GentleRain – Page 12 – Cannonball Read 17

No More Robert Bloch For Me

More Nightmares by Robert Bloch

January 11, 2024 by GentleRain Leave a Comment

This is my second time reading a collection of Robert Bloch short stories and my last. His stories are never real standouts for me and there was one in particular in this collection that was so racist it turned me off of him completely as a writer. The cover is great, though, very eye-catching and a fun example of classic 1960s SF/F art. I wish they listed who did it in the copyright page, but at this time I guess it was seen as work […]

Trying to Come Up With Some Pros Here

Orbit 10 by Damon Knight (Editor)

January 8, 2024 by GentleRain Leave a Comment

I’m going to try to list some pros here so that this is not yet another one of my reviews about how I’m grimly slogging through these 1960s/1970s collections (this one in particular is from 1972, so the worst of both worlds). Pro: the cover is very fun and mysterious. I like that it shows a weird space world and I like a painted cover, so this is a win in my book. The cover text is a nice font and has a strong impact. […]

“The stories in this anthology trust their worlds and characters completely, and because we can sense the author’s confidence, we are willing to trust them in return.”

The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2023 by Edited by R.F. Kuang

January 7, 2024 by GentleRain Leave a Comment

This is always one of the highlights of my reading year; I do love a SF/F collection and the contemporary field really clicks with me (more than those 1960s/1970s collections I keep subjecting myself to). John Joseph Adams does a great job setting this up, reviewing all the stories of the year (a gargantuan task), and providing the series editor with 80 stories to choose from. I like seeing what the year’s editor has to say and what picks they make. Having a different editor […]

Two Manga Focusing on Fan Culture

If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It to the Budokan, I Would Die (Vol 1-2) by Auri Hirao

My Coworker Has a Secret! (Vol 1-2) by Mushiro

January 7, 2024 by GentleRain Leave a Comment

The contrast between these series was interesting, because both deal with idol fandom culture and the impact it has on the fan. Both are also light romantic comedies, but I enjoyed My Coworker Has a Secret! much more. If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It to the Budokan, I Would Die follows Eripiyo, who is a huge fan of Maina. Maina is an idol in an underground idol group and is the least popular, with Eripiyo being her only real fan. The main reason is […]

“It wasn’t what I expected when I first met her…but it turns out that Nada’s not that different from my other friends.”

Satoko and Nada Vol. 1 by Yupechika

January 6, 2024 by GentleRain Leave a Comment

This was a random find at Barnes and Noble, and since it was marked down to $7 and I used my $5 rewards, I technically got it for $2. A real deal thanks to the Book Annex discount the store does. Probably due to this title not selling well enough for them to discount it, they only had volume 1 and 3, so I only got volume 1. While I did like it, I don’t think I liked it enough to track down volume 2. […]

A Strong Collection of Horror Stories

The Valancourt Book of Horror Stories: Volume One by Edited by James D. Jenkins & Ryan Cagle

January 5, 2024 by GentleRain Leave a Comment

Another of my Christmas Valancourt books! I was honestly impressed by this collection. It has a consistently high quality of stories and there weren’t any that I thought were especially weak. I also liked that it was a mix of Victorian and more modern stories, which felt like a good back and forth in terms of writing style. There were some legitimately scary stories in here. After slogging through so many indifferent SF/F collections from the 1960s and 1970s over the past few years, this […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

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