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All posts for the month February, 2014

THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN MIND – Tom Vater

Posted by Daniel on February 28, 2014

Posted in: MYSTERY, Uncategorized. Tagged: Book Reviews, Books, Mystery, Reviews, Thriller. 1 Comment

Maier is a German reporter/detective. He is asked by Julie Rendel to investigate a twenty-five year old murder of her father who was killed at a CIA airbase in Laos. His journey takes a series of unexpected twists and turns, starting when his client is kidnapped.

This novel is rich with realistic characters, settings so full of energy the reader can practically feel the leaves cutting against bare legs and arms, and a story that is deep and twisting and twisted. This is a dark mystery/thriller with an intensity that simmers across all facets of the book and reaches a well-timed boil at just the right moments.

Maier is a fascinating, unexpected hero who survives partly on his wits and partly because fortune favors him. Typically, I don’t care for heroes who need luck to survive, but somehow, when it comes to Maier, it feels right. It helps that author Tom Vater typically finds a way to explain Maier’s good luck. Maier operates with a love-able gruffness, always looking for a way out (of trouble) but resigned to his fate when he can’t avoid it. We like him all the more — find him more human — when these ‘resigned’ moments occur. Fair warning… this book is not for the faint at heart. Maier loses body parts and is permanently marked herein, and there is enough death to please Quentin Tarrantino movie fans. Yet these deaths were never so much about the blood and gore, or even about the shock value of death (is it possible to shock anyone anymore?) — but naturals outcomes of events in a story such as this. All the players know what they are in for.

Writers often hear the mantra “show, don’t tell,” but author Vater brings this to a new level. Rather than showing us what is happening, he brings us in to the environment and lets us experience it with the characters in their own world. A remarkable feat!

The very beginning of the book, with the introduction of the characters and the establishing of the story, was just a little slow. I don’t know if it would have helped to have read the first book before hand, or not, but if you stick with it, you will be rewarded.

I was first moved by the hallucinations and tattooing scenes. It felt so real, as if I were in the jungle with Maier, experiencing it with him. I was also fully invested with the swimming scene, through murky, trash-filled waters. When the story moved out of the water, I wanted to step away and shower to rinse the filth off of me.

If you are a reader, such as myself, you probably like to anticipate where the story is going to go, and look for signs of things to come. Don’t bother. Vater keeps twisting the expected around and just like a jungle booby-trap, surprises can come at you completely without warning.

I can’t wait to go back and read Tom Vater’s first Detective Maier novel (currently buried within my Kindle) and I’ll eagerly grab whatever adventure next faces the German detective, because, despite the loathsomeness of the adventures he gets in to, I enjoy being spirited away to new places and situations. After all, I, unlike Maier, can step away from it all.

Looking for a good book? The Man With the Golden Mind will suck you in and take you on a thrilling and exhausting journey through the jungles of Laos and beyond. It’s a thriller not to be missed.

* * * * * *

The Man with the Golden Mind

author: Tom Vater

series: Detective Maier Mystery #2

publisher: Exhibit A

ISBN: 1909223220

paperback, 336 pages

I consider myself to be a moderately well-educated man and I am certainly familiar with the Civil Rights Movement and Martin Luther King, Jr., and when I first received this review copy of March, a graphic novel about the Civil Rights Movement, I was a little less than enthusiastic about reading it. I now wish I had jumped right in to it the moment I received it. This is wonderful!

Congressman John Lewis was an iconic figure in the Civil Rights Movement and is the only living member of the major leadership players at the time. This first of three planned books focusses on Lewis’ youth, his desire to attend university, meeting Martin Luther King, Jr., and the beginnings of the peaceful Nashville Student Movement and sit-ins at local cafeterias. I whole-heartedly admit that I learned some very valuable history by reading this. I would also admit that, had this been a 500 page biography of John Lewis or even a history book on the Civil Rights movement, I probably would not have read it, fearing a dull, boring read.

And so…why a graphic novel? I think there are a number of good reasons for this. One: it makes it very easily accessible to a very young reading audience, or even a ‘low’ reading audience. I can see third graders reading this as part of their school’s February reading program. Two: adults are more apt to pick up something that looks quick and simple, rather than a thick non-fiction book (as I admit to). And three: the pictures definitely help set the tone. It’s very easy to read about non-violence, but something completely different to see people sitting calmly at a counter while others shout at them.

And let me be clear — while I talk about the seeming simplicity in a graphic novel, compared to a long historical or biographical treatise, there is nothing ‘simple’ about this. This manages to be a very thorough look at a complicated time. We get a full sense of the power behind what was happening, while understanding that there’s likely more to the story if we wish further study.

This is going to sound strange, but the art was so smooth, so perfectly apt for this book, that I often forgot I was reading/looking at a graphic novel. The pictures were such perfect additions to the story that I never felt that I was detached in any way. I read a lot of comics as a kid and I’ve read a fair number of graphic novels in the last year, since starting this blog, and I can say that I’ve never felt this symbiotic relationship between art and story so clearly before. I can’t imagine any way of improving upon it.

If there’s any down-side to this book (and I’m not sure there is), it would be that it’s a book one. Graphic novels have come in some pretty thick volumes , so I can’t imagine any reasonable explanation as to why this wasn’t produced as one book. The only thought I can give is that the publisher wants to make more money and possibly win more awards by releasing this in installments. It’s certainly a common publishing game, and I don’t care for it. I subtract some points for this reason.

This book will move you. You will be a better person after reading it and you will have an even better understanding of both the good in humanity and the despicable.

Looking for a good book? This books deserves to be read, shared, and remembered by everyone who can turn a page.

* * * * * *

March (Book One)

authors: John Robert Lewis and Andrew Aydin

artist: Nate Powell

publisher: Top Shelf Productions

ISBN: 1603093001

paperback, 128 pages

DEAD BRILLIANT – Christopher Ward

Posted by Daniel on February 26, 2014

Posted in: ENTERTAINMENT, HUMOR, OTHER, Uncategorized. Tagged: Book Reviews, Books, Entertainment, Humor, Reviews. Leave a comment

I knew nothing about this book, or the author, going in to it. Perhaps it’s a sign of the sort of books that I’ve been reading lately, but I suspected (feared?) that this was going to be another vampire story … a vampire musician. But, dear blog readers, it’s NOT! This is a novel of music, talent, greed, obsession, and the Hollywood music industry. It’s a beautiful book.

Our hero is one Roc Molotov, a musician and lead singer and founder of the band, The Cocktails (yes, Molotov and the Cocktails — that’s a sign of the humor that will be found throughout the book). Roc quits the band to focus on his own music, but in the fleeting business that is the pop music industry, Roc will quickly become forgotten. Roc’s long-time friend and manager, Uncle Strange, hatches a plan to have Molotov disappear and be presumed dead, on live television (MTV, back when they used to be focussed on music) and Uncle Strange could release new Molotov songs as if they were unfinished works found in his archive.

The plot is certainly not new. You only need to look back at the whole idea of The Beatles’ “Paul is Dead” to see a classic example of this marketing ploy (though the Beatles likely didn’t need to do this). But whereas the plot isn’t new, the character’s in Hollywood’s music industry are often not particularly new or creative either. And Uncle Strange comes across as the classic, stereotyped example of a producer always looking out for his own interests over those of his client. And yet…it works.

This works because it preys on our own stereotyped impressions of the music industry and Hollywood. We buy into the idea of Roc faking his death because we have every expectation that this is the sort of thing a musician would do. And that Uncle Strange is perfectly devised as a slimy, lecherous, greedy manager helps us get there.

What also works, though, is that Roc breaks our impressions, our stereotypes, by being a humble, honest, decent guy who really likes to write music and does it well. he breaks out of the mold and we can only like him more for it.

Other characters are equally stereotyped along the way, adding to the humor and panache of the book. It serves no purpose that a southern rube becomes an overnight sensation, other than it gives us a laugh and allows us to shake our collective heads at the absurdity of the business.

Looking for a good book? Dead Brilliant doesn’t take itself too seriously, but offers us a few laughs as it pokes fun at the music industry, and allows touching human nature to win out in the end.

* * * * * *

Dead Brilliant

author: Christopher Ward

publisher: Dundurn

ISBN: 145970617X

paperback, 288 pages

BLOOD ORANGE SODA – James Michael Larranaga

Posted by Daniel on February 22, 2014

Posted in: Dark Fantasy/Horror, Uncategorized, YA. Tagged: Book Reviews, Books, Horror/Dark Fantasy, Reviews, Young Adult. Leave a comment

Imagine the True Blood/Sookie Stackhouse books for angst-ridden teenagers, and you have Blood Orange Soda down to a ‘T’ (or should I say ‘V’). And that’s a good thing. After all, the Sookie Stackhouse books are incredibly popular.

In this book, Darius is your typical teenager, growing up in central Minnesota (St. Cloud). He’s a goth; he’s in a band; there are girls he likes, and girls who like him, but they’re typically not one and the same; he is bullied; and … oh yeah … he’s going to be a vampire. Vampirism is an accepted life-style in this slightly futuristic/alternative universe story. Darius’ mother is a vampire and Darius is waiting until the time is right for him to begin the transformation. When the time comes for Darius to begin his transformation, he has a need (or at least the strong desire) to make the transformation quickly. To do so, drinking Blood Orange Soda helps speed the change.

Complicating Darius’ life is the fact that his mother is dying from a rare vampire disease; he’s promised to fight a jock/bully from school; and an old-girlfriend/new-girlfriend complication that seems right out of a John Hughes film crashes in on him. Just another day for a teenage boy, right?

One would think that a novel with vampires, goths, and moody teens would be dark and brooding, but if there’s a fault with this book, it’s that it isn’t dark enough. Vampirism is so well accepted here that making the decision to ‘turn’ seems no bigger deal than saying that you’ve decided to start playing a different instrument in band. Here, vampires attend the Catholic church, because their faith is still important to them. Being ‘goth’ seems to mean no more than hating on the jocks and wearing black.

Even if he’s not dark enough for a goth-to-be-vampire, Darius is an appropriately complex character, trying to sort his way through the world. In this, he is certainly attractive to the typical YA readership. Other than the vampire aspect, our YA readers can identify with just about everything he’s going through. And that he can fight his own battles (literally, as well as figuratively) and stand on his own two feet (with a little help from his friends) makes him admirable. Even though he is described as being goth, I never pictured him as such.

The characters surrounding Darius (mother, uncle, sister, girlfriends, best friend) are less identifiable. They are a pastiche of stereotypes without any solid base.

The story is typical YA, full of pathos and drama, and just the sort of thing many young readers are looking for. Vampires are ‘in’ and this capitalizes on that in a big way, though it manages to be squeaky clean dark, instead of truly dark.

But, then, to go back to my initial impression, what are the Sookie Stackhouse books but vampire romances? It has its place in the bookstores and its readership. So to will Blood Orange Soda have its readship among those readers who can identify with the high school issues and romanticize about things like vampirism. And there are a lot of people like that.

Despite the flaws I mention above, I found it moved along well. It was easy to read.

Looking for a good book? This is YA for those of you who like to sit on the edge… not ready to go all the way into the dark, but want a taste of it.

* * * * * *

Blood Orange Soda

author: James Michael Larranaga

publisher: JML

ISBN: 9780991325603

ebook, 350 pages

KILL SHAKESPEARE Volume 3: The Tide of Blood – graphic novel

Posted by Daniel on February 21, 2014

Posted in: GRAPHIC NOVEL, Uncategorized. Tagged: Book Reviews, Books, Graphic Novels, Mythology/Legend, Reviews, Shakespeare. Leave a comment

Yesterday I finished a mystery novel using Shakespeare as the hero detective. Today, Shakespeare continues to serve as a literary character in a slightly different way.

I will admit that I hadn’t been much of a comic book reader of late (until I started reading more graphic novels for this review blog), but one of the very few titles that I did read was the Kill Shakespeare series. This particular book picks up well after I stopped reading the individual comics (I stopped after one year).

Here, Shakespeare serves not only the creator of some of the world’s most well-known fictional characters, but appears as a character himself, as a bit of a deity — he is, after all, a creator. The book centers around Prospero, on his island, as he schemes to bring Shakespeare to him in order to steal Shakespeare’s powers. Hamlet, Romeo, Juliet, and Othello try to fight Prospero off by taking the fight to the island.

Certainly it’s difficult to write new stories with characters who are so well known and studied. Do they behave the way they ‘should’? But examining these characters in this way is pointless. The worlds in which the characters existed for Shakespeare himself is completely different than the world that authors Connor McCreery and Anthony Del Col have created for this book. Simply having Hamlet and Romeo and Othello standing side by side has already let the reader know we are in a different reality. But I do wonder why we see these more famous of characters. The Shakespeare canon is full of interesting characters. Instead of a simpering Romeo, where’s Orlando? Need a villainous character? Why stick with the obvious? Where’s Jachimo?

All this is to say that we don’t need only the ‘name’ or obvious characters to make it Shakespeare-related.

So to the story: This is a volume three, and clearly much has been missed. If the reader is not already familiar with what is going on, s/he will be left behind. Even knowing the earliest part of the story, I still felt lost and out of the loop. I very ,much like the over-all arc of the story, and dwelling here on Prospero’s island, complete with all its magic, was nice, but felt drawn out. We spend so much time going back and forth on the Hamlet/Juliet/Romeo triangle sub-plot and never getting to the bigger story, that there were times I just didn’t want to read any more. Lady Macbeth’s portions of the story were much more interesting and kept my attention much better.

The artwork by Andy Belanger was decent. It’s not as strong as other graphic novels I’ve look at recently, but better than others. There were times I wasn’t sure who was speaking, based simply on the artwork, but it captures the mood of Prospero’s island quite well.

The concept is strong, and when the writing moves the plot forward, it’s captivating, but when it dwells on a sub-plot is drags along.

Looking for a good book? Playing with Shakespeare and his characters is fun and this series has some intriguing moments.

* * * * * *

Kill Shakespeare, Vol. 3: The Tide of Blood

authors: Conor McCreery and Anthony Del Col

artist: Andy Belanger

series: Kill Shakespeare #3

publisher: IDW Publishing

ISBN: 1613777329

paperback, 140 pages

ROTTEN AT THE HEART – Bartholomew Daniels

Posted by Daniel on February 20, 2014

Posted in: MYSTERY, Uncategorized. Tagged: Book Reviews, Books, Mystery, Reviews. Leave a comment

It takes some courage for an author to write a book as though he were writing as William Shakespeare. Shakespeare, after all, is “widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language” (Wikipedia) and any attempts to write as him are surely to pale by comparison. Fortunately, author Bartholomew Daniels doesn’t try too hard to emulate the Bard’s writing, instead, he works to capture the voice of the era — the sounds and feel of 1500-1600’s England. In this, Daniels has done a remarkable job of writing in such a way as to remind us that this was some five hundred years ago, and yet managing to be readable to modern readers. A feat of no small measure!

Using a historical figure as a literary figure is nothing new, and Shakespeare, as eternally popular as he is, is certainly ripe for being a character. Using what little we actually know about the man, Daniels has woven a tight conspiracy mystery in which W^m Shakespeare becomes hesitantly, but fully, involved. Briefly, the son of the sponsor to Shakespeare’s company (The Lord Chamberlain’s Men) confesses to Shakespeare that he believes his father was murdered and asks Will to see if he can ferret out any proof. Shakespeare, knowing too well how important it is to maintain a sponsor for his company, agrees to investigate. His search leads him to a uncover multiple plots of rebellion and sedition and greed.

Bartholomew Daniels has done a good deal of work to maintain historical accuracy, sometimes to his own detriment. I couldn’t help but feel that at times we were given information simply because it was historically true, rather than because it was necessary to the story. And one large event, historically accurate, occurred at a different time. For those of us steeped too well in Shakespeare history, this moment felt ‘wrong,’ though it worked for the device of the story. (For those who might not know the history, I won’t spoil the story. In his acknowledgements, Daniels does admit that he took license with the history of the event to satisfy the needs of the book.)

The mystery in the book is well plotted and full of intrigue. It kept me anxious to read on to see where it was going. However, I have to admit that I saw the end coming from the moment its hint was first suggested. I was still excited to get there, but there was no surprise for me in the ‘revelation’ presented.

We don’t spend a lot time getting information about Shakespeare’s daily life, but when we do, again we get perhaps too much. While the time-line works well for the death of Shakespeare’s son, Hamnet, we seem to dwell on the moment. How much time do we spend (two chapters?) listening to Shakespeare say, over and over, how much he was a failure as a father? I really wanted to move on from the event. If the character actually spent time mourning the loss of his son, it might have been a moment forgiven, but instead, it was all about himself and his own failures. A passing notice that the event occurred and the funeral attended would have worked just as well and not brought the story to a halt.

But even with these few (perceived) flaws, this was a delightful story and action-packed mystery. The door has been left open for more W^m Shakespeare: Detective novels, and I’ll gladly spend time with the Bard on another adventure.

Looking for a good book? Shakespeare as a detective, as told by Bartholomew Daniels, is well written and a delight to read.

* * * * * *

Rotten at the Heart

author: Bartholomew Daniels

publisher: Exhibit A

ISBN: 1909223433

paperback, 336 pages

SHAZAM, Volume 1 – graphic novel

Posted by Daniel on February 18, 2014

Posted in: GRAPHIC NOVEL, Uncategorized. Tagged: Book Reviews, Books, Graphic Novels, Reviews. Leave a comment

I’ll admit that I went in to this book not really expecting too much. As a comic-reading-youth, I was never very big on Shazam/Captain Marvel. I’m not sure why that is (or was), but it did have me hesitate going in to this. What drew me to this book was author Geoff Johns, who has a pretty good track record with recent comic books. A record that should continue well with this book.

Either I’ve really been missing out on a pretty incredible story/character, or Johns has rebooted this series in a way that appeals to former comic readers such as myself. I’m guessing the latter.

Geoff Johns starts us right off with a mystery (much like the teaser of a television show) and then introduces us to the troubled lad, Billy Batson. If I have any qualms with this story, it’s that Billy is a little too bad. He’s set up to be about as anti-social and gruff as possible. This is an issue later, when the last of the Council of Wizards is looking to give power to someone who is ‘pure good’ — we know Billy is not that person. But, because it’s an emergency, and Billy has the ‘potential’ for good, he gets shazam’d.

But even though the character flaw doesn’t fit the package perfectly, Johns does a nice job of keeping the characters and the story relate-able to the reader. We can identify with Billy, with his family, with just about everyone in the story. And because we can identify, we can enjoy.

I liked the history of the characters (I can’t help wonder how much is new and how much is as it was when the character first appeared) and the spirit guides that help Billy/Captain Marvel along the way. I liked how his family joined to help, despite his rudeness toward them. But all in all…I actually kinda linked how you just felt good after reading the book. So many graphic novels dwell on the darker aspects that it’s easy to get lost in their moroseness. Shazam, as it should, fills the reader with hope, despite the constant threats.

And the stakes are high and the obstacles about as tough as any one can face. Need you ask for more?

The artwork by Gary Frank is really wonderful. Having looked at so many graphic novels recently with quite questionable art, I was beginning to grow concerned that there are no talented artists working in the medium any more. Not so. Gary Frank’s work is perfect here. (Note: the cover makes our hero appear much more villainous than necessary. )

Looking for a good book? This graphic novel is a delicious start to a new version of an old superhero adventure.

* * * * * *

Shazam! Volume 1

author: Geoff Johns

artist: Gary Frank

publisher: DC Comics

ISBN: 1401242448

hardcover, 192 pages

THE BIG REAP – Chris F. Holm

Posted by Daniel on February 17, 2014

Posted in: Dark Fantasy/Horror, MAGIC, MYSTERY, SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized. Tagged: Book Reviews, Books, Horror/Dark Fantasy, Magic, Mystery, Mythology/Legend, Reviews, SF/Fantasy. Leave a comment

Part action/adventure, part dark fantasy/horror, part thriller, with a touch of history and literary allusions and mythology makes for one spine-tingling, leaves-you-breathless book!

Sam Thornton collects souls as an agent for a dark force. In this book, he is sent to collect the souls of ‘The Brethren’ – former collectors themselves. He can hop bodies and inhabit a living soul, or recently dead one. Or, if the body he is in is destroyed, he will re-establish himself. He’s the perfect collector.

Author Chris F. Holm has given us a heroic character, completely, humanly flawed, despite the fact that he is no longer human, and makes him incredibly like-able! From the comic-superhero-patter dialog, to the shrug-your-shoulders-and-do-your-job attitude, we can’t help but like and root for Sam Thornton. He’s a bad-ass reaper without the bad-ass attitude (most of the time).

it’s hard to say what I liked most about this book without giving too much away. I liked the location near the end, with his finally realizing … how do you find someone who doesn’t want to be found…do the opposite of what everything points to and ultimately you’ll get to where you want (and the others don’t want) you to be. And the characters there — one expected, when you know the location and the others a surprise — are also well sullied. We can feel their exhaustion yet their instinct and fight to remain ‘alive.’

Although a book three in a series, I never felt as though I were missing a big piece of the picture. I picked this up and started reading and was immediately immersed in the story. Anything I needed to know about what happened previously, I was enlightened in the natural flow of the story. This easily stands alone as its own novel, though I can’t wait to go find the first two books, and I’ll quickly pick up any new books that might come out.

A little bit of back story is interspersed throughout — Sam’s first ‘reap’ is told (it’s quite the job!) as a side (parallel) story, and there’s just enough of a hint of a romance that we can wish for something more to happen, even though it seems forever unlikely.

And if you’ve read many of my reviews, you know that I like a high-stakes game. I want obstacles that challenge our protagonist, and I want the stakes to be high. Given what Thornton experiences at the end, The Big Reap gives us both.

Looking for a good book? This is top-notch, high quality adventure/dark fantasy at it’s finest.

* * * * * *

The Big Reap

author: Chris F. Holm

series: The Collector #3

publisher: Angry Robot

ISBN: 0857663429

paperback, 378 pages

TODD, THE UGLIEST KID ON EARTH Volume 1 – graphic novel

Posted by Daniel on February 14, 2014

Posted in: GRAPHIC NOVEL, Uncategorized. Tagged: Book Reviews, Books, Graphic Novels, Reviews. Leave a comment

This is a well-crafted graphic novel. The Mad Magazine/Don Martin style of art feels appropriate for this story. The writing is relatively strong, with a story that has some complexity and a touch of intrigue.

Yet I greatly disliked this book.

Todd, who is the ugliest kid on earth, wears a paper bag over his head at all times. He’s so ugly we can’t even look at him. But of course Todd’s apparent physical ugliness is nothing compared to the inner-ugliness of EVERYone else in this book. Point taken, thank you.

I am not a soul who is easily offended. I like dark, gritty, makes-you-think kinds of work. But this book is nothing short of child-abuse. It is bullying and abuse run rampant. And that Todd is not the brightest bulb on the tree only serves to make that abuse even more despicable.

To be brief…Todd is framed by local bullies for an atrocity. The local constabulary wants Todd out of the picture permanently so they send him to the adult prison. His parents aren’t sure about bailing him out. Even when the police find the true culprit, they try to find ways to keep Todd in prison.

My skin crawled with revulsion as I read this, and yet … and YET … like that car wreck along the side of the road that you can’t help watching as you drive by, I couldn’t help but keep reading. It is well done, even if it is repulsing.

Looking for a good book? If you want good writing and stylistic, caricature art, this is well done, but be warned… none of the characters are in any way likeable.

* * * * * *

Todd, the Ugliest Kid on Earth, Volume 1

author: Ken Kristensen

artist: M.K. Perker

publisher: Image Comics

ISBN: 1607067773

paperback, 96 pages

EMILIE AND THE SKY WORLD – Martha Wells

Posted by Daniel on February 13, 2014

Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized, YA. Tagged: Book Reviews, Books, Reviews, SF/Fantasy, Young Adult. Leave a comment

I’ve been feeling very good about the books I get from Strange Chemistry and Angry Robot, so I was really looking forward to this.

Emilie is a typical teen protagonist: adventurous, inquisitive, strong-willed, inexperienced. Author Martha Wells does a very nice job of understanding Emilie and getting the reader to relate to the young girl. It is easy to imagine the YA reader who would be most drawn to Emilie — I picture those youngsters who, if they had been born in the 1960’s or 1970’s, would have been big Nancy Drew fans. Emilie has that same sense of curiousity and ‘can-do’ attitude.

Apparently, having finished a previous adventure (this is a book ‘2’), Emilie is looking to some down time. However, after seeing a new space vortex, referred to “aether,” which appears to open to a new or parallel world, Emilie’s interest is piqued. The problem is — the first few who have ventured into the aether have not returned.

In a ship that seems to be a form of space-voyaging dirigible, Emilie joins a crew of scientist explorers. The aether has currents and they struggle with the current until they see another ship, which appears to have been abandoned, except for some unusual looking plants.

** WARNING — SPOILERS AHEAD **

The plants turn out to be another intelligent life form. Emily and Hyacinth (the name Emily gives to the plant) communicate with gestures until Hyacinth provides a translating device. The plant forms are also trapped in this unusual world. The aether path to (and presumably from) the world is going to close and Emily, Hyacinth, and their fellow travelers are anxious to get on their ships to return home. Complicating matters, another creature seems to have taken control of the physical bodies of other travelers known to Emilie, but of course only Emilie and Hyacinth seem to understand this.

It is nice that author Wells doesn’t waste time with superfluous descriptions. Often a reader will travel to a new world and get detailed scientific descriptions of the flora, fauna, atmosphere, etc. This is an area where Wells gives us the descriptions that seem most appropriate for the teen character to give us.

But at the same time, the lack of descriptions often left me more confused than anything else. I’m not really sure what the aether ships look like or how they travel. I have no idea what the basic landscape on the strange planet is like, which is important only because Emilie finds a way to hide in it.

And where there is a lack of description to give the reader a visual to imagine, there is also a lack of energy and tension. One would think that visiting a new world, having a deadline to get away, and alien body-snatchers, would make for a tight, tense book. But that’s not the case. We move from one incident to the next, and from one character to another, with the same pacing. Because of this, the tension fails to build, and by the half-way point we aren’t eager for the next chapter because we know it will feel exactly like the one before. We continue reading for the information and story, but the energy is gone.

There’s enough here that I am interested in going back to read the first ‘Emilie’ book, and I would likely pick up the next book (providing there is one) were i to see it in a store, but it’s not a book that I would recommend with great excitement.

Looking for a good book? This book should appeal to a small sub-set of YA readers who can truly identify with the main protagonist.

* * * * * *

Emilie and the Sky World

author: Martha Wells

series: Emilie #2

publisher: Strange Chemistry

ISBN: 1908844523

paperback, 320 pages

WONDERLAND VOLUME 2 – graphic novel

Posted by Daniel on February 12, 2014

Posted in: Dark Fantasy/Horror, GRAPHIC NOVEL, SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized. Tagged: Book Reviews, Books, Graphic Novels, Horror/Dark Fantasy, Reviews. Leave a comment

I have to admit that I’m just a little bit addicted to Lewis Carroll’s Alice books. I grew up with them and found/find them to be some of the most creative stories ever told. And because of this, I’m always on the lookout for new tales in Wonderland…though at the same time, a bit skeptical as to what I’ll find. To discover that there is a comic/graphic novel, somewhat loosely based on the Alice stories was a bit of a thrill.

First, let’s be clear that this is clearly a Wonderland for adults. From the improbably provocative female bodies to the blood and gore to the drug use, this is an all-adult graphic novel. This story follow’s Alice’s daughter, Calie, and grand-daughter, Violet as they try to re-establish themselves in the modern world, and it also follows the Red Queen in Wonderland trying to find the Temple of Purity. Being connected to Wonderland, strange occurrences are to be expected, and the reader is not disappointed.

I was delighted to find a story that wasn’t a re-boot of the classic, but instead used Lews Carroll’s stories as the background framework to build this darker story-line.

The art is quite effective for the story. For whatever reason, I seemed to find the Red Queen story-line art to be more ‘real’ than the real world art. I’m not sure if that’s because I was more willing to accept something slightly abstract in Wonderland, or if it’s because they wore more clothes in Wonderland, so less chance of drawing the human form out of proportion, or if it was my imagination entirely. All in all, though, the art worked for the story, and young men will greatly appreciate the pin-up-esqueness of the women.

I love what they’ve done with the Chesire cat. One only needs to look here to see that this is a dark, gritty version of Wonderland.

Looking for a good book? This is a recommended read for anyone interested in non-traditional graphic novels, epic fantasy/dark-fantasy, or the Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland books.

* * * * * *

Wonderland Volume 2

author: Raven Gregory

artist: Sheldon Goh

publisher: Zenescope

ISBN: 0985337893

paperback, 176 pages

THE OLD MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS – Linda Raedisch

Posted by Daniel on February 10, 2014

Posted in: Dark Fantasy/Horror, MAGIC, MYTHOLOGY, NON-FICTION, Uncategorized. Tagged: Book Reviews, Books, Magic, Mythology/Legend, Reviews. 2 Comments

With a sub-title such as this, “Yuetide Traditions for the Darkest Days of the Year” we know that this is not going to be a rousing, cheerful, typical Christmas book. And if you’re not completely sure what this is about, reading the introduction lets you know what sort of voyage this book will encompass. Take for instance:

“Few of the spirits you encounter will make your blood run cold, for the aim of this book is to capture the mystery of Christmas, not to evoke full-blown horror. Still … you’ll be looking out for the Wild Hunt instead of Santa’s sleigh, and as soon as you turn your calendar page to December, you’ll be on alert for the thump of a broom, the rustle of straw or the brushing of birch twigs against the window pane.”

This all made me a little skeptical to get in to the book, but it was in my queue and I was determined to give it a read. And I’m glad I did.

While this is in no way going to convert me to paganism, and maybe not even give me a greater appreciation of the pagan background, it did give me a greater appreciation of the history and mythology of the Scandinavian culture (as most of the information provided is historically linked to our Norse neighbors), and for that, I am grateful.

Author Linda Raedisch has clearly done her research, is passionate about the topic, and writes on her subject very well. I found the information wonderful and easy to absorb. There was so much content that I was not familiar with (I’ve done a great deal of research on Scandinavian mythology actually) that I took regular notes and devoured her bibliography.

Each chapter included some cooking and crafts related to the information in the chapters. This was over-kill for me, but clearly I was looking to the book for mythological content and not how to enjoy a non-Christian Christmas (which seems to me the initial intent behind the book).

Over-all, I got much more out of this book than I anticipated, and enjoyed it for that.

Looking for a good book? This non-Christian look at the history of Christmas is full of wonderful information and mythological history.