Best of Apex Magazine. Volume 1

How fun is this cover?!

Where I got the book

LibraryThing Early Reviewers, as an eBook.

Why I’m reading

I just finished For Exposure, an autobiography by Jason Sizemore, the creator and editor of Apex Magazine -- so of course I want to see what all the fuss was about.

Expectations

A collection of (hopefully high-quality) scifi short stories. I’ve got to get the taste of Joy to the Worlds out of my mouth...

How was it?

I started this months ago, but just finished the last few. I love short stories, but collections are hard to finish than novels -- there’s no ‘what happens next?!’ when you finish each story in one sitting. The whole thing blew me away, really; I really haven’t been reading enough of this sort of thing. I was expecting much more strict scifi, but these stories were a fantastic mix of scifi, fantasy, horror (Gothic, not slasher), thought experiments, and old campfire ghost stories. What struck me is that these stories all played to the strengths of the short story, tossing the reader into the middle of a world and letting them figure things out as they go. Some felt unfinished or not fully realized, which isn’t a bad thing. Weirdly enough, it’s something I see often in good fanfiction: stories that are allowed to be ephemeral and experimental rather than definitive. The stories feel shorter than Joy to the Worlds, but I can’t tell if they’re actually shorter or just less painful to read…  

Jackalope Wives // Ursula Vernon
A short, dark fantasy story about shape-changing jackalope wives, in the style of an old fairy tale -- the kind that were weird and twisted and creepy as hell.  

Going Endo // Rich Larson
This whacks you right over the head with the sort of technobabble future-speak that usually comes off trite, but this time it sets a great mood -- it sounds like natural slang, and there are no Importantly Capitalized Nouns. It’s a slice of life from some kind of militarized bio-VR company engineer… and then also sex. Cheeky!

 Candy Girl // Chikodili Emelumadu
A quick and dirty voodoo story that's like something out of a dream - random and strange,but not terrifying. Wickedly vindictive.

 If You Were a Dinosaur, My Love // Rachel Swirsky
Starts out a bit like Neil Gaimon’s The Day the Saucers Came or If You Give a Mouse a Cookie -- mostly nonsense. Ends a bit like the song If You Could See Her from Cabaret.  

Advertising at the End of the World // Keffy R.M. Kehrli
A post-apocalyptic survivor and the hi-tech remnants of advertising culture. A little sad; probably a metaphor for old age. Strangely comfortable.  

The Performance Artist // Lettie Prell
A performance artist explores the connection between self and machines. I didn't really connect with this one, but, well... she nailed performance art. Imaginative, though.

A Matter of Shapespace // Brian Trent
All mass (humanity included) can be transmitted and manipulated electronically, through simple thought commands. A little like The Matrix, a little like I, Rowboat I like it. http://www.flurb.net/1/doctorow.htm  

Falling Leaves // Liz Argall
Two outcast teen girls connect (sort of) in a post apocalyptic society. Post apocalyptic teenage angst. Meh.  

Blood from Stone // Alethea Kontis
Summoning demons and dark, twisted love... except, yeah, I've read tons of stuff that's darker and more twisted. Your standard Gothic fare: not a bad read, but nothing special.  

Sexagesimal // Katharine E.K. Duckett
This one was weird - a trippy and very unique take on death, with an afterlife that runs on a memory-based economy.  

Multo // Samuel Marzioli
Are you afraid of the dark? A simple story that perfectly captures the old childhood fear that kept us tucked safely under our quilts at night.  

Keep Talking // Marie Vibbert
Like contact, a little bit, I guess? But with autism and interpretive dance? I wasn’t a fan of this one.  

Remembery Day // Sarah Pinsker
Another one about memory, this time focusing on memory and war. Definitely a thought exercise on the question of memory: are we better off remembering bad things (like war)? If we could forget, should we -- as an individual, and as a society?

Blood on Beacon Hill // Russell Nichols
Immortal vampires are just as messed up by family and society as mortals are.  

The Green Book // Amal El-Mohtar
Epistolary. A man, his mentor, a talking book who was once a girl, a sort of shadowy religious order, and absolutely zero context. Interesting.  

L’espirit de L’escalier // Peter M. Ball
An endless stairwell three sharpies and a bottle of ashes: that’s it. I love the lack of context.  
Still Life (A Sexagesimal Fairy Tale) // Ian Tregillis
In a palace that time forgot, a clock maker - the only person who can age - falls in love and builds magical time pieces.  

Build-a-Dolly // Ken Liu
We're cruel to our toys.  

Armless Maidens of the American West // Genevieve Valentine
An armless girl (woman?) wandering the forest -- like a local ghost story, except everyone knows she's real and just doesn't pay much attention. A commentary on ignoring suffering of others simply because it's the way things are.

Pocosin // Ursula Vernon
A tired witch and a dying possum god. Very atmospheric.  

She Gave Her Heart, He Took Her Marrow // Sam Fleming
A mentally ill girl in the middle of a sort-of zombie apocalypse. Very confusing at first. Err… very confusing at the end, too. Not quite a zombie story, but I got the same sort of vibe.

Eleanor // Jason Gurley

Why I'm reading
I almost skipped over this -- it seemed like your typical tug-on-your-heartstrings mother-daughter story. Then halfway through the summary, suddenly... Scifi?

Where I got the book
Received this from LibraryThing's early reviewer program.

Expectations
The summary was strange. 99% of it reads like something from Lifetime or Oprah's book list, until I realized trite phrases like "Eleanor's painful reality begins to unravel" and "Eleanor is torn from her world" are happening literally.

So how was it?

Eleanor is the story of three generations of women... mostly making each other miserable. It spans forty years (1962-1996), with a plot that jumps between Eleanor, her daughter Agnes', her daughters Eleanor (junior) and Esmeralda, and -- ready for the Scifi? -- a mysterious rift dimension. Oh, and a series of husbands/fathers who don't really help the situation.

I've been calling this all Scifi, but it's not really Science Fiction. It has the freedom and imagination of Scifi, but there's no science involved; it's closer to mythology. I would probably call it Fantasy, but it has no relation to familiar High Fantasy exemplified by Tolkien.

Recommendation
Extremely similar to the video game Life is Strange -- love, tragedy, time travel, and relationships between women. Vaguely similar to Donnie Darko, except A) it's not super-pretentious, and B) I didn't hate it.

Feels
Deals with grief and pain between generations of women. The cosmology reminds me of Egyptian or Tolkien's mythology.

Favorites
I thought I'd hate the myriad of characters introduced, but it was satisfying once everything came together. The story didn't constantly need to ram its own mystery/suspense down the reader's throat.

Least favorites
I guess I like that it bounced around between characters/times, but it did that a little too much.

For Exposure // Jason Sizemore

Why I'm reading
It seemed interesting; I like Scifi, and I’m sort of interested in publishing. Plus the cover was pretty awesome. Ironically, a few chapters in, Sizemore mentions the cover art was fairly influential in getting people to pick up his new magazine.

Where I got the book
An eBook that I vaguely remember requesting from LibraryThing’s early reviewer giveaway.

Expectations
Well, LT early reviewers summary is what I was working with:

“In this collection of semi-true and sometimes humorous essays, Jason exposes the parties, people, and triumphs that shaped him into the Apex Overlord. He also lays bare the hardships and failures that have threatened to take it all away. Meet Thong Girl, heed the warning about the ham, receive rest stop bathroom wisdom, and visit an emergency room straight out of a horror movie in this extraordinary account of life as a publisher and editor.”

So how was it?

Okay, first of all, it took me nearly a month to finally get myself to read past the first few paragraphs. It was just… weirdly religious, out of the blue, and had nothing to do with publishing. Then I promised myself I’d sit down and read through at least a chapter, and couldn’t put it down.

It’s more or less what LibraryThing described: humorous autobiographical essays, starting with the author’s early life -- a strange mixture of rural Baptist Christianity and Scifi/horror movies -- before moving quickly into the world of fandom and publishing. What really sets this book apart is the writing. The whole “humorous semi-autobiographical essay” genre is full of fun and engaging writing, but Sizemore is unexpectedly sharp and smart. It doesn’t feel like he’s trying too hard to be Witty and impart a Meaningful Message (or, like a lot of the humorous essays I read, a Meaningful Feeling Without Any Actual Point). Something about the writing reminds me of… well, a good Scifi author.

Also notable are the rebuttal essays, written by friends and colleagues, interspersed between chapters. While they're not the funniest part of the book, they provide a second point of view for many of the events he describes, so it feels less like a novelization.

If you’re only looking for insight into the publishing world, this probably isn’t really the book you want. It’s very specific to the world of small, independent Scifi/horror genre magazine publishing.

All 70+ issues of Apex Magazine are available in eBook format. 

Recommendation
Anyone interested in the world of Scifi, short stories, or conventions. Heck, anyone even close to interested; three chapters in, and I was ready to check out every short story collection Greenwich has (...and I cataloged most of them, so…)

Feels
Sharp, smart, blunt, with more action than navel-gazing. He explains the inspiration and creation of Apex Science Fiction and Horror Digest in just 303 words, and it’s well done. That’s the kind of thing most authors would needlessly drag out for a chapter or two.

Favorites
The writing, by far -- which means I’m tempted to just copy out all the best sections. But that would take up way too much space. Also, his early con experiences. Both exemplified in this quote:

“Don’t you want to eat something, first? The ham is delicious.”
No. I would not have any ham. The juxtaposition of human thighs and honey-baked ham made me blanch. I wrenched the door opened and rushed out of there.

Least favorites
The prologue. It's not poorly written, but it was a bit too much right off the bat.

Writing style
He’s got a big vocabulary, and knows how to use it. And no, I don’t mean the kind of author who thumbs through their thesaurus looking for fancy words. 

Mockingjay // Suzanne Collins {Audiobook}

Why I'm reading
Duh.

Where I got the book
Greeeeeeenwich.

Expectations
Finally getting to this whole rebellion thing.

So how was it?

After being rescued in Catching Fire, and bumming around with what is probably several layers of PTSD, Katniss ends up the Mockingjay: the rebellion's figurehead. There’s lots of arguing about everything, a new flavor of makeover, and actual rebellion-fighting action! Then she sets off with a small elite squad and the real action actually starts. Also, Peeta’s all sorts of messed up.

This vastly exceeded my expectations. Not so much in terms of plot, but in terms of how Collins handles the emotional aspects of war. There's a brief afterword at the end (read by the author in the audiobook) explaining how she came up with the idea: she was flipping through channels, and saw  young reality TV stars juxtaposed against young soldiers in Iraq. I'm so glad I stuck around for the afterword (I usually don't read them) because it explains how this book had such an impact; the plot and the characters are your typical dystopian thriller, but there's a strong undercurrent of -- I don't know what to call it, but it reminds me of M*A*S*H.

The afterword also explained why I was constantly thinking jeez, I really hope they filmed this shot-for-shot, the scenes are set up perfectly for film -- Collins worked in TV!

Recommendation
Well, if you’ve made it this far…

Feels
Like everyone’s dying and you don’t have time to care. Seriously, just assume everyone dies. Not everyone does, but at least then you'll be -- let's not say pleasantly surprised, but at least not totally crushed.

Favorites
Continues to be Finnick and Haymitch, although Haymitch plays a smaller role this time. The shenanigans with the camera crew. Katniss’ last arrow.

Least favorites
The whole thing with Peeta was a little silly initially, but I guess it served its purpose. I also wasn't a fan of the way she wrote the fire... thing at the very end.

So what did I really think?

Click "read more"... massive spoilers ahead!

Hunger Games // Suzanne Collins {Audiobook}

Why I'm reading
I feel like a bad librarian for not having read Hunger Games yet. That's me, always late to the party!

Where I got the book
Overdrive from Greenwich Library.

Expectations
I've seen the first movie, so more or less (more, it turns out) know the plot.

So how was it?

The movie stuck fairly close to the plot -- and feel -- of the book, so it was what I expected: a dystopian future, where North America is split into twelve districts, each of which sends two 'tribute' citizens to compete in the Hunger Games.

The book is always better (of course) but in this case, the movie had no chance; as a film medium, it just can't get the same message across. In the book, we understand that Katniss is playing things up for the camera, that everything she feels/does is filtered through the lens of being watched and fighting for her life, and that she's disgusted by the audience watching her -- all things that are nearly impossible to convey to... well, an audience watching her. Jennifer Lawrence actually does a fantastic job conveying the right blank-face disgust and terror.

I've held back on watching the other movies, because I don't want to spend the rest of the series comparing the two (hey, it worked for LotR!)

Recommendation
If you liked the movie, you'll like the book. It's got a little of everything: fighting, survival, romance, a little bit of a psychological thrill (like a spy novel), family drama, and pageantry -- but definitely heavy on the fighting and survival.

Feels
Fast-paced without being ridiculous or confusing. The romance elements are a bit annoying, but honest and don't have any real resolution.

Favorites
It's nothing groundbreaking, but I really appreciated the detail and honesty given to Katniss' relationships -- they're allowed to be conflicted and confusing. She doesn't understand the motives behind her own actions, especially when it comes to Peeta.

Least favorites
Suddenly werewolves? Or something? I can see why they downplayed that in the movie.

Writing style
Easily accessible, descriptive, just the tiniest bit cheesy. Lots of flashbacks.

So what did I really think?

Click "read more"... massive spoilers ahead!

Fragile Things // Neil Gaiman {Audiobook}

Why I'm reading
Neil Gaiman is fantastic.

Where I got the book
Audiobook from Greenwich. Again.

So how was it?

A collection of short stories and poetry featuring Gaiman’s unique mixture of spooky, creepy, morbid, snarky, dark horror. Also includes lots a little tidbits of poetry interspersed between the chapters, and introductions/context in the foreword. The audiobook is read by Gaiman as well -- he’s brilliant.

The Mapmaker 
I wasn’t really sure about this one. It’s the story of a Chinese emperor who creates a miniature map of China in his garden. It’s extremely accurate and a huge drain of resources; then he dies, and the map is abandoned and grows over. Something about transience, maybe, and the whims of people in power.

A Study in Emerald 
Oh. my. god. Oh my god. I can’t even. This is a retelling of the Sherlock Holmes story A Study in Scarlet within the Cthulhu universe, where the ruling class consists of Lovecraftian monsters. That’s right: Gaiman wrote crossover fanfiction, and it is fantastic. Sent me into mental cascade failure by the end. I made Alan listen to it, it was so good. Read it here!

October in the Chair 
The seasons tell stories around the campfire; October tells an oddly peaceful horror story about a young runaway boy playing in a haunted graveyard. The framing (i.e. the seasons) was more memorable than the individual stories. There was a moment where the ghost’s story reminded me of Bradbury’s "Yes, We'll Gather at the River" -- sure enough, it’s dedicated to him.

Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Secret House of the Night of Dread Desire 
An author struggles to write realistic fiction, in a world where elaborate Gothic horror constitutes ‘realistic.’ A fun little turn-up of expectations.

The Flints of Memory Lane 
A tiny little story where the author -- like several of these, I’m not entirely sure if it’s really Gaiman, a fictional Gaiman, or just an arbitrary fictional author -- encounters a chilling gypsy woman. There’s no real backstory or follow-up, and that seems to be the point; some things are just unexplained and creepy.

Closing Time 
A few pub (club) goers tell ghost stories before closing up shop for the night. The main ghost story follows a young boy who falls in with three slightly older and more delinquent boys; they find a creepy old playhouse, and the older boys disappear inside. Turns out the youngest of the three is in the club. Nothing is really resolved. I’m not sure if it’s an allegory for loss of innocence, child abuse, or just the scattershot nature of stories.

Bitter Grounds 
A man drops his life and picks up another one at random, following where it leads, until he ends up at an anthropology conference in New Orleans and … something something something zombies? It’s a rambling story that actually makes sense as you read, but doesn’t have a cohesive plot.

Other People 
A man is tortured until he understands why he deserves to be tortured. Creepy and sad, although it’s hard to feel one way or the other about the main character without knowing why he deserves torture.

Keepsakes and Treasures: A Love Story 
A story about a (psychopathic?) young orphan overcoming his terrible upbringing, meeting the mysterious and insanely wealthy Mr. Alice, and becoming his devoted right-hand man. Surprisingly nasty; disturbingly satisfying in a way that’s seriously Not Good. No, despite my vocabulary, this is nothing like Sherlock!

Good Boys Deserve Favors 
Strangely endearing, I can’t really call this one ‘horror.’ It’s the story of a boy who takes up playing the double bass, although he has no particular passion for it -- and has one spontaneous moment of connection with the instrument. There wasn’t anything about this story that really stood out, but I liked the sense of having one perfect in-the-moment experience.

The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch 
The narrator is invited to entertain his friends’ standoffish acquaintance; they all go to a really weird circus performance. Well written and entertaining (of course) but I didn’t really connect with this one.

Harlequin Valentine
I like Harlequin type characters (incidentally, Harley Quinn was my Halloween costume!) so I enjoyed this quasi-mythical take on the character/archetype of Italian theater. The story is sad if you empathize with the male main character, but delightful and fun if you consider Harlequin the main character -- exactly the kind of dark humor you want from a Harlequin. And his seamless transition into real life was so cool.

The Problem of Susan 
Another sort-of-fanfiction, this time in the Narnia universe. Not being familiar with Narnia, the source of her turmoil isn’t quite clear to me -- but I always appreciate fanfiction that goes for a darker, realistic, more complicated interpretation of simple/idealistic stories.

Instructions 
A poem with instructions on what to do if you find yourself in a fairy tale. Similar to The Evil Overlord List.

How Do You Think It Feels? 
A weird little story about a guy who cheats, falls in love with his young mistress, gets his heart broken… and makes a gross little stone demon? I didn’t connect with this one at all. Also, holy shit, this was porny! I mean, hey, I regularly listen to worse podfic, but Overdrive occasionally plays snippets before switching over to headphones, and I was listening to this at work D:

Feeders and Eaters 
A weird not-quite-zombie story with this undercurrent of unhealthy compulsion. It doesn’t quite make sense -- shouldn’t there be a more straightforward way to eat? -- but somehow that makes it creepier.

In the End 
Genesis in reverse; the last book of the Bible. Weird.

Goliath 
A little side story set in the Matrix universe, following one human as the war causes glitches in the Matrix. I loved the experience of a mostly regular human within a glitching Matrix!

Pages from a Journal Found in a Shoebox Left in a Greyhound Bus Somewhere Between Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Louisville, Kentucky 
A circular, dizzy adventure that feels like something between heatstroke and time travel.

How to Talk to Girls at Parties 
Two teenage boys -- your typical extrovert and introvert -- wander into a party full of alien tourists, looking to hit on girls. Apparently this is going to be a movie! I don’t think it has enough plot to be a movie, but John Cameron Mitchell is directing, so it can’t not be great.

The Day the Saucers Came 
I’ve heard this one before; it’s cute. As the world falls into elaborate and redundant ruin, the author is preoccupied with his love life.

Sunbird 
The gastronomical adventures of the Epicurean Society, an ages-long society dedicated to eating everything you could possibly eat. They’ve run out of new things to try, when one of the older members suggests the mysterious sunbird in Egypt. As fanciful as it was, this one felt weirdly reassuring.

Also, I couldn’t help but picture the character Methos from Highlander.

Inventing Aladdin 
The inner thoughts of Scheherazade -- the “author” of stories like Aladdin and Arabian Nights -- as she invents new passages every night so her sultan husband won’t behead her. Exactly as I’ve always pictured her; what an awful situation.

The Monarch of the Glen
A crazy, blurry take on Norse? pagan? mythology, (apparently) part of his American Gods novel. It follows Shadow, a reincarnation of a Norse hero, as he wanders into a small town. He ends up playing bodyguard -- and then the entertainment -- at a strange pagan party.

Live Die Repeat // Tom Cruise {Movie}

Why I'm watching
I’m a big Tom Cruise fan, no matter how cray-cray he is… but mostly I’m watching because the plot looks awesome.

Where I got the movie
Greenwich library. Watching it on a plane to Arkansas!

Expectations
Tom Cruise living, dying, and repeating said process. If I had to take a stab at the plot, I’d say Cruise (and female costar) go to some kind of post-apocalyptic Earth to do...something?

So how was it?

Yeah, no, I’m now fairly certain that’s the plot to Cruise’s Oblivion, which I should probably see.

Anyway.

I really, really liked Live Die Repeat Edge of Forever Edge of Tomorrow. Like, holy crap, big-budget scifi action movies are making a comeback!

Cage seems like your typical Tom Cruise Military Dude at first, but we quickly find out he’s a useless cowardly asshole. As an actor, Cruise doesn’t have a huge range -- but when he deviates from his typical action hero role, he does it really well.

Things happen, he gets sent to the front lines, and accidentally gets stuck in a time loop. As this is the first we (or the military in general) hear anything about time manipulation, he’s justifiably WTF. His reaction to the time loop -- before and after he figures it out -- absolutely makes the movie worth watching. He ends up being trained by the famous war hero Rita (Emily Blunt) -- turns out she was caught in a time loop, too, but lost it -- in an attempt to destroy the alien threat.

Oh right, the world’s military is fighting these crazy alien things. And the soldiers are equipped with exoskeleton fighting suits.

Recommendation
Action and scifi fans. Duh.

Feels
Fun and action-y, with a hint of Oceans 11 elaborate social misdirection. The plot is smart without being wrapped up in its own complexity. The characters are engaging.

Favorites
The movie was surprisingly subtle and heartfelt about how Cruise was changing as he repeats the same day for who-knows-how-long. On the surface, he’s just memorizing the day and learning how to fight… but if you pay attention, you actually see him changing as a person. I love it when movies don’t shove this stuff down your throat.

I also liked the trust between the two characters -- he trusts her training and guidance, she trusts his knowledge of the day. Teamwork!

Least favorites
I really have no complaints. Of course there were some parts of the plot that don’t make all that much sense, you have to suspend disbelief about certain alien things, and the characters make some stupid decisions, but… it’s an action movie.

So what did I really think?

Click "read more"... massive spoilers ahead!

Mad Max // George Miller {Movie}

Ugh. Can I just say -- a plate full of edamame does not constitute “vegetables,” not even with the little bits of shredded carrot. We went out with some of Alan’s friends for this one, and I was not impressed by the Chinese (?) fusion place we went. I think it was supposed to be French/Chinese fusion, but it was just Americanized Chinese take-out with fancy plates and a few odd ingredients. It wasn’t bad, but… meh.

Anyway!  

Why I'm watching
Well, yes, partially Tom Hardy, but honestly the movie looks like great scifi dystopian action.

Where I saw the movie
Middletown. The theater was super tiny… I’m not sure why we went there for an action movie. Once we walked over to the parking lot, I realized I’d been here before with Abby to see that sort of magic-themed Ocean’s 13 bank robbery movie with Morgan Freeman, Ariadne, and the kid who played Zuckerman Now You See Me.

Expectations
Boom.

So how was it?

The entire thing is more or less a chase scene. 

It was pretty much everything you could ever want out of a dystopian action movie. Fantastic cinematography, high caliber actors, self-aware absurdity, engaging characters (heroes and villains!), crazy sets and wardrobe, world building, an impressive lack of spoon-feeding… just solid, awesome, and chock full of explosions. And on top of all that, a female-heavy cast (without making a point of it) and fairly feminist plot.

Mad Max is played by the gorgeous and increasingly non-verbal Tom Hardy, Furiosa by the badass Charlize Theron, and a host of excellent supporting actors rounds out the cast.

Recommendation
Action fans, scifi fans, and/or feminists.

Feels
Like a solid, classic 80s scifi flick -- and I'm not just talking about the visuals. Beautiful cinematography, fantastic world building, simple-but-solid plots and themes, absolute unapologetic absurdity, and none of the overly twisty-turny plot shenanigans that have been so popular in the last decade.

Favorites
I can’t choose. Doof (the guitar guy). The two lead actors, who were able to crunch so much into just one glance that the usual action movie dialogue tropes weren't necessary. The world building. The wives. How every single character was a solid, recognizable, individual personality.

Least favorites
Max was pretty quiet -- which I didn’t have a problem with at all -- but since they went that route, I think they should have made it a more deliberate character trait. There are a few scenes that make a point of how non-verbal he is, but several scenes just seemed a little unbalanced, like they forgot to write in his dialog.

Cinematography
I remember thinking about the cinematography in Blade Runner -- gorgeous, sure, but it was just rammed down your throat. HEY LOOK, STOP AND LOOK, LOOK AT THIS SET, LOOK AT HOW WE SET THIS SHIT UP, IT LOOKS LIKE A PAINTING LOOK LOOK LOOK.

This... was not that. There were a handful of incredibly gorgeous shots, but they always fit with the flow of the movie, had elements of movement and good timing, and told you something about the characters. They weren’t just pretty shots.

And yes, yes I did tag this as road trip.

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy // Douglas Adams {Original radio}

Greenwich just got the complete set of the original Hitchhiker’s Guide radio plays (which were eventually re-written into the first book) and I snatched them up.

I don’t need to go through yet another explanation of why Douglas Adams is fantastic...

I’m loving the voice actors (except maybe the Vogons, and nothing beats Stephen Fry’s Zaphod) and everything is fairly familiar. It was fairly easy to pick out some parts that were copied verbatim in the first book, a few parts that were left out of the book, quite a few sections that were expanded upon in the book, and only one or two things that actually changed. In the first few chapters, for example, the Vogon ships are called “saucers.” No one ended up laying in the mud at all, and the entire “sleepy Arthur fails to notice the big yellow thing” opening scene doesn’t happen. And unless I heard this incorrectly, and I don’t think I did, Arthur suggests the bulldozer driver could cover for him while he popped off to the pub -- not Ford.

After the first book -- the “primary phase” of the radio show -- however, things seem to be quite a bit different, unless I’ve vastly underestimated my memory of the rest of the books. In fact, the later ones seem to be supplementary to books that have already been published: Arthur can fly, but I don’t remember that being explained; he knows about Stavromula Beta, but again, not explained, etc. Definitely a great read/listen, although I found it a little more confusing and less structured than the books.

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

I got a new phone! Woo! Not sure I’m in love with it, but it’s fast and not (quite as) glitchy.

Why I'm reading
I just installed the Overdrive app, because I want to start reading more ebooks on my phone, and -- hello -- libraries do that. Honestly the cover was okay and the summary wasn’t terrible, but mainly I just wanted to load a random book to make sure Overdrive worked.

Where I got the book
The Overdrive app.

Expectations
None, except that the sample page seemed like an interesting take on zombies.

So how was it?

This went right onto my ‘favorites’ shelf on Goodreads.

“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.” 

I usually summarize a little bit, but I’m not sure exactly what to put without ruining some of the surprise. I can’t even really call it “surprise,” because that usually means sudden unexpected deaths and unpredictable plot twists. But The Girl With All the Gifts never really surprised me; instead there was a slow, building horror as we (and the girl) slowly piece together what’s going on, and come to terms with it.

Recommendation
Fans of zombie books, of course. But this will also appeal to people who like sci fi short stories. Maybe it’s because they require less investment, but short stories usually end up more experimental and interesting.

Feels
Confusion, horror, gentleness, and adrenaline.

Favorites
The first chapter felt like the world was turning upside-down, but very slowly… like one of those turning tunnels in a funhouse.

Least favorites
None that I can think of. It’s not entirely free of tropes, but what is?

Writing style
Subtle, I guess? No punches were pulled with the horror and suspense, but they’re not overdone. It’s written in third person, but focuses on one character for several chapters at a time, so we get to understand all the characters.

I Sing the Body Electric // Ray Bradbury {Audiobook}

I feel bad putting this in (it totally isn’t going in my Goodreads or LibraryThing) because I never finished it. It just wasn’t working for me in the car… every time I started a new short story, I had to re-invest and figure out a whole new world, plot, characters, etc. Badbury is definitely more “reading on a sunny bench” material, not “stay awake and entertained during your two hour commute” material. It doesn’t help that it was front-loaded with several stories I didn’t like.

"The Kilimanjaro Device"
A stranger shows up, looking for a local old man who has passed away -- an author who inspired him, and many others, but who didn't die at the right time. Enter his wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey runs-on-wanting-it-hard-enough pickup truck. I dunno, I really just did not connect with this one.

"The Terrible Conflagration Up at the Place"
Drunken Irishmen plot to overthrow a local lord, because that's what all the cool kids are doing. The lord ends up quietly bamboozling them into carrying paintings around. Another one I didn't really connect with.

"Tomorrow's Child"
Through the magic of Victorian technobabble, a young couple gives birth to a small blue pyramid. Weird, but interesting.

"The Women"
Wife vs. mysterious female seaweed entity. The imagery was cool, but I wasn't a huge fan of the way he characterized women/femininity. Not to mention the complete lack of communication and empathy between wife and husband. Why try to trick your husband by sending him on stupid errands for hotdogs and sunblock, instead of, oh, maybe "I don't know why, but I don't feel safe; can we go somewhere else?"

"The Inspired Chicken Motel"
A family during the Great Depression. A chicken farm. An egg with a mysterious message on it. What? I liked the family dynamics, at least.

“Downwind from Gettysburg”
A descendant of John Wilkes Booth murders an electric Abraham Lincoln. Actually pretty good, although not nearly as sci-fi as it sounds.

"Yes, We'll Gather at the River"
Inhabitants of a small town come to terms with a new highway, which will take traffic and commerce away from their community. I kept waiting for something sci-fi to happen… or, I don’t know, anything to happen.

“The Cold Wind and the Warm”
A gaggle of sweet, pretty, effervescent, attractive men descend onto a traditional Irish town. This was an insanely fun read, and not just because of the casting call going on in my head.

"Night Call, Collect"
 A man stranded for decades, alone, on the moon, is terrorized by interactive recordings he set for himself way back in his younger days. Felt like very classic scifi.

"The Haunting of the New"
An author comes back to find his raunchy, rich old flame is depressed, and her home has kicked her out. I wasn’t sure how to take this one; I liked it -- I liked her -- but the ending was very sex-negative.

"I Sing the Body Electric!"
After their mother dies, a young family brings in an electric grandma to take care of them. WONDERFUL -- reminds me of Data from Star Trek, for obvious reasons. I kept imagining Cate Blanchett playing an ageless robotic grandma.

 "The Tombling Day"
A family digs up an old graveyard to make room for new construction. One of the graves belongs to grandma’s ex-fiance, who died when they were young -- and he hasn’t aged a day. I didn’t like grandma, but the story was weird and interesting.

"Any Friend of Nicholas Nickleby's Is a Friend of Mine"
An anachronistic Charles Dickens rolls up into town and makes friends with a young boy. Interesting read, although it felt like it was supposed to resonate with something deep inside the reader… and whatever that something is, I don’t have it.

As-yet unlistened-to :
"Heavy-Set"
"The Man in the Rorschach Shirt"
"Henry the Ninth"
"The Lost City of Mars"
“The Blue Bottle”
“One Timeless Spring”
“The Parrot who Met Papa”
“The Burning Man”
“A Piece of Wood”
“The Messiah”
“G.B.S. : mark V”
“The Utterly Perfect Murder”
“Punishment Without Crime”
“Getting Through Sunday Somehow”
“Drink Entire : Against the Madness of Crowds”
"Christus Apollo"

Blade Runner // Ridley Scott {Movie}

Why I'm reading
It’s a scifi classic! I actually borrowed it a little while ago and never got around to watching it, until it was mentioned in Ready Player One.

Where I got the movie
Greenwich Library.

Expectations
Action-adventure, with a dose of existential confusion over what it means to be human. The movie is old enough that I’ve acquired a vague idea of the ending scene, albeit with zero context. Other than that, any expectations have been obscured by my long-standing confusion between this and Blade. Like, Wesley Snipes hunting vampires Blade. ……… ಠ_ಠ

So how was it?

The plot itself is fairly skeletal: Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) is a blade runner, responsible for hunting down and “retiring” Replicants -- lab-grown (or built?) creatures that are nearly indistinguishable from humans, used as slave labor off-world and banned on Earth itself. A small group of Replicants makes it back to Earth, and Rick agrees to take the assignment.

The movie was very loosely based on Philip K. Dick's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, so I’ll probably pick that up sometime soon. It also clearly influenced Fifth Element and the later scenes of Cloud Atlas, just off the top of my head.

Recommendation
Sci-fi fans (of course). Fans of film noir might get a kick out of it, too.

Feels
Our media center gave this movie genres like existentialism and neo-noir... More accurate words could not have been chosen. It has themes of mortality, identity, and what it means to be human… but it never gets preachy or concrete on anything. The filmography and special effects were characters in their own right, with sweeping sci-fi matte painting backgrounds, elaborate noir lighting, and grungy dieselpunk Chinese street scenes.

Favorites
The movie has lots of little details that it doesn’t feel the need to shove down your throat, adding a lot of depth to the characters. Of course, the downside of that is a lot of random shit that doesn’t make sense -- like, say, the unicorn hallucination.

I also like the ending. We know what happened (this isn’t Inception) … but… was it a victory? or a tragedy?

Least favorites
Ummm how about the date rape scene? I'll go with the date rape scene. I can’t call it anything else. I don’t know if it was supposed to be romantic or what, but when you kiss someone and they run for the door, and you follow them, grab their wrist to physically prevent them from leaving, push them up against a wall, and demand that they say ‘kiss me’, and ‘I want you’ multiple times… that’s not romantic. That’s pretty much a script for date rape. Literally the only thing that keeps this from ruining the movie for me is that I’m not sure if they even meant for it to be romantic.

Aside from that, I really wish we got some glimpse into Pris (Daryl Hannah). Her character was just as interesting as the two other (male) Replicants, but we got zero insight into what made her tick. Leon got about the same amount of screen time, but had several lines that made you think about his motivations and see him in an almost-human light. She just seemed arbitrarily evil and manic.

Cinematography
...was gorgeous. Old school matte paintings and real physical models, and filmed with this great noir feeling. With that said, it got a little clunky ; very often the camera (and the action) just ground to a halt so we could appreciate the scene’s setup, lighting, costuming, etc. Not that I don’t appreciate those scenes -- they were beautiful -- but it felt a little forced.

So what did I really think?

Click "read more"... massive spoilers ahead!

Life, the Universe, and Everything // Douglas Adams {Audiobook}

Why I'm reading
Hitchhiker! Plus, Martin Freeman (yes, Martin, not Morgan) played a fantastic Arthur Dent in the not-quite-so-fantastic movie adaptation.

Where I got the book
Greenwich Library.

Expectations
I’m not sure about Martin Freeman’s narration, especially after I just listened to Fry’s.

So how was it?

In a nutshell, Life, the Universe, and Everything follows Arthur Dent and Ford Perfect as they try to save the world from evil cricket robots. Cricket the game, that is, not the insect. Freeman has done several of the Hitchhiker books -- maybe the whole set, I can’t tell -- but I somehow managed to skip from Fry’s version of book 1 to Freeman’s book 3. So getting plopped in the middle of prehistoric Earth was a little jarring. Plus, apparently I didn’t remember quite as much about Life, the Universe, and Everything as I thought I did as a teenager (ha!), so it was an exciting read/listen.

Recommendation
Definitely for fans of the movie version of Arthur Dent.

Feels
A bit more wacky than Hitchhiker, but conversely, a more solid plot.

Favorites
Freeman’s version of Trillian was pretty good, and his narration of the flying scenes (my favorite part of the book) was delightful.

Least favorites
Ugh, coming from Fry’s delicious interpretation of Zaphod Beeblebrox, I hated the New York / New Jersey accent Freeman used. It reminded me of the scraggly-blond-trashy-pirate movie Zaphod, who also sucked.

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy // Douglas Adams {Audiobook}

Why I'm reading
First of all -- uh, hello, Hitchhiker’s Guide and Stephen Fry are a match made in heaven. Second, Hitchhiker was originally created for radio (although this is a reading of the book version) so it should work well in audiobook format.

Where I got the book
Greenwich Library.

Expectations
I’ve read the book several times, so I know what I’m getting into. I’m super excited about Stephen Fry’s narration.

So how was it?

In a nutshell, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is the story of a regular human guy (Arthur Dent) who is rescued from the demolition of Earth by his -- unbeknownst to him -- alien hitchhiker buddy Ford Perfect. There’s no use summarizing past that, and frankly it would ruin the fun. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Hitchhiker series, and Fry’s narration totally did it justice. He shares the same kind of British humor as the Guide, and a great command of different English accents.

Recommendation
Every and all sci fi fans, and even those who aren’t. Not for people who need a very structured plot, and definitely not for people who expect super-gritty, super-serious scifi. A great choice for people just getting into audiobooks, since it doesn’t really require a lot of attention.

Feels
...British?

Favorites
I can’t even deal with Fry’s Zaphod voice. Cannot. Even. Deal. It’s perfect.

Least favorites
He only did the first book!

Dead Air // Doctor Who {Audiobook}

Why I'm reading
Doctor Who is awesome! Go watch it!

Where I got the book
Greenwich Library. I’ve been browsing through the Sci Fi audiobook shelf -- which is unfortunately smaller than you’d expect, for such a huge audiobook selection -- and picking whatever seems interesting.

Expectations
A typical doctor who episode.

So how was it?

Aaaaand... it was a typical Doctor Who episode : The Doctor shows up someplace (a pirate radio boat) sometime (the 60’s) and something (a sentient noise monster) is trying to destroy Earth. He’s helped by a twenty-something woman (a bubbly radio DJ) who is sort-of-involved with a normal human guy (crush on another DJ), there’s a hint of angst about Gallifrey (the monster’s creators), and of course the usual noble sulking about his companions (he’s traveling alone).

If I sound like I didn’t like it, that’s not true -- it was a quick bite of sci fi fun, and the characters were good -- but it was definitely in the ranks of the mediocre when it comes to Doctor Who.

Recommendation
Doctor Who fans, sci fi fans. A quick 1-CD episode.

Feels
A little creepy, a little perfunctory. Not enough suspense.

Favorites
David Tennant was a pretty good narrator, with different voices/accents for each character. He didn’t make the female character sound like a drag queen (which is disturbingly common in the audiobooks I’ve listened to so far). In fact he gave her enough character that she actually felt like the kind of quirky, plucky young woman the doctor usually hangs out with.

Least favorites
This could have -- and should have -- gone a lot creepier. This is an audiobook about a noise monster who silences people. Come on. That’s another “are you my mummy?” just waiting to happen, but they didn’t use it very well. There was just some static every once in a while, and an ending cribbed from The Ring. The only thing that got even close to being creepy was the random skipping and glitching the CD did... because it was a scratched up library CD.

So what did I really think?

Click "read more"... massive spoilers ahead!

Ready Player One // Ernest Cline {Audiobook}

I wrote an extremely long and actually fantastic review of Ready Player One, with all sorts of insightful ramblings and meaningful commentary. It was pretty much the greatest review in the world.

This is not that review; this is just a tribute.

In a spectacular show of fail, I managed to lose that review completely. That’ll teach me to write something directly in the Blogger interface… I was lured in by the promise of cloud backup, and clearly forgot the ancient teachings of livejournal.  

Why I'm reading
I’d heard some great things about this book, but also some not-so-great things. It seems like the kind of book that’s fantastic if it’s your thing, and stupidly self-indulgent if it’s not.


Where I got the book
Greenwich library, audiobook format.

Expectations
Your classic YA Marty Stu character -- overpowered, angsty, shallow, and special -- with a nerdy 'uncool but secretly super cool' bent. And for some reason, I think I had a vague impression of Tron leotards, which is strange, since I know very little about Tron. In retrospect, this was not entirely incorrect.

So how was it?

Ready Player One is fairly easy to sum up: it’s almost Willy Wonka, but with 1980s nerd trivia instead of chocolate. A rich gaming guru dies, leaving his fortune -- and control of his massive multiplayer online virtual reality gaming company (OASIS) -- to the winner of a contest. We follow the five young frontrunners as they try to win before the employees of a faceless rival company take over and ruin OASIS for everyone.

This book was a little bit of a roller-coaster for me. The first few chapters were incredibly engaging, and then it took a rambling left turn into Self-Righteous Opinionville, for a chapter, before getting back on its feet, leveling out, ramping up to some pretty fun stuff about two-thirds in, and rolling to a gently satisfying conclusion.

Recommendation
If you like references to video games and 1980s pop culture, you’ll love this book (although you don’t need to understand the references in order to enjoy it). If that sounds irritating, this is really really really not the book for you.

Feels
Exciting, dangerous; cyberpunk post-apocalyptic, but not too gritty.

Favorites
Both side-kick characters were awesome. There’s also a major plot point with the evil rival company, but I don’t want to spoil it.

Least favorites
The book starts out well for the first chapter or so, but -- like I said -- it takes a bad turn for about a chapter. The author more or less hijacks the story to ramble on about some shallow and angry take on ecology, social responsibility, economics, etc. The worst offender is this little plot sinkhole: the economy starts to tank, with resources getting scarce, so people moved into the overcrowded city for the express purpose of finding food and work, because there was nothing to survive on in the rest of the country. You know, nothing but arable farmland.

Writing style
Engaging, with lots of focus on details and textures, which works for a story that takes place in both the real world and a virtual reality construct. I listened to the audiobook, which could not have had a better narrator (Wil Wheaton).

So what did I really think?

Click "read more"... massive spoilers ahead!

Sherlock Holmes I & II // Robert Downey Jr. {Movie}

Why I'm watching
I've been meaning to see it for a while, and it just so happened to come back in while I was at the circ desk.

Where I got the book
Berlin-Peck Library, returns cart :)

Expectations
Fun, relatively mindless action-adventure.

So how was it?

Fun, relatively mindless action-adventure. Holmes and Watson take on a case with dark magic, mysterious deaths, and politics. The sequel is about the same.

It's not groundbreaking, but the plot was fun, the characters were great, action was good, good cinematography and pacing. It had some bromance and great female characters and no annoying romantic subplots. Sure, there's some drama over Watson being engaged, but it's bromance drama.

Recommendation
If you like Psych, House, or any mostly-humorous interpretation of Sherlock Holmes, you'll love this.

Feels
Fun, a little goofy, interesting without trying to be too twisty or dramatic.

Favorites
Mary being super cool about everything.

Severance // Chris Bucholz

Why I'm reading
I want to start reading more sci-fi, and the summary made this look fantastic. A generation ship, cliques, drugs, costumed orgies(!), meat plants, and a murder mystery.

Where I got the book
Another LibraryThing Early Reviewers ebook!

Expectations
An inventive futuristic world, a murder-mystery plot, probably some so-so YA level character development, randomly capitalized Things and Groups, and a "twist" ending about the purpose of the generation ship. A sci-fi snack.

So how was it?

Severance follows Laura Stein, a vaguely mid-level engineer on the generational ship Argos, which is headed towards a new home in another star system. One of her underlings ends up dead after a routine maintenance assignment, leading Stein to unravel a conspiracy that could rip the ship in two.

It was exactly what I expected... only a hell of a lot better than I expected. The writing was a little clunky (like a YA book) but I don't even care. The world development was fantastic -- imaginative, but still grounded, built into the plot but not harped upon, and completely plausible. The plot never felt too slow, didn't put the main character through dramatic trials just to watch her suffer, and built up foreshadowing without (gasp) being too predictable.

There was a great amount of humor, too, from the friendly piss talk between Stein and her friend Bruce, to the hilariously stupid inhabitants of Argos. The description had me worried, with mention of groups like Breeders and Markers... factions and capitalized Proper Nouns are a big, cheesy thing in YA literature. Yeah, that's not a problem with this book. I won't spoil what the Markers are because it's too funny, but they exist in the same world as teenagers who look at the curved ship walls and spin until they puke (vomit clubs, and they've gone out of style).

N.b. I keep referring to YA books, but I'm not sure if this fits or not. Reading level and entertainment value, yes, YA. But there's a reasonable amount of casual swearing, and honestly, it avoids a lot of the annoying YA tropes.

Recommendation
Sci-fi and action/adventure fans, mystery fans.

Feels
Exciting, fun, a little gritty -- but it doesn't make a point of being gritty, if that makes sense. Dirty and a bit scruffed up. I think I could see this adapted into a movie fairly well. It has an almost comic book vibe.

Favorites
Characters, hands down. He doesn't dig too deep into any of the characters, but they're realistic and fun. The main character is relatable without being Typical Teenage Girl, competent but not especially good or bad at what she does, smart and brave but not unreasonably so, etc. etc. She's just in the right place at the right time, and does what needs to be done. Well, okay, there's one special bit about her -- she's a "canned baby" -- but it's not a big deal.

Least favorites
The writing was indeed a little clunky... I wanted to break out my red pen at points. There were also two side characters I wish had a little more "screen time," so I could appreciate their friendship. But overall, I had very little to complain about.

Writing style
Clunky, yes, but... there are little tiny hints of Douglas Adams' influence. Ramshackle technology, a silly little metaphor here and there, and a storyline that jumps around and doesn't always go where you're expecting. Not perfect, but it has its delightful moments.

The Salmon of Doubt // Douglas Adams

Merry Christmas! Just got home and finished up the last few chapters on The Salmon of Doubt. The condo is a mess, and we got a waffle iron, a beer making kit (!), a battery backup (!?), and the new Rush R40 box set. In other news, I'll be starting my new job on January 6th! Super excited, except for the hour-twenty I'll be driving every other day, like an idiot. 

Why I'm reading
Finishing up the Douglas Adams classics! Although now I realize there are a few non-fictions I haven't read... 

Where I got the book
The Berlin-Peck Memorial Library. I was completely lazy and put a hold online, so they were waiting for me at the front desk. Even though it's a teeny library, and I occasionally work there, and clearly know where the books are.

Expectations
The third Dirk Gently book, unfinished.

So how was it?

Well... it wasn't the third Dirk Gently book. At least mostly not. That is to say, it did include a few chapters of the unfinished third book, but primarily it was, well, an epilogue to a life that ended way too early. It was the contents of Douglas Adams' computer, collected together by friends and family after his all-too-sudden death, as well as a few writings from people who knew him.

It doesn't sound like a great read, does it? But it really, really was. There were lots of little bits of non-fiction writing, which I -- having never read his non-fiction -- greatly appreciated. It was also, in some parts, a biography written by a friend, and you really feel his loss. And no, there's not a whole lot of moaning and groaning about it, because it's not necessary to realize what a great person and author the world has lost. What he wrote, and the stories about his life, do that perfectly well on their own.

Recommendation
A MUST READ for anyone who likes his other works. The individual essays will appeal to anyone with a quirky, intellectual, but not stuck-up sense of humor -- think Monty Python -- but given the biographical stuff, I would recommend reading his other works first.

Feels
Fun, incredibly insightful, beautiful, silly, down to earth, smart.

Favorites
Discovering Adams' peculiar love of music.

Least favorites
The reason the book was (had to be) written. Sadface.

Writing style
Smart, practical, outrageous, insightful, intellectual, silly, imaginative,
full of weird metaphors... Douglas Adams is a writing style unto himself.

Dirk Gently // Douglas Adams

First of all: I GOT A JOB I GOT A JOB I GOT A JOB! Signed the offer letter today, and I'm handing in my resignation letter tomorrow. 

The pros are... it's in a library (cataloging). It's a big library. I'll be making just about the same amount of money, maybe a teensy bit less depending on if I get 18 or 19 hours. And I'll only be working three days a week! And best of all, I'm leaving my secretarial job that I've had for five years. It's sad, but it's really, really, really time to go.

The cons... It's in a library... an hour and twenty minutes from where I live. Yeah. That's gonna be fun.

Why I'm reading
Everyone knows Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (and if you don't, you should). I've read them a few times. But I've never read anything else by Douglas Adams! This must be rectified.

Where I got the book
eBook format, from... places.

Expectations
Great writing, quirky humor, randomness. Douglas Adams! Retrospectively, I was expecting a much more likeable, sexy detective Dirk Gently...

So how was it?

Dirk Gently actually comes in three books: Holistic Detective Agency, The Long Dark Tea-time of the Soul, and The Salmon of Doubt. {Err... sort of.} The books loosely follow the private ("holistic") detective Dirk Gently, but honestly he's just one of a group of characters. That's the great thing about Douglas Adams: you don't get a story resolving around one heroic main character; everyone is the protagonist in their own personal story. I can't even explain what the plot of these books. They're complicated and full of coincidence, and eventually resolve themselves into a story, if not necessarily a plot.

They're also sci-fi without trying to shove the sci-fi down your throat. That was probably the biggest difference between this series and the Hitchhiker series... err... not that Hitchhiker really shoves anything down your throat, it's just much more sci-fi oriented. Because the Dirk Gently books take place entirely on Earth, you get to experience Adams' writing style in a more mundane setting. Of course, I don't mean to suggest that Hitchhiker's shoves the sci-fi down your throat, either; it can't help being set in space.

Recommendation
Douglas Adams is required reading for fans of sci-fi, but you might want to start with Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy first. Witty, intelligent writing like Terry Pratchett, Isaaic Azimov, and Neil Gaiman. According to Wikipedia the Dirk Gently character began with Doctor Who serials written by Adams, which -- hello -- yes! Great for fans of Doctor Who.

Feels
Relaxing, with a teeny tiny hint of gentle mind-blowing.

Favorites
The writing, of course. In terms of the individual books, I have to say I enjoyed the first one much more than the second. My favorite character was absolutely the Electric Monk.

Least favorites
I didn't find the worlds or characters as engaging as Hitchhiker's, but this is a "weakness as strength," since it showcases his fantastic writing style.

Writing style
FanTAStic. I'm not even good enough to describe how good it is. Every once in a while he gives you these brilliant gems that are strange, witty, a little cheesy, out there, and absolutely perfect.