Category: Genre

Class, Novels, Post Apocalyptic, Sci Fi, Social Issues

Firewalkers by Adrian Tchaikovsky – A Review

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Firewalkers by Adrian Tchaikovsky – A Review

Firewalkers, by Adrian Tchaikovsky, is a brutal meditation on class division and climate change.

The mega rich are escaping a barren, parched Earth into opulent space liners with every amenity. The novel is centred on a liner named the Grand Celeste. The wealthy – or sonko – wait their turn to ascend in antebellum hotels. These are staffed by middle class workers who delusionally hope for their spot in heaven. And working class people living in crammed townships, like Ankara.

Firewalkers are working people who maintain the infrastructure of the luxury space ports.

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Loss and Grief, Novels, Post Apocalyptic, Sci Fi

Tabitha by Andrew Hall – A Review

by Helen1 Comment on Tabitha by Andrew Hall – A Review
Tabitha by Andrew Hall – A Review

Tabitha, by Andrew Hall, is a post apocalyptic novel published in 2014. It focuses on a woman in a small Welsh seaside town and how she copes with the end of the world. Part cosy catastrophe, part (heartbreaking) alien invasion, this debut novel explores themes of love, loss, grief and self realisation. It was a pick in my book club, and the author attended our discussion.

Synopsis

Nothing could prepare Tabitha Jones for the dead infested world she woke up to. Robbed of her loved ones and altered by the venom of an alien species, she’s forced to leave her old life behind and survive the ruins of Earth.

Haunted with grief and pursued relentlessly by monstrous swarms and desperate survivors, Tabitha must face her own changing nature and ever-evolving abilities as she searches for the remnants of civilisation. 

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Comedy, LGBTQ, Non-Fiction

Can Everyone Please Calm Down by Mae Martin – A Review

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Can Everyone Please Calm Down by Mae Martin – A Review

Can Everyone Please Calm Down by Mae Martin is a comedy book about sexuality in the 21st century.

“Comedian Mae Martin investigates in this hilarious and intelligent guide to 21st century sexuality. Covering everything from the pros and cons of labels, to coming out and the joys of sexual fluidity, Mae ponders all the stuff we get hung up about – and then a bit more.

Mae’s mission is to ensure that in a world that’s full of things to worry about, who we choose to kiss should not be one of them. And when it comes to sexuality, they ask:

CAN EVERYONE PLEASE CALM DOWN?”

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Addiction, Detective, Environment, Feminist, LGBTQ, Loss and Grief, Memory, Sci Fi, Social Issues

A Murder at the End of the World – A Review (Spoilers)

by HelenLeave a Comment on A Murder at the End of the World – A Review (Spoilers)
A Murder at the End of the World – A Review (Spoilers)

A Murder at the End of the World is a mini series by Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij, who created cult fan favourite The OA. It stars Emma Corrin and Harris Dickinson, with a stellar supporting cast, including Brit Marling herself, Clive Owen, Joan Chen, Raúl Esparza, Alice Braga, Pegah Ferydoni, Jermaine Fowler, Ryan J. Haddad and Edoardo Ballerini. UK viewers can watch it on Disney Plus.

This review is going to be spoiler heavy, so I’m going to put most of it behind a cut. I don’t usually review TV shows, but this mini series profoundly affected me and I feel like I need to write about it.

https://youtu.be/AnPl4PuNb5U?si=xll7VMHeJmMnHaTf

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Banned Books, LGBTQ, Non-Fiction, Social Issues

Here and Queer by Rowan Ellis – A Review

by HelenLeave a Comment on Here and Queer by Rowan Ellis – A Review
Here and Queer by Rowan Ellis – A Review

Here and Queer, by Rowan Ellis, is described as the guide that the author wishes she’d had as a girl. This guide book for queer girls is a sweet, neutral, educational resource for LGBTQ girls, with cute illustrations by Jacky Sheridan. I think this book would be helpful for parents of LGBTQ kids as well.

Many of the reviews by adults note that they wish this had existed when they were children.

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Addiction, Class, Interactive Fiction, LGBTQ, Life, Loss and Grief, Memory, Social Issues, Unreliable Narrator

Tell Me Why, by DontNod Entertainment – A Review

by HelenLeave a Comment on Tell Me Why, by DontNod Entertainment – A Review
Tell Me Why, by DontNod Entertainment – A Review

Tell Me Why is a narrative game by DontNod Entertainment, following a pair of twins, Tyler and Alyson, with the ability to communicate with each other through telepathy, who reunite after ten years in their hometown in rural Alaska and investigate the death of their mother.

This spooky, fairytale style mystery explores themes of love, loss, memory and acceptance, in a bleak yet beautiful setting.

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Novels, Philip K Dick, Sci Fi

Martian Time Slip by Philip K Dick – A Review

by HelenLeave a Comment on Martian Time Slip by Philip K Dick – A Review
Martian Time Slip by Philip K Dick – A Review

Welcome to Mars, where repairman Jack Bohlen has set up home with his family, fleeing schizophrenic hallucinations on Earth. Union man Arnie Kott controls the water on the planet, and is always looking for the next grift. His latest scheme is to exploit Manfred Steiner, an autistic boy he thinks can predict the future.

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Agatha Christie, Class, Detective, Loss and Grief, Memory, Novels, Romance

The Hollow by Agatha Christie – A Review

by HelenLeave a Comment on The Hollow by Agatha Christie – A Review
The Hollow by Agatha Christie – A Review

The Hollow by Agatha Christie, published in 1946, explores a dangerous love triangle in this wonderful country house mystery. The great Belgian detective Poirot is holidaying at a nearby cottage. He is invited to join the Angkatell family for lunch, with their guests the Christows.

Synopsis

Lucy Angkatell invited Hercule Poirot to lunch. To tease the great detective, her guests stage a mock murder beside the swimming pool. Unfortunately, the victim plays the scene for real. As his blood drips into the water, John Christow gasps one final word: ‘Henrietta’. In the confusion, a gun sinks to the bottom of the pool.

Poirot’s enquiries reveal a complex web of romantic attachments. It seems everyone in the drama is a suspect – and each a victim of love.

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Class, Feminist, LGBTQ, Life, Non-Fiction, On Reading

Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me – Review

by Helen4 Comments on Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me – Review
Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me – Review

I’m sure most people have heard of Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me by Kate Clanchy, and the controversy about it. I thought of reviewing the book at the time (which I borrowed via my local Borrowbox library app). However I rarely write negative reviews. And from the language I read she had used, I was fairly sure a review would have to be negative.

I was correct.

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Addiction, Detective, Life, Loss and Grief, Memory, Novels, Ottessa Moshfegh, Unreliable Narrator

Death in Her Hands by Ottessa Mosfegh – Review

by Helen1 Comment on Death in Her Hands by Ottessa Mosfegh – Review
Death in Her Hands by Ottessa Mosfegh – Review

One day, an 72 year old widow named Vesta Gul is taking her daily walk in the forest with her dog, Charlie. And comes across a chilling note, weighed down with smooth black stones. It says “Her name was Magda. Nobody will ever know who killed her. It wasn’t me. Here is her dead body”.

This leads to an investigation, a meditation on life and death, and the realisation that her marriage was not what it seemed.

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