eren666's reviews
78 reviews

Ritual: A Very Short Introduction by Barry Stephenson

informative medium-paced

3.75

Well written, but the topic ends up being way too nebulous and interdisciplinary to recommend on its own. 

The Abrahamic Religions: A Very Short Introduction by Charles L. Cohen

informative medium-paced

5.0

Great series

The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler

adventurous emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Loved this book’s emotional, bleak, gory atmosphere. Felt very similar to The Mountain in the Sea but obviously more succinct. I’d recommend this for anyone interested in that book to read first as a sampler. I was hungry for the worldbuilding of TMITS, which was somewhat present here, but couldn’t really be as in depth since it was a novella. 

Transgender History, second edition: The Roots of Today's Revolution by Susan Stryker

emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Need to clockwork orange the audiobook to my aunts ears :)

The Hole by Hiroko Oyamada

emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Beautiful, bleak in a tragically grounded and realistic way 

Song for the Unraveling of the World: Stories by Brian Evenson

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.75

I wasn’t 100% on board with every story in this collection, but I found myself thinking about them long after reading them. Definitely some very cool, strong stuff here. I found myself leaving some of the stories a bit unsatisfied due to Evenson’s sparse writing style and the very short length of the stories in this collection. I think this showed me that I prefer his work at novella length at least. 


All this being said- I actually did really love the book overall and would recommend it to a friend. Ex-Mormon literary horror!!!!

Last Days by Brian Evenson

dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

No idea how this book worked as well as it did, but it’s one of the best things I’ve read in years.

The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Glad I read this for its influence on the genre, but mostly found it slightly boring and anticlimactic. Has some cool scenes. 

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love by bell hooks

emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

At times can start to feel a little heavy on platitudes, but ultimately found it insightful, helpful, compassionate and radical.