Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time
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About MarkAbaddon

CBR11 participant
CBR12 participant
CBR13 participant
CBR14 Participant
CBR15 Participant

Somehow I have turned into a real life Ross Geller, having now been married 3 times. Otherwise, just your normal Jewish geek living in MN. (Learn more about this Cannonballer: MarkAbaddon's Quick Questions interview.)

MarkAbaddon's Reviews:

The Book Thief – an absolutely beautiful story

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

July 10, 2020 by MarkAbaddon Leave a Comment

I am late to the party, I admit it. This book has been out for a long time, won many awards, and even been turned into a film (which I plan on watching this weekend). Yet I had not read it until very recently. That is my loss, because this novel is fabulous. Usually, one can categorize a book pretty clearly, but not in this case. Yes, Death is the narrator here and there are descriptions of souls but does that make it fantasy? Nah. […]

Filed Under: Fiction, History, Speculative Fiction Tagged With: Death, growing up, life, Markus Zusak, Nazi Germany, Speculative Fiction, Young Adult, young love

MarkAbaddon's CBR12 Review No:14 · Genres: Fiction, History, Speculative Fiction · Tags: Death, growing up, life, Markus Zusak, Nazi Germany, Speculative Fiction, Young Adult, young love ·
· 0 Comments

A Disappointing Story but one with interesting ideas

Unsouled by Will Wight

July 2, 2020 by MarkAbaddon Leave a Comment

I hate writing reviews on books I did not like, but it is necessary. I go to a lot of websites and on one of them, cannot remember which one, this series was suggested as a different take on fantasy. And it is. Unfortunately, it also does not apply a consistent set of rules to the world that is described and has a main character that is unlikable. The story is a basic Campbell-esque hero saga one where a young man, who has a difficulty […]

Filed Under: Fiction Tagged With: #fantasy, martial arts, Will Wight

MarkAbaddon's CBR12 Review No:13 · Genres: Fiction · Tags: #fantasy, martial arts, Will Wight ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

New treasures from Octavia Butler

Unexpected Stories by Octavia Butler

July 2, 2020 by MarkAbaddon Leave a Comment

Some days, the gods just smile on you. I was walking into Dreamhaven Bookstore in Minneapolis (and if you are in the area, check it out, one of the best places for Neil Gaiman/anime/science fiction stuff in the upper Midwest) when I saw an entire shelf devoted to the works of Ms. Butler. I had read Lillith’s Brood many years before and loved it but loaned out my copy and it was never returned. So I purchased a number of works and started with Unexpected […]

Filed Under: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Speculative Fiction Tagged With: #Science Fiction, afrofuturism, Anti-Racism, octavia butler, sci-fi

MarkAbaddon's CBR12 Review No:12 · Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Speculative Fiction · Tags: #Science Fiction, afrofuturism, Anti-Racism, octavia butler, sci-fi ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

Station Eleven-a surprisingly optimistic apocalyptic story

Station Eleven by Emily Saint John Mandel

April 16, 2020 by MarkAbaddon 3 Comments

I admit, when I saw this come up as a featured book for Cannonball Read, I was a bit wary. Not because I was not a fan of the book, I was. However, reading a book about society rebuilding after a devastating plague seemed a bit masochistic during these days of isolation due to COVID-19. But I am glad I did. This books speaks to the resiliency of our species, both from a physical, as well as a cultural standpoint. One of the keys to […]

Filed Under: Fiction, Speculative Fiction Tagged With: apocalypse, Emily Saint John Mandel, Fiction, Michigan

MarkAbaddon's CBR12 Review No:11 · Genres: Fiction, Speculative Fiction · Tags: apocalypse, Emily Saint John Mandel, Fiction, Michigan ·
Rating:
· 3 Comments

An excellent adaptation of a classic novel

Kindred by Octavia Butler

April 13, 2020 by MarkAbaddon Leave a Comment

Some stories hit you harder than others. Reading this graphic novel, shortly after watching the film Harriet, struck like a thunderbolt. Some people, mostly belonging to a certain political party, have attempted to make slavery seem not so bad. Which is why works like Kindred are so important. In Kindred, Dana, a young black woman, married to a white man in 1976, finds herself transported back the mid 1800s to save a white ancestor of hers. She bounces back and forth between the time periods […]

Filed Under: Fiction, Graphic Novels/Comic Books, History, Speculative Fiction Tagged With: #Science Fiction, Fiction, Graphic Novel, historical fiction, octavia butler, Racism, Slavery, time travel

MarkAbaddon's CBR12 Review No:10 · Genres: Fiction, Graphic Novels/Comic Books, History, Speculative Fiction · Tags: #Science Fiction, Fiction, Graphic Novel, historical fiction, octavia butler, Racism, Slavery, time travel ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

The Book of the Phoenix-a great work by a new favorite author

The Book of the Phoenix by Nnedi Okorafor

February 29, 2020 by MarkAbaddon 3 Comments

I first heard of the works of Nnedi Okorafor through a friend who attended a writing workshop with her many years ago but this is the first work of hers that I have read. And I loved it but it is a complicated, dense work. The story begins in Africa. The world has been devastated by some calamity and this older man is seeking shelter to avoid an unusual storm. In a cave, he finds computers that provide him with a recording of the woman […]

Filed Under: Fiction, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction Tagged With: Africa, afrofuturism, dystopia, Nnedi Okorafor, revenge, Speculative Fiction

MarkAbaddon's CBR12 Review No:9 · Genres: Fiction, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction · Tags: Africa, afrofuturism, dystopia, Nnedi Okorafor, revenge, Speculative Fiction ·
Rating:
· 3 Comments
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