Home » Articles posted by Kirsten (Page 136)

Book Review: A for Anonymous: How A Mysterious Hacker Collective Transformed the World by David Kushner, illustrated by Koren Shadmi

cover art for A for Anonymous by David Kushner, illustrated by Koren Shadmi  ( Bookshop.org | Amazon.com )

A for Anonymous: How a Mysterious Hacker Collective Transformed the World by David Kushner, illustrated by Koren Shadmi

Bold Type Books, 2020

ISBN-13: 9781568588797

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle

 

While A for Anonymous doesn’t fall into the category of horror and dark fiction or horror-adjacent titles that Monster Librarian typically reviews,   there are a number of real-world horrors that are addressed by author David Kushner and illustrator Koren Shadmi in these pages. Anonymous is known for exposing some of these human monsters.

The A for Anonymous graphic novel presents an interview between Kushner, who wrote a number of articles on Anonymous, and Commander X, a faceless member of the hacktivist group who agrees to discuss the resistance group’s founding, history, and activities. It presents a decent introduction into Anonymous and some of their activities that garnered national attention. Some of their attacks were leveled at governments, corporations, and religious institutions, just to name a few. Kushner discusses how Anonymous went after the Church of Scientology; the case of Geohot and hacking Sony; the influence of the hacktivist movement involved in exposing the Steubenville, Ohio rape case; and more. The author acknowledges both the successes and the failures of Anonymous regarding their actions as well.

While it makes for a good overview of the movement, the book does not provide any real analysis or insight into Anonymous’ philosophy or lesser-known activities. Other reviewers have noted that information contained in the graphic novel can be found with a simple Google search, and chances are that a good portion of those search results are linked to articles that Kushner himself wrote for magazines such as the New Yorker and Rolling Stone. It would also have added value to the book for Kushner to include citations from his previous work for those interested in reading more about Anonymous.  Recommended.

Contains: discussion of racism and rape

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on January 11, 2021 by , Reply

Book Review: Jagged Edges & Moving Parts by Pete Mesling

cover art for Jagged Edges & Moving Parts by Pete Mesling  ( Bookshop.org | Amazon.com )

Jagged Edges & Moving Parts by Pete Mesling

Other Kingdoms Publishing

ISBN :978-0-578-67738-5

Available: Paperback and Kindle edition

 

Jagged Edges & Moving Parts is a mega-collection featuring twenty-seven pieces, collecting both reprints and some new work by versatile author Pete Mesling. These include short stories of standard length, some micro-stories, and a few literary snapshots.

Horror fans will find a variety of subjects addressed by a talented writer able to disturb, entertain and entice the readers.

Commenting upon each single tale would be an impossible task, but among the huge amount of  material featured in the book, some stories are especially worth mentioning.

“The Things We Teach Our Young” is a solid piece where an Islamic truck driver giving a lift to a wounded hitchhiker turns out to be a terrorist on his way to performing an attack, while “A Pound of Flesh” is a vivid description of how a potentially romantic dinner ends up as an unexpected, painful nightmare.

The enticing “Not for All to See” revolves around a family curse featuring an inhuman creature who needs to be finally defeated, while the tell-tale titled “Crossing Lake Serene on a Dare” is a well-crafted story where a childish dare brings about dire consequences.

“Voices in the Crawl Space” will both terrify you and bewitch you with its load of malice and violence.

“In the Chillest Land”is a superb, tense tale portraying two men who, during a climbing expedition experience a terrible situation facing a dangerous, alien animal.

To me, the best piece in the collection is the outstanding “And a Little Child Shall Lead Them”, a very dark, creepy tale, conveying a sense of deep disquiet and dread and showcasing Mesling’s great ability as a storyteller. Recommended.

 

Contains: violence

 

Reviewed by Mario Guslandi

 

Posted on January 9, 2021 by , Reply

Book Review: The Best Horror of the Year, Volume 12, edited by Ellen Datlow

cover art for Best Horror of the Year, Volume 12 edited by Ellen Datlow   (   Bookshop.org | Amazon.com )

The Best Horror of the Year, Volume 12, edited by Ellen Datlow

Night Shade Books, 2020

ISBN: 9781597809733

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

 

The Best Horror of the Year anthologizes short stories by a variety of writers, previously published during 2019, chosen by well-known editor Ellen Datlow. It is an almost even mix of excellent, decent, and forgettable stories: out of the 22 stories, seven are outstanding, seven are skippable, and the other eight are satisfactory, middle-of-the-road stories.

The majority of the stories are written from a first person point of view.  Of the stories written in the third person, many of them are written in the present tense.  This book is best suited for those who like variety, both in story ideas and writing style.  Readers who prefer third person narratives in the past tense may not find what they’re looking for, but everyone else will probably find something here to enjoy.  Let’s take a look at some of the best ones:

Scariest: “The Hope Chest” by Sarah Read and “The Puppet Motel” by Gemma Files are both winners that get genuinely creepy right towards the end.  The first one is a bizarre story of a dead grandmother returning (sort of) through a dress form.  The second is a wonderfully chilling story of a rental room that may have access to another dimension.  Like “The Hope Chest”, it piles on the scare factor at the end.  The best in the book for true fear is “My Name is Ellie” by Sam Rebelein.  It has the classic cabin in the woods, but this is beyond any other one you have read.  Little people, human sacrifices, body parts… they all contribute to the terror. This is the one to keep you awake at night when you hear the house creak.

Most Unusual: “I Say (I Say I Say)”  by Robert Shearman. Remember all the jokes you heard growing up concerning an Englishman, a Scotsman, and an Irishman?  This turns those joke personalities into actual people who live on a different plane of existence, and get summoned from time to time to perform the jokes we all know.   It’s not scary, but it’s very original, and very good.

Best Thrill Rides: “The Senior Girls Bayonet Drill Team” by Joe R. Lansdale and “The Butcher’s Table” by Nathan Ballingrud.  The first one makes a story out of the girls’ team’s bus ride to their next match, where the object is to kill the opposing team members with bayonets.  This is a nice portrayal of psychology where each game played may be the last, and puts a twist on the craziness of high school sports.  “The Butcher’s Table” is the longest story, and possibly the most overall fun.  Set in the 1800s, it concerns pirates escorting Satan worshippers across the Caribbean to the shores of Hell, where they plan to dine with Satan.  So silly that it’s great fun, and it’s nice to finally have a horror story with pirates, as they are a character type that is rarely used anymore.

Best Thriller and Chiller:  “Below” by Simon Bestwick.  This story about two young English lads who fall into a pseudo-town below the Earth’s crust brings out the claustrophobic feelings that films like The Descent tapped into so well.  The scare factor is there, but it’s also just flat-out exciting as the two boys race through the underground trying desperately to find an escape. This is possibly the most well-rounded story out of the collection.

The stories above probably make the book worth the price of admission, and there are still the eight perfectly reasonable stories not covered here to go with it.  It’s enough to overlook the seven stories that simply don’t cut it.  Editor Ellen Datlow also provides a detailed summary of the horror fiction genre and awards winners of 2019. The Best Horror of the Year, Volume 12 will be a good addition for most horror readers to add to their collection, and a good purchase for libraries wanting to keep current on the trends and authors at the top or rising to the top of the horror genre.

 

Contains:  violence, profanity

 

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

Posted on January 9, 2021 by , Reply
First « 134135136137138 » Last