itcamefromthepage's reviews
496 reviews

Mr. Giggles, The Interdimensional Love Clown by P.K. Sapphire

challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring relaxing fast-paced

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

3.0

 “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy” - Hamlet

It is a little known fact that when Shakespeare wrote Hamlet he was SPECIFICALLY referring to Mr. Giggle, The Interdimensional Love Clown. Our human minds were truly limited until we were opened up to the weird and wild world of clown smut.

In a mere 14 pages P.K. Sapphire expands the mind to the vast other worldness that is 'what if clown made balloon animal out of condom' and 'what if clown shrank down to explore the inner workings of the vagina'.

It commits to the bit...that is what I am saying. 

Gothghul Hollow by Anna Stephens

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective relaxing tense medium-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

5.0

 Received as an ARC from Netgalley:

This was absolutely outstanding. I adored the writing and the characters.

A tight gothic thrillride with monsters, ghosts, and interdimensional beings.

Heavy influence from old school Hammer horror films with a magic system that is mysterious but makes sense at the same time. A hard line to walk.

I've never read any Warhammer fantasy books before and knew next to nothing about the world but that didn't prevent me from understanding the story. A great introduction.

Warhammer Horror continues to be outstanding. 

The Carnival by Eric Morse

adventurous funny fast-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

3.0

There are some REAL creepy descriptions of teens in this book and I was really shocked this was considered 'YA' back in the day.

Luckily that thankfully is set aside after the first act and we get a really weird series of vignettes where Jason as a Carny kills everyone.

There are scenes that really don't make a lot of sense but they take advantage of the atmosphere so you just shrug your shoulders and say it 'f it sure why not'. 

Commits to the setting and delivers what one would expect. 

The Traitor and the Alien by Gav Thorpe, John French, Ian St Martin, Rob Sanders, Aaron-Dembski Bowden, Ben Counter, Joshua Reynolds, Andy Smillie, Nick Kyme, Guy Haley, Anthony Reynolds

adventurous challenging dark funny relaxing tense fast-paced

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

3.5

 An eclectic collection of fully produced audio dramas with some great stuff.

The only flavour I wasn't really feeling were the initial Eldar stories but once we got to Harlequins I was back to being all in.

Worth it for folks who know how the universe works as it definitely throws you in with little explanation. 

The Wicked and the Damned by Joshua Reynolds, David Annandale, Phil Kelly

dark emotional reflective relaxing sad tense fast-paced

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

4.25

Listened to the audio for this and I absolutely LOVED IT.

This is framed like an old Hammer horror film with a group of people meeting in a creepy place and then telling the stories of how they got there.

The first story is a masterpiece that worked even better because it was narrated by Doug Bradley. The other two are a ton of fun and would be totally appropriate for a classic horror anthology.

Great fun, Warhammer Horror continues to surprise. 

The Bookkeeper's Skull by Justin D. Hill

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

 This had some really creepy sequences in it and it was nice to see a 40k story take place in an agricultural farm setting.

The clown servitor in this was creeeeepy as HELL.

The main story is a cop story (but as it is a Warhammer 40K book ACAB is understood implicitly lol) but with some STRONG horror elements to tell its story.

The reveal to the mystery seems mindnumbingly obvious when it happens and I am sure non-40K folks will get it waaay sooner than me who thought he knew the ins and outs of a specific tech that is vital to solving the mystery.

This would be a good starting place for someone new to the setting and overall it is just a very messed up horror mystery. 

Fire Warrior by Simon Spurrier

adventurous challenging dark funny reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

I really really loved this and I am baffled as to how this book exists.

It is a videogame adaptation for a truly BAD videogame and as such this book had NO business going as hard as it did.

The book is a TAD bit overwritten but it's worth it to experience an exploration into the horrors of war and a true breakdown of what life would ACTUALLY be like for the protagonist of a videogame. 

The Halfling's Gem by R.A. Salvatore

adventurous emotional funny inspiring relaxing tense fast-paced

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

3.5

Another great entry into the series with my only caveat being that there is some islamophobia that sneaks in briefly during the last third of the book which was disappointing.

However the rest of it is the same deftly woven character rich fantasy that I can't help but love. 

Streams of Silver by R.A. Salvatore

adventurous emotional funny reflective relaxing tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Yeah...I'm going to read all of these aren't I?

They are incredibly entertaining with some really fantastic characters. 

The Crystal Shard by R.A. Salvatore

adventurous challenging funny inspiring relaxing 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

4.5

I was incredibly surprised by this book. It was outstanding with GREAT characters and some really impactful bits of writing. This is the kind of fantasy that I truly love.