Reading Vicariously

Parasocial

SUMMARY:

In the middle of the pandemic, a fading genre-TV actor, fresh from his long-running series’ cancellation, collides with an obsessive fan at a Texas convention. When she lures him to her home, he’ll have to put on the greatest performance of his life simply to survive until morning. Unless, of course, he’s the real monster… Bestselling, critically-acclaimed duo Alex de Campi and Erica Henderson (DRACULA, MOTHERF**KER!) reunite for another stylish horror reinterpretation, this time the psychosexual thriller.

REVIEW:

It didn’t break any original ground story-wise, but it was interesting to see a modern take on King’s Misery. If it had been longer and gone more in depth with the characters it probably would have retained more of my interest. As is the celebrity and the stalker mainly function as stereotypes in order to satirize various elements of celebrity culture and society. I thought the art was pretty interesting though, as it shifts in form/style and function throughout in order to illustrate characters’ emotional/mental states in certain scenes. Very cool!

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ghostlore, Vol 1

SUMMARY:

What ghost stories do ghosts tell, and what can they tell us about ourselves? An estranged daughter and her father wander a haunted land; they only have the restless spirits, each with its own story to tell, as company along the way. After a deadly accident of which they are the only survivors, Lucas and Harmony Agate can see the dead–an overwhelming amount of the deceased, all with their own warnings, cries for help, and malevolence alike. But Lucas and Harmony aren’t the only ones with this ability; there are other nearly-deads, some of which have malicious motivations… Cullen Bunn of Basilisk and The Empty Man acclaim is joined by artist Leomacs (Basketful of Heads), bringing readers the most eye-opening spectral story since The Sixth Sense! 

REVIEW:

The story starts out interestingly enough, a father and daughter who experience traumatic death firsthand are suddenly able to communicate with ghosts, but then it kind of devolves after the set up. I liked the concept, I liked that each time a ghost is telling their death story it’s a different artist, and I liked all the grotesque demon/spirit/monsters. Lots of cool stuff, but the execution is messy and the story and characters are hard to follow or understand.

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Under the Influence, Vol 1

SUMMARY:

Mindhunter meets meme culture in this bizzarre neo cyber-noir graphic novel thriller from Eliot Rahal, Stefano Simeone, and Mad Cave Studios.

Undercover Federal Agent Cara Cole finds herself in a fight for survival and sanity after infiltrating “The Hot Dog Party,” an online cult run by a washed-up viral internet sensation. What seems to be an open-and-shut case transforms into an identity crisis for Cara when The Hot Dog Party’s cult leader Paul Kovac reveals himself to be trapped inside a web of his own making.

REVIEW:

I’m conflicted here. On one hand I really liked all the social topics touched on and the overall concept. On the other hand, I felt like the execution was lacking in areas. Where I wanted it to take its time and flesh things out, it rushed at a breakneck pace and gave me characters whose motivations I never felt like I understood. I really enjoyed the art style and some of the twists though.

Thanks to Mad Cave for sending an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Crusader, Vol 1

SUMMARY:

In the midst of the Third Crusade, an exceptionally brutal Templar Knight finds himself accidentally transported to a dangerous realm of magic and monsters.

A nameless Templar Knight from the Third Crusade finds himself magically transported to a mysterious world filled with sorcery and monsters. In order to survive, the ferocious Crusader must reevaluate his penchant for violent righteousness and make peace with both himself and this ruthless world. But will peace be enough to stop the deathless, power-hungry ghoul known only as The Pilgrim?

REVIEW:

It seemed like the kind of story I’d like, but unfortunately I couldn’t ever get into it. My biggest issue may have been the art, which was not at all my style. The story was decent but seemed fairly straightforward and rushed. I never got a good sense of the larger magical world the knight had been transported to, as the story moves quickly and there’s not much variation in setting or characters. My favorite part was probably the design of all the antagonist characters. I think if the story and characters had been more fleshed out I would have been able to look past the art and enjoy it a little more.

Thanks to Mad Cave for sending an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

RATING: ⭐️⭐️

The Word for World is Forest by Ursula K. Le Guin

SUMMARY:

When the inhabitants of a peaceful world are conquered by the bloodthirsty yumens, their existence is irrevocably altered. Forced into servitude, the Athsheans find themselves at the mercy of their brutal masters.

Desperation causes the Athsheans, led by Selver, to retaliate against their captors, abandoning their strictures against violence. But in defending their lives, they have endangered the very foundations of their society. For every blow against the invaders is a blow to the humanity of the Athsheans. And once the killing starts, there is no turning back.

REVIEW:

I know this has glowing reviews, but I just couldn’t get into it. Felt too simplistic, too on the nose, too cut and dry. I liked that it switched perspectives and the concept of dreaming/dream walking was interesting. The writing was fine too. I can’t put my finger on exactly what made me put it down halfway through, other than I just wasn’t feeling it and life’s too short to push through books I’m not clicking with.

RATING: ⭐️⭐️

Caribou: Poems by Charles Wright

SUMMARY:

A powerfully moving meditation on life, nature, and the beyond, from one of our finest American poets. Charles Wright’s truth—the truth of nature, of man’s yearning for the divine, of aging—is at the heart of the renowned poet’s latest collection, Caribou. At once an elegy to simple beauty (a sunset the same color as the maple tree in his neighbor’s yard, “Nature and nature head-butt”) and an expression of Wright’s restless questing for a reality beyond the one before our eyes (“Between the divine and the divine / lives a lavish shadow. / Do we avoid it or stand in it? / Do we gather the darkness around us, / or do we let it slide by?”), Caribou’s strength is in its quiet, subtle profundity.

REVIEW:

I just couldn’t get into this one, and found myself skimming and finally dropping it altogether. I’ve never read anything by Charles Wright, and for how lauded he seems to be perhaps this was the wrong collection to start with. Or perhaps his style is just not for me.

I’m not sure every poem was written when he was older, but the collection was released in his old age and it feels like each piece reflects this: onset of night, dusk, changing seasons, darkness, winter, reflection on lessons learned/not learned, etc. It becomes quite repetitive very quickly. While I appreciate some of the sentiments and I enjoy the focus on natural world, overall I found myself lost in phrasing that didn’t make sense, bored, and desiring something more nuanced.

RATING: ⭐️⭐️

What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez

SUMMARY:

Bolivian-Argentinian Inez Olivera belongs to the glittering upper society of nineteenth century Buenos Aires, and like the rest of the world, the town is steeped in old world magic that’s been largely left behind or forgotten. Inez has everything a girl might want, except for the one thing she yearns the most: her globetrotting parents—who frequently leave her behind.When she receives word of their tragic deaths, Inez inherits their massive fortune and a mysterious guardian, an archeologist in partnership with his Egyptian brother-in-law. Yearning for answers, Inez sails to Cairo, bringing her sketch pads and an ancient golden ring her father sent to her for safekeeping before he died. But upon her arrival, the old world magic tethered to the ring pulls her down a path where she soon discovers there’s more to her parent’s disappearance than what her guardian led her to believe.

With her guardian’s infuriatingly handsome assistant thwarting her at every turn, Inez must rely on ancient magic to uncover the truth about her parent’s disappearance—or risk becoming a pawn in a larger game that will kill her.

REVIEW:

Really wanted to like this book and was excited based on the description (The Mummy meets Death on the Nile), but after giving it nearly 100 pages I just couldn’t anymore. Mostly due to horrifyingly forced/strange romance angle, nauseating repetition of phrases and character descriptions, and inability to move the plot forward in an interesting way.

RATING: ⭐️