Eric Titus

Tedious

Revisado: 01-02-25

The world is a sorta alien, surreal and dark universe. The character transforms. But the undercurrent of family drama is superficial, tedious, and detrimental to the story. For such a short story, it drags badly.

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Occult page-turner

Revisado: 12-08-24

This is the book equivalent of a fun TV show episode about monsters. It feels very much like a pilot of a show that I want more of. Easy listening.

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Masterful but too realistic

Revisado: 06-12-22

Ursula K. Le Guin writes pristine prose. And she knows a lot about human interactions. In many ways, this book is about how we can find a way to live in unjust circumstances. But it's also a little too realistic: there is no resolution and no refuge from injustice. The ending, for that reason, felt really flat. I don't regret listening to this, but I don't know if I can recommend it.

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Meh

Revisado: 06-01-22

This is less horror and more drama with a horrific premise. I didn't really like many of the characters, so the story felt full of mundane reflections about family. The first couple chapters and the last couple were good. But the author pulled a lot of punches and didn't to much into the grotesque. It's a rated R premise that felt very PG-13. Too long for what it was and not worth it for me.

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Boring

Revisado: 05-09-22

I have no idea how werewolves can be made boring, but they are here. The narrative is meandering and disjointed. And the themes and the plot have no particular resolution or direction. If you're OK with just tagging along with an author with no expectations for plot or insight, I guess this would be OK. But I want a story with a beginning, middle, and end, or some profound insight to offer. I found neither so was disappointed.

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Disappointing

Revisado: 04-08-22

I love that SGJ talks about life on a reservation, and he pulls from experiences of being poor and facing systemic issues (without you realizing that's what's going on). I love that he draws from common lore or ways of thinking from this region of the world. It honestly made the story feel like home. But that's the thing that undid it too. It felt too much like the depression and hopelessness of home. I was hoping the supernatural elements would go somewhere, but they're framed in ways that make it seem like the main character was unreliable. I'm not a big fan of literary fiction that portrays life realistically and upsettingly. But that's what this does. Solid writing, but not a world I want to spend my free time in.

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Not much happens but a lot is remembered

Revisado: 04-06-22

This book moves slowly, which I usually dislike. But something about the characters keeps you enthralled. You find yourself in a world surrounded by undesirables, but ones that have their appeal. And you find yourself dissecting interactions between people for clues about their past. This isn't a scary story, or even really a gruesome one. Rather it's a story where the dark elements of personalities are hidden in plain sight and where desperation burns hotly but quietly. This book is a ghost fire, a white flame barely visible packing enough heat to melt whatever it touches.

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Boring

Revisado: 03-24-22

The story centers on Dorothy and her romance with a frog man. Problem is, Dorothy is so incredibly dull that the plot and pace feel like walking in sand. Part of that is the misogynistic situation of the 1950s, but even so, good feminist literature usually has smart or insightful things to say. This doesn't. Or literature set in the 1950s or a similar era could comment on race and integration and politics. This barely does. So what you're left with is (admittedly smooth) prose about next to nothing. The best parts of the book are the first and last chapter, but everything else drags badly. I definitely don't recommend this.

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Unhinged and disturbing

Revisado: 03-16-22

What makes this so hard to stomach is that it starts out so sweet. It's a friendship and a love story. And then it turns nightmarish. The prose is excellent. But what makes this a standout is Laurie Catherine Winkle's performance. She subtly distinguishes the characters, a low and slow rasp for one, a higher, bubbly effervescence for the other. It's perfect for this story. I don't think I liked this story because it's so upsetting, but I can definitely say it's well done and neither shorter nor longer than it needed to be.

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Monsters, body horror, and nihilism

Revisado: 03-14-22

I don't get the hate. This is great horror. It has a plot full of disturbing imagery and body horror. It's like Lovecraft wrote a Clive Barker adventure story. I will say the number of characters can get overwhelming at times, especially in the beginning. But just keep with it. The three mercenaries are the stars. And all the loose ends get tied up. I also think there's something profound in the ending, but I won't spoil it here. This is definitely worth a listen if you're into existential and disturbing horror with an action movie's pace.

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