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.
Tag Archives: Food for thought
‘Fuzz’ Prompts a Different View of our Animal Neighbors
The clash between humans and the fauna we surround ourselves with—and are surrounded by—is both frequent and frequently deadly for one or the other of us. How do we treat our fellow animals, and how can we treat them better? Roach has a few ideas, and while none of them are easy or convenient, they’re worth considering.
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.
‘Juliet’ a Dark but Gripping Look at One Teen’s Spiral
From self-harm to drug use to taking clothes from a dead girl in a dumpster, Juliet gives a matter-of-fact account of the events from her teenage years. But now and then, adult Juliet puts in her two cents about her experience thinking back on those experience half a lifetime ago. That reassurance she survives is crucial for getting through some of the tough parts.
‘Difficult Fruit’ Lots of Food for Thought
The Book of Difficult Fruit works as a sometimes meandering but never unpleasant series of thoughts on things most people give no thought to at all.
‘Search’ Strikes Confusing Tone – but Ends Deliciously
What do you do with a book that mostly works as a slice-of-life story verging on the dramatic when it’s supposed to be funny?
‘My Murder’ A Critique of Lurid Interest
True crime may be alluring, but Williams doesn’t mince words when it comes to who makes the most alluring victim, even in the future. The victims are all fair, fairly young, and fairly attractive, and everyone is fully aware of how narrow a demographic the victims here represent.
‘Crane Husband’ a Critical Look at Love, Art
The Crane Husband is a meditation on responsibility and art and what love actually means, and so beautifully written that even with material like this you may still feel that you could fly away when you reach the end.
‘Shutter’ a Mystery Marred by Blur
Shutter has the makings of a fantastic story that takes its character far beyond the tropes of a typical murder mystery protagonist, but by the climax, I only felt exhausted.