03 October 2018

Review: Burning Sky

Burning Sky Burning Sky by Weston Ochse
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have written before about my struggles with military sci-fi, and this one, at least on the presentation, appeared to be different. And on one hand, it is - the approach to this story, especially with the characterizations in play, feel very different than with other efforts I've read or tried to read. But what this didn't do is deliver beyond that - the take still felt stilted and sterile, and the ideas and conceits for me just failed to connect.

This wasn't a bad read - many who love this subgenre are praising this effort. For me, though, it just failed to connect. That's more on me than anything on the book.

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Review: It

It It by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Closer to a 4.5, but as classic Stephen King, it's insanely clear why this is heralded as a favorite. I don't need to go over all the plot points of a 1200 page tome, but needless to say, it is as weird and disturbing and awesome as I hoped it would be, and I have very few qualms outside of some of the choices made along the way (including, unsurprisingly, the controversial scene near the end).

Still, wow. This is truly intense, with a lot of scenes and plot points that have stuck with me long since I read the story. I recall my mother reading this when it first came out and seeing her repeatedly slam the book shut because of how scared she got, and I don't know if I was there, but I do wish I could commiserate with her over the story now.

A must-read, especially for horror fans. Don't be like me and wait forever to invest the time.

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