Title: The Little Stranger
Author: Sarah Waters
Published: 2009 by Virago
Genre: A little ghost story. Also, historical
Pages: 499
As I said in the meme, I'm still trying to figure this one out. I got The Little Stranger as soon as it came out, quite excited, but with other books to read and work and all, I kept putting starting it away again and again. Started it finally a month or two ago, but didn't get farther than the first 20 pages or so. Then I picked it up again on the 22nd, and didn't really put it down until I finished it yesterday morning.
So yes, it's quite captivating. TLS tells the story of an old English family and their old English house, the Ayreses and their Hundreds Hall, through the eyes of a GP, doctor Faraday, who is facing the coming of the NHS. World War II has just passed, so nothing is as it used to be, and the past is inevitably gone. A few decades ago there were a dozen or more servants at Hundreds, but now there is only the one, a young girl who Dr. Faraday is called in to check on. Young Betty claims that there is a strange presence in the old house, but Dr. Faraday, a man of realism, doesn't quite believe her. Neither do the Ayreses, Caroline, Roderick and their mother, but soon none can deny that there is something odd going on.
What exactly is going on, that's what I'm still figuring out. Faraday is practical, a realist, and so are his views on the occurences. But with so much going wrong, and so fast, the Ayreses and the reader do wonder.
Waters' older books are as beautifully historic as this, but there are no lesbians in this one (wahh!) ...although I did wonder about Caroline. But anyway, as with Affinity, TLS is sprinkled with just a small dose of the supernatural, enough to spook the reader, whether it was all true or just a trick of the light and an overactive imagination. TLS moved on steadily, towards an ending that seemed darker and darker. Scared the living daylights out of me, especially at this one point... and that hasn't happened with a book since I read On the Banks of Lethe, by James L. Grant. Steady, but highly captivating.
"And so there came one of those moments - there were to be several, in the months that followed - that I would forever look back on with a sense of desperate regret - almost with guilt. For I could so easily have done something to ease his departure and speed him on his way; but if anything, I did just the opposite."
...Faraday, you plonker.
perjantai 25. joulukuuta 2009
Two memes for the holidays
Ok, it's really just one meme, but for both books and comics! Separately.
1. What author do you own the most books by? I would have put my money on Tolkien, but he comes in at number three! Two is Michael Moorcock, and numero uno is Robin Hobb, since I have all three of her Farseer, Liveship and Lord Golden trilogies.
2. What book do you own the most copies of? Don’t think I have more than two copies of any book, but there are many that I have two of. Usually in both English and Finnish, sometimes it’s because I’ve found a really old printing or something.
3. Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions? They did?
4. What fictional character are you secretly in love with? If I tell you, it won’t be a secret anymore. But there have been several. Man, I have to do this meme for comics as well...
5. What book have you read the most times in your life? Not counting children’s books, as I’ve no recollection, it’s probably Martin Millar’s Milk, sulphate and Alby Starvation.
6. Favorite book as a ten year old? As if I can remember. There was a Finnish book called Sapotillit, but I can’t remember the author, or whether I was exactly ten when I read it. Several times.
7. What is the worst book you’ve read in the past year? Usually, if I find that I don’t like a book, I stop reading it. But I’m happy to say I haven’t come across any bad ones this year.
8. What is the best book you’ve read in the past year? I’ve actually been thinking about that for a few days now. I’m going to go with the Fingersmith by Sarah Waters. She rocks my little world.
9. If you could force everyone you know to read one book, what would it be? Something by Chuck Palahniuk. Maybe Lullaby. Or Michael Ende’s Neverending Story.
10. What book would you most like to see made into a movie? And the Ass Saw the Angel by
11. What is the most difficult book you’ve ever read? Try by Dennis Cooper. I try to read it, but it feels like it keeps fighting against me.
12. What is your favorite book? Just one? You really expect me to be able to decide on just one?
Ok, to name a few: Fingersmith by Sarah Waters, Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk, The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall, Lord of the Rings by J.R.R.Tolkien, Ennen päivänlaskua ei voi by Johanna Sinisalo…
13. What is your favorite play? Shomething by Shakespeare. Maybe 12th Night. I haven’t been in a theatre in years.
14. Poem? Ohh I don’t know anything about poems. Okay, so I do know some Shakespeare, and there is this one truly beautiful poem I learned from a Puerto Rican man over an internet RPG a decade ago, but I don’t know its name. And it’s too long to be written here.
15. Essay? Wahh!
16. Who is the most overrated writer alive today? Stephenie Meyer.
17. What is your desert island book? Maybe Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth. It’s good, it’s long, and it’s heavy enough to be used against possible hostile dwellers of the island if it’s not so deserted after all.
18. And . . . what are you reading right now? Right now, nothing. Finished The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters yesterday, and am still figuring that one out. Santa brought me
And comics!
So, this was originally a book meme, but I replaced every ‘book’ with ‘comic’, so now it’s a comic meme! Yay!
1. What creator do you own the most comics by? Wendy and Richard Pini, since I have a great big ElfQuest collection. No, wait. It has to be CLAMP. ElfQuest tops any one series easily, but I have several CLAMP series, so they must number more than the Pini’s. So CLAMP first, Pini’s second. Third might be Neil Gaiman or Drew Hayes.
2. What comic do you own the most copies of? As with books, there are some which I own in more than one language, but no more than two copies of any comic, apparently. I found this very out of date list I did some two years ago, so I can actually check quite easily!
3. Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions? They did?
4. What fictional character are you secretly in love with? It’s seeeeec~reeeeet. No, it really is. He he, it’s a pun. It is! Kind of. Or a trick answer. I don’t go telling my secrets to just anyone, you know.
5. What comic have you read the most times in your life? Ohh man, I’ve no clue. Comics are faster to read than books, even if time is taken to appreciate the art, and therefore I have read pretty much all my favourites very many times. But to name one, From Hell by Mr. Moore and Mr. Campbell.
6. Favorite comic book as a ten year old? I was very fond of the Turtles around that time. And Ghostbusters! And Lucky Luke.
7. What is the worst comic you’ve read in the past year? Ahaha. The Caterer. It is so un-be-LIEvably bad it’s utterly brilliant. Of course I had to buy a copy.
8. What is the best comic you’ve read in the past year? I could say From Hell here as well, but maybe I’ll try to find something I read for the first time… like, oh, I know! Roberta Gregory’s Bitchy Bitch!
9. If you could force everyone you know to read one comic, what would it be? …From Hell. Or maybe Watchmen. Or Maus, or Barefoot Gen. Anyone who thinks war is a good idea should read those last two. The first two are just plain kickass.
10. What comic would you most like to see made into a movie? One of the Ralf König’s that have already not been made into movies. Ooooooh, Bull’s Balls. Yes. Bull’s Balls.
11. What is the most difficult comic you’ve ever read? David Boring by Mr. Clowes. Difficult as in difficult to understand. Maybe that’s not what the question was referring to, but this puppy was like reading a Lynch movie.
Oh wait, now I know! Jimmy Corrigan by Chris Ware! It is utterly brilliant, but the urge to slap Jimmy around a little, and the discomfort that just oozes from it… ouch.
12. What is your favorite comic? Yeah, I’m gonna have to go with From Hell again. I could explain further, but I already did a few months back, on this very blog.
13. What is your favorite play? What’s this got to do with comics? I guess it’s ok to ignore this and the following two.
14. Poem? ‘Tis easy enough to be twenty-one, ‘tis easy enough to marry. But when you try both games at once, ‘tis a bloody big load to carry!
15. Essay? Don’t really read any. Well, I sometimes do, but couldn’t name one.
16. Who is the most overrated comic creator (writer, artist, inker etc.) alive today? Jim Davis. I was going to write something about pushing out the same superhero/mutant comics year after year after year, but Jim Davis.
17. What is your desert island comic? Can’t you guess already? FROM HEEEEEEEEEELL! Wheeeeeeee!
18. And . . . what are you reading right now? Just finished a collection of above mentioned Bitchy Bitch. Also, Death: the Time of Your Life, written by Neil Gaiman. And Preacher, for maybe the third time.
maanantai 16. marraskuuta 2009
Comics!
I’ve been bad... I’ve read a
Moebius: Le Garage Hermetique de Jerry Cornelius (Jerry Corneliuksen ilmatiivis autotalli), in Finnish, published in 1990 & 1991 in two albums.
Muutama viikko ennen Sarjakuvafestivaaleja mietin, saisiko näitä enää mistään. Festareilta sai. Yhtä vähän ymmärsin kuin lapsena. X) Suunnilleen joka toisella sivulla olevat Tapahtui tätä ennen –selitykset tulevat tarpeeseen. Joskus tuntui että tekijä itse jätti ne lukematta.
Howard Cruse: Stuck Rubber Baby
An urban epic of changes, both in society and in the life of one man, the protagonist Toland Polk. In a time when people are fighting hard against racism, Toland is also fighting with personal issues, namely homosexuality. History mixed with fiction.
Kathryn Hyatt: Marilyn: The story of a woman
A graphic novelisation of the life of Marilyn Monroe, based on several interviews, and delivered in black and white. All the basics of MM, and then some.
Tiitu Takalo: Tyhmä tyttö
Muutaman vuoden vanha kokoelma Tiitu Takalon lyhyitä sarjakuvia. Tiitun töihin tutustuin töissä tänä syksynä, hienoa jälkeä tekee hän. Ja paljon järkeä. Ja asiaa. Vielä töissä ollessa tuli ostettua omaksi muutama albumi (Jää sekä Tuuli ja myrsky). Tykkään.
Iiiiso kasa Piko ja Fantasio –albumeita
Näitä tuli lapsena luettua, ja vähän vanhempana, ja näköjään vielä nytkin. Hauskoja ja mukaansatempaavia välipaloja noiden vakavampien ja paksumpien laitosten välissä. Osa jo aiemmin luettuja, mutta yllättävän monia lukemattomia!
Al Davison: The Spiral Cage
Ooh. I remember reading this autobiography several times when I lived in Joensuu, where they had it in the library as well. And not just because of Davison’s many art styles, which he all seems to use quite effortlessly and with a lot of talent, but because of the story he’s telling as well. This is one of those comics that changed the medium. If you don’t believe me, Alan Moore himself says so on the introduction (of this edition). Also, worth checking out is his Minotaur comic. I forget what it’s called, but it’s even been translated to Finnish! It will be mine… oh yes, it will be mine.
Roberta Gregory: Bitchy Butch, the world’s angriest Dyke!
A collection of short stories of the Bitchy Butch, angriest dyke in the world. That’s not even an exaggeration! Kind of a spin off/sister to Gregory’s other comic, Bitchy Bitch, who has a cameo in one of the stories here. Or is it the other way around? The stories are both funny and touching.
Nicholas Gurewitch: The Trial of Colonel Sweeto and other stories
A collection of the Perry Bible Fellowship comics, also found on the net. Funny as hell and just as twisted most of the time. This collection also includes some extra comics! Strips that can be read more than once, and they’re still funny.
Joss Whedon & others: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8
Been collecting the albums about and around when they’ve come out: just bought 4 and 5, yet to read the latter one. The art’s nice and the stories good and entertaining, or I wouldn’t be buying them. But damn if they don’t make me dislike Dawn more than I already did…
Dave Sim: Cerebus
There are some people whose recommendations I trust quite blindly. Drew Hayes was one of those, and I remember him talking good about Cerebus. So when I finally found some, and in a library, even, I gave them a read. So far I’ve barely cracked the huge collection, but Kati does like what she sees.
Except for Stuck Rubber Baby, Buffy and Jerry Cornelius, all are from a library nearby. They have the BEST comic collection of any library I've visited so far in my life. Espoon Omena, I love you!
torstai 29. lokakuuta 2009
Fingersmith
Title: Fingersmith
Author: Sarah Waters
Published: 2002 by Virago (this reprint from 2009)
Genre: Historical crime fiction
Pages: 548
I totally agree with one of the comments on the back: "There are always novels you envy people for not having read yet, for the pleasure they still have to come. Well, this is one." I saw the BBC movie made from the book a few years ago (was blown away by that already!), and so took my time before getting to read Fingersmith, in the hope that I would have forgotten most of it already.
Not bloody likely! This shit's unforgettable. Sarah Waters indeed is my favourite author these days. Well, her and Chuck Palahniuk. I really do wish I had read the book before seeing the movie, because now I knew the bigger twists and expected them.
It's the 1860's in London, and young fingersmith (=thief) Susan Trinder, who has lived her whole life among thieves and baby farmers, is seduced into a plot by one of her fellow thieves, a man known as the Gentleman. The plot is to insert her into the home of an old scholar and especially his young niece, to become her maid. Gentleman's plan is to marry the niece, who is to inherit a lot of money once she marries. He intends to put her in an asylum long before that, and Susan is to help him.
Of course things don't go quite like that, but it's very hard to say anything more without spoiling it. And there's a lot of it. Twists of plot that leave the reader breathless, believable characters you like and dislike, and a thoroughly illustrated Victorian England in all its dirt. The 500+ pages seemed endless at first, but they were over far too soon. I read most of them in three sittings, because once I picked up the book to read a little, I always ended reading one or two hundred pages. Now, I think I might watch the movie again. It was quite good as well. (((EDIT: Mmmmyeah, good, but doesn't reach the level of the book. Remembered it was better.)))
"You are waiting for me to start my story. Perhaps I was waiting, then. But my story had already started - I was only like you, and didn't know it."
Author: Sarah Waters
Published: 2002 by Virago (this reprint from 2009)
Genre: Historical crime fiction
Pages: 548
I totally agree with one of the comments on the back: "There are always novels you envy people for not having read yet, for the pleasure they still have to come. Well, this is one." I saw the BBC movie made from the book a few years ago (was blown away by that already!), and so took my time before getting to read Fingersmith, in the hope that I would have forgotten most of it already.
Not bloody likely! This shit's unforgettable. Sarah Waters indeed is my favourite author these days. Well, her and Chuck Palahniuk. I really do wish I had read the book before seeing the movie, because now I knew the bigger twists and expected them.
It's the 1860's in London, and young fingersmith (=thief) Susan Trinder, who has lived her whole life among thieves and baby farmers, is seduced into a plot by one of her fellow thieves, a man known as the Gentleman. The plot is to insert her into the home of an old scholar and especially his young niece, to become her maid. Gentleman's plan is to marry the niece, who is to inherit a lot of money once she marries. He intends to put her in an asylum long before that, and Susan is to help him.
Of course things don't go quite like that, but it's very hard to say anything more without spoiling it. And there's a lot of it. Twists of plot that leave the reader breathless, believable characters you like and dislike, and a thoroughly illustrated Victorian England in all its dirt. The 500+ pages seemed endless at first, but they were over far too soon. I read most of them in three sittings, because once I picked up the book to read a little, I always ended reading one or two hundred pages. Now, I think I might watch the movie again. It was quite good as well. (((EDIT: Mmmmyeah, good, but doesn't reach the level of the book. Remembered it was better.)))
"You are waiting for me to start my story. Perhaps I was waiting, then. But my story had already started - I was only like you, and didn't know it."
keskiviikko 7. lokakuuta 2009
Two book memes!
The book that’s been on your shelves the longest.
The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. It’s the first book I ever bought myself, and while I’ve had other books since before it, it’s the one that’s still in the shelf, and is not going anywhere.
A book that reminds you of something specific in your life (a person, a place, a time).
Most of them. Rereading something, or sometimes just looking at a book I’ve read, I remember when and where I’ve read it. But something special… Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. They opened the bookstore at seven in the morning the Saturday that came out, and I was pretty much first in line, maybe the fourth to get it. It was a nice, warm summer’s morning, so I went to read it in a park, then a café, and then the seaside while watching the Tall Ships’ Race ships leave. People were asking whether anyone had died in the book yet. Then I locked myself home, closed the windows from the noise of the festival going on outside, and read the rest of it.
But yeah, I remember where and who I’ve gotten or bought all my books, so they all remind me of something specific: themselves. X)
A book you acquired in some interesting way.
Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt. I was on interrail through half of Europe in 2004, and had picked up two used books in
The book that’s been with you to the most places.
…I could say the above here, since it traveled with me through half of
The most recent addition to your shelves.
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters. I’ve seen the BBC movie of it, and liked it, and since I really like her other books, I bought it as well, and maybe will get to read it soon…ish. Little Stranger, also by Waters, is also quite new in my shelves and waiting to be read.
Your current read, your last read and the book you’ll read next.
Just finished reading Martin Millar’s Lux the Poet, for the second time within a few months. I’m in the middle of Try by Dennis Cooper, which is… quite disturbing. I’ve been ‘reading’ it for over a month now, and am near halfway through, but it sometimes seems a little too deviated to read. And I’m not queasy, I like watching Takeshi Miike’s movies for kicks…
There are two shelves’ worth of books waiting to be read for the first time, and another shelf of books I’d like to reread. I don’t know which one will be next. Wish I did!
*
*
ABC Book Meme
For this meme, you list a favorite book that starts with each letter of the alphabet. If you don’t have a book for a letter (such as Z or X) than you can substitute a favorite book that simply has that letter in the title (ex. The Lost City of
A: Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb
B: the Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander
C: the Caterer by Lint and Sienkel, a VERY weird comic
D: Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
E: Ennen päivänlaskua ei voi by Johanna Sinisalo
F: the Fetch by Robert Holdstock
G: the Good Fairies of New York by Martin Millar*
H: Harry Potter series (they all begin Harry Potter and…) by J. K. Rowling
I: Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
J: the Janissary Tree by Jason Goodwin
K: Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto
L: Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
M: Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock
N: the Neverending Story by Michael Ende
O: On the Banks of Lethe by James L. Grant
P: Porno by Irvine Welsh
Q: Classic Queen by Mick Rock, a photo book
R: Rant by Chuck Palahniuk
S: Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami
T: Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters
U: Una Persson and Catherine Cornelius by Michael Moorcock (aka the Adventures of Una Persson and Catherine Cornelius in the Twentieth Century)
V: V for Vendetta by Alan Moore. A graphic novel, that counts, right?
W: the Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall
X: Lux the Poet by Martin Millar
Y: Yami no Matsuei by Yoko Matsushita. So it’s a comic… series.
Z: Suzy, Led Zeppelin and me by Martin Millar. Two Z’s for the price of one!
* Haven’t actually read Good Fairies… yet, but couldn’t think of anything else starting with G, and already used the three substitutes on the more difficult letters. But if it’s near as good as the other Millar’s I’ve read, it’ll go on this list.
sunnuntai 4. lokakuuta 2009
From Hell
Title: From Hell
Writer: Alan Moore
Artist: Eddie Campbell
Published: Originally 1989, this edition is from 2006, by Top Shelf
Genre: Crime noir/horror
Pages: Very many.
From Hell, being a melodrama in sixteen parts, is quite possibly my favourite comic book/graphic novel. Ever. I've read it again and again, about once a year. Sometimes more often. It's a fictional take on the famous and thus far unsolved Jack the Ripper murders in London on the autumn of 1888. And after so many years, it's not likely they will be solved, is it?
From Hell takes the popular theory that the Ripper was the royal doctor, Sir William Gull, and that the murders were ordered by Queen Victoria herself, and runs with it. It's a look into the mind of a serial killer, one convinced that he's not just following orders from his Queen, but also the will of his creator. That by killing these women, he's achieving something. Delivering the twentieth century. Underneath the fictional plot, it's full of history of London, of the whole human race, and the struggle between man and woman. Moore's story drags the reader into its swirls, deeper and deeper into a London long gone, brought to life by Campbell's black and white illustrations every bit as dark as the story. It's hell of a scary one.
Being fictional, From Hell also has a long appendix gathering in detail all the true (or not so true) facts that Moore based his writing on: numerous books and studies and theories on the identity of Jack the Ripper, and what the hell really made him go on a murderous spree. Not much is for sure: even the number of his victims isn't 100% certain. Nevertheless, the first appendix sheds a lot of light to the subject, as does the second one, Dance of the gull catchers, a 24-page comic summing up the search for the killer.
"There never was a Jack the Ripper. Mary Kelly was just an unusually determided suicide. Why don't we leave it there?"
The quote is about as plausible as many of the theories. But until (if ever) the truth comes out, people are going to be wondering about the true identity of the Ripper. And From Hell is a pretty good gateway into the mystery.
From Hell is to blame for starting my own interest in the murders, and into the minds of serial killers. So when I've had the chance to go to London, I've made sure to visit Jack's hunting grounds and even gone on a few organised Jack the Ripper walks. Great fun, especially when the evening is starting to grow dark around you. Above's a picture of a building that's supposedly exactly the same as where the last victim, Mary Kelly, lived and was brutally mutilated in. Apparently, some guides actually claim it's the real one. Annnnnd I could go on and on, but this hasn't really got anything to do with the graphic novel anymore. Well, maybe something fancy about fact and fiction and their relation, myth and truth, but I'm too hung over to make with the fancy words.
Go read From Hell.
Writer: Alan Moore
Artist: Eddie Campbell
Published: Originally 1989, this edition is from 2006, by Top Shelf
Genre: Crime noir/horror
Pages: Very many.
From Hell, being a melodrama in sixteen parts, is quite possibly my favourite comic book/graphic novel. Ever. I've read it again and again, about once a year. Sometimes more often. It's a fictional take on the famous and thus far unsolved Jack the Ripper murders in London on the autumn of 1888. And after so many years, it's not likely they will be solved, is it?
From Hell takes the popular theory that the Ripper was the royal doctor, Sir William Gull, and that the murders were ordered by Queen Victoria herself, and runs with it. It's a look into the mind of a serial killer, one convinced that he's not just following orders from his Queen, but also the will of his creator. That by killing these women, he's achieving something. Delivering the twentieth century. Underneath the fictional plot, it's full of history of London, of the whole human race, and the struggle between man and woman. Moore's story drags the reader into its swirls, deeper and deeper into a London long gone, brought to life by Campbell's black and white illustrations every bit as dark as the story. It's hell of a scary one.
Being fictional, From Hell also has a long appendix gathering in detail all the true (or not so true) facts that Moore based his writing on: numerous books and studies and theories on the identity of Jack the Ripper, and what the hell really made him go on a murderous spree. Not much is for sure: even the number of his victims isn't 100% certain. Nevertheless, the first appendix sheds a lot of light to the subject, as does the second one, Dance of the gull catchers, a 24-page comic summing up the search for the killer.
"There never was a Jack the Ripper. Mary Kelly was just an unusually determided suicide. Why don't we leave it there?"
The quote is about as plausible as many of the theories. But until (if ever) the truth comes out, people are going to be wondering about the true identity of the Ripper. And From Hell is a pretty good gateway into the mystery.
From Hell is to blame for starting my own interest in the murders, and into the minds of serial killers. So when I've had the chance to go to London, I've made sure to visit Jack's hunting grounds and even gone on a few organised Jack the Ripper walks. Great fun, especially when the evening is starting to grow dark around you. Above's a picture of a building that's supposedly exactly the same as where the last victim, Mary Kelly, lived and was brutally mutilated in. Apparently, some guides actually claim it's the real one. Annnnnd I could go on and on, but this hasn't really got anything to do with the graphic novel anymore. Well, maybe something fancy about fact and fiction and their relation, myth and truth, but I'm too hung over to make with the fancy words.
Go read From Hell.
torstai 1. lokakuuta 2009
Lux the Poet (again)
Re-read Lux the Poet just now. Original report here.
One thing I forgot to mention last time was the cute tie-in with Milk, sulphate and Alby Starvation. It's just a tiny thing you won't even realize if you haven't read it. And I think there's another one with Millar's Lonely werewolf girl, but I can't be sure of that since I haven't read it yet.
Lux still rocks, and I can imagine re-reading this later on as well.
One thing I forgot to mention last time was the cute tie-in with Milk, sulphate and Alby Starvation. It's just a tiny thing you won't even realize if you haven't read it. And I think there's another one with Millar's Lonely werewolf girl, but I can't be sure of that since I haven't read it yet.
Lux still rocks, and I can imagine re-reading this later on as well.
keskiviikko 23. syyskuuta 2009
Lois Lenz, Lesbian Secretary
Title: Lois Lenz, Lesbian Secretary
Author: Monica Nolan
Published: 2007 by Kensington Fiction
Genre: Pulp fiction!
Pages: 250
This is the second time I've read Lois Lenz,... and it was still as good as at first time. Set in the USA in 1959, it tells the story of Lois Lenz (who would have guessed?), a naive high school graduate from a small suburban neighbourhood, who gets offered a job as a secretary in an advertising company in the Big City. In stead of becoming a member of the busy typing pool as intended, she is immediately swooped to be the personal secretary of the big boss. The all-women boarding house of Magdalena Arms isn't all she thought it would be, either: the other girls of the fifth floor seem friendly enough, but seem to have secrets they do their best to keep from Lois.
Why did the previous occupant of her room disappear so suddenly? Why is one of the girls on the fifth floor so interested in getting into Lois' room? Why is her old friend from cheerleading days in little Walnut Grove visiting another girl on the floor so often? Why do her coworker and boss, both female, want to practice kissing with her, just like Faye back home? And what's with all the blackmailing?!
Humour, seduction, women, typing and filing to the extreme - Lois Lez, Lesbian Secretary has it all!
""What?" asked Dolly, looking around. "You're worried about Luscious here?" She leaned forward and put a hand on Lois's knee. "You like girls, don't you?" she queried.
"The sudden silence in the room was thick with a tension Lois didn't understand. "Well, of course," she said curiously. She thought of Faye for the first time in several hours, her sparkling blue eyes, her red full lips. "My very best friend is a girl!"
""See?" said Dolly triumphantly."
Author: Monica Nolan
Published: 2007 by Kensington Fiction
Genre: Pulp fiction!
Pages: 250
This is the second time I've read Lois Lenz,... and it was still as good as at first time. Set in the USA in 1959, it tells the story of Lois Lenz (who would have guessed?), a naive high school graduate from a small suburban neighbourhood, who gets offered a job as a secretary in an advertising company in the Big City. In stead of becoming a member of the busy typing pool as intended, she is immediately swooped to be the personal secretary of the big boss. The all-women boarding house of Magdalena Arms isn't all she thought it would be, either: the other girls of the fifth floor seem friendly enough, but seem to have secrets they do their best to keep from Lois.
Why did the previous occupant of her room disappear so suddenly? Why is one of the girls on the fifth floor so interested in getting into Lois' room? Why is her old friend from cheerleading days in little Walnut Grove visiting another girl on the floor so often? Why do her coworker and boss, both female, want to practice kissing with her, just like Faye back home? And what's with all the blackmailing?!
Humour, seduction, women, typing and filing to the extreme - Lois Lez, Lesbian Secretary has it all!
""What?" asked Dolly, looking around. "You're worried about Luscious here?" She leaned forward and put a hand on Lois's knee. "You like girls, don't you?" she queried.
"The sudden silence in the room was thick with a tension Lois didn't understand. "Well, of course," she said curiously. She thought of Faye for the first time in several hours, her sparkling blue eyes, her red full lips. "My very best friend is a girl!"
""See?" said Dolly triumphantly."
perjantai 4. syyskuuta 2009
Storm Front
Title: Storm Front
Author: Jim Butcher
Published: No idea.
Genre: Noir urban fantasy
Pages: 8 cd's
First of Butcher's Dresden files books, but! In audio form, read by the ever fantabulous James Marsters. Therefore I don't know page count etc., since I don't actually have the book. Or the cd's, since I kinda found this when I was... googling Mr. Marsters. Yeah. That's it. *cough*
Anyway. I have this very short list somewhere with books or authors I've wanted to check out, a list which was written a few years ago already. Other writers on it were Sarah Waters and Kate Mosse, who I found I liked. Jim Butcher and his Dresden files were the third item, so when the opportunity came to check one out, AND to get to listen to Mr. Marsters for hours on end, of course I took it.
The book's about Harry Dresden, a wizard in Chicago, a world very much like ours but with magic and creatures of the night. Harry's not doing so well: no work, no pay, no food, no way to pay the rent. Then he gets a call from a distressed housewife. And another from a friend of his, a police offiver Murphy. When it rains, it pours, and Harry soon enough finds himself drenched, up to his magic marbles in water. Pretty much literally, as well. The plot could be summed with a quote from Jeremy Clarkson: "And then it got worse."
Storm Front's a great start for a series, urban fantasy sprinkled from themes and dry humour from classic detective stories and film noir. I wouldn't have spent hours with earphones plugged into my ears if I hadn't liked it (must have spent close to four or five hours yesterday listening, while walking around Helsinki. My feet hurt.). While I'm reading a book at home, it's usual for me to comment out loud on what happens in it. I tried not to do that while sitting in the bus on my way to work, smirking in amusement due to Butcher's choice of words or Marsters' breathless girly voices. But a few giggles and groans might have escaped.
So, no quote, with no actual book, but I'll definitely be checking out more of the series, and! Here's a link to downloading the first few chapters for free: Click this!
Author: Jim Butcher
Published: No idea.
Genre: Noir urban fantasy
Pages: 8 cd's
First of Butcher's Dresden files books, but! In audio form, read by the ever fantabulous James Marsters. Therefore I don't know page count etc., since I don't actually have the book. Or the cd's, since I kinda found this when I was... googling Mr. Marsters. Yeah. That's it. *cough*
Anyway. I have this very short list somewhere with books or authors I've wanted to check out, a list which was written a few years ago already. Other writers on it were Sarah Waters and Kate Mosse, who I found I liked. Jim Butcher and his Dresden files were the third item, so when the opportunity came to check one out, AND to get to listen to Mr. Marsters for hours on end, of course I took it.
The book's about Harry Dresden, a wizard in Chicago, a world very much like ours but with magic and creatures of the night. Harry's not doing so well: no work, no pay, no food, no way to pay the rent. Then he gets a call from a distressed housewife. And another from a friend of his, a police offiver Murphy. When it rains, it pours, and Harry soon enough finds himself drenched, up to his magic marbles in water. Pretty much literally, as well. The plot could be summed with a quote from Jeremy Clarkson: "And then it got worse."
Storm Front's a great start for a series, urban fantasy sprinkled from themes and dry humour from classic detective stories and film noir. I wouldn't have spent hours with earphones plugged into my ears if I hadn't liked it (must have spent close to four or five hours yesterday listening, while walking around Helsinki. My feet hurt.). While I'm reading a book at home, it's usual for me to comment out loud on what happens in it. I tried not to do that while sitting in the bus on my way to work, smirking in amusement due to Butcher's choice of words or Marsters' breathless girly voices. But a few giggles and groans might have escaped.
So, no quote, with no actual book, but I'll definitely be checking out more of the series, and! Here's a link to downloading the first few chapters for free: Click this!
perjantai 28. elokuuta 2009
Anansi Boys
Title: Anansi Boys
Author: Neil Gaiman
Published: 2005
Genre: Is Gaiman his own genre yet? He should be.
Pages: 451 (plus this edition has an interview and other stuff at the back)
Anansi Boys! Actually, I bought the paperback edition probably already in 2006 or 2007, but since I always tend to have a large pile of books to read, I kept putting off starting this one until a friend of mine convinced me that it was about time I read it.
Charles Nancy's basic opinion of his father always was that he was an embarrassment. At least until dad went and died. Well, he had a heart attack at a karaoke stage, so perhaps that counted as embarrassing as well. But when Charles, or Fat Charlie, as he is known as, even if he isn't that fat anymore, goes over the Atlantic for the funeral, he starts to find out what kind of a man exactly his late father was. Fat Charlie also finds out that he's not an only child: he has a brother, Spider, who he decides to invite over. Spider accepts, bringing along his room, and a whole lot of trouble.
I've had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Gaiman in person, however briefly it was, in 2003. He drew a quick sketch of Morpheus for me on my copy of the Kindly Ones, and he's also drawn a pretty spider to the end of this book. That doesn't really have anything to do with Anansi Boys, but I've kind of been staring at this for ten minutes now, unable to write something sensible about the book that doesn't give too much away. But let's try it. Anansi Boys is about families, and how nice and horrible they can be. And it's about gods, and it's written by Neil Gaiman, who is one of the most original writers out there and if you haven't checked this out yet, don't be an idiot like me and keep putting picking this one up for too long.
(American Gods next...!)
"There was karaoke. There was dancing. The old man got up to sing, on the makeshift stage, not once, that evening, but twice. He had a fine voice, and an excellent smile, and feet that twinkled when he danced. The first time he got up to sing, he sang 'What's New Pussycat?' The second time he got up to sing, he ruined Fat Charlie's life."
Author: Neil Gaiman
Published: 2005
Genre: Is Gaiman his own genre yet? He should be.
Pages: 451 (plus this edition has an interview and other stuff at the back)
Anansi Boys! Actually, I bought the paperback edition probably already in 2006 or 2007, but since I always tend to have a large pile of books to read, I kept putting off starting this one until a friend of mine convinced me that it was about time I read it.
Charles Nancy's basic opinion of his father always was that he was an embarrassment. At least until dad went and died. Well, he had a heart attack at a karaoke stage, so perhaps that counted as embarrassing as well. But when Charles, or Fat Charlie, as he is known as, even if he isn't that fat anymore, goes over the Atlantic for the funeral, he starts to find out what kind of a man exactly his late father was. Fat Charlie also finds out that he's not an only child: he has a brother, Spider, who he decides to invite over. Spider accepts, bringing along his room, and a whole lot of trouble.
I've had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Gaiman in person, however briefly it was, in 2003. He drew a quick sketch of Morpheus for me on my copy of the Kindly Ones, and he's also drawn a pretty spider to the end of this book. That doesn't really have anything to do with Anansi Boys, but I've kind of been staring at this for ten minutes now, unable to write something sensible about the book that doesn't give too much away. But let's try it. Anansi Boys is about families, and how nice and horrible they can be. And it's about gods, and it's written by Neil Gaiman, who is one of the most original writers out there and if you haven't checked this out yet, don't be an idiot like me and keep putting picking this one up for too long.
(American Gods next...!)
"There was karaoke. There was dancing. The old man got up to sing, on the makeshift stage, not once, that evening, but twice. He had a fine voice, and an excellent smile, and feet that twinkled when he danced. The first time he got up to sing, he sang 'What's New Pussycat?' The second time he got up to sing, he ruined Fat Charlie's life."
Shout out loud!
Title: Shout out loud!
Pictures and words: Satosumi Takaguchi
Published: 2006 (1996 in Japan)
Genre: Drama/comedy/romance say the books themselves
Pages: 5 times ~180 pages
Oh hi there. Long time no update. Yeah, I've been a bit lazy with the internets. But here we go!
Shout out loud! is one of my five favourite manga series (the others are Hellsing, Princess Knight, Yami no matsuei and Tokyo Babylon, in no particular order), and the first time I read it was some six years ago, when it was scanlated on the net. That's scanned and translated, unofficially by fans. It was pretty much love at first sight: Takaguchi's art is very beautiful and effortless. It's not generic manga art with the big eyes and stuff, although it has its fair share of SD expressions and other usual effects. But not too much to disturb the flow of the beautiful black ink.
What's it about then? It's about a voice actor, Hisae Shino, who, at the age of 33, finds out that he's the father of a 17-year old hockey playing boy, Nakaya. Nakaya's mother has died, and he has decided that he wants to live with his father instead of his mother's family. Shino, unmarried and quite naive, is happy to take him in, but isn't quite prepared for everything that having a kid brings along. For one, Shino has to start making a lot more money, which means taking all kinds of jobs, even yaoi CD's.
Throw in the colleague who becomes more than a little interested in Shino, and the hockey coach Nakaya suddenly finds very interesting, some more colleagues and even a horny teacher, and both father and son are soon involved in some hot man-on-man action. Uh, that makes Shout out loud! sound like a dirty, dirty yaoi series. But it's quite sweet, really. The characters are real enough that you'd want to slap them every now and then, and like I said, the art is very pretty. And! It's also interesting to have a look at how voice actors work.
Kind of hard to choose a quote, or to quote a comic book, so here's the cover of the last album, featuring father, son, and the man who wants to get into daddy's pants (er, one of them, anyway!).
Pictures and words: Satosumi Takaguchi
Published: 2006 (1996 in Japan)
Genre: Drama/comedy/romance say the books themselves
Pages: 5 times ~180 pages
Oh hi there. Long time no update. Yeah, I've been a bit lazy with the internets. But here we go!
Shout out loud! is one of my five favourite manga series (the others are Hellsing, Princess Knight, Yami no matsuei and Tokyo Babylon, in no particular order), and the first time I read it was some six years ago, when it was scanlated on the net. That's scanned and translated, unofficially by fans. It was pretty much love at first sight: Takaguchi's art is very beautiful and effortless. It's not generic manga art with the big eyes and stuff, although it has its fair share of SD expressions and other usual effects. But not too much to disturb the flow of the beautiful black ink.
What's it about then? It's about a voice actor, Hisae Shino, who, at the age of 33, finds out that he's the father of a 17-year old hockey playing boy, Nakaya. Nakaya's mother has died, and he has decided that he wants to live with his father instead of his mother's family. Shino, unmarried and quite naive, is happy to take him in, but isn't quite prepared for everything that having a kid brings along. For one, Shino has to start making a lot more money, which means taking all kinds of jobs, even yaoi CD's.
Throw in the colleague who becomes more than a little interested in Shino, and the hockey coach Nakaya suddenly finds very interesting, some more colleagues and even a horny teacher, and both father and son are soon involved in some hot man-on-man action. Uh, that makes Shout out loud! sound like a dirty, dirty yaoi series. But it's quite sweet, really. The characters are real enough that you'd want to slap them every now and then, and like I said, the art is very pretty. And! It's also interesting to have a look at how voice actors work.
Kind of hard to choose a quote, or to quote a comic book, so here's the cover of the last album, featuring father, son, and the man who wants to get into daddy's pants (er, one of them, anyway!).
keskiviikko 29. heinäkuuta 2009
Haiteksti
Nimi: Haiteksti
Alkuperäinen nimi: The Raw Shark Texts
Kirjoittaja: Steven Hall
Julkaistu: 2007, WSOY
Genre: Jännitys
Sivuluku: 447
Taitaa olla toinen suomenkielinen kirja tässä blogissa. Mitäköhän sitä osaisi sanoa, sain kirjan luettua jo suunnilleen viikko sitten.
Haiteksti oli ehdottomasti taas yksi niitä kirjoja, joita ei voi oikein laskea käsistään. Useampi kuin yksi ilta meni yön puolelle, kun luin kuinka kirjan päähenkilö, Eric Sanderson toinen, heräsi makuuhuoneensa lattialta muistamatta mitään. Pöydältä löytynyt viesti neuvoi menemään tohtori Randlen luo, mutta pian Ericille alkaa tulla lisää viestejä ensimmäiseltä Eric Sandersonilta, ja yksinkertainen muistinmenetysjuttu paljastuu vähitellen kaikeksi muuksi kuin yksinkertaiseksi. Ei ole kuitenkaan ihan jokapäiväistä että olohuoneen lattian läpi ilmestyy muistoja syövä hai.
Kansitekstissä kirjaa verrataan mm. Matrixiin, David Lynchin elokuviin ja Da Vinci -koodiin, ja se oli ilmestymisvuonnaan 2006 Lontoon kirjamessujen kuumin puheenaihe. Ei ihme, sci-fiä ja perinteistä jännäriä yhdistelevä Haiteksti on jotain ihan muuta, ja uutta. Suosittelen, jos ei tähän ole jo törmännyt. Suomennoskin on hyvä ja sujuva, ja Hallin omat kuvitukset tuovat kirjaan pelottavan lisäulottuvuuden.
"Minulla ei ollut harmainta aavistustakaan, kuka tai missä olin."
Alkuperäinen nimi: The Raw Shark Texts
Kirjoittaja: Steven Hall
Julkaistu: 2007, WSOY
Genre: Jännitys
Sivuluku: 447
Taitaa olla toinen suomenkielinen kirja tässä blogissa. Mitäköhän sitä osaisi sanoa, sain kirjan luettua jo suunnilleen viikko sitten.
Haiteksti oli ehdottomasti taas yksi niitä kirjoja, joita ei voi oikein laskea käsistään. Useampi kuin yksi ilta meni yön puolelle, kun luin kuinka kirjan päähenkilö, Eric Sanderson toinen, heräsi makuuhuoneensa lattialta muistamatta mitään. Pöydältä löytynyt viesti neuvoi menemään tohtori Randlen luo, mutta pian Ericille alkaa tulla lisää viestejä ensimmäiseltä Eric Sandersonilta, ja yksinkertainen muistinmenetysjuttu paljastuu vähitellen kaikeksi muuksi kuin yksinkertaiseksi. Ei ole kuitenkaan ihan jokapäiväistä että olohuoneen lattian läpi ilmestyy muistoja syövä hai.
Kansitekstissä kirjaa verrataan mm. Matrixiin, David Lynchin elokuviin ja Da Vinci -koodiin, ja se oli ilmestymisvuonnaan 2006 Lontoon kirjamessujen kuumin puheenaihe. Ei ihme, sci-fiä ja perinteistä jännäriä yhdistelevä Haiteksti on jotain ihan muuta, ja uutta. Suosittelen, jos ei tähän ole jo törmännyt. Suomennoskin on hyvä ja sujuva, ja Hallin omat kuvitukset tuovat kirjaan pelottavan lisäulottuvuuden.
"Minulla ei ollut harmainta aavistustakaan, kuka tai missä olin."
sunnuntai 19. heinäkuuta 2009
The Caterer
Title: The Caterer
Writer: Jeff Lint
Artist: Brandon Sienkel
Published: Sometime in the 70's by Pearl Comics
Genre: ...wtf? No, seriously, wtf?
Pages: 30 pages
A reprint of the third issue of legendary The Caterer, which apparently was responsible for the collapse of Pearl Comics. The mighty Alan Moore described this as "the holy barnacle of failure", and for good reason.
This is... hysterical. But it's so out there that it's best summed up with something like 'what the motherloving fuck?!'. You really have to read it for yourself. It cannot be explained.
"Stroll on! Toxic darts - the stuff of life! By the time they come around I'll be king of this place and its meagre assets! I'm everywhere and in all things and that's fab! Stroll on!"
Writer: Jeff Lint
Artist: Brandon Sienkel
Published: Sometime in the 70's by Pearl Comics
Genre: ...wtf? No, seriously, wtf?
Pages: 30 pages
A reprint of the third issue of legendary The Caterer, which apparently was responsible for the collapse of Pearl Comics. The mighty Alan Moore described this as "the holy barnacle of failure", and for good reason.
This is... hysterical. But it's so out there that it's best summed up with something like 'what the motherloving fuck?!'. You really have to read it for yourself. It cannot be explained.
"Stroll on! Toxic darts - the stuff of life! By the time they come around I'll be king of this place and its meagre assets! I'm everywhere and in all things and that's fab! Stroll on!"
Three shadows
Title: Three shadows
Pictures and words: Cyril Pedrosa
Published: 2007 by First Second
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 272
I get to read a lot of comics at work, and I really should write about them as well, so that I'd remember which ones I really want to buy some day. This is one of those.
There are three shadows standing outside the house of a small family: Louis, Lise, and their small son Joachim. The parents know that the shadows are out there for the child, and they're there to take him away. To prevent this, Louis takes Joachim and flees, hoping that he can keep running from the shadows and keep his son alive.
Pedrosa has worked for Disney before as an animator, and this shows in his style. It is, to put it simply, beautiful. Art in Three shadows is in black and white, and it's not too 'finished', making it seem all the more alive. Reminds me of Jeff Smith's Bone, if Smith didn't work with so much black in and clear lines.
This comic is well worth the money just for the art, but the story shouldn't be forgotten, either. Pedrosa wrote it after the son of some dear friends died very young. Three shadows, then, is about what parents are ready to do to protect their children, and what they can and can't do. It's beautiful, funny and touching, with a touch of magic. Really worth checking out.
Here is an excerpt of the first ten or so pages.
Pictures and words: Cyril Pedrosa
Published: 2007 by First Second
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 272
I get to read a lot of comics at work, and I really should write about them as well, so that I'd remember which ones I really want to buy some day. This is one of those.
There are three shadows standing outside the house of a small family: Louis, Lise, and their small son Joachim. The parents know that the shadows are out there for the child, and they're there to take him away. To prevent this, Louis takes Joachim and flees, hoping that he can keep running from the shadows and keep his son alive.
Pedrosa has worked for Disney before as an animator, and this shows in his style. It is, to put it simply, beautiful. Art in Three shadows is in black and white, and it's not too 'finished', making it seem all the more alive. Reminds me of Jeff Smith's Bone, if Smith didn't work with so much black in and clear lines.
This comic is well worth the money just for the art, but the story shouldn't be forgotten, either. Pedrosa wrote it after the son of some dear friends died very young. Three shadows, then, is about what parents are ready to do to protect their children, and what they can and can't do. It's beautiful, funny and touching, with a touch of magic. Really worth checking out.
Here is an excerpt of the first ten or so pages.
Dead until dark
Title: Dead until dark
Author: Charlaine Harris
Published: This edition in 2008, originally in 2001.
Genre: Romance with teeth.
Pages: 292
First of the Sookie Stackhouse -books by Harris, the first season of the HBO series True Blood was based on this one. Or so I'm told, I only saw the first two episodes. I'd like to see the rest as well, though.
Anyhoo, Sookie is a waitress in a small Louisiana town, and she's got a bit of a problem: she can read people's minds. That makes things like dating kind of difficult, until along comes Bill the vampire. She can't read his mind at all.
The books are set in an alternate of our world, where vampires exist and have just started to dwell among humans, claiming that their vampirism is just a medical condition caused by an infection. Anyhoo, thanks to the quiet that Bill causes in Sookie's head, they end up seeing a lot of each other - after dark. And everything would be nice and cozy if waitresses from the bar Sookie works at wouldn't start popping up dead, with vampire teeth marks on them.
Dead until dark was fun and quick to read, with a lot of action and humour. I'll probably check out the next book as well, once/if I get paid.
"I'd been waiting for the vampire for years when he walked into the bar.
"Ever since vampires came out of the coffin (as they laughingly put it) two years ago, I'd hoped one would come to Bon Temps. We had all the other minorities in our little town - why not the newest, the legally recognized undead?"
Author: Charlaine Harris
Published: This edition in 2008, originally in 2001.
Genre: Romance with teeth.
Pages: 292
First of the Sookie Stackhouse -books by Harris, the first season of the HBO series True Blood was based on this one. Or so I'm told, I only saw the first two episodes. I'd like to see the rest as well, though.
Anyhoo, Sookie is a waitress in a small Louisiana town, and she's got a bit of a problem: she can read people's minds. That makes things like dating kind of difficult, until along comes Bill the vampire. She can't read his mind at all.
The books are set in an alternate of our world, where vampires exist and have just started to dwell among humans, claiming that their vampirism is just a medical condition caused by an infection. Anyhoo, thanks to the quiet that Bill causes in Sookie's head, they end up seeing a lot of each other - after dark. And everything would be nice and cozy if waitresses from the bar Sookie works at wouldn't start popping up dead, with vampire teeth marks on them.
Dead until dark was fun and quick to read, with a lot of action and humour. I'll probably check out the next book as well, once/if I get paid.
"I'd been waiting for the vampire for years when he walked into the bar.
"Ever since vampires came out of the coffin (as they laughingly put it) two years ago, I'd hoped one would come to Bon Temps. We had all the other minorities in our little town - why not the newest, the legally recognized undead?"
sunnuntai 5. heinäkuuta 2009
Transmetropolitan
Title: Transmetropolitan
Writer: Warren Ellis
Artist: Darick Robertson
Published: 1997 - 2002
Genre: Futuristic, humour, somewhat horrid.
Pages: 60 x ~23 pages, plus some extra stuff
Transmetropolitan. Yes.
I first started reading Transmet back in 2007, but then stopped as I moved to England. Now, couple of weeks ago, I moved to Espoo, and the comic was handy, so I re-read the first ~30 issues, and the rest for the first time.
Transmetropolitan is about a journalist called Spider Jerusalem, who writes a popular column into a big city newspaper. He hates it there, but he can't write anywhere else. Along for the ride are his filthy assistants, first assistant-become-bodyguard Channon Yarrow, and second assistant Yelena Rossini. They hate him, but since they know he's doing the right thing, they stick by him.
What's the right thing, then? Going against the current president, and when it turns out that the new president is even worse, making his life hell. So, it's about politics and presidents and journalism and what people in power (at least think they) can get away with. And what they're willing to do to keep the power. I'd guess the comic was based on the W administration, if it had not been started a couple of years before him. Art imitates life, or life imitates art?
But it's also about the City, and its people, in a futuristic world in America, which doesn't seem too far fetched, scarily enough. Hence the 'somewhat horrid' -part. There are people who are transitioning to be aliens, people who take weekend breaks as dolphins, reservations for cultures and kingdoms gone. And there's people dying needlessly, children selling their bodies for money, and two-headed cats.
And it's about Spider, his thoughts, attitude, willingness to try and do the right thing, and his drug abuse. It's a scary and extremely funny look into the future, written exquisitevely by Ellis and drawn gorgeously by Robertson. And if I were a man, I'd shave my head, get a spider tattooed on it, and dress like Spider. Just because I could.
"I hate it here. I hate the way it smells (except when you get into a fully residential quarter where people are predominantly first-gen American: the way people express their culture in their cooking is one of the few good reasons for being alive).
"I hate the way it looks (except for the weird beauty that hits you in the eye every other second). I hate the way it thinks (except when it buys this newspaper). I hate the things it does to itself (except when it lets me do to them).
"I hate the way it loves me, and I hate the way it makes me feel.
"I hate it here... but God help me, I can't imagine living anywhere else."
Writer: Warren Ellis
Artist: Darick Robertson
Published: 1997 - 2002
Genre: Futuristic, humour, somewhat horrid.
Pages: 60 x ~23 pages, plus some extra stuff
Transmetropolitan. Yes.
I first started reading Transmet back in 2007, but then stopped as I moved to England. Now, couple of weeks ago, I moved to Espoo, and the comic was handy, so I re-read the first ~30 issues, and the rest for the first time.
Transmetropolitan is about a journalist called Spider Jerusalem, who writes a popular column into a big city newspaper. He hates it there, but he can't write anywhere else. Along for the ride are his filthy assistants, first assistant-become-bodyguard Channon Yarrow, and second assistant Yelena Rossini. They hate him, but since they know he's doing the right thing, they stick by him.
What's the right thing, then? Going against the current president, and when it turns out that the new president is even worse, making his life hell. So, it's about politics and presidents and journalism and what people in power (at least think they) can get away with. And what they're willing to do to keep the power. I'd guess the comic was based on the W administration, if it had not been started a couple of years before him. Art imitates life, or life imitates art?
But it's also about the City, and its people, in a futuristic world in America, which doesn't seem too far fetched, scarily enough. Hence the 'somewhat horrid' -part. There are people who are transitioning to be aliens, people who take weekend breaks as dolphins, reservations for cultures and kingdoms gone. And there's people dying needlessly, children selling their bodies for money, and two-headed cats.
And it's about Spider, his thoughts, attitude, willingness to try and do the right thing, and his drug abuse. It's a scary and extremely funny look into the future, written exquisitevely by Ellis and drawn gorgeously by Robertson. And if I were a man, I'd shave my head, get a spider tattooed on it, and dress like Spider. Just because I could.
"I hate it here. I hate the way it smells (except when you get into a fully residential quarter where people are predominantly first-gen American: the way people express their culture in their cooking is one of the few good reasons for being alive).
"I hate the way it looks (except for the weird beauty that hits you in the eye every other second). I hate the way it thinks (except when it buys this newspaper). I hate the things it does to itself (except when it lets me do to them).
"I hate the way it loves me, and I hate the way it makes me feel.
"I hate it here... but God help me, I can't imagine living anywhere else."
maanantai 22. kesäkuuta 2009
Lux the Poet
Title: Lux the Poet
Author: Martin Millar
Published: 2009 by Soft Skull Press
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 198
There's a riot going on in Brixton, but Lux, poet extraordinaire, pathological liar, terribly vain and a kleptomaniac, barely notices since the love of his life, Pearl, is lost somewhere in the mess and he, high as a kite, saving the world from trash metal musicians, his hair set with KY and sugar, has to go out and find her, with the help of an angel who has to do 1 000 000 good deeds before she can go back to Heaven. Pearl, however, is more concerned with her film, which she must keep safe after her house burned down, and with Nicky, who she also has to keep safe since Nicky's more or less walking around comatose after killing her computer. There's also an accountant hunting for headhunters, heaven's devils, computer police and somewhat mad scientists running around, not to mention all the rioters and cops and ambulances and whatnot.
I can't decide whether I like Lux or Alby Starvation better. Alby's been my favourite for years and years, but Lux is... irresistable in his vanity. And Millar can sure write these stories with about a dozen or two characters running around, yet he's got all the strings in hand. The 'chapters' are deliciously short, so that you always want to read one more before turning off the light and going to sleep.
I pity the fool who doesn't give Lux (and Millar!) a chance.
"Lux has no idea what the riot is about. It just sort of started while he was walking along the street. When he first saw a gang of youths running towards him he thought perhaps it was some fans come to hear some poetry and was disappointed when they ran past without paying him any attention.
"This feeling persists, however, and the whole night Lux has a subconscious suspicion that possibly the riot is in his honour."
Author: Martin Millar
Published: 2009 by Soft Skull Press
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 198
There's a riot going on in Brixton, but Lux, poet extraordinaire, pathological liar, terribly vain and a kleptomaniac, barely notices since the love of his life, Pearl, is lost somewhere in the mess and he, high as a kite, saving the world from trash metal musicians, his hair set with KY and sugar, has to go out and find her, with the help of an angel who has to do 1 000 000 good deeds before she can go back to Heaven. Pearl, however, is more concerned with her film, which she must keep safe after her house burned down, and with Nicky, who she also has to keep safe since Nicky's more or less walking around comatose after killing her computer. There's also an accountant hunting for headhunters, heaven's devils, computer police and somewhat mad scientists running around, not to mention all the rioters and cops and ambulances and whatnot.
I can't decide whether I like Lux or Alby Starvation better. Alby's been my favourite for years and years, but Lux is... irresistable in his vanity. And Millar can sure write these stories with about a dozen or two characters running around, yet he's got all the strings in hand. The 'chapters' are deliciously short, so that you always want to read one more before turning off the light and going to sleep.
I pity the fool who doesn't give Lux (and Millar!) a chance.
"Lux has no idea what the riot is about. It just sort of started while he was walking along the street. When he first saw a gang of youths running towards him he thought perhaps it was some fans come to hear some poetry and was disappointed when they ran past without paying him any attention.
"This feeling persists, however, and the whole night Lux has a subconscious suspicion that possibly the riot is in his honour."
sunnuntai 21. kesäkuuta 2009
Suzy, Led Zeppelin and me
Title: Suzy, Led Zeppelin and me
Author: Martin Millar
Published: 2008 by Soft Skull Press
Genre: Biography & gig review
Pages: 222
Another Martin Millar book! Actually, the third I've read lately, but I didn't have time to write about Lux the Poet when I had it on me, and now it's not on me. Maybe tomorrow, but tomorrow I won't have this one on me so here goes.
It's 1972, and Led Zeppelin have just announced their upcoming concert in Glasgow, where nerdy, young Martin and his equally nerdy friend Greg are dreaming about Suzy, dragons, and Led Zeppelin. There's also Zed, the coolest kid in school who Suzy loves and the boys admire, and Cherry, a younger, also very nerdy girl who wants to join Martin and Greg's dragon army.
It is also modern day in London, where Martin is telling about that gig and what went on before, during and after it to his friend Manx, while judging in a literary competition and watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Like with books about Alby and Lux, this one comes separated into short chapters, and both timelines move on towards the big gig (and the judging). But unlike the other two books, there are only a small handful of people in this one. Still, Millar is as good as ever, and doesn't leave out even the embarrassing things from his teenage years. At least those that are involved with the subject of the book.
The 1972 Led Zeppelin gig is told in far more detail than I can remember any gigs I've gone to, and because of that (and mention of all the songs in the order they were played, which is nice, because the reader can listen to them as well) it feels like the gig is happening as it's been read about. And I'm pretty sure that anyone who's been on a really good gig knows how Mr. Millar felt on 4th December 1972.
"Now I've come to the start of the gig. So the next fifteen chapters or so are pretty much just me dancing around in Green's Playhouse, listening to Led Zeppelin and having a fabulous time. But read on. For one thing, I get my first proper kiss. For another, the gig will be over before you know it and then you'll be back in the real world, and how much fun is that?
"When Led Zeppelin walk onstage I get a very strange feeling in my chest before I'm carried off to a place where I am not troubled by worldly cares."
Aww, I wanna go to a concert now...
Author: Martin Millar
Published: 2008 by Soft Skull Press
Genre: Biography & gig review
Pages: 222
Another Martin Millar book! Actually, the third I've read lately, but I didn't have time to write about Lux the Poet when I had it on me, and now it's not on me. Maybe tomorrow, but tomorrow I won't have this one on me so here goes.
It's 1972, and Led Zeppelin have just announced their upcoming concert in Glasgow, where nerdy, young Martin and his equally nerdy friend Greg are dreaming about Suzy, dragons, and Led Zeppelin. There's also Zed, the coolest kid in school who Suzy loves and the boys admire, and Cherry, a younger, also very nerdy girl who wants to join Martin and Greg's dragon army.
It is also modern day in London, where Martin is telling about that gig and what went on before, during and after it to his friend Manx, while judging in a literary competition and watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Like with books about Alby and Lux, this one comes separated into short chapters, and both timelines move on towards the big gig (and the judging). But unlike the other two books, there are only a small handful of people in this one. Still, Millar is as good as ever, and doesn't leave out even the embarrassing things from his teenage years. At least those that are involved with the subject of the book.
The 1972 Led Zeppelin gig is told in far more detail than I can remember any gigs I've gone to, and because of that (and mention of all the songs in the order they were played, which is nice, because the reader can listen to them as well) it feels like the gig is happening as it's been read about. And I'm pretty sure that anyone who's been on a really good gig knows how Mr. Millar felt on 4th December 1972.
"Now I've come to the start of the gig. So the next fifteen chapters or so are pretty much just me dancing around in Green's Playhouse, listening to Led Zeppelin and having a fabulous time. But read on. For one thing, I get my first proper kiss. For another, the gig will be over before you know it and then you'll be back in the real world, and how much fun is that?
"When Led Zeppelin walk onstage I get a very strange feeling in my chest before I'm carried off to a place where I am not troubled by worldly cares."
Aww, I wanna go to a concert now...
lauantai 13. kesäkuuta 2009
Porno
Title: Porno
Author: Irvine Welsh
Published: 2003 by Vintage
Genre: Fiction with porn, scams and drugs
Pages: 484
Sequels don't always work, but this, the sequel to Welsh's successful book (made into movie in 1996) Trainspotting certainly does not disappoint. Longer, but with less characters running around, Porno brings out the people most familiar through the movie.
Some ten years have passed since the end of Trainspotting, and Simon 'Sick Boy' Williamson is back in Edinburgh with a head full of scams. His old home may have changed, but some things, like Spud and Begbie, really haven't. Still, Simon is determined not to fall back too hard on old habits, and starts several scams to make a lot of money off fools, as soon as possible and with as little effort as possible. The big scheme is to direct and produce a porn movie. Running into Mark Renton, the one who fucked his old friends over in London all those years ago, is definitely a plus.
Porno is told in first person point of view by several characters: Sick Boy, Renton, Begbie, Spud and Nikki, with Sick Boy getting a bit more airtime than the others. Like with Filth, Welsh manages to make his lead man quite the arse, someone you'd (well, I can only speak for myself, but...) like to see fall. I'm glad to report that, like with Filth again, Welsh does not disappoint.
"The hangover's pure kickin in n ah'm takin a walk intae toon tae clear the nut. Up past St Andrew's, whir thir buildin a new bus station. The auld one wis a dump, n the last time ah wis in it wis ages ago. In fact, it wis whin me, Rents, Sick Boy, Franco n Second Prize wir gaun doon tae London, wi aw that smack oan us. Pure paranoia, man, pure paranoia. Healthy stretch fir that yin if collared, too right!"
Author: Irvine Welsh
Published: 2003 by Vintage
Genre: Fiction with porn, scams and drugs
Pages: 484
Sequels don't always work, but this, the sequel to Welsh's successful book (made into movie in 1996) Trainspotting certainly does not disappoint. Longer, but with less characters running around, Porno brings out the people most familiar through the movie.
Some ten years have passed since the end of Trainspotting, and Simon 'Sick Boy' Williamson is back in Edinburgh with a head full of scams. His old home may have changed, but some things, like Spud and Begbie, really haven't. Still, Simon is determined not to fall back too hard on old habits, and starts several scams to make a lot of money off fools, as soon as possible and with as little effort as possible. The big scheme is to direct and produce a porn movie. Running into Mark Renton, the one who fucked his old friends over in London all those years ago, is definitely a plus.
Porno is told in first person point of view by several characters: Sick Boy, Renton, Begbie, Spud and Nikki, with Sick Boy getting a bit more airtime than the others. Like with Filth, Welsh manages to make his lead man quite the arse, someone you'd (well, I can only speak for myself, but...) like to see fall. I'm glad to report that, like with Filth again, Welsh does not disappoint.
"The hangover's pure kickin in n ah'm takin a walk intae toon tae clear the nut. Up past St Andrew's, whir thir buildin a new bus station. The auld one wis a dump, n the last time ah wis in it wis ages ago. In fact, it wis whin me, Rents, Sick Boy, Franco n Second Prize wir gaun doon tae London, wi aw that smack oan us. Pure paranoia, man, pure paranoia. Healthy stretch fir that yin if collared, too right!"
Fun Home
Title: Fun Home - A Family Tragicomic
Pictures and words: Alison Bechdel
Published: 2006 by Mariner Books
Genre: Biographical comic
Pages: 232
Another comic by Alison Bechdel, one that I've been wanting to re-read for a while, and did so after finishing The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For. Fun Home is a more compact book, a memoir of Bechdel's, from early childhood to college years. This books' won several international awards, not to mention the three pages worth of praise included. And it's all well-earned.
Bechdel's family used to run a funeral home, or fun home, as they called it themselves. Her father was the funeral director, as well as an English teacher. Fun home is as much about him as it is about Alison herself; two very different people living under the same roof, and not realising how similar they were after all until it was too late.
Bechdel's art is at its best, and the subtle colouring brings yet more life to the pictures. The story jumps constantly from one time and place to another, but she carries the story so well that the reader doesn't get lost.
"I grew to resent the way my father treated his furniture like children, and his children like furniture. My own decided preference for the unadorned and purely functional emerged early. I was Spartan to my father's Athenian. Modern to his Victorian. Butch to his nelly. Utilitarian to his aesthete. I developed a contempt for useless ornament. What function was served by the scrolls, tassels, and bric-a-brac that infested our house? If anything, they obscured function. They were embellishments in the worst sense. They were lies."
Alison Bechdel's blog, her comics and a lot of stuff on them can be found on http://dykestowatchoutfor.com/
There's also a lot more on Fun Home, said better than I could.
Pictures and words: Alison Bechdel
Published: 2006 by Mariner Books
Genre: Biographical comic
Pages: 232
Another comic by Alison Bechdel, one that I've been wanting to re-read for a while, and did so after finishing The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For. Fun Home is a more compact book, a memoir of Bechdel's, from early childhood to college years. This books' won several international awards, not to mention the three pages worth of praise included. And it's all well-earned.
Bechdel's family used to run a funeral home, or fun home, as they called it themselves. Her father was the funeral director, as well as an English teacher. Fun home is as much about him as it is about Alison herself; two very different people living under the same roof, and not realising how similar they were after all until it was too late.
Bechdel's art is at its best, and the subtle colouring brings yet more life to the pictures. The story jumps constantly from one time and place to another, but she carries the story so well that the reader doesn't get lost.
"I grew to resent the way my father treated his furniture like children, and his children like furniture. My own decided preference for the unadorned and purely functional emerged early. I was Spartan to my father's Athenian. Modern to his Victorian. Butch to his nelly. Utilitarian to his aesthete. I developed a contempt for useless ornament. What function was served by the scrolls, tassels, and bric-a-brac that infested our house? If anything, they obscured function. They were embellishments in the worst sense. They were lies."
Alison Bechdel's blog, her comics and a lot of stuff on them can be found on http://dykestowatchoutfor.com/
There's also a lot more on Fun Home, said better than I could.
The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For
Title: The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For
Pictures and words: Alison Bechdel
Published: 2008 by Houghton Mifflin
Genre: Love & Politics and everything in between
Pages: 392, plus introduction
I've been reading quite a lot lately but have been lazy in writing them up, so here goes!
The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For collects 392 one page strips of Alison Bechdel's comic that has been running in about 50 magazines and translated to several languages over the last 25 years. It tells the stories of several people, most of them women and lesbians, living in America and interacting with its recent history. So, at least for a European not really interested in politics and current affairs like me, it's also a quick course in the history of the nation.
But Bechdel's stars are first and foremost the women whose lives we get to follow: their thoughts, love, tragedies and everything else life tends to throw at people. All this might sound a bit boring, but it's not: the book is quite hard to put down. There's a lot of humour as well, and it's hard not to get involved with the people we're reading about. They're just normal people, going on about their lives. Just like your next door neighbours.
I'm finding it quite hard to sum up 25 years worth of comics here... but it's wonderful to see how the people change, how their kids grow, and how Bechdel's art has evolved over the years. I'd been looking forward to buying this as soon as I heard it's coming out, and finally picked it up at a comic shop I went to for a job interview. (Got the job, btw.) Well worth the 25 euros. Or dollars, if that's your thing.
"I'll be your lawyer if you'll be my accountant."
Pictures and words: Alison Bechdel
Published: 2008 by Houghton Mifflin
Genre: Love & Politics and everything in between
Pages: 392, plus introduction
I've been reading quite a lot lately but have been lazy in writing them up, so here goes!
The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For collects 392 one page strips of Alison Bechdel's comic that has been running in about 50 magazines and translated to several languages over the last 25 years. It tells the stories of several people, most of them women and lesbians, living in America and interacting with its recent history. So, at least for a European not really interested in politics and current affairs like me, it's also a quick course in the history of the nation.
But Bechdel's stars are first and foremost the women whose lives we get to follow: their thoughts, love, tragedies and everything else life tends to throw at people. All this might sound a bit boring, but it's not: the book is quite hard to put down. There's a lot of humour as well, and it's hard not to get involved with the people we're reading about. They're just normal people, going on about their lives. Just like your next door neighbours.
I'm finding it quite hard to sum up 25 years worth of comics here... but it's wonderful to see how the people change, how their kids grow, and how Bechdel's art has evolved over the years. I'd been looking forward to buying this as soon as I heard it's coming out, and finally picked it up at a comic shop I went to for a job interview. (Got the job, btw.) Well worth the 25 euros. Or dollars, if that's your thing.
"I'll be your lawyer if you'll be my accountant."
keskiviikko 3. kesäkuuta 2009
Reading memememe
Directions: Create a new blog post. Write an introduction. Copy and paste the meme below into your blog, changing the comments to your own. Use the title of this meme in your subject line or create your own. Feel free to tag your friends or not. A link back to this lens would be appreciated.
What have you just read?
I just finished re-reading Kouta Hirano's Hellsing. The last book I read was Chuck Palahniuk's Snuff. Neither is really the type you might want to recommend to your mother.
What are you reading now?
Nearly halfway through with Irvine Welsh's Porno. I've read Trainspotting (and seen the movie) many times, so it was high time to check out the sequel. And it's great.
Do you have any idea what you'll read when you're done with that?
I'd like to re-read Sarah Waters' Night watch, and I should be getting her The Little Stranger soon. Then there's also The Good Fairies of New York and Lux the Poet by Martin Millar, and Perfume by Patrick Süskind. Already started a little on Sepulchre by Kate Mosse, so should get on with that as well. And a few comic series I'd like to read/re-read...
What's the worst thing you were ever forced to read?
It's pretty much a rule that if I'm forced to read something, I won't like it. But the last time I had to read something or cry and read it was in high school. And I didn't read it, just a few essays and short versions.
What's one book you always recommend to just about anyone?
Hmm... Chuck Palahniuk's Lullaby, or Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. The latter might be less traumatising.
Admit it, sadly the librarians at your library know you on a first name basis, don't they?
...some of them greet me on the street... I don't think it's sad, though.
Is there a book you absolutely love, but for some reason, people never think it sounds interesting, or maybe they read it and don't like it at all?
I'm kind of hung on Chuck Palahniuk at the moment, so I might say his books. They're excellent, but by no means are they everyone's cup of tea. Personally, I can't put them down.
Do you read books while you eat?
Books or comics, to distract myself from the fact that I cannot cook. Not in company, though.
While you bathe?
Oh yes. The bath is one of the best places in the world to read, as long as you're very careful with the books. They're precious.
While you watch movies or tv?
Never during movies, and since I don't really watch TV (only a few series, and those usually from DVD's, so they get my full attention), not during it either. Too hard to concentrate.
While you listen to music?
I don't read while I listen to music, but I do listen to music while I read. It's good for covering the annoying, distracting noises from outside and possibly from the apartment.
While you're on the computer?
Book-books, no, unless I'm at the computer to listen to music from it while I read, but I do read a lot of stories and comics on the 'net.
When you were little did other children tease you about your reading habits?
Not that I can remember. Sometimes when I would go and buy X-men or Young Indina Jones comics. Apparently, comics aren't for girls.
What's the last thing you stayed up half the night reading because it was so good you couldn't put it down?
Hellsing last night, but that was also because I couldn't sleep. Radclyffe Hall's The Well of Loneliness. Read it in April, and already want to re-read it.
Have any books made you cry?
Most of them, yes. I can be a real crybaby.
Nowkku, I tag thee. :)
What have you just read?
I just finished re-reading Kouta Hirano's Hellsing. The last book I read was Chuck Palahniuk's Snuff. Neither is really the type you might want to recommend to your mother.
What are you reading now?
Nearly halfway through with Irvine Welsh's Porno. I've read Trainspotting (and seen the movie) many times, so it was high time to check out the sequel. And it's great.
Do you have any idea what you'll read when you're done with that?
I'd like to re-read Sarah Waters' Night watch, and I should be getting her The Little Stranger soon. Then there's also The Good Fairies of New York and Lux the Poet by Martin Millar, and Perfume by Patrick Süskind. Already started a little on Sepulchre by Kate Mosse, so should get on with that as well. And a few comic series I'd like to read/re-read...
What's the worst thing you were ever forced to read?
It's pretty much a rule that if I'm forced to read something, I won't like it. But the last time I had to read something or cry and read it was in high school. And I didn't read it, just a few essays and short versions.
What's one book you always recommend to just about anyone?
Hmm... Chuck Palahniuk's Lullaby, or Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. The latter might be less traumatising.
Admit it, sadly the librarians at your library know you on a first name basis, don't they?
...some of them greet me on the street... I don't think it's sad, though.
Is there a book you absolutely love, but for some reason, people never think it sounds interesting, or maybe they read it and don't like it at all?
I'm kind of hung on Chuck Palahniuk at the moment, so I might say his books. They're excellent, but by no means are they everyone's cup of tea. Personally, I can't put them down.
Do you read books while you eat?
Books or comics, to distract myself from the fact that I cannot cook. Not in company, though.
While you bathe?
Oh yes. The bath is one of the best places in the world to read, as long as you're very careful with the books. They're precious.
While you watch movies or tv?
Never during movies, and since I don't really watch TV (only a few series, and those usually from DVD's, so they get my full attention), not during it either. Too hard to concentrate.
While you listen to music?
I don't read while I listen to music, but I do listen to music while I read. It's good for covering the annoying, distracting noises from outside and possibly from the apartment.
While you're on the computer?
Book-books, no, unless I'm at the computer to listen to music from it while I read, but I do read a lot of stories and comics on the 'net.
When you were little did other children tease you about your reading habits?
Not that I can remember. Sometimes when I would go and buy X-men or Young Indina Jones comics. Apparently, comics aren't for girls.
What's the last thing you stayed up half the night reading because it was so good you couldn't put it down?
Hellsing last night, but that was also because I couldn't sleep. Radclyffe Hall's The Well of Loneliness. Read it in April, and already want to re-read it.
Have any books made you cry?
Most of them, yes. I can be a real crybaby.
Nowkku, I tag thee. :)
Hellsing
Title: Hellsing
Creators: Kouta Hirano
Published: 1998 =>
Genre: Humour/Horror/Vampires, yay!/War
Pages: So far, in English, 9 albums of ~210 pages (already finished in Japan)
One of my Top 5 favourite manga's, maybe in the Top 3. It's absolutely insane. You've got Protestant vampire killers, Catholic vampire killers, vampires killing vampires, Nazi vampires, Schrödinger's cat, French mercenaries, big boobs and a lot of people wearing glasses...
It bugs me that I can't remember which came first for me: the first Hellsing anime, or the manga. I do remember that when I bought the first two comics, and read the first one for the first time, I didn't crack one smile. I was seriously wondering whether it was supposed to be scary or funny, because I didn't think it was either. But since I'd bought the second manga as well, I gave it another chance. And like I said, Top 3. For the last four years or so.
The art in the first few volumes is a bit sketchy, but it's wonderful to follow how Hirano develops during the years and with the story. In the end he has one of the most original styles in not only manga's but other comics as well. I wish I could draw like that.
The story is both serious and crack. Very bloody, violent and cruel, but with a lot of humour. And I love the characters. I was actually quite obsessed with one of them for a looooong time, and that cute little face can still make my knees all... ahem, yes. The characters are original and have their individual styles, with simplistic and expressive faces as is common in Japanese comics, but man do they stretch and bend to show just how completely crazy they can get.
A word or two about the animes. The first one, simply named Hellsing, was made when the manga was still fairly fresh, and therefore follows only the first few volumes, and then goes in a direction completely its own. Quite an inferior one, in my opinion, when compared to the manga. I mean, Incognito? Seriously? What were the makers smoking? LOOK at him! (GIS Incognito Hellsing if you've not seen him.)
But the music is excellent. The music is enough reason to watch the 13 episodes (I think it was 13; I could be wrong, though, it has been years since I watched it). The animation is quite basic, with none of Hirano's wacky distortions.
The second one, Hellsing OVA (or OAV) is still in production: episode VI should come out sometime next month in Japan, unless it's pushed back. This one follows the comic more religiously, including Hirano's art style. It's well done, approximately one episode per manga, with 45-50 minute episodes. Once I'm rich, I'm collecting the whole series, but right now it's still a bit too expensive for my limited budget as they're sold one episode at a time. Makes sense, since there's a long wait between the episodes. Kinda like with the manga's. Heh.
But. Yes. If you like vampires, comics, BIG guns and a lot of blood, this is the manga for you.
"What a great night. Makes me want to suck some blood. Such a nice, quiet night."
Yeah, for the next five minutes. After that...
Creators: Kouta Hirano
Published: 1998 =>
Genre: Humour/Horror/Vampires, yay!/War
Pages: So far, in English, 9 albums of ~210 pages (already finished in Japan)
One of my Top 5 favourite manga's, maybe in the Top 3. It's absolutely insane. You've got Protestant vampire killers, Catholic vampire killers, vampires killing vampires, Nazi vampires, Schrödinger's cat, French mercenaries, big boobs and a lot of people wearing glasses...
It bugs me that I can't remember which came first for me: the first Hellsing anime, or the manga. I do remember that when I bought the first two comics, and read the first one for the first time, I didn't crack one smile. I was seriously wondering whether it was supposed to be scary or funny, because I didn't think it was either. But since I'd bought the second manga as well, I gave it another chance. And like I said, Top 3. For the last four years or so.
The art in the first few volumes is a bit sketchy, but it's wonderful to follow how Hirano develops during the years and with the story. In the end he has one of the most original styles in not only manga's but other comics as well. I wish I could draw like that.
The story is both serious and crack. Very bloody, violent and cruel, but with a lot of humour. And I love the characters. I was actually quite obsessed with one of them for a looooong time, and that cute little face can still make my knees all... ahem, yes. The characters are original and have their individual styles, with simplistic and expressive faces as is common in Japanese comics, but man do they stretch and bend to show just how completely crazy they can get.
A word or two about the animes. The first one, simply named Hellsing, was made when the manga was still fairly fresh, and therefore follows only the first few volumes, and then goes in a direction completely its own. Quite an inferior one, in my opinion, when compared to the manga. I mean, Incognito? Seriously? What were the makers smoking? LOOK at him! (GIS Incognito Hellsing if you've not seen him.)
But the music is excellent. The music is enough reason to watch the 13 episodes (I think it was 13; I could be wrong, though, it has been years since I watched it). The animation is quite basic, with none of Hirano's wacky distortions.
The second one, Hellsing OVA (or OAV) is still in production: episode VI should come out sometime next month in Japan, unless it's pushed back. This one follows the comic more religiously, including Hirano's art style. It's well done, approximately one episode per manga, with 45-50 minute episodes. Once I'm rich, I'm collecting the whole series, but right now it's still a bit too expensive for my limited budget as they're sold one episode at a time. Makes sense, since there's a long wait between the episodes. Kinda like with the manga's. Heh.
But. Yes. If you like vampires, comics, BIG guns and a lot of blood, this is the manga for you.
"What a great night. Makes me want to suck some blood. Such a nice, quiet night."
Yeah, for the next five minutes. After that...
lauantai 30. toukokuuta 2009
Snuff
Title: Snuff
Author: Chuck Palahniuk
Published: 2008(?) by Anchor Books (or something like that)
Genre: ...
Pages: 197
The Helsinki-Vantaa airport in Finland rocks, since they seem to carry Palahniuk's new books. Last year when I was going to the UK for the second time, I found Rant there, and now, going to Italy, I found Snuff. It's the story of making the porn movie to end all porn movies: one woman, 600 men.
Yeah. Palahniuk has the most original ideas ever. In the world.
The story is told from the point of views of three of the men, #72, #137 and #600, and Sheila, the talent wrangler who has to keep everything running smoothly. Also, there's a rumour going 'round that one of those 600 is out to kill Cassie, the famous porn star who is trying to revive her career.
Of course, since this is Chuck Palahniuk's book, not all is what it seems. I guessed one plot point correctly and figured I knew how the book ends (20 pages before it ended) but boy, was I wrong. Also, since this is Chuck Palahniuk, the book is full of random bits of information which sound just crazy enough to be true. I don't know.
I spent the whole 3 hour flight reading this, and almost finished it in one sitting. With only 197 pages and short chapters, it's a very quick read, but will stay and haunt you. True fact.
No quote for now, since the book is still in Italy while I'm back in Finland.
Author: Chuck Palahniuk
Published: 2008(?) by Anchor Books (or something like that)
Genre: ...
Pages: 197
The Helsinki-Vantaa airport in Finland rocks, since they seem to carry Palahniuk's new books. Last year when I was going to the UK for the second time, I found Rant there, and now, going to Italy, I found Snuff. It's the story of making the porn movie to end all porn movies: one woman, 600 men.
Yeah. Palahniuk has the most original ideas ever. In the world.
The story is told from the point of views of three of the men, #72, #137 and #600, and Sheila, the talent wrangler who has to keep everything running smoothly. Also, there's a rumour going 'round that one of those 600 is out to kill Cassie, the famous porn star who is trying to revive her career.
Of course, since this is Chuck Palahniuk's book, not all is what it seems. I guessed one plot point correctly and figured I knew how the book ends (20 pages before it ended) but boy, was I wrong. Also, since this is Chuck Palahniuk, the book is full of random bits of information which sound just crazy enough to be true. I don't know.
I spent the whole 3 hour flight reading this, and almost finished it in one sitting. With only 197 pages and short chapters, it's a very quick read, but will stay and haunt you. True fact.
No quote for now, since the book is still in Italy while I'm back in Finland.
perjantai 15. toukokuuta 2009
Poison Elves
Title: Poison Elves
Creators: Drew Hayes
Published: 1991-2007
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 100 issues of some 25-30 pages each.
Ever since I picked up the first Mulehide trade paperback on 9th January 1999, I've loved Poison Elves pretty much unconditionally. Drew Hayes is one of my idols, a man who had the balls and the passion to do what he wanted to do: to tell a story, and to tell it well. He wrote, drew, and in the beginning, also printed his comic book of a world of his own creation, centering on one outcast elf, Lusiphur Malache.
The latest (last?) trade paperback came out last year, and I finally got to read it, after going through all the previous ones, for how manyeth time I've no clue anymore. It doesn't include issues 76-80, so perhaps there'll be one last collection. The story itself doesn't end there, but unfortunately Drew Hayes died a little over two years ago, at the age of 37, before he could finish his saga.
So what's it about then? There's elves, magic, wizards, witches, thieves, assassins, magic swords, all those things you'd expect in a fantasy comic or book. But there's also much ass-kicking, graphic violence, sex, attitude, nods towards notorious serial killers in our world, and a whole lot of humour. Oh, and boobs. Lots of boobs. And some very nice bras covering them. It's not for everyone, but what in this world really is? (Suggest Garfield and I'm ripping out your colon and strangling you with it.) Poison Elves is highly quotable, funny, highly addictive, and, perhaps most importantly, completely unique. I don't think it ever got as many fans it deserves, but those that have become fans tend to stay that way. I know I will.
Like said, Poison Elves is highly quotable, and I could write up a long list of favourites without having to pick up any of the comics. But to choose one, here's one of the unforgettables from Lusiphur's nemesis, the Purple Marauder:
"TO THE SKIES, FORNICATORS, TO GAZE UPON THE FACE OF TRUE REDEMPTION! IT IS I - THE WHISPER OF FEAR IN THE NIGHT! YEESSS! THE PURPLE MARAUDER IS UPON YOU AND THE ACTION IS RAW! NYAR! THOUGH MY TRADEMARK HAT WAS LOST TO THE WIND LAST TUESDAY, I HAVE THESE!
"GUNS! NYAR!
"AND AFTER HE UTTERLY DESTROYS YOU FOUR, THE MARAUDER WILL BE ABLE TO BUY... BULLETS!"
Then he gets his ass kicked, as he should.
Rest in peace, Drew, and thanks.
Creators: Drew Hayes
Published: 1991-2007
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 100 issues of some 25-30 pages each.
Ever since I picked up the first Mulehide trade paperback on 9th January 1999, I've loved Poison Elves pretty much unconditionally. Drew Hayes is one of my idols, a man who had the balls and the passion to do what he wanted to do: to tell a story, and to tell it well. He wrote, drew, and in the beginning, also printed his comic book of a world of his own creation, centering on one outcast elf, Lusiphur Malache.
The latest (last?) trade paperback came out last year, and I finally got to read it, after going through all the previous ones, for how manyeth time I've no clue anymore. It doesn't include issues 76-80, so perhaps there'll be one last collection. The story itself doesn't end there, but unfortunately Drew Hayes died a little over two years ago, at the age of 37, before he could finish his saga.
So what's it about then? There's elves, magic, wizards, witches, thieves, assassins, magic swords, all those things you'd expect in a fantasy comic or book. But there's also much ass-kicking, graphic violence, sex, attitude, nods towards notorious serial killers in our world, and a whole lot of humour. Oh, and boobs. Lots of boobs. And some very nice bras covering them. It's not for everyone, but what in this world really is? (Suggest Garfield and I'm ripping out your colon and strangling you with it.) Poison Elves is highly quotable, funny, highly addictive, and, perhaps most importantly, completely unique. I don't think it ever got as many fans it deserves, but those that have become fans tend to stay that way. I know I will.
Like said, Poison Elves is highly quotable, and I could write up a long list of favourites without having to pick up any of the comics. But to choose one, here's one of the unforgettables from Lusiphur's nemesis, the Purple Marauder:
"TO THE SKIES, FORNICATORS, TO GAZE UPON THE FACE OF TRUE REDEMPTION! IT IS I - THE WHISPER OF FEAR IN THE NIGHT! YEESSS! THE PURPLE MARAUDER IS UPON YOU AND THE ACTION IS RAW! NYAR! THOUGH MY TRADEMARK HAT WAS LOST TO THE WIND LAST TUESDAY, I HAVE THESE!
"GUNS! NYAR!
"AND AFTER HE UTTERLY DESTROYS YOU FOUR, THE MARAUDER WILL BE ABLE TO BUY... BULLETS!"
Then he gets his ass kicked, as he should.
Rest in peace, Drew, and thanks.
maanantai 11. toukokuuta 2009
Janitsaaripuu
Nimi: Janitsaaripuu
Alkuperäinen nimi: The Janissary Tree
Kirjoittaja: Jason Goodwin
Julkaistu: 2008, Karisto
Genre: Dekkaripokkari
Sivuluku: 358
Tämän löysin Prisman kirjaosastolta muutamalla eurolla pari viikkoa sitten. Ajatus murhia ratkovasta eunukista vuoden 1836 Istanbulissa oli sen verran kiinnostava että tuli ostettua, ja kyllä kannatti.
Pieniä vaikeuksia tuotti se, että vuoden 1836 Istanbul oli uusi tuttavuus; en tuohon maailmankolkkaan sijoittuvia kirjoja ole ennen lukenut, parista sarjakuvasta tosin tullut hiukan esimakua. (Pat McGrealin ja kumppaneiden Veils ja Ralf Königin Itämaiden taikuri) Tällaisen havupään sai myös sekaisin monien sivuosissa pyörivien ihmisten ...pyöriminen. Tosin heidän esittelynsä ja puuhansa valaisivat kyseessä olevaa maailmaa ja maailmanaikaa varsin hyvin.
Janitsaaripuu kertoo siis Yashim Togalusta, joka huomaamattomana mutta älykkäänä miehenä palkataan tutkimaan sekä sulttaanin jalkavaimon että nuoren kadetin murhia. Sulttaani on aikeissa tehdä suuria muutoksia valtakunnassaan, ja kaikki eivät tietenkään asiasta ole kovin innoissaan.
Englannin kielellä kirja on ilmestynyt jo 2006, ja kuulemma Yashimin seuraan saa liittyä jo toisenkin kirjan sivuilla. Pitänee etsiä käsiinsä, sen verran kiehtova kirja kuitenkin. Suomenkieliseen laitokseen oli päässyt lipsahtamaan mukaan typo jos toinenkin, ja välillä ärsytti tekstin outo latominen, mutta mitä pienistä kun paketti oli muuten tyydyttävä.
"Yashimilla oli monia hyviä ominaisuuksia - synnynnäistä viehätysvoimaa, kielipäätä ja taito avata harmaat silmänsä äkkiä selkoselleen. Hänen äänensä oli oudoti hypnotisoinut sekä miehiä että naisia ennen kuin he olivat edes huomanneet, kuka heille puhui. Mutta hänessä ei ollut tarpeeksi miestä.
"Kyse ei ollut luonteen heikkoudesta. Yashim oli melko rohkea.
"Mutta hän oli harvinainen olento jopa 1800-luvun Istanbulissa.
"Yashimilta puuttuivat kivekset. Hän oli eunukki."
Alkuperäinen nimi: The Janissary Tree
Kirjoittaja: Jason Goodwin
Julkaistu: 2008, Karisto
Genre: Dekkaripokkari
Sivuluku: 358
Tämän löysin Prisman kirjaosastolta muutamalla eurolla pari viikkoa sitten. Ajatus murhia ratkovasta eunukista vuoden 1836 Istanbulissa oli sen verran kiinnostava että tuli ostettua, ja kyllä kannatti.
Pieniä vaikeuksia tuotti se, että vuoden 1836 Istanbul oli uusi tuttavuus; en tuohon maailmankolkkaan sijoittuvia kirjoja ole ennen lukenut, parista sarjakuvasta tosin tullut hiukan esimakua. (Pat McGrealin ja kumppaneiden Veils ja Ralf Königin Itämaiden taikuri) Tällaisen havupään sai myös sekaisin monien sivuosissa pyörivien ihmisten ...pyöriminen. Tosin heidän esittelynsä ja puuhansa valaisivat kyseessä olevaa maailmaa ja maailmanaikaa varsin hyvin.
Janitsaaripuu kertoo siis Yashim Togalusta, joka huomaamattomana mutta älykkäänä miehenä palkataan tutkimaan sekä sulttaanin jalkavaimon että nuoren kadetin murhia. Sulttaani on aikeissa tehdä suuria muutoksia valtakunnassaan, ja kaikki eivät tietenkään asiasta ole kovin innoissaan.
Englannin kielellä kirja on ilmestynyt jo 2006, ja kuulemma Yashimin seuraan saa liittyä jo toisenkin kirjan sivuilla. Pitänee etsiä käsiinsä, sen verran kiehtova kirja kuitenkin. Suomenkieliseen laitokseen oli päässyt lipsahtamaan mukaan typo jos toinenkin, ja välillä ärsytti tekstin outo latominen, mutta mitä pienistä kun paketti oli muuten tyydyttävä.
"Yashimilla oli monia hyviä ominaisuuksia - synnynnäistä viehätysvoimaa, kielipäätä ja taito avata harmaat silmänsä äkkiä selkoselleen. Hänen äänensä oli oudoti hypnotisoinut sekä miehiä että naisia ennen kuin he olivat edes huomanneet, kuka heille puhui. Mutta hänessä ei ollut tarpeeksi miestä.
"Kyse ei ollut luonteen heikkoudesta. Yashim oli melko rohkea.
"Mutta hän oli harvinainen olento jopa 1800-luvun Istanbulissa.
"Yashimilta puuttuivat kivekset. Hän oli eunukki."
tiistai 5. toukokuuta 2009
Milk, sulphate and Alby Starvation
Title: Milk, sulphate and Alby Starvation
Author: Martin Millar
Published: 1987 by Fourth Estate (this edition from 1994)
Genre: Humorous fiction
Pages: 152
I don't know how many times I've read this book (in Finnish, though) since the first time I found it in the library about half my lifetime ago. Obviously I liked it since I've gone back to it so many times. (I always thought Stacey was a girl since it's a girly name to me and Finnish doesn't differentiate between he and she, we only have one word that applies for both genders. Live and learn.)
It's a fast book to read, it being so relatively short and written in shortish bits which tell the story from the point of view of many people: Alby himself, a small-time drug dealer and comic enthusiast, the assassin sent after him by the Milk Marketing Board, the Chinese man also after him, and several other people. And everyone seems to want something from Alby, be it money, speed, his Silver Surfers or his life. Poor Alby.
I like this book.
"There is some deep relationship between the unpleasantness of food and its nuritional value but I'm afraid it's beyond my mental capacity to work it out. It seems like someone's trying to teach me a lesson, if you're going to get through life Alby, you just got to eat the odd bit of spinach now and then."
Author: Martin Millar
Published: 1987 by Fourth Estate (this edition from 1994)
Genre: Humorous fiction
Pages: 152
I don't know how many times I've read this book (in Finnish, though) since the first time I found it in the library about half my lifetime ago. Obviously I liked it since I've gone back to it so many times. (I always thought Stacey was a girl since it's a girly name to me and Finnish doesn't differentiate between he and she, we only have one word that applies for both genders. Live and learn.)
It's a fast book to read, it being so relatively short and written in shortish bits which tell the story from the point of view of many people: Alby himself, a small-time drug dealer and comic enthusiast, the assassin sent after him by the Milk Marketing Board, the Chinese man also after him, and several other people. And everyone seems to want something from Alby, be it money, speed, his Silver Surfers or his life. Poor Alby.
I like this book.
"There is some deep relationship between the unpleasantness of food and its nuritional value but I'm afraid it's beyond my mental capacity to work it out. It seems like someone's trying to teach me a lesson, if you're going to get through life Alby, you just got to eat the odd bit of spinach now and then."
keskiviikko 15. huhtikuuta 2009
The Price of Temptation
Title: The Price of Temptation
Author: M. J. Pearson
Published: 2005 by Seventh Window Publications
Genre: Harlequin gone gay *heart*
Pages: 208
I admit, I bought this one because of the cover. Look at it. What does he have shoved down his pants, a watermelon?
Well, another reason was because it sounded like a good read. this was bought late last year, alongside the Back Passage, but I didn't get to reading it until now, thinking that I needed something less depressing after the Well of Loneliness. This book was obviously a good choice for that purpose!
The earl, the lover, and the secretary. Stephen, Julian and Jamie. A triangle of lust, jealousy and love. The stuff that romance novels are made of, with the exception to usual Harlequin romances being, of course, that all three are men. Stephen is practically being robbed by his kept lover, Julian, but he doesn't want to be alone. Along comes Jamie, who ends up becoming Stephen's personal secretary after some unfortunate circumstances. All would be well, if the earl wouldn't notice what a nice ass the younger man has. And the petty lover, not wanting to lose his source of money, is not happy about the fact that the earl would rather stay home to gaze at that ass than go out to spend money. Something must be done!
The writing is good and fast-paced, with a hint of humour in it. The setting is London of the beginning of 1800's. For once I didn't know it was set in London; that was just a pleasant surprise. Homosexuality is very much frowned upon, but the rich do as the rich will, as long as they're not too vocal about it outside the bedroom.
""If the landscape you encounter is convex, suck it." Stephen latched his mouth briefly onto Jamie's neck in demostration, then moved his lips upward and suckled an earlobe. "I'm sure if you think hard, you can imagine other examples." Jamie shivered. "If it's concave," Stephen whispered, "probe it--" His tongue slid into Jamie's ear, and the young man shuddered again. "--using the instrument that fits best. Flat surfaces can be licked - actually, licking is always appropriate, as are nibbling, stroking, and rubbing - but those are the basic rules. Remember to start gently, and end vigorously, and satisfaction is guaranteed."
"Very helpful," Jamie mumbled."
Yes indeed.
Author: M. J. Pearson
Published: 2005 by Seventh Window Publications
Genre: Harlequin gone gay *heart*
Pages: 208
I admit, I bought this one because of the cover. Look at it. What does he have shoved down his pants, a watermelon?
Well, another reason was because it sounded like a good read. this was bought late last year, alongside the Back Passage, but I didn't get to reading it until now, thinking that I needed something less depressing after the Well of Loneliness. This book was obviously a good choice for that purpose!
The earl, the lover, and the secretary. Stephen, Julian and Jamie. A triangle of lust, jealousy and love. The stuff that romance novels are made of, with the exception to usual Harlequin romances being, of course, that all three are men. Stephen is practically being robbed by his kept lover, Julian, but he doesn't want to be alone. Along comes Jamie, who ends up becoming Stephen's personal secretary after some unfortunate circumstances. All would be well, if the earl wouldn't notice what a nice ass the younger man has. And the petty lover, not wanting to lose his source of money, is not happy about the fact that the earl would rather stay home to gaze at that ass than go out to spend money. Something must be done!
The writing is good and fast-paced, with a hint of humour in it. The setting is London of the beginning of 1800's. For once I didn't know it was set in London; that was just a pleasant surprise. Homosexuality is very much frowned upon, but the rich do as the rich will, as long as they're not too vocal about it outside the bedroom.
""If the landscape you encounter is convex, suck it." Stephen latched his mouth briefly onto Jamie's neck in demostration, then moved his lips upward and suckled an earlobe. "I'm sure if you think hard, you can imagine other examples." Jamie shivered. "If it's concave," Stephen whispered, "probe it--" His tongue slid into Jamie's ear, and the young man shuddered again. "--using the instrument that fits best. Flat surfaces can be licked - actually, licking is always appropriate, as are nibbling, stroking, and rubbing - but those are the basic rules. Remember to start gently, and end vigorously, and satisfaction is guaranteed."
"Very helpful," Jamie mumbled."
Yes indeed.
lauantai 11. huhtikuuta 2009
The Well of Loneliness
Title: The Well of Loneliness
Author: Radclyffe Hall
Published: Originally 1928, this edition in 2005 by Virago Modern Classics
Genre: Lesbian fiction
Pages: 447
Oh. There is so much material here, from how much the world and its views have and have not changed in less than a century to the effect the book has had and all that jazz, that I wouldn't know what to write. So I'll just stick to my own opinion, since, after all, this is just a little book blog and not a literary essay. Although I'd love to dig in deeper with this one, and probably will do so.
Anyhoo, the book and what I thought about it. I was a bit suspicious about it, what with not having enough patience most of the time to read 'classics'. Since the book was written in the 1920's, I was expecting a long-winded serious book (I know that my prejudice on classics is silly; I'm working on it). To my pleasant surprise that was not what I found. Hell, this book made me stay up long into the night, reading just one more passage before turning off the light.
The story of the book's heroine, Stephen Gordon, is written beautifully and thought-provokingly, which, if I recall, was Hall's intention: to draw attention to how lesbians and gay men were treated in those days, how they lived their lives. There's drama, there's pain, misery, grief, but also joy and love and the overall implication that, to borrow Erasure:
Old is love, any love is fine. Let it shine, let it flow, let it flow through me.
Hall, a lesbian herself, did not (rightly) believe that her feelings, or those of Stephen and her like, could be wrong or against their god's will. Most of the world just wasn't ready to admit that as well. Thankfully, times and attitudes have changed, partly because of this book. But Stephen, her thoughts and feelings are still valid these days. And even if there was the occasional urge to slap her for doing -or not doing- something that today feels utterly silly, this book went up to my Top 10 favourite books since page 30 or so, and Stephen (even though women with men's names are probably my pet peeve) became one of my favourite characters. It's probably because I recognized my own thought and emotions in her; it's been a while since I've so identified with a character from a book. I just wish I had a crumb of her courage.
"'God,' she gasped, 'we believe; we have told You we believe... We have not denied You, then rise up and defend us. Acknowledge us, oh God, before the whole world. Give us also the right to our existence!'"
Author: Radclyffe Hall
Published: Originally 1928, this edition in 2005 by Virago Modern Classics
Genre: Lesbian fiction
Pages: 447
Oh. There is so much material here, from how much the world and its views have and have not changed in less than a century to the effect the book has had and all that jazz, that I wouldn't know what to write. So I'll just stick to my own opinion, since, after all, this is just a little book blog and not a literary essay. Although I'd love to dig in deeper with this one, and probably will do so.
Anyhoo, the book and what I thought about it. I was a bit suspicious about it, what with not having enough patience most of the time to read 'classics'. Since the book was written in the 1920's, I was expecting a long-winded serious book (I know that my prejudice on classics is silly; I'm working on it). To my pleasant surprise that was not what I found. Hell, this book made me stay up long into the night, reading just one more passage before turning off the light.
The story of the book's heroine, Stephen Gordon, is written beautifully and thought-provokingly, which, if I recall, was Hall's intention: to draw attention to how lesbians and gay men were treated in those days, how they lived their lives. There's drama, there's pain, misery, grief, but also joy and love and the overall implication that, to borrow Erasure:
Old is love, any love is fine. Let it shine, let it flow, let it flow through me.
Hall, a lesbian herself, did not (rightly) believe that her feelings, or those of Stephen and her like, could be wrong or against their god's will. Most of the world just wasn't ready to admit that as well. Thankfully, times and attitudes have changed, partly because of this book. But Stephen, her thoughts and feelings are still valid these days. And even if there was the occasional urge to slap her for doing -or not doing- something that today feels utterly silly, this book went up to my Top 10 favourite books since page 30 or so, and Stephen (even though women with men's names are probably my pet peeve) became one of my favourite characters. It's probably because I recognized my own thought and emotions in her; it's been a while since I've so identified with a character from a book. I just wish I had a crumb of her courage.
"'God,' she gasped, 'we believe; we have told You we believe... We have not denied You, then rise up and defend us. Acknowledge us, oh God, before the whole world. Give us also the right to our existence!'"
perjantai 27. maaliskuuta 2009
ElfQuest
Title: ElfQuest
Creators: Wendy and Richard Pini
Published: 1978 ==>
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: ...YOU count them.
A couple of weeks ago I got the urge to read ElfQuest again. I first came across it sometime around 1993, and it's the one series I have the most comics collected from (yes, even counting mangas). ElfQuest is where I learned to draw from, and it also taught me several lessons about life. It was the biggest thing to hit me since Lord of the Rings. In other words, I adore this series.
Or, at least, the original stories.
This time I read everything from Fire and Flight to Kings of the Broken Wheel, and even though I dug up the rest of my collection, I've no urge to read the 'other stuff'. These are the original and the best stories. Wendy's art is gorgeous, she has some mad skills with figures, and the characters are real, loveable, hateable, and very good company. The writing is sometimes a bit... too... well... emotional? Dramatic? But it goes up to an annoying level only a few times. Art and story live in harmony quite like the elves, until humans or Rayek or Winnowill get up to no good.
Good news is that you can read ALL of ElfQuest on their official pages: http://www.elfquest.com/gallery/OnlineComics3.html
I recommend reading at least the Original Quest, Siege at Blue Mountain and Kings of the Broken Wheel, which are what I read here. I recommend NOT reading Kings Cross from the category The Rest. My reaction to that, while reading and immediately afterwards, was What the FUCK did I just read?!
I'm not saying everything else is rubbish or anything like that. Except Kings Cross. There are some great stories after the originals. Personally I just prefer the ones made by the Pinis over everything else. Artwise and storywise. No one can draw the ElfQuest elves like Wendy. If I ever find someone who comes even close, I'll let you know.
"Shade and sweet water!"
Creators: Wendy and Richard Pini
Published: 1978 ==>
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: ...YOU count them.
A couple of weeks ago I got the urge to read ElfQuest again. I first came across it sometime around 1993, and it's the one series I have the most comics collected from (yes, even counting mangas). ElfQuest is where I learned to draw from, and it also taught me several lessons about life. It was the biggest thing to hit me since Lord of the Rings. In other words, I adore this series.
Or, at least, the original stories.
This time I read everything from Fire and Flight to Kings of the Broken Wheel, and even though I dug up the rest of my collection, I've no urge to read the 'other stuff'. These are the original and the best stories. Wendy's art is gorgeous, she has some mad skills with figures, and the characters are real, loveable, hateable, and very good company. The writing is sometimes a bit... too... well... emotional? Dramatic? But it goes up to an annoying level only a few times. Art and story live in harmony quite like the elves, until humans or Rayek or Winnowill get up to no good.
Good news is that you can read ALL of ElfQuest on their official pages: http://www.elfquest.com/gallery/OnlineComics3.html
I recommend reading at least the Original Quest, Siege at Blue Mountain and Kings of the Broken Wheel, which are what I read here. I recommend NOT reading Kings Cross from the category The Rest. My reaction to that, while reading and immediately afterwards, was What the FUCK did I just read?!
I'm not saying everything else is rubbish or anything like that. Except Kings Cross. There are some great stories after the originals. Personally I just prefer the ones made by the Pinis over everything else. Artwise and storywise. No one can draw the ElfQuest elves like Wendy. If I ever find someone who comes even close, I'll let you know.
"Shade and sweet water!"
lauantai 28. helmikuuta 2009
Watchmen
Title: Watchmen
Writer: Alan Moore
Artist: Dave Gibbons
Published: 1986 and 1987 in 12 issues by DC Comics
Genre: Superheroes!
Pages: 12 x ~30 pages
This is superhero comics at their best.
If you haven't heard of Watchmen lately, you've probably been living under a rock. Called a "landmark", "peerless", "remarkable", "brilliant", "groundbreaking", "masterwork" and "greatest piece of popular fiction ever produced" (and that's just the back cover of the compilation), this bible to the comic -or maybe graphic novel is a better term here- loving people is coming out as a blockbusting movie next week.
Watchmen has been praised by better writers over the years, so I'll just borrow a few words from the back cover again: "This is the book that changed an industry and challenged a medium. If you've never read a graphic novel, start with WATCHMEN. And even if you have, it's time to read it again."
I decided to read Watchmen before the opening night. Having already read it in my early twenties, I could remember most of the major twists. Knowing how it's going to end didn't make reading any easier. Despite running around in somewhat silly costumes, the reader can still relate to (most of) the cast. They're just people who are living their lives and trying to make the best of them. I can only marvel at Moore's writing, his characters and the inevitable conclusion, hinted at but not made clear until the heroes themselves figure it out.
Already a phenomenon, the movie will no doubt get more people to read the comic itself. It's a horrifying but strangely optimistic fantasy story which could well be real, and so deep that the reader better bring a life vest. Layered like a cake -or maybe onion- it's one of those books you can read again and again. Alan Moore tells the best bedtime stories.
"Somebody has to do it, don't you see? Somebody has to save the world..."
Writer: Alan Moore
Artist: Dave Gibbons
Published: 1986 and 1987 in 12 issues by DC Comics
Genre: Superheroes!
Pages: 12 x ~30 pages
This is superhero comics at their best.
If you haven't heard of Watchmen lately, you've probably been living under a rock. Called a "landmark", "peerless", "remarkable", "brilliant", "groundbreaking", "masterwork" and "greatest piece of popular fiction ever produced" (and that's just the back cover of the compilation), this bible to the comic -or maybe graphic novel is a better term here- loving people is coming out as a blockbusting movie next week.
Watchmen has been praised by better writers over the years, so I'll just borrow a few words from the back cover again: "This is the book that changed an industry and challenged a medium. If you've never read a graphic novel, start with WATCHMEN. And even if you have, it's time to read it again."
I decided to read Watchmen before the opening night. Having already read it in my early twenties, I could remember most of the major twists. Knowing how it's going to end didn't make reading any easier. Despite running around in somewhat silly costumes, the reader can still relate to (most of) the cast. They're just people who are living their lives and trying to make the best of them. I can only marvel at Moore's writing, his characters and the inevitable conclusion, hinted at but not made clear until the heroes themselves figure it out.
Already a phenomenon, the movie will no doubt get more people to read the comic itself. It's a horrifying but strangely optimistic fantasy story which could well be real, and so deep that the reader better bring a life vest. Layered like a cake -or maybe onion- it's one of those books you can read again and again. Alan Moore tells the best bedtime stories.
"Somebody has to do it, don't you see? Somebody has to save the world..."
torstai 26. helmikuuta 2009
The Palace of Varieties
Title: The Palace of Varieties
Author: James Lear
Published: 2008 by Cleis Press Inc.
Genre: Gay fiction
Pages: 280
Another by James Lear (and something tells me I'm going to be purchasing more of his books if I get my grabby little hands on them), The Palace of Varieties tells the story of Paul Lemoyne, who moves into London on his 18th birthday in 1934. Paul shares with us a few years of his young life, and many of the arses and cocks he meets along the way.
After reading the description for this book I was reminded of Sarah Waters' Tipping the Velvet, which tells a similar story (only with Victorian women, and a whole lot less sex (which I want to re-read now...)), but Lear -or Paul- certainly spends far more time describing all the sex, more than the feelings of the cast. Money is easily had when one is willing to stretch a little (pun intended) and more easily lost.
Now, that is in no way to imply that I did not enjoy the book. Far from it! Paul's story was a fun, sexy read, and very educational even when there was fairly little mention of the period it portrayed. The ending seemed a little abrupt, but was also left open for a possible sequel.
What I learned from this book? For instance, don't use oil paints as lubrication. Not so slippery, and certainly messy.
Author: James Lear
Published: 2008 by Cleis Press Inc.
Genre: Gay fiction
Pages: 280
Another by James Lear (and something tells me I'm going to be purchasing more of his books if I get my grabby little hands on them), The Palace of Varieties tells the story of Paul Lemoyne, who moves into London on his 18th birthday in 1934. Paul shares with us a few years of his young life, and many of the arses and cocks he meets along the way.
After reading the description for this book I was reminded of Sarah Waters' Tipping the Velvet, which tells a similar story (only with Victorian women, and a whole lot less sex (which I want to re-read now...)), but Lear -or Paul- certainly spends far more time describing all the sex, more than the feelings of the cast. Money is easily had when one is willing to stretch a little (pun intended) and more easily lost.
Now, that is in no way to imply that I did not enjoy the book. Far from it! Paul's story was a fun, sexy read, and very educational even when there was fairly little mention of the period it portrayed. The ending seemed a little abrupt, but was also left open for a possible sequel.
“I grabbed Lee’s cock, which was half hard, and tugged him a few times until he could not help but get an erection. ‘Now I want you to fuck me,’ I said, my voice as merciless as Boleslavsky’s. That party, by the way, had sat down on the bench and was happily wanking while he watched the cruel drama unfold.
“’Yes, sir.’”
What I learned from this book? For instance, don't use oil paints as lubrication. Not so slippery, and certainly messy.
keskiviikko 18. helmikuuta 2009
Luumukanaa
Nimi: Luumukanaa
Tekijä: Marjane Satrapi
Alkuperäisteos: Poulet aux prunes
Julkaistu: 2008, LIKE
Genre: Elämänkertaa
Naser Ali on päättänyt kuolla. Hän menetti elämänsä rakkauden nuorena, ja nyt on poissa myös tätä kaipausta huojentanut soitin ja sen mukana soittamisen ilo.
Marjane Satrapi kertoo tällä kertaa äitinsä sedän tarinaa viikon ajalta ennen tämän kuolemaa. Häneltä on aiemmin suomennettu omaelämänkerrallinen Persepolis (josta on tehty piirretty elokuvakin, pitäisi katsoa!), ja Luumukanaa on yhtä suorasanainen ja peittelemätön. Tarina kulkee Naser Alin kuolinviikon lisäksi menneessä, tulevaisuudessa ja kuvitelmissa, ja Satrapin mustavalkoinen, pelkistetty mutta selvästi omalaatuinen kädenjälki kuvaa tragikoomisesti (hieno sana, tragikoominen) tavallisten iranilaisten elämää, joka helposti jää historiallisesti tärkeämpien tapahtumien jalkoihin.
"Koska yksikään tar ei voinut tuottaa hänelle enää soittamisen iloa, Naser Ali Khan päätti kuolla. Hän kävi makaamaan vuoteeseensa... viikkoa myöhemmin, marraskuun 22. päivänä 1958, hänet haudattiin äitinsä viereen Shemiranissa sijaitsevalle Zahir ad-daulan hautausmaalle. Kaikki, jotka olivat tunteneet hänet, tulivat saattamaan hänet matkaan."
Tekijä: Marjane Satrapi
Alkuperäisteos: Poulet aux prunes
Julkaistu: 2008, LIKE
Genre: Elämänkertaa
Naser Ali on päättänyt kuolla. Hän menetti elämänsä rakkauden nuorena, ja nyt on poissa myös tätä kaipausta huojentanut soitin ja sen mukana soittamisen ilo.
Marjane Satrapi kertoo tällä kertaa äitinsä sedän tarinaa viikon ajalta ennen tämän kuolemaa. Häneltä on aiemmin suomennettu omaelämänkerrallinen Persepolis (josta on tehty piirretty elokuvakin, pitäisi katsoa!), ja Luumukanaa on yhtä suorasanainen ja peittelemätön. Tarina kulkee Naser Alin kuolinviikon lisäksi menneessä, tulevaisuudessa ja kuvitelmissa, ja Satrapin mustavalkoinen, pelkistetty mutta selvästi omalaatuinen kädenjälki kuvaa tragikoomisesti (hieno sana, tragikoominen) tavallisten iranilaisten elämää, joka helposti jää historiallisesti tärkeämpien tapahtumien jalkoihin.
"Koska yksikään tar ei voinut tuottaa hänelle enää soittamisen iloa, Naser Ali Khan päätti kuolla. Hän kävi makaamaan vuoteeseensa... viikkoa myöhemmin, marraskuun 22. päivänä 1958, hänet haudattiin äitinsä viereen Shemiranissa sijaitsevalle Zahir ad-daulan hautausmaalle. Kaikki, jotka olivat tunteneet hänet, tulivat saattamaan hänet matkaan."
My bookshelf
Let me show you it.
I actually have a three-part bookshelf thing some seven feet wide, which I inherited from my granny, a lover of books, but currently that's being used by other people (except for three shelves full of my books) and this is all I have to shove my preciouses into.
On top are most of my action figures, then it's comic shelf #1. There are more comics behind those visible. Then it's paperback shelf, with another row of paperbacks behind these. And last, comic shelf #2. Again, more comics behind the visible ones. On the right, half visible, a pile of my brother's comics. And on the left it's two piles of mangas and paperbacks that just wouldn't fit. The paperbacks in the front pile are my Read next -pile...
I actually have a three-part bookshelf thing some seven feet wide, which I inherited from my granny, a lover of books, but currently that's being used by other people (except for three shelves full of my books) and this is all I have to shove my preciouses into.
On top are most of my action figures, then it's comic shelf #1. There are more comics behind those visible. Then it's paperback shelf, with another row of paperbacks behind these. And last, comic shelf #2. Again, more comics behind the visible ones. On the right, half visible, a pile of my brother's comics. And on the left it's two piles of mangas and paperbacks that just wouldn't fit. The paperbacks in the front pile are my Read next -pile...
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