Well, this turned out to be really fun! Went by faster than I expected, but that's all right; the plot was such that if it slowed down too much, it'd Well, this turned out to be really fun! Went by faster than I expected, but that's all right; the plot was such that if it slowed down too much, it'd start to get boring, but the author hit just the right pace for it to move fast without missing out on any interesting details. McGray is all sorts of fun to read about, and highly-sympathetic; Frey was fun to read about too, but it was even more fun to read about his snooty self getting taken down a peg or two every so often. Definitely best enjoyed with a cup of tea....more
...a charming read, despite certain issues with the character development. The mystery isn’t all that complicated, but it does manage to keep the read
...a charming read, despite certain issues with the character development. The mystery isn’t all that complicated, but it does manage to keep the reader in suspense until the latter fourth, which is a lot more than some more “serious” mystery novels can manage to do. But what really distinguishes this novel is how it portrays the Filipino diaspora.The food might be front-and-center in this novel, but I think it’s less important than how the novel tackles concepts like utang na loob, and how minorities must deal with crimes committed against them and their communities by white people. I’m quite pleased that I chose this as my first true introduction to cozy mysteries, and I am looking forward to reading more in the series.
... embedded in that interplay between the truth as Krona knows it and the truth behind Charbon’s motives as told by the man himself, is the question:
... embedded in that interplay between the truth as Krona knows it and the truth behind Charbon’s motives as told by the man himself, is the question: if the world works a certain way, but that way is unjust, then is this how the world is supposed to be? One can live by rules and guidelines the whole of one’s life, accepting them as not only true, but correct, because that is all one has ever known. But what does one do if those long-held beliefs are revealed to be unjust? What does one do when one finds evidence that “the way things are” is in fact oppressive and harmful? It also asks: if one wishes to change the world, what’s the right way to go about it?
Most of the novel is dedicated to world-building, and the mystery at the heart of the novel is rather thin, though there are some interesting (though
Most of the novel is dedicated to world-building, and the mystery at the heart of the novel is rather thin, though there are some interesting (though perhaps somewhat predictable) twists and turns in it. The library mentioned in the title is not even the story’s central focus, since the mystery plot occurs primarily outside of it. The main thing holding this book together is Ropa, and it’s fortunate that she is interesting to read about.
Overall, The Devil and the Deep is an eminently readable collection of short stories, even though not all the stories are as interesting or enjoyable
Overall, The Devil and the Deep is an eminently readable collection of short stories, even though not all the stories are as interesting or enjoyable as they could be. Still, the gems that are in here, like “What My Mother Left Me”, “A Moment Before Breaking”, “Sister, Dearest Sister, Let Me Show You to the Sea”, “The Deep Sea Swell”, “He Sings of Salt and Wormwood”, and “Haunt” balance out the other stories that do not quite shine as brightly as I or other readers might like them to. Many of the authors in this collection have also been published previously, and quite a few have written longer works like novellas and novels, so if the reader finds he or she enjoys the work of a particular author in this collection, then he or she will likely have luck finding longer works by said author to enjoy.
In this story, of course, it is quite clear that these fathers have not done right by their daughters at all. But that is not what matters; what matte
In this story, of course, it is quite clear that these fathers have not done right by their daughters at all. But that is not what matters; what matter is how each woman is able to distinguish and separate herself from her father’s legacy, no matter how much that legacy continues to control her in the story’s present. This is especially true in the case of Diana, Justine, Beatrice, and Catherine: for them, there is no escaping their fathers’ legacy, for they are that legacy, for better or for worse. Despite that, though, they try their best, each in her own way, to live with their lot in life and make the best out of it. Their fathers will forever exert an influence on their lives, but that does not mean they cannot carve a slice of freedom and joy out of the world now that they are (mostly) free of their fathers’ control. This is as true in fiction as it is in the real world: sometimes all a person can really do is to break away, and find such happiness as he or she can, making the best of what already is.
...the novel...does say something interesting about how accepting change is vital, not only to individuals, but to entire countries, entire cultures a
...the novel...does say something interesting about how accepting change is vital, not only to individuals, but to entire countries, entire cultures as a whole. The world does not stay still, after all, and being able to move along with it is important to not only for survival, but for thriving in it too. Trying to avoid change – or, worse, stop it altogether – is how we get the oppressive and repressive regimes currently running the world at the moment, from the Orange Marmot in the White House to the Erstwhile Mayor in Malacañan Palace. It is how, in essence, we find ourselves living in hell.
Another issue that bothers me about this novel is how the author has used the Mythos without questioning its racist and classist underpinnings. As I h
Another issue that bothers me about this novel is how the author has used the Mythos without questioning its racist and classist underpinnings. As I have mentioned in my other reviews, more and more authors are beginning to realise that the Mythos is not as uncomplicated creators used to assume (or wanted to assume), and therefore have begun to take steps towards addressing that, creating works that showcase the dark underbelly of Lovecraft’s politics, which are embedded throughout his work.
Unfortunately, this novel does not attempt to do any of that. While Watson’s thoughtfulness regarding his privilege is laudable, echoing as it does Dickens’ own interest in and concern for the conditions of the poor in Victorian London, the lack of any such thoughtfulness where the Mythos is concerned bothers me. This lack of awareness regarding the darker side of the Mythos is a blind spot with a lot of creators – hopefully not a deliberate one, in the case of the author of this novel.
Once again Wallace delivers the hilarity and the thrills in this continuation of the Sin du Jour series. Though it's not QUITE as funny as the [image]
Once again Wallace delivers the hilarity and the thrills in this continuation of the Sin du Jour series. Though it's not QUITE as funny as the first three books, there's still plenty of moments that are laugh-out-loud hilarious, and even better, the stakes are MUCH higher in this latest installment than in the others. Really looking forward to the next book in the series....more
The premise for this novella pretty much presses a lot of my interest buttons: Lovecraftian horror and hardboiled detective fiction against a L[image]
The premise for this novella pretty much presses a lot of my interest buttons: Lovecraftian horror and hardboiled detective fiction against a London backdrop? Definitely in my wheelhouse. Unfortunately, the story is pretty bare bones - I feel like the narrative could have been a good twenty or thirty pages longer and I wouldn't have minded the length at all. Hopefully the sequel will keep this in mind....more
I picked this book up on a whim because I thought the blurb was pretty interesting. Seriously, when a blurb opens with "underground black marke[image]
I picked this book up on a whim because I thought the blurb was pretty interesting. Seriously, when a blurb opens with "underground black market for arcane things" that's almost an insta-buy for me. But it turns out that, though the premise is absolutely fascinating, the execution leaves something to be desired. The action was pretty good and the worldbuilding was...functional, but the story itself lacked oomph. It was a lot of running around and humans and supernatural entities getting into trouble and getting horrifically injured and/or horrifically dying, but it was actually kind of blah. I think it's that the characters lack personality; they're all very bland. They're interesting when they're taking action, but in and of themselves they're not all that intriguing. Maybe that will improve in the later books in the series (yes, it's a series)....more
Trying to knock down this reading slump I'm in by reading more novellas, and this one seemed like a really good place to start :D. But man, Wal[image]
Trying to knock down this reading slump I'm in by reading more novellas, and this one seemed like a really good place to start :D. But man, Wallace sure knows how to drive the stakes ever higher in this series. There aren't a lot of laugh-out-loud moments in this instalment, but it's still pretty funny in a lot of places. It's just...IDK. I think the stakes have gotten so high at this point that I'm really more worried about what's going to happen to the characters, instead of all the funny things that are happening. Makes me kind of worried about what's going to happen in the next novella in the series. Don't get me wrong: this is still a very good read, it just isn't as funny as the first few ones have been. Which again, I guess makes sense, given how high the stakes are now.
On a happier note: I think Wallace has a tendency to have certain people make "special guest appearances" in this series, and this book is no exception. Given the cover, I think you can guess who makes that appearance....more
As for the plot, it’s a fairly standard whodunit, not very different from many of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s own tales. What makes it interesting are thAs for the plot, it’s a fairly standard whodunit, not very different from many of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s own tales. What makes it interesting are the characters involved, and of course, reading how Isaiah wraps it all up. This whodunit alternates with flashbacks detailing Isaiah’s past and how he became a consulting detective. At times these flashback stories can be more interesting to read about than the whodunit at the heart of the novel, but I attribute that to the fact that the whodunit itself is actually fairly simple. Hopefully Ide will choose to write a more layered, complex mystery for the sequel.
I understand that, in many ways, women in the time period the novel is set were far more vulnerable than they are now in the 21st century, but surely I understand that, in many ways, women in the time period the novel is set were far more vulnerable than they are now in the 21st century, but surely they are not as completely helpless as they are portrayed to be... Surely even a woman of the mid-20th century would be intelligent enough to, at the bare minimum, avoid a man who so strongly radiates “cruelty and hate” – especially since she has already survived enough of the world to carve out a life and decent living for herself? While I am certain that, yes, a woman can be that self-destructive, regardless of the time period she lives in, what bothers me is that this whole mess does nothing to develop the character from who she was before. Instead, it destroys her – and for no other reason than it provides context (perhaps even excuses?) a male character’s atrocious behaviour, as well as providing some kind of sick illustration of what happens to women who cease to be virtuous.
[The characters] are interesting in brief spurts, but after a while they start to lose their shine. I am particularly disappointed with the villains, [The characters] are interesting in brief spurts, but after a while they start to lose their shine. I am particularly disappointed with the villains, whom I thought could have had stronger motivations for doing what they did aside from the one that was given in the story – not least because of the amount of buildup that went into leading up to their role in the whole thing. So much had gone into building up the villains into something much larger than they actually were, that when they and their motivations were finally revealed, it almost felt like I was reading a conspiracy theory threaded together by high schoolers with too much time on their hands and too lazy to do anything more than a cursory Google search.
Using [the Dungeons and Dragons alignment] chart, Ravi might be described as Lawful Good: he tends to see things in shades of black-and-white rather tUsing [the Dungeons and Dragons alignment] chart, Ravi might be described as Lawful Good: he tends to see things in shades of black-and-white rather than grey, and always wants to do the right thing, both in accordance to morality and the law. Because of this, he is frequently at odds with the world around him: he wants to do the right thing in the right way, but the world prevents him from doing so, because reality is messy and sometimes, doing what seems to be “the right thing” doesn’t always translate to doing “the lawful thing”. This constant moral struggle is what makes Ravi such an interesting character to read about: on one hand, it gives him an intriguing character arc, but on the other, it’s also fun to read about how Ravi reconciles his definitions of right and wrong and good and evil with what he actually does or says. ...
By contrast, Ravi’s colleagues at Golden Sentinels fall under other categories on the alignment chart: some might be described as Chaotic Good (believe in doing the right thing but are unwilling to be restricted by laws or codes in order to do so); others as Chaotic Neutral (don’t particularly care about good or evil as long as they get to do what they want, even if it is against the law); and a few might be Lawful Evil (use the law as a tool to exploit others for their own ends). This tends to put Ravi at odds with them – not literally, of course, but in the sense that he sees them do what they do, and has to remind himself all the time that he does not want to become as amoral as they are...
Given all these issues, what, then, might be considered this book’s redeeming factor? After all, if I claim to have finished it, and indeed, enjoyed iGiven all these issues, what, then, might be considered this book’s redeeming factor? After all, if I claim to have finished it, and indeed, enjoyed it, why have I mentioned nothing but negatives? The reason is that I am writing this review with a much clearer head than when I read it. I write this fully recovered from my illness, and therefore better able to see all the problems I missed while I was ill. But then, it does say something about the book, that I was able to tolerate it while I was sick. It is sufficiently entertaining, at least: the main plot is a tidy, if somewhat unoriginal, murder mystery, and there is some fun to be had in that. As long as the reader does not think too hard about the finer details – which is what tends to happen during illness – then he or she should find be able to derive some enjoyment from this book.
It’s as if the story cannot decide what it wants to be: a supernatural historical mystery? A historical romance? A drama about the opera? A story of pIt’s as if the story cannot decide what it wants to be: a supernatural historical mystery? A historical romance? A drama about the opera? A story of political intrigue? This novel could have been one of those things, or even some of them, and it would have been a thoroughly enjoyable read. But in order to be all of them, at once, there must be a careful balance between all the necessary elements, tropes, and conventions – a balance which, unfortunately, is never achieved.
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