Scan barcode
wrens_reads's review against another edition
funny
informative
fast-paced
2.5
2.5⭐️. I listened to this on audiobook and found the narration (by the author) to fit the breezy and humorous tone of the book. Some chapters were really interesting such as those focusing on Greek mythology and Romantic literature, but some seemed to be poorly researched and not well thought-out. The book definitely takes a shotgun-style approach to queer villains by naming as many as possible which works in showcasing just how many there have been throughout history, but unfortunately it means that everything is very surface level and glossed over. I loved the topic of this book I just wish it had gone more in-depth and been better researched.
sampauwels's review
informative
fast-paced
1.75
Bought this for the cover and the title, got very excited when I got home and saw my girl missy as one of the entries, I ran over to my dad screaming about it. Quickly became more and more dissapointed when I started reading.
This book feels chaotic, unordered, and like someones desktop folder of random essays they wrote without doublechecking sources. Some entries feel like they are nothing but regurgitated content of other people, in a way that makes me wonder if the author even knows anything about the story and character they are claiming to talk about.
And don't get me started on the humor in this book. It is very slangy, very internet, and very hello fellow kids, and mostly just overdone. Some of it would maybe have been funny if it had been used once, but if every sentence contains a very similar joke, the joke does not really joke anymore. IT WAS ANNOYING.
AND I AM SO MAD ABOUT THE CHAPTER ON FRANKENSTEIN. DID YOU EVEN READ THE BOOK???? How are you going to deticate a chapter to Frankenstein without mentioning the titular character??? The whole chapter is just about the monster, which I get, a lot of queer people relate to the monster. But how did you manage to ignore the absolute gayness that is this novel. Absolutely no mention of Victor and Henry's ~very suspicious~ relationship, no mention of Walton falling very obviously in love with the very obvious queer villain Victor Frankenstein whos name is literally the name of the book???
Also, in a lot of the other chapters, the author talks and/or speculates about some of the authors sexualities, but there is no mention of Mary Shelleys known bisexuality, which tbh I just find kind of strange. It really just feels like the author threw whatever they wanted onto the pages of this book without doing any aditional research, I'm sorry.
This book feels chaotic, unordered, and like someones desktop folder of random essays they wrote without doublechecking sources. Some entries feel like they are nothing but regurgitated content of other people, in a way that makes me wonder if the author even knows anything about the story and character they are claiming to talk about.
And don't get me started on the humor in this book. It is very slangy, very internet, and very hello fellow kids, and mostly just overdone. Some of it would maybe have been funny if it had been used once, but if every sentence contains a very similar joke, the joke does not really joke anymore. IT WAS ANNOYING.
AND I AM SO MAD ABOUT THE CHAPTER ON FRANKENSTEIN. DID YOU EVEN READ THE BOOK???? How are you going to deticate a chapter to Frankenstein without mentioning the titular character??? The whole chapter is just about the monster, which I get, a lot of queer people relate to the monster. But how did you manage to ignore the absolute gayness that is this novel. Absolutely no mention of Victor and Henry's ~very suspicious~ relationship, no mention of Walton falling very obviously in love with the very obvious queer villain Victor Frankenstein whos name is literally the name of the book???
Also, in a lot of the other chapters, the author talks and/or speculates about some of the authors sexualities, but there is no mention of Mary Shelleys known bisexuality, which tbh I just find kind of strange. It really just feels like the author threw whatever they wanted onto the pages of this book without doing any aditional research, I'm sorry.
bookforthought's review
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.5
Clear, engaging and entertaining, Queer Villains of Myth and Legend is a fun and informative celebration of famous villains throughout the ages, exploring their impact on culture and the many different ways their identities developed.
These often-overlooked characters finally take centre stage, getting the recognition they deserve while accompanying us on a tour from ancient myths to modern TV and cinema. There is a truly wide range of characters on display here, some possibly slightly more famous than others, and I deeply enjoyed discovering villains I hadn't previously heard of while catching up on bits of trivia and information on characters I had already encountered. Many of the characters are explicitly queer, while others are queer-coded and/or became particularly significant for the LGBTQ+ community, which made it a varied bunch of characters to explore.
While I enjoyed the free-flowing, friendly writing style (making this an easy read indeed), it felt slightly out of place at times and, coupled with the speed with which the characters were analysed, left me wanting just a bit more complexity and nuance than I got. The short chapters work very well to keep the reading flowing and fast-paced but seem to leave little room for deeper reflections and discussions.
Overall, Queer Villains of Myth and Legend is an enjoyable read, and works especially well as an introductory text, sharing clear and accessible portraits of key characters, but may not fully satisfy readers looking for a deeper level of analysis.
I received a digital review copy of this book for free from the publisher as part of the blog tour organised by Random Things Tours. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.
I received a digital review copy of this book for free from the publisher as part of the blog tour organised by Random Things Tours. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.