Books like this make me smile. The first exercise is to draw a face that is infested with mosquito larvae.
Reviews and Comments
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Subversive and heretical in the best way...
5 stars
This comic presents the idea that the Book of Matthew is a subversive text because it includes the genealogies of different women who may or may not have been sex workers. It includes all of the necessary footnotes, citations, and discussion to follow his train of thought. In these footnotes, the author describes himself as a religious guy and lays down his positions on faith. What he actually believes is even more subversive than the premise of this book, and I can appreciate it even as a very non-religious guy.
It reminded me of King Jesus by Robert Graves. One of the plot points in that book is that the marriage between the elderly Joseph and the young Mary was to protect her honor after some sexual impropriety (consensual or not).
Mary Wept Over the Feet of Jesus was a perfect antidote to the polemics of CS Lewis that made …
This comic presents the idea that the Book of Matthew is a subversive text because it includes the genealogies of different women who may or may not have been sex workers. It includes all of the necessary footnotes, citations, and discussion to follow his train of thought. In these footnotes, the author describes himself as a religious guy and lays down his positions on faith. What he actually believes is even more subversive than the premise of this book, and I can appreciate it even as a very non-religious guy.
It reminded me of King Jesus by Robert Graves. One of the plot points in that book is that the marriage between the elderly Joseph and the young Mary was to protect her honor after some sexual impropriety (consensual or not).
Mary Wept Over the Feet of Jesus was a perfect antidote to the polemics of CS Lewis that made me stop reading the Space Trilogy. I read this stuff for both pleasure and research purposes. The two books of the Space Trilogy were a frustrating blind alley for me. But Brown's comic has re-oriented me in a fruitful direction.
Dr. Ransom is ordered to Perelandra by the supreme being, and there he finds a …
Ugh
2 stars
Lots of beautiful prose but it starts to lose its charm when one of the characters starts ranting against dualism moments before revealing he is possessed by a demon.
At points I felt like CS Lewis was stopping the fiction to beat me over the head with his belief system — like with the long rant about gender and how mountains are metaphysically masculine, yada yada.
I haven’t read Paradise Lost so I suspect a lot of stuff from this book is lost on me from a “oh look he is referencing great literature” standpoint.
astralstreeting commented on Perelandra (Space Trilogy, Bk. 2) by C. S. Lewis
Dr. Ransom is ordered to Perelandra by the supreme being, and there he finds a …
Gotta say there is some excellent cover art for this book across the different editions. Worth image searching for.
In the first book of C.S. Lewis's legendary science fiction trilogy, Dr. Ransom is kidnapped …
Good fantasy in spite of itself, looking forward to the second in the triology
3 stars
I don't really like C.S. Lewis in general. I am reading this series because a friend recommended it to me -- I am particularly interested in the depiction of angels (in relation to a project I am working on).
I think this first novel works pretty well as "science fantasy" but it still is unsubtle and didactic like other stuff I have read by him.
I think stories about space exploration that were written before the space age can be pleasantly whimsical in how they depict it without any of the knowledge that we take for granted about space now. Would it even be possible to write about it in the same way now?
The second novel (Perelandra) sounds really good based on the synopsis -- and this first one laid out enough of a foundation for me to continue with the trilogy.
astralstreeting commented on The essential Dykes To Watch Out For by Alison Bechdel
From the author of Fun Home—the lives, loves, and politics of cult fav characters Mo, …
It had become my bedtime ritual to read a few pages (each page is an entire strip) before turning off the light. I am gonna miss it when I am done.
In the intro strip, Alison Bechdel talks about trying to document the different types of lesbian. And then says “my tidy schema went all to hell in the nineties” and “… no one was essentially anything”. I’m there with you Alison. But if I am not essentially anything, but I still have to say which type I identify with then I think it is Mo. Though when the moon is right, I can be a Lois.
astralstreeting commented on My Struggle: Book One by Karl Ove Knausgård
Almost ten years have passed since Karl Ove Knausgaard’s father drank himself to death. Vulnerable …
But it is very good or else I would just quit reading it
astralstreeting commented on My Struggle: Book One by Karl Ove Knausgård
Almost ten years have passed since Karl Ove Knausgaard’s father drank himself to death. Vulnerable …
Taking a little pause on this, the long analysis of his father’s death isn’t really good for me right now after news of a passing
astralstreeting stopped reading The Darkness That Comes Before by R. Scott Bakker
Nope, life is too short
astralstreeting rated Adept's Gambit: 4 stars
Ugggh
1 star
It really sucks. I don’t know if I can finish it.
astralstreeting reviewed Queen of Kings by Maria Dahvana Headley
Fun, not nearly the same calibre as The Mere Wife
3 stars
I liked the first person vampire stuff and the interactions with and depictions of the gods. It’s not in the same league as The Mere Wife or her Beowulf translation though.
astralstreeting rated Queen of Kings: 3 stars
astralstreeting reviewed Brodie's report by Jorge Luis Borges
I think it is his best work
5 stars
Really enjoyed re-reading this. The Gospel According to Mark was my favorite story in here but I liked them all.