All Consuming : eeio

A review of "The Squirrel Machine" (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (eeio) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 23:55:05 GMT

by Hans Rickheit

very few words and lots of cool illustrations. the story and look is somewhat steampunky. very surreal and grotesque. great use of black space. reminds me a bit of the quay brothers. or should i say, i’d love if they made a movie or short out of this.

A review of "Asterios Polyp"

nobody@allconsuming.net (eeio) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 23:52:09 GMT

Asterios Polyp

by David Mazzucchelli

i really liked this book. it has a lot of creative panel work in a somewhat removed somewhat honest story. it uses very few colors and simple but very elegant lines.

A review of "Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter"

nobody@allconsuming.net (eeio) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 23:44:55 GMT

Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter

this is an adaptation of richard stark’s novel. it’s a sort of hardboil crook story. mostly entertaining. darwyn cooke’s drawings are pretty awesome and dynamic. very cool use of two colors on a sort of tea stained color background.

Consumed "Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter"

nobody@allconsuming.net (eeio) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 23:44:55 GMT

Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter

WORTH IT!

A review of "Mr. X Archives" (rated 4 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (eeio) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 23:41:55 GMT

Mr. X Archives

by Dean Motter

it takes a few pages before it starts growing on you, but at the end you are hooked up. the design of the city is amazing, or amusing in a retro-futuristic kind of fashion. and mister X is a very strange and obsessed character.

A review of "I Love Led Zeppelin" (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (eeio) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 23:36:53 GMT

I Love Led Zeppelin

by Ellen Forney

full of one page stories and quirky stuff this is very enjoyable and inspiring. the series on how tos is great.

Consumed "The Hellbound Heart [HELLBOUND HEART] [Mass Market Paperback]"

nobody@allconsuming.net (eeio) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 09:53:27 GMT

The Hellbound Heart [HELLBOUND HEART] [Mass Market Paperback]

by Clive(Author) Barker

WORTH IT!

Consumed "Anathem"

nobody@allconsuming.net (eeio) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 01:36:10 GMT

Anathem

by Neal Stephenson

WORTH IT!

Consumed "The Scar"

nobody@allconsuming.net (eeio) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 06:59:11 GMT

The Scar

by CHINA MIEVILLE

WORTH IT!

Consumed "Iron Council"

nobody@allconsuming.net (eeio) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 06:58:25 GMT

Iron Council

by China Mieville

WORTH IT!

A review of "The Umbrella Academy Volume 1" (rated 3 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (eeio) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 01:41:19 GMT

The Umbrella Academy Volume 1

by Gerard Way

this is one of those absolutely manic comic books. from the mix of references to the speed of the action. the thing is all over the place. it makes for an entertaining read but don’t expect super deep stuff. nice artwork.

Consumed "The Umbrella Academy Volume 1"

nobody@allconsuming.net (eeio) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 01:41:19 GMT

The Umbrella Academy Volume 1

by Gerard Way

WORTH IT!

A review of "Perdido Street Station" (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (eeio) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 20:06:37 GMT

Perdido Street Station

this is the best book i’ve read in months. 1600 pages of pure brutal dark creative weirdness. seriously, this book is sooooo dark and it has so many things: magic, machines, artificial intelligence, demons, beasts, political struggle, racism, extreme body modification, rebellion, interracial sex… the place: New Crobuzon, a fictional 19 century like city with many intelligent species and slums and poverty and serious xx century city like issues. the main character: a troubled renegade scientist that has a romantic relationship with an insect female and gets commissioned to help someone fly. things go from there and they get very intricate. highly recommended if you’d like something More out of your fantasy literature.

Consumed "Perdido Street Station"

nobody@allconsuming.net (eeio) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 20:06:37 GMT

Perdido Street Station

WORTH IT!

Consumed "The Color of Magic"

nobody@allconsuming.net (eeio) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 19:49:27 GMT

The Color of Magic

WORTH IT!

A review of "The Color of Magic" (rated 3 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (eeio) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 19:49:27 GMT

The Color of Magic

my first discworld book. and The first discworld book. it’s entertaining and sharp and ridiculous, and it has lots and lots of references. but i haven’t turned into a fan yet. i guess i must read some others. but next time i feel like reading something funny i think i rather go with tom robbins.

Consumed "The Cipher"

nobody@allconsuming.net (eeio) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 19:45:15 GMT

The Cipher

by Kathe Koja

WORTH IT!

A review of "The Cipher" (rated 3 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (eeio) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 19:45:15 GMT

The Cipher

by Kathe Koja

given to me by friend Dave. he handed it and said: see what you think about this. nice little portable paperback that you can take on the bus. the story grabs you and literally it takes you nowhere -which i like. it’s ugly and complainy and disgusting at times. it’s not horrific, in the sense that it’s a horror book, it’s more like an existential anomaly, like it puts you in the uncomfortable place of the characters you are reading. there is no monster really, except for the characters themselves. i thought the quote that ends the books sort of gives too much away, it could have done without it.

A review of "The New Kings of Nonfiction"

nobody@allconsuming.net (eeio) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 20:26:07 GMT

The New Kings of Nonfiction

by Ira Glass

great compilation, very inspiring pieces. title a little too pretentious. really, too pretentious. or maybe it’s just my antimonarchyc sentiment. why would they be kings – i don’t know -. some of them are really good. or should i say, most of them. the separation between fiction and nonfiction has always intrigued me. people in the spanish speaking world rarely use it. but it’s such a handy one. nonfiction being a category much larger than journalism or essay or sociology or ethnography. very handy indeed. that is to say, the pieces in this book range between the investigative book and the humorous article on a weekly journal. but inspiring they are and they do range in style. my favorite style wise was “Host” by David Foster Wallace. most boring one: Fortunes’s Smile by James McManus, all about poker, so it was very hard to follow.
Losing the war by Lee Sandling was very sad but had a lot, a lot of insight into II world war – worth reading – and six degrees of lois weisberg by malcom gladwell had beautiful sociological explanations. there are a few jewels. nice introduction too.

A review of "Cinema Arbol: extended version" (rated 3 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (eeio) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 19:47:28 GMT

Cinema Arbol: extended version

by Efraim Medina Reyes

i have a difficult relationship with him. mildly impressed with his urban novel “Erase una vez el amor pero tuve que matarlo” i’ve been reading every other thing he publishes thinking “i’ll give him another chance”. most of the time it fails to impress, sometimes i get pleasant surprises. at least he’s one of colombia’s most irreverent writers with a penchant for bukowskian humor and seemingly no fear to experiment. and that’s a great deal for a mildly successful young colombian writer. the stories in this book range from the bukowskian to the cheesy. and really, the cheesy ones are the ones i was mostly impressed, i wasn’t expecting them. recurrent theme in the stories: the father gone. all over the place, like a soft spot in a rotting mango. at the end i wouldn’t recommend the book. he is still just OK. it wasn’t a transformative experience but i still hope efraim keeps on trying.

A review of "La Puta De Babilonia/ the Bitch of Babylonia"

nobody@allconsuming.net (eeio) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 19:22:21 GMT

La Puta De Babilonia/ the Bitch of Babylonia

by Fernando Vallejo

i just came back from colombia and read this book in the plane. enjoying my return to speaking spanish for a little bit. i’ve always liked fernando V. he is intense like no one else. his prose is agile and nice to read. the book doesn’t have an academic format but it has plenty of academic discussion blended with just pure ruthless opinion. he is quite versed in greek and latin so a lot of discussions are quite authoritative. fernando V. despises the catholic church, seriously. he completely destroys a lot of its arguments and tells you the brutal bloody story of 20 centuries of killing and destruction the catholic church has perpetrated. it’s brutal, it’s so brutal, so many killings… fernando loves animals and he spends quite the time speaking for them and pointing that jesus never did so.
the reading is recommended – i’ve never read a translation though – but if you read in spanish, it’s good, well, if you like his work, his prose, his way of being. it goes well with the recent movie “religulous” – very similar -.