Category Archives: Catherynne M. Valente

A Time to Crydee

Posted on October 20, 2025 by Nathan

A Fighting Man of Mars, by Edgar Rice Burroughs – The fighting man of this story is Tan Hadron, a soldier from Hastor in the Kingdom of Helium. I wonder if the town was named after Hastur, a character used … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Authors, barsoom, Book Reviews, Catherynne M. Valente, Catholicism, Christianity, Conspiracy Theories, Crusades, edgar rice burroughs, Gnosticism, Greek Mythology, History, Holy Roman Empire, Judaism, Magic, Maps, Middle Ages, Monsters, Mythology, Oz, Oz Authors, Philosophy, Places, Relationships, Religion, Ruth Plumly Thompson, Science, Sierra, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Rakevat’s Rules of Chaos

Posted on November 20, 2024 by Nathan

Pahua and the Dragon’s Secret, by Lori M. Lee – In the second book of this series, Pahua Moua, the reincarnation of the great Hmong warrior Shee Yee, wants to enroll in a school for shamans. In order to do … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Book Reviews, Catherynne M. Valente, Discworld, Douglas Adams, Food, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Hmong, Humor, Magic, Monsters, Music, Mythology, Names, Philosophy, Relationships, Rick Riordan, Technology, Terry Pratchett, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Illumi-Naughty

Posted on October 31, 2024 by Nathan

In the Cities of Coin and Spice, by Catherynne M. Valente – The second book in the Orphan’s Tales series continues with more diverse but connected stories, with a lot of shifting back and forth when different narrators interrupt, very … Continue reading →

Posted in Arabian, Authors, Book Reviews, Catherynne M. Valente, Conspiracy Theories, Daniel Handler, Drugs, Fairy Tales, Food, Greek Mythology, History, Humor, Japanese, Magic, Mathematics, Monsters, Mythology, Names, Plays, Politics, Prejudice, Relationships, Religion, William Shakespeare | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Chicks Dig Scarlings

Posted on September 10, 2024 by Nathan

The Prince of Ill Luck, by Susan Dexter – I forget who mentioned this book to me some years ago, but it’s been on my to-read list for a while. Leith, Prince of the Isles, is thought to be under … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Art, Authors, Book Reviews, Catherynne M. Valente, Celtic, Chinese, Fairy Tales, Families, Greek Mythology, Magic, Monsters, Mythology, Vietnamese | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Jinn and Tonic

Posted on August 18, 2024 by Nathan

I’ve written about jinn before, but something I don’t think I’ve touched on is the different varieties among them. As with a lot of attempts to categorize mythical beings, there’s no real consensus on this. I just finished G. Willow … Continue reading →

Posted in Arabian, Authors, Cartoons, Catherynne M. Valente, Celtic, Fairy Tales, Final Fantasy, Games, Hinduism, Islam, Kirby, Language, Magic, Monsters, Mythology, Religion, Television, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Famous Monsters of Bookland

Posted on July 27, 2024 by Nathan

The Folded World, by Catherynne M. Valente – The sequel to The Habitation of the Blessed has John‘s daughter arrive in Pentexore to tell the inhabitants about the Crusades, and John’s subjects go off to fight in Jerusalem for a … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Book Reviews, Catherynne M. Valente, Christianity, Crusades, Families, Greek Mythology, Hinduism, History, incryptid, Islam, Magic, Monsters, Music, Mythology, Poetry, Relationships, Religion, Rick Riordan, Russian, seanan mcguire, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Rains of Castamere

Posted on May 18, 2024 by Nathan

The Eye of the World, by Robert Jordan – I’ve been meaning to check out the Wheel of Time series for quite a while now, and I finally got around to it. I thought this book was all right, but not … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Authors, Book Reviews, Cartoons, Catherynne M. Valente, Christianity, Conspiracy Theories, Magic, Maps, Monsters, Mythology, Religion, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Quidnunc Pro Quo

Posted on February 2, 2023 by Nathan

A Thousand Ships, by Natalie Haynes – This book dives into the thoughts and actions of numerous women involved with the Trojan War, giving their perspective on the whole thing. It utilizes a lot of sources, and gives each one … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Art, Authors, Book Reviews, Cartoons, Catherynne M. Valente, Comics, Greek Mythology, Humor, Kirby, Mythology, Technology, Television, Toys, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

An Apple Was the Cause of It All

Posted on October 30, 2022 by Nathan

Comfort Me with Apples, by Catherynne M. Valente – It’s hard to say anything about this book without spoiling it, as a twist is integral to the plot. At the same time, though, there are some things about the twist … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Authors, Book Reviews, Catherynne M. Valente, Christianity, Fairy Tales, Food, Humor, Judaism, Korean, Magic, Mythology, Names, Relationships, Religion, Rick Riordan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment