A fast read that delves into the period of the Imperium just after unification, which I’d love to read more of.
I still rankle when Games Workshop writers do things like make up the name of a progenitor of some well-known aspect of Warhammer that has the name of the thing in it (e.g. Arkhan Land being the creator of the Land Speeder and Land Raider). They do this here with a gene-smith named Astarte having created the Adeptus Astartes. It’s ham-fisted, and—I’ll be honest—contributed to the rating.
But if you need something to read on your commute, and you’re interested in the early days of the Imperium, pick up this book. If you don’t know what “the Imperium” is, then give this a miss.
From book jacket: Narrated by the enigmatic Owen Brown, last surviving son of America's most …
John Brown’s Family
4 stars
A book that’s ostensibly about John Brown and his abolitionist work in antebellum America, but is really about a son’s relationship with his father, and the shadow that father casts on the family. Great, sad, book.
It’s always great to see more Vancouver history books, especially entertaining ones. Even with this subject material, however, Canadian writers seem to pride themselves to paint a PG-13 picture. I hope to see this trend die-out, and for millennial and zoomer writers to add more passion. Another Aaron Chapman classic. You can’t get too mad at the guy for painting the tensions between the Filippones and the cops as a friendly rivalry. After all, he’s the only guy doing this kind of work about the city.
The Black Jacobins: Toussaint L'Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution is a 1938 book by …
Class Conflict in San Domingo
4 stars
An incredible piece of writing that not only grasps the historical significance of Toussaint L'Ouverture, but the real material structure that led to the Haitian revolution. Written in the mid-'30s, too, which really puts the revolution in the context of the World Wars.
Ta-Nehisi Coates originally set off to write a book about writing, in the tradition of …
An Enthralling Read
4 stars
An earnest examination of Coates’ self, history, and previous writing, all while traveling through Senegal, North Carolina, and Palestine. Moving and thought-provoking to be sure.
Solid story about a character we know falls from grace. Sets up a trilogy with further implications, so doesn’t give a satisfying end, if that’s what you’re in to.
Living a long, healthy life is one obvious goal of pretty much all of us. …
Critiques of Health in Canada
4 stars
A great leftist look at the current state of health in Canada. Focusing on all the social and policy aspects that affect our health to a greater degree than individual action does. Includes some calls to action which aren’t as radical as I hoped, but whatareyagonnado?!
A very informative, and non-prescriptive, look at running RPGs
4 stars
I’m a veteran game master of over twenty years, and I found inspiration on every page. Beyond that, however, it’s written with a complete beginner in mind, in which case it is a treasure trove of good advice. I picked this up on a whim from my local library, and it was a surprisingly good read!
Fast and light genre fiction, written by someone who knows the Iron Kingdoms setting extremely well. The writing wasn't the strongest I've read, even in this type of book. Oftentimes the author told, instead of showed. Still, enjoyable, low-stakes adventure with some cool characters.
David Masciotra appears to adhere to the belief that if you watch the right shows, read the right books, and—as he hammers home every page—listen to the right music, you can become a better person. At least that's what I glean from this book.
While it is an interesting thesis—exurbia contains the subjects of the new 'white flight', and its politics play an outsized role in American governance—the analysis is surface level. He trades deep thought, for the kind of writing that I can only describe as "a tenured professor's Twitter thread on center-left grievance."
Between rolling his eyes at leftists, 'Bernie Bros', and podcast hosts, he goes out of his way to mock the idea that exurbia's politics are shaped by economics (whether it's material conditions, or economic anxiety), but instead just an inborn racism, and sexism; incurable save for perhaps an outdoor acoustic set in a community plaza, …
David Masciotra appears to adhere to the belief that if you watch the right shows, read the right books, and—as he hammers home every page—listen to the right music, you can become a better person. At least that's what I glean from this book.
While it is an interesting thesis—exurbia contains the subjects of the new 'white flight', and its politics play an outsized role in American governance—the analysis is surface level. He trades deep thought, for the kind of writing that I can only describe as "a tenured professor's Twitter thread on center-left grievance."
Between rolling his eyes at leftists, 'Bernie Bros', and podcast hosts, he goes out of his way to mock the idea that exurbia's politics are shaped by economics (whether it's material conditions, or economic anxiety), but instead just an inborn racism, and sexism; incurable save for perhaps an outdoor acoustic set in a community plaza, performed by some blues-inspired suburban liberal. Pages after this "analysis," he takes the time to quote Patti Smith, who laments the cheap and affordable cities and towns that she came up in, that gave her—and artists like her—the opportunity to create counter-culture. Somehow, David Masciotra can't seem to square the two thoughts, and that's really what the crux of my two-star review hangs upon.
On a pettier note: You can tell this guy used to be a music journalist, because he takes every chance he can get to reference some act, whether it's some '70s–'80s blues, or rock, artist, or some local artist who—like him—is a boomer-coded millennial.
