Ben Leggins (Literature of Horror, Fantasy, and Sci-fi)

Before I begin with the questions, I want to note that this is the first story we've read so far that I really, REALLY enjoyed! It was simple to understand and the characters and plot were so interesting and fun! It reminds me of the superhero movies of today as well as their inspiration: epic tales of old. And bare in mind, I'm a terrible reader (ironic because I want to be a writer). I read really slow, I lose attention because of all the texts, etc. But like I said, this story was crystal clear and very interesting. Fantasy is DEFINITELY the genre for me. Now onto the questions. When I think "witches" I think of exactly what's on the page: the Wicked Witch of the West. I understand basic witches having a common appearance like her and having some basic magical abilities. But the witches in this story are completely different. They have magical powers but the ways they use them are vastly different than just potions and wands. And the kinds of "spells...

I read Flesh and the Mirror this week, and I did not understand anything. I think she’s having a dream? She wakes up at home at the end of the story, so I would have to assume it was about a dream. By the title I was misled. I thought this story was going to involve a mirror world of some kind like Alice Through the Looking Glass , Doctor Strange , or Inception . But no, it was a normal story that just went right over my head. What isn’t confusing is Disney’s Alice in Wonderland . The original animated film I mean. I like the live action movies but I don’t want to talk about them. That movie (and original story) is weird, but it’s a good weird. It’s nonsensical and cartoony. It’s a fun story in a kooky world with even kookier characters. I know I can’t speak for everyone but I enjoy that kind of weird, not the mature, confusing kind of weird. I think people like the weird for the same reason people like cartoons: real life is boring and dull. And the weird, i...

Horror of the West seems to become a game of “how scary can we get,” while the seven stories that I’ve read aren’t all that scary. Sure there is some scary imagery ( Mujina and Rokuro-Kubi ), but the focus isn’t on it. Mujina is the closest thing to a Western style horror film because of its imagery and tone. All of these stories seem to have a similar tone and theme to them. They all want to teach the reader ancient Japanese lore, and they all want to teach readers a valuable lesson or moral. The characters of these stories are also morally ambiguous. None of them seem to be wholly “good” or “evil.” Most of the time they seem to be good people/goblins to me. In Western horror, there is definitely a good group and an evil group. In the original Halloween , Michael Myers is undoubtedly all evil, and Laurie Strode is clearly the good protagonist. Both versions of horror love explaining its lore to the audience. That is one aspect that Japenese horror and Amer...

This was an interesting story, and QUITE long, which I didn't expect. I'll be upfront about this, I cheated a little and used a plot summary to help me understand what was going on. I still read the entire thing but I’m a slow reader and I miss a lot of things. I definitely need visuals to help me understand anything. I love the setting! Louis is from New Orleans, I’m from New Orleans, it was a nice connection. Speaking of connections, it seems the most important connections have to do with being a vampire. Everyone was or turned into vampires: Claudia, Lestat, even Daniel turns into a vampire at the end. And it also has something to do with death or immortality. Louis loves Claudia so much that instead of feeding off of her, he turns her into a vampire so they can live together. It’s something he couldn’t do for his wife and child unfortunately. I found it weird that only Santiago could read people’s minds? Why can’t the others do the same? I understa...