Remedial Lit

Part one of two as we take a look at the GrishaVerse by Leigh Bardugo. Six plucky, teenage thieves are forced to work together to steal some magical cocaine and over the course of their journey learn the real magic was the friends they made along the way. Also the ability to telekinetically pull someone’s heart out of their chest. Mostly the friend stuffthough.

It’s a wonderful day in the neighborhood as we discuss our wormpocalypse survival strategies. Covering all the leftover gore we couldn’t get to in our discussion of ‘The Troop, we also look at the finer points of related works. All this on my podcast….my Arakis……my….Space Canada.

We return to Canada with this tale of boyhood adventure, The Troop by Nick Cutter. Stranded on an island when horrific developments begin, five boys and their scoutmaster must deal with an increasingly difficult situation brough to them by a stranger. Near the end we discuss the finer points of raccoon cuisine.

We have our school board meeting for the magic academy. I can’t remember how it’s spelled in this one. Examining the romance of Fourth Wing more deeply, here we expand on our nuanced and intricate views of love. Mostly how much we love dark magic but it’s a start.

We dive in late to the craze with Fourth Wing. Combining our two great loves of the fantasy genre and murder-school, we get to experience Violet’s journey through the War College. Will she find a dragon to bond? Will she survive her missions, let alone the other students? Honestly, based on her description probably not but hey I’m sure it’ll be a fun ride in the meantime.

For entertainment purposes only. Our first try at something to fill the void. We have a casting call for the 47th Samurai, quantum physics are introduced and we try to sort out the Swagger family bloodline.

We journey to Japan with Stephen Hunter’s ‘The 47th Samurai’. One of the many Bob Lee Swagger novels, here we see the virtuous American Boomer use his brains and natural athletics to take on a Yakuza conspiracy. Banned from all legal recourse, only his quick hands and endless supply of priceless cultural relics will allow him to cut his way to the heart of this conspiracy. https://www.zazzle.com/s...

Connor takes the helm of this action-packed adventure. Following a former green beret and current treasure hunter, author Ryan Pote weaves a world that's remarkably well connected by Blackhawk helicopters. With literary allusions to your favorite video game stories, this off-the-rails adventure takes us from the heart of Africa to the edge of space in a novel that makes us ask 'God, why?&#...

We continue the fall season with a turn from horror to romance. Here to keep us on track is friend of the showLily, who works to correct me as I desperately defend the staple romantasy novel. In the land of faeries, darkness is moving across the land. Sometimes that darkness is just a hot guy, but rest assured we’re only here for the plot. Whisked away from her family and forced to navigate the ho...

Buckle in for some extra candy this season. We’re doing the book-turned film-turned book review of Clown in a Cornfield. The terror of the season, Quinn must deal with all the struggles of a new town: pesky neighbors who give ominous warnings, paranoid teachers who are afraid of teens and the hellish public transport of the American Midwest. With danger lurking in the corn, Quinn must rely on her...

We skipped a few for this one. Our Halloween special has Connor telling us all about a tale of the undead inCemetery Dance. Penderghast returns and this humble albino, millionaire FBI agent must use only his wits, his grit and the entire New York City police department to solve a mystery when a friend is murdered. Trouble strikes whenhis case hits a dead end though and Penderghast must dig to unco...

In the dark future of a scientific endeavor gone wrong, one child terrorist continues his war. Were we fools to dream only of the good that could be done by splitting children into parts to harvest for organs? Fletcher drags us deep into purgatory with this follow up, neither heaven or hell. The most middlingof all sequels…Unwholly.

Returning to prove once again that only traditional American values can save the day, our hero Backpack Guy shows us what it means to be prepared. Mostly, that consists of sitting in the woods while everyone else does the actual work of putting society back together, but occasionally it also includes making breakfast. Now running from the government, we anxiously await to see how Morgan and his me...

We conclude our Strain Trilogy. With the power of energydrinks allowing us to struggle through the snooze fest, we see the Master’s plan come to fruition. In this world run by vampires our heroes have to run, hide and fight their way to a brighter future with the power of faith, friendship and nuclear bombs. Ephraim drinks, Fet slays and Nora has dinnerwith an old friend….or something.

In book two of the horror trilogy, we follow our heroes as they continue to hunt for the Master through the streets of New York. Swapping his dangerous milk addictionfor the much cooler aesthetic of alcohol, Eph and his friends battle an ever-growing horde of vampires. Along to help: A heavily armed gang of murderers, a worn-down luchador with a loose grasp of reality and an old man who desperatel...

Admittedly, we ramble a bit on this one. Vampires, machetes, pumas...this book has it all. From the twisted mind of Guillermo Del Toro, this novel covers the darkness in the heart of humanity. At least the hearts that have been infested with worms. Joined by special guest star Zach we delve deep into....The Strain

Steampunk and superheroes take the stage as we examine George Mann's Ghosts of Manhattan. Doing our best to put the pieces together, Ghost does his best during this murder mystery to take the bad guys apart in gruesome detail. A tale of power plants, exploding flechettes and over complicated automobiles, this one reinforces that maybe Marvel isn't the most convoluted comic universe.

We increase the diversity of our collection with a novel that isn't about fungus or time dilation. With her friend framed for the theft of a valuable treasure, Simi must join forces with a thief to discover the real culprit and steal the necklace back. Ripping off an amazing genre of film, this novel dives into the classic character tropes of the heist. You know, the same way a guy can dive head f...

A screenwriter's daring attempt at a novel, Cold Storage reminds us why we do what we do here at Remedial Lit. Set almost entirely in a storage facility, our colorful and quirky cast quickly discover a dark secret buried deep by the government. Only with their ingenuity, quick thinking and systemic alcohol dependency can help them now as they must battle a relic long thought to be lost.

We're joined by a guest as we cover the YA supernatural thriller, City of Bones. It's a tale as old as time. Girl likes boy, boy likes girl, they get attcked by the most non-threatening demons of all time. Boy turns into a rat? It makes more sense in context. Starting off the new year strong with this one.

We explore a post civil war America in a series that absolutely is not about abortion. Delving deep into the story of Unwind, we visit a not-so-distant future where children are magically sawed to pieces for body parts and one tough teen strikes out for his survival. This book asks hard hitting questions like when does life truly start and what does it mean to have a soul. Fortunately for us, ther...

We tackle a legend among horror with our rendition of Dracula. Starting with some toilet humor, we eventually devolve into wild west action with a couple crackers thrown in. Following a story you probably know very well, we take the time to highlight some details you may have missed when reading the definitive vampire fiction.

We return to a short Joe Ledger review while we finish up our Halloween surprise. Fresh off the death of his love and off screen revenge, Joe returns to the mayhem he knows best. Now investigating a series of online trolls, Joe battles another global cabal while continually reminding us why psyche examinations exist for military service. Stick around to the end for all of the special guest stars t...

Our final journey into the Pendergast series. Returning to New York we are introduced to a crime of the century, just not this century. Journey with us to the forgotten time of 2001 and we'll do our best to survive while a billionaire albino tries to crack this case.

We delve into the mysteries of the American Southwest with another "Agent Penderghast" novel. This time a young woman searches for her long lost father who who disappeared looking for a lost city of treasure. Despite our efforts we couldn't keep it lost so now you're all stuck listening to them discuss archeology while monsters run around