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gracchus's reviews
74 reviews
Burnt Offerings by Robert Marasco
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I've finished “Burnt Offerings” by Robert Marasco. A New Yorker family is looking for a summer house because they stay in a loud and sweltering apartment. They rent a summer house eventually—a very big one. But it turns out it had been better to rent a simple dacha instead of such a munster of the mansion. I seldom read such well-developed characters. When bad things happened to the protagonists, it was terrible for me. Marasco wrote the scenes breathtakingly and impressively. Very good. The novel is one of the forerunners of Shining by Stephen King.
Ark of the Stars by Frank Borsch
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
5.0
I have finished the first part by Frank Borsch, "Ark of the Stars" of the hexalogy Lemuria. A big generation spaceship in dilation flight is discovered by chance. The ship is almost a wreck; the inhabitants are oppressed, and the leader of the ship is desperate. Two parties, the Akonians and the Terrans, claim the ship as salvage. There is a big secret behind the ship that hasn't been revealed yet. We have many POVs and many quirky and lovely characters.The novel had a lot of charm and was compelling. The translation fits like a glove; praise to Dwight R. Decker. This is a spinoff hexalogy of the Perry Rhodan series, the extensivest science fiction dime novel series in the world.
The Maw by Seann Barbour
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0
I have finished the novella "The Maw" by Seann Barbour. The youth of a little town meet on a regular basis behind an abandoned shopping center. Due to the group dynamic and a big, living, and uncomprehensible maw on the wall, some unpleasant things are occurring. Barbour wrote an eerie and compelling horror novella. He described in this story ethical and moral problems in good, understandable texts.
Example: “I read somewhere once that most people like it when stuff is simple. If a situation is complicated, our brains reject that complexity and seek an easier explanation. We like it when there are clear-cut heroes and villains, and we don’t like when it people are, well, people. It’s how you end up with conspiracy theorists; no one likes it when the waters are muddy.”
I enjoyed reading his novella, and I'm looking forward to further publications.
Example: “I read somewhere once that most people like it when stuff is simple. If a situation is complicated, our brains reject that complexity and seek an easier explanation. We like it when there are clear-cut heroes and villains, and we don’t like when it people are, well, people. It’s how you end up with conspiracy theorists; no one likes it when the waters are muddy.”
I enjoyed reading his novella, and I'm looking forward to further publications.
City of Heretics by Heath Lowrance
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
5.0
I have finished "City of Heretics" by Heath Lowrance. A bad guy comes out of jail and has scores to settle. Unfortunately, a bunch of religious lunatics get in the way. Lowrance wrote the gangster story with cynical and dry humor. The anti-hero Crowe is an unsympathetic asshole, but you have to share the thrill with him. This book is stamped with the mark "A Neo Noir Novel" on the cover and is an example of why I read in English. You can't find such books in Germany. One excerpt: “You had to sort of give it to the junkies, Crowe thought—these were people who’d given up on ambition. And who could blame them? Ambition is a bitch. It makes people do horrible things. People without ambition are the happiest people on earth.”