Wulf's Book Reviews

Detective Kubu Investigates 2 by Michael Stanley My rating: 2 of 5 stars This was supposed to be another “filler” till I found my “next big read” and it all started well enough. “Shoot to Kill” is an interesting short story featuring Kubu investigating the death of an informant among poachers. It had exactly the right “Kubu vibes” and was a quick and pleasant read. Had all the short stories been this good, the collection would have easily garnered four stars. “The Case of the Missing Tuba” was amusing. It lacked any real crime (and, sadly, it also lacked Kubu!) but it was still nice enough. (Despite featuring a manipulative ass-hat husband.) “The Con” has petty crime but it also has the main ingredient - Kubu! And a believable, likeable Kubu at that. His family also features prominently and I was truly amused and thought this short story collection was headed to four stars. Then came the “Parlor Game”, though. A confusing and utterly failed attempt at imitating Edgar All...

Where the Strangers Live by Oliver Phipps My rating: 1 of 5 stars I don’t know how this book ever made it to my to-be-read pile. It’s a clumsily written short novella about a woman, Sophie, and two men, Elliot and Roy (who only have eyes for Sophie’s butt, breasts, etc.) who happen to enter a submerged alien base… The story itself reads like a truly bad b-movie but as if that wasn’t bad enough, the writing style is repetitive (we keep reading the “three submariners” and other constantly repeating phrases and denominations) and clumsy. Furthermore, there are countless truly grating grammar issues (tense!), typos and other mistakes (“to” versus “too”) that made me think the author must be a non-native speaker (as am I)… The fight scenes were atrociously badly written, a crime against Phipps’ readers! Long-winded, boring and, of course, also badly written. Stay away from this! One out of five stars because I can’t award none. Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam View ...

Lovers at the Museum by Isabel Allende My rating: 5 of 5 stars Isabel Allende - I’ve been in love with her work since I first encountered her “ House of the Spirits ” decades ago. I still feel its echoes in my soul. At a mere 5414 words, this is the shortest story of hers I’ve read but it is quintessential Allende: Charming, magical, life-affirming, and just plain fun! Go on and read it - if you’re an Amazon Prime subscriber, you get it for free. Everyone else gets it for a fair EUR 1,99. Five stars out of five. Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam View all my reviews https://turing.mailstation.de/lovers-at-the-museum-by-isabel-allende/?feed_id=3162&_unique_id=6623820e4ac48

The Seven Brides-to-Be of Generalissimo Vlad by Victoria Goddard My rating: 5 of 5 stars This was a very easy read: Science Fiction just done, not lengthily discussed or even dissected but a fun ride of merely 10.000 words. Elegant prose, witty dry humour and a fragment of a story that I would have been interested in reading a full-length novel about. Five stars out of five. Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam View all my reviews https://turing.mailstation.de/the-seven-brides-to-be-of-generalissimo-vlad-by-victoria-goddard/?feed_id=3029&_unique_id=6612683cd754c

Worst Wingman Ever by Abby Jimenez My rating: 3 of 5 stars There’s really not much to say about this beyond the fitting blurb. It’s a nice little story of little consequence and length. If you like the author’s other works, you will neither regret reading this one nor missing out on it. Three stars out of five. Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam View all my reviews https://turing.mailstation.de/worst-wingman-ever-the-improbable-meet-cute-2-by-abby-jimenez/?feed_id=2998&_unique_id=660ffc68e6dd1

Toasty by Alexa Riley The plot in a nutshell: Caveman grabs a woman, deflowers her, and knocks her up in the process. Woman flees, caveman captures her again, woman turns out to love cavemen and especially this one. Lots of sex ensues, in-between woman tells caveman she’s pregnant. Caveman: “We would have had kids anyway!”. Two epilogues with escalating numbers of children and some more caveman behaviour. One star out of five. Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam View all my reviews https://turing.mailstation.de/toasty-cozy-2-by-alexa-riley/?feed_id=2902&_unique_id=65cca6f5a70b2

Distantly Falling Stars by Berengaria Di Rossi My rating: 5 of 5 stars How do I review the novella of a (Goodreads) friend? “Never again” or “very, very carefully” immediately came to my mind when I pondered reading Berengaria Di Rossi's “ Distantly Falling Stars ”. Especially since Berengaria with a down-to-earth attitude, sensible reviews and interesting reads as well as - obviously - an impeccable taste in (Goodreads) friends, has long earned my respect. So it was with a healthy portion of trepidation that I started reading this - and quickly started breathing freely because, thankfully, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this short novella. Seti, a “puny scribe” from ancient Egypt is forced on an expedition to recover some “distantly falling stars” in a race against (or possibly negotiating with) the Babylonians. There are some supernatural aspects which I usually don’t like but these made sense in the setting of the novella and weren’t too intrusive. The stor...

My Man Jeeves and Other Early Jeeves Stories by P.G. Wodehouse My rating: 1 of 5 stars Oh, well, I’ve tempted my reading luck with another classic - and didn’t like the experience. " My Man Jeeves and Other Early Jeeves Stories " is a collection of short stories by English humorist P.G. Wodehouse , first published in 1919. That alone should have been a red flag… The book contains eight stories in total, with four featuring Jeeves and four featuring other characters. This is the first and smallest gripe of mine: While Bertie Wooster and Jeeves were mostly tolerable, the other characters felt out of place and their inclusion in this collection mistaken. The stories are set in London and New York City, and they often involve misunderstandings, mistaken identities, and romantic entanglements. Typical “ingredients” for this rather slapstick-y kind of comedy. The stories themselves I found to be disappointing and frustrating. While I can appreciate the clever wordplay...

Traditions by Michael J. Sullivan My rating: 3 of 5 stars What a curious coincidence! Immediately after finishing “ The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas ” I picked up “ Traditions ”. Written in Michael’s world of Elan, it features Annie, a girl who’s about to be sacrificed to a monster for the continued well-being of her village. Presented by her boyfriend with an opportunity to flee together, she rejects his plan but decides not to play by the age-old rules but to try and determine her own fate. Thus, she walks up to the lair of the monster and confronts it. The monster, an old, basically invalid dragon tries to talk her out of killing him by presenting the possible catastrophic consequences if it becomes known that the dragon “protecting” the village is gone. That all the sacrifices for a very long time have been for nought. In contrast to the people of Omelas, Annie decides not to play by the rules: She does not accept the potential consequences as a given. She does not...

The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse by Charlie Mackesy My rating: 1 of 5 stars “My author owned lots of calendars!”, said the mole. “He cut them all up, collected all the calendar sayings and compiled them into one book.”, he added. The fox excitedly added: “He chose a font that makes the reader work to decipher it so that there’s a feeling of accomplishment!” “I did the drawings!”, the boy exclaimed. “They may not be pretty but they’re mine. They’ll make Charlie money, money, money because it’s funny!” “Wow”, said the fox, “and people actually buy that book?” “Yes, fox, they’re daft like that! Not that anything is totally wrong about these ‘pearls of wisdom’; they’re just so trite that nobody should pay money for this stuff!” The horse was neighing: “» Tears fall for a reason and they are your strength not weakness. « - they actually think that’s “profound”. Or so amazingly cute. Just because we’re anthropomorphized animals and we look good on Insta!” One star ou...

Under One Roof by Ali Hazelwood My rating: 2 of 5 stars Mara inherits half of a house from her late mentor. When she visits said house, she meets Liam with whom she proceeds to live “ Under One Roof ”. They have great first impressions of each other, then enmity ensues, the inevitable mutual crushes come up - and then both Mara and Liam who eat, play and talk together entirely forget to talk about said crushes… That alone would have been annoying enough but additionally, the story isn’t very interestingly told either: Everything that happens beyond the interactions between Mara and Liam is boring and sometimes even their interactions are. Two out of five stars. Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam View all my reviews https://turing.mailstation.de/under-one-roof-the-steminist-novellas-1-by-ali-hazelwood/?feed_id=1762&_unique_id=63efb2ebc8972

Gardens by Benedict Jacka My rating: 3 of 5 stars Hm… This was the grimdark version of an Alex Verus novella, I’d say. There were some rather brutal scenes and the protagonists became ever more unlikeable with the lacklustre story progressing. Worst of all, though, one major character from the series becomes less likeable due to their actions in this novella. That actually made me slightly sad and I will pretend this novella doesn’t exist and this series really ended with “ Risen ”. Still, my Stockholm syndrome says I have to award three stars out of five. ;) Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam View all my reviews https://turing.mailstation.de/gardens-alex-verus-12-1-by-benedict-jacka/?feed_id=1682&_unique_id=63dfd17c19d09

The Moomins and the Great Flood ( Mumintrollen #1), by Tove Jansson My rating: 5 of 5 stars "The Moomin family I am trying to describe is simply happy without being aware of it. They are comfortable with each other, and they allow each other full freedom: freedom to be alone, freedom to think and feel in their own way and to have their own secrets until the moment they are ready to share them. No one ever causes another to feel guilty." - Tove Jansson The Mummins. It's a bit like "coming home" - familiar, full of warmth and love, security and safety, filled at best with the people we love. I remember the old, somewhat sedate, translations from the 50's and 60's by Kurt and Vivica Bandler from early childhood, when my parents read these editions to me. I loved the Mumins then and that has never gone away. Over the years I read the books every now and then when I wanted to read something I could absolutely rely on for quality an...

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan My rating: 3 of 5 stars In stark contrast to Keegan’s “ Foster ” I couldn’t connect as much with this novella, “ Small Things Like These ” by Claire Keegan . This may very well be because - as often - I went into this novella not knowing what it was about. Once more we’re in Ireland in 1985 and we’re following Bill Furlong, our protagonist, around doing his deliveries, preparing for Christmas with his family, etc.. It felt slow and, sadly, not very interesting. Only when he accidentally meets a desperate girl at the local convent do things get somewhat interesting. I sympathised with Furlong’s courage to help the girl at the end and finished the book somewhat disappointed. The author’s note on the text first introduced me to the “ Magdalene asylum ” (read: child abuse) system (instituted, of course, by the Christian churches) that existed into the late 20th century. Hundreds of girls and women died while being abused, forced to do hard lab...

Foster by Claire Keegan My rating: 5 of 5 stars " Foster " by Claire Keegan is a short story about (parental) love. A girl from an economically-challenged family is sent to relatives, Mrs. and Mr. Kinsella (who have lost their only child), to be temporarily cared for. The Kinsellas seem to be slightly better off than the girl’s parents but certainly not much. The strength of this short story lies in what’s implied: From the very beginning the unnamed girl is treated with kindness. When she wets her bed, her foster mother scolds herself (and the mattress!) for putting the girl on an old “weeping” mattress and simply goes on to clean it with the girl's help. The girl’s foster father takes her on a walk and while talking to her, gives her all the room to respond or to remain silent (and explicitly tells her so) - whatever the girl needs. He simply takes her hand and guides her along her way. Letting her go and return, letting himself be carried by the girl’s quiet joy...

Heroic Hearts by Jim Butcher My rating: 5 of 5 stars » “You came for me first,” she said. “Not the pizza.” « I’m exclusively referring to Jim Butcher’s short story “Little Things” from the “ Heroic Hearts ” anthology. This is simply because I only got it to read that one story - and it was worth it. Told from the viewpoint of “ Major General Toot-Toot Minimus, sprite in service to Sir Harry Dresden […] and captain of his personal guard ”, this is set pretty much immediately after the events of “ Battle Ground ”… An attempt on Harry’s life is made and Toot-Toot valiantly takes charge! I’ve like the little folk from the very beginning and now they finally and very much deservedly get their very own story. Five out of five stars for a highly amusing short story from the Dresden universe . Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam View all my reviews https://turing.mailstation.de/little-things-by-jim-butcher-from-heroic-hearts-by-jim-butcher/?feed_id=1076&_unique_id=636295edcd1aa

The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by Ursula K. Le Guin My rating: 2 of 5 stars The premise of this short story is simple: Omelas, a radiant city of happiness, has built its riches upon the suffering of a single child. Every citizen knows of the child and many visit it to witness its suffering. There are basically three options according to Le Guin: - Walk away and live your life, knowing your happiness depends on the misery of an innocent child. - Walk away from Omelas; leave, never to come back. - Rescue the child - but that doesn’t happen. According to Le Guin’s afterword those are the only options because those are the rules: » You can only play a game -- chess, soccer, parable -- if you follow the rules. « And that’s where I say she’s wrong: We abide by the “rules” because we want to. We allow the rules to restrict what we do. We choose to follow the rules - but we don’t have to! In the face of developing countries being ravaged by COVID-19 like we’d never tolerate it here, ...

Worms by Paul Auster My rating: 3 of 5 stars A highly metaphorical short story in which an elderly guy is being kind, is being treated kindly himself, gets hurt nevertheless, falls to his knees but gets up once more to reflect on his past and - my first and only guess - is sinking into dementia while considering how the eponymous worms may taste (when he’s gone to his grave), effectively contemplating death. This is so short, devoid of substantial clues and highly abstract that I lack the patience to analyse it in any detail. I read this because Paul Auster - whom I adore, almost worship - wrote it but even to yours truly this didn’t really appeal. Three out of five stars. Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam View all my reviews https://turing.mailstation.de/worms-by-paul-auster/?feed_id=1020&_unique_id=635808a53e67c

Lonely Planet Unpacked by Lonely Planet My rating: 1 of 5 stars Travel disaster stories were promised but the only disaster were the stories… DNF at 72%. Ever since I stumbled upon “ Kamikaze Kangaroos!: A trip around Oz in a van called Rusty ” by Tony James Slater several years ago, I sometimes like to read travel memoirs - especially when there’s disaster involved! By now, I’ve read all of Tony’s books (and those of many other travellers!) and it seemed a logical next step to take a famous travel guide’s collection of supposedly funny travel stories… Sadly, the promised “disaster stories” here are mostly of the following variety… “Look, I did this and this is why: (long-winded explanations)” “I could have died from that long walk, the road traffic, my inability to overcome inertia, (blah blah)!” “And, lo and behold, I dangerously sprained my ankle!” This is neither very entertaining nor does it make for a good read which is why I’m abandoning this for good. One star out of fiv...

Heroes Wanted: A Fantasy Anthology by Laura M. Hughes My rating: 4 of 5 stars A nice albeit very short short story featuring Michael J. Sullivan's Hadrian and Royce (Riyria). It is part of the Riyria Chronicles . There’s so little actual story, I won’t summarise it here. Suffice it to say you won’t be disappointed even though there’s a slight deja-vu feeling… Thankfully, the “ Heroes Wanted ” anthology which it is part of can be gotten for free from Amazon fairly often and so you have nothing to lose. Four out of five stars for a happy reunion with Riyria! Ceterum censeo Putin esse delendam View all my reviews https://turing.mailstation.de/the-ashmoore-affair-from-heroes-wanted-a-fantasy-anthology-laura-m-hughes-by-michael-j-sullivan/?feed_id=944&_unique_id=63483656b42b8