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jdhacker's reviews
1350 reviews
Time Travellers Strictly Cash by Spider Robinson
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Ghost Story by Jim Butcher
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Weird Luck Tales 8 by Fiction › Science Fiction › GeneralFiction / Anthologies (multiple authors)Fiction / HorrorFiction / Science Fiction / General
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.75
This is my first experience with anything from Autonomous Press, which is worker-owned under its various sub-imprints focuses on works by and featuring neurodivergent and queer folks. The Weird Luck anthologies focus more heavily on the ongoing, multi-format saga and shared world of Weird Luck. One of the contributors was generous enough to send me a copy and I will definitely be looking into picking up other books put out by the publisher both because of the overall quality of the work and because of the ethos.
I'm going to begin with the ending, "Ruiz and the Echo Hotel" by Nick Walker as it is both the longest story in the collection as well as the one most directly tied to the ongoing Weird Luck world/webcomic. One might imagine that would mean a higher barrier to entry or more confusion as we're focused on pre-established characters without all the necessary context. This could not be further from the truth. Not only was the story of a reality shifting Special Agent extremely accessible, there was more than sufficient character growth and intrigue along the way to make me want to read more about the wider multiverse.
Scott Nicolay's "What Was I Scared Of?" is a clear standout not just in this collection, but in his overall body of work. He told me its one of the best things he's ever written, and I'm inclined to agree. Its academic feel and elevated language, while still holding true to the weird tradition, in this creepy cryptid tale, will give this a feel similar to that of some of the masters of the form like Lovecraft but the plot and setting will connect much better to the modern reader.
All the pulse pounding action a reader could want can be found in Molly Tanzer's "But Only Because I Love You," featuring an investigative duo, synesthesia, and action scenes worthy of Howard.
"The Cancellation and Rebirth of Johannes Price" by Brendan Bartholomew is a scifi tale about the very kind of one percenter we (hopefully) all hate with a Twilight Zone esque ending that I would love to see produced visually.
S.J. Bagley's "A letter to Charles White, dated August the second, 1912" may be the one of the most quietly unsettling pieces in the collection, and certainly holds that title amongst love letters I've been privy to.
The first two or three pieces in the collection are quiet possibly the most bizarre.
I'm going to begin with the ending, "Ruiz and the Echo Hotel" by Nick Walker as it is both the longest story in the collection as well as the one most directly tied to the ongoing Weird Luck world/webcomic. One might imagine that would mean a higher barrier to entry or more confusion as we're focused on pre-established characters without all the necessary context. This could not be further from the truth. Not only was the story of a reality shifting Special Agent extremely accessible, there was more than sufficient character growth and intrigue along the way to make me want to read more about the wider multiverse.
Scott Nicolay's "What Was I Scared Of?" is a clear standout not just in this collection, but in his overall body of work. He told me its one of the best things he's ever written, and I'm inclined to agree. Its academic feel and elevated language, while still holding true to the weird tradition, in this creepy cryptid tale, will give this a feel similar to that of some of the masters of the form like Lovecraft but the plot and setting will connect much better to the modern reader.
All the pulse pounding action a reader could want can be found in Molly Tanzer's "But Only Because I Love You," featuring an investigative duo, synesthesia, and action scenes worthy of Howard.
"The Cancellation and Rebirth of Johannes Price" by Brendan Bartholomew is a scifi tale about the very kind of one percenter we (hopefully) all hate with a Twilight Zone esque ending that I would love to see produced visually.
S.J. Bagley's "A letter to Charles White, dated August the second, 1912" may be the one of the most quietly unsettling pieces in the collection, and certainly holds that title amongst love letters I've been privy to.
The first two or three pieces in the collection are quiet possibly the most bizarre.
Legion by William Peter Blatty
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Prefacing this with the fact that I haven't actually read The Exorcist and I think this may have been more disappointing by comparison had I done so.
This is an odd one. Ostensibly a slow burn detective story framing a horror story, its ultimately unclear whether we're talking about demons or ghosts or a psychological phenomena. And in fact I think that's sort of the point. A *lot* of the book is given over to internal and external philosophizing by our main character, Detective Kinderman. If you're buying in and on board for the ride, that's fine, but just a rough estimate here...at least half the novel is theological speculating rather story telling and that's going to fall flat for a lot of readers.
I enjoyed it, both the dialogue and the internal monologue almost felt mamet-like in their pacing, sometimes it feels like Kinderman is doing a caricature of himself. Characterization as a whole is handled well, and the the relationships, especially the clear love between our male protagonists, is beautifully portrayed.
Ultimately, it does feel like Blatty was trying to work out some of his own thoughts and feelings regarding the afterlife, supernatural, god, and the meaning of life though, and the maybe that should have been saved for a separate dedicated work.
This is an odd one. Ostensibly a slow burn detective story framing a horror story, its ultimately unclear whether we're talking about demons or ghosts or a psychological phenomena. And in fact I think that's sort of the point. A *lot* of the book is given over to internal and external philosophizing by our main character, Detective Kinderman. If you're buying in and on board for the ride, that's fine, but just a rough estimate here...at least half the novel is theological speculating rather story telling and that's going to fall flat for a lot of readers.
I enjoyed it, both the dialogue and the internal monologue almost felt mamet-like in their pacing, sometimes it feels like Kinderman is doing a caricature of himself. Characterization as a whole is handled well, and the the relationships, especially the clear love between our male protagonists, is beautifully portrayed.
Ultimately, it does feel like Blatty was trying to work out some of his own thoughts and feelings regarding the afterlife, supernatural, god, and the meaning of life though, and the maybe that should have been saved for a separate dedicated work.
I Sing the Body Electric: And Other Stories by Ray Bradbury
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Old but good collection...some beautiful stories at the beginning, some truly great ones at the end (I'm looking at you, "Heavy Set" and "Lost City of Mars")...and some absolutely terrible stuff in the middle. Clockwork grandma's and some of the adjoining stories have some staggeringly bad dialogue and just plod. If you find yourself getting bogged down, just skip to the next one.
Spock Must Die! by James Blish
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Blish is a more than capable science fiction author, already familiar with writing Star Trek scripts and has a good feel for characterization and canon (at least up to the 1970/tos point), so this is a solid, fast read.
TekLords by William Shatner, Ron Goulart
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
And At My Back I Always Hear by Scott Nicolay
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.5
Its been many years since Scott Nicolay's first collection. This long in coming second collection was certainly worth the wait.
And At My Back I Always Hear contains several previously published pieces as well as some brand new ones.
Among those stories not previously published was, "The Anodizing Line". Taking place during a young man's summer job at a small town factory, this was the star of the collection. Others have called this possibly the best thing Nicolay has written, and while I've not yet read *everything* he's written its definitely among the best stories of his I have read. The realism, quality of writing, characters that easily to identify with or identify analogs of in real life, the creeping dread and strangeness of the employer itself is just...perfect. The more relatable horror of the protagonist's struggle with his implied and later outright stated sexuality as well as the all too real tragedy that later becomes of his life, are more unsettling than any of the Weirdness that ensues. Even the all too common in America horror of a town and its inhabitants so dependent on a single employer and what that can mean in their lives serves to connect this highly readable story to universal reader experiences. I would even say that this story alone would make it worth picking up the collection.
There is an integration of these sorts of commonplace, real world, horrors and monsters throughout most of the collection, in counterpoint to its more esoteric and weird horrors. The train hopping unhoused subject of "Tenebrionidae" has to worry about train bosses, other unhoused folks, food, and infection as well as the possible cultists pursuing him. "after"'s monster plays second fiddle to the specter of domestic abuse, rape, and the tragedy of economic and climate collapse, and ultimately is the only real threat that is resolved in any way. We see some of those same threats, as well as the simple threat that a real, complex, and flawed human being can pose in "Noctuidae". "The Croaker" reminds us of the all too everyday terror that we cannot change the past, or the actions we've taken there, and that somethings in addition to being unchangeable will always haunt us.
The final story in the collection, "The Always Rising of the Night", takes a turn into what at first feels almost like bizarro, but shapes up into a delightful tale that I can't properly characterize. It has its creeping threats, its aura of strangeness, and the sadness that can grow from the relationship parent and child...but despite the unresolved ending (a thing it shares with many of the other stories) it almost feels hopeful. The closure spoken of by its characters was something I felt as a reader, which is fitting for its place here.
The note at the end of "The Green Eye", which was enjoyable in and of itself, does a fantastic job of giving us a window into Nicolay's particular creative process. In particular, it addresses both a flaw I found in his first collection, but was happily absent here. Our protagonists throughout the collection are incredibly diverse in terms of background, current circumstances, gender, sexuality, etc. But in this note Nicolay embraces the fact that he puts much of himself into his characters. However, in this second collection I think he's done a more masterful job of drawing correspondences between himself and his characters, rather than then being simply reflections of him.
And At My Back I Always Hear contains several previously published pieces as well as some brand new ones.
Among those stories not previously published was, "The Anodizing Line". Taking place during a young man's summer job at a small town factory, this was the star of the collection. Others have called this possibly the best thing Nicolay has written, and while I've not yet read *everything* he's written its definitely among the best stories of his I have read. The realism, quality of writing, characters that easily to identify with or identify analogs of in real life, the creeping dread and strangeness of the employer itself is just...perfect. The more relatable horror of the protagonist's struggle with his implied and later outright stated sexuality as well as the all too real tragedy that later becomes of his life, are more unsettling than any of the Weirdness that ensues. Even the all too common in America horror of a town and its inhabitants so dependent on a single employer and what that can mean in their lives serves to connect this highly readable story to universal reader experiences. I would even say that this story alone would make it worth picking up the collection.
There is an integration of these sorts of commonplace, real world, horrors and monsters throughout most of the collection, in counterpoint to its more esoteric and weird horrors. The train hopping unhoused subject of "Tenebrionidae" has to worry about train bosses, other unhoused folks, food, and infection as well as the possible cultists pursuing him. "after"'s monster plays second fiddle to the specter of domestic abuse, rape, and the tragedy of economic and climate collapse, and ultimately is the only real threat that is resolved in any way. We see some of those same threats, as well as the simple threat that a real, complex, and flawed human being can pose in "Noctuidae". "The Croaker" reminds us of the all too everyday terror that we cannot change the past, or the actions we've taken there, and that somethings in addition to being unchangeable will always haunt us.
The final story in the collection, "The Always Rising of the Night", takes a turn into what at first feels almost like bizarro, but shapes up into a delightful tale that I can't properly characterize. It has its creeping threats, its aura of strangeness, and the sadness that can grow from the relationship parent and child...but despite the unresolved ending (a thing it shares with many of the other stories) it almost feels hopeful. The closure spoken of by its characters was something I felt as a reader, which is fitting for its place here.
The note at the end of "The Green Eye", which was enjoyable in and of itself, does a fantastic job of giving us a window into Nicolay's particular creative process. In particular, it addresses both a flaw I found in his first collection, but was happily absent here. Our protagonists throughout the collection are incredibly diverse in terms of background, current circumstances, gender, sexuality, etc. But in this note Nicolay embraces the fact that he puts much of himself into his characters. However, in this second collection I think he's done a more masterful job of drawing correspondences between himself and his characters, rather than then being simply reflections of him.
The Midnight Creature Feature Picture Show by David C. Hayes
dark
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.75
I was prepared to enjoy this more than I did, unfortunately.
A collection of short fiction from a (very nice) local-ish author. Between the monster and movie themes I was really hoping for something in vein of Orrin Grey's collection. While I suppose thematically that held true, in that these are clearly interpretations of B- and exploitation movie genres (Vampires! Mummies! Aliens! Girl Gangs! etc.) it just didn't meet my expectations. My fault perhaps.
The very first story, Hack, was probably the one saving grace and what propelled me through the rest of the collection hoping for more of that quality. A fun, Monsters- or Tales from the Crypt-esque, tale about a comedian giving a life or death pitch to a potential patron who will make or...end...his career. Other than suffering from an issue that the whole collection does in terms of needing another copy editor's pass or two, it was thoroughly enjoyable, the character(s) were fleshed out and three dimensional, a fun if predictable outcome...in other words, exactly what I was looking for. Even the Mummies! story, "That's a Wrap" has this same sort of fun, silly, tales from the crypt feel.
Sadly, and I won't delve into them each individually, the rest of the stories don't measure up to what Hayes is clearly capable of producing. There's a lot of the over the top, kind of meaningless schlock violence I see in Bizarro or Splatterpunk collections, that feels like its there purely for shock value...save that any fans of those genres are unlikely to be shocked. The Girl Gangs! entry, Rode Hard and Put Away Wet, feels particularly guilty of this. Those that don't fall entirely victim to this still feel like pastiches of the worst sort of bad/low budget horror movies, rather than clever entries.
While I wouldn't recommend this collection, its clear that Hayes can produce some fun if not ground breaking stories, especially with better copy editors at the helm. I'd be interested to see what of his crops up in collections by some other publishers with a little more distance from the bizarro and splatterpunk world.
A collection of short fiction from a (very nice) local-ish author. Between the monster and movie themes I was really hoping for something in vein of Orrin Grey's collection. While I suppose thematically that held true, in that these are clearly interpretations of B- and exploitation movie genres (Vampires! Mummies! Aliens! Girl Gangs! etc.) it just didn't meet my expectations. My fault perhaps.
The very first story, Hack, was probably the one saving grace and what propelled me through the rest of the collection hoping for more of that quality. A fun, Monsters- or Tales from the Crypt-esque, tale about a comedian giving a life or death pitch to a potential patron who will make or...end...his career. Other than suffering from an issue that the whole collection does in terms of needing another copy editor's pass or two, it was thoroughly enjoyable, the character(s) were fleshed out and three dimensional, a fun if predictable outcome...in other words, exactly what I was looking for. Even the Mummies! story, "That's a Wrap" has this same sort of fun, silly, tales from the crypt feel.
Sadly, and I won't delve into them each individually, the rest of the stories don't measure up to what Hayes is clearly capable of producing. There's a lot of the over the top, kind of meaningless schlock violence I see in Bizarro or Splatterpunk collections, that feels like its there purely for shock value...save that any fans of those genres are unlikely to be shocked. The Girl Gangs! entry, Rode Hard and Put Away Wet, feels particularly guilty of this. Those that don't fall entirely victim to this still feel like pastiches of the worst sort of bad/low budget horror movies, rather than clever entries.
While I wouldn't recommend this collection, its clear that Hayes can produce some fun if not ground breaking stories, especially with better copy editors at the helm. I'd be interested to see what of his crops up in collections by some other publishers with a little more distance from the bizarro and splatterpunk world.