Jason Parker (Author of A Hostile World)

Jason Parker rated a book liked it The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The Ministry of Time, by Kaliane Bradley, is a well-written science fiction novel with well-developed characters and an interesting concept. However, said concept tends to get muddled throughout the book. A story that seems to start out like a humor ...more
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Jason Parker rated a book liked it Divine Rivals (Letters of Enchantment, #1) by Rebecca Ross (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The premise of Divine Rivals draws you right in: in a fictionalized yet still familiar version of England, two ancient gods, Dacre and Enva, wage war on each other with mythical creatures but also vast armies of humans in a conflict much like one of ...more
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Jason Parker rated a book really liked it The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Inventive, woefully short, well-written (though perhaps with a somewhat gratuitous usage of big, fancy words), The Salt Grows Heavy is a horror-fantasy novella that takes familiar fairy tale tropes and twists them and turns them on their head. It fo ...more
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Jason Parker rated a book really liked it The Midnight Library (The Midnight World, #1) by Matt Haig (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Over the last few years, the idea of the “alternate universe,” that is, a parallel universe (or millions of them) that exists alongside ours with changes in our lives or the people we know, sometimes small, sometimes large, has become ubiquitous. Thi ...more
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Jason Parker rated a book it was amazing The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
In The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, Stephen Graham Jones’ writes a veritable masterclass in how to take an ancient (and sometimes exhausted) plot device such as the literary vampire and both turn it on its head while also remaining true and faithful to th ...more
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Jason Parker is currently reading Marvel Zombies: The Complete Collection, Vol. 1 by Robert Kirkman	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Jason Parker rated a book liked it Beholder by Ryan La Sala (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Beholder, by Ryan La Sala, is a YA horror story that checks a lot of boxes and taps into a lot of creepy fears, including giant spiders, mirrors and what looks back at you from them, the super-rich and the secret societies they inhabit, and the New ...more
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Jason Parker started reading The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones (Goodreads Author) Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee in Readers' Favorite Horror	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Jason Parker rated a book liked it Beholder by Ryan La Sala (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Beholder, by Ryan La Sala, is a YA horror story that checks a lot of boxes and taps into a lot of creepy fears, including giant spiders, mirrors and what looks back at you from them, the super-rich and the secret societies they inhabit, and the New ...more
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Jason Parker rated a book liked it The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The Night Circus: A very well-written but (exceptionally) slow burn. The Night Circus starts off mysteriously and pulls you in right away as the enigmatic Prospero the Enchanter and the Man in Gray (aka Mr. A.H.) agree to a contest, testing their magi ...more
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The Ministry of Time, by Kaliane Bradley, is a well-written science fiction novel with well-developed characters and an interesting concept. However, said concept tends to get muddled throughout the book. A story that seems to start out like a humor The Ministry of Time, by Kaliane Bradley, is a well-written science fiction novel with well-developed characters and an interesting concept. However, said concept tends to get muddled throughout the book. A story that seems to start out like a humorous satire takes turns being an everyday Sci-Fi time travel book, a romance, and a spy story. Some of these elements don’t come as a surprise – it is a Sci-Fi story after all, and you can see the romance coming from a mile away, but what starts as a relatively light-hearted novel takes a few very serious turns, culminating in a very serious ending the reader might not see coming.
In short, an English government agency, heretofore referred to as, “The Ministry,” has somehow come to master the science of time travel and has decided, for reasons not entirely clear, to “rescue” people from various periods from English history. The “Expats,” as they are known, are assigned a “bridge,” a ministry employee charged with acclimating them to 21st-century life as well as monitoring them for any irregular behavior. If this sounds like a dangerous proposition, the ministry is in essence “saving” these people, all of whom died (at least according to history) prior to the ministry taking them to the present. Our narrator (unnamed), seems in many ways out of her element and unqualified to be a bridge; it seems as if she’s practically fallen into the job of taking care of Graham Gore, an expat from 1847.
The chemistry between Gore and the narrator is charming and well-written. The novel starts out somewhat light-heartedly, leading the reader, at least this reader, to believe that perhaps what we’re reading is Time Travel, Actually, a story with some serious undertones but one that pokes fun at itself when appropriate. Later on, the novel becomes a full-blown mystery and thriller with a couple of surprising twists, some that are kind of cool and one in particular that is just plain unfortunate.
For my money, the best parts of the story were early on, especially the expats’ reactions to learning certain things about the modern world. Bradley handles these deftly, reminding us 2st-century folks just how good we have it while at the same time, pointing out that perhaps the past wasn’t always as bad as it seems. The expats, the book focuses on Gore, are complete fish out of water, leading to some humorous scenes. What becomes less believable, as the story unfolds, is the gradual acclimation of them into modern society. While their bridges are there to help them do this, they take to things such as motorbikes and Spotify more like people who happened to be in a coma for a decade or so and not snatched through the centuries.
There is an undercurrent of mystery, even menace to the ministry – they are clearly hiding something and have some ulterior motive for bringing the expats to the modern world, but not enough to foreshadow the confrontations to come. Perhaps I missed something, but the change of tone in the last part of the novel seemed a 180 to me.
That is not to say that the book is bad; it’s not. It’s actually a good, easy read with some fun moments and a few dark ones. Readers should be aware, however, that if they're looking for “Happy Ever After,” well, maybe they should try time travel.

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Divine Rivals (Letters of Enchantment, #1)
by Rebecca Ross (Goodreads Author)

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The premise of Divine Rivals draws you right in: in a fictionalized yet still familiar version of England, two ancient gods, Dacre and Enva, wage war on each other with mythical creatures but also vast armies of humans in a conflict much like one of ...more

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The Salt Grows Heavy
by Cassandra Khaw (Goodreads Author)

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Inventive, woefully short, well-written (though perhaps with a somewhat gratuitous usage of big, fancy words), The Salt Grows Heavy is a horror-fantasy novella that takes familiar fairy tale tropes and twists them and turns them on their head. It fo Inventive, woefully short, well-written (though perhaps with a somewhat gratuitous usage of big, fancy words), The Salt Grows Heavy is a horror-fantasy novella that takes familiar fairy tale tropes and twists them and turns them on their head. It follows a mermaid and her plague doctor companion (neither character ever given a proper name) as they traverse through a tortured landscape, encountering a brutal tribe of murderous children and their horrific “saints.”

The mermaid, who serves as our narrator, like Ariel in the famous story, can’t speak, though our mermaid has had her tongue cut out by her husband, who was devoured by their children, who then burned the kingdom to ashes. She is on the run with a mysterious plague doctor, a foreboding, dark companion who, unmasked, proves to be androgynous and stitched together, a “manufactured” being like a type of Frankenstein’s monster. They come across a group of brutal children who murder each other, brought back to life by their “saints,” who they see as gods, who are merely using them in a dark fairy tale version of a black market organ factory. The action is as gruesome as it sounds, more Grimm than Disney.

The main problem with the novella is its length. Khaw has created an interesting world but spends little time exploring it. This, of course, follows the format of your average fairy tale: characters inhabit a world that is much like our own, yet strikingly different, but Khaw's juicy, macabre prose makes the reader want to know more. The same goes for her characters.

In your everyday fairy tale, the characters often aren’t named, rather, are identified by trope: maiden, farmer, peasant, etc., and Khaw does the same, though her mermaid and plague doctor are not just one-dimensional archetypes. They are fascinating characters I would love to revisit.

A short, wicked read that leaves you thirsty for more, The Salt Grows Heavy should appeal to fans of fantasy, horror, and fairy tales.

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The Midnight Library (The Midnight World, #1)
by Matt Haig (Goodreads Author)

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Over the last few years, the idea of the “alternate universe,” that is, a parallel universe (or millions of them) that exists alongside ours with changes in our lives or the people we know, sometimes small, sometimes large, has become ubiquitous. Thi Over the last few years, the idea of the “alternate universe,” that is, a parallel universe (or millions of them) that exists alongside ours with changes in our lives or the people we know, sometimes small, sometimes large, has become ubiquitous. This has become the Go-To for a lot of superhero movies lately, as Hollywood has decided it is the ultimate way to reboot (codeword for “recast with younger people) a franchise. When I heard that The Midnight Library, by Matt Haig, revolved around a similar concept, I was skeptical. However, the novel is smart, thought-provoking, and has a lot of heart.

Nora Seed, an unremarkable young woman in Bedford, England, reflects back on her life and doesn’t like the choices she has made. Reaching the breaking point, Nora attempts suicide, waking up in the Midnight Library, a mystical trove of books, all representing possible different lives had Nora made different choices, presided over by Mrs. Elm, Nora’s childhood librarian. Mrs. Elm tells Nora that she can experience any of the lives in the library and can choose to stay in whichever one she chooses. The catch? The minute Nora feels disappointment in that life, it's back to the Midnight Library she goes. All she has to do is call out a life where she made such-and-such a choie, the book starts spinning, and off she goes.

While the scope of Noar’s journey is predictable – if you’re paying attention, many of the lives she experiences are foreshadowed in the early pages of the book- it is still a worthy one. She experiences everything from superstardom as a rockstar, international prestige as an Olympic swimmer and motivational speaker, a researcher in the Arctic, and everything in between, including, finally, the domestic happiness that has seemed to elude her all these years.

What makes Nora’s journey work is Nora herself. While at times just a bit whiny, maybe even a trifle bit annoying, which of us, when contemplating times in our lives when we turned left when we should have turned right, can’t also be a bit of both? She’s also intelligent, funny, and her journey through possible lives is thought-provoking. Readers can’t help but be taken in by this opportunity Nora’s been given, wondering what we ourselves would do with it. While the stock answer most people give would be, "I wouldn't change a thing," would it not be interesting to see what would have happened if you pursued that far-fetched dream, ended up with the one that got away, and so on? I know I would be tempted.

The Midnight Library is ultimately a short, poignant read in simple, witty prose.

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The Buffalo Hunter Hunter
by Stephen Graham Jones (Goodreads Author)

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In The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, Stephen Graham Jones’ writes a veritable masterclass in how to take an ancient (and sometimes exhausted) plot device such as the literary vampire and both turn it on its head while also remaining true and faithful to th In The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, Stephen Graham Jones’ writes a veritable masterclass in how to take an ancient (and sometimes exhausted) plot device such as the literary vampire and both turn it on its head while also remaining true and faithful to the kinds of tropes that fans have come to expect. With its narrative structure, an epistolary-style novel told mostly in journal entries and flashbacks, recalling everything from Stoker’s Dracula to Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, the novel immediately connects itself to the canon of vampire literature while at the same time, by setting his story in the American west with a Native American vampire telling his tale, he makes it new while also injecting it with not-so-subtle commentary on the erasure of Native culture, the enduring power of guilt, the curse of vengeance, and yes, some gory, gooey, vampire fun.
The novel opens with Communications Professor Etsy Beaucarne being asked to study a recently discovered manuscript written by a distant ancestor, a Lutheran minister named Arthur Beaucarne, written in the 1800s. In a well-crafted tale-within-a-tale-within-a-tale-within-a-tale, Beaucarne’s manuscript, written during his time in Miles City, Montana, describes his encounter with a mysterious Blackfoot Indian named Good Stab, who wishes Beaucarne to hear his confession, in essence, a long, shocking, and violent tale of how he became a vampire and his subsequent mission to annihilate hunters of the sacred buffalo. Beaucarne finds Good Stab’s horrid tale unbelievable at first, but as he becomes increasingly convinced that Good Stab is also responsible for a recent slate of deaths in the town, coupled with other strange, unignorable occurrences, he gets drawn farther and farther into the tale, a tale that has more to do with him than he would have realized, or wished to be true. Throughout the course of the novel, we learn more and more about Beaucarne’s own tragic and highly problematic past, interspersed among Good Stab’s irrevocable journey into vampirism, learning what he can and cannot do, learning to succumb with his insatiable thirst for blood, and his battles with the enigmatic Cat Man, the vampire at the center of his own transformation. The novel reaches its climax when the truth about Beaucarne and his connection to Good Stab is ultimately revealed, circling back to his descendant Etsy and how it becomes her responsibility to make the past as “right” as possible.
Good Stab is a tragic hero, his story, and the story of his becoming a vampire is intertwined with the erasure of his people, culture, and the settling of his land by the Napikwans, a name the Blackfoot use for white people. Jones, himself a Blackfoot Indian, always weaves the past history and current conditions of Native peoples into his horror, and perhaps never so expertly as he does it here in this novel. The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is part historical-fiction, part entertaining vampire yarn, perfect for Spooky Season while remaining thought-provoking. The novel gives a haunting portrayal of the consequences of the past, generational trauma, and a desire for retribution as insatiable and as consequential as the vampire’s thirst for blood. Yet the novel still remains fun and creepy because Jones himself is such a fan of horror.
Jones’ vampires are partly traditional in nature, while being unique. I didn’t love every addition to the canon, but Jones more than makes up with it with other moments in the book. The bookended parts of the book that take place in the 21st century felt distracting at first, but ultimately tie into the aforementioned themes of the novel, as well as tying it to its literary ancestors.
In The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, Stephen Graham Jones has crafted a thought-provoking narrative that dives deep into our problematic past, using two men as vehicles for themes that still resonate today. It should be read.

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Marvel Zombies: The Complete Collection, Vol. 1
by Robert Kirkman

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Beholder
by Ryan La Sala (Goodreads Author)

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Beholder, by Ryan La Sala, is a YA horror story that checks a lot of boxes and taps into a lot of creepy fears, including giant spiders, mirrors and what looks back at you from them, the super-rich and the secret societies they inhabit, and the New Beholder, by Ryan La Sala, is a YA horror story that checks a lot of boxes and taps into a lot of creepy fears, including giant spiders, mirrors and what looks back at you from them, the super-rich and the secret societies they inhabit, and the New York art scene? The elements may seem disparate and last part might seem a curious setting for a horror novel, but La Sala ultimately ties them all together fairly well in a creepy if not at times cluttered supernatural horror story.
Our protagonist, Athan, is the soul survivor of a massacre that takes place at a high society party, one in which the guests and their dismembered parts are assembled in odd shapes. Athan, now a prime suspect, discovers his beloved grandmother, whom he lives with, is also missing, and now he needs to find her and uncover the mystery of what happened tha night at the party. His ensuing quest, aided by an enigmatic young man named Dom, is both a murder mystery, an unraveling of his family history, including the death of his parents, and delves deep into New York high society and a mysterious family friend named Uhler, who is connected to both boys. Oh, and it also turns out Athan and his family have special abilities, his in particular is whenever he looks into a mirror, he can see what it has seen, rewinding the past like a video tape, but he’s afraid to do this, for when he does, he knows there’s something dark behind it, something with many eyes and legs.
If it sounds like a lot, it kind of is. The various plot points and the slow unraveling of Athan’s family history can be hard to keep track of at times. La Sala ultimately pulls everything together in a more or less satisfying way. The book could probably have benefitted from more information about Athan’s family history and the evil that lurks behind the mirrors, because we don’t really get enough of both. A large subplot is Athan’s partnership and ultimate attraction to Dom, a young man who is also connected to Uhler.
The various elements combine in a climax that is satisfying and made me wanting more. La Sala is a good writer who characterizes well, has a good grasp of creepy tropes, and continues to portray positive LGBTQ relationships. A decent read for Spooky Season, it just could have used a little more spooky.

For more reviews, go to: www.jasonandrewparker.com Also follow me on Instagram at japarker99 ...more

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The Buffalo Hunter Hunter
by Stephen Graham Jones (Goodreads Author)
Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee in Readers' Favorite Horror

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Beholder
by Ryan La Sala (Goodreads Author)

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Beholder, by Ryan La Sala, is a YA horror story that checks a lot of boxes and taps into a lot of creepy fears, including giant spiders, mirrors and what looks back at you from them, the super-rich and the secret societies they inhabit, and the New Beholder, by Ryan La Sala, is a YA horror story that checks a lot of boxes and taps into a lot of creepy fears, including giant spiders, mirrors and what looks back at you from them, the super-rich and the secret societies they inhabit, and the New York art scene? The elements may seem disparate and last part might seem a curious setting for a horror novel, but La Sala ultimately ties them all together fairly well in a creepy if not at times cluttered supernatural horror story.
Our protagonist, Athan, is the soul survivor of a massacre that takes place at a high society party, one in which the guests and their dismembered parts are assembled in odd shapes. Athan, now a prime suspect, discovers his beloved grandmother, whom he lives with, is also missing, and now he needs to find her and uncover the mystery of what happened tha night at the party. His ensuing quest, aided by an enigmatic young man named Dom, is both a murder mystery, an unraveling of his family history, including the death of his parents, and delves deep into New York high society and a mysterious family friend named Uhler, who is connected to both boys. Oh, and it also turns out Athan and his family have special abilities, his in particular is whenever he looks into a mirror, he can see what it has seen, rewinding the past like a video tape, but he’s afraid to do this, for when he does, he knows there’s something dark behind it, something with many eyes and legs.
If it sounds like a lot, it kind of is. The various plot points and the slow unraveling of Athan’s family history can be hard to keep track of at times. La Sala ultimately pulls everything together in a more or less satisfying way. The book could probably have benefitted from more information about Athan’s family history and the evil that lurks behind the mirrors, because we don’t really get enough of both. A large subplot is Athan’s partnership and ultimate attraction to Dom, a young man who is also connected to Uhler.
The various elements combine in a climax that is satisfying and made me wanting more. La Sala is a good writer who characterizes well, has a good grasp of creepy tropes, and continues to portray positive LGBTQ relationships. A decent read for Spooky Season, it just could have used a little more spooky.

For more reviews, go to: www.jasonandrewparker.com Also follow me on Instagram at japarker99 ...more

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The Night Circus
by Erin Morgenstern (Goodreads Author)

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The Night Circus: A very well-written but (exceptionally) slow burn.

The Night Circus starts off mysteriously and pulls you in right away as the enigmatic Prospero the Enchanter and the Man in Gray (aka Mr. A.H.) agree to a contest, testing their magi The Night Circus: A very well-written but (exceptionally) slow burn.

The Night Circus starts off mysteriously and pulls you in right away as the enigmatic Prospero the Enchanter and the Man in Gray (aka Mr. A.H.) agree to a contest, testing their magical abilities: each will pick a protégé who will face off in a contest of magic. Their charges, a young girl named Celia and a young boy named Marco, are chosen at a young age to be trained, and while they will eventually know of the contest, they are not supposed to meet each other. The eventual arena of said contest will be the Night Circus, a traveling show, only open at night, featuring the world's best magicians and powered by actual magic.

While the premise is solid, the writing excellent, and the characterizations unique, The Night Circus at times feels bloated, overly long, surprisingly lacking in action, and overindulgent in its descriptions of said circus, its performers, and the attendees. The contest between Celia and Marco is one that their two masters have played out many times over the years; it is a cool concept given nowhere near enough time on the page. Both Celia and Marco often remark about all they do to maintain the circus, all the power and energy they put into its operation, the contest itself, and the toll it takes on them, but when asked specifics, they give only vague answers. Instead, much more page time is given to the supporting characters who helped design and build the circus, along with their elaborate meetings and dinner parties.

I for one, expected more of a climax, a showdown of sorts between Prospero and Mr. A.H., and while something resembling the former happens, the latter never occurs. After a long wait, the reader is left wanting more, even though the novel does pick up in the last quarter of the text.

Erin Morgenstern writes very well, and the novel, which takes place in the late 1800s and early 1900s, shows meticulous research and attention to detail. She crafts interesting characters, and the personal dilemmas and inner struggles of Celia and Marco, the conflict they feel at being pawns in their master's game, especially after eventually (shock!) they start to fall in love, is thick enough to keep the reader moving through the book. But, Morgenstern created some very interesting characters in Prospero and the Man in Grey, and I would have liked much more of them and fewer descriptions of all the cool things that were happening in tents as people walked through them.

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