Whalefall is billed as a survival thriller like The Martian, but that creates some false expectations. This is a criticism more of the marketing of this book than the book itself, because what the book actually is, is a novel-length version of the “Men will literally do X instead of going to therapy” meme.
Tag Archives: Fiction
‘Foul’ a Tale of Revenge as Bloody as the Bard’s
There’s something transgressive to watching this fast-paced, consequence-lite rampage. What makes it feminist is perhaps the freedom these four female characters feel in behaving badly—a realm that the male characters felt entitled to do before their bloody ends.
In Bowlaway, Disparate Threads Are Tied by Omniscient Narrator
Who deserves what isn’t any of McCracken’s concern. Nor is she worried about a strong arc or poetic justice, or even a tidy conclusion. Rather, she leans into the sprawl, which at times can make the story feel unfocused as its loose tether sways.
An Overlooked Character Gets Life in ‘Other Bennet Sister’
Yes, there’s a romance in The Other Bennet Sister, but, crucially, it comes as neither the product or instigator of her inner discovery and change. The emphasis is again and again on Mary as a person.
‘The Future’ A Chilling Story of the Near-Present
A lot of the elements within The Future are easy to find in today’s headlines. It makes the world that Alderman unfolds eerily familiar, and that familiarity functions as a tether through the jumping, crisscrossing, and otherwise shuffled times and places through which we unpack the story.
‘Good Bones’ a Charming Family Horror
The house is haunted in Good Bones, but the supernatural danger is far more interested the people than the structure in which they reside. Although, you know, that’s important, too. This is, after all, a haunted house story.
Subtlety and Atmosphere Give ‘Hunt’ Wings
If you’re just looking for an atmospheric autumn read, A Wild Hunt delivers on that front. That said, I doubt any of it will give you nightmares. It may, however, haunt you in more metaphorical ways.
‘Hollow’ a ‘Bittersweet’ and Magical YA Mystery
Bittersweet was fun, and sad, and mysterious. Juniper’s world is full of love, and a whole lot of unanswered questions, and magic aside, that’s what it feels like to be a teenager a lot of the time. Pearsall’s worldbuilding, and the obvious love she has for all her characters, is what really brings this story home. Sometimes, I could almost feel the sticky heat of summer or taste the family’s famous lemon bars.
Beware the Shadows in ‘Keeper’
Ghouls and goblins are scary enough, but the real horror draws heavily from the worst parts of real life. That’s certainly the case in The Keeper, a graphic novel from power couple Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes that gives form to the amorphous threat of racism and generational trauma. Aisha’s luck could hardly be worse.Continue reading “Beware the Shadows in ‘Keeper’”
‘Jaded Women’ A Fireworks Show of Family Relationships
There’s also no skirting around the fact that these are all messy women. They harp on each other, they back-bite, they keep old grudges close, and lock away the love they think makes them vulnerable. Maybe that’s why I was rooting for reconciliation so hard.
Ring Reads 