Three Reviews for One
The Book
I just - finally, after multiple attempts - finished H. P. Lovecraft's Book of Horror, which starts with his essay "Supernatural Horror in Literature" and then dives into about 20 of the stories mentioned therein. All are written/published in the late-nineteenth or early-twentieth century, and there are some real gems among those included. Some stories drag a bit, but that is easily attributed to both genre and time period. Overall a well-composed anthology, and certainly a strong exploration into the genre of Weird Fiction. I highly recommend it, if you can find a copy; if not, I can likely be convinced to lend mine out.
The Blog
caprine recently posted directions on her blog to Mark Reads Twilight. Being a Literature Major and obscene bibliophile, I decided to read through the blog, figuring it would be a good SparkNotes, and save me 1000+ pages of books I expected to despise. It's a bit heavy on personal back story of the blogger, Mark, and he frequently repeats his rage at the blatant misogyny/racism/Mormon themes, but at least uses copious amounts of evidence to back up his claims. Some of the links appear broken, referring instead to the previous chapter, but the descriptions of each chapter are amusing. If you plan to avoid Twilight, please keep on chugging; if you even consider for one moment reading it, let Mark guide you through with his wit and charm. You might save SAN points that way.
The Film
Friends of mine at my College Gamer's Table (a.k.a. The Guys) exposed me at one point to Feast (2005). While blatant in its use of monster-sex and gore, the film is incredibly amusing for those who've seen monster/slasher movies and know the tropes. The style of introduction to each of the characters is amusing and self-mocking, especially when examined over the course of the film. The characters are able to both fill their somewhat stereotypical roles - including that of the kick-ass woman who doesn't fucking care because I have monsters to kill - and at the same time endear themselves to the audience with bits of back story and on-screen development. Wildly self-mocking, the film is a fun ride and if you can make it through the gore, worth the time.
I just - finally, after multiple attempts - finished H. P. Lovecraft's Book of Horror, which starts with his essay "Supernatural Horror in Literature" and then dives into about 20 of the stories mentioned therein. All are written/published in the late-nineteenth or early-twentieth century, and there are some real gems among those included. Some stories drag a bit, but that is easily attributed to both genre and time period. Overall a well-composed anthology, and certainly a strong exploration into the genre of Weird Fiction. I highly recommend it, if you can find a copy; if not, I can likely be convinced to lend mine out.
The Blog
caprine recently posted directions on her blog to Mark Reads Twilight. Being a Literature Major and obscene bibliophile, I decided to read through the blog, figuring it would be a good SparkNotes, and save me 1000+ pages of books I expected to despise. It's a bit heavy on personal back story of the blogger, Mark, and he frequently repeats his rage at the blatant misogyny/racism/Mormon themes, but at least uses copious amounts of evidence to back up his claims. Some of the links appear broken, referring instead to the previous chapter, but the descriptions of each chapter are amusing. If you plan to avoid Twilight, please keep on chugging; if you even consider for one moment reading it, let Mark guide you through with his wit and charm. You might save SAN points that way.
The Film
Friends of mine at my College Gamer's Table (a.k.a. The Guys) exposed me at one point to Feast (2005). While blatant in its use of monster-sex and gore, the film is incredibly amusing for those who've seen monster/slasher movies and know the tropes. The style of introduction to each of the characters is amusing and self-mocking, especially when examined over the course of the film. The characters are able to both fill their somewhat stereotypical roles - including that of the kick-ass woman who doesn't fucking care because I have monsters to kill - and at the same time endear themselves to the audience with bits of back story and on-screen development. Wildly self-mocking, the film is a fun ride and if you can make it through the gore, worth the time.