A boy named Miguel meets an enchanting Australian girl with her pet dog. He immediately finds out that she is a shapeshifting dingo, and that along wi...moreA boy named Miguel meets an enchanting Australian girl with her pet dog. He immediately finds out that she is a shapeshifting dingo, and that along with her twin sister is wanted by a powerful shapeshifter. Not much else happens.
It's a brief, simplistic book that didn't hook me. The twin girls didn't feel like they had any depth beyond being princesses in a castle, and the whole "wise fey redhead" thing grates on me. I think if the book dropped Miguel and focused on the tormented Johnny, it would have had real depth. It didn't though, and Miguel really doesn't have enough personality to care about. It's not a bad book, but not one to actively search out.(less)
This is a collection of four different novels staring John Grimes, master of the Little Sister, a space-going pinnace made out of an isotope of pure g...moreThis is a collection of four different novels staring John Grimes, master of the Little Sister, a space-going pinnace made out of an isotope of pure gold. It's good space opera, but not particularly great. Matilda's Children is probably the worst of the four, with the sexual themes of the first two novels dialed up to eleven here. A good value for fans of classic SF.(less)
It should be called Iron Man: Extremist, because for some odd reason, the main adversary for him was a caricature of a conservative who wo...moreJust a mess.
It should be called Iron Man: Extremist, because for some odd reason, the main adversary for him was a caricature of a conservative who would take time out from his rampages to wish that things could go back to the way things used to be. The whole political aspect of the series felt odd and out of place.
I don't mind politics in comics. I liked Civil War Iron Man, because it felt natural that a pragmatic technocrat like Tony would act the way he did, even if it was unpopular. But a bad sign of the British new wave is bloviating about whatever pet fetish they have with the subtlety of a brick to the face, and it shows in here. The scene with the adversary arguing with a punk girl at the bus stop was a farce, and the rest of the comic was no better.
Apparently all these years Tony had been too slow in his armor, despite fighting gods, cosmic-level adversaries, and the best villains on the planet. Some guy injected with a virus though, he's too much. It made no sense for Tony to (view spoiler)[inject himself with extremis (hide spoiler)], either; he's one of the most brilliant minds on the planet, and this is how he fights? He's tackled tougher. He's probably fought the Hulk for heaven's sake.
The art is the post-ultimates blah style of weird colors and semi-realism. It's a short mini-series, but the writing is meh. "Nobody ever loved me!" made me wince. There's no need either to rehash Tony's guilt over being a weapon's manufacturer. It's been done to death, and it's really not the reason why people like him.
I seem to be having bad luck in books lately, and this was no exception. (less)
This book is like listening to your erudite upper-class grandmother wax poetic about faith in relatively bland, indefinite terms while she sips chamom...moreThis book is like listening to your erudite upper-class grandmother wax poetic about faith in relatively bland, indefinite terms while she sips chamomile tea on a rattan chair in an immaculately kept garden. This means some of you absolutely will love this book, and others will squirm and fidget because they hate tea. I'm the latter.
It isn't a bad book by any means, and it's good to see L'Engle engage faith, albeit elliptically. It's more about intuition and sentiment than a hard look at the Christian and art. It's not that correct either; bad religion has made plenty of good art; the gnostic William Blake is one example. I also think if you can see the Incarnation in secular and Christian works, it might just be you seeing something the author didn't intend. But this isn't a work really for those of us who want nuts and bolts; it's feeling, sentiment, and poetry, and for people who enjoy such, it's fine at doing that.
I tend to not connect with L'Engle, but this book, like all her rest, seem tailor made for sensitive, intelligent young women with a religious, non-dogmatic bent, and you'll probably enjoy it far better if you are one. Men would probably connect better with someone like G.K. Chesterton; "The Ethics of Elfland" in Orthodoxy makes a good contrast in styles between the two.(less)
I liked him better than Ligotti, and The Imago Sequence deserves its awards, but the rest of the stories in the book are rough. I agree with Isidore S...moreI liked him better than Ligotti, and The Imago Sequence deserves its awards, but the rest of the stories in the book are rough. I agree with Isidore Smith's review in that Barron is often too elliptical in his stories for his own good. Most of them could be far more horrifying if were shorter, and didn't digress as much from the central idea of the story. The titular story does this, and is quite effective.
Also, maybe it's me, but for all of nine stories, he repeats stylistic quirks very often to the point of distraction, like lowercasewithnospacesismorehorrifying or liking Belphegor a lot. To be fair, these are his earliest stories, and you can see him grow as a writer in each one, but until he starts to do so, you'll notice a few things.
Even rough, I liked the stories, and he'd be an author I'd definitely try a book from again. (less)
It's more "the language of famous people and myself" than the language of God. Doesn't really address much of the topic, but is more about anecdotes f...moreIt's more "the language of famous people and myself" than the language of God. Doesn't really address much of the topic, but is more about anecdotes from Wouk's life as related to it; talking to Feymann about research for a book, trying to write one for Neil Armstrong, how one of his books was pirated in China and somewhat links it to Confucianism. There's no sustained argument on the subject as opposed to anecdotes.
It's not bad otherwise, if you look at it as such. But the title suggests a discourse on something else entirely, and I don't think people will be satisfied if that's the topic you are looking for. (less)
It's dated, with unrealistic characters and a detective who thinks detecting is just accusing people of outlandish theories. The social commentary is...moreIt's dated, with unrealistic characters and a detective who thinks detecting is just accusing people of outlandish theories. The social commentary is heavy-handed and without any realization that it might be bad to make large percentages of the population jobless in the hope that it forces people to colonize space. The characters are eh, the future world can be silly at times (apparently walking outside of the city is seen as something shocking and emotionally damaging by most earthlings) and Asimov's prose is workmanlike at best. (less)
It's a decent novelization of the events of the Civil War story arc by Marvel. That story is unique among all the big multi-character events you see i...moreIt's a decent novelization of the events of the Civil War story arc by Marvel. That story is unique among all the big multi-character events you see in comics because it used real-world themes and actual moral differences between heroes instead of crazy pan-dimensional hijinks, anti-anti-anti monitors, or just weird things.
When the New Warriors, desperate for ratings on their reality show, try and tackle a bunch of villains above their power league, it leads to a massive tragedy in Stamford, CT. This is the final blow to a society weary of superhuman carnage, and an act is passed with the help of Tony Stark and SHIELD. Superheroes either register with the government and accept salaries as superhuman peace officers, or get jailed. This splits the hero community down the middle, and Iron Man and Captain America represent the pro and anti-registration sides. What's going to happen?
The book is straightforwards. It can't include all of the events the Civil War covered, but it does a good job of portraying the event. Moore adds a few obvious nods to future real-world events like Obamacare, Occupy, and 1% which are so-so. It ends at a good point, and it's a decent refresher to the Civil War, or an introduction to it if you don't want to collect the graphic novels.
It's an okay story though, and some of the flaws of the Civil War itself bring it down. I didn't really like how Captain America was the head of the anti-reg side, with Iron Man the pro-law guy. To be honest, I feel it should have been reversed, with Cap supporting the government and coming to realize that he was wrong, and Iron Man as a techno-libertarian who tries to buck government regulation only to realize the kind of bedfellows he is in with. Cap often acts not like himself in this position, and it grates sometimes.Reading this now also reminds me that the anti-reg side is on very weak ground. This series was written back when Gitmo's existence loomed in the public mindset, but without it, and with things like Newtown, the pro-reg side kind of wins the argument.
Part of this too is an odd blindness of the writers on certain things. The idea of a superhuman prison in the negative zone is like Miracle Man's prison in Kingdom Come. They both are reasonable, rational responses to superhumans who won't follow the rules. But while Kingdom come had it fail due to the simple logistics of having too many superhumans in one place, in Civil War we are supposed to see it as bad altogether. I think there were some missed opportunities that weakened one side. The X-men remaining neutral completely ignored the fact that they had already suffered through the Mutant Registration Act, which led to the storyline The Fall of the Mutants. The original X-factor team was formed along these lines, as a "good" mutant team to restrain bad mutants, and I would think given that so many government agencies were found of using Sentinels against them that they would have vehemently protested registration. That would have brought the two teams to more or less moral parity.
They kind of had to ruin Iron Man's character, as well as nearly ruin Reed Richards (which seems to be a trend, think Marvel Zombies) to make it work, and while it still was an excellent series it wound up snarling up under writer conflicts and half-baked ideas, and you see it in this book some. I think it's still good, and it did a wonderful job of humanizing the Fantastic Four, who are often neglected in the Marvel Universe.
It's a good recap/novelization of probably one of the better event series in comics, despite the flaws. While it can't be encyclopedic, it makes for fun reading. (less)
If you like Eva, this is a pretty silly collection of short comics about it. It had me at Evan-dog-lion where the cast is turned to puppies during Shi...moreIf you like Eva, this is a pretty silly collection of short comics about it. It had me at Evan-dog-lion where the cast is turned to puppies during Shinji's first sortie (poor rei and her neck brace,) but there's more that's fun about it. Another funny spot was joking about Shinji's strategically covered nudity in one episode, and a certain frog makes a cameo. Your enjoyment is purely going to be based on your tolerance for silliness, so don't go in expecting a heartfelt tribute to the series. But if you like goofy takes on popular series, you might find it fun. I did.(less)
Like the other reviews, you need to have a familiarity with the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya to get a lot of the humor in the book. It's pretty funny...moreLike the other reviews, you need to have a familiarity with the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya to get a lot of the humor in the book. It's pretty funny if you know about it, but it's not like say .hack//4Koma where the humor is based on making the characters weird and you can still pick up on it despite little knowledge of the game. Instead its based on subverting what happened in the books, and riffing off of it. If you're not a fan, don't bother with this.(less)
It's two stories about twentyish women who lose someone precious to them. One loses her grandmother, the other her boyfriend. They both encounter dama...moreIt's two stories about twentyish women who lose someone precious to them. One loses her grandmother, the other her boyfriend. They both encounter damaged men who seem unable to relate to people normally. There's also two men whose response is to change gender as a result of their grief; one becomes a transsexual once he had lost his wife, and the other wears his dead girlfriend's uniform to school.
Beyond those odd quirks, it's a rather slow, gentle pair of stories. I had the sense of "this is life" reading it, and while I liked it, it felt more like a friend calming you than an emotional release. (less)
This is a conditional review based on seeing the anime first. You can add a star or two if you haven't.
Rather than describe the plot, I'm just going t...moreThis is a conditional review based on seeing the anime first. You can add a star or two if you haven't.
Rather than describe the plot, I'm just going to say that if you've seen the first half of the anime, you've already read this book. There's very little different between the two, with only a few minor changes and extra scenes. For some reason Rei the parakeet is named Ray, and (view spoiler)[ the dead person is called the casualty. (hide spoiler)] The main character's history is explained slightly better, especially how he got his medical condition in the first place. Beyond this though, nothing much has changed.
Unfortunately the novel really doesn't have that much punch to it. The anime seemed to make the scenes better, and in text they don't come across as chilling or perplexing. I think part of it is because they cut between points of view in the anime, and in the book they didn't. This means unless he was there, we only get the deaths of others second hand. This drains a lot of the shock and horror out of the situations.
I can only give it an okay because of this. If you read without seeing the anime, you can enjoy the mystery central to the book more, but otherwise it adds little to nothing beyond that.(less)
It's an effective potboiler that manages to be just as relevant today as in 1989.
The Tanners have just moved to a company town in Denver. The father...moreIt's an effective potboiler that manages to be just as relevant today as in 1989.
The Tanners have just moved to a company town in Denver. The father Blake has been promoted, and at first it seems a paradise. But it's quickly apparent something is wrong, and Tannertech is researching something that's tied into the local school's football program. It's going to get a lot worse, very quickly.
A lot of 90s fiction can feel very dated today; read something like Michael Crichton's Congo for example. But the conceit of Creature if anything is probably even more valid, now that parents see sport as an entry to the best colleges, and are far more concerned with their children's futures than then. Creature isn't the best mystery, and the horror aspects are telegraphed, but there's a certain inexorability in how everything goes to hell.
Since its more of a potboiler, it doesn't really examine the premise as much as it could. There's some underlying misogyny as all the men seem prisoners to the status quo and sport as their women perceive the horror and start to pay for it one by one. The idea of sport and work as so dominant that people sacrifice their kids for it isn't explored as much as it could have been either. But as a potboiler it's almost perfect; a timeless issue, decent prose, and an entertaining story.
Even more if you dislike sport to begin with, and don't like the arrogance of a lot of tech companies and visionaries. Creature isn't high literature, but it's timeless, isolates a fundamental part of the zeitgeist, and moves briskly enough to forgive a lack of depth. You could do a lot worse than this book for a beach read.(less)
**spoiler alert** It's a bit too savage of a satire on either Christianity or Buddhism to truly like, but it's more compelling than the title would th...more**spoiler alert** It's a bit too savage of a satire on either Christianity or Buddhism to truly like, but it's more compelling than the title would think. Very abrupt ending.
Some bored socialites on a yacht discover a strange copper cylinder. In it is the record of a sailor who has discovered what is a nightmare world. In a cave society there exists a race of people that at first seem kindly altruists, but in actuality possess such a screwed up belief system that the sailor quickly finds his existence a horror. Meanwhile the socialites critique the manuscript itself in an interesting metafictional take on the book.
It's hard to avoid spoilers, but the book is really a hard satire on certain forms of religious faith. The inhabitants of the dystopia long for death like people long for life, and have a complete reversal of status. Filthy paupers are the highest status people, and what the sailor thinks is altruism is people in essence robbing a clueless outsider to boost their status. The richest are seen as the poorest, and it gets worse. The highest form of love between two people is being separated forever and marrying others, and public death is the greatest reward.
It's way too close to a nightmare version of Christianity to be comfortable reading. Martyrdom, the least being the highest, giving away everything you own, and a dark, cannibalistic rite of supper hint towards it, although it tends to add Buddhism in that actual religious origins of the society aren't explored, and it seems to be more of a philosophy. But it manages to be surprisingly dark, with the philosophy the dystopia has growing even worse when one particular philosopher starts to manipulate it to win the sailor over to her own aims. It's compelling, but it's really a harsh, almost unfair satire.
It manifests a bit in the book too, in that the main characters tend to be unable to act due to despair. The metafiction aspects are funny as one pedantic doctor starts to identify all the critters in the account, a writer cynic ranks on how bad the book is, and they start to debate philology and language. It's very readable for a 19th century dystopia, and the way the world is can actually slip into horror for the modern reader. Definitely worth reading, although the satire may bite a bit too deeply for some.(less)
What would you do if the girl you loved and lost showed up one day and asked for your help in killing a vampire? If you're Sa...moreI didn't really like it.
What would you do if the girl you loved and lost showed up one day and asked for your help in killing a vampire? If you're Sam, you agree to it, and now you have a dead vampire on his hands. Though whether or not he actually is one is a toss-up, so you need to go out and dump his body far away. From there on, it gets worse.
The problem is that the titular vampire Elliot wears metal fangs, and the book is oddly coy about him being one. He spends most of his time dead in the trunk of the main character's car, but there's never any payoff to it; the two erstwhile vampire murderers run into a few other characters, and deal with them while the elephant in the room gets ignored. This would work if there was some kind of resolution, but the book really just ends after the more mundane threats are dealt with.
There's not much in the way of tension, and the book goes on too long to really believe in the main conceit-that two people have a potential ticking time bomb in their trunk in the form of a vampire. It would be one thing if it actually delivered on its promise, but mundane threats and two idiot main characters in Cat and Sam sap all the energy from the book. You might like it better if you think of it as a standard crime novel that riffs on the idea of vampires some, but I didn't like the lack of payoff.(less)
The local junior high is suffering from an epidemic of food poisoning. Can Sebastian Barth find out who did it and ho...moreUnusual premise, but little more.
The local junior high is suffering from an epidemic of food poisoning. Can Sebastian Barth find out who did it and how?
It's okay. The book itself is kind of meh, with a surprisingly serious ending. It's not a black comedy; the kids get minor cases of food poisoning and aren't really dropping like flies. I think there might be a few too many characters in the book, but other than that, it's an okay mystery by the author of Bunnicula. (less)
I don't really know why, but I can't stand this book. I've read others by the same author and liked them, but this one rubbed me wrong. I think it's b...moreI don't really know why, but I can't stand this book. I've read others by the same author and liked them, but this one rubbed me wrong. I think it's because for all the writing she does about small town western South Dakota, she can't escape the fact that it really, really sucks.
The people are insular and honestly backwards despite her best spin on it; they mistrust outsiders, don't even bother to read, and tend to be petty and vindictive despite living in tiny settlements and having to depend on each other. For all the beauty of the land, it comes across as forbidding and harsh, with wind that blasts you to hell and back, and whiteout snow conditions common. She likes to be all progressive on the local Sioux, but they don't seem to be doing so hot either; their kids are silent, and they are quickly adopting casinos just to deal with life.
Norris is very much a monastic, and rather than a real appreciation of the land, most of the book seems to appreciate it more as a version of the desert the Desert Fathers lived in. As a place of lack that can form spiritual character. Deserts are not nice places in themselves, and there really isn't much about the place itself that can make for a spiritual geography. (less)
It's a different "last man on earth" book, which focuses on a man who is going insane from the lack of people, and suspects he may be manipulated by o...moreIt's a different "last man on earth" book, which focuses on a man who is going insane from the lack of people, and suspects he may be manipulated by one of two powers. It's compelling because there is no "stiff upper lip" here-the main character is tormented and even diabolical.
Jeffson is a doctor who wishes he could go on a North Pole expedition. His wife poisons one of the members, enabling him to go and win glory for her, and it goes downhill from there. Through no little tragedy, Jeffson winds up as the first man to reach the pole.
This sets off the end of the world, as a poisonous purple cloud is released and proceeds to kill everyone on the face of the planet. The devastation is total and heartbreaking. The story follows Jeffson as he tries to deal with the after-effects of the end of the world, and with the crazy idea that there may be one other person left.
It's better than usual because the main character actually reacts like someone would when no other human exists. He goes crazy-he torches entire cities, hears voices, is deathly afraid of what happens if he could meet someone else, and tries to repent of his cruelty by making a palace for God. This gives the book a raw, real edge that drives home the fact that everyone has died, and the idea of two Powers fighting it out over the world adds to the menace. There's no quiet resolve here.
Worthwhile checking out if you want something different than the usual cozy apocalypse.(less)
I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. If you can get past the needless archaism, you'll find a deep tale of a young knight who seeks his fortun...moreI didn't expect to like it as much as I did. If you can get past the needless archaism, you'll find a deep tale of a young knight who seeks his fortune, finds heartbreak, and is purified through a quest to find life at the Well at the World's End.
There are four sons of the king of the Upmeads. The Upmeads is a small land, not rich but at peace. However like all young men, they crave adventure, and draw lots to see who will go and who will stay. The youngest, the unfortunately named Ralph, is the one to stay. Yet he sneaks away too, and seeks adventure. He'll find it, to his own grief and hurt. But there may be hope, if he can make it to the Well at the World's End.
I'll admit, this isn't the good kind of archaism. Most people will struggle through the book, and it is a long book to struggle through.But if you make the effort, you see a young man suffer loss and tyranny, and many surprisingly deep stories about others. A story about a Lady who finds her beauty a curse, many stories of knights and robbers, and poor Ralph, who is beset by many false companions. The details make the book, like how the Lord of Utterbol in a fit of boredom puts Ralph against his men in a joust, and he embarrasses them all. Yet a well-advised act of mercy gives him aid. The characters feel far more real than you'd think, from Clement Chapman's hard-nosed advice to Ralph not to go on the quest, to Ursula, who awakens the patience Ralph needed in matters of love and who is a fellow traveler before a lover. These characters and situations elevate the book.
It's also sort of an anti-fantasy. For all the magic of the Well at the World's End, Ralph's first thought after drinking of it is to go back home. The agelessness it gives has been shown to be a curse to others, but to him and Ursula it is only maturity and resolve. You go to the ends of the world, and see the sights, only to go back to your first estate. Some of the best scenes in the book are the most mundane; Ralph and Ursula wintering in a forest of sweet chestnuts, for example.
If you can stomach the archaism, I think you'll find the book to be more rewarding than you expect. But it is a long, and at times dry read.
It's very British, and has some moments of poignancy, but is a little too slow and introspective to really like.
Tom is sent to live with his aunt and...moreIt's very British, and has some moments of poignancy, but is a little too slow and introspective to really like.
Tom is sent to live with his aunt and uncle one day when his brother gets measles and needs to be quarantined. He dislikes it intensely, being an outdoors sort of boy moved into a rather dull flat. One day, the broken clock in the hallway strikes thirteen, and he finds a door that opens into a mysterious garden. It's apparent that it is the past, and he soon befriends a young, lonely girl named Hatty.
It works best as a sweet story of how two very lonely children cross time and befriend each other. Both Tom and Hatty aren't exactly ill-used, but both seem unable to connect with anyone. There's some mystery about the nature of time, and a lot of dreamy travel into the past. However, the age of the book, and the lack of focus on a plot as opposed to vignettes of the past weaken the book some. The time travel and ghost story are means to get the two together rather than worthwhile in themselves.
I'm not sure how modern children would enjoy it. I think if your child reads at an advanced level, and likes more character-driven stories than action they might enjoy it very much. Despite the boy protagonist, I don't think it will suck boys in, and the overall lack of action or plot might not appeal to many young readers.(less)
More like flash-fiction than short stories, many of these tables are sublime little fables based around themes. Some are barely a couple of paragraphs...moreMore like flash-fiction than short stories, many of these tables are sublime little fables based around themes. Some are barely a couple of paragraphs long, but all seem to evoke specific ideas. A regret over the old pagan gods being gone, and mankind forgetting things like forest life combine with a dislike of modern life and its philosophy to make short little tales with sharp points.
Most of the fiction is too brief to savor, and it's pretty one-sided in its outlook. However, it's still excellent fantasy with a melancholic spirit, with little archaism. It probably would be best to find a quiet tree to read this under.(less)
This probably wasn't the best book to read as my introduction to Ted Dekker. But it was staring at me at the used bookstore, and nothing indicated it...moreThis probably wasn't the best book to read as my introduction to Ted Dekker. But it was staring at me at the used bookstore, and nothing indicated it was a second book in a trilogy, so I picked it up. I regret doing so.
Carl is an assassin for a shadowy group. That group does bad things to him in order to keep him under control. He kills some people, and eventually he is sent to kill the President of the USA. Meanwhile, David Abraham (who has a son Samuel, no less,) is warning the president about this group, as well as a plot to disarm Israel. You pretty much can guess what will happen next.
Well, the first thing is that this is book two in a trilogy, and the book itself says nothing about being part of one. Normally this doesn't matter, as second books bring you up to speed on what has happened before, but this one doesn't. This makes for a confusing mess where we are supposed to care about characters who have no backstory and very little purpose. The revelation of Carl's real name for one had absolutely zero impact, and most other characters were ciphers. Whatever Project Showdown was must have only been described in the first book, as you get little info on it here.
There's also a lot of weirdness. For the amount of manipulation the X guys do to people, they seem very casual about harming or throwing away their agents. Carl seems to have psychic powers, but they really don't explain how or why he has them. Even if supernatural, there needs to be a reason why he can do what he can. The names again-David Abraham, Samuel, Paradise, Co. No subtlety there. The Israel thing is barely touched on, and considering that popular opinion was in favor of the villain's view, why risk changing that with what he did? Carl's true military career is confusing. Referring to a past, entirely different trilogy was an eye-roller too. There are a lot of things which make the book feel more haphazard than it should.
I think I just picked a bad book to read by him, but I didn't really like it. I'll have to try his other ones.(less)
When one of the seven fits is trashing Maureen Dowd, and another is barely a few pages, something is up. When much of the book is a paean to Barack Ob...moreWhen one of the seven fits is trashing Maureen Dowd, and another is barely a few pages, something is up. When much of the book is a paean to Barack Obama, and a lamentation of how evil conservatives seem to use snark while liberals never do, even if the content is the same, well, the garbage can awaits.(less)
It's a one-sided account of the decisions that led a mom to a brief stint of homelessness. Kind of red-pill if you read between the lines and notice t...moreIt's a one-sided account of the decisions that led a mom to a brief stint of homelessness. Kind of red-pill if you read between the lines and notice the lack of focus on the husband.
Michelle married her high-school sweetheart Tom. It seemed to go well, until she had her third child, and Tom started to crack under the stress of working a job he hates. One day he loses it, and decides to embrace the simple life in a shack far away. For awhile, Michelle survives, until the money runs out, and she moves to join him. An accident causes her to grow angry with the simple life, and she moves away from Tom, working at a bar, and sleeping in her car with three kids. This is her story.
One problem is that it is VERY one-sided. She loved having kids, and there's little talk about how that must have affected Tom. She even married him to get her "dependent" status lifted so she could attend college. Tom seems to have done right until he couldn't bear it any more. To be fair, she said she tried to support him, but you wonder what his take on it was.
The accident with the dogs too-she blamed him living where he was, but she herself said she wanted a dog team, and there's no reflection on how that might have factored in. She abruptly leaves, and then its a stint as homeless which thankfully ends when she gets a job and apartment, and soon a new beau whom she moves in and becomes the stay at home mom she used to be.
It's a bit red-pill because men seem to be there to enable her wants. Tom to let her get into college and provide for the kids, and Logan later on as a "white knight" who is willing to take a mother of three on. This is not to absolve Tom, who continues to chase after his wants and more or less abandoned his family without much attempt of reconciliation. But you kind of get a "watch out" vibe as a man reading this.
The homeless sections are true to life and the best part of the book. However, it's more illuminating as a record of bad decisions in a marriage than this, and a little too one-sided to enjoy fully.(less)
This contains volume 13 and 14 of the manga, plus the two "wedding" stories. It's great because in it, you finally see Keitaro transcend the bumbling,...moreThis contains volume 13 and 14 of the manga, plus the two "wedding" stories. It's great because in it, you finally see Keitaro transcend the bumbling, dorky guy he was at start to become awesome, while its the girls who abused him who spaz out, need to deal with unrequited feelings, get wishy-washy, and then overcome that too.
All the little things from the start are sewn up nicely. Naru still goes back and forth, but it's changed; now its her worries that she isn't right for Keitaro that make her afraid instead of her selfishness. Motoko, who spent so much time beating up Keitaro over his weakness, finds that she's weaker than he was in the end. Watching Keitaro (view spoiler)[defeat her with her own rock-splitting sword shinmei technique (hide spoiler)] shows how much the worm has turned. Seta and Haruka get some much needed closure, and there's so many touching moments in this volume that it makes all the earlier ones worthwhile.
The book ends full circle, with a new "keitaro," Ema, arriving at Hinata house during Keitaro and Naru's wedding. It's a nice little snapshot of the crew a few years after, with Shinobu especially turning into quite the heartbreaker.
The translation is different from the tokyopop versions, and you'll notice a lot of different word choices. It's a little truer to the japanese concepts, but loses some of the fun. Still a great end to an awesome series though.(less)
This volume is better than the first two, because it diverges some from the anime, and actually explains a few things the anime never bothered to.
Ayum...moreThis volume is better than the first two, because it diverges some from the anime, and actually explains a few things the anime never bothered to.
Ayumu is still zombie-ing around. But Kyouko is too, and she is trying to get Dai-sensei's secret Magikewl weapon. Meanwhile Sera is struggling with a new order: Kill Eu!
It cleared up a lot of things that seemed random from the anime series. The Vampire Ninjas are tied to Eu a lot more intimately than thought, and it's explained how new ones are created. Tomonori's "gift" actually makes sense now: (view spoiler)[She's not actually a vampire ninja, but the magikewl weapon Kyouko is looking for. (hide spoiler)] Sarasvati also makes an early appearance, and has her own plots. It actually explained one of the weird things in the anime, the whole ramen thing. (view spoiler)[Remember the odd focus of the vampire ninja on making ramen? I think it's because of Saras's plot in this book; trying to create more vampire ninja from humans through dosing them with their blood. (hide spoiler)]
It won't really convert you to the series, but it's great for fans of the anime. (less)
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