Monthly Archives: October 2019

The Shape of Water by Guillermo del Toro and Daniel Kraus

It is 1962, and Elisa Esposito—mute her whole life, orphaned as a child—is struggling with her humdrum existence as a janitor working the graveyard shift at Baltimore’s Occam Aerospace Research Center. Were it not for Zelda, a protective coworker, and Giles, her loving neighbor, she doesn’t know how she’d make it through the day.

Then, one fateful night, she sees something she was never meant to see, the Center’s most sensitive asset ever: an amphibious man, captured in the Amazon, to be studied for Cold War advancements. The creature is terrifying but also magnificent, capable of language and of understanding emotions…and Elisa can’t keep away. Using sign language, the two learn to communicate. Soon, affection turns into love, and the creature becomes Elisa’s sole reason to live.

But outside forces are pressing in. Richard Strickland, the obsessed soldier who tracked the asset through the Amazon, wants nothing more than to dissect it before the Russians get a chance to steal it. Elisa has no choice but to risk everything to save her beloved. With the help of Zelda and Giles, Elisa hatches a plan to break out the creature. But Strickland is on to them. And the Russians are, indeed, coming

Trigger Warning: Racism, Homophobia, Violence

Also please note, I have NOT seen the movie.

The Shape of Water is undoubtedly a strange book albeit with a well known premise. American government hears rumors of a strange creature in some far off land and sends someone off to capture it. The creature is brought back alive where it is poked and prodded by government scientists. Through a series of events the creature escapes and is often times killed by the time the credits roll.

The majority of this happens in del Toro’s book, but instead of making the creature some kind of monster and making us sympathize with the scientists and soldiers, he flips the script so to speak. Richard Strickland, the soldier who brought back the creature from the Amazon, is a hateful man. It is incredibly likely he has PTSD because as the story progresses he descends further and further in to a delusional madness.

Instead, we sympathize with the creature. Taken from his home and placed in a sterile tank. Kept prisoner and subjected to torture in the name of science. The only kindness he receives is from one of the overnight janitors, Eliza, who eventually risks everything for him.

The first hundred or so pages of The Shape of Water is a bit difficult to get through. The writing is dry and bland and the story doesn’t move very much. It is only once Eliza and the creature meet does the story start to pick up pace. A pace that gains speed culminating in the climax of the last twenty pages of the book.

I am curious more than ever to see the movie now having read the book so I can compare and contrast the two.

Even if you’ve seen the movie, I recommend reading the book. If nothing else, it will give more insight in to the characters and more background on them than can be given in a 2 hour movie.

Rising Tide (Sirens #1) by T.L. Zalecki

Forget whatever you think you know. History has been rewritten.

In a future world where rising ocean levels swallow coastal cities and people scramble for resources on an overpopulated earth, the survival of the human race depends on biogenetic research to develop aquatic capabilities. The year is 2098, and it has never been more dangerous for the elusive Sirens to be discovered.

Until now, the Sirens have remained eclipsed from the eyes of the human world, inhabiting an obscure, undiscovered island in the Indian Ocean. In a burgeoning discontent among the restless youth, the Sirens, led by a headstrong Mello Seaford, decide to test the waters of open society by striking a deal with the U.S. megacorporation, DiviniGen Inc. And they risk everything to do it.

Has Mello led his people astray, jeopardizing their cherished island by guiding them into the hands of human greed? Will the risk prove worth it, or will the Sirens be forced to face the darkness of eternal isolation?

One person may hold the key to success. From across the ocean, budding scientist Lorelei Phoenix embarks on a dangerous journey into a hidden world, one in which she finds herself connected by more than just the ancestry of her people. Is she alone capable of bridging a centuries long gap between species?

When two worlds collide, the rising tide of love and acceptance will lift all boats… or sink a ship of titanic proportion. 

Trigger Warning: Scenes of violence and mentions of torture.

Rising Tide is a book with a very interesting premise. In a future that feels a little too real, mankind has caused destruction on a pandemic scale. Polar ice has melted, seas have risen, and the human race is somehow surviving. The megacorporation DiviniGen Inc. provides everything now, from food to clothing to drugs, and no one questions just how some of those items have come to be.

Dearest reader, in the course of reading a book have you ever felt the urge to reach through the pages and slap a character upside the head?

That feeling is something I experienced several times while reading T.L. Zalecki’s first book Rising Tide. On more than one occasion I had to suppress the urge to throw the book across the room because of something one of the main characters did, or rather did NOT do.

Every character in the book is motive driven; most times this is a good thing as a person generally needs a reason to drive their actions. It is when the motives become selfish that issues arise. And this occurs for almost every character. They throw caution to the wind and damn the circumstances.

Also, going from the blurb one would think that the Sirens are the main characters of the story. This is sadly not true, they are secondary characters at best. The only main character that happens to be a Siren is Mello, the rest of his kind are mostly mentioned in flashbacks. The real main characters are the humans like Lorelei.

It is difficult to write a review for a book when you were expecting one thing and were given another but I have tried. The idea behind Rising Tide is a good one and I think if the characters were more likable then I would be able to give it a more favorable review. As it is, I cannot and I advise my readers to skip this one.

Judging a book by it’s cover…

A common idiom we often hear is “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover”. And while this is good advice on the whole, sometimes it just doesn’t apply to actual books. There are books whose covers are works of art. And here are some of my faves…

A small aside – all of the books showcased here are from my personal collection and most were purchased with my own money.

Crimson Peak by Guillermo del Toro. While it might not have done well at the box office, the books it inspired are works of art unto themselves.

The official art book. It is stunning with a plethora of pictures from the movie and behind the scenes. There are also in depth characterizations of the main characters as well as “news articles” of events mentioned in the movie.

One of the limited edition hardback novelizations. Easily one of the prettiest books I own. It comes with a slip cover and is autographed by Guillermo del Toro on the inside.

Even the end pages of the book are lovely to look at and include the theme of moths that is prevalent throughout the story.

Those who are familiar with the Final Fantasy series of video games are likely also familiar with the name Yoshitaka Amano. Amano has done all the title art for the games since the beginning. This lovely artbook has copies of his prints from Final Fantasy to Vampire Hunter D.

When one of my favorite artists joined up with one of my favorite authors, I simply cannot resist. Especially when it involves one of my favorite comic characters. Not only is the story lovely and sad but the artwork inside is exquisite.

The first series of books that earned me a bit of recognition on this site. And also the first books where the author thanked me for my review! The covers do not do the stories justice.

Older computer gamers – especially ones like me who were playing in the late 90’s – will likely recognize the name Myst. They were games that were unlike anything seen up to that point. Puzzle games that really made you think.

Only three books were released and they were only available in hardback for a very limited time. All three of mine are in new/like new condition are among the “You’ll have them when you take them from my cold dead hands” group of books I own.

While many of the books I review on here are considered ‘serious’, I am a fan of more humorous stories as well. Terry Pratchett and Christopher Moore are two personal faves.

I recently referenced this book on a Twitter thread and it is one I recommend to all of my friends. I actually own two copies of this book, one the trade paperback and the second this special edition. It’s made to look like a real Bible with gilt edged pages and a ribbon bookmark. Even the cover is leather tooled with gold.

How can I talk about books without mentioning Terry Pratchett? I became a fan of his with the first Discworld book I borrowed from my local library and I’ve never looked back. This is one of the special editions of Paul Kidby’s Imaginarium artbook. A thick and heavy book it has art both familiar and brand new from Pratchett’s Discworld books.

This last group of books are included, not because they’re pretty, but because of what they mean to me. These are books from my grandmother’s immense collection, taken from her house after she passed away.

I don’t know if you can see, but one of those books is my beloved Sherlock Holmes. All of these books are from the late 40’s and 50’s and while they may be falling apart, they are still deeply loved.

Provided for Review: Shadows (Sapphire Smyth and The Shadow Five #1) by R.J. Furness

This book was provided for review by the author and The Write Reads. Thank you!

Have you ever seen something you can’t explain? Did it vanish as fast as it appeared?

Perhaps that thing you saw was lurking in the shadows, and you caught a glimpse of it before it went back into hiding.

There’s a good chance, of course, that the thing you saw simply emerged from your imagination.
Or maybe, just maybe, it didn’t…

Sapphire Smyth is no stranger to rejection. When she was only a baby, her father abandoned her after her mother died. Since then, Sapphire has never felt like she belonged anywhere, or with anyone. To make things worse, her foster carers have now turned their back on her – on her eighteenth birthday. After living with them throughout her childhood, Sapphire has to find a new home. Is it any wonder she finds it hard to trust people?

Abandoned by the people she called family, Sapphire is alone and searching for some meaning in her life. Except that meaning has already come looking for her. When she discovers mysterious creatures lurking in the shadows, Sapphire soon realises that her fate is unlike anything she had ever imagined.

Trigger Warning: Violence. The main characters parents die in a mysterious way. Also, the main character is beaten up.

Even though I am an avid and voracious reader, there are times when I do not feel like diving in to a large book. For me, that is where short stories and novellas come in. They allow me to enjoy a story in a short amount of time.

Such as it is with Shadows, the first book in the Sapphire Smyth and The Shadow Five series. Written with the half hour/hour TV series in mind, in comes in at 104 pages. Even a very slow reader can easily tackle it in an afternoon.

This first book is very much like the first few episodes of a new TV series. In it we are introduced to the main characters, given a little bit of drama and questions, and are left wondering what will happen next. All key components of any good series that hopes to draw viewers in.

As far as the characters themselves, it’s still too early to tell who is a “good” guy and who is a “bad” guy. Even with the main character Sapphire, it’s too early to know if one wants to root for her or not. She does seem to be an interesting character though, as does her good friend Ben. It’s obvious he knows more than he’s telling but whether that is a good or bad thing is yet to be seen.

For an introduction to a new series Shadows shows a lot of promise. I enjoyed it and encourage my readers to seek it out.

The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey

Melanie is a very special girl. Dr. Caldwell calls her “our little genius.”

Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant Parks keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don’t like her. She jokes that she won’t bite, but they don’t laugh.

Melanie loves school. She loves learning about spelling and sums and the world outside the classroom and the children’s cells. She tells her favorite teacher all the things she’ll do when she grows up. Melanie doesn’t know why this makes Miss Justineau look sad.

Trigger Warning: Violence. Of many kinds. This is a zombie novel so it should go without saying. Some of the violence is directed towards children.

The Girl With All the Gifts is a great and unique take on your typical zombie story. The zombies – or hungries as they’re referred to in the book – are not the main character. They do make a few appearances in the book but most of the time they are referred to by the human characters. Something else that makes this story unique is the origin of the zombie virus.

Also on the unique front is how the book doesn’t focus solely on the zombies, but instead focuses on the human characters and how they interact. The world has changed drastically and not every one is taking to it well.

For me, I believe what truly makes The Girl With All the Gifts an enjoyable read is the mysteries behind the scenes. Melanie is such a lovable individual and she has so much love to give if she could only find someone to accept it. But for whatever reason, no one will get close to her. She doesn’t understand but she is determined to find out.

I really enjoyed The Girl With All the Gifts. At times it can be heartbreaking and at other times it can be breathtaking. There is some gore but I still recommend it to my readers.

Recursion by Blake Crouch

Memory makes reality.

That’s what New York City cop Barry Sutton is learning as he investigates the devastating phenomenon the media has dubbed False Memory Syndrome—a mysterious affliction that drives its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived.

That’s what neuroscientist Helena Smith believes. It’s why she’s dedicated her life to creating a technology that will let us preserve our most precious memories. If she succeeds, anyone will be able to re-experience a first kiss, the birth of a child, the final moment with a dying parent. 

As Barry searches for the truth, he comes face-to-face with an opponent more terrifying than any disease—a force that attacks not just our minds but the very fabric of the past. And as its effects begin to unmake the world as we know it, only he and Helena, working together, will stand a chance at defeating it.

But how can they make a stand when reality itself is shifting and crumbling all around them?

Trigger Warning: Mentions of suicide.

Have you ever had a dream that felt so real that when you woke up you could have sworn that it actually happened? That you lived a whole other life? And now that you’ve woken up, you come to the realization that this is your real life and that other life was only a fantasy?

What if you’re told that the life you dreamt of was a result of FMS – False Memory Syndrome? That despite how real it felt that it was all just an illusion? How would that make you feel? How do you think that would make any one feel?

Continuing in the thread of ‘What if…?’, what if you were told there was a special chair. A chair that allows you to revisit past events? And in revisiting the past, the potential to change the future? Would you sit in the chair? What would you change?

All of these questions – and many more – are posed in Blake Crouch’s most recent book Recursion.

In it, neuroscientist Helena Smith is searching for a way to preserve memories. To allow important moments to be recorded so that they might be experienced again. To save what little is left of her own mother’s mind before Alzheimer’s claims her completely. And while Helena succeeds in being able to record memories, it is when they are played back that trouble starts. Trouble that could potentially change the world as we know it.

I will be blunt dear reader, Recursion is not an easy read. At times it is science heavy and at other times it is emotion heavy. It is however a very good book and one that will leave you thinking long after you have turned the last page.

I absolutely recommend this one to my readers.