jdcorley's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
There's things to like here. Kiernan's take on the spies vs. Cthulhu Mythos pastiche has a distinctly American voice to its protagonist Signalman, differentiating it crisply from the other spy vs. Mythos series giong. It's also sadder and feels older. The Signalman has enough experience to know how far out of their depth the people that have come along after him are; the immortal, time-jumping counter-agent is thoroughly, completely alone. But once it wraps up you don't feel like much has actually happened. The narrative also jumps around in time, robbing the character that does so of some of her unique point of view and not giving us much in the way of intrigue or tension as a result. I don't want to make it sound like I didn't enjoy it - I did. But it could have been a short story, just a little sting of a glance into this terrible world, or it could have had more go on in it. As a standalone work it didn't really go anywhere.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Gun violence
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