Number 65- On Fridays We Eat Meat- A S Hopewell

 

Now this is an interesting one. I don't actually know who wrote this.  There is a choice of 7 authors, one more likely than the others. The Eden Book Society is a literary hoax by Dead Ink Press featuring novellas allegedly written for a secret society over the last 100 years and only recently rediscovered. In reality, they're written by a selection of modern authors in the style of...

This is part of the 1993 collection.  there are 8 books and we know who they are, but not which book they wrote. (Grady Hendrix definitely wrote one specific volume but not this one.  Since we know which one he wrote, that's why we have a choice of 7 here)

This being set in Nigeria leads me to think the actual write is Chikodili Emelumadu, since none of the other writers have African sounding names.

Gozie is a tweenage tomboy who likes to hang around with her best friends Mbembe and Chuma, doing the things pre-teens do in Nigerian townships. When the trio find that one of their favourite places to hang out (an empty house on a well off estate) now has a new owner, events start to spiral. 

The new owner welcomes them in, but he's not what he seems to be and supernatural forces soon threaten Gozie and her friends. 

It's difficult to say more without spoilers. This is a quick read and fairly effectively written. I loved the insight into the poorer edges of Nigerian society and the class struggles which seem extreme by western standards. The supernatural elements are blended nicely into the narrative and it picks up pace for a bloody finale.

If the rest of the Eden Book Society works are to this standard, I will be a very happy man indeed,

Number 64- Doctor Andromeda and the Kingdom of Lost Tomorrows- Lemire et al

 

And another entry into the world of Black Hammer.

This is almost a standalone with no obvious tie in barring a couple of one panel cameos by characters from the larger series.

This may well be the saddest (in a good way) superhero graphic novel I've ever read. Doctor Andromeda Is a golden age hero protecting Spiral City. When he answers a distress call from deep space, he sets off a chain of events that will destroy his home life in ways that he cannot repair, regardless of how powerful he might be.

Lemire is on top form here and I definitely had something in my eye in the closing pages.  I wasn't welling up a bit honest.

Max Fiumara's art is top notch. It perfectly matches the storytelling, and features some of the best double page spreads I've seen in a long while.

The next few Black Hammer volumes are a priority when I am financially solvent again.

Number 63- Bloodshot Reborn The Analog Man- Lemire et al

 

Continuing the Bloodshot reborn series, in this, volume 3, we have apparently jumped 30 years into the future, into yet another of Lemire's post apocalyptic settings.

Bloodshot is now a protector of a small settlement in a Mad Max style future. He's technologically almost obsolete in this future, hence the title.

This is probably my least favouite so far since it does seem at times like a rinse and repeat of themes from his other series. However it does redeem itself (almost) by the ending. 

The artwork by Lewis Larosa is stunning throughout.  That cannot be faulted.  This book is a thing of beauty.

I will be ordering volume 4 on payday.

Number 62- Little- Edward Carey

 

Regular readers of this blog will know how much I like Edward Carey's books. I think this may be the longest of his that I've read so far, and that is a great thing!  More of his writing, more of his wonderful and weird artwork!

This one is a fictionalised biography of Anna Marie Grosholtz- better known to the world by her eventual married name of Madame Tussaud, and to her friends, in this version of her life, as Little. It follows her life from early childhood through to her marriage and relocation to London.

The key points of her life are all here. The deaths of her parents and her tutelage under Doctor Curtius in the art of shaping wax, her alleged time as tutor to Elisabeth, the sister of the King, the terror of the French revolution, and the founding of the famous London Gallery.

There are some fictional characters of course,  who serve to move the plot, and what great characters they are.  The Widow Picot is one of the most vile and loathesome characters I've read in many years.  I hated her with a vengeance, but Carey is skillful enough that even I sympathised with her by the end of her story arc.

As I reached the last 20% of this book I was genuinely sad that I was going to finish it soon. I wanted to stay in revolutionary France with Marie's (Little's)  narration for longer. I was genuinely moved by the fates of many of the characters as they passed from Little's life, one way or another. In modern yoof speak, this book hit me right in the feels. 

It's an easy contender for the best book of the year. It may well be my favourite Edward Carey book so far- and that's really saying something.

Number 61- Holly- Stephen King

 

The fifth book to feature Holly Gibney, who first appeared on the sidelines in Mr Mercedes. this one pissed off a lot of people when it came out. For some reason, they didn't think a book with a hypochondriac main character, set in the middle of the pandemic should mention COVID. Idiots.

Regular readers of this blog will know I'm a big fan of Mr King and this was a novel I was highly anticipating. 

In the middle of the Covid years, Holly, trying to get over the recent death (by Covid) of her mother, takes on a case looking for a missing girl. While looking for the girl, she finds out about a number of other disappearances in the area over the past few years. She's unwittingly stumbled into the middle of a serial killer case.

The killers are an elderly pair of professors from the local university who rank amongst the vilest characters (in a good way) that King has so far created. I won't say why they're taking people off the streets, that's something you need to discover for yourself.

As usual with King, this starts fairly slowly but builds tension brilliantly. I had to read the last 150 pages in one sitting.  I was NOT going to put that book down.

This is also notable for King using a selection of Shreddies to great effect. He doesn't often do that.

I had a great time with this. I suspect King knew how much it would annoy certain tracts of people and had fun with that too. Highly recommended. If you disagree with his politics, you'll hate it though.

Number 60- The Sideways Life of Denny Voss- Holly Kennedy

 

This was a book group choice and a brand new author for me so I had no clue past the cover blurb what to expect.  The cover burb had potential but sounded like the book could go either way.

Denny Voss is a developmentally challenged man who keeps getting into weird scrapes. He's been in trouble with the police twice before- for kidnapping Tom Hanks (a goose), and for accidentally helping in a bank robbery.  However this time he's suspected of murder, and it's not going to go away quickly like the last two did. His life has slipped too far sideways and only the whole truth about his life can help him.

I fell in love with Denny and his idiosyncratic voice in the first few pages.  He's such a brilliantly written character and a perfect narrator. 

This book is hysterically funny, and most of the humour comes from us seeing Denny through the other person's point of view, despite it being Denny telling the story. That takes talent to pull off and Holly Kennedy manages it with apparent ease.

The supporting cast are all beautifully drawn through the filter of Denny's unique viewpoint. I'm not sure that eidetic memories like Denny's normally come attached to an IQ of 72, but I rolled with it rather than question it.  The book is too much fun to quibble over points like that.

The solution of the mystery was quite obvious, for the who, but the why was gradually revealed across the book and was perfectly satisfying.  If you start overthinking, there are a couple of very minor plot holes if you consider the forensics of the situation. So don't overthink it, and you should love this novel. 

A light easy read, damned funny, and pretty heartbreaking in places.  I unreservedly recommend it.  A solid 9/10