"Popisho was just too goddamned Popisho right about now."
Welcome to Popisho, where metaphor becomes real andThis review is also available
"Popisho was just too goddamned Popisho right about now."
Welcome to Popisho, where metaphor becomes real and the real becomes metaphor.
This One Sky Day is literary fiction at its absolute finest. We are introduced to the far, far away archipelago of Popisho, which seems to have a very Caribbean feel - although the word Caribbean is never mentioned, Ross preferring to preserve Popisho's mystery. The archipelago is populated by the offspring of, generations and generations ago, emancipated slaves and the indigenous population of Popisho. As much as Popisho is very deliberately isolated from the politics and various goings-on of the outside world (in fact, it could very much be a collection of islands in a mystical parallel world, like a tropical Avalon, if it were not for the very off-hand mention of Korea and Romania at around three-quarters in), this is important.
"This was the dead language of their ancestors, wrenched to life in these throats; lost, found and streaming out of their mouths and down their lips. Singing through the thickening air. In each face she could see terrible compassion and sorrow."
Through everything, Ross displays a fantastic undercurrent of humour of every shade imaginable: playful, witty, surreal, cutting, deadpan - and it works perfectly. She toes the line between comedy and tragedy, dancing through the shades of grey between and creating something that is so multifaceted, so complex, and so human.
Although Popisho has the makings of paradise, the author does not for one second allow us to think that human nature is any different here than anywhere else. But here's where this novel differs from so many of the misery-drenched, melancholia-worshipping literary fiction books - the corruption and tragedy never quite manages to eclipse the sheer atavistic wonder both these islands and of the human condition. Yes, humans can be selfish, greedy, and their arbitrary hatred for that which is different can anchor into society, into conventions, into their very souls. But Ross also reminds us of the flipside: of how people can find wonder in everything, of the never-faltering curiosity and awe of the human species, and how there's always people who strive to right wrongs - and they aren't always doomed to failure. Sometimes, they can prevail.
Sometimes, darkness doesn't win.
There's so much more I can say about this novel, but I won't, because a large part of the beauty of this novel is having the intricately imagined world of Popisho unfurl in front of your eyes as the author intended. But I will say this:
If this novel doesn't make it onto the Booker Prize longlist (at least), there's no justice in this world....more
I've been following Benzene and Charlie's story on Instagram from nearly the beginning, so of slightly expanded version of this review now on
I've been following Benzene and Charlie's story on Instagram from nearly the beginning, so of course I lost my ENTIRE shit when I found out he's publishing a book.
Eyebrows are often raised amongst the cynical and the merely pragmatic whenever someone with famous connections � in this case the son of Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour � lands a book deal, but in this case within the first few pages it becomes clear that Gilmour is a superb writer, and that this book was published on its own merit rather than because of friends in high places. It is ostensibly a memoir about the bond between Gilmour and the magpie he rescued from near-death as a fledgling, but also dives deep into the very heart of Gilmour’s past, his relationships, and ultimately his soul.
As a celebration of the magpie, it is a must read for those indifferent to magpies or those who hate them � because it will certainly change your mind. It is impossible to read this book and not come out as a magpie-lover, as Gilmour extols the virtues, vices and sheer sparkling intelligence of these wonderful birds. By turns humorous and heartfelt, tragic and triumphant, if you are looking for a book that will bring a new, multi-faceted perspective to your life, Featherhood is it. It is a reminder in these troubled times that there is always room for tenderness and kindness, both to our human and our animal neighbours.
NB: If you're wondering why this review is more flouncy than my usual fare, it's because most of it was cannibalised from a cover letter I wrote to Penguin Random House (I did not get the job.)...more
three generations - 3 stars legend of the dying wanton - 4 stars the mass of st sylvestre - 5 stars[image]
i am only half joking.
overall rating: 4.4
three generations - 3 stars legend of the dying wanton - 4 stars the mass of st sylvestre - 5 stars the summer solstice - 5 stars may day eve - 4.5 stars the woman with two navels - 4 stars guardia de honor - 5 stars doña jerònima - 5 stars the order of melkizedek - 4 stars candido's apocalypse - 4.5 stars portrait of the artist as filipino - 4 stars...more
“This superstition, that anything you do makes any kind of sense on the grand scale, is only right and proper.this review is now available on
“This superstition, that anything you do makes any kind of sense on the grand scale, is only right and proper. It’s the ridiculous, impossible, great and unarguable superstition which makes the whole of humanity possible.�
listen.
i am offended � an offence which cuts not only to the bone, but to my very marrow - that this has so few ratings, that this is so obscure. i understand why. an indie publisher; a spin-off known only to the most hardcore of fans.
faction paradox reaches, with its bare hands, into the dark cosmic horror underbelly of doctor who and pulls it, glistening like obsidian, to the surface. almost literally.
this is a doctor who spin-off, except you don't need to know anything about doctor who at all. i am not joking; they are ALL standalone characters, ALL standalone plots. you will find no Doctor here. even if you don't like doctor who, or tried to get into it and failed, if you like science fiction then i implore you to read this. not only is there no crossover of basically anything except from the general universe, it doesn't feel like doctor who. it's something utterly different. it is doctor who's estranged cousin, the one who none of your family ever talk to, and you aren't sure what they do for a living but something about them screams mortician, taxidermist, and/or mad scientist.
for some reason, it reminds me of a cross between welcome to night vale and black mirror. it is at turns poignant, trippy, what can only be described as batshit insane, and humorous:
“Valentine doesn’t think clothes are particularly relevant, and it shows. Just look. They’re as uninterested in him as he is in them.�
“Now she’ll never get hold of a decent fried malmotti wrap ever again, and if there’s one thing guaranteed to make people turn against the War, it’s that kind of inconvenience.�
but most of all, it’s somehow very Joycean. this is james joyce doing hard sci-fi.
even the format itself is Joycean: it's a book written in chapterlets probably only 500 words each, a format that i adore anyway, but these are not just any chapterlets: each one represents a minute. we begin at midnight, like all good things do, and go through until six. it's an extremely clever format, and i'm in love with it.
so, by now, you’re probably wondering: "nemo, this is all well and good, but what the hell is this actually all about?" honestly, that's a very good fucking question, but one thing i can tell you for (almost) certain is that there are three main characters:
- inangela, a teenage goth who spends most of the book zooming around the town in her Hell Truck with her friend named Horror. she is desperate to become part of faction paradox, even if she pretends it isn't, and even if nobody is entirely sure if this cult/criminal syndicate/subculture is even real.
- paramedic valentine, who has unacceptable opinions about the War. what is the War? nobody really knows. nobody wants to know, because they could never begin to comprehend something on such a celestial, vast scale. this is a War between what can only be gods.
- pop star tiffany, antic and strange, with a public image even more so. i would be surprised if her storyline wasn't based on a crazy, hard sci-fi version of richard dawkins' memes, a word that has been more than a little bit ruined for me due to its internet connotations, but never mind.
this is my first lawrence miles book, which is almost a sin for someone who claims to be such a big fan of doctor who and its extended universe. i don't know if all his books are like this or this is just his faction paradox style, but holy hell. it is incredible. i had a really hard time whittling the number of quotes down, because i just wanted to put in practically everything. extremely witty and profound, miles' narrative sucks you straight into the story and makes you experience the insane acid trip that is this town will never let us go.
i actually started to write this review when i was less than a third into the book. this is astonishing because i never draft reviews or write them before i’ve finished reading; they are usually just stream-of-consciousnesses thrown into the void of this website. but i had so many thoughts bouncing around that i was terrified of losing any.
i hope i have managed to stir your interest. if not, take a gander at the blurb. if that doesn’t interest you, then i don’t know what will.
this is not light. this is heavy and deep, and if you’re not really into science fiction i don’t think i’d recommend it. it does not just tie your brain into knots, it knits a jumper from it. (what a wonderful visual image. i do apologise.) it is slow, yet also captivating in a way that never fails. it took me a while to read this; although i can sometimes read excellent books very quickly, this one is certainly like a bottle of scotch, or a very strong cheese: it’s gorgeous and wonderful and you must take your time - partially so it ends slower and you can savour it, and partially because, despite it being incredible, it can get a little much in large doses.
this town will never let us go is empirical proof that genre fiction, specifically science fiction in this case, is not inherently inferior to literary fiction. on the contrary, it can be deeper and more intelligent. sci-fi can say something profound about modern society in a way that, perhaps it can be argued, literary fiction never can. not in this world, this tech-drenched, augmented-reality world.
(also, apropos to absolutely nothing, for around the last quarter of the book i was listening to the album at the price of oblivion on repeat � which is, of all things, part of the homestuck soundtrack, but don’t @ me because it’s an absolute banger � which matched the mood of the book perfectly and i’m pretty sure made me ascend onto a different astral plane.)...more
this book was insanely good. insanely good. so good, in fact, that i am considering emailing chris chibnall and demanding he let dave rudden write an this book was insanely good. insanely good. so good, in fact, that i am considering emailing chris chibnall and demanding he let dave rudden write an episode for series 12.
although all of them were incredible, one stand-out for me was Celestial Intervention, which in what must have been less than nine thousand or so words managed to introduce an extraordinary new concept to the whoniverse, and introduce a villain that is astonishingly good and astonishingly plausible, and i lowkey need that villain in the TV show IMMEDIATELY. like, i am craving this. craving it.
tl;dr if you like doctor who this is a goddamn must-read....more
lowkey considering getting sovereign. deadly. perfect as a tattoo and i think that just pretty much sums up my feelings towards this book
shame about tlowkey considering getting sovereign. deadly. perfect as a tattoo and i think that just pretty much sums up my feelings towards this book
shame about the slight racist and transphobic undertones at times, but a perfect book is unattainable. sadly.* (still annoying as fuck bc seriously, totally unneccessary and you nearly achieved perfection but you ruined it with this totally unnecessary shit for fuck's sake it's almost like there's a Limit on how perfect a book can be, like the speed of light being the fastest speed anything can go, and the universe refuses to gift us anything More.)
*the whyborne and griffin series by jordan l. hawk comes pretty damn close though, not gonna lie....more
this was the most stunningly unique and outrageously clever novel i've read in a long time, and if i had to sum it up witbloody, bloody, bloody hell.
this was the most stunningly unique and outrageously clever novel i've read in a long time, and if i had to sum it up with one sentence, it would probably be "agatha christie on LSD."
even the premise in itself was incredible - a man who has eight days to solve a murder, each day repeating over and over except he is in different bodies of the guests at the party, and only after he solves them can he leave - otherwise the eight-day cycle will begin again. and all the while he isn't the only one trying to solve the murder, and only the person who solves it first will be able to leave... and the others will be stuck there forever.
in addition to this amazing premise, nothing about the story itself was simple, and i know practically every single mystery thriller be like "this will keep you guessing until the very end!!!" but this one actually does. like, it was fuckin 97% or some shit and there were still bombshells dropped fucKING everywhere and i was Shook. there's absolutely no way you can guess what's going on unless you're psychic. i doubt even agatha christie or arthur conan doyle would figure this shit out.
and just when you think everything's solved... SURPRISE it's not!
one other excellent thing: ZERO romance. fucking none. not ANYWHERE. and that's so goddamn refreshing because i feel like even in non-romance books, romantic relationships have to play a part somewhere as if they are the be-all and end-all of human interactions and motives, so i'm really glad turton didn't go down that route.
anyway this is one of my fave books of 2018 and i urge everyone to read it. it's not just an epic sci-fi murder mystery; it's also a meditation on guilt, human nature, and redemption. i need it to blow the HELL up like gone girl and the girl on the train did, and get a bigass movie that grosses like 8173193813 billion pounds. it's what this book deserves.
(view spoiler)[ALSO can we talk about how some of aiden's hosts were killed but aiden went back and saved all of them except from derby the rapist who he was like "lmao just fucking die bitch" bigass MOOD (hide spoiler)]...more
absolutely stunning. a book that, with often beautiful prose, describes key concepts of quantum physics and quantum biology in a way that is detailed absolutely stunning. a book that, with often beautiful prose, describes key concepts of quantum physics and quantum biology in a way that is detailed and not oversimplified, but still able to be understood by a layperson such as myself who doesn’t even have an A level in physics. a fascinating exploration of what is potentially the most exciting, groundbreaking field of science presently. ...more
this was EXACTLY my sort of book. which means, if you know anything about me, that it was weird as hell.
the originality in this book is honestly stunthis was EXACTLY my sort of book. which means, if you know anything about me, that it was weird as hell.
the originality in this book is honestly stunning; it was like nothing i've ever read before. i did get vibes of Seraphina and Pantomime, but they didn't really have much in common at all. (that said, if you liked this book then you'll like those books, so check them out. and vice versa.)
this wasn't just an original high fantasy with the most interesting magic system i've come across in a while, but also a meditation on what it means to be a person. the worldbuilding was also very intricate and detailed, and the reader learns about the political climate and the nature of the city of Gomorrah without it being an info-dump.
the suspense was also perfect throughout the novel, with little hints being dropped here and there but the plot was so exquisitely woven that even if you figure out one thing, you'll never be able to figure it all out. unless you're some sort of supergenius, but that's pretty unlikely.
also: diversity! the main character is bi, luca is on the ace-spectrum (demiromantic/sexual, maybe?), nicoleta is a lesbian, there's a bunch of racial diversity... so that was nice.
the romance was really well-done, too. i'm not a particularly big fan of romance but i have to say that this one was realistic and well-developed, and there was FINALLY the distinction that someone can have an instacrush without it turning into an instalove-relationship - because let's be real, instacrushes happen aaall the time but instalove-relationships hardly ever happen, yet it's the latter that YA authors (and authors in general) seem to portray. but not so here!
if i had one tiiiiny gripe it was perhaps that the political intrigue was hanging in the air a bit at the ending, but really the story focused on sorina and her illusions so it wasn't that much of a big deal. i think there's definitely the potential for sequels tho. not sure if the author's planning more books, but i'll be keeping an eye out.
conclusion: this was the perfect blend of magic and mystery, and it's probably one of the best YA high fantasies out there. highly recommended!!...more
i love bees, i love sherlock holmes and i love holmes and watson as a couple so of course i absolutely, positively I N H A L E D this wonderful antholi love bees, i love sherlock holmes and i love holmes and watson as a couple so of course i absolutely, positively I N H A L E D this wonderful anthology...more
"She wasn't a girl for the harsh overexposed hours of morning or afternoon in the desert, her nocturnal soul best roused at twilight when neon lights "She wasn't a girl for the harsh overexposed hours of morning or afternoon in the desert, her nocturnal soul best roused at twilight when neon lights flashed and pulsed into life."
ok first of all the blurb gives WAY TOO MUCH AWAY so don't read that shit.
i've been meaning to read a book by joyce carol oates for nine centuries so of course i do the sensible thing and read an obscure one by a pseudonym with a mediocre average rating rather than her most popular ones. (yeah, i don't understand my brain either.) but it paid off!!
i really, really loved this book. i think it has a lot of low/mediocre ratings because people were expecting some sort of mystery or a plot-driven thriller, but this novel is very much character-driven and explores the psyche of a serial killer.
sharon/starr bright is one of the best characters i've read in a while. she is unequivocally a terrible person, which can be seen not just by the fact that she's a serial killer but also from her interactions with other characters, and in her sister lily's memories of her as a child. but at the same time, Oates creates so much sympathy for her, so the reader is in limbo between disgust and pity, which is a really hard thing for a writer to do! one can sympathise with sharon's quest to rid the world of misogynistic pigs; but she is not a superhero vigilante and ends up trying to twist good people into bad people so she can wreak her revenge on them.
i don't really want to say anymore because i might give stuff away. (i'm worried i've given too much away already!) but this was an exquisitely written novel with incredibly compelling characters, and i'd definitely recommend it if you like character-driven books....more
i enjoyed this a lot! it didn't seem particularly cohesive, but this is no doubt due to petronius' lost fragments rather than a flaw in the work itseli enjoyed this a lot! it didn't seem particularly cohesive, but this is no doubt due to petronius' lost fragments rather than a flaw in the work itself. i'm glad as much of it survived as it did. ...more
"There are secrets in this house to bring down the stars, secrets to make Lucifer weep for having brought light to the likes of us."
words cannot DESC"There are secrets in this house to bring down the stars, secrets to make Lucifer weep for having brought light to the likes of us."
words cannot DESCRIBE how much i A D O R E D this book so i don't think i can write a review tbh
why is one of the main threads of this book literally (view spoiler)[my twin brother fucked me so hard that i was overwhelmed by my orgasm and was impotent for 13 years until my long-lost cousin came along and seduced me (hide spoiler)] itS SO FUCKED UP???? BUT I LOVE IT???
WHY AM I LIKE THIS???
(also that spoiler is literally a MEGA spoiler so don't click it unless you've read it.)
in summary: it's absolutely fucking insane, manages to be fucking deviant as hell without even having any explicit sex scenes, and has lots of surprisingly beautiful writing. and it may be one of my new favourites, because "gothic historical gay novel that's fucking insane and fucking deviant as hell with purple prose" is literally just ME summed up
i stole this from my primary school library when i was 10 but i don't feel that guilty because let's be real, how many primary school kids are interesi stole this from my primary school library when i was 10 but i don't feel that guilty because let's be real, how many primary school kids are interested in the medicinal uses of herbs and the chemicals they contain?? (that being said, apologies to any fellow weirdos who attended the school after me and were sad to not find any books on botanical medicine.) ...more
"Who dares summon me from the slumber of the dead?" rasped the figure in the sarcophagus.
"In the name of Byn-kodar'isti kuru'ur, I bind you to the wi"Who dares summon me from the slumber of the dead?" rasped the figure in the sarcophagus.
"In the name of Byn-kodar'isti kuru'ur, I bind you to the will of the gods!" Lightning flashed from Desidora's hand and wreathed the zombie in green-gold fire.
"Right," said the zombie, dusting himself off. "What do you need?"
i'm honest to god obsessed with this and it might be my fave high fantasy of all time. a diverse crew of thieves led by a woman of colour?? dry pratchett-esque humour mixed with a stunning plot?? a cool, original magic system?? developed characters with a drive and distinct personality of their own?? check, check, check and CHECK
if you're a fantasy fan who hasn't read this yet then what are you actually doing
tag yourself as one of the gang i'm dairy who tags along by accident and never knows what the shit is going on (view spoiler)[and in the later books has a boyfriend who is a shape-shifting dragon and the de facto king of the elves. we stan a queer legend (hide spoiler)]...more
i swear i quote "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING YOU MOTHERFUCKERS" on a daily basisi swear i quote "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING YOU MOTHERFUCKERS" on a daily basis...more
Nemo ☠️ (pagesandprozac)
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