REVIEWS
Assorted thoughts/opinions/analysis on stuff. For now, will not be sorted by type of media. (LAZY)
I try to be spoiler free but just be wary there may still be spoilers!
Use「Sticky Fingers」to go back
Watership Down
Richard Adams
Watership Down is one of the most surprisingly amazing books I have read of
late. I will be completely honest, I expected a simple story of rabbits running around a field
and being eaten by scary wolves. I knew about its infamous brutality and about its animated film, but
nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to read.
The story of Hazel and his ragtag group of rabbits surviving in the harsh world
outside their burrow is one that found me connecting more with talking rabbits
than with some fully human characters in other novels. These rabbits are full of life and energy, so
much so that it hits you like a truck how quickly impactful their story becomes. They have culture,
values, and history. Their own language, as well as a language to share with the other creatures of
the woods. The rabbit's world is wonderful, but dangerous. The story is exactly as
brutal as they say it is, but it is also extremely heartwarming, and at times gave
me a sense of comfort and familiarity that I can only remember experiencing in my childhood,
curled up on a couch, reading a book before bedtime, and folding every page's corners to serve
as a bookmark. I genuinely believe that this story is falsely typecasted as a brutal, violent
tale. It is not. It is a tale of home, of safety and community. The suffering went through that
turns a group of strangers into a tight knit family.
The writing, where do I begin? It's extremely descriptive, but also very straightforward. The
world of the rabbits comes across as one where the pleasures we overlook on a walk in the park
become the great joys and gifts of the natural world. In its small scale, every wonder is
multiplied tenfold and now the beauty of a field of grass is as overwhelmingly pretty as the view on top
of a great mountain. On the other hand, the danger is big. Huge incomprehensible machines with grinding, screeching roars, and the
vast width of open fields stalked by silent predators make every moment of travel tense. I found
myself wondering if they were to be ambushed, turning each page carefully for fear I'll see
another rabbit gored. And gored they are. The book does not skip out on any graphic description.
The violence these rabbits go through is real. It is visceral. It fills their life. But, in turn,
it makes the moments of rest more precious. The moments of huddling around to tell stories, of silflay
in lush fields of grass. They are imbued, with great help from Adams' magnificent writing, with
that warmth and safety that the rabbits themselves must feel. Safety that is all the more valuable,
as you know what it costs.
4.8/5. If I could dig out the part of my brain that read this book, I would. All so that I
can read and experience this journey all over again. If you have not read this book you should read it
NOW!!!!!!
Frankenstein
Mary Shelley
I am a self-proclaimed HUGE Science-Fiction Fan. It only makes sense, therefore, to go and do my
homework and read this classic. It is, by all means, deserving of its status as an all-time great.
The story is so famous that I don't need to recount anything, so now I can instead gush about the writing.
Mary Shelley is a VERY good writer. The tale of Doctor Frankenstein is one great macabre tragedy. Indeed,
I felt tremendously sorry for both Frankenstein and his unnamed creation. Frankenstein, however, stands out
to be the monster of this story. His desire to play God is considered by many to be his downfall, but I
personally want to believe that the more offensive trait that led to his demise is his inability to love
his own creation. To me, this story is about love. Specifically, about being denied love. Frankenstein's creation,
in its infancy, desires to be accepted and loved by society. He is not monstrous in the slightest. He's vegetarian, non-violent at first
and a deeply curious creature, determined on learning language and human culture. Yet, he is shunned and outcast for his grotesque form,
forever a victim of man's inherent displeasure with anything different. Betrayed, it begs Frankenstein to make him
a wife, promising to leave man behind and never harm another soul. Again, it is loathed, distrusted, and ultimately
betrayed by the man who created him. In revenge, Frankenstein's love, Elizabeth, is killed in front of him right before
their loving marriage, all because of Frankenstein's refusal to allow his creation, the one that he ABANDONED AT BIRTH FOR TWO
YEARS, to love again.
Love. Love. LOVE!!! The story makes it clear that this desire to love and be loved is human nature. It is what
validifies the nameless creature's inner humanity. He loves, and only wants to love again. The story is horrific,
but to me its also very earnestly human. Mary Shelley's life was surrounded by the death of her loved ones. In what could be
grief or fond remembrance of those she loves, she wrote this story. Its considered a horror, but to me it is a testament to
love. Love for the world, and the tragedy of not being loved back. About playing God, but most importantly, not loving
your own creation.
4.6/5. I take off points because the book doesn't explain how he became a grappler and met BB Hood.