Review: Medea and Other Plays: Medea / Hecabe / Electra / Heracles

Medea and Other Plays: Medea / Hecabe / Electra / Heracles by Euripides
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Medea (22/11/18)

Dang that Medea is one frosty ICE QUEEN. She's upset because the man she moved overseas for (after killing her bro - but that's another story) decided to shack up with another woman so I kinda can't blame her? But then she kinda goes next level and it's definitely tragic.

How about these quotes though:

'If only children could be got some other way,
Without the female sex! If women didn't exist,
Human life would be rid of all its miseries.' (Jason)

'O Zeus! Why have you given us clear signs to tell
True gold from counterfeit; but when we need to know
Bad men from good, the flesh bears no revealing mark?' (Medea)

Girl, I hear you. That Jason is an A-grade A-hole.

Like, I'm secretly just a little bit proud of her for standing up for herself.

Just not, you know, that last bit. That was probably going a little too far.

***

Hecate (25/11/18)

Man, I really feel for Hecate in this one! Interesting to kind of read a snippet of what may have gone down after the Trojan War. Hecate is a fascinating character, and I enjoyed the way she reasoned things out.

Gotta admit, I LOVE revenge stories, so this one was fun. I feel sorry for all the kids getting the raw deal in all their parents' drama, though.

The 'Chorus' character does confuse me a little, with them all speaking as one.

Also this, like Medea, has some serious gender battles.

'... To be brief,
I'll say just this: all the abuse that men have heaped
On women in time past, all they are saying now
Or will ever say, I can sum it in one phrase:
No monster like a woman breeds in land or sea;
And those who have most to do with women know it best.'

Savage.

I probably liked this a bit more than Medea, though; I think because Hecate's grief is more powerful, and her cause more justified.

***

Electra (28/11/18)

Although I liked how short and (not so) sweet Medea was, this was probably my favourite in terms of themes.

Electra's peasant husband is a cool cat; very respectful and I was happy for Electra in that respect. I really enjoyed her discussing revenge with her bro because it felt like finally we had a good cause to root for. Even though killing people is not the answer, blah, blah, blah. But the way the themes twisted and wrung out different emotions was quite powerful.

The explanations from Clytemnestra were quite interesting, as well! I mean, she kinda sounds like a savage, but good on her not putting up with that, 'a woman must agree with her husband on everything' crap. Huh. Kinda seems like Euripides was a feminist waaaaay ahead of his time.

One to go!

***

Heracles (29/11/18)

Guh, this one was the worst.

It hurt my heart.

We all know Hercules/Heracles, the half-god-half-mortal son of Zeus (and, according to this, also some other guy called Amphitryon? I need to brush up on my Greek myths) who did a bunch of tough tasks that we all refer to as labors. Then you get this tragic ending where H is off slaying Cerberus (poor puppy) and in the meantime this psycho king is planning to kill his wife and kids. (I have a lot of love for Megara because I always picture her as the sass queen from the Disney version.)

Herc is a hero. I really like him. So to read his tragedy was a little heart-breaking.

Here's some good quotes though!

'Friends, life's a brief and trivial thing, Such as it is,
As you pass through, find as much pleasure as you can ...'

'Good-bye to all my famous labours! They're a waste of time, while I
Neglected to help my own.'

***

Overall, a really great, tragic collection. Highly recommend for those interested in a more creative take on some well-known legends.

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Review: The Hanging Girl

The Hanging Girl by Jussi Adler-Olsen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

'Are you actually aware why there are camels in the desert and no giraffes?' asked Assad.
... 'The answer is simple. If there were giraffes in the desert they'd die of sorrow.'
'Aha! And why's that?'
'Because they're so tall, they'd know that there was just endless sand as far as the eye could see. Fortunately for the camel, it doesn't know this, so it trudges on assuming that an oasis is just around the corner.'
Carl nodded. 'I understand. You feel like a giraffe in the desert, right?'
'Yes, a bit. Just right now.'

Bless Assad and all of his camel analogies.

I really do immensely enjoy this series. Crotchety old Carl who grudgingly takes on cases when he'd much rather be napping in between cigarettes with his feet up on the desk. The quiet and strange Assad, who has a camel-related saying for any situation. Crazy old Rose who has a quick temper and strong stubborn streak. Even slimy Gordon who is slowly working his way into the team. I love the way they all work together. I love how Carl's reluctance is completely ignored by his subordinates.

This time they're forced to take over an old, unsolved hit-and-run case that left a girl hanging in a tree. It leads the gang to a spiritual cult organisation that we're given inside info on through the viewpoint of the cult organisation leader's right-hand woman.

The split view, as always, keeps things interesting, because you're pretty sure you know what happened but it's still vague enough to keep you guessing. There were some really fascinating characters built into this one, and as a spiritual person I was particularly fascinated by the ideas and theories and the way the organisation operated. I mean, spiritualism is one thing, but blindly following the ideas of another is a little scary. So the story angle was fascinating and hooked me slightly more than the previous books.

The police work is always fun, and while I did lose track a little of who was who, the writing seems to expect that and reminds you each time a minor character is re-introduced. It's a fairly lengthy novel at 600+ pages, but there's plenty to keep the story moving, and keep you invested in what's happening.

Six books in, I still don't know if the brilliantly direct writing is genuine or a by-product of the translation, but either way I thoroughly enjoy it. It can be really vague at times, but Carl is so snappy and sarcastic and his little comments peppered throughout are a lot of fun. Add to that Assad's endless optimism and enthusiasm, and his imperfect English (Danish), and it makes for rather creative and enjoyable interactions. I love the way these two work together.

We also get another (minor) glimpse at the progress of the case that started it all - the shooting that killed one of Carl's colleagues and left the other permanently paralysed. Hardy does make a brief appearance, and it's quite symbolic to realise how slow that case is progressing in parallel to the cases that have been solved so far throughout the series.

I'm really pleased to give this series another 4-star rating. These books are always so much fun to read, with the unique characters, fun, snappy dialogue and detailed stories. The research that must go into these books is astounding.

Highly recommend this one to others continuing the series, and if you've not been introduced to Carl and the Department Q gang, I highly recommend you pick up a copy of Mercy and get started!

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Review: Notes from Underground

Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

WARNING: I tried to write this review without bad language but I JUST COULDN'T DO IT. Swearing ahead.

It would be dishonest of me not to put this on my 'utter trash' list because that's what I thought of it the entire time I was reading. It's mercifully short but even so, still a complete drainer. There are some really fascinating ideas thrown in but when he's still talking about them ten pages later (or 50, even) it just wears you down. Nothing really happens except that this complete DOUCHEBAG talks about how he likes to be a DOUCHEBAG because THAT IS LIFE. By the end of it, my mouth was literally open with disgust. I have never read a more loathsome character.

Which, I guess, is why it's considered so brilliant.

I mean, I see it. I see the depth, and the exploration of human kind, and that this is just so BATSHIT INSANE that nothing like it really comes close. Dostoyevsky had some serious balls writing something as despicable as this. He does really dig into some ideas that will make your head spin, but it was just waaaay too depressing for me. I got ZERO enjoyment out of reading it. It made me want to go hug a puppy. For like a week. This guy represents everything that's wrong with the human race. (I might be exaggerating, I don't know. I'm just upset. He's such a dick. I wanted to punch him in the face.)

I threw it a bonus star because I can see that the dude had to be brilliant (or completely off his rocker, but aren't they usually the same anyway?) to come up with this, and I can see that there's some seriously dense, thought-provoking material here. But it's just a crummy, crummy book to read.

I'd recommend this one for anyone who likes to feel superior by reading challenging books and people who love being miserable. Everyone else would be doing themselves a favour by steering clear.

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Review: The Path of the Lost

The Path of the Lost by Beau Kondos
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

For a book with so much colour and creativity, this is actually incredibly DULL.

I wanted to like this. I really did. Not just an Aussie author, but one from my hometown, Melbourne? A YA fantasy novel, set partially in Melbourne, that draws on the creative arts for its magical themes? YES PLEASE.

HOW DID IT ALL GO SO TERRIBLY WRONG???

So there I am, struggling my way through at only the 20% mark. I put it down for a few days. I pick it up again, determined to put in a little more effort. At around 40%, I wonder if other people who have read this book struggled as much as I am currently. Naturally, I go take a look at its reviews.

4.54 average rating?? That's a LOT higher than I was expecting.

Then I notice that a ton of its 5-star reviews come from people who have ONLY reviewed this book, who ONLY joined GR this year, have little or no other activity on GR, and, oh hey, look, they pretty much ALL LIVE IN MELBOURNE.

Look. I appreciate loyalty, and friendship. I GET IT.

But it's pretty obvious that all of these glowing reviews come from TOTALLY BIASED REVIEWERS who quite probably didn't even read the damn thing. And as an honest book reviewer who relies on honest GR reviews regularly, THIS MAKES ME MAD.

So there goes all of my will to give this book a fair go after that.

Now, if it had actually hooked me from the start, I might be a little more lenient. I'm happy to admit that the creativity is there. There are plenty of novel ideas, and I love the IDEA of painting, and writing, and singing, etc being magical. It's really beautiful.

With an idea like that, this could have been a beautiful, lyrical sort of novel.

Instead, we get massive info dumps, trite couplings, stunted action, unlikable characters and so much originality it's more confusingly bizarre than actually clever. Plus, the contrast of snarky, sarcastic James in this fantasy world is too jarring to be easily accepted. I really hated that guy. It's like he's supposed to be a lovable goofball with all his our-world references and jokes, but it just comes across as arrogant and awkward and makes him a totally unlikable hero.

It feels like a lot of telling instead of showing, and by the end I was skimming fairly heavily (without missing anything, mind you). There is action, but it never draws you in, makes you catch your breath. I struggled to imagine the world(s), so it all felt very bland. The whole 'delving' idea is so unique but it was crafted into cliche ceremonies that made it seem cheap. On the whole, it felt more middle-grade than YA because it was so basic and plain.

As mentioned, I wanted to like this. There IS potential for a good story, and I'm sure some will pick it up and really enjoy its originality. But I also feel like I have to be extra critical because of all those ridiculous, biased reviews. Oblivious readers need to know what they're walking into.

So, here's a summary:
-Unique ideas
-Poorly executed
-Average writing
-Dragging plot
-Unlikable characters
-Awkward romance angle
-Zero emotional attachment

Oh and hey, look, the sole female of the book is naked pretty early on. Why do girls get naked so much more in fantasy when the author is a man? Has anyone else noticed this? IT BUGS ME SO MUCH.

Anyhoo.

If you're looking for something completely different and bizarre, this might float your boat, but if you want characters that you can get attached to, this ain't it. If you want pace that doesn't let up, look elsewhere. If you want to become emotionally invested in a story, you'll struggle here.

And if, like me, you are easily offended by authors who rely on biased or dishonest reviews to promote their work, AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE.

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Review: The White Queen

The White Queen by Philippa Gregory
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I'm honestly worried for the other half-billion novels written by Philippa Gregory.

This novel is only slightly less dull than the (chronological) first, The Lady of the Rivers. Once again it just spans too long a period, meaning that there's not a lot of attachment to what's happening. There are a lot of battles, a ton of births and deaths, and keeping track of claims to the throne is about as easy as keeping track of Australia's Prime Minister.

Our protagonist, Elizabeth - the titular White Queen - is an unlikable queen and makes absolutely horrid decisions. I can appreciate that this is true historical happenings, but I think she was a poor choice for narrator. Did not like her one bit.

Also really wasn't feeling the whole witchcraft angle. Don't call it 'historical fiction' if you're going to include curses and supernatural happenings. That's pure fantasy. It wasn't even used cleverly. Entirely disappointing.

There's also such a depressing lack of court drama. I feel like this would have been better if it dealt with a shorter time period, and we were allowed to grow attachments to characters. We don't really get to know a lot about the people, or what life is actually like for them. There's just the vague tellings of who is fighting whom, and who marries whom, and what the political ramifications are. All this drama and action and it was just totally BORING.

I'm really fascinated by this period of history but this and the previous book have really taken some of the interest away for me. The French court was clearly much more happening.

Not sure when I'll get to the next book in the series but its unlikely to be any time soon. I might have to find some other authors who have delved into this history. I definitely don't understand how this series is so popular when it's so dull.

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Review: Preservation

Preservation by Jock Serong
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Robinson Crusoe meets Silence of the Lambs meets that old primary school song we all learned about Botany Bay.

This one is based on the true story of a shipwreck back in Australia's early (settlement) days, and man, is it a doozy.

The ship wrecks off the coast of Tassie Van Diemen's Land and a handful of men decide they need to make tracks towards Sydney in hopes of sending help. They take a bunch of slaves and don't even get me started ranting about slavery. Let's just say I'm glad this was 200+ years ago.

So among them is Figge, who is basically the devil incarnate, and while everyone is trying their best to survive in the formidable Australian bush, this guy has his own agenda that makes things a lot harder than they need to be.

So here we have:
- Hostile environment
- Discord among survivors
- White people being jerks to slaves
- Long, arduous trek
- Sneaky little criminal mastermind

So it's actually really fun and devious and I can't lie, I enjoyed it immensely.

The writing threw me at first. I was worried that it was going to be one of those books that works so hard to say things in fancy convoluted ways that I'd be bogged down by the language, but it had just the right blend of description and action. There were actually some beautiful, picturesque phrases and the words really brought the setting to life. This will be particularly effective if you've ever been out into the Australian bush, but it also paints a very clear, realistic picture for people who might want to know more about Australia.

The story is told from multiple viewpoints, which was quite effective in amping up the mystery factor, because you don't know which parts are lies and which parts are truth. They take turns in telling the tale of the trek north, but all slight variations. It did make it a little confusing at times but I think that was kind of the point. Wasn't entirely sure about the necessity of including all the present-day drama with the wife and the illness etc but I guess it was just another facet of life in this new and strange land.

Naturally, the aboriginal communities were a big part of this story. I found it interesting the way they were portrayed, particularly in the way they associated preferentially with the slaves. I think that was a powerful statement. It's also quite a vital piece of Australia's history - to communicate that these people were already here, living full lives with their own social systems, not wanting anything, all before white settlers went tromping all over, claiming the country for themselves. It wasn't a pushed agenda, though; it was just a realistic factor of the story. Handled poorly, this could have caused massive controversy I think, but it was written into the story with great respect, so kudos to the author for that.

This is a fascinating fictionalised account of a small piece of Australia's early history, but it's also a great, sinister novel on its own. I loved the references to Australian wildlife (particularly the 'fat badgers') and I felt such patriotism reading about this hostile environment that only the tough survive. That's my country! You also get to know these nasty characters - Figge in particular is such a subtle menace that it makes for a ripper of a story.

Well researched and eloquently written, I have no hesitation in recommending this one. Crime lovers, people who want to know more about Australian history, or the landscape in general. People who like adventure stories tinged with a little bit of evil. Overall, a fantastic read.

With thanks to Text Publishing for my ARC.

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Review: Kingdom of Ash

Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

*Throws book across the room*

I'm done. I'M SO DONE.

Huh.

Literally.

So. Let's start with some fun stats!

In this book, the word 'mate' appears 86 times in relation to Aelin and Rowan. (There were at least another ten or so references in regards to other couples.)

There are also 23 missing question marks, and that's after generously conceding that some places made a justifiable impact without one.

I didn't count the number of sentences that were structured in that horribly repetitive way that I griped about in my review for A Court of Frost and Starlight. But that was an equally absurd number.

Honestly, when I read three 'mate's just on the first page alone, I put the book down again and didn't pick it up for another few days. I couldn't face it. I've loved this series since the beginning but Empire of Storms was such a let down for me and I was so worried that this book was going to be equally painful. The romance took such a prominent position in EoS which really detracted from the fantasy elements of the series.

Thankfully, this brought back some of the magic, and while it wasn't the five star conclusion I was hoping for, it wasn't as terrible as I'd feared. There were some real gut-wrenching moments in this one.

WARNING: HERE LIES SPOILERS FOR THE PREVIOUS BOOKS IN THE SERIES.

This one opens with Aelin in that terrible iron box that she was forced to endure an extra year while we all trudged through A-Grade Bore Chaol's story. You can thank SJM for that one, Aelin.

So she's being tortured while Rowan and friends tear up the world looking for her (in a relatively fast but otherwise peaceful manner) and Chaol is headed back to the mainland after Getting The Girl (and an army). Dorian and Manon are looking for witches and keys and meanwhile Aedion is fighting a brutal battle against Morath in Terrasen with the help of Lysandra, whom he treats like dirt. Nice, pal.

DRAMA ENSUES.

The torture stuff is whack. I don't know how to feel about it. I just ... I mean, it gets real dark and she's traumatised and all but I feel like it was too extreme? I dunno. It felt messy somehow. Didn't stop my heart aching for her, though. Or for Fenrys. I love that guy. Wolf. Babe. Whatever.

And of course it's so fkn BADASS when she is freed so that was fun. Rowan is a straight up savage. But just the once. It kinda bothered me that he wasn't more savage more often. Does that make me a bad person? Lorcan, on the other hand, is admirably dark and cold and even with all the Elide drama he still stays true to himself and is like, 'I AIN'T GONNA GROVEL, B*TCH!' which I lowkey appreciated with my stone cold heart. I mean, that whole, 'treat 'em mean, keep 'em keen' stuff is not cool. So good on him for sticking to his guns. Even if I did kinda ship that broken little romance.

Meanwhile, Aedion is up north fighting Morath. Tense battles. He's having a hard time.

Chaol returns to his homeland with his Sweet Lil Thang Yrene who honestly I still don't particularly like. (view spoiler)[It bothers me how important she became in this novel. Like, she popped up in a short story from back in the Sam Days, then guest starred in Chaol's book, but now she's the one that's gotta save the world? SJM YOU TRIPPIN'. (hide spoiler)] But they're all cute together and stuff and everyone's super happy that Chaol has a wife and I am happy that his mopiness has been reduced drastically. I mean he's still a bit dramatic over his daddy issues but at least he has a bit more of a backbone now. (HA. SEE WHAT I DID THERE.)

Meanwhile, Aedion and Lysandra are having angst over each other while they endlessly battle Morath up north.

Manon and Dorian are still having a lot of kinky sex mating and Manon is having feelings. I miss the witch who would just slice and dice anything that annoyed her. She was way more fun with no feelings. But I like that she's still mostly an ice-queen. I dislike these two together because they kinda cheapen one another? Separate, they are both so savage, but then they get together and it's all feelings and emo drama. They are more fun when they are apart. This is one ship I won't board. Those two are too fierce on their own. Anyway, aside from their lovemaking mating, Manon is all about finding Crochan witches and Dorian is all about finding Erawan's third key so DRAMA ENSUES.

Guess where Aedion is? YEP. He's up north, still fighting Morath. What a hero. He and Lysandra are still working out the kinks of their relationship.

I kinda got really bored of the same formula being repeated over and over AND OVER again. There's a battle, things are looking terrible, then all of a sudden someone or something shows up to turn the tide. But it's a short reprieve coz that's not enough so the battle starts to go badly and things are looking terrible and then ALL OF A SUDDEN ... and so it goes on and on and on. And it's mostly Aedion up north having to live this repetitive rollercoaster so I really feel for the guy.

There were also so many scenes that reminded me of things I've seen (repeatedly, coz I'm a nerd) in LOTR. Actual battle scenes taken directly from the movie and transposed on the ToG world. It never had the desired effect on me when I read those scenes coz I was a little mad at what felt like a ripoff. (view spoiler)[For example, THE HEADS. We all know those were Faramir's men, not Ansel's. PLEASE. (hide spoiler)]

But as much as I hated the copious amounts of coupling and rip offs and repeated style devices etc etc I still love these characters SO MUCH. They are fun. They are badass. They interact with one another in really fascinating ways (even if it is disturbing how closely related everybody actually is). I love the cadre, and the snarling and ferocity with which they all fight. I love Aelin's resilience (even if it's a bit of a stretch) and I love the women who stand up for themselves. I love Dorian and believe him to be the most underrated character of the entire series. I love how villainous Manon and her Thirteen are. (view spoiler)[And I loved that, at the end, we had that precious moment with Aelin, Dorian and Chaol, as a nod to where this entire series began. (hide spoiler)]

So even though it was way too long and full of tedious battles, I still really enjoyed it.

Now for some spoilery gushing:

(view spoiler)[ WTF WAS UP WITH THAT STUPID GRATUITOUS APPEARANCE FROM RHYS??? Come on. I mean, I was totally expecting a nod to other works of fantasy fiction with the whole 'falling through other worlds' bit, but to actually insert Rhys (even if he's not named, I SEE YOU) ... I honestly feel real mad about it but also super impressed that SJM worked that in there. BRAVO.

I am both happy and sad about the lack of meaningful deaths here. Like, I'm glad none of my favourites died but I feel like maybe SJM was too nice there. But I'm honestly so glad that Fenrys survived because I was totally tipping him to be the sacrificial lamb, since he wasn't paired up. People in couples always seem to outlast the single ones. (RIP GAV THO)

Was also hugely saddened by the spectacular deaths of the Thirteen and while it was all super impressive and tragic I feel like they probably didn't ALL need to die for that. Just saying. So glad that Abraxos survived, though, and that Manon was actually so heartbroken when he was knocking on death's door. More fictional characters need to appreciate animals the way Manon appreciates her wyvern. (hide spoiler)]

Anyhoo, I think I've exhausted all of my ranting now.

Summary: Long, with some tedious moments and repetition, but still a worthy end to the series.

But also:

THANK GOD THAT'S OVER.

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