Book Review: The Colour Out of Space

THE COLOUR OUT OF SPACE: "It was just a colour out of space -- a frightful messenger from unformed realms of infinity beyond all Nature as we know it." -- H.P. Lovecraft

            The Colour Out of Space is a 12,000-word story by H.P. Lovecraft. It follows an unnamed man, as he surveys a rural area in preparation for the construction of a new reservoir. Noticing a mysterious patch of land, he asks around the area to know what has happened there. He comes across old Ammi Pierce, who tells him a story that begins with a meteorite crashing into the farm.

            H.P. Lovecraft’s writing style somewhat feels like a news report, with direct narration of the details and minimal use of dialogue. Even though the style is prone to boring the readers, he drives them forward with vivid imagery, and a sense of mystery and horror. His prose is very wordy and poetic, just like the other writers of his time. But his wordiness is not a desperate attempt to increase word count; it helps him be lyrical in presenting his story. The only downside of this style is its lack of immediateness, so the action scenes aren’t particularly snappy.

            The Colour Out of Space has an impressive story structure, from the presentation of the mystery to the conclusion of the tale. H.P. Lovecraft doesn’t rush in revealing the secrets. He slowly unravels the mystery one detail at a time, which has been another effective tool in driving the readers forward. This slowness has also set a creeping atmosphere that goes well with the horrors of the tale.

            The story doesn’t have a big array of characters. This is a good thing, because all the characters actually have significant roles in the story, and not a single one is just there as a background character. Each of them witnesses or experiences the eerie events of the story, with matching personality and character development. This makes the events much more eerie, because the consequences and effects to the characters are imposing.

Different book covers of the story

            The story has left points that have not been thoroughly explained and details from the mystery that have yet to be revealed. But this doesn’t mean the story feels incomplete. It is complete. If anything, the lack of explanation is its greatest weapon as a horror story. It offers a fear that is universal to humanity -- fear of the unknown. This universal fear is what the monster of this story represents so well.

            Overall, The Colour Out of Space is a great read. It’s a mix of science fiction, horror, and mystery, which is a combination that effectively wakes us up that we don’t know everything about this universe, that there are things in nature that we are yet to discover and witness. Recommended read for those who love classics, scif-fi, and horror.

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Book Review: A Monster Calls

A MONSTER CALLS

            A Monster Calls is a novel by Patrick Ness, based on an original idea by Siobhan Dowd. It follows Conor O’Malley as he struggles to accept the consequences of his mother’s terminal cancer. He is often visited in the middle of the night by a monster who helps him accept the truth.

            It is important to note that Siobhan Dowd has died of cancer before she could even write the book herself. Patrick Ness has had the privilege to do it for her, borrowing her ideas and trying to copy her voice. This is the first time I’ve read something by Patrick Ness, and I haven’t read anything by Siobhan Dowd, so I’m not sure in which voice A Monster Calls has been really written. But directly copying the voice of another writer somewhat defeats the purpose of expression in writing, not to mention that an absolute copy is practically impossible. So I think A Monster Calls has been written in a voice that transcends either of the two writers.

            The book’s prose is very lyrical, but not in a way that makes it pretentiously profound. It also has a dark tone to it. The words used are simplistic and the dialogues are not formal, balancing the dark tone and making the style appropriate for children despite the gloomy undertones.

            There is a constant sense of struggle lingering between the paragraphs, because the conflicts are not presented in a direct way and let readers read between the lines to understand where that lingering sense of struggle is coming from. The prose also knows how to conceal and suspend plot elements without appearing to be intentionally delaying the events just to increase the word count.

            The structure of the story is also commendable. Aside from the constant sense of struggle, there are a lot of conflicts scattered throughout the book, to keep things turning and therefore interesting. Each chapter is less than ten pages, so those with short attention spans will have no problem leafing through the book. Each chapter also ends in a somewhat poetic way that will make the readers jump to the next chapter. The almost instant gratification from the short chapters actually makes this book easy to read in one to two sessions.

            The characters of the book are usual archetypes. We have the loner boy, the gentle mother, the somewhat irresponsible father, the grandmother with a strong personality, the bully, and the lone friend. But the important thing is that they get the ideas of the book across. They are the perfect characters for such a story and message. Another commendable thing is the distinctiveness of each one’s voices, and that shows the difference in their personalities.

            As for the illustrations, I think they match the tone of the prose, if they do not set the atmosphere of the book singlehandedly. Jim Kay knows how to utilize his blacks and whites, rendering them dark yet not dark enough to be inappropriate for children. If I could compare it to anything, it is to Dave McKean’s illustrations for Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book.

The Monster

            Overall, A Monster Calls is an amazing read. It is dark and lyrical yet suitable for all ages. It presents reality in quasi-fantastical ways that will capture both the realist and surrealist. The messages it is trying to tell also says something about the complexity of human nature, and life and death themselves. Recommended read to everyone.

            Additional note: If you want to read something similar, you can try Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book. You can find my review of it here.

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Book Review: Tabi Po Vol. 1

TABI PO VOL. 1

            Tabi Po is a graphic series by Mervin Malonzo. It is originally an online comic, but a printed version of Vol. 1 has already been published under Visprint, Inc. Vol. 1 follows Elias, a young aswang (a Philippine mythological creature similar to a vampire), as he tries to discover his own origin and purpose.

The most notable feature of Tabi Po is definitely its art. The style is dark, gritty, and colorful all at the same time, which is a pretty impressive combination thinking that these adjectives contradict one another. What makes it more impressive is the fact that Mervin Malonzo combines them well enough to not appear awkward. He effectively uses color to feature death and gloom, and not just going for the cop-out dark shades. What results is a distinguished art style I’ve never seen in local comics before.

But a comic book needs more than good art. It needs good writing too, and that is where Tabi Po falls a little short. The most prominent problem is in the micro writing. Mervin Malonzo, even though I appreciate his poetic style in his narrative, tends to be overly lyrical that it causes a delay in the progression of events.

This is particularly obvious in the first chapters, where Elias has some long monologue about his lost identity and weirdly insatiable hunger. I get it. He wants to know himself. He is hungry. There is no need to be too wordy about it, especially because the wordiness intervenes with the pacing of the story.

As for the macro writing, I think it is well-structured, making Vol. 1 an entertaining read despite the delaying monologues. The elements in the story are also disturbingly interesting, and it is fascinating to realize that these elements are inherent to local culture.

Another entertaining feature is the characterization. What makes Elias interesting is that he actually has flaws. Being a young aswang, he is very aggressive and eager to try new things. This renders him open to a lot of character development. The supporting characters also possess interesting and distinct personalities, and they have hints that they will be open to development as well. It is also quite impressive that the environmental characters are used as vehicles to move the plot to a specific direction.

Overall, I think Tabi Po Vol. 1 is a great read. The art is ridiculously good. The writing is fine, aside from the delays in micro writing, and the characters show a lot of promise for development. I won’t be reading the online comic, and just wait for the printed edition to know what happens next in the story.

Additional note: If you want to read more local comic books, you can try Trese, about a supernatural detective, or Skyworld, about characters from Philippine mythology. You can click the links to view my review of their first volumes, and navigate to the other volumes from there.

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Book Review: A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning

A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS: THE BAD BEGINNING: Good and bad at the same time

            The Bad Beginning is the first book of Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. It tells the story of the Baudelaire children Violet, Klaus, and Sunny, as they are orphaned by a fire. They are forced to be under the care of their distant relative Count Olaf, who has plans of stealing their financial inheritance.

            The first thing that captures my attention is the writing style. It has a distinct tone that doesn’t take itself too seriously, giving the narration an additional comical value. This style has been juxtaposed with the seemingly unfortunate events that happen to the Baudelaire children, and what results is a parodic voice of a tragedy.

            But the writing style is not perfect. It does have the tendency to be monotonous. Lemony Snicket utilizes the same formula for witty narration. Sometimes it works. But sometimes it clearly represents that the author has some serious lack in inspiration. The voice is also not consistent. There are instances where it loses its parodic touch, rendering the words flat.

            The plot is also something that I wouldn’t give much praise. The story does not live up to its claims of tragedies and unhappy endings. The plot points are not that tragic and unhappy in a literary point of view. This gives the impression that the claims are just a hyperbole, or are just loosely said to employ the parodic voice of the series – or both.

Not a spoiler. It's in the synopsis

            As for the characters, I think they have fairly interesting frameworks. Violet’s enthusiasm towards gears and machines, Klaus’s curiosity in books and knowledge, Judge Strauss’s sweetness and naivety – all of these are effective in distinguishing characters.

            But the characterization also has its problems. Even though it has the necessary archetypes, Lemony Snicket has not utilized them to create solid characters. The author fails to give these characters distinct voices. To make things worse, the universal voice is also too formal to distinguish adults from children. That’s a bad sign for a book that has characters of varying ages.

            Overall, I think A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning is a little disappointing. The writing style has so much potential to keep children and adult readers entertained. I would even equate the style with Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz – only that it doesn’t live up to its potential. The story is also not intricate enough to span for thirteen books, or at least, I don’t see how this series stretches to so many volumes. I do hope for the plot to thicken more to prove me wrong.

            I would still subscribe to the series, and I hope that the problems with the writing style, story, and characterization will be fixed, so I would be able to see why the series has gained international approval.

            Related posts:

            Book Review: Alice in Wonderland

            Book Review: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

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Book Review: Emily Windsnap and the Monster from the Deep

EMILY WINDSNAP AND THE MONSTER FROM THE DEEP: For middle-grade female readers

Emily Windsnap and the Monster from the Deep is the second book in the Emily Windsnap series. Emily Windsnap and her family just moved to Allpoints Island, and she still has the same fears of not belonging and being different. To gain the approval of the dwellers of the island, she went to a lagoon that wasn’t supposed to be explored, only to unwittingly awaken a monster from the deep.

I have mixed feelings for this book. I can’t decided whether it’s better or not than its predecessor, The Tail of Emily Windsnap. This book has some points that are better, and some points that are worse, and, of course, some points that are neutral.

The neutral points are the writing and the prose. They have the same upsides and downsides when compared to the first book. Upside -- the book is easy to understand because it is middle-grade. Downside -- the style lacks distinctiveness and the words used tend to be over-descriptive, sacrificing the pacing in some instances.

The better point is the story. The story is just much more thrilling, because it involves factors that could affect the world of Emily Windsnap in a grand scale. I mean, this book tackles a monster after all, a monster that could cause devastation. And when you compare this plot element to the main plot elements of The Tail of Emily Windsnap, this is inherently more stimulating.

Overall, the story feels more like a long novella than a novel, if that makes sense. The story is driving to a very specific direction every chapter, and even though there are only a few threads to weave in the story, it remains engaging -- as I said, this is because of the scale of the consequences.

Another thing I like is the conflict between characters, particularly the conflict between Emily and Shona. It just adds more depth. It’s not necessarily a subplot, but it does add threads to weave in the story. We also get to see an interesting perspective on Mandy, which is nice.

As for the illustrations, I admit that I’m a little indifferent to them, so I think it is unfair to classify them as a worse point. But when you think of it, the fact that I neglected them could be a sign of them being bad, don’t you think? Or maybe they’re not just my cup of tea. To avoid controversy, I’ll just say that they’re a neutral point.

The book’s worse points are the morals of the story and the characterization. But wait, don’t get me wrong. The book has some good morals, mostly involving friendship, and Liz Kessler (the author) has some interesting attempts to add depth to the characters. This is particularly obvious in Shona and Mandy.

But as much as I appreciate her attempts, I think she has failed on adding real depth to the characters. Yes, she has added depth, but not enough to make these characters compelling.

My problem with the morals is how they have been portrayed. How the story emphasized friendship and forgiveness is not pulled off quite well, not to mention that it doesn’t really open the characters to sufficient character development.

But let us remember that this is a middle-grade book, and how these morals are executed is actually passable for the middle-grade audience.

Overall, I think Emily Windsnap and the Monster from the Deep is a cute read. It has a very vivid world to share, and this world will easily be loved by the readers, especially the female readers because of its feminine sensibilities. The characters may not be solid, but the prominent ones have some depth to keep things going. This lush imagery and middle-of-the-road characters are portrayed in a story that has interesting morals to share. This is recommendable, particularly to the female middle grade audience.

Related posts:

Book Review: The Tail of Emily Windsnap

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Book Review: The Tail of Emily Windsnap

THE TAIL OF EMILY WINDSNAP: For those who choose story over prose

The Tail of Emily Windsnap is the first book in the Emily Windsnap series. Emily has lived in a boat all her life, and oddly enough, her mother seems anxious to keep her away from the water. When Emily is finally allowed to take swimming lessons, she discovers that she is actually a mermaid. She goes on an adventure in the seas, trying to search for her mysterious origins.

This book is primarily targeted for ages nine to twelve, so the writing is very simplistic. It is pretty easy to speed-read, because the words and the sentence construction are suited for easy comprehension. But I do think that the style can still be improved, because it lacks a certain distinctiveness.

However, I think that the style has its own appeals, thanks to the fish puns and whatnots.

The story is brimming with potential. It is the kind that could create very vivid images, while still being able to incorporate themes that involve family and friendship. The vivid imagery is primarily carried by the lush scenery of the seaside. The story is set by the sea. And the familial and friendly themes are inherently embedded in the story -- they are actually the core of the story. That’s not surprising, considering the target audience of the book.

But this potential is not exploited fully. Some plot elements are not pulled off quite well, and that is mainly because of the writing. Really, the writing in this book ruins a lot of things. Liz Kessler, the author, has the tendency to become over-descriptive, sacrificing the pacing of the story. Some of the dialogues she has written also don’t trigger the emotional responses they seem to want to trigger, especially in the later parts of the book.

Even looking at the story and disregarding the prose, there are still problems. The story has some predictable twists and turns, and there are also some incredible coincidences that seem to exist only to drive the plot to the right direction.

It’s also important to note that this book has some minor illustrations by Sarah Gibb. They’re a good tool to improve the imagery. But the book’s imagery is already inherently good, because it is set by the sea, so the illustrations are just there for enhancement and additional entertainment value.

As for the characters, I think they have very interesting surface-level personalities, but I’m afraid that’s all the personalities they have -- surface-level. They don’t have sufficient depth to pass as well-moulded characters. But I admit that some of them are enjoyable, especially Millie and her New Age stuff, and Shona and her quirky personality.

The main character, Emily Windsnap, is a bit angsty too. But this is understandable. Again, considering the target audience of the book, this kind of character is very relatable.

Despite the negative things I said, I actually like The Tail of Emily Windsnap. The story is entertaining. The chapters are well-divided and well-paced. But the real problem I have with the story is, as I mentioned earlier, the predictability and tendency to have incredible coincidences.

Even though the writing somewhat ruins the lush scenery and the familial and friendly themes, they are still there, ready to be appreciated by those who are not so picky in terms of prose. If you’re the kind of person that wants to dive into a vibrant world and disregards the writing style, this book is for you. The Tail of Emily Windsnap will surely entertain you, with its themes of what it really means to have family and friends.

            Related posts:
            Book Review: Emily Windsnap and the Monster from the Deep

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