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.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children // Ransom Riggs {Audiobook}

Why I'm reading
I’d heard the title before, and it seemed pretty interesting. I actually went looking for this one, instead of just browsing.

Where I got the book
Greenwich/Overdrive.

Expectations
Harry Potter with less wizardry and a more circus/freak show vibe.

So how was it?

Soooo…. not actually what I was expecting. For one thing, there isn’t really a “school,” in the sense of Harry Potter (which I did find in the Finishing School series). And while it has a lot of YA themes, it didn’t feel constructed the way a lot of modern YA books do. It felt like the books I read (oh god am I about to say this) when I was younger, before YA was such an established genre. It reminded me of Hunky Dory Dairy.

The plot is fun. It requires you to suspend a whole lot of disbelief, but it’s fun. It’s not all that easy to explain without a blow-by-blow, but the basic premise is: there are “peculiar” children who have special powers or mutations (think side-show, not X-Men), who live in time-looped locations, and who therefore don’t age. The modern-day main character stumbles into this situation, after growing up hearing about all these kids from his grandfather, gets crazy confused, and eventually there’s some monster-fighting.

Recommendation
Fans of adventure stories, historical fiction, circus freak shows.

Feels
Fun, imaginative, much more fantasy than scifi.

Favorites
I love that the “peculiarities” are much more freak show than X-Men. They’re not always useful, or at least not always obviously so.

Least favorites
There is pretty much zero logic behind “peculiarities.”

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies // Jane Austen, Seth Grahame-Smith {Audiobook}

Wow, that freak pocket of thunder-lightening-downpour was pretty cool. Good thing I had my car windows down.

>:[ 

Why I'm reading
Fantastic work of literature that goes way beyond most of the romantic drivel it has inspired, in both form and depth? Check. Zombies? Also check.

Where I got the book
Audiobook, Greenwich libraries.

Expectations
Pride and Prejudice… and, uh, zombies. I’m not sure how they’re going to combine the two, but I’m guessing just added blocks of text in between chapters, probably involving the army that’s stationed near the town.

So how was it?

It’s a lot more absurd than I thought, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s also a lot more integrated into the book itself -- which is only possible because it’s absurd. I guess I was expecting a zombie outbreak happening just sort of… in the background. Like a romance during times of war. Nope, Grahame-Smith wove it right into the story by turning the Bennett girls into awesome badass ninja zombie fighters.

Despite the zombie spin, the romance is alive and well -- although by necessity lacking some of the wit and subtlety -- and where it survives, the underlying social commentary is wry and absurd.

Recommendation
Fans of Pride and Prejudice who can take a little bit a lot of absurdity; fans of cheesy zombie and/or ninja movies.

Feels
Tongue-in-cheek.

Favorites
Honestly, all of the best parts were from the original, and it just made me want to re-read Pride and Prejudice.

Least favorites
I did enjoy it, but it isn’t anything ground-breaking. Some of the action scenes were repetitive (which will work much better for the movie adaptation) and the absurd humor didn’t always hit the mark. I really hated that certain things were cut out of the original.

Some of the references to "Oriental" combat training got uncomfortably... uh... Victorian, i.e. racist. I'm not sure if I can call that a "least favorite," though, since it isn't entirely inappropriate to the era. 

Writing style
A shockingly good pastiche of Jane Austin’s writing style, although it sometimes gets a little too bombastic when talking about the “deadly arts.” A few subtle jokes about balls, too.

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.

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!

Astounding Stories // multiple authors

Finished the October 1930 Astounding Stories of Super-Science!

Some of these would make good Twilight Zone style TV episodes. A couple of them are hilari-bad. They’re chock full of familiar Sci-Fi tropes and early imaginings of the future, along with some fairly awful science.

Stolen Brains // S. P. Meek 
A Sherlock/Watson-style duo solve a case involving mysterious amnesia, an unexplained spherical ship, and a brain-goo-stealing megalomaniac dwarf. Simple, but not painful.

The Invisible Death // Victor Rousseau 
Invisible Comrad Mad-Scientist-cum-Emperor decimates the United States with fuzzy science, Explains His Plan to the Manly Hero, and is betrayed by Misguided Female Love Interest. An adventure in thirteen verbose chapters.

Prisoners of the Electron // Robert H. Leitfred 
A honey-I-shrunk-the kids plot, with kitschy futuristic inventions, dumb-as-bricks female characters, awkward and uncomfortable romance, heaps of treknobabble, and -- I kid you not -- subatomic dinosaurs. The author tortures his thesaurus and describes his characters’ eyes no less than 9 times before anyone even gets shrunk. I could go on. and on. and ON. A fantastic candidate for literary MST3000.

Nanette gazed with staring eyes... 

Also, can we appreciate this stunning feat of metaphor and thesaurus abuse?

Dazzling white teeth caught the glow of the blue-white incandescents along the platform, and became under the bow of her red lips a string of priceless pearls.

Jetta of the Lowlands (Part 2 of 3) // Ray Cummings 
An interesting look at climate change from a 1930s perspective.

An Extra Man // Jackson Gee 
Something goes wrong in the invention of a Victoria-age transporter -- yes, a transporter, like Star Trek. In terms of prose, this one strikes an incredible balance between vivid and (deliberately?) absurd; it reminds me of Doctor Who, somehow. Best of the bunch.