Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Night Owls

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James

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Years ago, I worked a late night shift at a security desk. The human body is simply not built for such work. Try as I might, I never really adjusted. I kept hearing noises and thinking there was a looming presence nearby. I gave my ghosts names. I learned to lean into the creepiness, even though I thought disaster was looming at every turn. It’s the typical paranoia induced by a lack of sleep and company. Night shift fiction often takes me back to those […]

Using Lovecraft Against Himself

The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin

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I have to admit: I tried to read N. K. Jemisin’s Fifth Season but had to put it down. The world and premise was good, but something about the style bothered me. I then picked up The City We Became which has an equally interesting premise. I still had some issues with the style, but I did manage to finish it. The City We Became is set in a world where major cities eventually develop avatars, people who represent the spirit of that place incarnate. […]

So close to five stars.

The Sandman, Vol. 6: Fables & Reflections by Neil Gaiman

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I kind of almost want to give this one five stars. And it was all short stories! I’ve been slowly making my way through Sandman since last year, but this is really the first time I feel like I’ve really gotten what this series was about. It was just great from beginning to end. Each of the nine stories were great in their own way, and they tied together thematically as well, but in that subtle way that sneaks up on you slowly. Normally, there’s […]

Zombies in space, with a Lovecraftian twist

Dead Moon by Peter Clines

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Slightly more than two years ago, I stumbled across Peter Clines’ novel of cosmic horror, 14. It wasn’t an earth shatteringly  brilliant story, but, as I described it initially, it “scratched an itch I didn’t know I had”. Since then, I’ve read The Fold, and Paradox Bound. The latter book was fairly disappointing in my opinion, and I was left reframing my thoughts around Peter Clines. 14 was great. The Fold was very good, but I had issues with some of the characters and how […]

Ninth House is great, but it’s not a feel-good read

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

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I feel like I should start this review with some trigger warnings. Ninth House contains multiple descriptions of sexual assault, including assault of a child, bullying, and descriptions of drug use and abuse. I think the book handled these subjects as well as can be expected. I generally don’t read books involving rape or child abuse, so I wouldn’t have read Ninth House if I had known beforehand.  Ninth House is about a young woman named Galaxy (Alex) Stern who is admitted to Yale and inducted […]

Little healthy murder

Lorna by Benji Nate

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If Wednesday Addams, Daria and Emily the Strange got together they might make Lorna. Only Lorna is more psychotic. To say that Benji Nate created a graphic novel with mature themes and dark humor is an understatement. First and foremost, there is violence. And while it is not “out in the open” (though obvious) there might be issues for the reader and there are triggers so you have been warned. Lorna likes daggers/knives. No, she loves them. Her hobby is threatening boys with them. She […]



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