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ominousspectre's reviews
244 reviews
The Outsider by H.P. Lovecraft
3.25
under no circumstances do I "gotta hand it to HP Lovecraft"
but this was.. good. REALLY reminiscent of Frankenstein though so... realistically go read Frankenstein
but this was.. good. REALLY reminiscent of Frankenstein though so... realistically go read Frankenstein
The Monkey's Paw by W.W. Jacobs
3.5
Ignoring the Orientalism I should have expected of a story from this time period, it's a good little be careful what you wish for sort of tale
Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohamed
5.0
the amount of effort and love this author put into the world setting, down to the intermission graphics about how wishes have been used (and abused) through time in itself deserves 5 stars. Let alone how beautiful this was.
The Last Phi Hunter by Salinee Goldenberg
4.0
You know, I had half a mind to doc a quarter star for the romance miscommunication mess, HOWEVER I liked the world building and the rest of the story so much that I will choose to 'pretend I do not see it' 🙂↕️
I also love a protagonist that's a stupid fucking dumbass, my son, my boy failure
I also love a protagonist that's a stupid fucking dumbass, my son, my boy failure
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual violence
Inanna, Lady of Largest Heart: Poems of the Sumerian High Priestess Enheduanna by Enheduanna, Betty de Shong Meador
3.0
Oof, this is a tough one, and get ready for a rant my friends (TLDR at the end)
Parts of this I really liked and found very informative, despite the fact that the author is not a historian or archaeologist - she is a Jungian psychologist. This becomes evident in her interpretations. She particularly calls for reinterpretations of historical findings, as often the original interpretations were by one group of people (cishet white men). I agree with this of course, however!!
On the other hand, this does not exempt the author from their own biases, nor does it stop one from projecting their modern day ideas onto an ancient people. This is something we have to be really careful of in interpreting historical events/texts, as we want new interpretations to get us closer to the truth, not what we want to see. Sometimes we can find that ancient peoples were more progressive than we thought! Other times, they can be creating the very same issues we see today. Most of the time, these two things aren't mutually exclusive.
I'm going to try and succinctly make a point about her interpretation of the Inanna and Ebih poem as an example, though please know I have many more points I could make about it that I won't include here. She interprets the poem as Enheduanna rebelling against patriarchal norms in writing Inanna triumphing over Ebih, a mountain that (the author) considers a masculine presence of domination. This completely ignores all of the facts she gives previously that state that Enheduanna is:
1. the daughter of Sargon, the Akkadian King who by that time had conquered much of Sumer
2. placed in Ur by her father as a High Priestess purposefully to quell rebellion in the city
Yes, Enheduanna clearly adores and venerates Inanna, but she is also clearly reappropriating a Sumerian goddess as a means of asserting control. This is a classic tactic in imperialism/colonialism that's been seen throughout history. Enheduanna is the daughter of Ur's conquerer, and Inanna conquers Ebih in this story, who tried to create a natural world free of the gods' influence. Based on what you've shown me, this reads as a conquerer's story.
Now that's not me trying to say that Enheduanna was an evil scheming Priestess hell bent on her father's plans. We'll never know her personal thoughts unless we find evidence of them. But we can interpret this based on the world she lived in.
Anyways, I have many more opinions, do not get me started on how the author interprets menstrual isolation.
TLDR: All of us have biases when looking at history, and we have to actively reflect on our own as we interpret what we have left of those who came before us
Parts of this I really liked and found very informative, despite the fact that the author is not a historian or archaeologist - she is a Jungian psychologist. This becomes evident in her interpretations. She particularly calls for reinterpretations of historical findings, as often the original interpretations were by one group of people (cishet white men). I agree with this of course, however!!
On the other hand, this does not exempt the author from their own biases, nor does it stop one from projecting their modern day ideas onto an ancient people. This is something we have to be really careful of in interpreting historical events/texts, as we want new interpretations to get us closer to the truth, not what we want to see. Sometimes we can find that ancient peoples were more progressive than we thought! Other times, they can be creating the very same issues we see today. Most of the time, these two things aren't mutually exclusive.
I'm going to try and succinctly make a point about her interpretation of the Inanna and Ebih poem as an example, though please know I have many more points I could make about it that I won't include here. She interprets the poem as Enheduanna rebelling against patriarchal norms in writing Inanna triumphing over Ebih, a mountain that (the author) considers a masculine presence of domination. This completely ignores all of the facts she gives previously that state that Enheduanna is:
1. the daughter of Sargon, the Akkadian King who by that time had conquered much of Sumer
2. placed in Ur by her father as a High Priestess purposefully to quell rebellion in the city
Yes, Enheduanna clearly adores and venerates Inanna, but she is also clearly reappropriating a Sumerian goddess as a means of asserting control. This is a classic tactic in imperialism/colonialism that's been seen throughout history. Enheduanna is the daughter of Ur's conquerer, and Inanna conquers Ebih in this story, who tried to create a natural world free of the gods' influence. Based on what you've shown me, this reads as a conquerer's story.
Now that's not me trying to say that Enheduanna was an evil scheming Priestess hell bent on her father's plans. We'll never know her personal thoughts unless we find evidence of them. But we can interpret this based on the world she lived in.
Anyways, I have many more opinions, do not get me started on how the author interprets menstrual isolation.
TLDR: All of us have biases when looking at history, and we have to actively reflect on our own as we interpret what we have left of those who came before us
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual violence
Possible sexual violence hinted at in the third poem
We Need to Do Something by Max Booth III
2.0
I saw this was a movie and was intrigued by the concept.
The writing is...young. It is from the perspective of a teen, but it felt like something I would've written AS a teen. It was also very heavy handed, while never really digging into anything.
I did want to know how it ended though, so I'll give it that
The writing is...young. It is from the perspective of a teen, but it felt like something I would've written AS a teen. It was also very heavy handed, while never really digging into anything.
I did want to know how it ended though, so I'll give it that
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Gore
Minor: Sexual violence
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by Ursula K. Le Guin
5.0
The trouble is that we have a bad habit, encouraged by pedants and sophisticates, of considering happiness as something rather stupid. Only pain is intellectual, only evil interesting. This is the treason of the artist: a refusal to admit the banality of evil and the terrible boredom of pain.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo
3.75
Spill enough blood on it, and the earth was bound to go strange.
So I was hesitant to pick this up, as I saw that the main character's transness was very integral to the plot. I often find that equates to an almost obsessive focus on trans suffering, and I generally find that exhausting and reductive. If our suffering is all we have to share, what message does that send to everyone?
HOWEVER
I was pleasantly surprised this book didn't do this. The portrayal is honest, still gritty and hard at times, but honest. I really loved it up until the climax. Leslie and Stevie's romance felt particularly forced and unnecessary. So did themonsterfucking . That really took me out of it.
Overall though, impressed with this and the level of historical research done here. Would read more of this author.
So I was hesitant to pick this up, as I saw that the main character's transness was very integral to the plot. I often find that equates to an almost obsessive focus on trans suffering, and I generally find that exhausting and reductive. If our suffering is all we have to share, what message does that send to everyone?
HOWEVER
I was pleasantly surprised this book didn't do this. The portrayal is honest, still gritty and hard at times, but honest. I really loved it up until the climax. Leslie and Stevie's romance felt particularly forced and unnecessary. So did the
Overall though, impressed with this and the level of historical research done here. Would read more of this author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia
Minor: Racism and Sexual violence
The main character is essentially girl moding, so they are misgendered a majority of the time. If that's too much for you, probably not the read you're looking for.