I've decided that the accumulation of reviews of on-line serializations I've done for Mastodon now constitutes a sufficient body of work that it deserves its own web site. Also, posterity, just in case....
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I won’t lie: I rolled my eyes at the cover, but this is actually one of the better ones in the series (which is nice since we’re so deep in it at this point). The premise is that the daughter of a ride designer and her best friend get to go on a tour of a new ride that focuses on the Shock Street horror movies.
And it goes horribly wrong (as you could guess).
There was a clever misdirect in the beginning where the daughter asks if they should take her mother on the ride as well and the dad says something like “excuse me, young lady?” Like she did something wrong.
“The mom must be dead,” I thought. Then everything after that was based around that until the best friend keeps harping on the fact that all these monsters must be robots because the girl’s dad is so great at making them. Then the friend pulled the girl out of a mud pit with strong arms and I thought “he’s a robot!”
“A robot that was made to be the girl’s best friend after her mom died!”
But I was wrong. Well. Partially wrong. Both kids were robots. The reason it was suspicious when she asked about her mom is that she didn’t have a mother.
I’ll admit it: I was fooled.
When you sit back and think about it, it IS weird that the trial run of the ride to see if it’s the right level of scary was done with two robot kids because… they’re robots. What real data are they going to give? Also, don’t robots famously not have emotions?
I also wonder why the robots were allowed to live lives that were at LEAST normal enough that they went to movie theaters and watched movies. Or were the memories false the whole time?
I
have ques tions.
Still. A good one for sure.
#books #bookrecommendation #booktok #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #booksky #readersofpixelfed #read #readinglog #rlstine #rlstinegoosebumps #rlstinebooks #goosebumps #goosebumpsbook #goosebumpsbooks #horror #horrorbook #1990s
And it goes horribly wrong (as you could guess).
There was a clever misdirect in the beginning where the daughter asks if they should take her mother on the ride as well and the dad says something like “excuse me, young lady?” Like she did something wrong.
“The mom must be dead,” I thought. Then everything after that was based around that until the best friend keeps harping on the fact that all these monsters must be robots because the girl’s dad is so great at making them. Then the friend pulled the girl out of a mud pit with strong arms and I thought “he’s a robot!”
“A robot that was made to be the girl’s best friend after her mom died!”
But I was wrong. Well. Partially wrong. Both kids were robots. The reason it was suspicious when she asked about her mom is that she didn’t have a mother.
I’ll admit it: I was fooled.
When you sit back and think about it, it IS weird that the trial run of the ride to see if it’s the right level of scary was done with two robot kids because… they’re robots. What real data are they going to give? Also, don’t robots famously not have emotions?
I also wonder why the robots were allowed to live lives that were at LEAST normal enough that they went to movie theaters and watched movies. Or were the memories false the whole time?
I
have ques tions. Still. A good one for sure.
#books #bookrecommendation #booktok #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #booksky #readersofpixelfed #read #readinglog #rlstine #rlstinegoosebumps #rlstinebooks #goosebumps #goosebumpsbook #goosebumpsbooks #horror #horrorbook #1990s
Just finished Neuromancer, my first time reading William Gibson. Difficult but worth it. Wow. Amazing and prophetic, so many things written in 1984 that have become relatable today. The world he creates is so massive and complex. Curious about the sequels, but I think I'll read something lighter in the interim.
Continued thread
Just completed the Broken Earth Trilogy by NK Jemisen. Pretty solid, but there are works I just like emotionally better. But maybe this one will stick in my brain. Time will tell.
Next up, a bunch of Yu Yu Hakusho volumes, 6-9. Loved the anime, this is just to see what is different. I do like the manga though.
@bookstodon @sffbipoc #ReadingLog #Reading #bookstodon #manga #books #book #sff #speculativefiction #fantasy
Continued thread
Completed:
1) Things out of place by Adesire Tamilore is such a beautiful yet haunting short story exploring being stuck when you have depression. How the world moves around you yet you are left behind in your own, dreary bubble. It really hit me hard.
Link to free short story - https://omenana.com/2023/11/01/things-out-of-place-adesire-tamilore/
#ReadingLog #Reading #bookstodon #manga #books #book #sff #speculativefiction #fantasy #depression #shortstory @sffbipoc
omenana.com · Things out of Place | Adesire Tamilore - omenana.comOmenana Speculative fiction magazine is a tri-monthly magazine that is open to submission from speculative fiction writers from across Africa and the African Diaspora.
Continued thread
Completed:
1) Yu Yu Hakusho v2-5 - Yup, just reading the classics. This is a classic shonen manga about a spirit detective. Its intersting to see Togashi's evolution as a mangaka. From cute and silly but still heartwarming to dark battle manga. We're still in the early stages but its an entertaining to read even if rough around the edges compared to his work now.
Working On:
1) The Stone Sky by NJ Jemisin - Almost done! I'm curious to see how this wraps up.
Continued thread
Completed
1) Honeys by Ryan la Sala - A young adult horror book involving bees and a rich people summer camp. I kind of have no idea what I've just finished. 
2) Obelisk Gate by NK Jemisin - sequel to the fifth season. Pretty solid, things happened and some people grew up.
3) Yu Yu Hakusho v1 - classic shonen manga by Togashi. Its about a delinquent named Yusuke Urameshi and his life as a spirit detective. I've watched the anime so I have a general idea of what to expect but wanted to read this for myself to see the differences. The first volume
Working On:
1) The Feral City by Jeremiah Moss - nonfiction/memoir about NYC during lockdown and after. I'm sort of slowing down on this one. I feel like I'm getting the same idea told in a slightly different way in a loop.
4) Octavia's Brood - no progress here
5) The Stone Sky by NJ Jemisin, no progress yet but it would be wild to finish this one within the week too!
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Completed
1) Tomie - an iconic horror manga by Junji Ito. It really plays around with the ideas of lust, jealously, obsession...
2) The Fifth Season by NK Jemisen - The start of a science fantasy trilogy that's won a bunch of awards and a lot of other folk have read already. I did not like the main characters, but the world and plot are incredibly intriguing and I'm about 1/3 of the way into the sequel.
Working On:
1) The Feral City by Jeremiah Moss - nonfiction/memoir about NYC during lockdown and after. Reflecting on the exodus of the rich and the takeback of the poor. Its a lovely audiobook.
2) Honeys by Ryan la Sala - A young adult horror book involving bees and a rich people summer camp. I like la Sala's other work, love the atmosphere, the exploration of gender fluidity, I just hope the story is going somewhere. Honestly I would probably be bored if I was reading as opposed to listening to the audiobook.
3) Obelisk Gate by NK Jemisen - sequel to the fifth season. About a third of the way in. Consistent quality wise. I'm glad the MC got yelled at by someone.
4) Octavia's Brood - no progress here
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Completed.
1) Fantasy&ScienceFiction Nov/Dec 2023 - Honestly a pretty solid issue, if I named the ones I liked it would basically be 2/3 of the issue.
2) Whatever Gets You Through: Twelve Survivors on Life After Sexual Assault - From around 2017 yet still quite relevant. Accessible yet powerful reads. I recommend it, but also taking care while reading this one.
3) Gyo - A horror manga by Junji Ito. One of the big three he's made (about 400 pages). I haven't seen a lot of talk about this one. Its generally 'go read Tomie and Uzumaki'. I can see why. Gyo is so strange, even compared to those two. That said I really enjoyed it. It bounces between campy and incredible body horror. Its hard to recommend unless you are familiar with the artist and can handle his work, then give this a shot.
Working On:
1) Tomie - Another horror manga by Junji Ito and one of the 3 tomes. This one explores the horrors of lust and I feel would appeal to feminists if you can stomach the surreal and visceral horror. Not done, but this one makes me think alot about misogynistic trends in society, its really interesting.
2) Octavia's Brood: Science Fiction Stories from Social Justice Movements - A short story collection from diverse writers writing about possible futures and exploring social justice topics. Only a little way in and I like the stories more than no so far. They also seem incredibly short (a few pages) so this may appeal/turn off. I like short stories so I'm ok with it.