government fall. They deserve it. So I cheered these baby steps of rebellion, of an eventual mass-movement. It was fun.

Even if I felt like I was living off a land that cried because I didn't love it enough, like those fried rats in the trees, it was still fun to re-visit. My synesthesia thought they tasted like chicken, so hey, I'm not complaining.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to DM requests. I think it's about time I get some eyes on them.

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Dark Universe by Daniel F. Galouye
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm of two minds on this one. For sheer enjoyment, I thought this was middling at best, very much an early 60's schlock SF, but thanks to Richard Dawkins' foreword and obvious love for the tale's underlying idea, I'm willing to be generous.

What's so good about it?

Ah, well, a whole post-apoc where everyone's blind, and the worldbuilding surrounding it. Dark Universe indeed. And no, this isn't a grand-scale post-heat-death beauty. Alas. THAT would have been gorgeous.

When it comes to my synesthesia, I just smelled mushrooms and damp in this novel. No butter, no heat, alas.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to DM requests. I think it's about time I get some eyes on them.

Arctunn.com

Come check out my new covers!


View all my reviews