Literature of Horror, Fantasy and Science Fiction

  I honestly enjoyed reading The Martian. Part of it is because I like science fiction and all the exploration, explanation and how I learn more about science through these books. Another reason why this was a good read for me is that there was not that much romance in it that distracts from the plot. And finally, the character development. I grew fond of Mark Watney because Andy Weir makes the reader spend days with Mark on Mars and walks through every step. Right before I thought the meticulous attention to the detail will make the book boring Mark’s sense of humor and introduction to his personality changed that thought. Mark is the main protagonist and focus of the book, although there are other characters but they almost blur in the crowd as Mark takes most of the “screen time”.  The only person left behind on Mars is a botanist, and I think that if any other member of the crew was left behind they could not survive. First, there is an impression that Mark will survive on...

  Watching Coraline made me go back and read it. I will do it whenever I have time. It was a fantastic story with a unique style where everything is stunningly weird. I liked worldbuilding the most and the duality of everything. In my opinion LAIKA succeeded in every aspect of this stop motion feature. There is a lot of foreshadowing and great exposition to prepare the viewer for horror. It is done mostly by threads and needles. I really liked the contrast between the parallel worlds and the way evil is introduced in this “perfect” form. Everything is nice and normal except the eyes of the “other” characters but it seems like Coraline is not bothered with it that much until she realizes that they want to sew a pair of buttons for her eyes as well and opposes them. The character arc and the relationship between the two main characters is very interesting as well making us root for them. Most importantly there is an obvious and important  high concept and she learns her lesson a...

 Blogs 47 points + attendance 7 points = 54 points

  “The circus arrives without warning” this is the opening sentence of the book. It started with mysterious words that awoke my interest and triggered my imagination. However, the overall plot and the way the author exposed his thoughts through imagery was confusing because of non-linear storytelling. From the beginning till the end there are multiple storylines and jumps in time and space to reveal more and more about the characters which also makes it a slow read to take my time and understand what exactly is going on. This is done to make the atmosphere of the book more mysterious and I think Erin Morgenstern succeeds in it. The sudden appearance of the circus that is open only at night and closes at dawn and there is no way to track where it goes is definitely a unique hook. The Night Circus stands out with its exposition, costume and prop designs and worldbuilding overall. I liked all the magic and weirdness throughout but the romance kept distracting me and it was the least e...

  The Hobbit definitely stands out with its meticulous and amusing worldbuilding, exposition and character development. It is hard to have many characters in the story and keep the clarity of the story. However, Tolkien brilliantly portrays his characters and even though some of the characters get more attention than the others he gives equal importance to all the characters. Throughout the story the reader follows Bilbo, his point of view and his character development. In my  opinion Bilbo is a great representation of a character arc and the growth of an ordinary into a hero. The reader can relate to Bilbo and discover themselves through his journey. All of us can find our inner hobbit when we plan our lives and try to stay on the safe side of it but some events push us to do more, to think outside the box, be our better and braver selves and feel accomplished.  What caught my eye the most is Tolkien’s representation of the Smaug. I find him very engrossing but it was am...

   I am not sure what to write about this book. The first sentences were promising but it turned out to be another witch story that has nothing new to offer. There is not enough introduction to the characters I think and the book starts with action which seemed confusing to me. Sunny is different from others, she is Nigerian Albino which makes it hard for her to find her place in the community. Orlu and Chichi felt random for me in the beginning as their connection did not seem natural. I wish I could read more about Chichi’s house. As the book itself is written in first person, Sunny’s explorations play a huge role in the story. Before she is told the truth about Orlu and Chichi she notices some weird things but it does not bother her that much. Some of the terms throughout the book feel almost paraphrased from Harry Potter. I think that similarity made me stop reading almost halfway through. I was trying to find a reason to continue reading but was getting more and more conv...

  Annihilation is as strange as it can possibly be. The narrator is the protagonist of the story and one of the four experts that goes to this place called Are X which is separated by an invisible gate and somehow they cannot use modern technology there and everything they take has to be at least thirty years old. Area X does something to the ecosystem which affects everything and changes things. Right from the beginning of the book I felt that there is something wrong and I should not be here and it was not even clear why these characters would want to go there if they know that various traumas happened to the people from previous expeditions. There is a great set up of suspense and foreshadowing of what is going to happen. The four women in the expedition are not supposed to know even each other's names which makes the whole thing impersonal but I think that there is more personality in here as it is written not from the neutral outsider’s point of view but as a diary of the biol...