WOVEN – Michael Jensen & David Powers King

Posted by Daniel on October 23, 2020
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized, YA. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

The literary world, especially YA, is filled with romantic fantasies – I assume it’s what the publishers see the readers wanting.  It means that in order to stand out, the story needs to be unique and engaging, and Woven, by Michael Jensen and David Powers King does just that.

Nels is a knight in all the true sense of the term.  Tall, strong, and honorable.  He also happens to be dead. But the spirit of Nels is everything the man was.

Tyra is a princess. She’s heir to the kingdom, and she’s a spoiled little brat. She also happens to be the only person who is able to see Nels’ ghost.

Tyra doesn’t want anything to do with Nels, but he’s relentless (because he needs a connection and she’s the only one who can help and he needs to to settle the matter of his death. There appears to be more behind his murder than at first believed, and Nels and Tyra will need to work together, leaving the castle that Tyra calls home, to discover that there’s a bond between them – more than just the fact that she’s the only one who can see him.

The writing here is fresh and exciting and the characters are everything young readers want in their fantasies … a dead knight and a beautiful princess who shows some grit.

And then there’s the magic. I remember smiling when the reason for the title became apparent – the magic here comes from a magic needle and the literal weaving of magic. This was so clever and seemed so natural as Jensen and King brought it all together.

Libraries and bookstores are filled with books like this … fantasies of knights and princesses, ghosts and magic, love that takes some time to develop, and some nasty bad guys that most be vanquished.  This book stands out by finding a way to be original and being fun to read.

Looking for a good book? Woven by Michael Jensen and David Powers King is a delightful YA fantasy that will appeal to young readers. You will definitely want more.

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

* * * * * *

Woven

authors: Michael Jensen and David Powers King

publisher: Scholastic Press

ISBN: 0545685729

hardcover, 352 pages

ACROSS THE GREEN GRASS FIELDS – Seanan McGuire

Posted by Daniel on October 21, 2020
Posted in: Dark Fantasy/Horror, SF/FANTASY, YA. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

It’s not a secret that I’m a tremendous fan of Seanan McGuire’s work and no matter what kind of fantasy fiction you might like to read, McGuire probably writes it … and very well. Her Wayward Children series came on the scene in 2016 and everyone of them has been a really great read.  And this, I think, is the best of them all so far.   This story is beautiful and powerful and and dark and real. McGuire takes us on an absolutely perfect ride in Across the Green Grass Fields.

Regan is a delightful young girl.  She is friendly and loving and loved in return. Her parents always promised themselves that they would not keep secrets from her, as long as she asked for the truth. Regan asks and is told a truth about a personal, chromosomal issue issue that her parents learned when she was born. She takes it in stride, but makes one critical error … she tells a friend. And no friendship at this age level can withstand the knowledge of something seriously personal.  Still Regan isn’t looking to escape a bad family life or even seriously wanting to leave her friends, but when a door appears in an unexpected place, Regan steps through.

Regan finds herself in a land where centaur’s are farmers and unicorns their cattle. Regan is found by a centaur and brought back to their community – delighted at the glory they will have being the finders of a human.  The presence of a human in this land always means one thing … something bad is about to happen and they will be there until the problem is solved.

Regan spends years with the centaurs and avoids the Queen’s spies who are looking to bring Regan to the throne on her own terms.  But as the queen doesn’t get her way, she makes life miserable for the centaurs.

Leaving her friends behind, Regan begins a yellow-brick-road-like journey to the queen, picking up a few unusual friends along the way. And of course, things are not what they seem when she reaches the queen.

How is possible that someone can put SO much into so brief a book (brief in page count). I felt as though I read 700 pages, given how much happened and the emotional journey we rode.

There was such uniqueness to our protagonist Regan.  So often in these characters are cut from the same cloth – horrible parents (if there are any parents at all in the picture), lots of anger, confusion over everything going on around them – but Regan breaks that mold, and the book is so much richer for it.

It’s a Wayward Children book, so not surprisingly it takes a dark turn, but constantly I had the thought ‘this is real’ – meaning that it made absolute sense.

This is easily one of the best fantasies and best YA books I’ve read this year.  Maybe in the past three years.

Looking for a good book? Seanan McGuire’s Across the Green Grass Fields is brilliant, sometimes dark, beautiful fantasy – possibly a perfect book.

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

* * * * * *

Across the Green Grass Fields

author: Seanan Mcguire

series: Wayward Children #6

publisher: Tor

ISBN: 1250213592

hardcover, 176 pages

RUNNING WITH RHINOS – Ed Warner

Posted by Daniel on October 19, 2020
Posted in: MEMOIR, NON-FICTION. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

Have you ever gone to a friend’s house to see photos and hear stories about their recent vacation?  You reel with laughter at their exploits and gasp at their near-death experiences and at the end of the telling someone says, “You should write that down.  It would make a great book!”  This is that book.

But what we often don’t realize when we tell someone to “write it down, it would make a great book” is that part of what was fun about it was knowing the story-telling and hearing them tell it, complete with nuances to keep the listener interested.  But for the average reader, not knowing the author, these stories typically don’t have an impact.  This definitely did not.

Abridged from the lengthy description of the book on Goodreads we get:

“In Running with Rhinos: Stories from a Radical Conservationist, Warner takes readers along as he weasels his way into becoming volunteer ground support for the International Rhino Foundation’s Rhino Conservancy Project, or “Rhino Ops,” in Zimbabwe. It is gritty, sweaty, sometimes scary, and exhilarating work. Warner succeeds in telling a remarkable story of the extraordinary bonds between humans—and their dedication to protecting endangered animals—all while weaving eye-opening stories about the flora, fauna, geology, geography, and politics of sub-Saharan Africa.”

I agree that we see Warner “weasel his way into becoming volunteer ground support” but very much disagree about the weaving of eye-opening stories about flora, fauna, and the rest.

I was looking forward to reading a book about rhino conservation and the efforts to protect these magnificent beasts.  Any other information about Africa – from politics to the environment – would be a welcome bonus.

What we get, however, is Ed Warner.

This is more memoir, with Warner a shining star in each story, than it is a look at conservation efforts. It is self-indulgent and was a struggle to read. I kept hoping for something more, but it never came.

Looking for a good book? Ed Warner’s Running with Rhinos is a disappointing book.

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

* * * * * *

Running with Rhinos: Stories from a Radical Conservationist

author: Ed Warner

publisher: Greenleaf Book Group Press

ISBN: 162634227X

hardcover, 232 pages

ALIVE IN SHAPE AND COLOR – anthology

Posted by Daniel on October 16, 2020
Posted in: SHORT FICTION, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

Stories inspired by paintings?  That makes a lot of sense.  Stories, many by noted and respected authors, of classic, respected works of art?  This should be really fantastic.

Should be, but isn’t.

In his foreword, editor Lawrence Block notes that this was to be a follow-up to his previous collection (In Sunlight or in Shadow) but that he didn’t get the exciting responses he had hoped, and even after getting commitments, two writers were not able to deliver – including Block himself.  The general impression is that this was not a priority for many involved.

Overall the stories are a bit dull and uninspired.  This is odd, given the quality of the art that inspires them and that each author was able to select the artwork they wished. While I recognize that the artwork served as ‘inspiration’ (which can be very liberally applied) I generally couldn’t make the connection between artwork and story, or I found the connection extremely tenuous.

Some of the authors here are authors whose work I regularly read, which is part of what drew me to the collection.

Two stories stood out for me – one for being quite enjoyable and the other not so much.

Sarah Weinman’s “The Big Town” (inspired by Nude in the Studio by Lilias Torrance Newton) is the final story in the book and is far and away the best piece included.  Aside from the fact that this story is also most obviously connected with the painting among all the stories, the work is moody and reflects the era of the artwork. It’s excellently written and the narrative builds well. My interest in the story was captured early and held on all the way through.  I’ve never read anything by Weinman prior to this, but I’ll be looking for more of her work now.

My least favorite piece was “Truth Comes Out of Her Well to Shame Mankind” by Thomas Pluck (inspired by La Vérité sortant du puits by Jean Léon Gerome). The title was perhaps my favorite, and the title, when taken in context of the painting, was really intriguing.  But my one word comment at the end of the story was … “Yuck.”

David Morrell’s story here is interesting and well done … and nearly memorable (as I looked back through the book to write this review, I remarked “oh yeah, that was okay”).

The rest really were quite average.  Not inspiring and not particularly memorable, which makes the book a bit of a disappointment.

This book contains the following:

Foreword: Before we Begin… by Lawrence Block
“Safety Rules by Jill D. Block
“Pierre, Lucien, and Me” by Lee Child
“Girl With a Fan” by Nicholas Christopher
“The Third Panel” by Michael Connelly
“A Significant Find” by Jeffrey Deaver
“Charlie the Barber” by Joe R. Lansdale
“After Georgia O’Keeffe’s Flower” by Gail Levin
“Ampurdan” by Warren Moore
“Orange is for Anguish, Blue for Insanity” by David Morrell
“Les Beaux Jours” by Joyce Carol Oates
“Truth Comes Our of Her Well to Shame Mankind” by Thomas Pluck
“The Great Wave” by SJ Rozan
“Thinkers” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
“Gaslight” by Jonathan Santlofer
“Blood in the Sun” by Justin Scott
“The Big Town” by Sara Weinman
Permissions

Looking for a good book? Alive in Shape and Color, edited by Lawrence Block, is a collection of stories inspired by works of art, written by noted authors, and should be much more appealing than it is. Overall this was a disappointing and not particularly memorable collection of short stories.

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

* * * * * *

Alive in Shape and Color: 17 Paintings by Great Artists and the Stories They Inspired

editor: Lawrence Block

publisher: Pegasus books

ISBN: 1681775611

hardcover, 288 pages

SMOKE AND SUMMONS – Charlie N. Holmberg

Posted by Daniel on October 14, 2020
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

Sandis does not have a lot of control over her own life.  She can be turned into a horrible monster and forced to the bidding of an ancient entity that controls her.  Unlike other ‘vessels’ controlled by spirits, Sandis can be inhabited by different spirits – all of them powerful and all of the evil – and do so could be fatal to Sandis.

She tries to run, but how do you escape a spirit that has already transcended time?Her answer is a new-found friend, Rone, a thief who has an unusual ability device that allows him to be immortal for one minute every day.  Rone will need to step up in a big way because Sandis’ spirit master will stop at nothing to get her back.

Honestly, I feel a little bad for Charlie Holmberg.  Her Paper Magician series is SO good, it’s got to be difficult to find something new that will live up to that.  This certainly does not – not yet at least.

The idea is fine, but it’s the characters who don’t really engage the reader this time around.  Sandis … who the heck is she?!  When she’s not being controlled by an ancient spirit (and then has incredible power), she’s a bit of a passive wallflower who is still being subservient, only now to her boyfriend.

And then there’s the ending … well, it’s not really an ending.  This book feels like a prologue to the story that is yet to come.  If you folow my reviews at all, you probably know that I really dislike a book that isn’t actually a book.  A book should have a beginning, a middle, and an end.  This one doesn’t have an end.

I’ve already got the next couple of books in the series on my Kindle, so i will definitely read them.  I know what Holmberg’s writing can be like, so I will hope she reaches up and get’s some of that paper magic for this series as well.

Looking for a good book? Smoke & Summons by Charlie N. Holmberg is the first book in a new series and it doesn’t really engage the reader the way it should, and you will have to go in committing to the series, because it also doesn’t end.

* * * * * *

Smoke & Summons

author: Charlie N. Holmberg

series: Numina Trilogy #1

publisher: 47North

ISBN: 1503905438

hardcover, 332 pages

DEJA VU – Ian Hocking

Posted by Daniel on October 12, 2020
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

Saskia Brandt is a detective in the year 2023. She has returned from a vacation to find that her receptionist is dead and she is a leading suspect in the murder. In another part of the city, university professor David Proctor is informed that the very special computer he has on loan from the university is the very last of its kind. Meanwhile, someone has broken into his home. That someone wants Proctor to return to a lab where he wife died 20 years ago … literally, as in travel to the past.

Saskia’s and David’s lives intersect and they must rely on one another as they travel in time and have to choose the right past in order to get the right future.

I’m no stranger to time-travel books, but it takes a really skilled author to handle the subject well – to deal with the complexities of how a past and future are intertwined and how one small change could affect everything, while delivering a story that’s interesting (those complexities aren’t really an interesting story by themselves), with characters who capture our interest and make us want to see them survive.

Author Ian Hocking misses on almost all counts.

The opening chapters, introducing us to the characters and setting up the scenario, were great.  I thought, “Oh wow, this is going to be great! But I promise you that the opening chapters are the most interesting and exciting in the entire book, the rest of this is mostly just a bore.

The series is named after the detective, Saskia Brandt and if most of the book were featuring her, we might have been in decent shape, but she remains a shadow to the less likable and much less interesting David Proctor.

As a reader, I was hooked at the start, so I was Hocking’s audience to lose, and unfortunately, lose me he did with a dull-driving plot, dull characters, and a failure to make even a time travel story interesting.

Looking for a good book? If you’re experiencing Déjà Vu, put the book down and read something else.

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

* * * * * *

Déjà Vu

author: Ian Hocking

series: Saskia Brandt #1

publisher: Unsung Stories

ISBN: 1907389229

paperback, 328 pages

THE NATURALS – Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Posted by Daniel on October 9, 2020
Posted in: MYSTERY, Uncategorized, YA. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

I am really sorry it took me so long to read this because this was wonderful.

Cassie is a teen who is a natural at reading people. She’s never really thought of this as an exceptional talent other than how it has served her (winning big at poker, for instance).  But others have noticed, and the FBI comes to recruit her for a special program that they have which uses exceptional teens (such as herself) to solve cold cases.

Cassie is sent to a training facility/school where she studies with other gifted teens but she slowly learns that no one is quite what they seem. Everyone has a secret and some are better at keeping them than others. Yet they will all have to learn to trust one another when a new killer emerges and challenges everything they know.

Author Jennifer Lynn Barnes writes a really exciting, energetic, engaging YA mystery here with just a pinch of supernatural. Characters are key, especially in a YA novel, and Cassie has just the right amount of expected curiosity, angst, anger, and sass. This book is going to hinge on how much you like and understand Cassie, and Barnes gives us exactly what we need to really get behind her.

We have kind of a stock assortment of characters to go along with Cassie, but they are brought to life in such a wonderful manner that we forget they are the classic character types. (And of course many YA readers may not have the reading experience to recognize these characters.)

While the characters are really important, there is also a tremendous story here as well.  We’ve got an intense mystery, well plotted and well suited to these characters.

I really enjoyed this and I will look forward to reading the rest of this series as well as anything else Barnes writes.

Looking for a good book? The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is exactly what you should read if you are looking for a good YA mystery.

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

* * * * * *

The Naturals

author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

series: The Naturals #1

publisher: Disney-Hyperion

ISBN: 1423168232

hardcover, 308 pages

FROM THE GRAVE – David Housewright

Posted by Daniel on October 7, 2020
Posted in: MYSTERY, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

Rushmore ‘Mac’ McKenzie is a private investigator, a former police officer, in St. Paul, Minnesota.  He left the force in order to accept the reward money from a case he had solved.  Police officers can’t accept reward money. Now a case from his police days has come back to haunt him.  Literally.

One of Mac’s closest friends, Shelby Dunston, hurries to inform him about an incident she just encountered at a public event in which a local psychic medium was giving readings. One man in the audience got upset and made a scene when he was told that his father, speaking through the medium, told him he would reveal the location of the money if he killed McKenzie. Shelby is certain it’s Mac the medium/spirit was talking about.

It doesn’t take long to realize that the man at the public reading was Ryan Hayes. Ryan was only recently released from prison where he was serving a twenty-five year sentence for his part in an armored car robbery – even though most people agreed he was forced into it by his father, Leland Hayes.  Leland Hayes was shot in the head by second year officer Rush McKenzie. The money, hidden shortly before the shootout, was never found. Now it seems that Leland is trying to enact his revenge from the grave, by putting up a reward (the secret to where he hid his money) in exchange for killing Mac.

A Mac McKenzie novel is not the sort of book where one expects to find a little supernatural element.  But don’t worry … Mac’s not a believer.  Well, not at first, anyway.

We’ve often seen McKenzie investigating in order to help others, so this is a fun treat to see him out there to protect himself and to answer some nagging questions (how does a medium know so much about him?).

We get to experience the world of psychics and mediums (there’s a convention that McKenzie gets to attend), as well as the world of ‘reality television’ – wouldn’t you know … the psychic who delivers the message about ‘killing McKenzie’ also happens to be in the running for a new reality tv show (it helps that she’s an attractive woman).

McKenzie (and the reader) gets sidetracked here and there with some red herrings.  Honestly, I’d feel cheated if that weren’t the case with a McKenzie novel.  But for the most part, this is pretty straight-forward and it’s not as intense a thriller as some of his recent McKenzie novels have been.  Still McKenzie is a great character and this is recommended read for mystery fans.

Looking for a good book? From the Grave by David Housewright is the 17th book in the Mac McKenzie Mystery series, though it can be read as a stand-alone novel. Mystery fans will enjoy this brush with the paranormal.

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

* * * * * *

From the Grave

author: David Housewright

series: Mac McKenzie #17

publisher: Minotaur Books

ISBN: 1250212170

hardcover, 320 pages

THE CAMBODIAN CURSE AND OTHER STORIES – Gigi Pandian

Posted by Daniel on October 5, 2020
Posted in: MYSTERY, SHORT FICTION. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

Gigi Pandian’s Jaya Jones Mysteries were a pleasant surprise for me.  I’d discovered her Accidental Alchemist series by … well … by accident, and found them really unique and great fun to read.  I sought out her other works and came across the Jaya Jones series.  Think, female Indiana Jones, but cleverer.

This book is a collection of short stories in the Jaya Jones series.  There are eight short stories and one “bonus” novella (what makes it a bonus when it comes between the covers of a book?  The fact that it’s not a short story?) included here, most of which have been published in various magazines or anthologies, but one of which at least is new to this collection.  Since I almost never read mystery short stories, these are all new me.

Not everyone can write short stories and novels – the two forms are different enough to make it challenging.  But it impresses me how Pandian is able to write as smoothly here – giving us thoughtful, challenging, mystery plots for some of her familiar characters.

It’s hard to pick a favorite here, as I liked them all quite a bit.  “The Hindi Houdini” stands out to me – Sanjay Rai is the main character here and it’s a good mystery.  His is also the main character in “The Curse of Cloud Castle.”

Pandian’s first published work, “The Shadow of the Rover” is also included here.  It was interesting to note that this is the only work featuring Jaya Jones that has a different narrator.  While I enjoyed the story, this was not a piece that would have driven me to seeking more of her work.

In addition to appreciating Gigi Pandian’s writing a little more, this book has also opened me up to reading more short story mysteries.  Any recommendations?

This book contains the following:

Introduction: Why Do We Like Our Rooms Locked? by Laurie R. King
Foreword: In the Tradition of John Dickson Carr by Douglas G. Greene
“The Cambodian Curse”
“The Hindi Houdini”
“The Haunted Room”
“The Library Ghost of Tanglewood Inn”
“The Curse of Cloud Castle”
“Tempest in a Teapot”
“A Dark and Stormy Light”
“The Shadow of the River”
“Fool’s Gold”

Looking for a good book?  Whether you’ve read any of Gigi Pandian’s Jaya Jones mystery books before, or not, this collection of short mystery stories, The Cambodian Curse and Other Stories, is worth reading,

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

* * * * * *

The Cambodian Curse and Other Stories

author: Gigi Pandian

series: Jaya Jones Treasure hunt Mystery

publisher: Henery Press

ISBN: 1635114187

paperback, 270 pages

SHADOWBLADE – Anna Kashina

Posted by Daniel on October 2, 2020
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized, YA. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

Just as there are times when I go into a book, really looking forward to it and I end up disappointed, there are also times when I start a book with a bit of trepidation and wind up really liking it.  The latter is the experience I had with Anna Kashina’s Shadowblade.

Naia is a young woman who would love to join the ranks of the elite Jaihar and become a Blademaster. Her natural talent is evident but so is her temper.  When she assaults one of her tutors she suspects her dreams of becoming a Blademaster are completely dashed. What she doesn’t know is that Dal Gassan, head of the Daljeer Circle, has been watching her and has special plans for the young girl. She is to be trained as a Jaihar and then impersonate the legendary Princess Xarimet of Challimar and lay claim as the legitimate heir to the throne.

Jai Karrim, the top Blademaster in the Jaihar (and one awfully sexy man, to whom Naia has long been attracted), will train her and then be her escort (and Dal Gassan’s insurance that Naia won’t try to keep the throne once she gets it). What could go wrong?

In many ways this book is a YA “Mary Sue” novel (Google the term if you don’t know what I mean). But otherwise this has just about everything it needs to be an exciting read.  It’s got action – lots and lots of fighting (mostly training, but not entirely), some mystery and intrigue, betrayal, a few twists and turns in the plot, and romance and sex. I didn’t need the explicit sex – something a little more discreet and private seemed more in line with the characters and story. It also struck me that everything about the sex, and her partner, were perfect.

But overall I really enjoyed this story.  I really liked the character of Naia – brassy but determined, with a natural gift.  I even liked Karrim, even though he seemed unrealistically perfect. Of course that would be one of the attractions in a Mary Sue story – the perfect man who treats the main female character, well, perfectly.

The betrayal wasn’t too much of a surprise, though the reasons for it were.

It would seem to me that we’re only beginning a longer story here, but this book is a complete book (beginning, middle, end) and is very satisfying.

Looking for a good book? Shadowblade by Anna Kashina is a very exciting YA fantasy. The main characters don’t seem to have any flaws – which is actually a little bit boring – but it is a fun, quick read.

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

* * * * * *

Shadowblade

author: Anna Kashina

publisher: Angry Robot

ISBN: 0857668153

paperback, 432 pages

THE INVASION – graphic novel

Posted by Daniel on September 30, 2020
Posted in: CHILDREN'S, GRAPHIC NOVEL, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

No.  No, no, no.

I absolutely loved The Animorphs book series by K.A. Applegate.  I worked in a book store when they first started coming out and I was constantly recommending the series.

The story in a nutshell: a group of young kids (Jake, Rachel, Cassie, Tobias, and Marco) witness an alien spacecraft coming down .  A creature emerges – an Andalite (looks like a blue, short-necked giraffe).  The Andalite is dying and he’s escaping the evil Yeerks (they look like giant cockroaches).  The Yeerks have already invaded Earth but they remain hidden and rely on their being able to control the humans unseen.

Before he dies, the Andalite gives the kids a unique ability … when they touch an animal, they can capture the animal’s DNA and then transform themselves into that animal.  But if they stay in that animal form for longer than two hours, they will remain that animal for the rest of their lives. Jake, Rachel, Cassie, Tobias, and Marco may now be Earth’s only hope to rid the world of Yeerks.

This story, originally by K. A. Applegate, is quite intense and actually very dark.  While there’s awe and wonder at exploring what it’s like being an animal (what a cool idea!), the underlying threat is always present. And when the kids learn that some of the humans who are being controlled by the Yeerks are adults that they have trusted their whole lives, things get even darker and scarier.

There’s a lot of ‘cool things per page’ – changing into animals, experiencing even the most common things through an animal’s (or insect’s) eyes, cool blue aliens, scary cockroach aliens – the book is full of wonders.

But at its core, this book is dark and scary as the fate of the earth is in the hands of frightened pre-teens.

Dark and scary is okay, even in children’s literature. (Does anyone still read Grimm’s Fairy Tales?)  Let’s just not pretend it’s something other than this though.

And that’s what this graphic novel does.

The artwork in a graphic novel sets the tone and whereas art that evoked Dark Knight would be apropos here, instead we get Scrooge McDuck.

I think that Chris Grine’s artwork is totally wrong for telling this story.  His animals are fine (hawk, tiger, gorilla, elephant, etc).  In fact, they are the most realistic part of the book (I know … somebody’s going to write “maybe that’s the point” — really? the animal that was morphed from a child because of the stolen DNA is more real than the kids?). But his humans are very cartoon-y.

And can someone please explain to me why everyone, even these pre-teens, looks like an alcoholic with rhinophyma? Big, bulbous, bright noses on everyone, all the time.

This seriously bothered me the entire book – it was very distracting.  When we first see the kids (page four), I honestly thought we were going to get a new story line about the kids having a cold. But it quickly became clear that this was just the art style.

I love the Animorph’s series, and if this builds new readers who will check out the original books, then I’m all for it.  But I don’t believe that this style of reinterpretation does any favors for the franchise.

Hey kids … your parents are actually just puppets to giant, alien slug-like creatures.  Isn’t that scary?

Looking for a good book? Go find one of the original Animorphs books and give that to the young reader in your life, and pretend the graphic novel, The Invasion, by K.A. Applegate and Chris Grine doesn’t exist.

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

* * * * * *

The Invasion (Animorphs Graphix #1)

authors: K. A. Applegate and Chris Grine

artist: Chris Grine

series: Animorphs Graphix #1

publisher: Graphix

ISBN: 1338226487

hardcover, 240 pages

A STAR-WHEELED SKY – Brad R. Torgersen

Posted by Daniel on September 28, 2020
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Based on a number of Brad R. Torgersen’s shorter works, I felt that Torgersen was one of the best sci-fi writers currently writing and I told him so in a Facebook message (to which he very kindly replied).  But I have been less enthusiastic about his most recent novels, including this, A Star-Wheeled Sky.

A long time ago (from our very distant future) humans left Earth, to find other planets to settle, in ships that were slower than speed of light. Getting to any potential new settlement would take generations. But on the journey they discovered the Waywork – an alien super-highway that provides nearly instantaneous travel to and from different star systems. The number of systems is limited and humans, being humans (human nature just never seems to change), have completely taken over these new systems, setting up unique governments – which of course leads to disagreements, fights, and wars between the human settlements.

When war is nearly inevitable between two diametrically opposite ruling factions, a new Waypoint appears. A race is one to see which faction (aka ‘Starstates’) can get there first to gain control and expand their empire.  But one of the most vicious regimes in the Waypoint is also on the hunt.

Torgersen definitely has a knack for military sci-fi and it is in the battles and the battle planning that he shines brightest here.  He can’t seem to not add a moment or two of religious contemplation as well (it didn’t bother me here the way it did with the previous novel of his that I reviewed, and I think it was only because of this that I took notice).

The characters are … okay.  Nobody really stands out as someone with whom I can’t wait to see what they do next, nor so evil that I can’t wait to see them get their comeuppance.

I had a nagging feeling all along as I read this that someone, either Torgersen or his editors, were trying too hard to fit a mold to appeal to the widest possible audience. But by doing so, it’s created a rather bland, almost generic, sci-fi adventure.

I sincerely hope the next one stands out.

Looking for a good book? Brad R. Torgersen’s A Star-Wheeled Sky isn’t a bad sci-fi adventure, but it won’t likely excite too many readers.

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

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A Star-Wheeled Sky

author: Brad R. Torgersen

publisher: Baen

ISBN: 1481483625

paperback, 384 pages