Christine

(NB: I read the individual issues that will be compiled into Vol. 6)

I still have so many questions! I definitely want to go back and read the entire series. I probably need to create some Visio diagrams and spreadsheets to keep track of everything when I do, so I can really understand what mysteries were resolved and how. My off-the-cuff impression is that things were mostly wrapped up, but not always in a completely satisfying way.

I waited so eagerly for Issue #30 to come out, it probably couldn't live up to my expectations no matter what. And in addition, it tied up the girls' story in a quiet, thoughtful way - most of the timey-wimey tears in the dimensions, zappy battles, and big revelations were already resolved earlier.

That said, I felt the quiet, thoughtful resolution was handled very nicely! And I can't say how much I appreciate a series (comic or otherwise) that maps its story out and sticks to the plan, rather than desperately iterating plotlines to cash in until it collapses and fizzles out. This was a coherent narrative arc, artistically and meticulously drawn.

I can't wait to see the Amazon adaptation!!! I highly recommend the series to anyone, and especially to Gen X ladies who had tall bangs in 1988! :)

This was a re-read just because I adore the Lenny Henry audiobook, and BBC just released a radio play based on the book, with all sorts of awesome actors, including Lenny! Wanted to refresh my memory before listening to that.

This was every bit as fun as I remembered. I have so much affection for Charlie, and love how his character develops. But all the characters are delightful, from the mischievous Anansi to the odious Grahame Coats; from the earnest and fun Daisy (Evildoers beware!) to Rosie's mum, who lives on vitaminized water, rye crackers, and spite (but turns out pretty awesome in her own way).

If you've ever enjoyed Brer Rabbit or Bugs Bunny, or if you've ever wondered what your personal theme song was, or if you just love stories, go read this! (Or better yet, let Lenny read it to you.)

This was good, though I didn't love it like I did [b:Horrorstör 13129925 Horrorstör Grady Hendrix https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1414314217l/13129925.SX50.jpg 18306052] and [b:My Best Friend's Exorcism 26118005 My Best Friend's Exorcism Grady Hendrix https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1456208235l/26118005.SX50.jpg 46065002]. It didn't seem as funny - in fact, some seriously heinous all-too-realistic bad shit happens, like rape, suicide, and child abuse (seriously, big trigger warnings here). Of course icky bad stuff happened in the other books too, but this seemed more like real life and less fantastic.Now, the more serious tone fits with the metaphors and is pretty well-executed. Horrorstor dealt with 20-something employment and commercialism, and MBFE was like a pure hit of “I was a 14-year-old girl in 1987” nostalgia and dealt with how being a teenager can be like literally being possessed, from the standpoint of parents, friends, and even self. This book takes aim at misogyny, domestic abuse, sexual assault, racism, classism, and dementia. That's . . . a lot. The nostalgia angle doesn't hit me as hard with this one - I'm not (really) southern and I haven't had a circle of friends that was both enduring and close and also kind of judgy (heh - maybe I just repeated myself?) Also, my husband isn't AWFUL, as the husbands are in this story. The most sympathetic ones were kind of non-entities/checked out. I'm thankful I can't connect to the experience of feeling both at the mercy and abandoned by the person who's supposed to support you. But that said, this does hit some perfect notes about being a primary-caregiver mother: feeling pressure to perfectly control and orchestrate your children's lives to the point where they literally don't feel negative emotions; and simultaneously resenting your kids or being irritated beyond all measure with them. I was certainly nodding along a lot of the time!

This story was inventive and gripping! Due to its rocky publication history in the Soviet Union, it's quite possible that it didn't actually influence such works as [b:The Dark Tower 43615 The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, #1) Stephen King https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554220416l/43615.SY75.jpg 46575] series, [b:Annihilation 17934530 Annihilation (Southern Reach #1) Jeff VanderMeer https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1403941587l/17934530.SX50.jpg 24946895], and Stranger Things, but the Strugatskys' vision of The Zone, full of wonders and nightmares, may be the most revolutionary and inventive evocation of these ideas.Looking in the opposite direction on our literary timeline, this would seem to owe a lot to H.P. Lovecraft (though I don't know if the authors read him): aliens who have no interest in humanity, and indeed may be so far beyond us that they missed our existence entirely during their visit; aliens who could be from another dimension, or more akin to demons, rather than your standard issue Martians (one artifact is literally called “hell-slime”); mysterious infective and mutagenic qualities that are never understood by the characters and never explained to the reader; all this adding up to an atmosphere of scientific curiosity overcome by creeping dread.The story doesn't coddle the reader - there's a quick journalistic interlude to give us an idea of what happened to create The Zone, and then we're off to the races, seeing it up close through the eyes of various characters, most notably Red Schuhart. Red is often relatable but far from virtuous, and most of the people around him inhabit shades of gray, giving the story texture and making it feel gritty and real, despite the dreamy aspects of The Zone. As we slowly glean information from the discussions of the area and its treasures, we get a picture of the cosmic, the political, and the personal colliding.There are a few irritants. The sexism grows more virulent as the story progresses, and only fails to overwhelm the story because the greatest example of misogyny here is the near-absence of women. We get glimpses of female characters only in relation to the men who are actually doing things, and the stereotypes are so hackneyed as to be self parody: the long-suffering wife who cooks and cleans and worries (but only silently!); the adorable daughter who needs protection; the secretary addressed as “my dear” and mollified by chocolates; and of course The Slut, whom Red dismisses as an empty shell even as he completes a creepily comprehensive inventory of her physical form.The racism is a little less in-your-face, again due to the dearth of characters of color, rather than any sensitivity. Black men appear in the background as lackeys and enforcers, and the one named character is a religious lunatic and drunkard.I found the last chapter to be utterly absorbing, but the finale to be a little abrupt. I admit this may be due to my copy having an extensive afterword, which led me to believe I still had about an hour of reading ahead of me as I approached the end of the story. Either way, I do think the ambiguity of the ending is pretty appropriate. There are no neat explanations or clear chains of cause and effect in The Zone.

For such a short tale, this packs a lot of great content in! I love the use of the Himba people literally being connected to their land, and the tension between that and going out into space.

The brevity occasionally caused some drawbacks. For instance, I understood that the Khoush were a race/group who considered themselves superior, but I wasn't clear on where they came from or how that evolved (turns out Okorafor said on Twitter that they're “clearly” Arabic, but that wasn't clear for me!” All that world/culture building could have used a little more time and detail. However, Binti's own culture was totally clear, and I don't think just because I already knew a little about the Himba people.

The other “not quite five stars” thing for me was the astounding coincidence that Binti just happens to have a cure-all for Meduse wounds AND a device that lets her communicate with them. I guess it fits well with the theme, but plotwise it seems very contrived.

Still, interested to see where this goes, and heck, maybe my spoilered complaint there actually has a deep dark backstory that will be uncovered!

Wholesome smut - 10/10, will read the other Brown Sisters books.

Plus, I NEED a book about Gigi. NOW.

This was extremely useful for me as a parent of a 14-year-old girl who just started high school. My kid is bright, beautiful, and very capable, but she still struggles enough to make us worry for her. This book really illuminates how being a teenage girl is inherently a struggle, and really your daughter needs to experience some turmoil, baffling swings in maturity and judgment, love-hate parental interactions, friendship drama, skepticism of authority, and other challenging stuff. This is part of the work of becoming a self-sufficient, healthy adult.

I appreciate this focus on normal development and the fact that normal can look and feel so irrational and scary sometimes. Raising a daughter can feel so frightening, overwhelming, and even depressing. It's quite consoling to be reminded that this is a crazy, hard time for just about every girl. Even in areas where I finished a chapter and said, “Yeah, I was already knocking it out of the park on that!” it was nice to have reassurance!

While the focus is on normal development, each section has a brief discussion of warning signs that your kid is outside the bell curve and could use some intervention. It's nice to have that barometer for the moments when you wonder if you need to bring in help.

I would say this book is worth picking up just for three key takeaways that have stuck with me: the metaphor of parent-as-pool-edge (sometimes she needs to be able to hold onto you, and sometimes she needs to push off away from you), the explanation of externalization of negative emotions (kid unconsciously finds a way to make YOU feel the anxiety or upset she can't cope with), and the Veil of Obedience (certain parental behaviors are more likely to inspire a nod-and-smile response where none of your precious wisdom gets taken seriously).

I thought this did fairly well on the “woke” front: it includes LGBTQ+ relationships in its treatment of romance, leaves a neutral door open on how to talk about your particular values surrounding alcohol, drugs, and sex without assuming what those values are, and though there's a brief mention of the supposed danger of obesity, the overall thrust is quite skeptical of dieting and good about emphasizing girls' bodies as vehicles for their own fulfillment rather than pretty objects.

Utterly addictive. Moving, funny, and thought-provoking. And the art is genuinely stunning.