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    February 2024 - How many?

    Finished 4 in February.

    1. Dune by Frank Herbert. Probably put off reading Dune for 20 years, but wanted to read it before seeing Part 2 (I really enjoyed Part 1). I went into it with high expectations, and overall, would have to say I came away from it with a disappointing reading experience. I really liked the first part, which coincided pretty closely with the first movie. A lot going on, a lot of political intrigue (much more than the film), and a relatively fast paced story. In parts 2 & 3, the pacing slowed to a crawl and I found the ending to be rushed and anticlimactic. Saw a YouTube video the other day that described the book as ‘dense and dry’, and that is probably the perfect concise description of my experience with Dune. 2.5 / 5

    2. Tidepool by Nicole Wilson was the first thing I’ve read by this author, and overall was a lot of fun. A young woman goes to the run down seaside town of Tidepool to search for her lost brother. The locals make no bones about not wanting her there. While borrowing heavily from HPL’s The Shadow Over Innsmouth, Wilson takes the original story in a whole new direction. Well paced with interesting characters, though the story did get a little repetitive in the second half. 3.5 / 5

    3. If You See Her by Ania Ahlborn. Three friends visit the local haunted house a few weeks before their high school graduation, and one of the friends apparently kills himself. 20 years later, the two surviving friends return to the house, and again, one of them apparently commits suicide in the house. Will the last of the three end up joining his dead friends? Another bleak horror story by Ahlborn, who uses all the horror tropes in this one - haunted house, ghosts, and demonic possession. Really enjoyed the first third and the last third of this story. The middle part did drag a bit, but overall I thought this was another winner from Ahlborn. 4 / 5

    4. Little Mutilations was a three novella anthology with stories by Jess Landry, Sofia Ajram, & Nadia Bulkin. My favorite was the urban vampire story by Landry (a young woman goes in search of her drug addicted mother and comes under the spell of an enigmatic woman). The story by Ajram was probably the most interesting, though the ending was too surreal for my taste (two friends take part in an experimental drug study with strange side effects). Had no interest in the story by Bulkin (a beauty pageant contestant starts finding unusual growths on her body).
    3.5, 2.5, 1.5 - 2.5 / 5

    B

    #2
    Originally posted by brlesh View Post
    Finished 4 in February.

    1. Dune by Frank Herbert. Probably put off reading Dune for 20 years, but wanted to read it before seeing Part 2 (I really enjoyed Part 1). I went into it with high expectations, and overall, would have to say I came away from it with a disappointing reading experience. I really liked the first part, which coincided pretty closely with the first movie. A lot going on, a lot of political intrigue (much more than the film), and a relatively fast paced story. In parts 2 & 3, the pacing slowed to a crawl and I found the ending to be rushed and anticlimactic. Saw a YouTube video the other day that described the book as ‘dense and dry’, and that is probably the perfect concise description of my experience with Dune. 2.5 / 5

    2. Tidepool by Nicole Wilson was the first thing I’ve read by this author, and overall was a lot of fun. A young woman goes to the run down seaside town of Tidepool to search for her lost brother. The locals make no bones about not wanting her there. While borrowing heavily from HPL’s The Shadow Over Innsmouth, Wilson takes the original story in a whole new direction. Well paced with interesting characters, though the story did get a little repetitive in the second half. 3.5 / 5

    3. If You See Her by Ania Ahlborn. Three friends visit the local haunted house a few weeks before their high school graduation, and one of the friends apparently kills himself. 20 years later, the two surviving friends return to the house, and again, one of them apparently commits suicide in the house. Will the last of the three end up joining his dead friends? Another bleak horror story by Ahlborn, who uses all the horror tropes in this one - haunted house, ghosts, and demonic possession. Really enjoyed the first third and the last third of this story. The middle part did drag a bit, but overall I thought this was another winner from Ahlborn. 4 / 5

    4. Little Mutilations was a three novella anthology with stories by Jess Landry, Sofia Ajram, & Nadia Bulkin. My favorite was the urban vampire story by Landry (a young woman goes in search of her drug addicted mother and comes under the spell of an enigmatic woman). The story by Ajram was probably the most interesting, though the ending was too surreal for my taste (two friends take part in an experimental drug study with strange side effects). Had no interest in the story by Bulkin (a beauty pageant contestant starts finding unusual growths on her body).
    3.5, 2.5, 1.5 - 2.5 / 5

    B
    I've been meaning to get around to Dune for such a long time and then I read reviews like this and I just keep putting it off. One day, I guess.

    Comment


      #3
      I read two in February:

      1. Gothic by Peter Fracassi: I've already posted about this on the forum, but as an first encounter with the author's work, I found the book to be okay. The first fifty pages or so were rough going, but it seemed to pick up steam and I enjoyed the final section of the book the most and wished it had lived in that spot more. 3.75/5

      2. We Came From an Island by Cynthia Pelayo: This was an interesting mini-collection of three short stories, each one dealing with the author's family and heritage mixed with some supernatural elements and magical realism. It took me a little to settle in as these have a more literary bent than a genre one, but once I recalibrated, I enjoyed these stories quite a bit and am going to be on the lookout for more of her work. 3.75/5

      Comment


        #4
        My goal of a book-a-day was derailed by the 29th of February. Curse it!!!


        The Fantastic Four: Behold…Galactus! (8)
        The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Ominous Omnibus, Vol. 2: Deadtime Stories for Boos & Ghouls (1) I loved the first omnibus collection, but this one just fell flat for me.
        Making it So: A Memoir by Patrick Stewart (9)
        Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman (8) An advance copy of Josh Malerman's new haunted house novel. I LOVED IT, all the way through to the end, which fell a bit flat for me. Still highly recommended.
        Wes Anderson: The Iconic Filmmaker and His Work (7)
        The Fantagraphics EC Artists’ Library, Volume 35: The Bitter End and Other Stories Illustrated by Reed Crandall (7)
        Moonshine, Volume 3: Rue Le Jour (6)
        Stargirl: The Lost Children (7)
        Danger Street, Vol. 1 (7)
        Grendel: Devil by the Deed- Master’s Edition (8)
        Everything You Need by Michael Marshall Smith (6) I'm a big fan of his short stories, but reading a bunch at once reveals his crutch (Stories that doooon't quite make sense until the last page.), and it grated on me by the end.
        The Walking Dead, Volume 32: Rest in Peace (9)
        Front Row at the Trump Show by Jonathan Karl (7)
        The Immortal Iron Fist and The Immortal Weapons Omnibus (5)
        Ghosted Compendium (7)
        The Legend of Grimjack, Volume One (7)
        The Legend of Grimjack, Volume Two (9)
        The Legend of Grimjack, Volume Three (6)
        Hellboy in Love (7) I'm still a huge Hellboy fan, but creator Mike Mignola has been farming out the newer stuff, and it just can't compare to his singular vision.
        Gaslight, Ghosts, & Ghouls: A Centenary Celebration (9) HOLY SHIT!!! Where has R. Chetwynd-Hayes been all of my life?? And why is so little of his work still in print?? I devoured this book.
        Captain America by Ta-Nehisi Coates Omnibus (1)
        Clobberin’ Time (6)
        Archie’s Big Book, Volume 2: Fantasy (8)
        The Way We All Became The Brady Bunch: How The Canceled Sitcom Became the Beloved Pop Culture Icon We Are Still Talking About Today (6)
        Shadows On the Grave (4)
        Vanish, Volume One (9)
        Vanish, Volume Two (3)
        Once Upon A Time At The End Of The World, Book One: Love In The Wasteland (6)

        The best of the bunch was the Chetwynd-Hayes collection/celebration, which I cannot recommend highly enough. Any other fans here?
        http://thecrabbyreviewer.blogspot.com/

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by dannyboy121070 View Post
          My goal of a book-a-day was derailed by the 29th of February. Curse it!!!


          The Fantastic Four: Behold…Galactus! (8)
          The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Ominous Omnibus, Vol. 2: Deadtime Stories for Boos & Ghouls (1) I loved the first omnibus collection, but this one just fell flat for me.
          Making it So: A Memoir by Patrick Stewart (9)
          Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman (8) An advance copy of Josh Malerman's new haunted house novel. I LOVED IT, all the way through to the end, which fell a bit flat for me. Still highly recommended.
          Wes Anderson: The Iconic Filmmaker and His Work (7)
          The Fantagraphics EC Artists’ Library, Volume 35: The Bitter End and Other Stories Illustrated by Reed Crandall (7)
          Moonshine, Volume 3: Rue Le Jour (6)
          Stargirl: The Lost Children (7)
          Danger Street, Vol. 1 (7)
          Grendel: Devil by the Deed- Master’s Edition (8)
          Everything You Need by Michael Marshall Smith (6) I'm a big fan of his short stories, but reading a bunch at once reveals his crutch (Stories that doooon't quite make sense until the last page.), and it grated on me by the end.
          The Walking Dead, Volume 32: Rest in Peace (9)
          Front Row at the Trump Show by Jonathan Karl (7)
          The Immortal Iron Fist and The Immortal Weapons Omnibus (5)
          Ghosted Compendium (7)
          The Legend of Grimjack, Volume One (7)
          The Legend of Grimjack, Volume Two (9)
          The Legend of Grimjack, Volume Three (6)
          Hellboy in Love (7) I'm still a huge Hellboy fan, but creator Mike Mignola has been farming out the newer stuff, and it just can't compare to his singular vision.
          Gaslight, Ghosts, & Ghouls: A Centenary Celebration (9) HOLY SHIT!!! Where has R. Chetwynd-Hayes been all of my life?? And why is so little of his work still in print?? I devoured this book.
          Captain America by Ta-Nehisi Coates Omnibus (1)
          Clobberin’ Time (6)
          Archie’s Big Book, Volume 2: Fantasy (8)
          The Way We All Became The Brady Bunch: How The Canceled Sitcom Became the Beloved Pop Culture Icon We Are Still Talking About Today (6)
          Shadows On the Grave (4)
          Vanish, Volume One (9)
          Vanish, Volume Two (3)
          Once Upon A Time At The End Of The World, Book One: Love In The Wasteland (6)

          The best of the bunch was the Chetwynd-Hayes collection/celebration, which I cannot recommend highly enough. Any other fans here?
          You've got me really interested in that Chetwynd-Hayes collection again. I remember when PS announced it, but as I almost always do with PS, I put it on the backburner and completely forgot about it. You're enthusiastic recommendation has put it back on the radar.

          You rated the Captain America Omnibus very low. People seem divided on it. What were the problems in your opinion?

          I had no idea that Grimjack had been collected! Ostrander is so incredibly underrated.

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by Sock Monkey View Post

            You've got me really interested in that Chetwynd-Hayes collection again. I remember when PS announced it, but as I almost always do with PS, I put it on the backburner and completely forgot about it. You're enthusiastic recommendation has put it back on the radar.

            You rated the Captain America Omnibus very low. People seem divided on it. What were the problems in your opinion?

            I had no idea that Grimjack had been collected! Ostrander is so incredibly underrated.


            In order:

            The Chetwynd-Hayes book is available on Amazon as a trade paperback. If you like it, Valancourt has two collections of his work, THE MONSTER CLUB and LOOKING FOR SOMETHING TO SUCK: THE VAMPIRE STORIES OF R. CHETWYND-HAYES. I grabbed both this week. I've been haunting e-bay for old books of his, but they are very expensive, and I'm beyond broke, so I'll have to get other people interested in his work so someone will feel compelled to reprint it, lol.

            The CAPTAIN AMERICA OMNIBUS...I had high hopes, seeing as how Coates is a bestselling novelist, but it was basically yet another version of the "Where does Steve Rogers fit in in this modern world?" story. The art was mainly terrible (A problem I have with most current comics), and the story was SO steeped in current continuity as to be almost impenetrable, and there are NO recaps, explanatory captions, etc. Overall, it had a lot of deep ideas, but was childish in execution.

            GRIMJACK was collected in trades by IDW a decade or so ago, but wasn't finished. More recently, some company I have never heard of reprinted it in a series of omnibuses, but it is still incomplete, and looks like it is staying that way, unfortunately. I agree, Ostrander is amazing...His SUICIDE SQUAD is a classic.
            http://thecrabbyreviewer.blogspot.com/

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by dannyboy121070 View Post



              In order:

              The Chetwynd-Hayes book is available on Amazon as a trade paperback. If you like it, Valancourt has two collections of his work, THE MONSTER CLUB and LOOKING FOR SOMETHING TO SUCK: THE VAMPIRE STORIES OF R. CHETWYND-HAYES. I grabbed both this week. I've been haunting e-bay for old books of his, but they are very expensive, and I'm beyond broke, so I'll have to get other people interested in his work so someone will feel compelled to reprint it, lol.

              The CAPTAIN AMERICA OMNIBUS...I had high hopes, seeing as how Coates is a bestselling novelist, but it was basically yet another version of the "Where does Steve Rogers fit in in this modern world?" story. The art was mainly terrible (A problem I have with most current comics), and the story was SO steeped in current continuity as to be almost impenetrable, and there are NO recaps, explanatory captions, etc. Overall, it had a lot of deep ideas, but was childish in execution.

              GRIMJACK was collected in trades by IDW a decade or so ago, but wasn't finished. More recently, some company I have never heard of reprinted it in a series of omnibuses, but it is still incomplete, and looks like it is staying that way, unfortunately. I agree, Ostrander is amazing...His SUICIDE SQUAD is a classic.
              Thanks for the info! That's unfortunate that the GRIMJACK collections seem to have gone uncompleted. They're still on my radar now, so thank you for that. As for Ostrander, I have not had the pleasure of reading his SUICIDE SQUAD yet. It has been on my radar for 15+ years now and, until the recent interest due to the movies, the issues were mostly $1.00 bin fodder, so I kept kicking the can down the road. I do plan on getting around to it, but it might be bundled together with some other 80s series I've meant to get to as well (MANHUNTER, CHECKMATE!, CAPTAIN ATOM). I am currently working on piecing together his run on THE SPECTRE, so I have that to look forward to!

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by Sock Monkey View Post

                I am currently working on piecing together his run on THE SPECTRE, so I have that to look forward to!
                I haven't read or bought a comic since my teens, but I love The Spectre. That character was always one of my favorites, and his is one of three comics I've kept from my boyhood collection. I did a couple years ago in a fit of unbridled nostalgia buy a tpb omnibus of the Neal Adams Spectre stories from the '70s, and what a treat that was to revisit those stories and that art. I couldn't believe how many images of those issues were forever burnt into my brain...they looked and felt as familiar as yesterday.

                My daughter gifted me a small figurine of him probably a dozen years ago, maybe more, having no idea I liked the character...she just saw it in a store and thought it looked scary and would be something I'd like. Needless to say, I was stunned when I pulled him out of the wrapping paper, since I'd never mentioned my affection for him to her (or anyone else in the family, for that matter).

                There was some sort of oversized HC of Spectre stories released somewhat recently, but I shied away when I saw the price (and figured I had the best of the bunch in my tpb omnibus). Still wouldn't mind having that one if I ever stumbled upon a steal-of-a-deal at a used bookstore.

                Twitter: https://twitter.com/ron_clinton

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by Sock Monkey View Post

                  Thanks for the info! That's unfortunate that the GRIMJACK collections seem to have gone uncompleted. They're still on my radar now, so thank you for that. As for Ostrander, I have not had the pleasure of reading his SUICIDE SQUAD yet. It has been on my radar for 15+ years now and, until the recent interest due to the movies, the issues were mostly $1.00 bin fodder, so I kept kicking the can down the road. I do plan on getting around to it, but it might be bundled together with some other 80s series I've meant to get to as well (MANHUNTER, CHECKMATE!, CAPTAIN ATOM). I am currently working on piecing together his run on THE SPECTRE, so I have that to look forward to!
                   Ostrander's runs of MARTIAN MANHUNTER and THE SPECTRE were both excellent.
                  http://thecrabbyreviewer.blogspot.com/

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by RonClinton View Post

                    I haven't read or bought a comic since my teens, but I love The Spectre. That character was always one of my favorites, and his is one of three comics I've kept from my boyhood collection. I did a couple years ago in a fit of unbridled nostalgia buy a tpb omnibus of the Neal Adams Spectre stories from the '70s, and what a treat that was to revisit those stories and that art. I couldn't believe how many images of those issues were forever burnt into my brain...they looked and felt as familiar as yesterday.

                    My daughter gifted me a small figurine of him probably a dozen years ago, maybe more, having no idea I liked the character...she just saw it in a store and thought it looked scary and would be something I'd like. Needless to say, I was stunned when I pulled him out of the wrapping paper, since I'd never mentioned my affection for him to her (or anyone else in the family, for that matter).

                    There was some sort of oversized HC of Spectre stories released somewhat recently, but I shied away when I saw the price (and figured I had the best of the bunch in my tpb omnibus). Still wouldn't mind having that one if I ever stumbled upon a steal-of-a-deal at a used bookstore.
                     You might be referring to THE WRATH OF THE SPECTRE OMNIBUS. I passed on that one because it came out during a pricey week for comics, and I was hoping to pick it up a few paychecks later. It sold out instantly and has been going for big bucks.
                    http://thecrabbyreviewer.blogspot.com/

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by dannyboy121070 View Post

                       You might be referring to THE WRATH OF THE SPECTRE OMNIBUS. I passed on that one because it came out during a pricey week for comics, and I was hoping to pick it up a few paychecks later. It sold out instantly and has been going for big bucks.
                      Yeah, that sounds about right. Probably should have bit the bullet and picked it up, but I wasn't at all familiar with the comic market so was hoping, if not outright assuming, it'd go down in price. Turns out those kind of books are just like Centipede volumes and are very prone to increases in value. Live and learn.
                      Twitter: https://twitter.com/ron_clinton

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by RonClinton View Post

                        Yeah, that sounds about right. Probably should have bit the bullet and picked it up, but I wasn't at all familiar with the comic market so was hoping, if not outright assuming, it'd go down in price. Turns out those kind of books are just like Centipede volumes and are very prone to increases in value. Live and learn.
                        Omnibuses are a crapshoot...some get remaindered, some skyrocket in price. I really misjudged this one.
                        http://thecrabbyreviewer.blogspot.com/

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by dannyboy121070 View Post

                          Omnibuses are a crapshoot...some get remaindered, some skyrocket in price. I really misjudged this one.
                          This fact really surprised me. When I dipped out of collecting comics, omnibuses weren't really around and trade paperback collections were relatively looked down upon by collectors. When I starting digging back into comics over the last year or two, I was shocked at how expensive some of these go for. I kinda understood the omnibuses due to their hardcover nature, upgraded paper, and whatnot, but even then, they seem a little unwieldly to read (and $300+ for things like Wrath of the Spectre omnibus still shock me a bit) but the fact that trade paperbacks being offered for $100+ just blew my mind.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by dannyboy121070 View Post

                            Â Ostrander's runs of MARTIAN MANHUNTER and THE SPECTRE were both excellent.
                            It's a shame that his runs don't seem to be collected for people to easily access. From what I remember of Martian Manhunter, besides the One Million issue, it stood on its own from other series and The Spectre, it's pretty self-contained as well. Neither have huge fan bases, but it seems like these could be evergreen collections for people to jump on board with. From what I've seen DC doesn't have a solid grasp on their collected editions, especially in comparison to Marvel, who seems to crank out the collections in multiple formats (omnibuses, Epic Collections, hardcovers).

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by RonClinton View Post

                              I haven't read or bought a comic since my teens, but I love The Spectre. That character was always one of my favorites, and his is one of three comics I've kept from my boyhood collection. I did a couple years ago in a fit of unbridled nostalgia buy a tpb omnibus of the Neal Adams Spectre stories from the '70s, and what a treat that was to revisit those stories and that art. I couldn't believe how many images of those issues were forever burnt into my brain...they looked and felt as familiar as yesterday.

                              My daughter gifted me a small figurine of him probably a dozen years ago, maybe more, having no idea I liked the character...she just saw it in a store and thought it looked scary and would be something I'd like. Needless to say, I was stunned when I pulled him out of the wrapping paper, since I'd never mentioned my affection for him to her (or anyone else in the family, for that matter).

                              There was some sort of oversized HC of Spectre stories released somewhat recently, but I shied away when I saw the price (and figured I had the best of the bunch in my tpb omnibus). Still wouldn't mind having that one if I ever stumbled upon a steal-of-a-deal at a used bookstore.
                              That tale about the gift from your daughter is the best. One of those times where something seems like it'll be pretty cool and then winds up being absolutely perfect. That's pretty awesome.

                              Comment

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