Hark

Moorcock's Elric of Melniboné. Probably one of the most genre defining authors but certainly the least well known. Its a fact that Tolkien's shadow looms large over Fantasy literature even today with so many authors and stories standing upon the foundations he's set. That's partially why I enjoy older fantasy novels. Tolkien's legacy hadn't been fully cemented at the time and so we have authors that aren't afraid to try new and weird ideas. Thus Elric is born. The anti Conan, he's a moody introspective sorcerer prince of a morally neutral people. Although I enjoyed my time with this book, I wouldnt recommend this or any other of Moorcock's older writings to newbies of the genre. The novel is quite short and MM plays fast and loose with his ideas, each more strange and unusual than the last but never fully explored. It's almost as if he's bursting with ideas and trying to get them all out so he can move on with the next one. This novel feels like his ambitions outweigh the page count and i would say that about most of his novels. By today's standard I would give this 3 stars but alas this genre fiction book is almost 50 years old but has probably influenced your favorite fantasy author at some point.

Sadly this book has become more relevant than ever and it's not for the initial reasons you might think.

Most people talk about the book burning in this novel when in reality it's simply a by product of the sedation by overstimulation present within this society.

People, whether they're aware of it or not, all feel this deep unhappiness because they feel as if they're lives are pointless and lack meaning.

Thomas Ligotti, in his book The Conspiracy Against The Human Race, pointed out that the frequently prescribed antidote for this horror of our pointless existence is engaging in some mental gymnastics to simply not think about or to divert ourselves from this fact. This also aligns with a section in Dr. Victor Frankl's book Mans Search For Meaning. Within, Frankl states that once we are aware of this void of meaning some will look for outward stimulation in an attempt to fill or otherwise distract from it, instead of looking within and engaging in introspection, something which Faber alludes to.

How many times have we had a problem that we didn't want to think about? Then we whip out our pocket computer and begin scrolling on our preferred feed. We've all done this at some point and if I could take anything away from re-reading this classic, it would that we all need to un-plug a bit more. Sit with our thoughts, engage in some critical thinking and maybe even talk to someone we normally don't. Maybe then we would see the world for the millions of diverse human lives and ideas that make it up.

Desire, Denial, Destruction

Reading this book is like admiring a smashed stained glass window. A great gay novel.

Baldwin presents us with an impartial portrait of an expatriate in France grappling with his future and his identity. You learn early on how this story ends, allowing doom to permeate throughout the novel. There is some nuance presented through our narrator's eyes in how he speaks and views his fellow community members that really drive home how relevant this story still is. The poignant ending, while simple, left me with an eerie feeling that I couldn't shake long after I had finished it. In conclusion, please just read this and stop reading "A Little Life"

A fantasy movie by Guy Ritchie but it doesn't suck.

I'm not a fan of the modern fantasy style but reading The Blacktongue Thief almost made me reconsider. Almost. At its best this novel feels similar to fantasy books of the 80's and 90's. The plots were straightforward yet filled with strange ideas at every turn leaving you unsure about where the tale would finally land. At its worst it just feels like every middle of the road fantasy novel that's come out of the last 10 years. Quick pacing and simple conflicts. That said, the wit Buehlman strategically displayed in Between Two Fires is now given plenty of room here with our lead and acolyte of mischief, Kinch, who really feels tailored to Buehlman's strengths. A sharp blacktongued rogue with a romantic's heart. I'm not sure if I'll continue the series. The ending was just satisfying enough to leave me with some doubt, despite ending abruptly. Ideally I'd like the next books to take bigger risks, have more interpersonal conflicts and be even weirder. In the modern fantasy landscape, this is a diamond in the rough.

Lastly, rest in peace Luther. I'm sure you were one cool cat.

Talents is a direct continuation of Sower, so much so I almost wish they were published together as one book. Some of the problems I had with Sower are answered here along with further, overall improvements. Gone are the paragraph long monologues of Lauren preaching. An inclusion of additional pov's serves to provide a different, more critical lens of her character. This was necessary as Lauren strayed a little to much into a masonic savior at times. She's a remarkable person no doubt, mighty goals and the remarkable force of will to make them manifest. To the point of zealotry. Butler has managed to make me both fear and dislike Lauren but also rally for her and I now find her as one of the most fascinating characters put to paper. I also have to marvel at Butler's discipline and restraint. This world has so much narrative potential, leaving so much room for additional stories and yet, in this dualogy of less than 700 pages, we're still provided with a focused lush portrait. Finishing this has been bittersweet. This series is extraordinary and it's a tragedy that it was cut short. If it were to continue, I have no doubt that this could've been Butler's magnum-opus in an already unbelievable bibliography.