strange and random happenstance

Shadows and Dreams by Alexis Hall
Published by: Riptide Publishing
Publication Date: June 14th, 2014
Format: Kindle, 312 Pages
Rating: ★★
To Buy (different edition than one reviewed)

A damsel in distress walks into the office and Kate Kane sets to make it right. That's what being a P.I. is all about, racking up the exes and femme fatales, which aren't mutually exclusive. This ex was more an almost hookup in the doorway of a Pizza Express, but beggars can't be choosers and it's been a dull few months since Kate sent that sewer faery packing. And yes, he had some fancy ass title he went by, but let's face it, he was a faery living in a sewer hence sewer faery. What's more Kate's girlfriend is a centuries old vampire Prince who is too busy selecting a new Prince of Swords after the last Prince of Swords got skewered along with the sewer faery to spend any time with her. Therefore Kate is glad to help Tash find her missing brother Hugh. He was admitted to hospital with a broken leg and then just disappeared. Kate dutifully heads off to the hospital to find that he mysteriously walked out on his own two legs. There's only one way that could have happened, he's been turned into a vampire. But what idiot would sire someone and leave them to fend for themselves? This is one of the many questions that Kate gets to contemplate as she's locked up in a dungeon. It turns out the Council isn't too happy about her running through the Prince of Swords ironically with a sword, so she is to stand trial for the murder of Aeglica Thrice-Risen. And Julian can't help her. Because if the Council gets even the slightest hint that the Prince of Cups has feelings for Kate they will kill Kate just to enact revenge on Julian. So Kate's to be brought up before a bunch of people who definitely want her dead. It doesn't help that they're all insane too. But somehow a miracle happens, she's paroled for the time being into the care of Acton, the "father" of Kate's ex, Patrick. She is cocooned in perfect domestic bliss while trying to figure out why someone would want to raise an army of uncontrollable vampires. With her statuesque assistant Elise at her side she realizes that she needs more information than the two of them can access. Therefore Kate turns to her usual sources of information, her exes. Patrick is unable to help because of his new nubile girlfriend, picture Kate fifteen years ago and you get the picture, Eve is now Batman apparently, terrifyingly Corin has escaped from prison, and Nim says that the answer to everything is in the dreams Kate keeps having about a dark force rising in London. A dark force that the Council fears, that is charge of the vampire army, and that could kill Kate in her dreams. Great.

Shadow and Dreams had the chance to flesh out the world of Kate Kane and instead it decided to lean into the pop cultural ephemera that distanced the reader from the narrative in the first book. If the references somehow actually worked within the story I might be more forgiving, but instead Kate appears to not even comprehend all the references so it feels more like the author talking to the reader through Kate without bothering to flesh Kate out. Kate's like Alexis Hall's mouthpiece where she's parroting references to Fifty Shades of Grey and Narnia and very specific YA authors and more fucking Richard Curtis films and even Star Wars without her even knowing what they are. And the worst part is, this makes her seem dumb. I'm not saying she is dumb, I'm saying she has "no intellectual curiosity," and her whole life is suspect. She's very two-dimensional; booze and broads, that's all she's about. She has no other interests, so perhaps the name-checking shared cultural experiences is another way to give her depth without bothering to put in the work, just like how Twilight is her whole backstory. Also, could we start distancing this series from Twilight instead of leaning in because once the spider monkey was brought up it broke me. Just fuck off, enough already. WE GET IT! Here's what Alexis Hall doesn't get, I'm starting to think the Twilight books were better written. I certainly enjoyed them more. I don't want to be reading a pale imitation of the original. Yes, Twilight should be mocked, but the longer the joke goes on the less funny it becomes. It should have been a starting off point instead of the only point. Also, when I said let's move on I didn't mean to start taking plot points from other authors. Every Sherlock Holmes fan will instantly recognize the plot to "The Adventure of the Six Napoleons" and be wondering why it is even in here. I mean really, why!?! The problem I'm having with this series is I can sense what Alexis Hall is trying to do, kind of a female John Constantine, even if Kate's named after another DC superhero, but over two books now this hasn't gelled. Yes, I got some answers this time around, I now know that her apartment and her office are in two separate locations and the drink is to dull the call of her mother's powers, but that isn't enough to build a series on. The concept of Twilight was barely enough to build a series on, a Twilight parody is definitely not enough to build a series on.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alexis Hall, Femme Fatale, John Constantine, Julian Saint-Germain, Kate Kane, London Calling, Noir, Parody, Shadows and Dreams, Sherlock Holmes, The Adventure of the Six Napoleons, Twilight, Vampires

The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith
Published by: Mulholland Books
Publication Date: June 17th, 2014
Format: Hardcover, 464 Pages
Rating: ★★★
To Buy

Leonora Quine's husband Owen is missing. He was once a literary success story, but not anymore. His latest novel, Bombyx Mori, which slanders those he holds responsible for his fall from grace has been leaked. He could be in hiding, worrying about the repercussions of having his protagonist eaten alive by the cruel caricatures of his colleagues. All his wife knows is that she needs Owen back to help with their developmentally disabled child. So she turns to Cormoran Strike, whose detective agency is on firmer footing since the infamous Lula Landry case. Strike thinks that one of the seven people depicted in the book is sure to know something. And when Cormoran finds Quine's body strung up in an abandoned house, pulled apart and doused in acid, just like a scene in his leaked manuscript, those seven people all become murder suspects because of Quine's slander. There's Owen's wife, Lenora, then there's his lover, Kathryn Kent, and her protégée, Pippa Midgley, his agent, Elizabeth Tassel, his editor, Jerry Waldegrave, his publisher, Daniel Chard, and his rival, Michael Fancourt. Cormoran meets with each and every one of these people, often over drawn out meals, and they all point the finger at each other. The truth is each and every one of them has a reason for wanting Quine dead. But the police are convinced it's Leonora. Cormoran must get his client cleared and so he starts to narrow in on Fancourt. Fancourt's first wife committed suicide after her book was lambasted by a cruel parody. Fancourt has always believed Quine was the author of that parody. But what if Quine wasn't? What if Quine didn't even write Bombyx Mori? Yes, that is the title of the book he was working on, but once Kathryn and Pippa get their hands on the leaked manuscript they notice major differences to the work in progress that Quine was showing them. Could one person be behind both attacks on this literary group? And if so, will they strike again if they think they are in danger or simply frame someone else to take the fall?

I will admit, it has taken me awhile to warm to Rowling's new series. While there is oddly a similarity between Harry and Cormoran, both being people thrust into the limelight who don't want to be there, this series is almost all about character and doesn't have the action of constantly avoiding death time and time again. It's not even about the mystery, it's about the characters. Which leads to the book occasionally dragging. Rowling is in no hurry to wrap things up. I could say she did this on purpose because this is probably a more realistic PI story because it takes time to get around to all the clues and to get everyone interviewed. But I think she was just enjoying herself with this scathing roman a clef that she didn't really think too much about finally revealing the killer. Because this is an insiders look at the publishing world and all that entails. It entails a lot of meals if you were wondering. And backstabbing. And backbiting. And general dislike of everyone else. You eventually get to the point where you're wondering if Rowling is using this as some kind of therapy to vent all her frustrations on the would in which she has become the darling. Perhaps she's even wondering what will happen when she falls from grace? Seeing as the book within the book is libelous slander against other writers I can't help but wonder if all these people in Quine's orbit are actually based on real people in Rowling's. Could she be using a book about using a book to exact revenge to exact her own revenge? We will probably never know. But that insular little literary world while interesting, up to a point, is ultimately the downfall of the book reaching perfection. It's too insular without explanation. So Strike, and therefore the reader, are just left scratching their heads instead of coming to any sort of appreciation. Perhaps the next book is when she'll hit her stride? And hopefully kill Robin's fiance Matthew.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Authors, Bombyx Mori, Cormoran Strike, J.K. Rowling, Literary World, Lula Landry, Meals, Murder Most Foul, Owen Quine, Parody, Revenge, Robert Galbraith, Roman A Clef, Slander, The Silkworm

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Published by: Little Books Ltd
Publication Date: 1817
Format: Hardcover, 240 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy (different edition than one reviewed)

Catherine Morland isn't like the Gothic heroines she loves to read about; her name is prosaic, she's a content and happy girl who could never think badly of anyone and is surrounded by a big family who love her. But more importantly, alas, she's never even been to a crumbling castle or monastery let alone to the South of France where she could be held hostage. Her first real adventure is when her kindly and wealthy neighbors, the Allens, invite Catherine to accompany them to Bath. Mrs. Allen views Bath in the first few days of their residence as rather boring as they have no acquaintances, but that is soon about to change. Catherine's first acquaintance is a Mr. Henry Tilney, a lovely young man who dances with her and disappears. Her second acquaintance appears as if she'll be around longer. Isabella Thorpe is the daughter of an old classmate of Mrs. Allen's and they soon become fast friends. It transpires that Isabella's brother John is friends with Catherine's brother James, and soon Isabella is confiding her feelings for James to Catherine all while trying to get Catherine and John together. Wouldn't it be wonderful to be sisters twice over!?! But despite just that one meeting Catherine's heart already belongs to Henry Tilney. Luckily for her he soon returns to Bath, bringing along his sister Eleanor and his rather forbidding father. As is often the case with young girls, battle lines are drawn, Isabella wants Catherine to be hers alone now that she has become engaged to James, yet Catherine is defiant and sticks to the Tilneys. In fact Catherine shortly leaves Bath with the Tilneys for their ancestral home, Northanger Abbey. All the complications of Bath are behind Catherine but will she create her own obstacles in the Gothic surroundings of an old abbey that might thwart her and Henry's happily ever after? Or did the Thorpes already plan for her disappointment?

Northanger Abbey in my mind is unfairly the most maligned of Austen's novels. The reason is because it's not what people expect. It's not like her other books and I think that is precisely the reason it holds such a special place in my heart. Admittedly the first time I read it I was thrown, because being released after her death you think it will adhere more to her later works, whereas in truth because of when it was written it's more a transitional novel bridging the style of her juvenilia and her later work. Therefore it's only on subsequent re-reads that you can fully appreciate Northanger Abbey for what it is. This book is unbalanced, it's not perfect, but it so clearly shows what Austen will be capable of with her wry observational style in the first section of the book. Which is why so many people say the book gives them such hope only to fall apart. While the second half is weaker, it shows that she is capable of seeing her concept through to the end. Because Northanger Abbey was written as a parody of Gothic literature, so therefore she had to take it to it's logical conclusion of Catherine thinking laundry lists are secrets of the dead. The way Austen even parodies the origin stories of heroines is spot on. Plus, it's totally meta! So in other words, to fully appreciate Northanger Abbey you need to read something Gothic then come back and read how Austen tells her version... It's a little snarky, but in my mind nearly perfect. As a parody it is a wonderful send-up of the popular literature of the time, but as proto-Austen the first half is a glimpse into the writer she will become. That this is what she will be known for. For her humor, for what she will become, for the feelings, all the feelings I have each time I re-read this book, it is easily in my top three of Austen's six novels no matter my current rankings.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Bath, Catherine Morland, Gothic, Gothic Heroine, Henry Tilney, Isabella Thorpe, Juvenilia, Laundry Lists, Meta, Northanger Abbey, Observational Style, Parody, Proto-Austen, Ranking, Regency Romp, Wry Humor

I unabashedly adore Northanger Abbey. This is something that took me quite a long time to discover. I had actually never re-read Northanger Abbey after first reading it right after high school when I was too naive to get the Gothic parody aspect and therefore ranked it as Austen's worst novel. Older, and hopefully wiser, I reevaluted the novel and adored it for it's humor. And as for Henry Tilney? He instantly became my favorite Austen hero. Why? Because he is a fully rounded character, not some ideal. He has a sense of humor, he loves to read, and well, he's not perfect and somehow that makes him perfect. Which brings me to the masterful portrayal of Henry Tilney by J.J. Feild. In fact, I'm sure that my reconsideration of Henry was in no small part helped by J.J. There's only so much a book can do until you can affix a visual to a character, which is why I often dream cast books as I read them. I couldn't have done better than J.J. for Henry Tilney. The humor? The arch looks? He's perfection. He nails the comedy but he can combine it with pathos and stern censor yet all coming from the heart. He became my heartthrob. I've watched everything he's been in since, yes, even Captain America. I even tried my hardest to like TURN with his little rat tail, but even he couldn't elevate that show. But while I'll always point to Northanger Abbey as the true beginning of my crush, the zenith is Austenland. Though I do wonder if the little Gothic fantasies of Catherine might supersede the perfection of Austenland. These are not only hilarious, I think they are the key to the dramatization of Northanger Abbey. It's not just seeing Catherine actually dressed up as the heroine she wishes herself to be pursued by villains, it's that these overacted vignettes show perfectly her overactive imagination and how she is later able to suspect Henry's father of murder. What's more they perfectly capture the tone Austen was aiming for in her parodying of Gothic literature. Northanger Abbey was written from a place of mocking love, you can see Austen herself has read and devoured these novels from Mrs. Radcliffe and Lewis, how else could she know them so well to then poke fun of them? And J.J. as a "vampire?" Really, that's all I should need to say for this entire review, J.J. is a sexy vampire. The end.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Andrew Davies, Austenland, Captain America, Catherine Morland, Felicity Jones, Fifty Years a Masterpiece, Gothic, Henry Tilney, J.J. Feild, Jane Austen, Lewis, Mrs. Radcliffe, Northanger Abbey, Parody, TURN, Vampire

My love of all things Gothic isn't going away anytime soon, so I figure, Going Gothic is here to stay. A permanent fixture during the blustery time of year when the snow melts and reveals all the secrets it's been hiding. Even though that can happen as late as May in Wisconsin, I am ever hopeful that it will be in March. What I love about the "umbrella" of the term Gothic is that so many books can fit under it, from romantic parody of the Gothic tropes, to all out horror, and everything in between, and yes, that is basically what you're getting this time around. A veritable cornucopia of Gothic goodness. Also here's hoping, knock on wood, that I do not have a whole bunch of health issues, including the worst cold I might have ever had, happen again this month so everything arrives on time instead of a few hours to a few weeks later... sorry Assassination Vacation, you will shortly have all your posts up. I think.  

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Assassination Vacation, Going Gothic, Gothic, Health Issues, Horror, Parody, Sick, Wisconsin