Jeff

Felker-Martin does pulp-y action and violence really well. She also does deeply moving, intense feelings about sex (and gender!) well. The shifts between the two things tonally weren't enjoyable for me--though perhaps that was part of the point? It reminded me in a way of Lovecraft Country, mixing real-world horror and pulp-y horror, but I was left wanting a bit more cohesion between the two.

Still, this was a fun and brutal read, alternatively, and I look forward to reading her next book.

Four stars because I wanted it to be longer. :)

It feels odd to give this book three stars–it probably deserves 4 or 5 just for holding up so well in so many ways to more modern books, despite being over a century old. The structure of the book was the most pleasant surprise for me–starting in the middle, then showing the beginnings through story-in-a-story. I also quite enjoyed the horror aspects that I wasn't expecting, especially toward the end as we see how being but off from other humans can turn a person into a monster.

Enough laugh-out-loud moments to make it work (see chapters on money and on the Richard Simmons cruise), but pretty much peters out before it's over...

This book is pure fun. I can't believe I didn't hop on this bandwagon sooner. If you've ever played a role playing game in your life, and you're an adult, pick it up and read it. So. Fun.