Weekend Shorts - Wire Mother by Isabel J. Kim

Name - Wire Mother 

Written by - Isabel J. Kim 

Published on - Clarkesworld Magazine October 2025 (issue 229)

This one was a blast to read, with a fun concept, engaging prose and interesting characters. When lots of stuff is being written about artificial intelligence and digital people it is really hard to sound original in this regard but Isabel shines through with making her story feel like natural and quite plausible compared to many.

This story is about Cassie, is set in far future and deals with her imaginary neuro divergent disorder making her incapable of accepting digital people as real. The story is told through her point of view and established the world around her slowly through her eyes while progressing to her inevitable rebellion against the norms of her society.

This was my first read from Isabel and this just clicked. The short yet poignant story left a sense of unease and desire to return to the setting. Maybe there are more stories to tell regarding Cassie or her world; only the author knows surely.

I will give this 4 out of 5 stars.

New Book Review - Godzilla Minus One by Takashi Yamazaki

Name - Godzilla Minus One (novelization)

Written by - Takashi Yamazaki

Translated by - Evan Ward

Published by - Seven Seas Entertainment 

Godzilla Minus One is a masterwork of how to tell a simplistic yet impactful story in a profound way. It follows quite a predictable formula but due to the strength of the inherent message and brilliant execution, it turns into something to rejoice for ages to come.

I had an interest in revisiting the experience, so I immediately picked up the novelization of the film as soon as I found out about it. And thankfully the book does deliver with some delightful new scenes and a glimpse into the psyche of some of the characters.

Uniquely, Godzilla Minus One is not just a monster movie, but features the struggles of a post-war country who are on the losing side facing yet another disaster and trying to overcome it this time on their own terms. The characters are quite vividly imagined, making the readers sympathetic to them and feeling anguish or joy alongside them in this all too human tale.

Almost everyone who is a genre fan has surely seen the movie or heard about it. This novelization just gives them another chance to re-enter this world.

4 out of 5 stars from me.

New Book Review - Exiles by Mason Coile

Name - Exiles

Written by - Mason Coile (Andrew Pyper)

Narrated by - Ashley Morton 

Published by - G.P. Putnam's Sons / Baskerville 

Audiobook by - Penguin Audio

'Exiles' is a conglomeration of genres mixing a backdrop of sci-fi with bleak and uncompromising horror with a sense of pervading mystery packed in a tight package of fast moving thriller. While this combination seems like a hard thing to do masterfully the audiobook version with its emotionally packed narration does quite a wonderful job of delivering a memorable performance.

The plot follows three humans (one female and two males) going on a mission to Mars where they would live out the rest of their lives and prepare the way for other explorers following their footsteps. Awaiting them are three robots who built and now maintain their habitat. 

The story from the beginning is quite unpredictable, never really informing the reader much about the direction or about the main characters, creating a sense of mystery. The thrill slowly builds and the focus shifts from an exploration story to turn into horror focusing on alien environment and personal struggles.

The thing I liked about the story is the slow reveal for the reader of the fact that despite otherworldly setting, robots and possible alien menace, the horror actually is much more personal relying on the history of personal trauma and psychological instability. 

None of the characters are lovable, but it is quite understandable why they are motivated in acting in specific ways. The cunning and manipulation by the apparent antagonist while his/her identity is revealed give the emotional impact yet another jolt.

Maybe this story was custom built in such ways but the performance by Ashley Morton was simply outstanding, delivering such emotional narration, especially in the final third of the book, is remarkably memorable. The ending hit like a gut punch, which is both an accomplishment by the author and the narrator.

Sometimes after starting the book I came to know that the author is with us no more, which is such a shame, as it seems he was currently at the pique of his craft. At least, he lives us with a backlog of past works to explore in the future.

This gets 4 out of 5 stars from me.

Retro Comic Review - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Vol. 1 #26

Name: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Vol. 1 #26

Published by: Mirage Comics

Writer & Artist: Rick Veitch 

Letterer: Gary Fields

The 'River Saga' ends with style, providing an exciting issue with a satisfying final battle and closure for all the relevant characters. The main villain behind the powerful and brutal Bloodsucker turns out to be a weird one, as per the rule in TMNT, who gets defeated in an epic way, leaving us wondering what fun could have been had if not for the rights issue.

The story progresses smoothly unlike the second issue and Veitch has gotten the hang of characterizing the turtles perfectly this time and conflict is told through his unique and weird style, giving some memorable moments well after you have finished.

The art is as good as ever; there are some brilliant moments like the psychic punch and Raphael's triumphant return that are bound to stay with you if you are a turtles fan. 

All in all, this one closes the story with a massive sense of accomplishment and a lingering desire of seeing Bloodsucker return to wreak havoc once again.

A whooping 4.5 out of 5 stars from me.

Weekend Shorts - When there are two of you: A documentary by Zun Yu Tan

Name - When there are two of you: A documentary 

Written by - Zun Yu Tan

Published on - Clarkesworld Magazine January 2025 (issue 220)

This one had an interesting premise of a future where people use their digital clones or sentience to assist them in their daily lives. The story deals with the various scenarios that might occur as a result. 

The story is told as two interviews taken from two individuals who are dealing with this phenomenon quite differently. The story could have been developed a bit more, adding a bit more background or conflict rather than going the psychological way to describe the effect.

The bit with a conversation from an online forum was interesting and could have been used more to add more flavor.

I will give this 3 out of 5 stars.

New Book Review - The Hungry Gods by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Name - The Hungry Gods 

Written by - Adrian Tchaikovsky

Narrated by - Emma Newman

Series - Terrible Worlds: Innovations 

Published by - Rebellion Publishing Ltd. / Solaris Books

Audiobook by - Tantor Media 

Another Adrian Tchaikovsky novella, another innovative and interesting work involving a richly imagined world incorporating relatable and charismatically depicted characters. Nowadays, his work means contender for best of the year list.

This time the setting is a post-apocalyptic resource-depleted world, with animal-inspired factions embroiled in struggle for survival suddenly turned upside down by the arrival of four technologically advanced beings claiming to be gods.

The prose by Tchaikovsky is as enjoyable as ever, seeming to glide through the world building and introducing the main players. The obvious ecological rhetoric is done quite artfully making us ponder if this might occur in our future if we keep on polluting our surroundings. 

The characters are quite skillfully fleshed, having their own purposes and motivations to guide them through to the ending which is quite satisfying as is often the case with the author. I liked Beaker and Iffy the most and would have liked to read more about them.

Hoping to get more releases for this series in future as I will remain trying to finish reading all of available Tchaikovsky stuff (a daunting task indeed). This gets 4 out of 5 stars from me.

Animated Tv Show Review - Devil May Cry (2025)

Animated Show Name - Devil May Cry (2025)

Season - 1

Aired - April 3, 2025

Episodes - 8

Network - Netflix 

Based on - 'Devil May Cry' by Capcom

Developed By - Adi Shankar, Alex Larsen

Animated by - Studio Mir, Adi Shankar Animation 

Although I haven't played much of Devil May Cry, I have a basic understanding regarding the story of DmC. And this somewhat modernization of the adaptation of the popular video game series does hit all the correct spots to score high marks especially regarding the entertainment value, also keeping interest piqued for future seasons.

The story is breakneck fast-paced, filled with witty dialogues and has some interesting twists and turns to keep the viewer guessing. The plot does not adhere to the video game strictly, which seems like an improvement in my book despite many fans feeling otherwise based on the internet. Any adaptation should have some room for creativity and alteration so as to give the developers their own chance to share their vision in my opinion (people can play the games any time if they want the original storyline, so what's the bother?).

Interestingly, the side characters were much more well-fleshed and had developed background compared to Dante, I really loved the White Rabbit. I would give the lesser development and focus upon the main characters benefit of doubt, presuming that the creators kept their cards in hand for future seasons. The creators playing with concepts of real world politics, racism, and religious zealotry added further relevance to some of the story and characters.

The art and animation are a clear strong point with fluid and high-profiled animated action sequences accentuating the overall urgency and breathtaking visuals. The battles are brilliantly choreographed, often making me come back for a second view of the spectacle.

The use of both old school and modern rock pieces enhances the bombastic nature of the actions as well as the emotional episodes like the 6th one. The music is universally loved for this series even by its haters and that is definitely for good reasons.

My score - 9 out of 10.