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| Clyde when he was a bit younger |
Anyway, since my last reading update, I've completed 5 books. I'll update those, list any books I've started since my last update and also any new books.
Just Finished
"I've enjoyed American author, Max Brooks' work the past few years. He has demonstrated a unique take on the horror genre, what with World War Z, Devolution and the The Extinction Parade graphics. I just finished The Harlem Hellfighters, a historical graphic novel, with a fictionalized account of the 369th Infantry Regiment, an African American unit which fought in WWI. Factually, they spent more time in combat than any other American unit, never losing a foot of ground to the enemy or suffering any men captured by the enemy.
The Germans nicknamed them the Harlem Hellfighters. What makes their story even more interesting is that they weren't allowed to fight with white American units but were assigned to the French army, who accepted them readily. This was during a time in American when blacks were treated horribly within the US and their soldiers also were attacked and beaten. The African American soldiers were forbidden from responding in kind.
The story is powerful and also graphically drawn. It's a disturbing story and at the same time a heroic story. Max Brooks treats the soldiers with respect but holds nothing back in his portrayal of their treatment within America. It's a story that should be read and is an important part of American history. More info is available at this link.
Please check the story out especially in this month of November where we remember our war dead, those who fought to end tyranny and fascism. (4.0 stars)"
"Lost in Taiwan by Mark Crilley was a lovely graphic novel. American teen Paul goes to Taiwan to spend two weeks with his older brother Theo, who lives there, teaching English. As it begins, the visit isn't going well at all. Paul has planted himself on the couch and basically refuses to explore anywhere with his older brother. He won't even try the local food. Theo loves the city and his girl friend. Paul spends his time on his phone with online friends and eating McDonald's food.
When Theo goes away for a couple of days, Paul is told by one of his 'friends' that a local store is selling the latest Nintendo Swoop. Paul braves the city and using google maps, finds the store. The Swoop, it turns out is a little child's game. Paul drops his phone and breaks it and finds himself lost in this strange new city. Thanks to a lovely local girl, Peijing, he begins both an exploration of the city and culture but also makes a new friend.
It's a wonderful growing up story. It's beautifully drawn and Crilley presents the story, which takes place over one day, so easily and sympathetically. The characters are all likable, even Paul, as he begins to grow up and discover himself. It was just such a positive story that it draws you in completely. And it definitely makes you want to visit Taiwan. Most enjoyable. (4.0 stars)"
"Black Helicopters is the second book in the weirdly wonderful Tinfoil Dossier trilogy by Caitlín R. Kiernan. How to describe it? I'm not sure I can.
Let's see. First there are the albino twins, la Bête and Ivoire. la Bête is by Deer Island with 66 and soldiers, X agents, CIA / FBI, etc as they battle Lovecraftian creatures who have taken over the island and rise from the sea to battle these troops. Bête is hooked on drugs... Then we move to Ireland where Ivoire and is being 'protected?' by Twimsby while assassins from the various agencies try to get rid of her. There is a sort of time travel as the Egyptian, Ptolema, moves from time to time (I think) In the future it seems that Earth is kind of a Water world..... I think.. LOL.
So now that you know what's going on. Even though I'm constantly confused, I'm also constantly amazed. It's like a Philip K. Dick story when he was writing his most drugged out stories... It's dark, poetic at times, philosophical, horrific, and great Sci Fi. I'm looking forward to #3, The Tindalos Asset to see how it all wraps up. Will the Signalman from Book 1 make more of an appearance? (3.5 stars)"
"The Scourge Between Stars is the first book by Ness Brown and it's a pretty darn good start. It's kind of a take on the Alien movies. The Calypso is a HUGE spaceship on its way from Proxima back to Earth. It's part of a fleet of ships as I gathered it but the story focuses on acting Captain Jacklyn Albright and her crew. They have left Proxima because the attempt to settle has been unsuccessful so the colony has decided to return to Earth.
Jack's father and mother were the ship's leaders but her mother killed herself and her father has basically locked himself into his quarters, leaving Jack in charge. It's an interesting situation and one thing I wish was that a bit more time had been spent on that aspect. But, ultimately, it's not the point of the story. This is a horror story. But just to set the stage a bit, the ship is divided into sectors and guilds. The passengers are getting upset and a portion want to go back to Proxima. Jack and her team are trying to sort this out when another situation arises. Their comms are acting up. The food supplies seem to be disappearing faster than they should have. A communication droid, Watson, is acting strangely.
As Jack goes from sector to sector she hears banging on the walls. Strange messages start to arrive from other ships in the fleet, warning them not to open the doors! What doors, she wonders???
Than they start to find bodies, torn to pieces and the adventure starts to ramp up. Jack and her security team begin to hunt down the intruders. What the heck are they?.... It's a very short novella so I'll stop there. Mwuu haa!
All in all, Ness Brown has started off her writing career with a bang. Tense situation, lost in space with something trying to kill her crew. Interesting characters, competent, skilled. But is that enough? I harken back to Aliens, it's an excellent take on that story... Check it out. (3.5 stars)"
"My first exposure to the graphic novels of Gene Luen Yang was American Born Chinese which I enjoyed very much. As I usually do when I find an interesting author, I checked out his other books and Boxers & Saints sounded very interesting. And, lo and behold, it was.
Boxers and Saints is two intertwined stories told in separate graphic novels. It's historical fiction based on the Boxer rebellion which took place in China in 1900. I remember a movie I saw when I was just a kid, 55 Days in Peking, which dealt with the siege of Peking by the Boxers. It was very exciting as a young boy. Anyway, this story is told by two Chinese, Little Bau, a young man who leads a group of Boxers to try and take back his country from foreign intruders and also Four-Girl, a young girl trying to find out who she is, eventually becoming a Christian.
Both of these young people live in the same village but don't really interact. Bao sees Four-Girl (so named because she was the 4th daughter and grandfather decided not to give her a proper name. When she becomes a baptized Christian, she is named Vibiana) one day at the market. Four-Girl is trying to be a demon (she's always in trouble) and is freezing her face, like an opera mask, so that's how Bao remembers her.
Bao, after a series of events leave his father injured and damaged from an attack by Christian Chinese, wants to learn how to fight back and learns how to use a sword. Gradually he gathers a group of other young men, including his brothers and they begin to wander the countryside saving villages from Christians who are exacting tribute. They begin a journey to Peking where they hope to throw out the foreigners who live in their own enclave within Peking.
In the other book, we follow Four-Girl who wants to discover herself. She begins taking lessons from a nearby acupuncturist who is also a Christian. Even though she finds his teaching quite boring, she does like the cookies she gets from his wife. When she is beaten by her grandfather, she decides to follow a Christian priest to learn more about how to become a Christian and she moves to another walled town that is run as an orphanage. She will later meet Bao again when his followers attack the settlement on their way to Peking.
There is so much more to this story. Each main character is guided by mystic spirits; Bao by the ghost of one of the first Emperors of China. In fact when his followers begin an attack they go through a mystical process that changes them into various Chinese gods who help them attack. Four-Girl sees visions of Joan of Arc and tries to follow her. Neither of these mystical spirits is perfect with their guidance and it's questionable how much they actually help the two.
It's a very strong story. Treatment of women and girls is harsh. It's an all around harsh life for the Chinese peasants, in fact. The foreigners abuse them. Neither Bao nor Four-Girl are perfect either. The story covers their flaws very well and each of their quests to discover who they are and their purpose one of the main aspects of the two stories. It's gritty, violent and very strong. But it's a very interesting story which gives you some insight, maybe, into the Boxer Rebellion itself an also of a portion of Chinese history from that period. It's powerfully written, beautifully drawn and colored and just a real page turner. (4.0 stars)"
Currently Reading
"THE SANDMAN is the most acclaimed and award-winning comics series of the 1990s for good reason; a smart and deeply brooding epic, elegantly penned by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by a rotating cast of comics' most sought-after artists, it is a rich blend of modern myth and dark fantasy in which contemporary fiction, historical drama, and legend are seamlessly interwoven. The saga of THE SANDMAN encompasses a series of tales unique in graphic literature and is a story you will never forget.
They have had many names: The Erinyes. The Eumenides. The Dirae. The Furies. Agents of vengeance, implacable and unstoppable, they do not rest until the crime they seek to punish is washed clean with blood. It is to them, THE KINDLY ONES, that Lyta Hall turns when her baby Daniel is taken from her, and it is Dream of the Endless who becomes their target. But behind a mother's grief and unyielding rage, there are darker forces at work, and what they set in motion will eventually demand a sacrifice greater than any the Dreaming has yet known."
“We have to make an example of her.”
Chaos reigns in Olympus as Zeus publicly declares Persephone a traitor and issues a warrant for her arrest. But Hades defies his brother’s decree, sheltering Persephone in the Underworld—and as the pair spend more time together, they are able to speak openly about their pasts. The goddess of spring admits the truth behind the bloody secret that led to Zeus’s ire, and the king of the Underworld shares the trauma he suffered at the hands of his power-hungry father, Kronos.
But as Hades and Persephone’s relationship grows stronger, others begin to fall apart. The bond between Hades and Zeus is stretched to its limit, threatening to fracture the peace between their realms. Persephone and Artemis’s friendship hangs by a thread as the goddess of the hunt slowly uncovers the vile truth about her twin, Apollo. A line is being drawn in the heavens, putting everyone’s loyalties into question as all the gods are forced to choose sides.
And as the cracks in the foundation of the pantheon spread, something darker and more earth-shattering might soon be released. . . ."
There have always been whispers. Legends. The warrior who cannot be killed. Who’s seen a thousand civilizations rise and fall. He has had many names: Unute, Child of Lightning, Death himself. These days, he’s known simply as “B.”
And he wants to be able to die.
In the present day, a U.S. black-ops group has promised him they can help with that. And all he needs to do is help them in return. But when an all-too-mortal soldier comes back to life, the impossible event ultimately points toward a force even more mysterious than B himself. One at least as strong. And one with a plan all its own.
A mind-blowing epic of ancient powers, modern war, and an outcast who cannot die. Combines Miéville’s singular style and creativity with Reeves’s haunting and soul-stirring narrative, unlike anything these two genre-bending pioneers have created before, inspired by the world of the BRZRKR comic books."
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| Martha Wells |
And Murderbot would rather those questions went away. For good."
Having traveled the width of the galaxy to unearth details of its own murderous transgressions, as well as those of the Gray Cris Corporation, Murderbot is heading home to help Dr. Mensah — its former owner (protector? friend?) — submit evidence that could prevent Gray Cris from destroying more colonists in its never-ending quest for profit.
But who's going to believe a SecUnit gone rogue?
And what will become of it when it's caught?"
Come for the pew-pew space battles, stay for the most relatable A.I. you’ll read this century.
—
I’m usually alone in my head, and that’s where 90 plus percent of my problems are.
When Murderbot's human associates (not friends, never friends) are captured and another not-friend from its past requires urgent assistance, Murderbot must choose between inertia and drastic action."
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