Just finished reading the SST LE of Josh Malerman's "Inspection". This was technically a re-read for me, but I hardly remembered the plot beforehand and had jumbled elements from it with Stephen King's "Inspection" which I had read around the same time. This time around Malerman's "Inspection" left a much deeper mark. For some reason, the characters seemed to resonate more with me, and the letter names for characters didn't seem as bothersome. Perhaps the book just caught me at a better time as a reader. I also think that this story would make a wonderful limited TV series, saw it in my head as I was reading. On a side note, while the SST production is nice, I do wish they had used different art and had included some extra features beyond that, but at the $60 price point, it still feels like a steal! Overall, I would give this book a solid B to maybe B+ rating.
Not sure, but I think I will be reading the SST LE of Josh Malerman's "Unbury Carol" next, another re-read that I hardly remember.
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As Brian James Freeman mentioned somewhere on the boards, Heller’s writing style for this story was not traditional.Originally posted by brlesh View Post
He doesn’t use quotation marks and very little punctuation.
The story is told from the mind of main character, so there’s a lot of sentence fragments and sharp breaks, but it was a style that I as a reader quickly adapted to, and if any thing I think it helped to speed the story along.
Take it from someone who usually hates any kind of experimental writing, I found The Dogs Stars to be an easy read.
B
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After TDS, started Classic Monsters Unleashed, edited by James Aquilone.
Half way through and it’s been an entertaining, if unmemorable, anthology to this point.
None of the stories have been great (though a couple, IMO, could have been with better endings) and none have been awful.
BLeave a comment:
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Finished The Dog Stars by Peter Heller a few days ago.
Great book!
A different kind of post apocalyptic story.
While most post apocalyptic stories tend to have a long and sprawling story line with a huge cast of characters, TDS was a very intimate, character driven story with a rather simple plot; society has gone to shit, do what you need to do to stay alive.
I thought Heller did a good job of presenting a realistic apocalypse scenario, no zombies, no supernatural deities, just two men trying to survive on a daily basis, which was enough for one but not the other.
A lot of bad things happen in TDS, though most of action takes place “off screen”.
I also liked that Heller didn’t sugar coat his two protagonists.
While you’re sympathetic to the two main characters (more so Hig; less so with Bangley), they do awful things to stay alive and preserve their safe haven.
Definitely a different kind of read.
Highly recommended, especially if you are looking for something outside the normal horror / sci-fi reading genre.
B
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Just finished reading the SST LE of Stephen Graham Jones' "Demon Theory", a first time read for me. Really enjoyed it as I have all of SGJ's stuff. This one was definitely more of an interesting & fun read rather than being particularly scary. You could tell that the author was having loads of fun playing with the characters and formatting of each section of the book. I also really enjoyed how the author played with and subverted a lot of the typical horror story/movie conventions (horror in the woods, hospital, Xmas, etc.). This edition was also the author's preferred text which made a difference in that this book had way fewer footnotes than the standard edition. The level of footnotes in the standard edition always put me off on wanting to read it. Overall, I'm glad that I finally got around to reading this book and would give it a B- to C+ grade.
Am now reading the SST LE of Josh Malerman's "Inspection".Leave a comment:
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Wow, am even more jealous now! That event looks bonkers!Originally posted by TacomaDiver View PostLeave a comment:
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Sounds like a great time. And that additional signature and especially that inscription, on the limited edition is very cool! Congratulations!Leave a comment:
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Oh - here are some pictures of tonight's event.
Daniel Kraus is touring his new book Whalefall. Sadie Hartmann turned me onto this book (it's about a diver who gets swallowed by a whale - hits lots of checkboxes for sure!) Stephen Graham Jones was there as a moderator/interviewer. I've seen SGJ at two official events, and one unofficial when I saw him in line as a fan at a recent convention in Denver, so tonight was my third time meeting him.
It was a great talk - I'm not familiar with Kraus as an author, but Whalefall is going to move to the upper portion of my TBR pile.
Got my copy signed (and stamped) and I had SGJ sign my SST edition of Demon Theory. Yeah, I know some collectors are going to freak that I had an LE personalized to me, but I'm not ever going to part with this, plus double signed now! The inscription is pretty cool tool. (This was also the only SGJ book I had handy since all of my books are currently in storage.)
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20230816_033433029_iOS.jpgLeave a comment:
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He is a really cool guy in person. Very smart (he is a professor at CU Boulder after all) and just has so much to talk about. Never boring!Originally posted by sholloman81 View PostLeave a comment:
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Wow, I'm jealous! I've never gotten to attend an SGJ event and would love to do so! He seems super cool!Originally posted by TacomaDiver View PostLeave a comment:
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As long as things don't change, I should be attending an event on Tuesday where SGJ is the moderator/interviewer. I believe every book I have from his is signed (everything is boxed away) except for Demon Theory. Was thinking of having him flat sign it for the hell of it.Originally posted by sholloman81 View PostLeave a comment:
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Reading TITANIUM NOIR by Nick Harkaway...my first experience with this author but so far very enjoyable. The noir elements are really driving this one, would definitely recommend to fans of the genreLeave a comment:
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Just finished reading the SST LE of Paul Tremblay's "No Sleep Till Wonderland", a first time read for me. I did read the first book in this series awhile back and enjoyed it; so, I had high hopes for this one as well. Luckily, it doesn't disappoint. The main narcoleptic detective character, Mark Genovich, really works for me. I enjoy his inner dialogue and how he tries to juggle his cases and illness. If I had one complaint with this book, it would be that it spends a bit too much time rehashing his illness and its symptoms. I'm guessing that the vast majority of readers probably read the previous book; so, it felt bit unnecessary and repetitive. Other than that, it's a pretty strong read. Hopefully, Tremblay will revisit this character in the future, but I doubt it. Overall, I would give this a C+ to B- grade.
Am now reading the SST LE of Stephen Graham Jones' "Demon Theory", a first time read for me. This version is his original never seen before text so I'm glad that I get to read this version first! Hope it lives up to his other books as I'm a huge SGJ fan.Leave a comment:
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Currently reading my first book from Willy Vlautin, THE NIGHT ALWAYS COMES, and loving this contemporary noir…definitely won’t be my last Vlautin. Probably give his MOTEL LIFE a shot next.Leave a comment:
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Just finished the SST LE of Joe Lansdale's "Terror is Our Business: Dana Roberts' Casebook of Horrors". Had previously read some but not all of the stories. Enjoyed them all. These are really fun characters and I enjoy the overall tone of these stories. Hope Lansdale writes more of them in the future. Overall, I would give this book a C+ to B- rating.
Am now reading the SST LE of Paul Tremblay's "No Sleep Till Wonderland", a first time read for me. Enjoyed the previous book and have high hopes for this sequel.Leave a comment:
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