Cassandra Khaw

Oh lordy. When it comes to genre mashing, I'm usually first in line and chortling with glee when it comes to the wild and the wacky. Coming into this one relatively free of any expectations other than knowing it was a group read with some friends, I blanked my mind and began it.

First impressions: Oh! Chinese gods, the underworld, a damned chef and the problem of keeping the ghouls happy with their meals. Oh! Godfather. Oh! This is GORY. Oh! Rupert has one hell of a snark going on and even if show more I don't particularly like him or what he does, he's funny as hell.

Second impressions, coinciding with the second novella (two of which make up a single novel): I'm really getting into this. Life on the line for the stunt he pulled, he's sent to work for the enemy, I.E., the Greek Gods. As a Chef. And they're all a real nasty piece of work. Survival novel, mystery, and twisty, twisty machinations including new gods, old gods, and a really fun Outsider Cthuhlu god later... CHAOS, BLOOD, and so much gory death. :)

The second one was even better than the first, but I'll put it this way: 3 star, 5 star. This damned chef has really grown on me. Like undead tattoo fairies. Or an immortal youtube cat begging for scraps. :)

So, a word of warning: You must be comfortable with graphic, graphic gore. :) The rest is a very humorous comedy of errors featuring a cannibal chef who keeps getting into trouble with all the wrong gods. It's very reminiscent of some classic mystery/comedies with a huge American Gods twist.

:)

Me, I LOVE bizarro fiction and Khaw's writing skill is tops. No complaints there. Quite funny, great turns of phrase, and always snappy. She just pushes the boundaries as far as she likes with the gore, and I really appreciate that. :)

Now, I need to go take a shower. show less

The All-Consuming World is a thrillingly violent, guttingly emotional space opera replete with outlaws, AI, and all manner of things and people broken beyond repair and ready to go down fighting. Gothic, Sapphic, pyrrhic--this is a mesmerising and wonderfully baroque addition to the cyberpunk canon.

There's a wonderful rhythm to Cassandra Khaw's prose. Their language--a heady mixture of poetic description and gleeful profanity--is gloriously seductive, hooking readers in the first paragraph show more and never letting go. This book is worth reading almost for the prose alone, at least for readers who enjoy high levels of stylization and atmosphere, though it has far more to offer than simple vibes and elaborate style.

This might well appeal to fans of Tamsyn Muir; although The All-Consuming World is very much its own book and not very much like any other, some of the feelings it evokes reminded me of how I felt reading Harrow the Ninth. I would recommend this novel to readers who enjoy dramatic stories of far-flung adventure and emotional upheaval--and who do not shy away from stories brimming with toxic relationships and trauma.

I received a free e-ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. show less

I received a free copy from Tor in exchange for my honest review.

This was a wild, gory, swear-filled adventure and I'm here for it. I'll say, I typically don't read books with a lot of gore or body horror - it's not my thing. I did not realize this book was going to be so friggen disgusting. That said, I think it really worked in the world Khaw and Kadrey created. I was cringing and saying "ew" outloud though, so just be warned if, like me, this usually isn't your thing.

Even with the show more detailed descriptions of nasty shit, I was having a great time. Julie is one of those "down on their luck, morally grey" protagonists, which I love to see. Sometimes you want to smack her, sometimes you're cheering for her - it's great. I also usually enjoy books that incporate magic/monsters/demons into our modern day life, so this checked another box for me. The opening scene takes place in a club, with a bachelorette party, and it hooked me immediately. Unexpectedly, this book also focuses on the...corporate side of making deals with demons. I can't recall reading anything quite like that before and I feel like a lot of thought went into the design of how a corporation would make deals with and make use of demons. There's also magic that humans have access to, which I would love to learn more about in the second book.

I'm really excited for the next book, even though this one just came out. I honestly hate that I have to wait! But I will definitely be re-reading this book before I dive into the sequel and, despite the gore, I'm looking forward to it. show less

Imagine an acid trip having a baby with a Fellini movie during a blood drive after the lights go out. That's how I sum this one up quickly. It's gory, full of amoral characters, uber-odd monsters, and magic, with a most flawed protagonist. All of it works quite nicely, but don't forget to look under the bed before turning the lights out.