What I Read in August '25: Irish Fantasy, The Manosphere, and a LOT of Superman
- Kieran O'Brien
- 4 days ago
- 9 min read
Novels
Memories of Ice (Malazan Book of the Fallen #3) by Steven Erikson (2001)
Last month, I read Deadhouse Gates (Book 2) and much of what I had to say about that novel holds true for this one. The Malazan series is dense and confusing, but purposefully so. I was excited for this instalment because it returns to the characters that we got to know way back in the first book.
There are scenes of abject horror in Memories of Ice; this is a grimdark military fantasy novel after all. It surpasses even the most traumatic scenes in the last book, which is... impressive. Yet this is often contrasted with genuinely tender moments of friendship, love, loyalty, and even fun that really endeared me to these characters.
The plot is simple in the broad strokes—two once-warring armies join forces to tackle a powerful new threat emerging in the south—but baffling in the minutiae. Just going with it and absorbing the vibe of what’s happening is always enough to enjoy things, though.
The many characters feel distinct, the stakes are exciting, and for the first time in the series, Memories of Ice sets up a threat that looks like it will shape the direction of the rest of the series which has, until now, felt a little scattered and shapeless.
The Invasion by Peadar Ó Guillin (2018)
This is the second book in a Young Adult Irish fantasy duology. I normally don’t go in for YA books—no shade, it’s just not usually my thing—but I’ll make an exception for a story incorporating elements of Irish mythology (I want to see what’s out there, given that my own work-in-progress is inspired by Irish myths and legends).
The premise is very Hunger Games-esque: in an Ireland cut off from the rest of the world by a mysterious barrier of fog, every child will at some point before their eighteenth birthday be transported to a mythical land where they will have to survive for 24 hours while being hunted for sport by the vicious, fairy-like Sídhe.
The best thing about this series is the body horror. The Sídhe can mould human flesh like putty, inflicting pain and creating abominations on a level that made me question the novel’s place on Young Adult shelves. There is some delightfully fucked-up imagery in this book, and the plot is fun and fast-paced, if a little all over the place. Build-up to the climax is rushed—a side-effect of the break-neck pace that doesn’t leave much room for building tension—but I got what I wanted from this story about evil fairies killing Irish children.
The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin (2016)
Sequel to The Fifth Season, this is a lofty and brilliantly written fantasy novel that isn’t interested in conventional plot structure or character arcs. The Obelisk Gate feels incomplete in much the way that the first book felt; we’re still building towards a complete understanding of concepts introduced in The Fifth Season, and even though I’m enjoying the journey, I’m not quite feeling enough forward momentum from this Hugo Award-winning series.
Still, this is a fascinating book/series. The way the ‘magic system’ alone works makes this worth reading, and The Obelisk Gate expands on it in some fun and surprising ways. The main character is also intensely dislikeable, which honestly just makes for some interesting reading. Essun is frustrating and irrational but also deeply, deeply traumatised.
So, if you liked the first book, it’s absolutely worth continuing the series. I guess I was just hoping for some more personal stakes towards the end of the novel, but the culmination of that much-telegraphed plot thread has been saved for the last book in the trilogy (at least I hope)
Sister Wake by Dave Rudden (2026)
I got a proof/ARC copy of this from work. It’s not out until January ’26, but I couldn’t pass by the opportunity to read an epic fantasy inspired by both Irish mythology and Ireland’s fight for independence from the British. In Sister Wake, the island of Croí has been occupied by the empire of The Answering for centuries. The Rising is the resistance group on the island, but they haven’t been much good until recently, when the old gods of their land started to make themselves known again.
Sister Wake is a saint for one of these gods—the Cailleach; the goddess of death. She's a necromancer essentially and not exactly a pleasant person (she's very reminiscent of the main character in The Obelisk Gate, actually). The story also includes the perspectives of a minor lord of the Answering who comes to Croí to prove himself, and the princess of the Answering throne.
I really enjoyed the scale and scope of the story along with Rudden's unique take on gods and magic. The empire of The Answering is so fun to hate, and there are some really fun uses of Sister Wake's powers throughout. Her relationship with her knight and protector is great, too. Also, on a prose level, Rudden writes wonderfully. Just loads of crunchy detail and a delightful incorporation of the Irish language and culture into the proceedings.
This is the first book in a trilogy that I'll almost certainly be continuing, although I did have some problems with Sister Wake. All three plot threads felt a little directionless at times, a side-effect of the fact that the characters sometimes lack concrete goals. I found myself wondering where everything was going, and there was no interplay or tangible links between three perspectives either.
I also have a lot of questions about this world. I'm okay with being in the dark for now, but Dave, you need to give me some more Croí lore and history in the next books, okay? Why are the gods back? Can we get some info on the other saints? I understand not wanting to divulge everything at once, but I genuinely want to feel more grounded in this world going forward.
Non-Fiction
Lost Boys by James Bloodworth
There are plenty of books on the shelves these days concerning gender, misogyny, and the patriarchy, but this one stood out to me by being written by someone who had been on ‘the other side.’ The book posits itself as a ‘personal journey through the manosphere’, and I was interested to see what insights Bloodworth had into modern-day manhood.
(For those not in the know, the ‘manosphere’ is the term used to describe the wide community of men who, essentially, hate women, view them as less-than-human, and believe them to be the root cause of all their problems)
While still engrossing, this didn’t turn out to be as personal a journey as I’d hoped. Bloodworth did indeed engage briefly with the PUA (pick-up artist) scene twenty years ago, but he was never a devoted member. However, in writing this book, he did infiltrate the modern-day manosphere community pretty comprehensively, and his observations of its members and ideologies are fascinating.
Bloodworth effectively links the rise of the manosphere to world-altering events (like Trump’s presidencies) and writes incisively about how and why men wind up being recruited into this cult-like community of men who both hate and obsess over women.
I do feel like the book lacked a personal touch, though. We don’t really see how Bloodworth’s relationship with woman changed from the days when he was so desperate for advice that he paid money to go clubbing with a PUA instructor and hit on random women.
Also, there is surely a cure for the rising tide of misogyny that has long since spilled past the borders of the internet and seeped into mainstream culture, but Lost Boys doesn’t touch on it. Perhaps that’s a topic for a different book. Nevertheless, an eye-opening book about just how pervasive the manosphere is becoming.
Comics
Superman/Batman: DC Compact Comics Edition
DC knew what they were doing releasing this collection while Superman is still in cinemas because it was in my hands mere nanoseconds after I saw it on the shelf at the bookshop where I work. There’s something very exciting about David Corenswet’s iteration of Superman playing against a Batman on the big screen in the future, so I was hoping this collection would scratch that itch.
To some extent, it absolutely did. The main appeal of the book is the dual narration; the entire collection is narrated by both Batman and Superman, and the contrast and crossover in how they interpret the events of the story provides some really touching/funny/profound insights into these characters.
Story-wise, the first half is a lot more engaging, as President Lex Luthor (!) places a bounty on Superman’s capture, which leads to all sorts of fun set pieces and personal conflicts. The second half is a little all over the place though, and if Batman felt a little like a secondary character in the first half, he feels like an afterthought here.
Overall, it’s a fun, well-drawn collection, but it didn’t penetrate the depths of emotion that I hoped it would.
Superman: Unchained by Scott Snyder and Jim Lee
Yes, another Superman story. What can I say? In the words of Frank Reynolds, “I get it, now.” This story from a while back was penned by Batman legend Scott Snyder (more on him later) and focuses primarily on Superman discovering that another being with powers similar to his own (but even more powerful) has been operating on behalf for the U.S. government for decades, blindly obeying orders in service of the country.
Jim Lee’s art here is downright stunning. I was drooling over this book. There are just so many cool splash pages, design choices, and fight sequences. Snyder does a good job of starting with what feels like a relatively small-stakes mystery and building the stakes and tension with every single issue. There’s also a surprisingly nuanced relationship between Superman and this new super-being. It’s not just super-hero punch-outs; there are real, intelligent conversations between them.
Lois Lane also has a fun, active role in the story, made all the more complicated by her father (who is a military general) coming into conflict with Superman. Overall, Unchained feels explosive and fun and looks incredible… but I do think there’s a bit of hollowness to it.
There are traces of a philosophical conflict between Superman and his new enemies, but it’s mostly soundbites—there’s no real growth or change on Superman’s behalf, and while Snyder excellently captured the feeling of Superman and his friends, there was no single moment that truly blew me away or surprised me. Absolutely worth reading if you’re looking for a solid standalone Superman story, though.
Daredevil: Woman Without Fear - Bloody Reunion
A few years ago, Matt Murdock’s intermittent paramour and assassin-for-hire Elektra Natchios reformed her ways and adopted the mantle of Daredevil while Matt was spending time in prison. Elektra’s struggle to adjust to being a hero and prove herself to Matt was one of several high points in Chip Zdarsky’s Daredevil run (2019-2023), but she hasn’t been utilised much since.
Hence, this four-issue miniseries, Bloody Reunion. Just what has Elektra been up to now that Matt’s back in action? The answer: painfully little.
One element that Daredevil writers seem to have forgotten about in recent years was the fact that Elektra adopted an orphan called Alice, and has even been training her how to fight. I’ll admit that I, too, had completely forgotten about Alice’s existence until this story kicks off her with being kidnapped.
This should have been a story that explores Elektra’s relationship with Alice. What lengths will she go to to rescue her, and why? Instead, this is a wild goose chase with zero escalating stakes or interesting character insights. Elektra kicks and punches her way to a dizzyingly dissatisfying climax and the overall end result is the feeling that this story was a huge waste of time.
Ultimate Spider-Man, Vol. 2: The Paper by Jonathan Hickman, Marco Checchetto, and David Messina
The first volume of Ultimate Spider-Man is probably the best Spider-Man book I’ve ever read (although, I am admittedly not a huge fan of the main continuity Spidey books). In this ‘Ultimate’ universe, Peter Parker doesn’t become Spider-Man until he’s a grown man, married to M.J., and with kids of his own.
The Paper continues this older Peter’s story, although the bulk of this volume is focused on his supporting cast. J. Jonah Jameson and Uncle Ben’s ongoing investigation into Wilson Fisk’s criminal empire gets a lot of page time, as does the Kingpin and his cronies, not to mention the Green Goblin.
I really appreciate how stacked this supporting cast of characters are. You almost don’t even need Spider-Man to make an appearance to enjoy the story. Almost. I was beginning to miss the guy until the volume refocuses on him properly towards the end. Hickman’s Spider-Man is just such a joy to read, I just wish he was in more of a presence in his own book sometimes!
Absolute Batman, Vol. 1: The Zoo by Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta
Boy oh boy was I excited to read this book. Once again we have an alternate universe story, one in which Bruce Wayne didn’t grow up rich. In fact, he grew up on Crime Ally and is best friends with all sorts of ruffians. He’s still Batman though, but this is a Batman unlike any other.
First of all, he’s huge. Like, ridiculously—almost hilariously—ginormous. Honestly, everything about this story is maximised. It’s tough and extra and brutal and littered with splash panels/pages of Batman just being fucking awesome. There’s heart to it too, though. I really liked the changes Snyder made to Bruce’s origin, and the way he manages to incorporate Alfred into the story is just brilliant.
Nick Dragotta’s art is unreal. Batman has a new design that makes him more bat-like thanks to a cool new cape, and the fight scenes that incorporate this new look feel so dynamic and alive. Overall, The Zoo tells a satisfying arc in and of itself, but there are some incredible teases for future arcs that make me sad we won’t get volume two until next February...
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