#this year i read way more books so unlike last year i forced myself to only list one book per series

[readingaccountability]

my top ten reads this year! (and last year's)

the goblin emperor - katherine addison (special shoutout to the two 'cemeteries of amalo' spinoff novels, equally superb)

gideon the ninth - tamsyn muir (and indeed the whole locked tomb series)

to be taught, if fortunate - becky chambers

the cartographers - peng shepherd

finlay donovan is killing it - elle cosimano (loved the second one too, third is on my list!)

sorrowland - rivers solomon

babel: an arcane history - r.f. kuang

providence - max barry

deformations - sasha dugdale

lavender house - lev a.c. rosen

#year in review #bookblr #original post #favorites tag #expanded tumblr wrapped #i put these down in chrono order of when i read them #but for the record babel was my ultimate fave of the year #and thats fucking saying something because im smack dab in the target audience for the locked tomb books and i felt that the whole way #this year i read way more books so unlike last year i forced myself to only list one book per series

[fluoresensitive]

MARCH READING WRAPPED

It’s the end of March, I am oh so sick with COVID, my period started today, and I’m 75% done with my Storygraph reading goal. I set my goal way low this year (only 36 books in total, with the intention of reading three a month) to force myself to take my time, but I’m realizing that no matter how much I try to slow myself down, I’m always going to be the person who’s blazing through books, copious notes or no. A real daughter of the library and whatnot.

And, unlike last month, I actually managed to get to every book I planned on reading this month, whoa! Maybe there really is something to be said for making a plan and sticking to it!

Oh! One last thing before I start in with the reviews. I wanted to try something new going forward. I keep a pretty tight reading journal, and I thought it might be fun and engaging to share some of my moment-by-moment insights from the journal, along with scans for my Patrons. Lovers of my notes from Tender is the Flesh and Rebeccarejoice! More ramblings and stickers from me, yay!

If you’re reading this free on Substack, you’ll get the wrap + reviews of what I read and watched (and listened to!), but if you’re a paid member of my Patreon, you’ll get the scans. Whoa!

FREE ON SUBSTACK / PATREON EXCLUSIVE SCANNED PAGES FROM READING JOURNAL + TRANSCRIBED NOTES

#🦢 #reading wrapped #patreon #substack #my writing #reading swanbow

[gerardpilled]

@/GeorginaKellyX @/mandyjb65 "Do you believe in God though Gerard? What's your view on religion?"

People have been asking me my views on religion and my beliefs, so I decided to start writing this last night, then I got tired. If the topic of Religion offends you, or you can't respect others personal beliefs, stop reading now and just focus on my tweets about Chapstick or guitars. Here is my answer, though potentially controversial, lets do this because I'm an open book nowadays- I was raised Catholic, which turned me off from religion because I had a very bad experience. Then, as a young adult, a death in the family resulted in a lot of anger and an even greater distance between me and faith, though I had always acknowledged I received my artistic gifts from God. I even firmly believed in creating MCR, I was given a mission from God, not unlike the scene in The Blues Brothers. The mission involved helping people and battling the forces of evil, by using word and the purifying flames produced by Marshall Halfstack amplification. This is true. It is also my version and my story, and if you disagree, one day you can tell your own version of your own personal story, but this one is mine, as are my beliefs- I ask you to respect them, as I respect yours, as long as they don't advocate hate, discrimination, or violence. Now, where I am today- Re-engaging more seriously in a sobriety program has provided me with an opportunity to face a lot of questions, and be honest with myself about how I truly feel about God, and the anger inside of me went away years ago. The truth is, I always believed in God, I was just young and angry, and more angry with myself than anything. I stopped hating myself, and started to truly love the person I truly was, as long as I was being who I am, which is who I am now. Does God look like a cartoon version with a white beard for me? No, God never has. It's something that has always changed for me, little visions I get that tell me what it is right now. Is it a man? Not always. Sometimes, for longer stretches than others, it's a woman, or a creature with female gender. For years to me, God was a planet-sized intergalactic space worm, blind, but seeing and feeling through sonic vibrations. Once God was even an imaginary J-Pop star. What God looks like is not important to me. In fact, I believe there is more violence created over what God looks like, and the differing of opinions on the subject, than most other foolish forms of violence. So I don't engage in that. I also believe in evolution, and science. So yeah. I believe in God and I'm cool with that. I also didn't check my spelling

From Gerard Way's letter on twitlonger. May 12, 2013

#2013 #tweets #idk i just liked how he put this and i actually can relate to his interpretation a lot

[evolutionsvoid]

Okay, I know I should have stopped at the last one, but I can't help myself. Once I got reading up on the Helkkja and their magics, I was just drawn more into their legends and stories. I don't know why regular old magic doesn't excite me that much, while this stuff really gets my brain churning. Maybe its that it ties to a region that I could never explore, and its bizarre way of using life as a medium to their art. Whichever the case is, I just keep finding more books and scrolls to devour on the subject, and even take some enjoyment from the various tales of horror and the macabre. Yes, I can chalk some of this stuff up to hyperbole, but with this supposed abyssal magic at play...well, safe to say that almost anything could be on the table at that point. So this isn't so much an entry, just me rambling about this bizarre magic I read about and one of the abominations that can arise from its use. If it writes out well, maybe I can sneak it in somewhere. Don't tell Eucella!

I have written before on the abyssal sleepers, Helkkja that undergo a transformation into a shark-like creature which then lives for years in the darkest depths of the ocean. There they are exposed to a force unlike anywhere else, absorbing some kind of energy or presence into their very flesh. The abyss boils with this strange magic, if one can even call it that, and the sleepers is how the Helkkja collect it. Once their time below is up, the sleepers rise back to their frigid surface home and are taken back to land by their sisters. There the flesh and fins are carved off their bodies, and they revert back to a human form. This fresh meat is now steeped in abyssal energy and curses, which then needs to go through a rigorous process to filter and break it down into a form mere mortals can handle. What is born from this process is access to glimpses and fragments of abyssal magic, some twisted art brought up from the very bowels of the ocean. There is much talk and wonder around what they use this alien energy for, but there is a certain kind that is quite infamous to those outside these arctic lands. Most who have heard of it think it no more than a terrible tale to scare people around the campfire, but certain accounts and strange disappearances suggest it more real than people would like...

It is known that the Helkkja keep to themselves on their frozen wasteland of an island, but that does not mean they do not venture into other lands and waters. It also does not mean they are excluded from the actions of the outside world. Their colony was established due to fighting between witches and mages, and this conflict still remains fresh in many minds. It is no secret that many magical academies and mage circles utterly despise the Helkkja and spread word of their horrid ways. They are a coven of witches that refuses to be exterminated or driven out, and their mere existence makes these famed masters look weak. If witches are so corrupt and evil, then why hasn't the pure mighty magic of the greatest mages purged these monsters from the world? Why do they seemingly do nothing to these arctic monsters, while they weave their abyssal magic and abduct poor souls? All this bad blood has led to many attempts to invade this island, which have all failed horribly. It also drives the pursuit of magic, law and establishments that could work to thwart the Helkkja and their strange abilities. If you ever see a team of mages studying icy magic or working with arctic ingredients, know that they are trying to find a flaw to these witches. Even outside of the Helkkja themselves, witches around the world get in a whole lot of trouble from both the mages and the public. Many trials, many laws and a whole lot of purging. This gives the Helkkja a reason to be interested in the outside world, not just for their sake, but for others like them. There have been rare instances where a Helkkja has been spotted outside their island, walking amongst the rest of us mortals. Their appearance is more like that of a ghost, here and gone within moments, leaving only a chilling aura behind. You can certainly tell one is near if you feel a bitter cold, as the Helkkja require icy temperatures to stay alive. Their short visits might just be that they despise the heat or any kind of warmth. Why they are here, we can't really say. Some believe they arrive to depart wisdom or blessings to other witch covens, helping those in dire need. A lot, however, say that they are here for nefarious purposes. The enemies of the Helkkja are many, and it seems like they have a way of targeting those who threaten them the most...

Though there is many theories and thoughts on the hows and whys, there is no denying the existence of the tooth. That single sharpened blade that remains at the scene of these horrible tales. I saw a supposed tooth in a museum once, sealed behind a whole lot of glass and protective runes. As the stories go, the tooth is supposed to be rendered drained of magic and inert after inflicting its single "bite," but I get the feeling many folk aren't willing to trust that theory. The look of it isn't all that special, it is pretty much a large shark tooth. They come in different sizes and shapes, varying by the species of shark they are pulled from, but they are all black in color and still wicked sharp. Their look and consistency suggests that they are ancient, dug up from a time long gone. The only thing making them different from other fossilized shark teeth is the etchings in their surface, which are said to glow a faint blue when active. It is said that the tooth is a weapon used by the Helkkja to punish those who wrong them or threaten their existence. They collect these stony blades and imbue them with abyssal magic, pouring the horrid curses into the etchings and symbols upon them. When they carry the hexes of the darkened sea, they are then taken by Helkkja who are sent out to the lands beyond. They will leave their island and plunge into the world of man, seeking their targets from the chilling shadows. While it may sound cooler that these witches attack their targets and drive the tooth into them with their own hands, the reality sounds more insidious and paranoia inducing. From the stories, it is suggested that the tooth marked for the victim is left in places where they least expect, positioned so that its biting edge may cut into the unwary. Slipped into a bed, hidden within a drawer, or even placed in a shoe, the tooth is set up as a stealthy trap. Though ancient, the blade is still sharp and easily tastes blood when touched. The victim will discover the tooth upon their first cut, but it is already too late once it bites them. At first, the small cut will be just like any minor wound, but soon a chill shall start to spread through the victim's body. No blanket or fire will keep them warm, despite the fact that they begin to sweat profusely as the curse takes hold. Their skin will turn pale and clammy, the constant sweat making them slick and damp. Respiratory problems kick in, with harsh breathing and wet coughs. As it progresses, their senses will go wild. The tongue will taste nothing but damp, the nose filled with the smell of salt and fish, while the ears hear the constant sloshing and pulsing of endless waves. Amongst it all, their eyes will become painfully sensitive to light, causing them to scream at the faintest lantern or fire. Attempts to cure this have all failed, and eventually the victim retreats to a darkened room or closet. They bury themselves in blankets and layers, shroud themselves in darkness, but find no relief. This is when the transformation occurs, and it is a horrid one at the sounds of it. The skin begins to soften and melt, the muscles and fat swelling and slithering beneath it all. The legs stick to each other like glue, soon fusing into one awkward limb. The lips meld together, turning their screams to muffled whimpers. The sweat turns to slime, as their hair falls out from every inch of their body. The eyes swell up and their skulls deform. Fleshy fins erupt from the back, as their arms are shriveled and reduced. When friends and family finally tear open the door after hearing the commotion and gurgling screams, what they find turns their blood cold. The stories speak of pale, writhing creatures, of men who have turned to fish. The twisted abomination may slither and crawl towards their loved ones, silently begging for help, but they usually find no mercy. Their appearance disgusts them and horrifies them, usually leading them to flee from the very sight or sometimes kill them right there. If they are left alive and alone, they will seemingly vanish despite their awkward bodies. The tales speak of shattered windows and broken doors, each coated in a sickly slime. The trail of goop leads to the nearest source of water, and then it is gone. The transformed victim disappears into the sea, leaving only that darkened tooth behind as evidence of what has occurred. What becomes of these creatures, no one can say. It is commonly thought that they swim back to the Helkkja, who now rule their thoughts and actions. When they make it back to the island, many claim they are forced to serve as amphibious slaves for their cruel masters. Folks with more twisted minds say that the Helkkja eat them, serving up their fishy bodies for a feast. Regardless, the targets of the Helkkja someday vanish, and a single tooth is a symbol of their demise. With its target cursed and fled, it remains dark and empty, erasing all traces of the magic it held. To this day, the mages have not been able to crack whatever hex is contained in these terrible blades, and remain ever vigilant of their surroundings in fear that one may be slipped into their homes. As it is said to those who are invited to the bedroom of a mage, be wary if they are insistent that you be the first to crawl into the sheets. I will say it does make me curious of what would happen to us dryads if we ever got bit by one. Would we turn into a fish? A fish with meat, or a plant one? Maybe we become kelp dryads! Not sure, but the more I think of it the more it kind of scares me. Yeah, never mind. Entry over.   Chlora Myron Dryad Natural Historian

Editor's Note: Chlora, how do you exactly plan to sneak this by me? I am your editor, I kind of see everything you write and submit. Maybe if you were actually subtle about these things you could get one by me, but since your notes are a mess I don't think even you know what you send to me! Your last stack of papers had a grocery list in it! Please organize your papers and thoughts, and also stop trying to submit these mystical myths and such. If we were writing a book on scary legends and horror stories, this would fit right in! BUT WE AREN'T!

Also be sure that you are getting orange peppers, not the red ones. Vera likes the orange ones better, she says the colors are more fun. And also you're buying your bug broths?! What happened to your garden pots!? This is stuff you should be able to easily brew at home! I am coming over to your house as soon as possible to get a look at your garden. I don't know what mess you got growing out there, but I am not about to let Vera eat store bought broths when a home cooked one is so easy to make!  - Eucella -   --------------------------------------------------------------

“Abyssal Thrall”

Collected fossilized shark teeth once and wondered about were-sharks and what primordial curses lie within these ancient things.

#fish #monster #creature #mermay #art #drawing #body horror #fish man #abyssal

[thistransient]

obligatory retrospection 2023

I was holding off on it for a while, but now perhaps it's time for the annual retrospection. (It did occur to me that there is some overlap with the birthday introspection, although that one doesn't usually come with goals or anything). Apparently my main aspiration was to finish reading 天官賜福, with some general wistfulness in the direction of having more physical contact, getting a job, and the cessation of some unproductive infatuation I was suffering. Well, 3 out of 4 ain't bad, although the job was kind of the most important one...well, can't win 'em all. (Very amusing in hindsight that I thought the human touch part would involve "massage class or something" and not "exploring the rope bondage scene").

This year was not quite as eventful as the last one. I did travel a bit more on account of the visa runs and people I showed around. Going to Korea again for the first time in ten years definitely had some sort of closure effect on me, and I felt surprisingly changed (for the better) by the experience. I finished Chinese class (mainly on the basis that there was none left to take at my language school and I was too tired to transfer to another one), finally ended things with my tutor (long overdue), experienced the rise and fall of a friendship (which I'm still processing), survived a visit from my father and enjoyed a visit from an old friend. I think I can say I've biked all the Taipei and New Taipei City riverside bike paths (Google maps is not the most reliable for these things, however.) I started going to counseling in a proactive way, not a rock-bottom way, which has been interesting. I had a brief go at the dating app thing, which mainly served to put me off the dating app thing (gonna go back to leaving it up to 緣分). I bought a silly shirt at the night market, and also went to KTV in Taiwan for the first time. I slowly trained myself to go to unfamiliar events and the bdsm bar alone (inspiring confusion in extroverts and envy in fellow anxious people). I got my instant noodle habit down to twice a week at max. I propagated too many plant clippings from the park. It didn't feel like like I was doing much from day to day, but looking back, I think I was getting myself back in order (my persistent headaches and migraines I had for so much of the previous year went away!).

This year my main goal is to finish reading the Chinese translation of 黃金神威 / Golden Kamuy. I'm at 9 of 30 volumes right now, which I get from the library because 1) I have to put them on order (the thrill of anticipation) 2) I have to take a walk to the library to retrieve them (getting out of the house) and 3) there's a due date to force me to finish them in a timely manner (unlike all the other books I own which sit unread in various drawers and corners).

I came to the conclusion that my best chance at employment in Taiwan that doesn't involve teaching children requires getting a graduate degree (which would also serve to get me residency, and perhaps convince my family I'm not going to be a ne'er-do-well forever). I have actually applied for a program- the only one I was interested in that was also manageable to apply for this admission cycle, since I came to said conclusion about a month out from the deadline. Given that it's at one of the most prestigious unis in Taiwan and I think my research proposal is only tenuously related to the department, I'm having very realistic expectations here and steeling myself to take the TOCFL and apply again this summer to programs taught in Mandarin. But at least I have a direction to go in.

I had taken an intro rope class some time during the summer, but honestly I don't see myself pursuing a career as a rigger any time soon. In the name of short-term continuing education, I have entertained the thought of looking for uni classes to audit to make sure I can actually understand them, and I also want to check out taking Japanese classes taught in Chinese. By coincidence I became acquainted with a Frenchman at the bar last night who spoke impressively fluent Japanese as a result of his job in the adult video business (initially I misunderstood this to mean he was an actor, he quickly clarified that he was in the import/export side of things), which felt like a sign (or the final sign of many). I have resisted learning it for many many years, but my trip to Tokyo this fall was just too embarrassing when it came to basic communication (or a lack thereof), and if I ever want to go explore kinbaku at the site of origin I should start working on this sooner or later.

Unrelated to all of these, I also want to consume more protein, have a look for B vitamins the surgeon's office recommended, and learn how to do multi-colour lino printing.

Thus one could say I'm cautiously optimistic about this year, fingers crossed for minimal missile warnings and no more 曖昧的關係s. 加油everybody, 加油.

[no-where-new-hero]

✣ Blake Wrapped: Author Edition 🖋

According to Storygraph, these were the authors I read most of this year!

V. E. Schwab I’ve read a bunch of her books before (Addie Larue, had problems; Vicious, one of my favorite books ever; This Savage Song, annoyed that she doesn’t write this stuff all the time), but never the Shades of Magic series, which is…weird as someone who almost always goes to fantasy before any other subgenre. So I finally bit the bullet and read the trilogy, as well as the first book of the sequel trilogy, which came out in September. Like always with Schwab, it was hit and miss. The first book I found excruciatingly slow, almost painful to finish. The second book I LOVED since it had a much faster pace and more interesting characters. Book 3 was far too long—not exactly as slow as the first, but there were just pages from the villain’s POV that I skimmed because I couldn’t be bothered. Book 1 of the new trilogy was good—it had a fan service feel, but the two new protagonists seem cool, and I think this series might be more interesting on the whole. The thing with Schwab’s style that I keep coming back to is that she writes morally grey really well. If a character is behaving villainously, the more I’ll like them. Hence the fact that Vicious is my favorite book of hers. Ditto with male characters: many of her female characters’ arcs strike me as weirdly reductive, but her men have a more felt quality to them somehow. I can’t say she’s a beloved author or even a favorite author, but I enjoy picking her brain.

Alix E. Harrow I finally read The Ten Thousand Doors of January earlier this year because its premise is not unlike that of my WIP, and I had avoided it for a while due to like … jealousy and also a desire not to get my own plot derailed from its influence. The book was so good though. I know that Harrow and I share a lot of literary influences, which automatically predisposes me to like her style, but it just ticked a lot of boxes: voice, setting, plot, magic, etc. That being said, I’m not sure if any of her other books quite live up. Her Fractured Fairy Tales were enjoyable but nothing memorable. The Once and Future Witches honestly bored me. Starling House was the best of this year’s heavy spate of “Gothic/House books with far too big a helping of Women Thoughts” that I forced myself through (The Last Tale of the Flower Bride, A Study in Drowning, and The Hacienda were the others), but it still lacked the lush immersion of TTDJ that I was hoping for. I’m definitely going to keep looking out for what she publishes since it’s very much my thing, but I really hope she’ll be able to match the quality of her debut again sometime soon.

Shirley Jackson Where do I begin? I gulped down four books of her in a row and wished I had read them all years before. I’ve posted a bunch of Jackson thoughts before, but I think what I adore most about her work is she reads like a shadow of LM Montgomery. LMM curves toward, but ultimately curves away from, the darkness that waits for the unsuspecting person. Jackson paves a straight road into it and doesn’t come out. But they write around a lot of the same topics: houses as extensions of the self, female individuality, female social identity, the life of the mind, queerness (in the sense of unbelonging as well as being not-straight), landscapes, depression, cats, family dynamics, etc. Even though I came to her late, I’m also not that mad about it since I do think my twenty-something self is a bit more predisposed to get something out of her books than my teen self would have. In any case, I definitely need to fill my shelves with her books.

Marina and Sergey Dyachenko Vita Nostra broke my brain at the beginning of the year, and I haven’t quite put it back together again. I’m not sure if it’s a translation thing, but the prose, the plot structure, the way the entire novel is put together, feels so different from an English-language novel. It was so refreshing, in all senses of the word: it felt like diving into a deep pool of dark water. Naturally, nothing else they would write could come close to that novel, but I still sought out their other works in translation, giddy for more of that experience. The sequel novel was tolerable, though did little to wrap up much of the plot—in fact, it only seemed to complicate it further without much promise of a finale (I do think a Book 3 is on the way, though). Daughter of the Dark was the third book of theirs I read, and it was also fairly interesting—a good speculative literary feel—but altogether lacking in the magic of VN. Which is fine for me, all in all. Sometimes masterpieces need to stand alone.

#blake’s last braincell #blake wrapped #immortal poets society

[theladyofbloodshed]

Hi. I really admire your writng and love all your fic very much. Really,as a reader i cant wrap my head around how incredible your writing are. But as a fellow writer, it got me thinking how you balance your day working-personal life-reading-writing. I just enter corporate life and it was exhausting. How do you manage your time to write and is it hard for you to keep your interest in writing while working?

Thank youu and no, i think your chrismast deco look very beautiful. If I visit your house i would love staying around the tree with a dim light and a warm tea.

Thank you so much for the message. That's incredibly kind of you. You are welcome for a cup of tea any time!

I will break down my day under the read more.

05:40 - partner wakes up for work (waking me up) 06:10 - partner leaves for work and I get up 07:00 - in the car to work 07:30 - at work. I don't get paid until 08:30 but I literally would not be ready for the kids if I came in at that time, plus I'm already awake (and definitely a morning person). I'm usually alone in the class until around that time so I tend to have an audiobook on while I'm getting the class ready. I teach in a different classroom every single day, so I have to be organised. 16:00 - finish work 16:30 - home for a cup of tea and usually go on social media/write 18:00 - cook dinner which usually takes about an hour After that, I either spend time with my partner, read, or write. The only day I haven't written something was when I had to be at work until nearly 9pm for a halloween party, but generally, I write every single day. I will be honest in that I don't really have a social life. I've only really got one friend and she lives 60 miles away. I cancelled my gym membership because I hate going after work in winter and I've been so ill for the last couple of months that it was a waste of money. At the weekends, my partner and I might go to a coffee shop or a walk, but most of the time I am writing. It's nothing I have to force. I look forward to writing every single day. If I found it a chore, I wouldn't do it. Sometimes, I am super tired from work too and have a low output, but in those times I'll lay on the bed or take a bath with some music on and still be imagining scenarios. If you are exhausted, don't push it. If I've imagined a scene enough then I know exactly how it will play out to make the writing easier. My brain almost thinks in a writer mode now, like instead of seeing the scene, I'll also be narrating it.

I am constantly thinking about my writing. When I drive, I am imagining scenarios/dialogue. If I go for a walk alone, my headphones are on to dissociate and imagine. For me, it's all consuming. Weirdly, none of my new colleagues know I have any books and I've just mentioned it in passing to my family because we're not close and they don't really care. Even my partner has no clue about character names or anything because he hasn't read them. It's got to the point where I have RSI in my hand from typing so much. Today, I've written about 5000 words and have written 100k words for a single book since October.

It is hard for me to switch off sometimes. I do wonder if I have some sort of ADHD because I have to be doing something at all times. When I'm at work for my planning time, I'm usually doing all 8 jobs on my to do list at the same time, like this page is loading so I'll start this email then go back to that lesson plan then reply to that other person. I cannot just sit and watch tv, I either have to be sewing, or writing by hand, or typing. The only time I do nothing is when I sleep lmao. I've always been that way though.

In terms of reading, I've really struggled this year. Most books have been 2/3 star reads for me - which is really unlike me. I'm usually super generous with 5 stars. I've had to force myself to sit and read a lot because I'll just scroll on my phone otherwise when I'm bored.

I wish I had kids, but I don't, and thankfully my partner also cooks and cleans so if its his turn to cook, I can carry on writing. Sometimes it has caused arguments so I try to make a conscious effort to put my laptop down and spend quality time together. Writing is just everything to me. I love it. It's all I ever want to do. But, I'm also not a night person, so my laptop is usually off before 9pm and I'm asleep by half past 9 nearly every night ha.

#anon asks #a long ramble as always

[bookthroneking]

Book Review: The Red Tree by Caitlín R. Kiernan

This is exactly the sort of book that seeps into your skin and stays with you... or just an intensely frustrating and unsatisfying read if you're not into this kind of storytelling. Luckily for me, I very much am into it.

The Red Tree is, more or less, a horror novel. It's also a very slow-paced, meandering and dreamlike character study with an unreliable and, to some, unlikeable protagonist. What horror there is in this book is eerie, unsettling, full of tangents and implications, blank spots and mystery. I've read it once before and I found myself not very happy with it, but my taste did a complete 180 last year about most of what makes this book so compelling: the slow pace, the messy and poisonous character dynamics, the amount of question marks within the story. More than anything, I fell in love with the protagonist's voice: Sarah Crowe, whose unhinged journal is the main text of the book, is cynical, mean, obsessive and a generally toxic presence, which made her last relationship end in tragedy... and she's fully, painfully aware of all this. She's also a middle-aged lesbian, and it was honestly really good and refreshing to read sapphic horror where the women are allowed to be bitchy and flawed and damaging to each other, because a lot of sapphic rep I've seen in this genre presents the wlw romance as a force of good in a dark narrative. This book isn't only horror: it's an exploration of bad relationships, and the way people sometimes just can't do the right things for each other, or even for themselves. These characters really stood out, and I came to love them not despite but because of their massive flaws. That's exactly why that ending sent chills down my spine.

What else can I say? This book unsettled me, enchanted me, creeped me out, and left me with a deep sadness after reading. I'm so glad I decided to give it another chance.

StoryGraph rating: 5

#book review #horror #2024 reads #queer lit #favorite books #caitlin r kiernan #bookworm #bookblr #bookish #my posts

[darkenforcer]

2 FROM EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE PLEASE

QUESTIONS FOR THE MUN || accepting !

What caused you to start writing? What was your key point?

reading and writing have always been hobbies of mine, so when i learned i could write as the fictional characters i love? with other people!? i was so down!

i don't remember what keyed me in on it, though? i used to play pretend (it was just LARPing, lbr) on the playground until i was around 11, so maybe it kinda clicked in my mind that writing was the natural next step? no clue.

Do you tell your friends / family that you write?

KINDA... i tell people i write with a community online and create "collaborative stories," but i never refer to it as rp or go in-depth unless i know that person's also done it before / is in similar fandom spaces.

Are you happy with how your favorite canon muse was portrayed in canon?

sure, i don't have any major complaints about his writing! it's consistent and fun to compare how differences in the localization shift the tone of certain character/rship-building scenes, while still managing to keep the spirit of his character intact. my only "issue" is that they could've put more time into expanding his character arc in the third act (but the same can be said for every character... a fumble all around tbh).

Have you ever written a canon muse that you first thought of ‘meh’ when they appeared in their canon show/movie/book?

NOPE! can't do it. if i'm not weird about that fictional character from the start, it's very unlikely i'll ever put the effort into forcing myself to write them. i need that click! that spark!

How do you create an OC? What are your steps for developing an OC?

i haven't developed an oc in yearssss so i'm the last person anyone should be asking. uh... (1) be a preteen, (2) develop an insane normal fictional crush, and (3) make an oc to ship them with. bam.

Who was your first OC?

i made my first in-depth oc when i was a wee 9 year old... she started out as a self-insert sonic oc that i obviously had to ship with sonic and shadow bc, duh. i also forced my cousins to make ocs so we could roleplay together lol.

i had more before that one but they were basically just vague roles i slipped into when playing pretend with my friends.

Is there any fandom you regret exploring?

can i say all of them njgnjg i think every fandom out there has its subset of annoying fans who'll make you reconsider ever interacting with anyone you haven't personally vetted lol, even if briefly. for example -- just bc of its infamy -- i never interact with sonic fans outside my circle; i've seen way too many pointless debates and shitty opinions to risk venturing out there again...

In what fandom did you start?

i am SO glad sonic was the first because the ones after it are infinitely more embarrassing.

What are your favorite ships on here (feel free to tag?)

OOO good question!!! i'll start by saying i've been rooting for break/zhilan since day 1 -- love those goobers!! other than that, i enjoy seeing any ship get together on here, like lloyd/zelos, vash/wolfwood (both iterations), nicolette/wang yi... if you're shipping with someone just now i'm hooting 'n hollering whenever they interact.

Have you ever developed a ship based on writing with a certain other character / mun?

nope, not yet! it's not that i'm against developing ships after noticing chemistry betwen muses -- far from it! -- it's just never gotten to the point where i wrote one.

What’s something you find weird on here?

i can't think of anything in particular, so... tumblr's commitment to making their layout as annoying as unoriginal and bloated as possible.

What people make you happy when you see them on the dash?

commence the taggening... you (duh), @kleinstar, @moraypower, @hollowfaith, @cladinivcry, @ultimatelifefcrm, @innerbeast, @nicawlette, @twohundredpower, @spiderstaff, @lalaluuz, ... i can't keep tagging people i'll go on forever...

#munday #schleckermaul #LUCE UR KILLING ME (<3)

[lisalay00]

Pancake

꒷꒦⋆⑅˚₊┈ • ┈ ・ʚɞ ・ ┈ • ┈₊˚⑅⋆꒷꒦

It was an exam-busy exam week. Every day, I've been scrutinizing another subject book. Yesterday, I was so into the physics formulas that even they'd flashed my dreams. I felt nauseous. And now, I was losing my mind in Edgar Alan Poe's Raven. I had no idea what I was reading. I was too off.

My mind stormed out the thoughts as the door knock interrupted me losing in more.

‘Hey!’ I heard Eddie’s husky voice behind the door without hesitating I opened the door. He was standing in front of me alive. I jumped in his arms and hugged him tightly.

‘God, I miss this.’ He chuckled and leisurely his hands traveled on my back. He leaned back and grabbed my chin. I realized what would happen next so dragged him inside, not to be seen.

Eddie was in my senior year, I was in my junior… We have known each other since primary school. Dating was expected for his uncle, especially; he always said that we were meant for each other even though my Mom was quite offensive yet, she was glad to date someone I’d already known. However, Eddie was quite the kind of guy that parents never want for their daughter. He has tattoos, swears a lot, and has long messy hair. At least, for my mom, he was.

 His exams had already ended last week. So he was free as a bird when I lost myself in the logarithm problems. It was kind of a habit of me going missing during the exam week that’s why Eddie hates exams weeks. Hellfire club friends found a way to creep out somewhere else in his mood in these weeks. But, they usually whine up all the time.

He smirked at my concern and grabbed my chin again. Positioned himself in front of my table.

‘You are one to talk!’ I joked around. His naughty touches spread through my hips and ended to grab them and pushing me to my table. I closed my eyes and sighed as he was leaning closer to my face.

Our lips collided finally; He forced me to wrap my arms around his neck. He smiled between the kiss then I let him get inside. Our lips were gently moving, finding a perfect harmony it was getting more fierce and more and more. He moaned into my lips and we parted unwilling to breathe. Didn’t take too much time he leaned back and this time, it was more rough and wild.

He lifted my body from the table and stepped to my bed.  Unlike his kiss, he was deadly slow and gently left me on the bed. I trembled with the coldness of my bed. Even though we were still fully dressed I felt like my body was in the oven and we were burning high in there.

He spread my legs apart and placed himself closer. Our T-shirts were the only obstacle between us.  Not too late he took the hem of my T-shirt and took it off, like ripping them off.

He tried to throw my T-shirt to the other side of the room. However, It stayed hung on my headboard, it was dangling on it, sighted the piece of cloth a light chuckle spread from his mouth forcefully.

‘I didn't make any plan for this.’ He breathed out. I closed my eyes as I inhaled his hot breath into my lungs. ‘My mom gonna piss off.’ I chuckled as he laughed at my answer.

‘I told her we are just studying.’ He said melodically, stealing another kiss.

‘She won’t believe you, Munson.’  I folded my fingers into his curls taking a quick gaze on his dark brown waves.

'You are so beautiful.' He took me back to his attention; his sparkling brown orbs had me rumbling my heart.

This time, I escaped from his hands before grabbing his jacket's collar and smashing our lips. I took off his jacket from his sleeves and pushed it without looking where it went.

There were a couple of books on my bed, he tossed it elsewhere. I heard the flying paper sounds around the room. He landed himself on the bed and positioned me at the same time. It was the longer the more passionate kiss I was about to forget to take a breath.

However, good things didn’t last long. We actually forgot to lock the door, again and it lead to barging in for my mom easily.

We parted unwillingly. He tossed his jacket to me.

‘We got caught up!’ He wrapped arms around me not forgetting to lean a wet kiss on my cheek.

She was looking at us tiredly and left the pancake plate on the table. 

‘Is it poisoned?’ He teased; she rolled her eyes and murmured something.

‘Don’t forget to study honey!’ She passed his words. I nodded as she closed the door behind us.

I turned to Eddie; he was looking at me.

‘I think we should eat later.’ His devilish smile caused me to laugh him back. He pushed me back to my bed.

꒷꒦⋆⑅˚₊┈ • ┈ ・ʚɞ ・ ┈ • ┈₊˚⑅⋆꒷꒦

#tumblr #wattpad #eddie munson #stranger things s4 #eddie munson reader insert #fanfics #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson oneshot #story #eddie x you #imagine #oneshots #fluff #one shot #x reader #welcome to hellfire #hellfiremunsonn #joseph quinn #eddie the freak munson #eddiemanson #eddie x y/n #eddie x fem!reader #pancakes #stranger things fluff

[thenightling]

Mayfair witches first episode review

I just got done watching the first episode of Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches.  I have to say it IS better than the Interview with the Vampire TV series in regard to faithfulness to the books.

 I never really liked the characters in the Mayfair novels. I couldn’t attach myself to them the way I could Anne Rice’s vampires, especially with some of the things Rowan does in the later books, which I never could quite forgive- such as when she murdered her own Taltos child after the child had literally nursed her back to health.  As far as I can tell The Mayfair witches TV series is a lot more faithful to the boks than the Interview with the vampire TV series.  Try and also keep in mind I was fourteen-years-old the last time I read The Witching Hour, Lasher, or Taltos.   And twenty-one when I read Blood Canticle (the novel where Lestat and Rowan finally meet and is, frankly, the worst book in The Vampire Chronicles). The biggest change, thus far, is the characters Aaron Lightner (of The Talamasca) and Michael Curry have been merged together. I actually don’t mind this change too much as the new character of Ciprien Grieve is interesting and compelling in his own way.  I hope he survives as Rowan’s romantic interest like Michael Curry did in the novels, and doesn’t die the way Aaron Lightner died.  

I know that merging Michael Michael Curry and Aaron Lightner together is a pretty big change for a lot of people but other than that it’s fairly recognizable to the original book, much more so than the Interview with the vampire series.

Considering my not-very-much attachment to the Mayfair Witch books I actually wouldn’t mind some big deviations with this one. In the books many of the characters were unlikable, incestuous, and just plain boring.  So far the new amalgam character of Ciprien Grieve is the most interesting thing since he’s also the biggest deviation. The Talamasca, thus far, though so far mysterious, is being portrayed better than it was in the Queen of the damned movie (2002) where they accidentally used the motto of The Watchers from Highlander the series (”We observe and record but never interfere”).  This new show seems to remember the roots of The Talamasca where they were inspired by the real organization of the SPR / ASPR (Society for Psychical Research).

It’s not bad so far.  It hasn’t reached any of the plot points yet that I disliked like the books. So far we have Rowan’s power to kill with her mind awakening, and the backstory of her biological mother, Deirdre Mayfair, which is just as tragic as I remember it being in the book The Witching Hour.

The Mayfair Emerald has a new redesign.  It’s not just a heavy rectangular emerald.  It’s also in a setting made to look like a large key.     

It’s scary to think of poor Diedre as being doped up with Thorazine all those years in what appears to be a chemically induced version of Locked-in Syndrome.   

And so far Rowan is more sympathetic than her literary counterpart. I hope it stays that way.  I always thought of the character as kind of cold and selfish and a bit narcissistic in the books.  And I never quite got over how in Blood Canticle she didn’t so much as show remorse for the Taltos child she murdered but instead wanted a “live specimen” to study and dissect.  Lestat’s attraction to her was completely “forced.”  And by that I mean it felt inorganic.  The attraction had no basis in established plot or character personalities.   I strongly feel it was one of those things Anne Rice later regretted as she later quietly pretended it had never happened.

Anyway, yeah, I may keep watching, if for nothing else but I kind of like the new Talamasca agent.  I wonder if he’ll turn up in the Interview with the vampire TV series when the story finally catches up to modern day.

#Anne Rice #Mayfair Witches #Interview with The Vampire

[cadencekismet]

Once again I am here to post about ten books I especially loved in the last year, in no particular order. In the interest of not picking ten books from two authors, and rather than forcing myself to pick one between several favorites, I am shouting out a couple of authors and series.

In no particular order:

Victoria Goddard’s books have been the backbone of my reading this year. I read one or two of them last year, but I ran through the majority of her books this year. Shout out especially to Portrait of a Wide Seas Islander for giving me a character who had vitiligo (and called that vitiligo by name!). If you enjoy books about queer indigenous elders, I cannot recommend it highly enough. The Redoubtable Pali Avramapul was also fantastic, and gave me one of my favorite protagonists of the year. It’s about an older woman setting off to find adventures once again and learning to admit to scarier feelings and mistakes she has made. (Shout out also to her Greenwing and Dart series, whose characters are my absolute favorites. It’s a rollicking series of unfortunate events, as long as you don’t mind the Christianity that peeks through in this particular series.)

Alexandra Rowland’s books have also shaped my year in delightful ways. You might know them as ariaste of fanfiction fame, in which case you should check out their published fiction too! Special shout out to Lights of Ystrac Wood, which is a delightful novella about an unlikely friendship, dedication, and fear, and to A Taste of Gold and Iron, which in spite of several other strong contenders (Lights among them) was my favorite book I read this year. If you enjoy beautiful prose, humor, so much textual queerness, a carefully thought-out fantasy world based on the Ottoman Empire, and the best portrayal of anxiety I’ve seen in fiction, you should check it out.

The Afterward by E K Johnston was an excellent book. If you enjoy a book about people who fell apart reconnecting, if you always want to know what happened after the quest was completed and everyone went home, and if fantasy student loans pique your interest, check this book out.

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree is the coziest coffee shop AU story I have read in a long time. Read this for people (and other creatures) stepping outside of their comfort zones or their stereotypes (an ogre opening a coffee shop!) and building a community for themselves.

The Murderbot series By Martha Wells was just. Y’all, I’ve seen people posting about Murderbot forever and somehow didn’t bother picking it up? I love Murderbot so much. What a perfect character it is. If you love watching a character insist that it doesn’t have emotions and it doesn’t have feelings while making all of its decisions based on emotions and how much it wants to rewatch its favorite show, this is the book series for you. I was wrong to wait so long to read it. Don’t be like me.

I also read several romance novels this year (look at me branching out into new genres) starting with Seducing the Sorcerer by Lee Welch. If you, like me, were a horse girl and took it really hard that books for grownups don’t revolve around horses the way books for middle schoolers often do, this is the book for you. If you like a canon queer kinky relationship, this is the book for you. If you like a story about a washed up working class hero saving the day, this is the book for you. It was a delight the whole way through.

Sailor’s Delight by Rose Lerner was. Umm. Reading a book that centered around a High Holiday the way that Hallmark Movies center around Christmas was really special to me. The fact that it was also well-written and sweet and queer certainly didn’t hurt. I don’t think I have a pitch for this one because I’m still feeling a little exposed by how much I like it, but if you’re interested, send me an ask in a month or two when maybe I’ll have processed a little more.

I read several books by Alexis Hall this year and had a great time with all of them, but a special shout out to Paris Daillencourt is about to Crumble which also had some excellent anxiety portrayal. His books are just really fun and really queer and really enjoyable, and if you want well-written queer romance, you should check him out.

Ocean’s Echo by Everina Maxwell absolutely killed me. It’s just so excellent. I love the characters a more-than-normal amount, even for me. Winter’s Orbit was a solid 3.5/4 star book for me. Ocean’s Echo is five. Everything got tighter in this book. The characterization, the plot, the spot the main characters are stuck in and trying to get out of... (To clarify: this is set in a different world from the author’s first book, with different characters, but in the same universe.) I just absolutely adored this book, and you should too.

Lastly, I did read A Sentimental Education by Hannah McGregor, which is my token non-fiction book for the year. I’ve long been a fan of her podcasts, Witch Please and Secret Feminist Agenda, and A Sentimental Education was everything I expected it to be from listening to her podcasts. That is to say: I don’t always agree with everything she says, but she always makes me think. Sometimes I like her end argument but not the way she gets there. However, if you’re interested in musings on fatness, whiteness, (lack of) indigeneity, sentimental novels, and queerness, I definitely recommend this book.

#long post #book recs #my year in books

[ramblingromance]

Mrs. England: Book Review

This is the third book from author Stacey Halls, and she has once again succeeded in creating a foreboding, gothic atmosphere. From the moment you step foot into the England's household, something just doesn't feel... right. If you're anything like me, you'll find yourself breezing through this book with ease as you try to uncover what this sense of unease might be, and the answers to a slew of questions that are posed.

The Familiars left me feeling quite a similar way, and The Foundling, while enjoyable, didn't grip my attention quite as much. However, Mrs. England was back to form, and I found myself getting through the story surprisingly quickly.

I'm not the fastest reader -- oh I can get through the words quickly enough, but its my attention span that starts waiver. So I never have, and probably never will be the type of person that can manage to finish a book within a day. I was happy enough to get this one finished within a span of a weekend, and it was an easy enough task to accomplish too.

Unlike the last book that I read, I never felt time dragging by, and I hardly ever paid attention to what page I was even on. The story and the characters had me gripped, and instead of feeling like I was forcing myself to read, I just felt like I was enjoying a wonderful story.

So, this marks my first finished book of the new year! I don't really have any sort of reading goals, but I'm going to try and read some more varied novels this year, I think. I've got a pile to get through now, and as always, I'm eager to buy more!

What have you all read so far this year? Or, what do you plan on reading?

#books #novels #historical fiction #gothic #mrs. england #stacey halls #book review #booklr #book reviews #book #novel

[woodswolf]

4, 11, 18, 21, 35, 49. Feel free to answer as many or few as you so desire

writing ask game

4. Have you ever been published, or do you want to be published?

i have not been, but i maybe would like to be someday. i have some original ideas floating around (most of which have been for years), but it's like. i have a 9-5, i have games to play, i have other hobbies i like to do. if i DO happen to find an original idea that's just so wild that i HAVE to write it that's one thing, but im not gonna go out of my way to write something just to get published.

11. Books and/or authors who influenced you the most

there's only one thing that specifically comes to mind for this question and it's a fanfic that i first read when i was 16. but that's not necessarily an influence in terms of writing style, more like it literally rewired my brain and my analysis of it strongly influences my personal philosophy to this day: "hope is in everything but it is most present in places where it feels absent".

it's easier to break things down by individual works. for instance, my current wip is explicitly a "response" to two other fics i read last year that pulled off the same concept in different ways, with nods to other stories i've read and liked. (i also just realized as i was answering this that it's probably also a subconscious response to another fic i read a few years ago? it had really good disability rep but then kinda undercut itself via stapling on a romantic subplot — it blurred the very sharply-focused themes of disability rights and empowerment by mixing that with "oh but your new boyfriend is evil so :/". it's still a really good fic but this specifically irked me.) and by virtue of being a story about hope and its absence it kinda is indirectly a tribute to that first fic lol

18. If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be, and what would you write about?

ooooh kinda hot take but i actually Don't like collabs all that much. i've only done a few, but none of them were great experiences. it's probably due to the fact that basically all of them were group-events-with-random-partners kinda things and someone always has to get matched up with the 13y/o, but i've never been able to look on the end results as something i was proud to participate in — they've always ended up pretty mediocre and left me with the feeling of "if i just wrote all of this myself it would suck way less".

a one-on-one more focused collab with co-plotting and more coordination and so on would probably be more fun, but i don't really have any writer Friends (at least not that i talk to on the regular) so it's kinda a moot point. me and my partner have talked about doing a combo collab at some point, though — they have a lot of very interesting ideas for a splatoon au that would play nicely into both of our strengths (writing/art) and i think that could really go somewhere interesting.

21. Who is/are your favourite character(s) to write?

i've really been enjoying the hocotate ship. kinda kooky, kinda smarmy, kinda sarcastic, just a really interesting bag of traits that i haven't previously written all that often.

in general, though, i would have to say olimar, and yes this is accounting for all of the years and years of julien ninjago. olimar is that same kind of "very introspective character who has a strained relationship with their family due to external forces", but unlike julien, who i've always written as being very anxious about keeping up appearances, olimar isn't really anxious at all (at least more than would be normal for someone who ends up in the situations he does on the regular). his problem is that he has a martyr complex taller than the empire state building and zero awareness that Actually That's Kind Of A Bad Thing.

35. What scene/story are you least looking forward to writing?

a few weeks ago i would've said DLDP2, which is the (mainline) sequel to my current wip, but i did a bit of thinking about how to plot things out there and it's a bit better now. it probably still is DLDP2, because there's a lot of other shit i still have to figure out there, but at this point it might be a case of "the devil you know" since DLDP3 and DLDP4 are almost certainly in vaguer states than DLDP2 is. but those two are also years off from being written probably while DLDP2 is Less. but who knows if i'll ever get around to it anyway, the only story i will be MAD if i don't get to wrte it is the DLD's spinoff sequel since that's where a lot more of the disability stuff is going to come into play.

49. Which character would you most want to be friends with, if they were real?

man i have no idea. definitely NOT olimar though at least if he was still 1 inch tall like that. i am afraid of him i would need to kill him to put him out of his misery. what cruel God has condemned them to such forms (and surely it must be a cruel God)?

#writing ask game #dogs leading dogs #my posts

[spammerjammer]

TBH I don't think any followers on my bigger blogs want to know anything about me, which is fine. They're there for my fics and content, and I love to make that stuff for them. I do feel like I can't write certain things though because it'll be too self-referential. On one hand, I want my writing to be accessible and understandable to a general audience. But on the other hand, I'd love to write a super detailed fic involving things I research or just my life experiences. I feel like these experiences I've had would make my writing super niche because not many people can describe first-hand accounts of things I've dealt with. They're dark and gritty and wild stories, but I love them all the same. I just don't think others would see the good in those experiences, and I don't want to subject people to reading that kind of thing. I've thought about writing a book or something, but I don't feel important enough. Like, who am I to write a memoir at my young age? Seems pretentious as hell. I just want to reflect on stuff here, since my more popular blogs aren't going to take it very well. With all that said, I'll get to my first story.

Ever since I was a little girl, my father was explosive. He was sweet and kind and doting, until he wasn't. He'd be the perfect father until something didn't go his way. Then he'd scream in my face, break furniture, and throw a fit. This was my first experience with men. I thought it was normal for men to behave this way. For 13 years of my life, I expected every man to be like my father.

Until, one day, I went to a self-defense class. It was taekwondo and Brazilian jiu jitsu taught by an ex-mil Argentinian man. He showed me how men try to intimidate women because they're easy targets of abuse. He showed me that it was unacceptable for men to use their size and strength to bend women to their will. He showed me what acceptable relationships looked like between an adult and a child, as well as between a man and a woman. Every woman taught by him couldn't leave his class until they could perform the technique of the night perfectly. Over and over again. He'd remind us that men wouldn't show us mercy and would try to use their strength to force us into submission.

It's strange, but watching "The Last of Us" made me realize that this man was the father figure I needed. He taught me to respect myself, recognize abuse, and never let myself be intimidated by a man. It all culminated years ago when my father had broken out in a full screaming match with me. It resulted in him ditching our family, threatening to divorce my mother unless I apologized. The argument was centered around my "liberal beliefs" (he was being radicalized by N4z1s and went completely crazy, threatening to pull me out of school). Except, unlike before, I didn't back down from his tantrum. I didn't let him intimidate me, even as he spat in my face. I looked him right in the eye at 16 years old and told him to go fuck himself. Not only did I recognize his attempt to intimidate me as abuse, but I didn't fear him anymore. I was angry, not afraid. I knew I could die in that moment, but I didn't care. I was just so angry, I couldn't take him abusing me and my mom anymore.

When he tried to return, he used his usual tactics. Never apologizing, just showering me with gifts. I refused them all. He wouldn't talk to me directly, instead pressuring my mom by threatening divorce and refusing to return to a 'disobedient household'. I held my ground. And eventually, my father reflected on everything he had done. He went to therapy and anger management classes, finally apologizing to me and my mother. He admitted to everything he had done and promised to do right by us moving forward. And he did. And none of it ever would've happened without this one man that came into my life.

He truly changed my life, and by extension, my family's lives. I don't know how to tell him how grateful I am for what he did for me. I haven't seen him in a long time, but I know where he is. I just don't know how to tell him all of this in a concise way because he had such a profound effect on my life. He made me strong. He showed me what good men do. I can't imagine what my life would've turned out like without him. He will always be my dad, the man that gave me something to believe in. He's the sole reason I have a father at all today.

Thank you.

[anythingstephenking]

Firestarter for a New Generation

The Institute is a big hug of King Classics (tm) in the best way possible. Kids with special psychic abilities? Check. Nefarious government organizations? Check. Battle of good vs. evil? Check.

It’s been 8 years since I last visited Firestarter, but my mind kept drifting to the themes of Charlie McGee’s adventures as I plowed through The Institute. Our hero, Luke Ellis is a 12-year-old boy swept away into some massively secret government organization. Unlike Charlie, he’s forced to navigate without his parents, but that’s ok cause he’s like, really smart.

Let’s back up a bit. On the surface (or summary from the book’s dust jacket) we’re stepping into The Institute - a secluded building in rural Maine (duh) where kids with special powers are experimented on for unknown reasons. An interesting premise for sure, but not one that King hasn’t explored before.

(Side Note: with all the references to rural Maine, I feel like I really understand the TR system for naming unincorporated townships and wonder how many exciting things can happen in the middle of nowhere??)

We don’t start at The Institute tho, we start with Tim Jamieson, a rugged a lost man wandering the southern United States before settling in small town SC. Tim’s not even kinda sorta close to Maine, how dare he?? We spend a hundred or so pages getting on Tim’s side as he settles his nomadic self, and we’re cozy and not really even thinking about kids with telekinesis. 

Boom, we leave Tim without so much as a farewell, and the story jumps us to Minnesota. ALSO NOT MAINE! What is happening? Here we meet Luke, who at 12 is ready to double enroll in Emerson and MIT. These colleges are in Boston. Getting warmer but still not there quite yet.

Luke’s got a big brain, and can also sometimes move things with his mind. It’s pretty inconsequential to Luke, he’s more worried about being like wicked smaht. But The Institute cares that he can push shit around without his hands, so he’s kidnapped in the middle of the night and flown to, finally… Maine.

Like any story with kids being abused (this sure does happen a lot with King) we love the kids of this story. Tiny little peanut people being slapped and tased by adults? Fuck right off adults, y’all suck. The Institute kids are endearing and delightful and unless you’re a total monster, you root for them. 

I was worried The Institute would turn into a “been there, done that”; having read 69 King novels thus far, none of the themes of this book seemed remotely new. But the story manages to remain a fresh page turner, cheering on Luke’s crew of rag-tag kiddos, waiting for Tim to return and whooping with excitement when you realize how the two storylines will merge. 

Spoiler alert: good mostly wins, with some heartbreaking losses. King Classic (tm) through and through.

It’s super weird to be in relative real-time after so many years in the past. Cultural references to Trump and American partisan politics pepper the story and I have to remind myself I am reading a book that was released in the third year of Trumps term. I only have 5 novels left.

8/10

First Line: Half an hour after Time Jamieson’s Delta flight was scheduled to leave Tampa for the bright lights and tall buildings of New York, it was still parked at the gate.

Last Line: Better to save some for later.

Adaptations:

 David E. Kelley and Jack Bender announced mini-series plans in 2019 but it’s still in development. Not sure if that’s Hollywood code for “dead”.