Hadestown – A Musical Review

After years of listening to the music and waiting for this show to reappear on the stage, I finally got my chance to go see it, and it was even better than expected.

Hadestown is a retelling of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, in which Orpheus follows Eurydice to the underworld in an effort to rescue her. The play mirrors this with Hades and Persephone’s own relationship and relates the tale through Hermes as a connection with both parties. The setting is depression era, New Orleans with a little bit of steam punk and the music is a mix of jazz and folk and will stay in your head for days.  

Cast

The show I saw had a slightly different billing due to covers, but you couldn’t tell watching it (aside from the characters looking a little different than the pictures). Everyone was on form, and all seemed to be having a great time on stage. To me, Hermes and Hades were particular standouts, bringing a lot of character to the roles outside of the songs and really capturing the stage during their parts. A particularly strong element to the play was how well the cast as a whole encapsulated their particular roles in relation to one another – you felt that these were mortals going up against Gods while watching.

Songs

Being more familiar with the recordings, I was particularly interested in seeing how the songs worked with a different cast, particularly with Hermes who sits at the very centre of the show. Luckily, everything fitted perfectly into place and, if anything, the live music and performance brought a whole new level to the songs. Seeing the songs performed with the choreography levitated the meaning and the performers brought a lot of nuance and emotion to their parts. Hermes and The Fates in particular really channelled the music and I had great fun watching them deliver it. A huge shout-out goes to the musicians on stage, however – I loved seeing them on stage and it actually helped bring me more into the setting and atmosphere.

Staging/Lighting

The theatre we were in had a relatively small stage, but that worked in the shows favour, creating a more intimate performance with the audience. Given the show has a few fourth wall breaks, this worked really well. I loved how each part of the stage was used, nothing felt gimmicky, and only added to the overall impact of what you were seeing. I really enjoyed how the lighting was used, and it almost felt like a character in its own right at parts – transforming from soft to sharp to reflect the setting, differing colours to highlight characters, and the use of candles and lamps. It was well thought out and paid off in the long run.

It was a fantastic show from start to finish and definitely deserved the standing ovation at the end.

Rosie Reviews: The Reckoners Series by Brandon Sanderson

My Year of Reading Sanderson continues with The Reckoners series. I read the first book years ago but received the full set of books at Christmas and have been reading around one a month since.

The series is set in a world 10 years after a mysterious star appeared in the sky, triggering a number of humans to develop super-powers. However, these powers bring a dark side, a predilection for domination and control, and disdain for those without. The story begins in the city of Newcago, a city turned to steel by the reigning ‘Epic’ there: Steelheart. David has spent his life researching Epics and how to bring them down, with Steelheart at the top of his list, after witnessing Steelheart murder his father as a child. This research leads him to The Reckoners, a rebel group with the goal of taking down Epics.

The series is a young adult series, but I think could be enjoyable by all ages (except maybe the youngest ones). It is fast paced, with a variety of characters and different powers and scenarios they have to overcome. It’s not my favourite Sanderson series, but it is a lot of fun from start to end, with lots of interesting angles explored, and is certainly a series for the super-hero fans out there.  

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson – 4/5 (paperback)

Having read Steelheart before, I knew a bit more what to expect so I was able to jump right in to the book and engage with the story. The prologue of the book is one of my favourite prologues – high action, suspense and expectations being turned on their heads. With the series being for a younger audience than usual Sanderson books, the writing and world didn’t feel quite as fleshed out. A few of the characters are a touch caricature-esque with certain quirks that dominated their personalities (David’s in ability to understand metaphors being a big one) and I found the Megan-David relationship difficult to get my head around. That being said, diving back into this world was a delight. I loved the ideas that were explored in this book and it was very easy to keep the page turning.

Mitosis – 4/5

Mitosis is a short story companion to the main trilogy and, while isn’t necessary to read, is still a great addition. It sees David and the gang deal with a new Epic that’s appeared in Newcago who can duplicate himself to create countless copies. With limited time, the group must find a way to defeat him before he does untold harm to the people of the city.

Firefight by Brandon Sanderson – 4/5

We see David and a couple of the team head out of Newcago to another city also wholly changed by its Epic leader. We meet more Reckoners and new chilling threats. I really enjoyed seeing the different Epics outside of Newcago and their different approaches to dominion and city takeover, as well as seeing a little more world-building. A different team also made for some interesting dynamics, although I did miss the original characters who didn’t come along for this ride. I felt David was a more substantial character in this book, particularly as he starts to question his own beliefs around Epics. A strong second book.

Calamity by Brandon Sanderson – 4.5/5

Going into the final book of the series, I had some trepidation as I’d seen that there were some mixed feelings over this book. I can see where those feelings come from, but ultimately I had a great time reading it. The pacing was fast, I felt some of the discordance felt reading was true to the situation the team were in and I really enjoyed meeting the new characters introduced and learning more about the Epics and their origins. I do wish this had been a longer book – a lot of the ideas introduced felt like they needed a bit more time and detail to fully be explained. I also, despite it being a central part in all books, really don’t find the core romance to be believable and would have been better left out. Calamity was, however, a wild story with some edge-of-the-seat moments and some surprisingly emotional ones!

The Books I Read in April 2024

A reread, a series ending and a series beginning, plus a few standalones. I didn’t quite read as much as I wanted (and have a few almost-finished books now) but I am happy with those I did read. I think my favourite book of the month is A Psalm for the Wild-Built, which was a short, thought-provoking, cosy sci-fi that I have just wanted to read again since finishing.

Audiobook

Pandora by Susan Stokes-Chapman (narrated by Olivia Vinall) – 3.5/5

The City & The City by China Mieville (narrated by John Lee) – 4/5

The Killing Moon by N.K. Jemisin (narrated by Sarah Zimmerman) – 3.5/5

Hardback

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers – 4.5/5

Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia – 4/5

Paperback

Calamity by Brandon Sanderson – 4.5/5

Going into May, I’m currently reading Underland by Robert Macfarlane and The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery as well as listening to The Mask Falling by Samantha Shannon. My broad goal is to finish 10 books, although given the trend so far this year, that may be a little of a stretch. Some cosy reading evenings are definitely in order.

Rosie Reviews: He Who Drowned The World by Shelley Parker-Chan

Title: He Who Drowned The World

Author: Shelley Parker-Chan

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Genre: Historical Fantasy

Source: NetGalley eARC

Review

He Who Drowned The World is the sequel to the sensational She Who Became The Sun (see my review for that here) and brings the story of The Radiant Emperor to an end. After the events of the first book, Zhu has an army and a mission – to ride on the capital and seize the crown. But they aren’t the only one with a target – the machinations of other players in this game start to unfold as alliances are made and broken, people are betrayed and the desire for revenge and conquest is high.

This book is brutal and dark, not shying away from depicting gritty scenes and horrible deaths. No character could be described as ‘good’, each willing to take whatever steps necessary to achieve their goals. The story cleverly shows how brute strength and battle tactics are equally important as manipulations and mental scheming in rising to the top of this combat.

With the duology based on actual historical events, it could have easily fallen into the trap of having a predictable ending and so losing the suspense of seeing who will be successful. Shelley Parker-Chan expertly navigates this, keeping the tense atmosphere present throughout and the reader doubting what they think might happen.

I think I enjoyed this slightly more than She Who Became the Sun for the simple fact that I knew a little more of what to expect in terms of writing style and approach, which threw me a little bit when I read the first book. I felt a lot more of a connection to the characters this time around and fully drawn into the world. I am excited to read the future books by this author, I love their writing style and handling of intricate stories with multiple characters and threads.

Rating: 4.5/5

Mini-Reviews: Voyage of the Damned, Assassin’s Apprentice, Tokyo Ghoul Vol. 6

Voyage of the Damned by Frances White – 4.5/5

A close contender for my favourite March read, Voyage of the Damned is a fantasy murder mystery where the heirs of 12 kingdoms (each with their own secret power) embark on a ceremonial voyage, but soon start dropping dead. The powerless heir to the weakest kingdom takes it upon himself to investigate. This book was just sheer fun to read from start to end, it balanced the humour in well and the pacing kept me reading beyond the planned read-along sections. The only let-downs were the main character being quite juvenile and one-tracked minded even in the most illogical of scenarios. The ended also didn’t quite work for me due to some of the choices made. Even so, it was still an entertaining and gripping read.

Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb – 5/5

After having the Farseer trilogy sat on my kindle for ages, I have finally made a start and am disappointed with myself for not starting them sooner. I loved the writing, the world and the characters from the start. It follows the illegitimate son of a prince as he is brought to the palace and must find his place in the world. The story is slow-paced, with a heavy focus on character and world-building. The magic elements are beautifully intertwined with the story, feeling a natural part of this world, and I loved seeing them both in action. I am very excited to carry on reading this trilogy and then all the other books in this world.

Tokyo Ghoul Vol. 6 by Sui Ishida – 4.5/5

Kaneki’s adventures continue in volume 6 of Tokyo Ghoul as he, half-ghoul and half-human, continues to discover the ghoul side of Tokyo, and figure out where he stands in it. This is probably my favourite of the series so far – the story really picks up and we see Kaneki taking more of an active role. It feels like the stakes & threats have increased, and the pacing feels a lot stronger. I am also enjoying seeing more of the ghoul world and their dynamics and hierarchies – it’s interesting to see more in how that society works. I’m still not sure where this series is leading too, but I am curious to find out.  

A Year of Reading Sanderson: Part 1

This year, I have set myself the challenge of catching up on my backlog of Brandon Sanderson books, those that I own but haven’t quite had the time to read yet. This includes the various secret projects released last year, a couple of the series I’ve started but haven’t finished (The Reckoners, Skyward) and the short story collection Arcanum Unbounded, which I’ve been dipping in and out of since it came into my possession. I am making steady progress already, having nearly completed The Reckoners series, but here are some of the standalone books I have finished as well so far this year.

Long Chills and Case Dough by Brandon Sanderson – 4.5/5

The first Brandon Sanderson I read this year, this was also the last book I got my hands on – it came in the Year of Sanderson loot boxes as a ‘Sanderson Curiosity’ and contains a short story he wrote before he was published. I simply really enjoyed reading this. It was short and light – ideal for kickstarting a reading period after a gap where I only really finished audiobooks. The introduction was needed to explain the concept as it was a slightly bizarre take on a noir story. But it worked for me and I had great fun harking back to the noir films and stereotypes in a futuristic setting, and following the mystery it contained. The trouble is, I don’t think I can really say more without spoiling it!

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson – 4.5/5

From the last of the Year of Sanderson books to the first. Tress of the Emerald Sea reads like a fairy-tale. A fairy-tale with epic adventures on a sea of spores. It follows a young woman called Tress who lives on a rock and collects cups. When her love, Charlie, goes missing while travelling, she sets out on a quest to find him. I really enjoyed Tress’ practical character and how gentle the story feels, despite periods of peril. The characters all felt really lovable and I loved the world, particularly the concept of the spores. It felt like we were only touching the surface of potentially stories set here, so I’d be excited if other books were released in this same setting. It was a very readable book and felt like you were being told the story. The premium edition is also gorgeous – I loved the cover and internal images, and it just felt so lovely to hold.

Arcanum Unbounded by Brandon Sanderson – 4/5

Arcanum Unbounded is a collection of short stories or excerpts from across the Cosmere, split up by the systems within the systems with introductions and post-scripts to each. As someone who is still in the early stages of understanding the Cosmere, the descriptions of each system was actually really helpful in putting it altogether in context, rather than abstract as I had been picturing it. I enjoyed each of the stories – there were some I was already familiar with, and following characters or settings I already knew a fair amount about, as well as completely different worlds and people. There weren’t any stories I didn’t enjoy. The only one I struggled a bit with was The Secret History but I think that was because it’s been so long since I’d read the Mistborn trilogy that I spent a lot of time try to remember references rather than just enjoying the story. All in all, a good solid collection of short stories and I’m excited to see more of these worlds and more of the Cosmere in future.

The Books I Read in March 2024

Spaceships, spirit worlds, and New York city – just a small number of the settings I visited this month. It was quite a variety of reads, from urban fantasy to science-fiction, with a sprinkle of non-fiction too. My favourite book of the month was Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb and I still don’t know why I didn’t start it sooner. The rest of the books I read were also all pretty good. A couple didn’t quite live up to the expectations I had of them, but otherwise it was another solid reading month.

Audiobook

The Seven Ages of Death by Dr Richard Shephard (narrated by Dr Richard Shephard) – 4/5

The World We Make by N.K. Jemisin (narrated by Robin Miles) – 4/5

ebook

Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb – 5/5

Print

Voyage of the Damned by Frances White – 4.5/5

The Red Scholar’s Wake by Aliette de Bodard – 3.5/5

Shanghai Immortal by A.Y. Chao – 3/5

Arcanum Unbounded by Brandon Sanderson – 4/5

Manga

Tokyo Ghoul Vol. 6 by Sui Ishida – 4.5/5

Going into April, I am currently reading the last of The Reckoners series by Brandon Sanderson: Calamity. I have also just started the audiobook Pandora by Susan Stokes Chapman. The rest of my reading for the month is still up in the air, I have a few books that I’ve got on a short list, but it’s very much going to be down to what I am feeling like reading. I’m excited to see what those will be.

A Day Out at Gollanczfest 2024

In 2016, I attended one of the earlier Gollanczfest events. This year, I attended my second one and their 10^th anniversary. Gollanczfest is an event hosted by the publisher Gollancz, bringing together their authors and fans for a day of bookish talks and vibes.

It was an early start for me to get to the event for a 9:30 start and to meet the friends I was attending with. Still, luck was on my side (for once!) and I made it in with no transport issues. From the start, the event was well organised. Directions were clear and queues moved quickly.

We began the day collecting our goodie bags & lanyards. The goodie bags consisted of a tote bag, chapter samplers, a pen and two books – one an arc of an upcoming 2024 release, and the other an SF Masterwork. Different bags had a different book combo and I ended up with The Phoenix Keeper by S.A. Maclean (out Aug 2024) and The Body Snatchers by Jack Finney. I am very much looking forward to reading both of these. We were then directed to the main panel room for an introduction.

From there, the events begin. There were three strands: The Author Panels, Industry Events and Interactive Events. After much debate with myself, I headed to my first event –  ‘Record Your Own Audiobook’. Being an avid audiobook listener, I was curious to see behind the curtain of what’s involved. Everyone in the session took turns reading two stanzas from Edga Allen Poe’s The Raven, as if we were recording an audiobook ourselves. I volunteered to go first and found it quite fun reading the text in the ‘booth’. Part of me is curious to hear the end result, part of me never wants to hear myself speak.

My second event of the day was the start of a series of panels. Each revolved around a different genre and those I attended were: High Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Horror & Science Fiction. Each had a chair asking the authors questions about their work, the genre and, if there was time, questions from the audience (more often than not, time was very short for those!). The success of the panels was quite dependent on the dynamics of the authors and the questions they had to answer. My favourite ended up being, to my surprise (due to it being my least-read genre), the Urban Fantasy panel. All the authors in that had some great discussions to the point where there needed very little input from the chair.

We ended up giving the headline panel a miss as neither authors were ones we read and 5 different sessions later, I for one was pretty tired. A quick browse around the bookshop later (and the purchase of two books: The Principle of Moments by Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson and Shigidi by Wole Talabi) and then time to head home.

It was a great event. I loved that it still felt like the earlier Gollanczfest at heart, but on a grander scale. The organisation was great – queues moved quickly, I knew where I needed to be and all the information was available. Nothing overran and it just generally had a really nice atmosphere. I have no idea why I haven’t been to more of these, but hopefully they will carry on doing them and I’ll be able to go to future ones.

An Audience with Lucy Worsley on Agatha Christie – A Talk Review

An evening talking about one of the greatest crime writers of all time? That sounds ideal, and it was. In the latter half of last year, Lucy Worsley published her biography of Agatha Christie – Agatha Christie: A Very Elusive Woman. I listened to the audiobook (also narrated by Lucy Worsley) and found it a well-research & detailed look at the life of an interesting woman. It covered all parts of her life, not just the most intriguing (such as her mysterious disappearance) and relates it into Agatha Christie’s fictional work.

The audience with Lucy Worsley was an event of two parts. The first was broad brushstrokes of the book – an overview of Agatha Christie’s life building up to her disappearance and an explanation for it. Having read the book, a lot of information revealed in this section was not new to me but having Lucy Worsley discuss and present it in person, with a presentation that displayed the references & evidence she talked about, added an extra level. She is evidently passionate about the topic and excited to share it. These, alongside being an excellent speaker, made the first part very engaging.

After a brief interval, we dived into the second part of the evening which was a Q&A with control handed over to the audience. Despite my enjoyment of the first part, the second section elevated the evening. We really got to see Lucy Worsley’s love of history come across and she fielded the questions exceptionally well. We covered a variety of topics, including the way to get away with murder (ice knife apparently) and which books most accurately reflected Agatha Christie (those not published under her own name). I was impressed with how Lucy Worsley handled the questions, avoiding extensive comments instead of questions from the audience & adding to her answers to questions which might otherwise not have been that interesting an answer.

All in all, an informative & entertaining evening about an elusive yet incredibly famous woman. I very much enjoyed the event and am looking forward to when I inevitably pick up my next Agatha Christie.  

Mini-Reviews: Good Girl, Bad Blood; Lore Olympus Volume 2; Percy Jackson and the Titan’s Curse

Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson – 4.5/5

I read Good Girls, Bad Blood in two sittings; the sittings only interrupted by the need to sleep and the requirement to work. In this book, Pip & her friends are dealing with the aftermath of the first book and I love that we see those consequences & impacts carried through. It makes the characters feel a lot more rounded to be struggling with PTSD or covering up with humour, and added an extra layer to this book. From the start, it feels quite simple – finding a missing person, but questions & secrets come to light and it seems to be a lot more of a complex mystery than originally thought. Holly Jackson does a great job at pacing her books, revealing things at key moments and tying threads together, that makes for a very engaging read.

Lore Olympus Volume 2 by Rachel Smythe – 4/5

Persephone and Hades’ story continues in the second volume of Lore Olympus. We see them continue to deal with more rumours and scheming while navigating the connection between them. The art continues to be stunning, capturing the emotions of the characters beautifully and contributing to the storytelling in a major way. I really enjoy how the story is modernised, but still seamlessly integrates references to the original setting, such as through the fashion the characters are wearing. I enjoyed seeing more of the other characters, such as Hera, Minthe & Hecate, although I wish some plot lines felt like they were starting to be resolved, I don’t think we’ve had any resolution yet, even for smaller plot points.

Percy Jackson and the Titan’s Curse by Rick Riordan – 3.5/5

The adventures of Percy Jackson continue. While these books are very much for a younger audience, Rick Riordan does such a good job of making the content enjoyable to any reader age. They are such fun stories to experience and are quite relaxing to read due to their younger target audience. I really enjoyed how this book allowed us to meet some more of the Camp Half-blood’s members and see some of the side-characters fleshed out a little more. There are some heavy moments and themes tackled, but are tackled well and balance out well with the lighter elements on the book. I am very much enjoyed reading this series, although do still wish I had first read them when I was younger as I think they would have had more of an impact then.