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gabriel_sakoda's reviews
78 reviews
The Iliad of Homer by Homer
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
So much of modern storytelling has remained almost entirely static. If you read something released recently and think that it is kind of same-y to everything else, especially in genre fiction, and then read the Iliad, you will see that the questions of life and war have been asked in almost the exact same way for ~2700 years. I'm kind of baffled at the how slow the progress is in storytelling. While reading it, I consistently thought about how this is just another bloated fantasy/history epic. But I needed to keep reminding myself that this is *the* bloated epic of all time.
The Iliad looks at the moments leading up to the end of the Trojan War with introspection, space and death metal. The Trojan War was a massive battle and Homer catalogs entire battalions and their impact on the war. While reading it, it's definitely a slog. But in hindsight, it becomes more impressive the longer I think about it. These "mini-biographies" as my class called them are everywhere and color the experience with pure awe and solemnity.
You're not supposed to memorize who's son fought in this battle against this demi-god. But the detail highlights the collective impact of human action in war. This is a group effort wherein ever Achaian, Myrmidon, Trojan are their own superhero with their own complex history. And these stories are not far off fantasies, they are being written on the same battlefield as Achilles, Hector, Diomedes, Ajax and Agamemnon.
And this book is metal as fuck: Hector's many tragic monologues, prayers to Gods only for them to be like "lick my lyre bitch-ass mortal" and details of eyes exploding and spears erupting out of the back of mortals' heads. It is so damn cool. For my desensitized ass, this is like Greek Doom Eternal, except everyone is the Doom Slayer. Then there are the moments of divine intervention. Diomedes, the actual hard carry, in Book 5 just openly ignores the Gods to become too angry to die and wrecks havoc after Athena gave him a second wind. That will probably be one of the new coolest moments in a piece of action media ever and I want to rip that off. This book is made of the blood and guts that modern audiences like me crave.
But there is the bloat. After reading 50+ pages of cumulative mini-biographies, you really begin to understand why basically every epic poem that came after this is basically Iliad fanfic. The epithets as well count for at least 10 pages of unabridged text too. I get it, he's swift-footed and she's ox-eyed. Apparently "ox-eyed" was a compliment. You try telling the person you like they are ox-eyed, you will be no-eyes afterwards.
Regardless, The Iliad was the first of the epic fantasy stories and it never read like a prototype or a distant relative to our literature now. It is massive and profound and profoundly dumb at times, but also directly comparable to everything we read today.
The Iliad looks at the moments leading up to the end of the Trojan War with introspection, space and death metal. The Trojan War was a massive battle and Homer catalogs entire battalions and their impact on the war. While reading it, it's definitely a slog. But in hindsight, it becomes more impressive the longer I think about it. These "mini-biographies" as my class called them are everywhere and color the experience with pure awe and solemnity.
You're not supposed to memorize who's son fought in this battle against this demi-god. But the detail highlights the collective impact of human action in war. This is a group effort wherein ever Achaian, Myrmidon, Trojan are their own superhero with their own complex history. And these stories are not far off fantasies, they are being written on the same battlefield as Achilles, Hector, Diomedes, Ajax and Agamemnon.
And this book is metal as fuck: Hector's many tragic monologues, prayers to Gods only for them to be like "lick my lyre bitch-ass mortal" and details of eyes exploding and spears erupting out of the back of mortals' heads. It is so damn cool. For my desensitized ass, this is like Greek Doom Eternal, except everyone is the Doom Slayer. Then there are the moments of divine intervention. Diomedes, the actual hard carry, in Book 5 just openly ignores the Gods to become too angry to die and wrecks havoc after Athena gave him a second wind. That will probably be one of the new coolest moments in a piece of action media ever and I want to rip that off. This book is made of the blood and guts that modern audiences like me crave.
But there is the bloat. After reading 50+ pages of cumulative mini-biographies, you really begin to understand why basically every epic poem that came after this is basically Iliad fanfic. The epithets as well count for at least 10 pages of unabridged text too. I get it, he's swift-footed and she's ox-eyed. Apparently "ox-eyed" was a compliment. You try telling the person you like they are ox-eyed, you will be no-eyes afterwards.
Regardless, The Iliad was the first of the epic fantasy stories and it never read like a prototype or a distant relative to our literature now. It is massive and profound and profoundly dumb at times, but also directly comparable to everything we read today.
Notes on the Cinematograph by Robert Bresson
slow-paced
2.0
Bresson needs to stop talking. His movies are some of the best ever, but please take his hands away. He is trying so hard to be quotable, but his notes all fall completely flat. My favorite is "the ejaculatory force of the eye." That's it. A whole sentence of space dedicated to that gem of a quote. There are occasionally some good lines, but the vast majority of them are weird, masturbatory ramblings of a painfully self-unaware artist. It's a fun distraction, but far from actual filmmaking advice/philosophy.
Night on the Galactic Railroad & Other Stories from Ihatov by Kenji Miyazawa
emotional
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Although about kids, this book is so humorless and dry that I almost dropped it despite the fact that it is so short. The substantive narrative is there. But why do the kids talk like philosophers-in-training? I found its lack of whimsy interfered with my ability to immerse myself into the dream. That begin said, Giovanni's out of body encounter with death was still profound. His confusion and vague sadness regarding death echoes the confusion that kids will face and by situating it within the context of a dream train helps to rationalize grief. The politeness in tone adds to the atmosphere a serenity that makes it worth experiencing for its solemnity and respect for vulnerability.
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Brave New World blends the identity flattening nature of communism with the class-oriented oppression of capitalism to highlight how both extremes fail to enhance the human experience. The common thread between both systems in real life is the deception required by the ruling elites to make people believe that they are living meaningful lives. Even if that meaning is entirely manufactured and not self-substantiated. Author Huxley's society is also deprived of science to ensure that no commoner ever understands the procedures by which members of society undergo. Instead, they have infinite porn, Soma (depressant drugs with minimal side effects) and polygamy to turn to.
Brave New World's absurdism comes from drawing present-day parallels. Has our society devolved? No. It has actually welcomed conversations about books like this. When I was reading it, all I could think about was how insanely reachable these "innovations" are. Huxley's satire on content (feelies, synthetic music and biased media) do not read like some far fetched mutilation of present developments, but only one or two really fucked up timelines away. The criticism part of the satire now feels almost metamodern. The eradication of free thought not by fear (mostly), but by the depravation of dialogue and interpretation are prescient thoughts.
The blunt and biting force of characters like Mustapha Mond being a completely self-aware dictator is unsettling. The layer of manipulation required to operate a "utopia" are explored within Mond's character and ultimately prove that for humans to retain control of their lives, there must always be tension. The acceptance of that state of being drives the protagonists once they become of the World State. Through Bernard, John and Helmholtz, we see the need for political, cultural and artistic tension. We need discourse to progress and make meaning of the systems by which we have no control over. It is a fantastic book (a bit bigoted, but far from overtly offensive) and an incredibly accessible entry to sci-fi, dystopian and classic literary forms.
Brave New World's absurdism comes from drawing present-day parallels. Has our society devolved? No. It has actually welcomed conversations about books like this. When I was reading it, all I could think about was how insanely reachable these "innovations" are. Huxley's satire on content (feelies, synthetic music and biased media) do not read like some far fetched mutilation of present developments, but only one or two really fucked up timelines away. The criticism part of the satire now feels almost metamodern. The eradication of free thought not by fear (mostly), but by the depravation of dialogue and interpretation are prescient thoughts.
The blunt and biting force of characters like Mustapha Mond being a completely self-aware dictator is unsettling. The layer of manipulation required to operate a "utopia" are explored within Mond's character and ultimately prove that for humans to retain control of their lives, there must always be tension. The acceptance of that state of being drives the protagonists once they become of the World State. Through Bernard, John and Helmholtz, we see the need for political, cultural and artistic tension. We need discourse to progress and make meaning of the systems by which we have no control over. It is a fantastic book (a bit bigoted, but far from overtly offensive) and an incredibly accessible entry to sci-fi, dystopian and classic literary forms.
The Bridge Over the River Kwai by Pierre Boulle
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Had this book not been so damn racist, this would have been a perfect comfort read. There is enough suspense, macho posturing and moral questioning in Bridge Over the River Kwai to carry two entirely separate books, one about the Colonel's grueling experience and one about the Plastic and Destructions Company and of all their unique personalities. Maybe it should have been. For being 200 pages, there are a lot of characters with thoughtful flaws and highlights. Nicholson and his obsessive perfectionism, Joyce with his youth and Shears's desire for action. This book is a compelling exercise in breadth over depth. The characters have enough layers to keep you guessing on what they are going to do next, but not so much that it becomes interrogating. Generally, deep characters are preferred, but this book presents the case that characters should be as deep as their narrative allows them to be. With so much going on at the same time, we can't get too attached or the shifts become too jarring. There are so many moving parts to the sabotage as well as the construction that watching each section get benched for narration on the other was quite frustrating, but it never compromised on outlining short and long term character goals. And as things started to build up in the fourth part, we spend enough time with them as they standby for the sabotage and in the final moments of its construction that it becomes clear that they have grown. All things considered, Bridge Over the River Kwai was actually quite light on plot events, favoring dramatic buildup despite the fact that a literal bridge was being built in the background. It's a fun, if dated, read and worth checking out for fans of historical/military fiction and definitely worth it if you enjoyed the David Lean film or are interested in watching it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Malibu Rising's egregious lack of subtext and pedantic prose prevent this otherwise compelling drama from being that memorable. Reid, although a good writer, spells out every single character's thoughts and feelings as well her own to ensure that no one misunderstands even the slightest emotion. Furthermore, when the party starts, Nina's first response is to hide from it, leading the party to immediately become irrelevant to her character and the narrative as a whole.
Despite this, Malibu Rising still presents an engaging microcosm of celebrity life and show biz. Mapping out the connections between characters is thoroughly enjoyable and proves Reid's ability to create a well developed hierarchy of people, even if none of the characters are that deep themselves.
Despite this, Malibu Rising still presents an engaging microcosm of celebrity life and show biz. Mapping out the connections between characters is thoroughly enjoyable and proves Reid's ability to create a well developed hierarchy of people, even if none of the characters are that deep themselves.
Bullet Train by Kōtarō Isaka
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
What a stupid book. Bullet Train reads like a generic action film (because it is), but the criminals are so incompetent and have such disproportionately sized egos that it still remained engaging for 400 pages. This book tries to be funny, but it almost always falls flat. But instead of just being bored with or frustrated by the comedy, you laugh at how dumb these dopey criminals are. They all think that they are the shit, except Ladybug. His resignation to the unevenness of life and work make him pretty humorless as a character, but what he does and what happens to him is by far the best part of the book. He is competent, resolved and jaded. Where the Fruit are constantly cranking out bad one-liners, Ladybug rolls with the punches. The Prince, meanwhile, is just annoying. And Kimura is a downer. But above all, the actual series of events is so entertaining and watching them all fail in their unique way give the book energy. Kotaro Isaka made sure that none of the characters were ever succeeding or failing for too long at a time and always switching up how one of them messed up. Something happened, but then something completely tangential happened. It was entertaining and gave the characters something to respond to whether it be shockwaves from someone else's mess or a disaster of their own making.. It was a lightning fast read and a good buffer between more "literary" novels.
Content Warnings
Minor: Transphobia
Vagabond, Volume 1 by Takehiko Inoue
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Vagabond is incomplete. It left on a really bad chapter and leaves countless threads dangling. Its creator, Takehiko Inoue, has expressed little interest in continuing the series. Nonetheless, Vagabond triumphs as the most personally impactful story I have ever read. What starts out as a pretty typical "be the best" kind of manga hastily gets interrogated for its shallow and egotistical motives. Takezo, later goes by Musashi, wants to be the strongest swordsman. But that requires him to define strength. In his early adulthood, his naïveté convinces him that to gain strength, his opponent must also lose it. So much of his worldview is taken up by this asinine belief in strength being a finite resource that Musashi rejects his humanity to pursue this toxically masculine ideal.
Over the course of three-hundred chapters and thirty-eight volumes, he slowly realizes that his worth as a human is not and was not ever tied to how many he people he can defeat (kill). Quite the opposite actually. As Musashi grows, the manga slows in pace. Towards the end, it would philosophize about the meaning of success, personal change, the value of charity and how ego dilutes the strongest parts of our character for entire volumes at a time. Vagabond is gory, but as Musashi awakens himself to the vanity of his journey, the panel framing shifts from cool action to gut-wrenching scenes of warfare. Why would he ever want to be the best if it only causes him and the communities around him immeasurable suffering? Furthermore, climbing a ladder of "best-ness" inherently devalues his passions. Once Musashi reaches the top, what's next? This existential question looms over him the longer he goes, forcing him to grow up and accept the sheer stupidity of his quest for power.
That is not to say that the entire manga is just negative growth. When it does slow down, Musashi confronts the flaws of his lifestyle and takes active steps to change and be better for the world. Vagabond is an empathetic story. Inoue knows when to be intensely critical of Musashi and knows when to let him be the hero. The back third, where the violence fades and Musashi is left to struggle alone, is profound, and profoundly impactful. Inoue lets Musashi crash, fizzle and eventually lets him regain his footing. Instead of listening to the systems and stereotypes that kept Musashi locked in a cycle of life and death, he began to listen to nature, to water, to the people who are too poor and starved to have a dream. Musashi moves between villages and death can't help but chase him, but he begins to accept the reality of his privileged line of work as a ronin. This self-reflection and willingness to break apart his alleged rank among fighters directly addresses similarly idealistic readers. Having a dream is a form of privilege and Vagabond proclaims that the most successful are those who never lose sight of the state of the world around them.
Reading Vagabond over the course of about a year was the gift that kept on giving. It continued to deliver emotional hits at the time that I needed to hear them. It is a story that grew with me through college applications, my final cross country races, and now my first relationship. I got into my dream school, I am stronger than I ever have been and now happier than ever. Having Vagabond there to grow with me was the kind of miraculous artistic alignment that simply cannot be ignored. Musashi's story guided me through the biggest changes of life so far. I read it slowly and let its themes wash over me. It made me realize the inherent worth of my ambitions. Working for a goal is a burden most should carry with pride. In Vagabond's world, there is clash between physical strength and strength in morale. Musashi was never scared off by another swordsman, but was floored by monks, elders, farmers; people who have either never held a sword or renounced it. This story taught me the value of committing myself completely to what I am passionate about, but also the value of letting myself coast and soak up the humanity around me. Vagabond is not unrelenting or merciless; it is warm and relatable. Takehiko Inoue's decades long epic and life drama provides a unique criticism of genre tropes in manga and a humanitarian awakening to all the ambitious young men who partake in Musashi's odyssey.
Over the course of three-hundred chapters and thirty-eight volumes, he slowly realizes that his worth as a human is not and was not ever tied to how many he people he can defeat (kill). Quite the opposite actually. As Musashi grows, the manga slows in pace. Towards the end, it would philosophize about the meaning of success, personal change, the value of charity and how ego dilutes the strongest parts of our character for entire volumes at a time. Vagabond is gory, but as Musashi awakens himself to the vanity of his journey, the panel framing shifts from cool action to gut-wrenching scenes of warfare. Why would he ever want to be the best if it only causes him and the communities around him immeasurable suffering? Furthermore, climbing a ladder of "best-ness" inherently devalues his passions. Once Musashi reaches the top, what's next? This existential question looms over him the longer he goes, forcing him to grow up and accept the sheer stupidity of his quest for power.
That is not to say that the entire manga is just negative growth. When it does slow down, Musashi confronts the flaws of his lifestyle and takes active steps to change and be better for the world. Vagabond is an empathetic story. Inoue knows when to be intensely critical of Musashi and knows when to let him be the hero. The back third, where the violence fades and Musashi is left to struggle alone, is profound, and profoundly impactful. Inoue lets Musashi crash, fizzle and eventually lets him regain his footing. Instead of listening to the systems and stereotypes that kept Musashi locked in a cycle of life and death, he began to listen to nature, to water, to the people who are too poor and starved to have a dream. Musashi moves between villages and death can't help but chase him, but he begins to accept the reality of his privileged line of work as a ronin. This self-reflection and willingness to break apart his alleged rank among fighters directly addresses similarly idealistic readers. Having a dream is a form of privilege and Vagabond proclaims that the most successful are those who never lose sight of the state of the world around them.
Reading Vagabond over the course of about a year was the gift that kept on giving. It continued to deliver emotional hits at the time that I needed to hear them. It is a story that grew with me through college applications, my final cross country races, and now my first relationship. I got into my dream school, I am stronger than I ever have been and now happier than ever. Having Vagabond there to grow with me was the kind of miraculous artistic alignment that simply cannot be ignored. Musashi's story guided me through the biggest changes of life so far. I read it slowly and let its themes wash over me. It made me realize the inherent worth of my ambitions. Working for a goal is a burden most should carry with pride. In Vagabond's world, there is clash between physical strength and strength in morale. Musashi was never scared off by another swordsman, but was floored by monks, elders, farmers; people who have either never held a sword or renounced it. This story taught me the value of committing myself completely to what I am passionate about, but also the value of letting myself coast and soak up the humanity around me. Vagabond is not unrelenting or merciless; it is warm and relatable. Takehiko Inoue's decades long epic and life drama provides a unique criticism of genre tropes in manga and a humanitarian awakening to all the ambitious young men who partake in Musashi's odyssey.
Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino
adventurous
informative
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Invisible Cities relishes in oddly specific yet entirely ambiguous musings on the many forms a city takes. The fictionalized accounts of Marco Polo paint a picture of his observations as one characterized by being an eternal outsider. Polo's character lingers on the habits of rats, farmers, drainage; lines in motion. Polo's travels make him a cosmopolitan, but he loses sense of what makes a city a home. He is forever bound to experience the homes of others while never having a home himself. Italo Calvino explores this through a single lens: Venice, Marco's "home" city. His accounts tell the story of how this magical, ephemeral place morphs with time and age to the Emperor of China, Kublai Khan. The Khan interrogates Polo's experiences to expose the subjectivity and half-truths of his interpretations. However, the Khan's efforts are quickly thwarted through Polo's surreal ramblings, proving humanity's own micro-scale sequent occupance. Polo's relative humility shows the Khan that cities are liminal masses of brick, stone and glass. The poetic truth behind one's experience will never be the same as another.
Calvino very rarely explores the physicality of cities, instead focusing on vague notions of shape, citizenship, and the movement of the masses. All the accounts are written to place the people in conversation with their city, examining the relationships between social order and place or taking a magical realist approach and studying how the land itself interacts with the individual's sense of home. Italo Calvino's metaphysical jaunt through what makes a metropolis a metropolis consistently calls into question our own contributions to the space around us and how that impacts manmade spaces, nature, other inhabitants and other outsiders.
Invisible Cities reminds me of my favorite movie, Koyaanisqatsi, an experimental documentary about the human toll of living in a megalopolis and the reduction in identity we experience in the face of constant urbanization. Although Invisible Cities is nowhere near as nihilistic as Qatsi, they both rely on avant--garde means to convey the truths at the heart of their narratives. Invisible Cities argues that cities are subjective, ever-changing art installations and Qatsi argues that the scale at which we build at is unsustainable. Both pieces force their audiences to think about cities as networks of people whose influences are both omnipresent and completely obscured. They both recontextualize the scope of cities beyond our glass walls and neighborhoods to reveal just how interconnected our habits, lives, deaths, and desires really are.
Calvino very rarely explores the physicality of cities, instead focusing on vague notions of shape, citizenship, and the movement of the masses. All the accounts are written to place the people in conversation with their city, examining the relationships between social order and place or taking a magical realist approach and studying how the land itself interacts with the individual's sense of home. Italo Calvino's metaphysical jaunt through what makes a metropolis a metropolis consistently calls into question our own contributions to the space around us and how that impacts manmade spaces, nature, other inhabitants and other outsiders.
Invisible Cities reminds me of my favorite movie, Koyaanisqatsi, an experimental documentary about the human toll of living in a megalopolis and the reduction in identity we experience in the face of constant urbanization. Although Invisible Cities is nowhere near as nihilistic as Qatsi, they both rely on avant--garde means to convey the truths at the heart of their narratives. Invisible Cities argues that cities are subjective, ever-changing art installations and Qatsi argues that the scale at which we build at is unsustainable. Both pieces force their audiences to think about cities as networks of people whose influences are both omnipresent and completely obscured. They both recontextualize the scope of cities beyond our glass walls and neighborhoods to reveal just how interconnected our habits, lives, deaths, and desires really are.