swordvampire's reviews
54 reviews

I picked this book up through Verso's sale a while back—I had been talking to the bookseller at my local used bookstore about John Berger and he had suggested I try reading his fiction. I had been looking for Berger's art history books as I am a big fan of the Ways of Seeing Series (watch here: https://youtu.be/0pDE4VX_9Kk?si=35SVTRII6XYvkeSM). In fact, I hadn't even been aware he wrote fiction. 

I'm glad I took a chance on this book. I thought it was a clever little novella. It's written in epistolary between two lovers, one inside and one outside of prison. The setting and time remain very retracted; implied or even kept ambiguous on purpose (although it did mention a cell!). It felt very apt for the state of the world as it is now, but it reminded me of so many points of history in the past 60 years. I would argue it's a timeless story. 

The playing with language and references was really exciting to parse through. There were secret meanings and hints at an overarching plot. But, ultimately, it was very human and very confident in the triumph of the common man. How our love for our community and how determination for better will sustain us. 

I definitely would recommend this book. Berger was a very clever writer and I appreciate the way he engaged with the world; either through fiction or looking back at history. 

Adventures in Immediate Irreality is a very modern book; if you had told me it was published this year, I would've quite earnestly believed it. This peculiar novella from 1936 offers a very microscopic and curious observation of the sensations and how we engage with the things around us. It's a very odd thing: the unnamed narrator moving in and out of the world he occupies.

I read the english translation, so I can't comment on the quality of the translation. However, it had a few interesting quirks (i.e translating what I presume to be the word  vanity as toilet) but it never detracted from the quality of the prose itself. I rather enjoyed the writing: it was both detailed and meandering, but directed very intentionally. Such as a camera framing a photo shoot. 

This novella made me think, which is the most I could ask from it. It was a compelling read I had a hard time putting down. 

After spending two months working through this, I can say that I enjoyed it. I expected a bit drier of a text and was a little unsure of the more personal aspects of the narrative constructed. However, that aside, it was very informative and a great starting point to get a broader look into fabric history. 

this was deeply compelling and mildly depressing. i enjoyed reading it RTC

RTC

I will most likely have to reread this book sometime in the next few months because it was dense and I don't think I'm at the level of understanding for it. It did offer a lot of food for thought however 

Disclaimer: I received an eARC from the author.

5/5

If anyone is going to deliver on vampire books, it’s going to be the Morgan Dante. Unholy With Eyes Like Wolves weaves a story of grief, the pursuit of personal identity, and vampiric eroticism into one delectable read.

The story follows Noémie entering the care of Countess Báthory as her lady-in-waiting and the mysterious circumstances that follow her. Set in 17th-century Hungary, Dante did their research, seen in small details sprinkled throughout the text. I am always on the hunt for anything set in Eastern Europe, and the use of the Hapsburg Rule as a backdrop for the setting feels perfectly apt for a story about vampires. Historical details are utilized effectively to convey the world they live in but never supersede the plot and the characters.

And, the characters. Dante has a wonderfully interesting cast of characters; I think this may be my favorite collection of characters from their backlog of work, every side character captures your attention and offers a glimpse of conflict. Noémie, Erzsébet Báthory, and the mysterious woman of (quite literally) Noémie’s dreams play off each other, especially their wants. I really enjoyed the majority female cast and think the way the characters discussed gender was really, truly interesting. And, despite the length of the novella, the character relationships almost felt like slow-burn in just how satisfying it was to see how the main relationship dynamic pulled and pushed throughout our main POV’s character transformation.

The set-up of the plot and the “twist” was so exciting to watch as it built up, developing into satisfying cause-and-effect situations. Although the plot is a lot more back burner in the novel, it is well-balanced out with the focused character work through the eyes of Noémie. The beauty of Unholy with Eyes Like Wolves is the absolutely wonderful character work and truly just good writing . I am well-known for my dislike of first person, but it is so expertly wielded by Dante in this novel that I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

Of course, as per the nature of the work, there are a lot of sensitive topics. Dante successfully engages with each one, giving the characters the space to grieve and recover. The emotional depth of the book is skillfully handled, and honestly, just very meaningful. I think it’s more important now than ever to engage with these topics. But, please do read the trigger warnings beforehand to understand what to expect.

100% a strong start to my reading year (yes, in March)—If you love vampires, historical fiction, and deeply fascinating character dynamics, please pick up Unholy With Eyes Like Wolves . 

In all seriousness,  CAPSLOCK was a very solid read; Pater covered a lot across multiple topics to better contextualize the impact of graphic design historically, especially to illustrate how it diverts attention from the evils of bureaucracy and western imperialism throughout history. It demonstrated the performative nature of design advocacy and design thinking as systems used by designers today, as well as providing alternatives. Think examples and interviews from design collectives and using specific design projects to demonstrate how design can be wielded.

All that to say, a book critiquing capitalism that heavily quotes Marx (and the  Communist Manifesto itself) as frequently but barely discusses communism outside a brief comment on how it has failed was rather odd. It just felt like the book was missing something without it, and doesn't touch much (if at all) on design work done in Asia, Africa, or Eastern Europe. I think this is an oversight of a book that so heavily critiques capitalism and Western involvement in other countries. 

I got a lot out of this read, but it does leave me wanting to read further on the sources it quoted to further expand my thoughts. This would be an interesting read within the academic spaces of Graphic Design since it introduces a lot of ideas that could allow students to expand their approach to the creative process, and makes for a better think piece on how to use design for social causes than the current curriculum. 

RTC