THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO COMIC BOOK LETTERING – Nate Piekos

Posted by Daniel on January 13, 2022
Posted in: GRAPHIC NOVEL, NON-FICTION, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

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I have no desire to become a comic book letterer but I’ve been reading comic books (and graphic novels) for a long time and lettering was one of the few art forms in the comic book business that I didn’t know much about. Until now.

As professed by the title, this is indeed The Essential Guide to Comic Book Lettering.  Author Nate Piekos notes that there isn’t a real guide book for comic lettering and his hope was to provide a useful resource with this books.  He succeeds magnificently.

This is a very detailed ‘how-to’ book with step-by-step instructions for creating and placing the letting in comic books. From the best software to use, how to best fit words in a word balloon, to how to choose or create the looks of the word balloons.

I was surprised at how much work is involved on the letterer’s end. There is a lot to bear in mind – though it undoubtedly becomes second nature as the letterer gets more experience. ‘Little’ things, like where to place the tail in the word balloon, or what shape it should be and even where on the panel the word balloons should be placed so the reader can follow the story but that the balloons don’t negatively impact the art if possible.

The book is primarily filled with all the technical detail (the digital software to use, and how to set up and maintain time-saving steps within the program) any budding letterer would want.  For me this information was much more than I needed since I wasn’t looking to set up my own lettering business. But the portions that weren’t technical detail were generally tips and tidbits that were fascinating.

What looked like the most fun was the creating of fonts and styles for the classic sound effect words (“Pow” “Blam” “Zzzzt” etc). It was also quite eye-opening to get a reference as to how much a letterer should be paid (per page) and what the entails.

I was glad to see a section, albeit brief, on hand lettering. Of course everything is done digitally today, but some of us grew up with the old-style, hand-lettered comics and it was nice to see the extra steps those people had to go through to finish the work.

There is no doubt that this will be the ‘Bible’ for comic book lettering for years to come, and it deserves to be. This is extremely well written and packed full of information from someone who’s done the work and knows whereof he speaks.

Looking for a good book? The Essential Guide to Comic Book Lettering by Nate Piekos is not only a fantastic guide for anyone looking to work in the comic book industry, it is also a great peek at an often overlooked facet of the artistic look to a comic, giving the reader a new appreciation for what it takes to produce a graphic work.

I received a temporary digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

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The Essential Guide to Comic Book Lettering

author: Nate Piekos

publisher: Image Comics

ISBN: 1534319956

paperback, 256 pages

HOLDOUT – Jeffrey Kluger

Posted by Daniel on January 11, 2022
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

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An accident aboard the International Space Station has the ground crew ordering the evacuation of the station’s three astronauts. As a last minute decision, American astronaut Walli Beckwith decides to stay aboard. To repeated orders to return to earth she only replies with a Bartleby-like, “I prefer not to.”

Walli has been an outstanding astronaut and prior to that she was at the top of her class at the Naval Academy and a successful fighter pilot. Taking the space station hostage is totally out of character for Walli.

She goes about doing general maintenance and daily upkeep on the station and prepares for a live (a few second delay) public announcement detailing her reasons and what she wants to see happen before she returns to earth (where she will certainly be facing lengthy prison time as the ISS truly is international and other countries have already indicated they wish to try her.

What Walli wants is for the United States to lead and international agency (such as the U.N.) in stopping rebel movement and environmental destruction in another country. This is no small chore for any government and it has not been on the political agenda for the U.S. … until now, of course. First she grabs headlines by ‘stealing’ the international space station, and then she spurs public opinion with a hard media focus and watches as the tide turns.  But she may not be around to see what ultimately happens as one of the accidents aboard the aging stations is about to bring her life to an abrupt end.

Other than a little dust jacket copy, I had no idea what I was getting into when I approached this book.  This reads a lot like a summer blockbuster action movie.  Maybe that’s a little bit good and a little bit bad? It’s exciting and it moves a long quickly. There are clear ‘good guys’ and ‘bad guys.’ And throughout it all, there’s mostly positivity flowing.  But on the other side of ‘blockbuster’ feel, we have a very methodical story – you can fairly easily predict what is going to happen next and moments are spaced pretty evenly. And of course each dangerous moment could mean death for our protagonist.

I definitely got caught up in the story and enjoyed it, but the ending was a bit heavy-handed for me. Everything wrapped up nicer than a Disney cartoon which pushed the believability over the edge for me. But if you like a little Pollyanna in your scifi, this is the ticket.

Looking for a good book? Holdout by Jeffrey Kluger is a fast-paced action/adventure film book that will hold your attention and put you through a few emotional paces and then test your credulity.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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Holdout

author: Jeffrey Kluger

publisher: Dutton

ISBN: 0593184696

hardcover, 352 pages

STAR TREK: NEW VISIONS, VOL. 4 – graphic novel

Posted by Daniel on January 7, 2022
Posted in: GRAPHIC NOVEL, SF/FANTASY. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

STAR TREK WEEK

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Author/artist John Byrne just keeps getting better and better with these Star Trek photomontage graphic novels!  For those who haven’t seen any of my other reviews of the Star Trek: New Visions series, the idea is that the author writes new stories featuring Kirk, Spock, and the crew of the Enterprise, and uses stills from the series, manipulated and photoshopped, sometimes with people and items never seen on the television show, and sometimes bringing a guest actor back.  When done well, it definitely gives the sense of seeing/reading a new story right from the television screen.  And it is being done well.  This is perhaps the best of the series to date.

This book features the following stories:

“The Hollow Man” – Spock gets a private message and takes off in a shuttle, loaned from a nearby space station.  He visits Tau Beta IV where he encounters Leila (from “This Side of Paradise”). There she introduces Spock to her husband, Alan Becker. But once Becker is out of ear-shot, Spock asks why she called for him and she tells him that the man he just met is NOT Alan Becker. Spock will have to find the unknown to save himself and his one-time love.

“Mister Chekov” – monkey-mopped hair-do’ed Ensign Chekov is new aboard the Enterprise, wearing his engineering-red tunic, and his direct supervisor, Scotty, is working him hard. A space anomaly causes some problems for the Enterprise, and hence, for Scotty as well. Scotty keeps Chekov close by as they look to get the ship in top shape. This includes a trip to the bridge, where navigator DePaul gets hit by an electrical discharge.  Kirk needs a highly skilled navigator to attempt the maneuver they’ve come up with to escape the anomaly.  Chekov steps up to tell the captain that he can do.  Sulu announces that he’s been working with Pavel in their off hours and he believes Chekov knows the controls well enough. Sure enough, he navigates them out of a tight space and Captain Kirk announces he will remember the young ensign and a short time later, Chekov is handed his next assignment … along with a gold tunic.

“Of Woman Born” – this story starts with some of the familiar story from the episode “Who Mourns For Adonis” then takes it to the next level with Carolyn Palamas back aboard the Enterprise but now pregnant with Apollo’s child. Apollo – god or not – was not human, and Palamas is not aware that she was pregnant when the energy that is the child leaves her and becomes one with the ship. It will be up to Spock to bring this energy infant, and Carolyn Palamas back from a different reality and save the ship.

The book finishes with a one-page tribute to the animated series with a short, short titled: “I Sing of Arms and Heroes”

While I was never a huge fan of the Star Trek episode “Who Mourns for Adonis” – this story is really powerful. It is easy to imagine this as an actual episode.

Chekov in a red shirt was fun. This was definitely a bit light-hearted, despite the danger to the ship. I’ve always liked the Chekov character and I liked this story.

Byrne’s work in “The Hollow Man” is outstanding.  It’s one thing to bring a guest character back, it’s another to put that person in a completely different environment than the one they appeared in. A different outfit … a different environment … different extra characters.  Really amazing work.  I love the nod to the very early episodes with some seriously 60’s costumes for some of the background characters.

Looking for a good book? If you are a fan of Star Trek, you really should pick up this graphic novel Star Trek: New Visions, Vol. 4 by John Byrne. It will feel like old home week.

I borrowed this book through the Kindle Unlimited program.

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Star Trek: New Visions, Vol. 4

author: John Byrne

artist: John Byrne

publisher: IDW Publishing

ISBN: 9781631408052

paperback, 128 pages

THE ENTERPRISE NCC 1701 AND THE MODEL MAKER – N. Datin McDonald and Richard C. Datin Jr.

Posted by Daniel on January 6, 2022
Posted in: ENTERTAINMENT, NON-FICTION, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

STAR TREK WEEK

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There are many aspects of the television show Star Trek that have become iconic but is there anything more identifiable than the starship Enterprise? This self-published book by N. Datin McDonald gives some background and historical reference to the building of the original Enterprise model(s) used for the filming of the Star Trek television series. N. Datin McDonald is the daughter of Richard C. Datin Jr who was the model-maker who built the original Enterprise.

McDonald has access to Datin’s files and supplies, which is immensely helpful for the dedicated Trek fan who is always looking for a new piece of information or support. However, when you are working on a project in the mid-to-late 1960’s – purely as part of your everyday job  – why would you ever think to save every scrap of paper or drawing or model scrap?  At the time Datin was working on the Enterprise, he had no reason to suspect that the television show would have such incredible success 50 to 60 years later. We are fortunate, though, that Datin is able to provide the reader-fan with copies of memos from Gene Roddenberry at Desilu Studios, as well as copies of invoices for his work.

The gems here are copies of the original Matt Jefferies (designer of the Enterprise) drawings as well as drawings which include Datin’s notes about the project.  Datin also had the wooden nacelle domes that were removed and replaced with plastic domes with lights behind them for the later seasons.

While we today have access to free online fonts, it was a different story in the 1960’s and seeing a sheet of decals with the numbers and lettering used on the model was oddly satisfying for me.

For those, like myself, who appreciate all television/film model-making, and not just Star Trek related, this book does offer a few more nuggets of previously unseen model-making.  I really enjoyed the photos and information about Datin’s work recreating the Petticoat Junction train and town.  Having watched that show as a youth, I was familiar with it and had no idea that it wasn’t a full-size location.

I am not a big train enthusiast, so Datin’s work on model railroads did not appeal to me as much, but it did provide some insight to Datin’s interest in models.

As mentioned at the top, this is a self-published book and McDonald is clearly not a writer or particularly comfortable putting a book together.  The narrative rambles a lot and she repeats things a few times which is unnecessary.  Sometimes it felt like, “Oh, I just thought of this, let me write that down” which is that rambling nature I’m referring to.  It’s a bit too bad that there wasn’t a strong editor hired to help put the book together.

I was a little disappointed to learn that Datin struggled to get recognition for his work as the Enterprise model-maker.  I was not aware of this and found it disheartening.  His offers to turn over his information to the Smithsonian, spurned because his only proof that he worked on the original model were the memos and timesheets he managed to keep, was quite sad. Those additional pieces of authentic Enterprise are pure gold-pressed latinum to a Star Trek fan.

Looking for a good book?  N. Datin McDonald’s memoir/biography of her father and his work on the Star Trek Enterprise model. The Enterprise NCC 1701 and the Model Maker is something every hard-core Trek fan will want to, and should, read.

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The Enterprise NCC 1701 and the Model Maker

authors: N. Datin McDonald and Richard C. Datin Jr.

publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

ISBN: 9781518644887

paperback, 174 pages

STAR TREK: NEW VISIONS VOL. 3 – graphic novel

Posted by Daniel on January 5, 2022
Posted in: GRAPHIC NOVEL, SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

STAR TREK WEEK

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It is the third volume in the Star Trek: New Visions graphic novel series, this one featuring comic book issues #’s 6, 7, and 8. Author and photoplay artist/manipulator John Byrne has begun to refine the process and found ways to add new characters to the stories, broadening the scope of the stories.

The first story, “Resistance,” is the weakest of the three here.  It’s an ‘internal’ story, meaning all the action takes place aboard the Enterprise with no special guests. In the story, Kirk and crew face off against a powerful, Doomsday Machine-like entity with the very strong suggestion that it is the Borg. Mostly I was a bit bored by the story and I executed an eye-roll at the end. I don’t mind when a franchise like Star Trek draws on past precedent to include storylines or characters that have gone before.  It’s actually quite fun. But I do have a problem when trying to presage a storyline or characters.

We know that Picard and crew were among the first to encounter the Borg, so why do we need to have other Star Trek series’/characters have any sort of interaction with this galactic menace? Even if the encounter is only tenuous, as it is here, if this is the Borg that Kirk’s Enterprise has encountered, why wouldn’t the Borg pursue this race sooner than 100 years later?

“1971” is a much more interesting tale.  This one combines Star Trek and the Star Trek starter series, Assignment: Earth with a little ‘Guardian of Forever’ thrown in.  The Star Trek episode, “Assignment: Earth” was never one of my favorites, but Byrne writes a really fine time travel story here that had me interested all the way through.  This was a delightful adventure and I could see this is as stand-alone episode from the original series (which is precisely what I’m looking for when I read a graphic novel like this).

“The Survival Equation” also calls upon some familiar themes and characters from the original series, this time primarily from the episode “What Are Little Girls Made Of.”  When Kirk encounters an android replica of Andrea he discovers that she’s just one of many different Andrea replicas. Kirk learns that she’s just one of a large series of serving androids being delivered across the galaxy by an unknown  merchant.  In the course of tracking them down, the Enterprise crew uncover an android uprising plot that even brings the giant, Ruk, back.

We do discover the ‘unknown’ merchant – which won’t be a surprise to anyone who knows the series – and while this is a character I like, I do tend to think is a bit over-used. It makes sense, though, and I enjoyed the story.

Overall, we see that Byrne is improving on his process. His writing and plotting is strong, and given that he’s somewhat limited by characters in the pre-existing series, he’s done quite well in giving us interesting stories.

Looking for a good book? Star Trek: New Visions, Volume 3 is a unique graphic novel with stories that read as though they were pulled right from the television series.

I borrowed this book through the Kindle Unlimited program.

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Star Trek: New Visions, Vol 3

author: John Byrne

artist/photoplay manipulator: John Byrne

publisher: IDW Publishing

ISBN: 1631405365

paperback, 136 pages

SPOCK, MESSIAH! – Theodore R. Cogswell and Charles A. Spano, Jr.

Posted by Daniel on January 4, 2022
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

STAR TREK WEEK

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Not too long back, I re-read and reviewed the first original Star Trek novel, Spock Must Die! by James Blish, who was a recognized name to us Star Trek fans for his book adaptations of the original episodes. For those of us who couldn’t get enough Trek in our lives (remember, kids … no streaming television to watch whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted, and VCRs were cumbersome beasts owned only by a few schools) this was a joyous occasion.  Suddenly, with the publication of Spock, Messiah! (was an exclamation mark going to be required in all Star Trek novels?), co-authored by two men whose names were not familiar to Star Trek or science fiction readers – Theodore R. Cogswell and Charles A. Spano, Jr. Suddenly the Trek world opened up. There could be any number of new stories featuring our intrepid Captain Kirk and his crew, and anyone could be writing them.
Spock, Messiah! focuses on Mister Spock, of course, who, after heading down to a planet (Kyros) as part of an away team, is the victim of an experiment which turns our rational, logical Mr. Spock into believing that he is the planet’s messiah, wherein he begins a holy war against all non-believers throughout the planet. Can Kirk stop his first officer from killing millions by appealing to his logic?  Or appealing to his humanity? Will Kirk be forced to kill the most valuable first officer in Starfleet – and his closest friend?

I enjoyed this re-read and as with many of these early Star Trek books, I was as much transported to memories of my youth as I was invested in this Trek story.

One of the first things I noticed was that Cogswell and Spano appeared to have a better grasp on the characters than Blish did.  This is certainly not a surprise as Cogswell and Spano likely based their story on the actual episodes, while Blish was working from scripts (scripts that sometimes changed greatly before final episode editing).

The story is fairly direct without any subplots mucking it up, and while the characters felt much more like those we see on television, the very general idea of Spock going off on his own while on a mission, being nabbed and transformed into someone with a god complex, strikes me as a bit of a stretch, even for Star Trek.  Maybe.

But probably the reaction I felt the most back when I first read this book, and I remember it quite clearly on re-reading the book, was: are all books going to center around Spock? I understand his appeal on many levels, but, William Shatner’s ego aside, the series was an ensemble work that told great stories and I hoped that was what we would find in the books as well. At the time, we could only wait and hope … time would tell.

Looking for a good book? Spock, Messiah! by Theodore R. Cogswell and Charles A. Spano, Jr. was only the second Star Trek novel ever release and does a nice job of capturing the characters as we know them from the show.

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Spock, Messiah!

authors: Theodore R. Cogswell and Charles A. Spano, Jr.

series: Star Trek Adventures #3

publisher: Bantam Books

ISBN: 9780553101591

paperback, 182 pages

STAR TREK: NEW VISIONS VOL. 2 – graphic novel

Posted by Daniel on January 3, 2022
Posted in: GRAPHIC NOVEL, SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

STAR TREK WEEK

Last summer I read and reviewed the first volume in author/artist John Byrne’s Star Trek: New Visions graphic novel series.  It is set up like a comic book/graphic novel but using manipulated photos from the Star Trek series (like the old ‘Fotonovel’ books) to tell new stories.

In this collection, Byrne stretches his character-creating, giving us some familiar faces (familiar if you’re a fan of the show), though not always the more recognizable guests, as well as creating some new characters.  I liked that Byrne sticks with the 1960’s style. In the short “Robot” our guest is wearing a very ‘mod’ outfit that would easily have been in fashion on earth circa 1969.

Something Byrne is able to do is to give us aliens that are truly alien in appearance.  We see this nicely in “Cry Vengeance” in which Kirk encounters a very alien race that has also had a run-in with the Doomsday Machine.

There’s a Harry Mudd story and Tribble story, but my favorite is “A Scent of Ghosts” in which we get some throw-back flashbacks to the Captain Pike era. But in the current, Kirk era, Pike’s Number One is now a Commodore.

This volume ends with a tease that I found exciting.  The last panel has Kirk walking on to the bridge that resembles the animated series, complete with animated characters. I think that would be an excited take on this New Voyages series.

This volume has the following stories:

“Cry Vengeance”

“Robot”

“Made out of Mudd”

“The Great Tribble Hunt”

“A Scent of Ghosts”

“Memorium”

“Eye of the Beholder”

Looking for a good book? If you are a Star Trek fan you really should check out John Byrne’s Star Trek: New Visions (Volume 2) graphic novel for some new stories with familiar faces.

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Star Trek: New Visions Volume 2

author/artist: John Byrne

publisher: IDW Publishing

ISBN: 1631403672

paperback, 144 pages

Looking For the Best Book of 2021

Posted by Daniel on December 31, 2021
Posted in: OTHER, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment

At the end of each year I take a look back on the books that I’ve read and try to determine the best books I’ve read in each category and the best book I read during the year.  This is a best of those I’ve read and reviewed in 2021, not necessarily the best books published in 2021.

While I read more than I was expecting or planning to read, I have been consciously reducing my reading load.  I’m trying to catch up on a backlog of ARCs as well as making more time for other, personal projects.  I hope to reduce my number of books read in 2022 as well.

I have added a new ‘best of’ category this year … best reprint or reissue.  This includes new translations of classic works or new compilations of older works (such as a graphic novel collection of older comics).  I noted that I read a few different reissues and new translations this past year and I can see that I have a few coming up in 2022 as well.

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Mysteries:

I started with this category last year and I may as well begin here again.  While 2020 was a really good year for mysteries for me, 2021 was less so.  Only one book earned a full five stars from me, and only two got a 4.5.  That would make the winner pretty clear, I think, and this is a book and author that shouldn’t surprise anyone. This mystery is a prequel to the popular Cork O’Connor series.

BEST MYSTERY 2021 – Lightning Strike by William Kent Krueger

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Historical Fiction:

I haven’t read a lot by way of Historical Fiction books, but just as I really started enjoying mysteries a few years back, I’ve slowly come to really enjoying historical fiction novels recently.  Both The Sin Eater and The Real Valkyrie were very good books in this category, but I was really brought into the art collecting world and the contrast of the wealthy and the negro population of the 1920’s with this year’s winner.

BEST HISTORICAL FICTION 2021 – THE PERSONAL LIBRARIAN by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

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Children’s Books

If I had to pick a category that appeals to me the most, I would struggle to choose between Sci-Fi/Fantasy and Children’s Books. Both categories cover a wide-range of book types.

I consider a children’s book anything from picture books up to middle grade books. This past year I had two books, both middle grade novels, get five stars from me.  The first was I Am Drums by Mike Grosso and the second was the ever-popular Jerry Spinelli and his latest, Dead Wednesday. Both are outstanding books and deserve all the accolades they might receive. This is probably the most difficult choice for me but I’m going with:

BEST CHILDREN’S BOOK 2021 – I AM DRUMS by Mike Grosso

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Young Adult Books

This was a relatively slow year for my reading of Young Adult books and those that I did read didn’t really stand out too much.  My choice for best YA this year was also my option for a middle grade reader.

BEST YOUNG ADULT BOOK 2021 – DEAD WEDNESDAY by Jerry Spinelli

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Westerns

I added the category of “Western” a few years back when I was reading a lot of westerns, but looking back I only read and reviewed two books in this category in the past year and therefore I don’t think I will award a ‘best of.’

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Non-Fiction

When I look back over the years, I believe that I rate non-fiction books better than most others. I also find that I really enjoy non-fiction a lot.  There were a number of good books in this category, and I think first of a book I read early in the year, Made in China by Amelia Pang. If I were choosing based on importance of the topic alone, this would be my choice. Everyone should read this book and try to take some positive action.

My choice for best non-fiction hits a little closer to home.  I grew up reading collections of essays by Sigurd Olson, and his love of the north land (where my family has history) is dear to me.  Add to that his thoughts on becoming a writer, and this was an easy choice for me.

BEST NON-FICTION – A PRIVATE WILDERNESS: THE JOURNALS OF SIGURD F. OLSON – by Sigurd F. Olson, edited by David Backes

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Graphic Novels

There were a number of really good graphic novels this year, though my favorites seemed to have sexual themes. For many years I only read superhero comics and graphic novels.  That they can be so much more has been an exciting discovery for me.

My favorite for this year was a recently read book.

BEST GRAPHIC NOVEL 2021 – FINE PRINT by Stjepan Šejić


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Reprints, Reissues, and New Translations

There aren’t a lot of books to add to this new category, but as I was reading I noted that I’d read a few, and I’ve got more on my Kindles for the next year as well.

BEST REPRINT, REISSUE, OR NEW TRANSLATION – A HERO BORN by Jin Yong

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Fantasy

It can be hard to separate fantasy from science fiction (and from horror and speculative fiction) and so this can be a bit subjective. I’m sure there are readers out there who will disagree and I respect their right to do so.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that my favorite fantasy is by Seanan McGuire.

BEST FANTASY 2021 – ANGEL OF THE OVERPASS by Seanan McGuire

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Science Fiction

This was a surprisingly lean year for me with science fiction books.  There wasn’t much by the big guns (Andy Weir, John Scalzi, Kim Stanley Robinson, etc) in 2021. I’m going a little off book and selecting a graphic novel as my best science fiction of 2021.

BEST SCIENCE FICTION 2021 – GEIGER – graphic novel by Geoff Johns, Gary frank, and Brad Anderson

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Speculative Fiction

Speculative Fiction was a term used back in the 60’s and 70’s. I don’t know if it was coined by Harlan Ellison, but he touted it a lot. I haven’t heard many people use it today, but it’s still how I think of certain styles of science fiction/fantasy. Jeff Noon may be the only author I’ve read in that category, but as his book rated five stars, and it doesn’t really fit either the science fiction or fantasy, I thought I should keep it in.

BEST SPECULATIVE FICTION 2021 – WITHIN WITHOUT by Jeff Noon

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Horror/Dark Fantasy

Again, it is sometimes hard to distinguish between horror and fantasy or horror and science fiction.  So many books cross genres these days.

I’ve read a fair amount of horror or dark fantasy in the past year. When written well, I enjoy it great deal. One of my new favorite authors is Grady Hendrix who writes in this category. However, my choice for best this year goes to another new favorite.

BEST HORROR/DARK FANTASY 2021 – NEAR THE BONE by Christina Henry

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These ‘best of’ books were REALLY good this year.  You could make an argument for any one of these books to be THE best book of the year and you’d be right.  So I look over the list and think about which of these excites me the most.  Which book would I want to read again?  Which book would I most recommend to someone who just wants to read a good book?

THE BEST OF THE BEST BOOKS OF 2021

WITHIN WITHOUT by Jeff Noon

THE SUN ALSO RISES – Ernest Hemingway

Posted by Daniel on December 30, 2021
Posted in: OTHER, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

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“The Lost Generation.”  Following World War I a group of friends try to find some meaning in their lives as they hang out and party and drink in Europe.

I read and reviewed this book a little over five years ago, and I’ll use a lot of that review here because my thoughts about this book haven’t changed.  This was one of the first books I read in college that made me realize that the ‘classics’ weren’t all dull because they sure seemed that way before I read this.

In 2016 I had this to say:

Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises is a novel of the ‘Lost Generation’ — a generation that came of age during World War I. it is the story of a group of friends, British and American, who seem to have very few cares in the world other than one another. The men look to be as masculine as they can be, and the women flirtatious and non-committal.

The main character, Jake Barnes, struggles with the loss of his manhood during the war, but harbors a passion for Lady Brett Ashley. Brett hasn’t been patient and has had an affair with one of Barnes’ friends … a Jew (as Hemingway constantly reminds us) … Robert Cohn. This has created tension among the group of friends, with Cohn constantly hanging just on the periphery of the friendship circle.

It was good to read this book again. I last read it maybe thirty-plus years ago while in college. I enjoyed it then, also enjoying the teacher’s shared insight into the book. Now, it was a pleasant reminder as to why I liked it so much, but it also struck some new chords, in this man in his fifties. (Now 60.)

In this reading I was really struck by Hemingway’s minimalist style. I highlighted a number of passages this time, moments that work for Hemingway, but if I were to read them from any other writer, I’d assume the writer needed a better editor.  For instance:

“The man who sold tackle was out, and we had to wait for him to come back. Finally he came in, and we bought a pretty good rod cheap, and two landing-nets.”

Why did we need to know the man was out and they had to wait for him? Nothing happened during that wait that was worth writing about. You write something like that in a college creative writing class and the teacher will draw a red line through that first sentence.

This is the third time I’ve read this book (and I generally don’t re-read books) and I definitely picked up more on the relationships and I rode more of an emotional rollercoaster toward Brett and Jake this time around.

Looking for a good book? If you haven’t read Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, correct that right now.  If you have read this book, then it’s time to read it again.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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The Sun Also Rises

author: Ernest Hemingway

publisher: Penguin Classics

ISBN: 9780143136866

hardcover, 256 pages

JULES VERNE’S LIGHTHOUSE – graphic novel

Posted by Daniel on December 29, 2021
Posted in: GRAPHIC NOVEL, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

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Maria Vasquez prefers to be alone and currently has a dream job managing a lighthouse. It is the year 2717 and the Lighthouse is a supercomputer beacon that helps spaceships navigate through a turbulent area of space filled with wormholes. Maria oversees the lighthouse, along with her robot sidekick, Moses.

When a ship arrives unexpectedly Maria is quickly on edge – and rightfully so.  A pirate ship has arrived and they hijack the lighthouse station. Fortunately, Maria knows a few ways in and out of her space and is able to stay ahead of the pirates. But the pirates aren’t there just to take control of the Lighthouse.  They are there awaiting the arrival of another ship which they plan to send in the wrong wormhole.

But Maria’s past comes back to haunt her when she is recognized by the pirates.  Her military history has a dark side which she would rather forget.

I am not familiar with Jules Verne’s The Lighthouse at the End of the World but it’s good bet it doesn’t take place hundreds of years in the future. (It does, however, share themes of survival in a distant wilderness and piracy.)

The story was exciting and adventurous – pretty much what you might want from space opera. There were moments that felt out of place – a one-on-one showdown inside battle-bot suits, for instance – which definitely make this feel more like a series of comic books than a graphic novel. It’s a decent story but it’s a not a page-turner.

The artwork is mostly fine.  There are two female characters who look a lot alike and it’s sometimes hard to tell which character we’re following just by looking through the art panels.

The role of the robot was a little over-the-top for me. It was constantly being protective which made it appear almost superhuman and frankly that’s a bit boring in a space opera.  We need character flaws and conflict.

Looking for a good book? Jules Verne’s Lighthouse is a graphic novel that is generally an enjoyable space opera read, but it isn’t a standout in a crowded graphic novel field.

I received a temporary digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

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Jules Verne’s Lighthouse

author: David Hine

artist: Brian Haberlin

publisher: Image Comics

ISBN: 153431993X 

paperback, 144 pages

FINE PRINT – graphic novel

Posted by Daniel on December 28, 2021
Posted in: GRAPHIC NOVEL, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

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If someone were to create a movie rating between an ‘R’ and ‘X’ (like ‘R-21’), then this graphic novel would fit perfectly in that category.

When it comes to making bad decisions, no one does it better than Lauren Thomas. She is currently suffering from a broken heart (due to a bad decision, of course) when she encounters a succubus, Merryl. Merryl is currently disguised as a human but for whatever reason (I don’t think we’re told just why, yet), Lauren can see her for who she really is. This is a turn-on for Merryl.

Lauren is given the opportunity to put aside her sorrow and forget about her break-up and instead get it on with the god of desire. A pretty easy choice for someone desperately in need of some loving.  The only problem … ‘the god of desire’ title is claimed by two different gods and now Lauren is caught in the middle of an eros and thanatos feud.

This book took me pleasantly by surprise.

First, the artwork is really just stunning for a graphic novel. Every page, every panel – just gorgeous work.  It helps, I’m sure that gods and goddesses are a major part of the story and the art is able to express the lavishness of their station – there are wings, and tentacles, and horns, and of course perfect bodies.

What I liked about the story was that it didn’t feel like it was just an excuse for a lot of sex (oh … there is a lot of sex!). As the author writes at the end of the book, this really is about flawed people (with gods also being people here) and mistakes and choices and dealing with the consequences.

There are a couple of different stories going on, but author and artist Stjepan Šejić weaves it all together into a coherent, exciting, and really engaging book.

There is plenty of nudity and genitalia and lots and lots of sex (those gods have nothing better to do, it seems) so if this would offend, don’t pick it up, but if you don’t mind and you enjoy well-written and beautifully drawn graphic novels, then be sure to check this out.

Looking for a good book? Fine Print is a graphic novel from creator Stjepan Šejić that could stand alone as a written work or as an art book, but having the art and story together here makes it a treat worth buying.

I received a temporary, digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

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Fine Print, Volume 1

author: Stjepan Šejić

artist: Stjepan Šejić

publisher: Image Comics

ISBN: 1534320709

paperback, 176 pages

NORTHWIND – Gary Paulsen

Posted by Daniel on December 27, 2021
Posted in: CHILDREN'S, Uncategorized, YA. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

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From award-winning children’s author Gary Paulsen comes his latest (and last?) book, Northwind.

Leif is a young boy who has survived a cholera outbreak in his village but is now facing a bigger challenge – finding a way to survive as he lives in a canoe with water giants (Orcas and Humpbacks and Blue Whales) all around him. Leif can’t help but question whether or not he can go on, or even if it’s worth the effort. Meanwhile, the natural world around him comes more and more into focus, putting his role in the world into perspective.

In an odd and sad bit of kismet, I was only a couple of chapters into reading this book (as an ARC) when Gary Paulsen passed away. While I felt a pervading sense of sadness throughout the book, I can’t help but think I may have been projecting some of my own sadness at losing such an icon in the literary world.

While book does have a lot of the Paulsen hallmarks (boy against the wilderness), whereas books like Hatchet and Dogsong (two of my favorites) have similar themes, they are much more active stories. This is almost pastoral (except that this isn’t an idealized form of country life since the country village died of a plague).

While I don’t mind being asked to do some work, as a reader – I don’t need everything spelled out – there a few questions that loom large and by their not being recognized or answered, take away from the reading experience.  Questions like: Where are we?  When are we?

I think we’re along the coast of Norway maybe in the 1500’s?  Maybe 500’s?  But often Leif comes across as a very modern young man and the location feels very much like the Pacific Northwest.  Is this a commentary on how little we’ve changed?  If so, it’s not quite strong enough.  if not, there’s too much suggesting just this.

I really appreciated the language, but I felt as lost as Leif and wasn’t sure what the point of that was.

Looking for a good book? Northwind by Gary Paulsen continues the author’s storytelling of a boy against and surviving in nature, but this time with a stronger water theme.  It comes up just a bit short when compared to his more popular works.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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Northwind

author: Gary Paulsen

publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Byr)

ISBN: 0374314209

hardcover, 256 pages