(also including a bit of April)

The Handover

David Runciman

tags: non-fiction, AI, politics, capitalism

Having listened to many hours of Runciman’s podcasts, it’s always a treat seeing how well his voice translates into his writing—approachable, inquisitive, and authoritative in equal parts. The conception of states and corporations as artificial agents is an interesting thread he’s been pursuing since at least How Democracy Ends, and is a helpful framing for thinking about how much agency we’ve already handed off to non-human entities, even before bringing AI into the mix. It’s always good to remember that there’s a big difference between “novel” and “unprecedented,” and there’s almost always a historical context worth learning from.

The Wendigo

Algernon Blackwood

tags: novella, weird fiction, weird nature, feet of fire

Not as atmospheric or as haunting as The Willows (a story where not much happens, but it happens vividly), but memorable in its own right, especially if you can set aside the of-its-time racism that crops up a couple of times in the opening chapter. Mostly, it’s Défago’s oddly poetic cries that will stick with me, the rest of the story being fairly boilerplate weird fiction—or at least what would become boilerplate in the decades to come. Still, one phrase sticking with me is really all I ask for from something this short.

Mind MGMT Vol 1 – 6

Matt Kindt

tags: graphic novel, conspiracy culture, psychic warfare, immortals, dolphins

I very much appreciated the density of this series and the effort of the watercoloured artwork, although I worry a bit when density and effort are the first things I think to compliment. Kindt presents an absurdly intricate world with its own intuitive (or at least intuitable) logic, and while it sometimes can seem too multilayered for its own good, it generally manages to keep the story as the central focus.
Never quite attains the mystic highs of something like Grant Morrison’s Invisibles—despite its focus on altering minds, I wouldn’t quite call this psychedelic—but there’s a unique world, unique art, interesting use of the medium, and a story that doesn’t strain to fill a half-dozen trades. It more than justifies a read, in other words.

A Guest in the House

Emily Carroll

tags: graphic novel, haunted, phantasmagoria, trauma

Fantastic. Atmospheric and unpredictable, beautifully blending the mundane and the phantasmagorical. Carroll’s artwork is exquisite, overtly on the pages where fantasy takes over, and more subtly in the dollops of colour that leak into the real world, especially when thinking of those in light of the ending. I love how unconstrained she is by panels or rigid structures; the story art seems so much more organic when it’s allowed however much room it needs.

Not a traditional haunted house story and that’s absolutely for the best. I never settled into a sense of knowing just what kind of story this was, and on the rare moments I did, whatever expectations I did have were nicely subverted. It’s unusual for an ending to reframe so much of what came before, with nothing contrived or forced about it. That’ll sit with me, for sure.

When reading something like this, I’m often struck by the difference in how much time it takes to create a page vs how long it takes to read it. Probably a good reason to revisit this sooner than later, just to see what details I didn’t pick up on the first time

Through the Woods

Emily Carroll

tags: graphic fiction, short stories, fairy tales, weird fiction

I definitely see the appeal of this one—Victorian/Edwardian* ghost stories with a more contemporary, weird edge—and if I hadn’t started with A Guest in the House I probably would be giving this more praise. But Carroll’s newer work is just so much more sophisticated, in its artwork and in its narrative, that I couldn’t help being a little disappointed with this. More a testament to her growth as an artist than a criticism of this one, which is still worth a read, just not one I’d likely go out of my way to recommend.

*I shouldn’t guess at eras, it’s really not something I know much about. Let’s just call it an era with both untamed wilderness and frilly garments.

Fluke: Chance, Chaos, and Why Everything We Do Matters

Brian Klass

tags: non-fiction, coincidence, interconnection, fate, free will

One of the risks of reading a pop-sci take on a subject you’ve spent a lot of time reading and thinking in is it can feel like a bit of a rehash or a gloss, and that’s how I felt for a lot of Fluke. It’s not a criticism of the book, which is thoughtful and features well-chosen examples for its look at the highly contingent nature of reality. Anything that tries to pull together threads of chaos theory, the interconnection of all things, and the impossibility of free will is admirable. I think this’d likely be a great primer for people new to these subjects and might open doorways into areas like Zen Buddhism, optimistic nihilism, and contemporary philosophy. It just wasn’t the right book at the right time for me.

The Weather Detective

Peter Wohlleben

tags: non-fiction, gardening, weather, flora, fauna

I’m not sure if this is on me or the book’s marketing, but I really didn’t expect this to be so much about gardening. The Hidden Life of Trees was wonderful and felt like it was exposing me to a whole world that had previously been invisible to me. This had some interesting tidbits, but felt closer to an advise column than a revelation. Still very approachable and knowledgable, but not something I likely would have sought out if I’d known what it was.

The Middle Passage

James Hollis

tags: non-fiction, mid-life, Jung, purpose, rebirth

I really need to put together some more thorough notes on this one, but in short, a lot of this resonated with what I’ve been feeling as I fumble into my 40s. A helpful framework for thinking about how to push through and emerge, if not stronger, at least more fully myself. The handful of exercises it offers are more about asking the right questions rather than providing concrete actions to take, but part of the whole point is that there are no easy answers, and I can see how looking for an outside authority to show you your true inner self would be counterproductive.

The Resurrectionist : The Lost Work of Dr. Spencer Black

E.B. Hudspeth

tags: fiction, fake biography, illustrated, novella

An odd work—essentially a short story disguised as a biography, paired with anatomical drawings of mythical creatures, which take on a darker tone when paired with the story. It’s a unique book, and the closing image of the story is ominous and ambiguous. There isn’t much in the way of narrative, and what there is, at least the more horrific aspect, is mostly implied. But it gives just enough to make sure it lingers.