ravenousbibliophile's reviews
342 reviews
BRZRKR #12 by Keanu Reeves, Matt Kindt
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A desert rose.
To a book-lover, a reading-slump is about as desirable as discovering that their friend (or former friend) has dog-eared a book that was loaned to them. Having found myself in just such an undesirable (and prolonged) predicament, like any sane person, I looked to the emotion which often inspires and motivates. Violence. And I thus came upon Brzrkr.
I will admit that when it comes to violence and gore there are certainly other titles which put the 'graphic' in Graphic-Novels. But Brzrkr caught my eye for two reasons. The second of those being the wordplay on the word 'Berserker'. Primarily (and I guess this goes for most of us who've read this) because of Keanu Reeves. Setting aside his filmography, 'violence' isn't an emotion that I would associate with him. I was curious, and interested in discovering just how loud can the mind of someone as calm as Keanu can be. My curiosity was rewarded with a not inconsiderable amount of noise.
Matt Kindt and the design/drawing team behind Brzrkr have done a wonderful job of translating the violent (and silent) torment of an immortal whose only aspiration is not death, but rather just living with the inevitability of death like a normal person. The storytelling is excellent at the beginning, is strong through the middle but flounders at the end due to a perceptible urgency to finish. Thankfully, things are neatly set up for a sequel and I hope there is one, because I too would like to live with the inevitability of reading more of Brzrkr.
To a book-lover, a reading-slump is about as desirable as discovering that their friend (or former friend) has dog-eared a book that was loaned to them. Having found myself in just such an undesirable (and prolonged) predicament, like any sane person, I looked to the emotion which often inspires and motivates. Violence. And I thus came upon Brzrkr.
I will admit that when it comes to violence and gore there are certainly other titles which put the 'graphic' in Graphic-Novels. But Brzrkr caught my eye for two reasons. The second of those being the wordplay on the word 'Berserker'. Primarily (and I guess this goes for most of us who've read this) because of Keanu Reeves. Setting aside his filmography, 'violence' isn't an emotion that I would associate with him. I was curious, and interested in discovering just how loud can the mind of someone as calm as Keanu can be. My curiosity was rewarded with a not inconsiderable amount of noise.
Matt Kindt and the design/drawing team behind Brzrkr have done a wonderful job of translating the violent (and silent) torment of an immortal whose only aspiration is not death, but rather just living with the inevitability of death like a normal person. The storytelling is excellent at the beginning, is strong through the middle but flounders at the end due to a perceptible urgency to finish. Thankfully, things are neatly set up for a sequel and I hope there is one, because I too would like to live with the inevitability of reading more of Brzrkr.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Gore, Blood, Cannibalism, and Death
Fer-de-Lance by Rex Stout
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Blurb: Best consumed slowly
If the book reads like a 'first-novel' that's because it is. My fascination with Nero Wolfe began by listening to the Radio-Dramas with the incomparable Sydney Greenstreet playing Nero Wolfe. While the Dramas are a heady mix of humor and wit, the book goes heavy on the wit & and exposition. Second to the mystery, the most gripping aspect of this book has been its prose and in particular, the diction and wordplay of Nero Wolfe.
The narrator of the story (as with all of Nero Wolfe's stories moving forward) is his trusty companion and business associate, Archie Goodwin. A hard-boiled, ruggedly handsome gumshoe, it would be easy to mistake him for the protagonist in the opening chapters since he's the one who does all the legwork. However, the story soon proves that when it comes to making investigative leaps which require a potent mix of knowledge and imagination, Nero Wolfe is well and truly the man in-charge. Archie's own banter and penchant for observation are shown in his narrative style. A detail-oriented humor which adds much needed respite while reading through particularly dense moments of environmental descriptions and body-language.
The star attraction of the story, however, is the murder. In a way Rex Stout was ahead of his time for the method is revealed quite early in the story but it is the execution that leaves one baffled. The story utilizes characters and character-tropes which are very much the mainstay of pre-WWII America and even in that, Stout manages to slip in the odd plot-twist which one would expect to see in the murder-mysteries written in more modern times and not in the 1930s.
I shall be eternally grateful to the late Sydney Greenstreet for introducing me to the character to which he lent his unmistakable voice and diction, and I also thank the modern invention of Kindle/E-Books which have made accessing the Nero Wolfe collection possible in this day and age.
If the book reads like a 'first-novel' that's because it is. My fascination with Nero Wolfe began by listening to the Radio-Dramas with the incomparable Sydney Greenstreet playing Nero Wolfe. While the Dramas are a heady mix of humor and wit, the book goes heavy on the wit & and exposition. Second to the mystery, the most gripping aspect of this book has been its prose and in particular, the diction and wordplay of Nero Wolfe.
The narrator of the story (as with all of Nero Wolfe's stories moving forward) is his trusty companion and business associate, Archie Goodwin. A hard-boiled, ruggedly handsome gumshoe, it would be easy to mistake him for the protagonist in the opening chapters since he's the one who does all the legwork. However, the story soon proves that when it comes to making investigative leaps which require a potent mix of knowledge and imagination, Nero Wolfe is well and truly the man in-charge. Archie's own banter and penchant for observation are shown in his narrative style. A detail-oriented humor which adds much needed respite while reading through particularly dense moments of environmental descriptions and body-language.
The star attraction of the story, however, is the murder. In a way Rex Stout was ahead of his time for the method is revealed quite early in the story but it is the execution that leaves one baffled. The story utilizes characters and character-tropes which are very much the mainstay of pre-WWII America and even in that, Stout manages to slip in the odd plot-twist which one would expect to see in the murder-mysteries written in more modern times and not in the 1930s.
I shall be eternally grateful to the late Sydney Greenstreet for introducing me to the character to which he lent his unmistakable voice and diction, and I also thank the modern invention of Kindle/E-Books which have made accessing the Nero Wolfe collection possible in this day and age.
The Complete George Smiley Radio Dramas: BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramatization by John le Carré
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
[The following is a review of the Karla trilogy from the collection]
Blurb: The spies who ASMR'd me
Before my 15th Birthday (or thereabouts) I had always considered myself a bit of an 'afficionado' when it came to espionage literature. At the time, after having read more than a few James Bond novels along with a healthy dose of Modesty Blaise and a bit of Simon Templar, I fancied my tastes in the genre to be rather refined and exclusive. And then George Smiley strolled into my literary landscape and disabused me of my elitist illusions. In my early 20s I found the Karla stories brought to life on-screen with Alec Guinness' impeccable performance as the reticent Chelsea pensioner. And just when I thought I had finally experienced everything there is to experience with regards to the world of George Smiley, in walks Simon Russell Beale and hits me with a heady dose of deja vu.
Much like the ailing Connie Sachs, I fell victim to Simon's evocative voice as George Smiley and it would be a disservice to the rest of the cast if I did not mention their contributions alongside Simon's to a most invigorating auditory experience. I had seen the life and triumphs of George Smiley in my mind's eye, through my physical eyes and now I've heard him perhaps at his most vulnerable & in his most human form.
If you've stared (as I have) to your monthly Audible charge and asked yourself 'Is it worth it?' then content like this should whisper in your ears that it is.
Before Watchmen: Ozymandias/Crimson Corsair by Len Wein
3.0
Watchmen the movie ranks as one of the best Comic Book adaptation movies in recent memory for me. So naturally when I learnt of the Graphic Novels that will give a bit of background to all the main characters, I was giddy with excitement. Ozymandias by far is my favorite character and while the artwork matched his cold and calculative persona admirably, what disappointed me were the flaws that were forced upon the character. I say 'forced' because no explanation was given as to WHY he failed in his endeavors. The biggest example would be his loss (the only one of his career) to The Comedian. The reader is left with a big "?" stamped over their head when he is fighting in one panel and is defeated in the most anti-climactic fashion in the next.
On the whole, it was a good read but very little character development takes place. The book does not adequately add to the legend of Ozymandias as one would come to expect from a book titled "Before Watchmen"
On the whole, it was a good read but very little character development takes place. The book does not adequately add to the legend of Ozymandias as one would come to expect from a book titled "Before Watchmen"