Dirty Computer is Monáe's concept album that imagines a dystopian future where technology is used to wipe the memories of non-conformists living underDirty Computer is Monáe's concept album that imagines a dystopian future where technology is used to wipe the memories of non-conformists living under an Orwellian techno-authoritarian regime. In Monáe’s companion film or “emotion picture” (available on YouTube), the full set of music videos for the album are interwoven with narratives that provide context for the story and show how the individual songs fit together within her overarching theme. This book contains five stories set in the world of Dirty Computer, each co-written with a different author.
I have not listened to the album or seen the emotion picture, so I did feel like I was missing something when I started with the first story. But the world building is fleshed out just enough in the first story. I was able to stick with it and get the gist of the world of the Dirty Computer. However, I'd probably recommend viewing the Dirty Computer video first because I think it would have helped me understand this world better.
That being said, it seems each of these stories is set in slightly different times of this world. Save Changes seems to be set fairly early in this dystopian world, whereas the Memory Librarian seems to be many decades into this world. For me, it would have helped to have had a timeline or some sort of linear understanding. And I think that maybe some of the conceptual things she did in the album and picture might not have translated well to page. While collaborations are great, I think collaborating with 5 different co-authors also hindered the cohesiveness that she might have been aiming for.
The positives are these stories are full of queerness, feminism, and creativity with themes of how humanity needs artists, dreamers, and people who don't necessarily fit with the square box that current society thinks people should fit into.
Overall, mixed feelings. Like most short stories, some I liked more than others. 3 stars....more
I first started this book at the beginning of October. The premise was intriguing and the beginning showed promise. However, as the story progressed, I first started this book at the beginning of October. The premise was intriguing and the beginning showed promise. However, as the story progressed, I lost interest and found that I was forcing myself to go on—not a good sign, and so I put the book aside.
I came back to this book today, January 6, 2025, and restarted it. I only got 2 chapters further than the last time. I simply am not enjoying this, nor do I understand the hype.
First, the good. I do love that this book is primarily from the perspective of a crow, but also involves other animal perspectives (and I understand even a tree POV at some point). I appreciate the message that Buxton attempts to communicate, that everything is connected and that nature communicates on its own wavelengths (Aura). The main protagonist, S.T. isn't really likable (apparently like his former human), but he does have a distinct and unique personality, which includes cheesy catch phrases and a disturbing sense of loyalty to humanity.
However, the good is heavily outweighed starting with how overwritten it is with soooo many metaphors. While metaphors can aid descriptions, their overuse partnered with lines like “crumble-cheese turd burger” or “yard demolishing fuck trolls” or “pubic badger” or “you could have heard a dust mite queef in there” or “fuck off, you douche flute” or “butt-splosion of information” or “cheese cups, ass clubs” or “scrotum-sanitizing mouth” became a bit much. Descriptions heavy with verbiage became exhausting to read.
Second, I found the random POVs of a variety of minor characters, like Genghis cat, Winnie the Poodle, a polar bear, a highland cow etc., disrupted the story. I flipped through the two-thirds of the book to finish reading these POVS, and we only get any kind of conclusion on Genghis cat, Winnie the Poodle, the polar bear. They rest simply came nowhere throughout the book, breaking up the flow of the story. These short bursts of personalities don't add much to the plot other than to further symbolize that this plague has affected everyone in the world, or at least all the countries who rely heavily on tech. Plus, the animal alliances seem arbitrary and contradictory, especially considering Buxton's heavy moralizing on the connection of the natural world. Her optimism about the natural world feels slightly naïve and preachy as it attempts be a not-so-subtle morality tale on every injustice and environmental crisis (e.g., the polar bear wandering on shrinking ice).
Which leads to the next issue. The plague doesn't make sense.
it was a virus. . . . mans creation [from] the internet. . . . it started with the addiction. Technology was an intangible seductress, a siren calling for ships to meet her jagged rocks. It was a virus that spread through the systems, through the network, chips, watches, phones, tablets. Through eyes, skin, and synapses.
W.T.F.? Why? Moreover, this tech addiction virus apparently seeped into the skin and changed everyone into Cassowaries and giant spiders. Um? Again, why? In short, the science is messy and seems to attempt to add another not-so-subtle morality tale on the overuse of tech.
I stopped fully reading this at page 84 (chapter 12) and skimmed through the rest of the book. I'm marking this as a DNF....more
Well, Book 3 definitely wraps up most of the main plot elements. However, the pacing was inconsistent for this book, and I felt like some subplots werWell, Book 3 definitely wraps up most of the main plot elements. However, the pacing was inconsistent for this book, and I felt like some subplots were introduced just to be quickly wrapped up. There was some time spent with cameos of Iron Druid characters. And so, there was a feeling of these scenes being forced to make these connections. Then again, there had to be all the random subplots because the main plot, Al's curses, was rather anticlimactic and would have barely made a novella. So I was disappointed with the overarching plot of who cursed Al and why.
Also, I tired of the juvenile humor, which was mostly through the hobgoblins.
Overall, this trilogy was just okay. The best part was Luke Daniels narration—he's a wizard with voices and accents.
Basically my thoughts on the first book, Ink & Sigil, apply to this book. I thought this book dragged a bit and didn't substantively move the overarchBasically my thoughts on the first book, Ink & Sigil, apply to this book. I thought this book dragged a bit and didn't substantively move the overarching plot, finding out who cursed Al and thus killed his apprentices, forward.
And even more than the first book, they call Gladys, Al's receptionist, "Gladys who has seen some shite" every fecking time. Over and over. Not just Gladys, but the entire title. And seriously, how has Al not noticed that Gladys is something more than a mundane human? There were several instances where Al, who has been a sigil agent for quite a while, is completely oblivious, which just made him seem more cartoonish than the first book. But then he comes up with
And same as the first book, Luke Daniels, who is a fabulous narrator, does the majority of the book in a Scottish accent because Al is Scottish. In fairness, I listened to this book the day after the first book, so after 16+ hours, I really tired of the Scottish accent. But again, I give Daniels full props because not only did he have to do a Scottish accent, he also had to do Irish, a computer-esque British (because of Al's text-to-speech app only has an English accent), Asian, Australian, southern American.
But my biggest issue was that I felt the plot was a bit weak and not obviously connected to the overarching plot, Al's curses. I was also a bit disappointed that Atticus (now Connor) is substantively featured in this story (along with the Morrigan, who becomes Roxanne). Yes, this trilogy is in the Iron Druid world, but I would expect that this spin-off series be a bit more independent. Why create a new series with new characters from a different angle? Atticus had his series. So why does he need to predominately feature here? The entire crutch of the plot was about Atticus when I had expected it to be about Al and his curses.
The other thing I disliked is that their one main problem, the mundane human Officer Campbell, gets eliminated in the last big action scene. Too convenient. Why even have him on the adventure just to kill him off to easily get rid of the problem (i.e., a human who is exposed to the fae and all the other magic in the world).
So I actually liked this book a little less than Book 1. But I will still go on to Book 3. Mostly because I want to know (hopefully) the answer to the curses....more
I have mixed feeling about this book. I was initially excited to go back into the world setting of the Iron Druid as it was one of my fave series. (InI have mixed feeling about this book. I was initially excited to go back into the world setting of the Iron Druid as it was one of my fave series. (In fact, Atticus & Oberon makes a cameo.) As it is the same world as the Iron Druid, the magic system is obviously similar, except the Al, MC, is a mundane human called a Sigil Agent because he has to use sigils, written with special, handmade inks, on special paper, with quill pen or fountain pen. (In some ways, this book is a homage to ink and fountain pens.) And even though this is set in the same world of Iron Druid, one doesn't have to read the Iron Druid series to understand this world. Hearne does a great job of world building and how the characters fit into it.
But this story just didn't captivate me as much. Some of it is that there are a lot of slow places where the story is relying too much on the interaction between Al and Buck Foi, a hobgoblin. Some of it is that Al, because of his curse, has to rely on a text-to-speech app, which slows down the pace. (Seriously, who can type while there's any kind of action happening?) And some of the humor felt like middle school boy humor, even though Al is supposed to be in his early 60s. Really, how many times do they need to call Gladys, Al's office assistant, "Gladys who's seen some shite"? No, they can't call her just Gladys. Every time it's the full title.
Another issue is that Luke Daniels, who is a fabulous narrator, has to do a Scottish accent as Al is Scottish and the story is mainly set in Scotland. While I like a Scottish accent, it honestly got a bit much after listening to it for a few hours. This is not against Daniels as he was simply reading the book in the accent of the MC. And I give Daniels full props because not only did he have to do a Scottish accent (and also a Glasgow vs Edinburg accent, which Al goes on a diatribe about), he also had to do Irish, a computer-esque British (because of Al's text-to-speech app only has an English accent), Asian, Australian, southern American, and Latino American. But the heavy Scottish accent wore me down after a while.
Also, I just thought the plot was a bit weak. Obviously, this is a trilogy, and so part of this book sets up the continuing story (Al's curse and lack of apprentice). Although entertaining, I just didn't connect to any of the characters to root for them. Nadia was interesting, but I didn't feel she was fully developed. In fact, I felt the most of the characters were more cartoonish, more along the lines of an animated series or graphic novel.
Finally, while I thought Hearne did a great job with recognizing and balancing the patriarchy privilege, racism, sexism, and other -isms with his white 60-year-old male protagonist, I thought Hearne did a little too much preaching about some topics via Al's lectures, or rather his soliloquies. For example, the human trafficking subplot felt a bit too much with the overall plot which is about fae trafficking. I agree with the author’s feelings, but there were a few too many info dumps and it created a forced and somewhat unrealistic with the relationship with the police.
So overall, I'm a little disappointed in the start to this series, hence only 3 stars. I will be continuing on to books 2 and 3, but my expectations are more managed now. ...more
My least fave of the three. The writing is still snappy and witty, but the story was slower than the first two and definitely had less action. The draMy least fave of the three. The writing is still snappy and witty, but the story was slower than the first two and definitely had less action. The drama felt a bit anti-climatic and also a bit rushed. I really thought there would've been more depth to the implied machinations by Mikael and the GAA Commissioner, but that drama failed to be anything other than a bit annoying.
So I liked this one but not as much as book one and definitely not as much as book two. I do like that the characters have a fun and supportive group of friends and that they all deal with realistic issues (despite their supernatural statuses). And one bonus is that there are some steamy scenes and I learned what a jacob's ladder piercing is. And wowza! That would be something....more
I enjoyed this one a smidge more than the first because who doesn't love a half-demon bad boy? I enjoyed this one a smidge more than the first because who doesn't love a half-demon bad boy? ...more
I was a bit confused at the beginning of this book because there is a lot going on. Jess and her parents have left DNF'd at page 124 (chapter 9 of 25)
I was a bit confused at the beginning of this book because there is a lot going on. Jess and her parents have left the United States due to her father's ordeal with cancer and, presumably, medical debt. They have moved to Malaysia to live with her father's younger sister; however, they are culturally Chinese. So right away, there are a lot of Chinese cultural references in a Malaysian setting—I found it hard to keep track. I also got a bit lost because many of the cultural references really weren't explained and there wasn't enough (or really any) world building to always figure them out. Of course, Jess, the MC, also lacks cultural references since she grew up in the United States, graduated from Harvard, and apparently neither of her parents made her learn Hokkien (a variety of southern Min Chinese that is also spoken in Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and the Philippines, which was one of many things I had to stop and look up because of no explanation) or Chinese.
The character development is also uneven. Jess has the most substance, but everyone else, including Ah Ma (Jess's grandmother and ghost), were one dimensional. And Jess really wasn't a likable character. I really felt no sympathy for her, despite basically being an immigrant. Mostly because she came across as bland, stiff, and two-dimensional.
I read other reviews that called the pacing of this book "erratic." That's the best word for it. It's up and down, left and right, with scenes that didn't seem to go much of anywhere. It's as if the author didn't really know what she wanted to do with the story but at the same time was trying to cram a whole bunch of things into it. On top of the erratic pacing, the plot was overly-convoluted and the world-building was weak with so many unfocused scenes. No building of tension, even in the few "action" scenes. The story just drags and drags.
I tried to hang in but I finally had to call it quits. I picked up this book because it was recommended to me, but after DNF'ing Cho's Sorcerer to the Crown (for a lot of the same reasons), I should have passed on this one too. ...more
I'll preface my review by stating that I am clearly not the intended audience. That being said, my biggest issue was that the writing style just didn'I'll preface my review by stating that I am clearly not the intended audience. That being said, my biggest issue was that the writing style just didn't work for me. The tone was humorous and the story overall is easy to read, but I felt the pacing didn't quite work, the character development was lacking, and I felt there were some holes in the story.
As for the pacing, I thought that given there were 3 monsters that this might be the first in a trilogy with some build-up. Instead, it went quickly between two monsters in this book without any development in between—this is why I felt the pacing didn't quite work. These 3 monsters are basically supposed to be the end of times, like Ragnorak, and yet, *snap* two were defeated by a pre-teen boy with a sword but no training.
The minimal character development is likely due to the pacing. The story does move fast and so there's little time for character development. This is a pre-teen boy struggling with identity, both sexual and cultural. I thought more care and time might have been devoted to these issues, especially considering this is targeted at middle graders who might have similar issues.
As for the plot holes, basically I felt there was minimal detail on the history of the ring and Ashmedai. Maybe that's because of the age bracket this book is intended. But the story only told the basics and I felt I was missing something. Maybe because I’m not Jewish and I know little Judaism and its stories.
Overall, an interesting concept but it might have been fleshed out a bit more.
I received this book from BookishFirst in exchange for an honest review. ...more
I'm not sure how to rate this book. On the one hand, it kept me reading and I finished it. On the other, it felt a bit convoluted and had too much diaI'm not sure how to rate this book. On the one hand, it kept me reading and I finished it. On the other, it felt a bit convoluted and had too much dialogue where one couldn't keep up with who was actually speaking. And as other reviewers have pointed out, it's a bit fanfic-ish (hello trying to be like/imitate the ineffable Gaiman and/or the extraordinary Pratchett, which is an impossible feat).
This book is about a game immortals play when they are bored, but a game that's supposedly unfathomable to us mere mortals and one mortals aren't supposed to play. Except when they do. And the only rule is don't lose. This story is also about Viola "Vi" Marek, an aswang (Filipino folklore vampire cat) real estate agent who is trying to sell a haunted house and is "managing her 'condition.'" The house belongs to, or rather belonged to the now deceased Thomas "Tom" Edward Parker IV, who doesn’t know how and why he was killed, but he's now haunting the house because he died due to a family curse. Then there are Death; the godson of Death, Fox D’Mora; and the love of Fox's life, Brandt, a Norse demi-god. Also making appearances are Mayra, an accountant angel; Cal, a reaper; Lupo, the werewolf and drug counselor; Louisa, a siren; Sly, one of the Fair Folk; Isis, a demon and personal trainer; Lainey, Tom's ex; Ralphael and Gabriel, the archangels; and other assorted paranormal creatures and immortal beings.
In other words, there is a lot going on, starting with there are too many characters with too many motives. And this story isn't linear—it jumps around back and forth, as various characters' backstories or parts of backstories are revealed. But not all characters and not all backstories are revealed. The character development is rather uneven and choppy with some characters having more screen time, so to speak, but with no real basis of why. I thought too much time was spent on attempts to have snappy, quirky, humorous dialogue and not enough on developing each character. And honestly, there could be a Raiders of the Lost Arc vibe here—if Vi and Tom were removed, I have to ask if the overarching plot ending changes? I don't think so. And yet, they have significant stories in this book. (And the pretty much insta-love. Why for the love of death is it always insta-love or near insta-love? Except in this case set up as an angsty attempt to not be insta-love, but it was. Was that all just set up for the game, which is what it seemed like. Really? It seems there should have been another way to work that.)
As for a plot, it takes a bit to actually get to the plot, or really get to the main plot, because we know from the tag line that the plot isn't about Vi trying to sell a haunted house, which is all you really get at the beginning. And at first, I kept flipping back pages because I kept thinking I was missing something. The story does get a bit repetitive with some things, like Fox's and Brandt's relationship, or at least what constitutes a relationship. But then that would end and instead of moving forward with the Fox/Brandt storyline, we'd be back to Vi and Tom, her trying to help him "move on" so she could sell the house. And repeat with Fox/Brandt, then back to Vi/Tom. That happened for a while, and so I set the book aside for a day or so. But curiosity got the best of me, and I picked the book up again.
The writing tries really hard to be smart, and clever, and quirky, and all the things that make Gaiman Gaiman and Pratchett Pratchett, but as stated above, that's impossible, and so this writing just felt like either a poor shade or a weak attempt at flattery. I started skimming because there were lots of passages that were just there and didn't matter to the overall story. And sadly, the entire plot of the book, the game the immortals play when their bored, was over rather quickly. All that build up and that whole scene fell flat for me. Mostly because I assume, being a mere mortal myself, that it's impossible or at least nearly impossible to write about a game immortals play when one is a simple mortal.
In the end, I found this book failed a bit in its execution. And the ending was wrapped up too neatly with an overly done HEA. 2.5 stars rounded up for effort....more
If this was a graphic novel not already associated with a series, I might give it a solid 4 stars. Maybe. But since it is connected to an established If this was a graphic novel not already associated with a series, I might give it a solid 4 stars. Maybe. But since it is connected to an established urban fantasy series, I rate it between 3 and 3.5 stars rounded up because it's the Mercyverse.
First the art. I did think the art work was a bit uneven throughout, which might be explained by the fact there were 2 artists. That being said, I thought the artists did do a good job capturing the action scenes. I guess my biggest issue is two-fold. First, Dan Dos Santos, who does the cover art, does a magnificent job. His art is stunning, and so that's how I've usually pictured Mercy. Well, different artists have different visions and their version of Mercy wasn't bad (although a couple of pages she's depicted more Barbie-like with big boobs and a small waist, and seemed to be a bit oversexualized, but then the next scene, she'd be more muscular - again, the unevenness). Regardless, I will always picture Dos Santos's Mercy.
That leads to next issue. This is one of my favorite series. I've read and reread it, as well as listened to the audiobooks multiple times. (In fact, it was this series that got me into audiobooks.) And because I have spent a lot of time in the Mercyverse, I already had solid ideas on what each characters looked like. And yes, as I stated above, every reader, every artist will have their own version and no artist will be able to create versions of these characters that appeal to all. I get that. But my issue is that I felt the characters looked like too cartoonish. At least in some frames or pages. (Again, there was an unevenness to the art.) In particular, there was one panel that was a close-up of Stefan that made him looked like the Joker from Batman. And Zee had a retired Wolverine (X-Men) look going on. Adam was identifiable, but not exactly as he is described in the books.
As for the story, I loved diving back into the world . . . but I was disappointed in some of the disconnect from Mercy's established backstory. Homecoming is a prequel to the series, showing how Mercy ended up in the Tri-Cities, presumably 10 years prior to the start of Moon Called. Much of Mercy's backstory is scattered throughout the books, so for me, who has reread the books multiple times, has a good grip on how Mercy came to be a mechanic in the Tri-Cities. Furthermore, Patricia Briggs is listed as a co-author, which makes it a little bit more disappointing. For example, in the series, Mercy was already living in her trailer for three years before Adam moved in next door. But here in Homecoming, Adam is already living next door (or has just bought the place). Granted, for the way the story in Homecoming played out, it made more sense, but the lack of continuity was disappointing. I think it still could've worked sticking to the established timelines.
Of course now that I think about it, I'm not sure one could pick up this GN and really get it without reading the series. There's little to no world building. And while I'm not a big GN reader, I assume that even GNs have to do some world building. So I probably wouldn't rate this higher than 3 stars if it were just a standalone, not connect to a series, GN.
So 4 stars because I love Mercy's world but in reality, 3 stars because it's a bit disappointing in both art and storytelling....more
I always love visiting Kate & Curran's world. And this novella is jammed pack of all the things I love best about this world, as well as gives me hopeI always love visiting Kate & Curran's world. And this novella is jammed pack of all the things I love best about this world, as well as gives me hopes that there will be many more Kate & Curran stories. ...more
The story is uneven mostly because the world building is lacking and the character development is weak. I thought there was too much thrown into the fThe story is uneven mostly because the world building is lacking and the character development is weak. I thought there was too much thrown into the first book, considering the book is less than 300 pages long. I lost count of how many times Sam’s life was in danger and honestly started skimming some of it. And I don’t particularly care for the dream-like death trope, which I thought was overused a bit here.
Sam is not well developed. It’s clear she had a lot of trauma at an early age (TW: kidnapping, rape, torture) and has scars to show for it. And again, this is where the lack of world building shows. She’s a werewolf, so why does she have scars? Because a silver blade was used? Because the trauma happened before her first change? Because there was sorcerer magic afoot? No real explanation for it. And moreover, no one questions why a werewolf has scars. It’s just never brought up.
The other characters are more one-dimensional. Clive is a stereotype of a master vampire, who, by the way, just keeps having neat powers when he needs them. Owen is a white witch and Dave is some sort of demon. Lots of other supernaturals are thrown in including succubi, kelpies, dragons, mermaids, possible gods/goddesses, and even one of the fates. But there wasn’t any seeming rules around this world. No rhyme or reason. While I like being immersed in a world where the supernatural exists, it still needs some boundaries, some form.
But despite these things, the story did keep me reading. It is fast paced and doesn’t keep you guessing on who the baddie is. (view spoiler)[Although the real baddie is still out there at the end of book 1, so I’m guessing more shenanigans will be afoot in book 2. (hide spoiler)]
And why use the Middle English version of witch - wicche? It just seemed to random. She didn’t use “vampyre” or werewulf/werwulf. So why use the old form of witch? Again, the lack of world building did hurt the story.
Overall, uneven. And I’m not sure I liked it enough to read book 2. ...more
A book that should have taken me a day to read, ended up taking me 3 because I kept putting it down. I thought it was going to be more like World War A book that should have taken me a day to read, ended up taking me 3 because I kept putting it down. I thought it was going to be more like World War Z, but that's a bad comparison (as I actually enjoyed WWZ). I thought that a book focusing on the challenge of having proof of vampires and then trying to live in a divided world with vampires would be an interesting book. Sadly, this is one vampire book that was a complete snoozefest. I finally just started skimming chapters just to get through to what I thought was going to be an uprising but was more of a sigh.
The book started off okay with Dr. Lauren Scott. Had the book kept the focus on Dr. Scott, and maybe adding in FBI Agent Hugo Zumthor, this might have been a better read. But with the addition of other POVs, including the "interview" of Father Reilly, each chapter begins to sound too similar, with the same "if I had known then what I know now" narrative. Furthermore, I couldn't distinguish any different voice or emotion—all the characters seemed to be the same, which contributed to the story be boring. And I won't even comment on the POVs that made an entrance but then completely disappeared.
I think the biggest problem is that the book lacks a cohesive plot to hold things together, and so it felt like a bunch of random articles held together in the same folder instead of different POVs following the same plot. The title including the word "uprising" made it sound like there was going to be some big action. While some grander "take-over-the-world" schemes were hinted at, nothing materialized. The Gloamings (vampires) clearly need live human blood to survive. Some may have some nefarious scheme to end daylight via some sort of nuclear bomb? Or not? Maybe they're trying to harvest people? Or not? These and other schemes are mentioned and there's some tension that seems to be building to something (an uprising?). . . but nada happens. (Except one incident that's relegated to a footnote and seems to really involve the human National Guard and a bunch of teens). And the author hinted at other things (like how the Gloamings seem to be able to almost hypnotize people, or their pheromones attracting people or repelling others), but he went no where with those things either. So basically, no uprising on either side, no big action, nothing. I kept reading to the end for zero payoff.
The lack of cohesive plot was further highlighted by the way the POVs jumped forward and back in time, even thought each chapter was supposed to be +# time from the initial incident. And again, this might have worked had there been any actual plot to hold it together. Honestly, a reddit thread discussing a vampire uprising would have been more interesting.
The author Villareal is an attorney, and so I wasn't surprised to see an couple legalese chapters, including a Supreme Court "opinion" that was supposed to be written by Justice Kagen (although I Kagen writes far better than this, so I thought it was a bit insulting to her). As an attorney myself, I got what he was trying to do but I thought he went a bit too far in trying to sound smart or make this something more than it was. This isn't a legal thriller, it isn't even a Grisham novel. Without a plot to really it to, it just made the story longer than it needed to be. And really, there were too many footnotes. Yes, footnotes can be a fun, funky way to add to a novel. Here, the footnotes didn't really add any value to the story, and were, quite frankly, overkill on an already messy novel.
For a vampire book, this is a story that goes no where, has no action, and definitely no excitement. Honestly, I should have DNF'd it at page 88 (end of Chapter 4) and saved myself some time.
1.5 stars rounded up for the attempt to be different. ...more