Finished 5 in March, and they all turned out to be pretty good reads.
1. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. PHM was the first thing I’ve read by Weir and I quite enjoyed it. Definitely an idea book over a character book, as only Grace and Rocky are really given in depth character arcs. The story did bog down for me in a few places, but was overall well paced and did hold my interest throughout the nearly 500 page narrative. The ending was a surprise and left a smile on my face. 4.5 / 5
2. Windhaven by George RR Martin and Lisa Tuttle was a pure fantasy story told in three parts. In the first part a young woman struggles to change the mores of her off-world society. Parts two and three delve into the older woman now dealing with unexpected, and usually negative, consequences to her society. Rather standard fantasy fare, but well told by Martin & Tuttle. 4 / 5
3. The Withering Hours was a short story collection and the first thing I’ve read by Morgan Sylvia. The first four stories all dealt with standard horror tropes (ghosts, vampires, and werewolves) and were pretty good. The remaining stories had a more overall story arc to them, taking place in a time were things are bad, but society has not completely collapsed. These stories had more of folk / cosmic horror feel to them. The last story was a full on post apocalyptic piece. Overall I liked this collection, with most of the stories ranging from average to very good. My favorite was ‘Janie’, about a woman recovering in a mental institution after escaping an abusive abductor. Had a twist ending that I did not see coming.
3.7 / 5
4. Grackle by AC Wise, another first time author for me. After her sister backs out of the trip, a graduate student takes a mysterious young woman with her to a small town where she is conducting research for her thesis. Grackle is a ghost story within a ghost story, and I really liked the idea of the grackle legend and it’s possible connection to the mysterious young woman along for the ride. Liked this one a lot, even though I thought the ending was lacking. 4 / 5
5. In the Mist and Other Uncanny Encounters was another first time author for me, Elizabeth Walter. I liked this collection of classic ghost stories quite a bit. Most of the stories dealt with old legends or revenge from the past, and had a definite MR James feel to them. A more modern association would by the ghost stories of Glen Hirshberg. My favorites were the titular ‘In the Mist’, were a couple picks up an unusual hitchhiker on a misty back road, and ‘Davey Jones’s Tale’, a story of nautical revenge from the past,
4 / 5
B
1. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. PHM was the first thing I’ve read by Weir and I quite enjoyed it. Definitely an idea book over a character book, as only Grace and Rocky are really given in depth character arcs. The story did bog down for me in a few places, but was overall well paced and did hold my interest throughout the nearly 500 page narrative. The ending was a surprise and left a smile on my face. 4.5 / 5
2. Windhaven by George RR Martin and Lisa Tuttle was a pure fantasy story told in three parts. In the first part a young woman struggles to change the mores of her off-world society. Parts two and three delve into the older woman now dealing with unexpected, and usually negative, consequences to her society. Rather standard fantasy fare, but well told by Martin & Tuttle. 4 / 5
3. The Withering Hours was a short story collection and the first thing I’ve read by Morgan Sylvia. The first four stories all dealt with standard horror tropes (ghosts, vampires, and werewolves) and were pretty good. The remaining stories had a more overall story arc to them, taking place in a time were things are bad, but society has not completely collapsed. These stories had more of folk / cosmic horror feel to them. The last story was a full on post apocalyptic piece. Overall I liked this collection, with most of the stories ranging from average to very good. My favorite was ‘Janie’, about a woman recovering in a mental institution after escaping an abusive abductor. Had a twist ending that I did not see coming.
3.7 / 5
4. Grackle by AC Wise, another first time author for me. After her sister backs out of the trip, a graduate student takes a mysterious young woman with her to a small town where she is conducting research for her thesis. Grackle is a ghost story within a ghost story, and I really liked the idea of the grackle legend and it’s possible connection to the mysterious young woman along for the ride. Liked this one a lot, even though I thought the ending was lacking. 4 / 5
5. In the Mist and Other Uncanny Encounters was another first time author for me, Elizabeth Walter. I liked this collection of classic ghost stories quite a bit. Most of the stories dealt with old legends or revenge from the past, and had a definite MR James feel to them. A more modern association would by the ghost stories of Glen Hirshberg. My favorites were the titular ‘In the Mist’, were a couple picks up an unusual hitchhiker on a misty back road, and ‘Davey Jones’s Tale’, a story of nautical revenge from the past,
4 / 5
B
Comment