theeclectus

mind full of mud pockets full of rocks

[theeclectus]

Omens of Chaos: A Review

I have a historically rocky relationship with tie-in novels; the last experience I had was with "The Crystal Shard" (a Dungeons and Dragons tie in novel) and it was not the most pleasant experience to say the least. Many tie-in novels are cookie-cutter stories that weakly use their source material. I am happy to say that 'Strixhaven: Omens of Chaos' does not fall into such a pit, and succeeds to tell its own story while balancing respect for the source material.

This story is about Eula Blue and her friends as they travel across the multiverse to attend Strixhaven University after each was personally affected by the Phyrexian Invasion. Said invasion was a major event in the Magic the Gathering lore several years back, and while many people may not be aware of it going in, the story tells you what you need to know while respecting those who already are aware of it by not spending too much time dwelling on it. Honestly, that is how this book covers a lot of the MtG lore. It mentions many characters by name that may perk the ears of seasoned players, while those who have never played can still gather said character's importance from the context clues.

The main five characters are a fun bunch. I think Eula does a wonderful job as a protagonist; she is witty, clever, and a good audience surrogate. The other characters are pretty good, but some of them have a few pitfalls that were hard to ignore. Segante is your typical moody character whose dialogue is pretty forced early on in the novel, but honestly he grew on me throughout the book. Alandra (daughter of Taldrand) started as an interesting mage with anxiety, however sort of got reduced to a damsel near the end. The other two characters Kequia and Jamira are fine, but not the most memorable. Still, all five do have their own roles to play.

The plot itself is actually rather neat as well. I will not spoil anything, but the several plot twists are handled quite well. The school setting is woven well into the story and the role that it plays in the growth is a great addition. The only complaint that I have is that it seems like there is so much more they can do with Strixhaven; I do hope that they go back for a "year 2" novel.

Overall, I had a really good time reading the book! While it did suffer from some "YA-isms" in terms of character an writing choices, the novel told a strong story and took full advantage of the source material while not using it as a crutch. Each character contributes to the narrative well and despite a few instances where a character becomes too "tropey". I do hope a sequel is released!

[theeclectus]

The Last Hitman: A Review

A huge shoutout to my grandfather for recommending this book to me. I spent the past 2 weeks listening to the audiobook for this novel, and the fact that it only took me 2 weeks is a glowing review of how damn good this book is. The Last Hitman delivers a thrilling story of how a scrapy boy named Angelo Cipriani became a high ranking hitman in the Fortunato crime family, and what later drove him to aid in their downfall. It is a book that was a wonderful experience to listen to, and one I plan on revisiting in the very near future.

The book follows two separate time periods: the late 1900s when Angelo first joined the family and showing how he rose in influence in the Ohio Valley and eventually became the top killer for the Fortunato family, and the present day where the current boss, Little Tommy, has all but driven him out of the family and Angelo must figure out his place in the picture. Both plots carry much intrigue and Angelo's 1st Person POV is so well written. From a very early point in the novel you get a good grasp of who Angelo is and he never feels like he acts out of character. You really root for him to make it out the other end in one piece, something that is quite rare in his profession.

The setting of the Ohio Valley feels very real, and this is coming from someone who has spent many a week working in said Ohio Valley. You understand how the crime family was able to rise to prominence, and how the loss of the steel industry caused the family to transition from brothels and gambling to drugs. You also see how the family changes from a "professional" ordeal to an organization that is lacking in "honor among thieves".

The side characters are also all memorable. From Alfonse to Big Tommy having memorable moments as heads of the family, to Carlo and the rest of the made-men having their own personalities and relationships with Angelo and each other. Such well written characters make many of their tragic ends feel like real loses that I mourned.

The Last Hitman was a masterpiece. Not a single page left me feeling dissatisfied, and the only complaint I have is that there is not more to read. This is a must-read book

[theeclectus]

tomodachi life? oh you mean crackship simulator?

[theeclectus]

i yearn for plastic fish in my handsoap

[theeclectus]

'The Dante Club' a Review

Murder Mystery is a genre that I have not touched in quite some time, but in my goal to read a more diverse range of genres this year, I picked up this novel. I have read the Devine Comedy and took a college course on it, so the premise of a murderer who's methods were inspired by Inferno was a good enough hook for me. After having read the book, I must say that despite some flaws, I rather enjoyed it.

Starting with what this book does well, it is hard to not mention how well the tone of this book conveys its narrative. 'The Dante Club' takes place during a period of great strife and recovery; directly after the American Civil War. The time period is woven through the characters and events of the book, while combining the dark academia feel of Ivy League Boston without trying too hard to achieve such a feel. Without spoiling too much, both the location and time period directly influence the arcs of many characters without feeling forced or "tacked on".

The murders themselves are described in gory detail, a detail that is necessary to show how horrific both Dante's punishments were, and how dire the situation the narrative is telling is. There are, surprisingly, very few murders in the book. However, Pearl seems to take a quality over quantity approach in this story. Still, if you are looking for "Dantean Gore Porn", I hate to inform you that this book isn't for you. One thing I would warn the reader of going in is that (avoiding direct spoilers) the identity of the killer is not really a major reveal in the story. It is not something that the author builds up, and the reader is not challenged to guess it. It is kept hidden, yes, but it isn't important. The real mystery is about why the crimes are actually happening; something that I think is a much more interesting mystery for a novel such as this to propose.

The biggest weakness of the novel is its characters. Aside from two major standouts, Dr. Holmes and Detective Rey, the cast is made up of multiple characters who are both unmemorable and poorly characterized. I frequently within the first half of the book kept forgetting which character did what, instead I just knew that they all loved Dante and had some name that usually starts with the letter 'L'. Each of them had their own mini-arcs, but they felt so...forced. It was as though Pearl wrote the novel and realized his characters needed to have a life outside of the plot after the fact. Still, with everything going on that did grab my attention, this wasn't the worst pain in the world.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was a moody murder mystery that had me reading for incredibly long stretches to find out what would happen next. The book isn't without flaw, but these flaws do little to dampen how much I enjoyed my time with this novel.

[theeclectus]

you’ll catch me dead before you catch me being any level of nonchalant

[theeclectus]

club penguin island was the perfect walkable city

[mynorthernattitude]

they should make a sleep that feels like you’ve slept

[theeclectus]

heavy is the shoulder that hoists the tote

[theeclectus]

The In-Between Bookstore: A Review

The In-Between Bookstore is a novel that, when it works, tells a compelling story about a trans-man coming back to his hometown and finding peace with crucial aspects of his being; at its worst, it is trying to force a supernatural, time-travel, plot into a narrative that suffers from its inclusion. The book is something that surprisingly felt new in a world of queer centered novels that are beginning to rely on tired tropes. However, this newness only carries a novel so far when it does not know what it wants to be.

Darby, the protagonist, is handled rather well by the author. While there are times that he, metaphorically, trips over his own feet for the sake of the plot, he feels like a real person. His struggles feel real, especially as someone who has a similar life story to him. The themes of being a queer person that grew up in the Midwest, specifically someone who grew up in a less urban area and then living in the city for many years, are handled beautifully. Learning that other people in your town can be queer without you knowing, yearning for the familiarity of home despite the comforts of the city for queer people, and struggling to find peace between these two worlds are important plot points that few books fail to touch on. I swear if I read one more "queer YA novel" set in NYC or California I am going to scream.

The secondary characters, however, are quite lacking. I could not stand the character of Michael. He is whiny and pathetic for the sake of the plot despite those around him insisting he is this "competent adult who is good at adulting". This book could have been 30 pages if he knew how to string words into sentences and use his big-boy voice. Further, his romance sub-plot does not make any sense for this book. It felt like the publisher insisted that the author write one ham-fisted sex scene. Still, the way they handled his ending and making him almost a foil to Darby was neat. It shows that not every queer person can, or wants to, find community in a big city setting.

The worst part of this book is, ironically, the bookstore plot. Yes I know, Darby talking to his younger self and trying to help him is a metaphor for him saving himself in the present. But, it was so unnecessary. The chapters in the bookstore broke up an otherwise well flowing plot, and each chapter in the bookstore felt the same. Darby goes to the store, tries to creatively talk to younger Darby, and leaves feeling unsatisfied. The author should've axed these chapters, and this who subplot, in favor of fleshing out the rest of Oak Falls.

Overall, I did enjoy the book. It has its short comings in my eyes, and as previously stated, struggles with finding a clear narrative identity. Still, I applaud it for being a book that feels unique. Other queer YA reads are a dime a dozen, but this one is not afraid to try new things. Some of them stick, some of them don't, but through it all I did enjoy my stay in Oak Falls.

[theeclectus]

“ai art is getting more realistic and beautiful”

no, it’s getting better at stealing. that’s not that impressive, i can get better at stealing too.

[theeclectus]

watching the fallout tv show just reminds me how much i hate america but love americana

[theeclectus]

i’m starting to forget Pokemon names… anyone have good retirement home suggestions?

[theeclectus]

saying “nice blinker, Dick” but not as an insult… i’m just trying to support my friend Richard’s driving

[theeclectus]

what if we switched around the UI of hinge and linkedin but had them keep their functions

[theeclectus]

The First Needle: An Ashfall Story

"So... what is it?" Jarl had been staring at the thin metal needle that was placed on the table in front of him for a solid 5 minutes. While he had to admit that the skill required to make such a delicate object was impressive, he failed to understand its greater importance. The golden needle resembled a sewing needle in design, but a stake in size. Karl, his brother, presented it to him with a sense of pride, however the following confusion presented by Jarl gave way to frustration on Karl's end. "It is one of The Nine!", Karl's voice returned his sense of pride that he carried into Jarl's study when he had first arrived "One of the nine what? Karl, this needle looks nice, but I don't see what good it can do on our end aside from being sold to a collector of such... things". Jarl gestured towards the needle. "Jarl, it is one of The Nine! One of The 9 Needles of the Archmagi! Our men found and pulled it from its resting place early this morning!", Karl grabbed the needle from the desk. Despite its thin design, the object clearly had some heft in his hand. "The legend is true! Now if we can locate the other 8..." "Karl", Jarl's voice came out as a sigh, "it is a legend for a reason. Your crew found a needle this morning. We don't know that this is one of THOSE needles. If the legend IS true there is a reason that no one has found any of the needles. If they are out there, your goons wouldn't be the ones to find them, they can barely find their fingers when they are looking at their hands! This is probably some artist's passion project or an elaborate marketing by a blacksmith or some other artisan" "Look at the damn thing!", Karl thrusted the needle, horizontally, towards the face of his brother. "an artisan wishes he could make this. No, this was made by an archimage...THE archimage of legend! Now that we found one, it is only a matter of time before word gets out, and if we don't mobilize our men, someone else will get the rest. When the needles are found, and The Chamber of the Archmagi is unlocked, do you want that to be for someone else's benefit or our own?" Jarl stood up, "nothing about this is to our benefit! When I hired you, the board was already accusing me of abandoning my values to blind nepotism. I told them to trust that our resources would be used to better the district and our men would be employed to increase our profits. Now here you are wasting time and money on fairytales! We are done with this stupid needle. Another case like this and I will be relieving you of your station. I don't believe you have another brother; do you want to find out how important the term 'nepotism' is to your well being" "Fine", Karl backed away from his brother's desk and towards the door, " you have investors and I get that, but once more needles are discovered and the city starts scrambling to find them, don't say i didn't warn you... brother" Jarl's hand made a feeble attempt to shoo Karl out of his office; fatigue from their current conversation rendered his voice exhausted. In a weeks time however, he would find his voice required to explain to his shareholders why the fishermen's guild found the second needle before him and his company.

[theeclectus]

making money used to be "do something that no one has done before... find your niche!", now it is "use A.I to lay-off the largest amount of the workforce as you can...destroy their niche!"