Book Review Catch Up: Behemoth

Behemoth is the sequel to previously reviewed Leviathan
by Scott Westerfeld.  It continues to follow the adventures of Midshipman Deryn Sharp and Aleksandar Ferdinand during an alternate universe World War I.

The book continues to show the integration of the Darwinists, gene-splicers, and Clankers, engineers, on the Leviathan.

I don't want to say too much about the plot of the book as it is the second in a planned trilogy.  Go back and read my review on the first book for more information and I'm sure you'll want to buy this book.

Book Review Catch Up: Pluto

If you were ever a fan of Astro Boy you will love Pluto. The 8 volume Pluto series is based off of an Astro Boy story The Greatest Robot on Earth by manga god Osamu Tezuka.

Pluto really is a love letter to Tezuka by one of the most popular and prominant manga artists of our time Naoki Urasawa.  The art in all of the volumes is absolutely gorgeous while the story has been updated with a more adult bent.  We follow Gesicht (see picture left) in his attempts to solve the case of a string of robot and human deaths.

I loved the entire series but not because I was an Astro Boy fan but because it was such a great story with art to complement it. I'm rating this series a buy.

Book Review Catch Up: The Lost Fleet Series

The Lost Fleet is a six book series of military sci-fi written by Jack Campbell. In the first book of the series Dauntless we are introduced to Captain Black Jack Geary who has just been thawed out of suspended animation after 100 years.  Captain Geary has been elevated to near mythical levels by the Alliance as he used his command to fight a delaying action at the beginning of the war over 100 years ago. The Alliance forces find Geary on the way to attack the Syndicate home system in a bid to end the war. They see the resurrection of Geary as a good omen. However, they are about to fall in a Syndicate trap. One that only Geary can save them from.

I really liked this series a lot, reading all the books in a 3 week period.  The writer has a military background and he writes the naval battles very well using some realistic physics.  The books are not all space battles though and they offer some good characterization, albeit over a small number of main characters.

It was also very interesting to me to see the parallels between Captain Geary and King Arthur.  Arthur is supposed to return to Britain to save them in their time of greatest need and that's exactly what Geary is doing here for the Alliance.

I recommend all the books in this series as a buy.

Friday Book Review: The Girl Who Played with Fire

I don't have time to write about how good The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson is as I am too busy reading the final book in the trilogy. I think you all should just go out and buy the whole series.

Coffee Prices Going Up, Up, Up

Coffee beans reached a 12 year high today.  Expect your local coffee slinger to pass those savings on to you.

Friday Book Review: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

There certainly has been a lot written about The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. So much so that I initially resisted reading the book.  The last book I remember with this much hype was Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code which I found fairly pedantic and predictable.

Happily this book lives up to the hype.  Larsson's is writing a closed room mystery which is also wrapped up in a financial thriller all while being set in Sweden.  The mystery section is tightly written and having it set in Sweden really adds to the oddness of the entire story.

The main characters in the novel are very well developed and who's motivations are very real.  Of course, the break out character that everyone is talking about is Lisbeth Salander, the afore mentioned girl with the dragon tattoo.  While she makes a big impression on the reader the other main characters like Mikael Blomkvist, are no less interesting.

I have to recommend this book as a buy for the engaging mystery and believable characters.  I'm going to be starting in on the sequel, The Girl Who Played With Fire, just as soon as I can clear some of these other books off my queue.

Friday Book Review: Batwoman Elegy

Um, Wow! I got my copy of Batwoman: Elegy about two weeks ago and I've had a chance to read and re-read it over that time and I have to say I'm amazingly impressed. The book is an amazing collaboration by artist J.H. Williams III, colorist Dave Stewart and writer Greg Rucka.

I have to start with J.H. Williams art as it is the first thing that really draws you into the book. In my honest opinion this is the best work of Williams career and remember his career includes his mind bendingly great work on Promethea. I've never seen an artist and writer so in-sync in their work. Williams really goes beyond the 6 or 9 page panel and brings out some very stylish non traditional page layouts. These layouts really make the story pop. Additionally, there are things in the art that are required by the story in the grand tradition of show, don't tell. No worries if you miss the clues the first time around as you are going to want to read this book more than twice. Flashbacks are handled by Williams by flipping to different art style than the main narrative to give the reader a visual clue as to what is going on.

Colorist Dave Stewart does some great work bringing the world to life as well. Batwoman's costume with the bright red and Alice's outfit are stand outs.

Finally, Greg Rucka delivers a story that people have been waiting for these past four years. Rucka does a fantastic job of building up the Batwoman character giving her a credible backstory. You can really understand why she'd want to fight crime for a living after you discover some of the tragic events from her past. Rucka also brings in a number of supporting characters in order to fill out the book and develop a whole new world outside of the traditional Bat-Family.

Even if there were no dialog in this book I would rate it a buy for the incredible J.H. Williams art and Dave Stewart's colors but combined with the engaging story told by Greg Rucka it is a must buy!

Update: Just released news on the new Batwoman on-going series.

Friday Book Review: Julian Comstock

Wow, I mean wow.  The Hugo nomination for Julian Comstock: A Story of 22nd-Century America by Robert Charles Wilson is well deserved.  This is one of the best examples  of the unreliable narrator that I've ever had the pleasure of reading and I did really enjoy this book.  But, I'm getting ahead of myself.

The narrator in the book is Adam Hazard who is writing a biography of his good friend and former president of America, Julian Comstock.  I say he is an unreliable narrator due to his naiveté about certain facts of life, his love of certain characters keeps him from speaking ill of them and the fact that as he states later in the book some things were changed for dramatic effect.

The book follows Adam and Julian from their early days in a wilderness town to the war against the Dutch and finally to the presidential palace in New York City.  You've probably noticed some inconsistencies in that last sentence a the world that Adam inhabits is some 200 years in our future.

In this future the world has run out of oil without a valid alternative energy source.  Society has degraded quite severely and we are back into a feudal system complete with serfs which is actually more like slavery.  Without ruining anything about the book the potential future that Wilson paints is very plausible given the current state of affairs in the world.

As you can probably tell I'm rating this book a buy.  My next sci-fi book will be another Hugo nominee The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi.  That will round out my reviews of this years nominees where others include:

Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
The City and the City by China Miéville
Wake by Robert J Sawyer

Thorsday Review - Thor: The Mighty Avenger#1

Perhaps it is divine providence that the American Independence Day pushed the release of new comics from their regular Wednesday delivery date to Thursday as Roger Langridge and Chris Samnee's new book Thor: The Mighty Avenger drops on the day that is named after the titular character.

I was a big fan of the Thor run by Walt Simonson and I've been meaning to check out the recent, slightly unfinished, JMS run but this new book was right up my alley.  First, I really like Marvel's approach on this one.  They know they are going to have a big budget movie out next year so they are launching a new title now so they can have a nice size trade waiting for people who want to learn more about Thor either before or after seeing the movie.

Second I broke my current rule of only buying trades and pre-ordered the book from my local comic shop.  I really had to as what I've read of Roger Langridge's work has entertained me with it's wit and levity.  Plus, I've been saying for a few months now that this would be Chris Samnee's break out year in the comics business.

I was not disappointed.  Langridge quickly introduces us to the main characters of the series Thor, Jane Foster and Jim North.  In one particularly hilarious scene Jane and Jim see Thor being thrown out of a bar.  At this point the characters in the book do not know this is the Norse god of thunder but as readers we are well aware of his power so what could possibly toss him out a bar?

On the art side it already looks like Samnee has been drawing these characters for years.  The facial expressions on Thor and Jane really convey their emotional and mental states.  Also, Matthew Wilson's muted colors for this this book really gel well with Samnee's pencils and inks.

The issue ends on a good cliff hanger type moment which sets up the drama for the next issue which will be out in two short weeks.  I'm rating this issue a buy if you like well scripted and drawn comics that are accessible to new and veteran comic book readers.

Anathem on Sale for $5

The hard cover version of Neal Stephenson's amazing novel Anathem is currently on sale at Chapters for $5. This is an incredible deal, about 85% off the regular price, of an amazing book. At 937 pages you are paying about half a cent per page. This book, as well as all of Stephenson's books get a must buy rating from me.

Friday Book Review: Born to Run

Do we stop running because we get old or do we get old because we stop running? That is the central question of Christopher McDougall's Born to Run.

This is an entertaining book on a number of levels. Gluing the book together is a narrative about a fifty-mile race through the Mexico’s Copper Canyons pitting a native tribe of super runners against an odd collection of Americans.

Interspersed along the book are sections about the genesis of jogging and ultra-marathons; back ground on the athletic shoe industry and reasons why your $150 Nike's are probably bad for your feet; and the The Running Man theory of evolution.

Anthropologists have used The Running Man theory to describe why humans evolved into bipedal runners. Most mammals are the four legged variety which is much better suited towards speed running. Since most animals are faster than humans we evolved the physiology to maintain long, slow distance running. Getting up onto two legs allows us to get more oxygen in our lungs which in turn allows us to run for longer distances. We used this as a hunting strategy to, basically, run our prey to death.

I found Born to Run to be a fascinating and entertaining book. One which I would recommend you to buy. Since reading the book I've taken up jogging again. I don't expect to be doing any 50 mile ultra-marathons anytime soon though.

Friday Book Review: Leviathan

Okay, I'm just going to say it. Leviathan is all sorts of awesomeness! The book takes place in an alternate reality at the beginning of World War I, which made me really glad I recenetly finished reading Paris 1919.

The two main characters represent each of the warring factions:

A 15 year old girl named Deryn Sharp dresses up as a boy to join the British Air Service. The Allied Powers in this universe are nicknamed the "Darwinist" after Charles Darwin who pefected a genetic splicing technique which allows the Allies to create their own new species. One of which is the Leviathan class air ship that Deryn is serving on.

The other is a young man Aleksandar Ferdinand who is the son of Arch-Duke Franz Ferdinand who's assissination starts what becomes World War I. The Central Powers are nick named the "Clankers" as they eschew the godless genetic experiment of the Allies and instead focus on steam powered machines. However, the Clankers are still influenced by the Darwinists as their machines tend to be modeled after animals. Such as the 8 legged walking dreadnaught which replaces the tanks we know of.

The universe that author Scott Westerfeld describes is fully developed and his characters act in believable ways. That is, not always in their best interest as they are kids after all.

In case you haven't guessed I give this book my must buy recommendation. Please check out the book's web site as well as it adds a number of extras as well.

Friday Book Review: Odd and the Frost Giants

After a couple of disappointing reads I had to go with someone I can trust and so I turned to Neil Gaiman. I picked up his latest kids book Odd And The Frost Giants.

In it the titular Odd, his name means edge of a blade in old Norse, is a 12 year old boy with a gimpy leg. He lives with his mother, step-father and step siblings in a Norse village. Odd feels out of place in his step-father's house so he decides to leave home. On his journey he encounters three talking animals, a fox, bear and eagle who involve him in an epic adventure in which he will have to travel to Asgard, the home of the Norse gods and defeat the Frost Giants so that Spring will return to Midgard (Earth).

As this is a book targeted towards kids it weighs in at a mere 128 pages which makes it a quick, albeit enjoyable read. The moral of the story is quite excellent as it shows young children that regardless of the fact they are young/small/weak they can still make a difference. The juxtaposition of the young child's feeling of weakness is exacerbated by the fact that the villain is a giant. To resolve the conflict Odd has to rely on his wits instead of physical strength.

I really did enjoy this book and I rate it as a buy for folks with young kids. I have to work on my voices a bit more before I read it to Anna. I have a pretty good handle on the bear, eagle and frost giant but my fox sure needs some work.

Friday Book Review: Wireless

While I'm not usually a huge fan of short story collections I couldn't pass up Wireless by Charles Stross. He's been one of my favourite sci-fi authors since I read his post-singularity novel, Singularity Sky.

In this collection we get to see Stross take on a number of different genres like the cold war era Missile Gap, the mind bending time travel Palimpsests, his net neutrality collaboration with Cory Doctorow called Unwirer and my personal favourite Down on the Farm. In Down on the Farm we get another mission from Bob Howard of The Laundry. The Laundry is a secret British organization that is a cross between MI-6/computer hackers/warlocks.

All of the stories in this book are quite enjoyable and I recommend this book as a buy to all sci-fi lovers.

Friday Book Review: House of Mystery Volume 1 - Room and Boredom

House of Mystery Vol. 01: Room and Boredom is basically a contrivance that allows DC to put out an anthology book of short stories but I like it.

Traditionally anthology books don't sell well in the comics medium. However, Vertigo has put on a few of their heavy hitters on to this book in hopes that it sells well. Teaming up on the writing duties are Matthew Sturges and Bill Willingham who are the driving force behind the Fables universe. See my review of Fables Volume 1.

In House of Mystery the story opens up with Cain talking to his brother Able, yes that Cain and Able, before returning home one afternoon. Sadly upon Cain's return to his house he finds it is missing. Cain is distraught about the chain of events and vows to find his missing house. A quick note in DC continuity: Cain is the caretaker of the House of Mystery while Able is the caretaker of the House of Secrets.

We flip over to the house where we are introduced to the core concept of the book. People wander in and our of the house where they can enjoy the food and drink at the bar. However, money is no good at the house and you need to pay up by telling a story. This allows guest writers like Bill Willingham to step in and spend a few pages spinning a yarn about whatever he feels like at the moment.

There are five characters, the barman, the waitress, the poet, the pirate and the architect who cannot leave the House of Mystery. Whatever they try just drops them right back into the house. In fact the only way they seem to be able to leave the house is via the mysterious coachman. What happens to people who leave with the coachman is unknown to people at the house as no one has ever returned.

It is the newly arrived architect called Fig who starts the connecting pieces written by Matt Sturges into motion. She arrived at the house as she was being chased by a couple of ghost like figures. Once in the house she discovers she has a unique connection to it that none of the other characters share.

I did like the way the mystery was developed in this first volume and it left me wanting more so I have to recommend this as a buy.

Friday Book Review: Fables - Legends in Exile Vol. 1

Recently I've been on a bit of a Fables kick. I've re-read the first 10 volumes of Bill Willingham's amazing series over the past two weeks.

Fables centers around characters from fairy tales or folklore that have relocated in present day New York City. The reason for this move is that a tramatic battle has taken place between the Fables and the Adversary. This has caused much devastation in the Homelands and the Fables were forced to flee to the real world with as much as they could carry.

The identity of the Adversary is one of the main mysteries in the early books. Luckily there is a resolution to this plot thread in later books.

Fables has a huge cast of characters as it is able to draw from fairy tales all the world over. Many of them you will recognized instantly. Although some may be a bit different than the disneyfied versions you've seen in cartoons.

In the first volume Fables: Legends in Exile you are introduced to a number of key characters but chief among them are Snow White who is the deputy mayor of Fabletown and Bigby Wolf, the big bad wolf, who is also the town Sherrif.

Bigby is investigating the murder of Snow Whites sister, Rose Red, apparently by Jack. This is the Jack of many fairy tales like Jack and the Beanstalk or Jack and Jill or Jack Be Nimble. Jack is a thouroughly dispicable character who is unlikable yet entertaining all at the same time.

The first volume unfolds into a film noir type murder mystery and I have to give this book a solid buy rating. Subsequent volumes deal with different issues like politics, war and espionage all the while advancing the underlying story.

Special mention has to go to the artist of most of the Fables issues, Mark Buckingham, who does an amazing job with the art chores. No space is wasted and some of the most beautiful work he does are in the gutters. That being the space between the panels.

Also, James Jean's work on the covers are breathtaking. So much so they release a book of just his cover art: Fables Covers: The Art of James Jean Vol. 1.

Again I have to recommend you buy the first volume of this great series and please do try some of the later volumes which are just as enjoyable.

Friday Book Review: A Long Way Gone

There are some books that you read and they really stick with you. A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah is certainly one of those books. In it the author details his life growing up in Sierra Leone in the 1990's.

Starting when he was 12 a bloddy civil war between the government and rebels forced him out of his village and separated him from his family. For months he and other refugees try to find a safe place away from all of the fighting to live safely and try to reconnect with his lost family. Then he is conscripted into the Sierra Leone Army where he is brainwashed and addicted to drugs all to make him a better solidier. For two years he lives in a constant state of kill or be killed without really knowing the true reasons behind the conflict.

Finally at 15, he is rescued in the form of being sent to a UNICEF transistion center. This is where the child soldiers are integrated back into normal life. He is sent to live with an uncle he doesn't know and all is good for a short time until strife comes to the capital. At this point Beah decides to flee to America.

Luckily he is adopted by Laura Simms, a woman he had met a year earlier when he participated in a Children of War conference at the UN. Now Mr. Beah has graduated from college with a degree in politics and is a human rights activist.

I listened to the audio book version of the text ready by the author himself. His lilting voice and matter of fact manner in describing all sorts of horrors he's seen and committed certainly added to the gravity of the subject matter. It is hard to imagine a situation like this with my comfy North American life experiences.

This book is rated a solid buy and it will bring you tears on more than one occassion.

Friday Book Review: Super Spy

Okay apparently Matt Kindt's book Super Spy came out back in 2007 to much fan fare and I missed it. Luckily as I was attending this years Windy City Comic Con I was introduced to Matt by Jeff Lemire. I had just recently heard about Matt's new book 3 Story: The Secret History of the Giant Man but for some reason I was drawn to Super Spy instead.

This book is about the lives of spies in World War II. That alone should be enough to convince you to pick up this book. The narrative is interwoven through a number of non linear short stories each with their own protagonist. Each character has their own arc that occasionally crosses over with the other spies. Thankfully all of the concluding threads take place in the latter half of the book to tie everything together.

I absolutely could not put this book down once I started reading it. I was on my way back to the hotel on the day of the con taking the red line to Roosevelt where I needed to transfer over to the orange line. I was so engrossed in the book that I mistakenly got on the green line ending up in, literally and figuratively, the wrong part of town. This did cause me to miss the after con party but at least I did get to finish the book with all the extra time I spent on the train.

The one negative I will point out is that my books cover immediately fell off the book once I started reading it. It seems like the glue was too brittle. However this minor problem did not detract me from my enjoyment of the book.

With this review I'm borrowing a rating system from the Comic Geek Speak podcast. The buy, borrow, pants system to be exact. A buy rating means that I think the book is worth the money, a borrow rating means go get it from the library and a pants rating means leave it alone.

To that end I rate Matt Kindt's Super Spy a solid buy!