Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Classic Sci-Fi: Should You Read It? Metropolis

Metropolis by Thea von Harbou

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Classic Sci-Fi: Should You Read It? is a self-imposed project in which I read pre-1990 science fiction novels and categorize them as “classis sci-fi you should read,” “classic sci-fi you should read if you’re all hardcore about it,” or “classic sci-fi you don’t have to read.” For background on my project, please see the introduction to my review of 1984. Metropolis was written by Thea von Harbou in 1923 in Germany in conjunction with the screenplay for the silent movie by her husband Fritz Lang, […]

Can you DNF a Five Star Read? I did.

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

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Picture it. Sicily, 1922. Wait, no. That’s not right. Picture it. April 2, 2024. I’m preparing for international travel, and I have this vague desire to read On Theme. But I have no idea what to read, and have way too many books to slog through. I know I want to read digitally, because taking print books on a two-week trip to another country is a terrible idea when you own a kindle. But what do I want to read? I ask around online, because […]

Magic and Anxiety

Secret Passages 1985-1986 by Axelle Lenoir

The Ghostkeeper by Johanna Taylor

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Secret Passages 1985-1986 by Axelle Lenoir – 3 stars In an effort to untangle her complicated feelings about the loss of her cosmic twin, author Axelle decides to unspool her life in an off-kilter autobiographical comic. This is a surreal and funny graphic novel which depicts a year in young Axelle’s life as she starts going to school, forms a strange connection with the forest by her home, and begins to suffer in the grip of acute anxiety. The art is both atmospheric and humorous, […]

Zombies, and cops, and religious zealots, Oh My!

Revival: Deluxe Collection, Volume 1 by Tim Seeley

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Do you like horror with romance, religion, horrific secrets and one crazy (and dead) poet? Then, you probably should read Revival: Deluxe Collection, Volume 1 (which includes volumes one to eleven). The gore and violence is borderline gratuitous at times and other times goes well over the decency mark. There is sex, drugs and probably some rock and roll (but I was too busy covering my virtual ears from the saw that’s (spoiler) chopping up a body, to notice). If you have any kind of […]

Lady pirate called out of retirement for, “One last job”.

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty

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I was introduced to Shannon Chakraborty writing under the name S.A. Chakraborty through her book The City of Brass, first book in the Daevabad trilogy.  There was a lot I liked about it; excellent Middle Eastern inspired fantasy world building, an engaging story, and a great female main protagonist.  Yet, I disliked how pretty much the only female character was the main one. The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi also has excellent Middle Eastern inspired fantasy world building.  This time it’s set on the Indian Ocean during the […]

Think Small

Small World by Tabitha King

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While lurking in the r/StephenKing subreddit (as many Constant Readers do), an interesting post caught my eye, asking if anyone had read the novel Small World by King’s wife, Tabitha. Intrigued, I looked further and found that the book was apparently a pulpy and entertaining entry in the ‘body horror’ genre, with a focus on miniaturization. Fun! What follows is a messy, poorly characterized novel based on an intriguing premise and not much else. What if, somehow, the technology of miniaturization not only existed, but […]



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