This is a tricky book to review, because it (and the TV series it's based on) are linked to my childhood nostalgia. Am I being too hard on it if it do...moreThis is a tricky book to review, because it (and the TV series it's based on) are linked to my childhood nostalgia. Am I being too hard on it if it doesn't live up to my adult expectations? Am I being too easy on it based on fond memories?
I haven't seen the TV series in a long time, but this book nudged my memories enough that I think I'd still enjoy it; there are some great lines, e.g. the Sheriff saying "It's a wedding, not a celebration!" The problem is that this book often feels like a synopsis more than a story. I think that's partly due to size constraints: I've seen film novelisations twice the length of this book for a 90 minute film, whereas this book has to cover 5 hour-long episodes, so it has to summarise a lot. Also, I think that writing a TV script is a different skill to writing a novel.
So, I think this works well as a companion to the series, providing a way to "rewatch" episodes when DVDs weren't available. However, it doesn't really stand up as a novel in its own right.
(view spoiler)[One thing I particularly liked about this book/series is that they don't put King Richard on a pedastal. There have been several other Robin Hood adaptations where he's treated as a perfect figure who will set everything to rights, in contrast to the evil Prince John. In this series, Richard doesn't really care about England, and John has to raise taxes to pay his ransom when he gets captured. So, it's a bit more nuanced, and I suspect that it's more historically accurate. (hide spoiler)](less)
If you've read the previous book, you'll know what the writing style is like, and this is basically more of the same. I still disagree with putting th...moreIf you've read the previous book, you'll know what the writing style is like, and this is basically more of the same. I still disagree with putting the book in the present tense, particularly because there are a few bits where the authors talk about what will happen in the future. If this was all written in the past tense then it makes sense that future events for the characters would also be in the past for the narrator, but it's straining the concept a bit here. Also, in one of those sections the text uses "would" when it should have said "will". I don't like to nitpick, but I'm aware of this because it distracted my attention from the story.
My main criticism of the first book was the misleading title, i.e. nobody ever even said the word "Governor". This book does better, i.e. it fills in some of the gap between the first book and the comics. However, I think it also cheats a bit by having a bit of a time lapse in between, so we don't see exactly how the Governor came to power: it's just presented as a fait accompli.
(view spoiler)[This book starts with several new characters; this means that their futures aren't set in stone, so there's a bit more freedom for their stories to develop. Later on, when they reach Woodbury, it's interesting to look at the events when we know how they'll turn out.
I'm a bit dubious about the arena. I understand the principle of "bread and circuses", but in the comic some of the local residents objected about people dieing inside. That worked well in the comic, showing that Rick Grimes' original impression was misleading, but I'm not sure how well it fits with what's here. Maybe the next book will cover that? I also think that the Governor was being remarkably merciful towards people who tried to kill him!
In the first book, and in the comic, a recurring theme is that people try to grow their own food because they know that canned food will run out. I'm surprised that it doesn't turn up in this book at all. If Woodbury is supposed to be a permanent settlement, what's the Governor's long-term strategy? (hide spoiler)]
All in all, this is ok on its own merits, but it's certainly not essential reading; it doesn't really enhance the comics at all, and they tell a better story.(less)
I've been reading The Walking Dead (in comic form) for a few years, although I've only seen a couple of episodes of the TV series. This book is based...moreI've been reading The Walking Dead (in comic form) for a few years, although I've only seen a couple of episodes of the TV series. This book is based around the comics, so I had high hopes for it. Sadly, it didn't live up to my expectations; most of my comments come down to "it was ok, but..."
Firstly, you need to understand what you're getting. Based on the title, I naively assumed that this would tell the Governor's backstory, leading up to the events we saw in the comic. It doesn't. In fact, the word "Governor" never even appears in this story. I now realise that it's the first installment of a trilogy, but there's nothing in the book to say that, e.g. "To be continued..."
In the comic, Robert Kirkman has been careful not to use "the Z-word" (zombies). It's slipped into the monthly issues once or twice, but when people have commented on it in the letters page, he said that he'd correct that in the TPB. So, it's odd that this book refers to zombies several times. Maybe a gap in communication between the two authors?
This book is written entirely in the present tense. I don't know why, and I don't think it helps the story. I didn't really notice for the first few chapters, but there were times when it felt quite intrusive.
(view spoiler)[The comic started about a month after all the zombies appeared. This book starts about three days after the initial uprising, so we get to see a bit more of the collapse of society. E.g. radio stations and TV channels are initially still broadcasting, then they gradually shut down.
We still don't know what actually triggered everything, but one of the characters mentions a plague. I'm not sure whether that was just supposed to be speculation on their part, but it got me thinking. One of the interesting ideas in this universe is that all corpses come back as zombies, i.e. you don't have to be bitten first. Bites only have an indirect effect, by infecting you so that you die sooner. Based on that, I wonder whether there were two independent events, i.e. something (undetermined) is making corpses come back to life, and there was a separate plague which killed a lot of people in a short space of time, thus creating a critical mass of zombies.
This also brings up a plothole in the book, though. In the comic, the characters (and readers) didn't find out about all corpses coming back for quite a while. So, in the book, I wondered whether these characters were aware of that. There's a scene where they have to escape from a big group of zombies in a church, and Brian wonders how they all turned at once. (As a side note to the authors, a "horde" is a big group of people, whereas a "hoard" is a collection of stuff.) Brian speculates that one of the congregation may have had a heart attack in the middle of a service, then come back as a zombie and started biting other people. That's plausible, and it established that he knew zombies could come from any death.
Later on, the protagonists meet up with another group of survivors. An old man dies, and they discuss burying him. As I read that, I thought "Why aren't they doing anything to stop him from turning? They must realise how dangerous this is!" But they all seemed shocked when he came back as a zombie and tried to eat his daughter. The point is, it's inconsistent. If the writers wanted to show the characters discovering new information, that's fine; it may not be new to us as readers, but I don't mind watching them learn it the hard way. Equally, if the writers want to establish that the characters already know this information, e.g. from events that happened during the previous three days (before the book started), that's also fine. However, you have to pick one! Trying to do it both ways doesn't work, and it makes me think that the book really needed more proofreading.
Speaking of things that the readers know, this book is a prequel, leading up to events that we've already seen in the comic. Based on that, we already know that certain characters are doomed, e.g. that Penny would become a zombie. The writers then had a "clever" idea of subverting this, by killing off Philip and saying that Brian is actually the person who became the Governor, taking his brother's name. In fairness, it did surprise me when Philip died, since I expected him to survive. However, this plot twist doesn't really make any sense. In particular, why would Brian suddenly start calling himself Philip?
Other stories have handled a similar idea better. For instance, in Spider-Man: The Lost Years, Peter Parker's clone needed a new name to separate himself from the original person, so he chose the name Ben Reilly. That's fine, but in this story nobody in Woodbury had heard of Brian Blake, and they wouldn't be able to look him up, so he didn't have any reputation to get away from.
Still, having said all that, it wasn't a bad story. It was interesting to follow a different group of characters, and I will read the next book to see what happens next. Hopefully that will give a plausible explanation for how Brian (Philip) turns into the character we saw in the comics. (hide spoiler)](less)
It's interesting to compare how Dredd is portrayed in this book to his current appearances in the comics (as a much older man). However, the story isn...moreIt's interesting to compare how Dredd is portrayed in this book to his current appearances in the comics (as a much older man). However, the story isn't really up to much. In particular, I think that any detective story should "play fair" and give the audience a chance to come up with their own theories. This book doesn't do that; several key characters aren't introduced until the end. I also think that a lot of the scenes might have worked better in comic form.
It's also worth mentioning that this isn't a good place for a new reader to start. I've been reading 2000AD for about a year, and I recently read the first two volumes of the Judge Dredd Casefiles. If I hadn't done that, a lot of the references in this book would have gone over my head, because the author doesn't make any effort to explain them.
I've read Those Who Hunt the Night several times, and I often thought that I'd like to read a sequel (so that I could see more of the characters) but...moreI've read Those Who Hunt the Night several times, and I often thought that I'd like to read a sequel (so that I could see more of the characters) but I didn't think it would be possible based on the way that the previous book ended. When I belatedly found out that there was a sequel, I immediately bought a copy, but I was disappointed; I think my concerns were well-founded. Admittedly, it may be significant that I read this over the space of a week (on train journeys); maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I'd sat down and read it all in one go.
(view spoiler)[By the end of the previous book, Asher and Ysidro had both risked their lives to save each other, and they agreed that they'd leave each other alone.
At the start of this book, Lydia goes looking for Ysidro, and the book suggests that she's in danger from him. However, I never really believed that; it was a significant risk for Asher in the first book, but not here.
To the author's credit, she clearly makes an effort to avoid rehashing the first story. In particular, she mixes up the character pairs, rather than putting Asher and Ysidro together again. Similarly, there's a definite "road trip" theme to this book, rather than staying in the same location(s) as the first novel.
In this book, a recurring theme is that Lydia spends a lot of time on her appearance. That may well be historically accurate, and it may also be an interesting character trait in its own right. However, it didn't really seem to fit in with the previous book, where she came across as someone who could get ready and rush out of the door within 5 minutes. Similarly, the first book made a comment about her string of male suitors; something like "They assumed that she'd like them just because they found her attractive." So, it seems odd that she'd consider herself ugly here, and be so vain regarding her glasses. (hide spoiler)](less)
This is one of my favourite vampire stories, and one that I've recommended to other people. I particularly liked Don Simon Ysidro: he's not "old and w...moreThis is one of my favourite vampire stories, and one that I've recommended to other people. I particularly liked Don Simon Ysidro: he's not "old and wise", but he's not permanently young and trendy either. Rather, he's still stuck in some of his old habits. The phrase that stuck in my mind was when he said that he got enraged when shopkeepers were insolent, and wanted to have them dragged out into the street and thrashed.
The period setting is interesting. The back cover describes it as "the period of Sherlock Holmes", so I immediately think of horse-drawn carriages in London, but Asher rides a motorbike around. It makes sense that this was the time of transition to motor vehicles, but I haven't seen much reference to that in the historical fiction I've read/watched.
The story fits together well, and the author gives clues without making them too obvious.(less)
This is a very moving story in its own right. It's also a good installment in the series, setting up some concepts which will be important in later no...moreThis is a very moving story in its own right. It's also a good installment in the series, setting up some concepts which will be important in later novels.
(view spoiler)[This is the story which introduced the phrase "Out of ambit" (the title of the author's blog). However, that's one of those plot points which suffers a bit in the updated edition. If Nita couldn't send Kit a message through her manual then why not text him instead? You can send me text messages while my phone is turned off or out of range, and they'll just be stored centrally until I'm back in range. Based on that, the same would work if my phone travelled to an alternate reality or whatever: all the phone network needs to know it's that "it's not here".
There's a more serious issue in chapter 7, where Nita mentions that her mother has been taking aspirin for headaches. Tom makes a similar comment in chapter 10 (page 129). Please don't do this! I was given that a few times in the 1980s, but medicine has moved on since then. Speaking as a first aider, I'd only give someone aspirin if I thought they were having a heart attack; if someone had a headache then I'd give them paracetamol instead. For that matter, don't take my word for it! Read the information in the packet and/or talk to your doctor, rather than taking advice from novels or random people on the internet.
This book is all about ethical dilemmas, but some of them cause other (unintentional?) problems. Specifically, in chapter 8 (p113), Carl says that the Wizard's Oath is to protect life, so they should only kill in order to save another life; in particular, this even applies at the cellular level. So, how does that apply to diet? Obviously people need to eat in order to survive, and that normally involves killing either plant or animal life. Should human wizards all become "fruitarians", i.e. only eating fruit that's dropped off trees rather than picking it? Since they can have conversations with the things they're eating, I'd expect that to put some people off their food...
There are some typos in this book, but fewer than in previous ebooks so I think that the production team are doing a better job of proof-reading.
Despite all my nitpicks, this really is a good novel. In particular, I like the idea that life is about quality rather than quantity, and Nita's mother reminded me a bit of Galadriel in The Fellowship of the Ring (when Frodo offered her the One Ring). (hide spoiler)](less)
This is an anthology, and some of the stories are better than others. The book starts with an introduction, but I think it would have worked much bett...moreThis is an anthology, and some of the stories are better than others. The book starts with an introduction, but I think it would have worked much better as an afterword; the writer gives away key plot points for some of the other stories and then points out the plot holes. So, when I came to read those stories later, I already had those objections in the back of my mind rather than being able to take the stories at face value or form my own opinions. It's also worth noting that this book was published in 1975: some of these ideas may have been groundbreaking at the time, but they're much more familiar now.
Running through the 6 stories:
* Cold Storage - disappointing, mainly because of the introduction. * The Hibbie - an interesting idea, and Greg Egan explored a similar concept in one of his short stories (possibly Luminous?). * Blue Danube - a bit of a dubious premise, but the writer did a decent job of exploring it. * So proudly we cling - it's not exactly a story, but it's a short glimpse into a sad future. * Let's go to Golgotha! - the title story, and the reason I picked up this book. It's quite clever. * A way of life - this reminded me of 1950s Dan Dare story where he met the Therons on Venus. It doesn't go into much depth, but it's readable. * The Pit - I found this a bit tedious; Captive Universe handled a similar concept a lot better.(less)
This was the first of Diane Duane's "Wizardry" books that I bought. I picked it up in the shop because I liked the title, then the back cover blurb re...moreThis was the first of Diane Duane's "Wizardry" books that I bought. I picked it up in the shop because I liked the title, then the back cover blurb really hooked me. ("Aided by the Tower ravens, the Keeper of the Mummied Cats at the British Museum, a dinosaur, ...") I then discovered that it was actually the second in the series, so I put this on hold while I bought/read The Book of Night with Moon, then came back to it afterwards.
(view spoiler)[This story involves time travel, which is a favourite theme of mine. It did therefore remind me of a couple of other stories. The alterations took place in a particular section of history (a few years long), and The Stainless Steel Rat Saves the World had a similar idea. That's not a problem, and I'm not suggesting that the author copied the idea, but if you liked this book then you might like that one too.
The catalyst for everything changing was when a student travelled back in time and dropped a science textbook; this allowed the Victorian scientists to get a head start on advanced technology. What's odd is that this plot point was pretty much ignored for the rest of the book, then tidied up at the end. By contrast, look at Back to the Future II: that had a similar concept, where a particular book had changed history, so the heroes' main goal was to intercept the book and put history back on course. Again, that's not necessarily a problem here (different stories can have different theories of how time travel works), but it is an interesting comparison.
Speaking of the textbook, I do have one nitpick about this story: the description of Tower Gateway DLR station doesn't match our world! (I lived round the corner when I bought this book, so it was rather jarring to read a description that was almost exactly correct.) The text says: "The train swung south the few blocks to Tower Gateway. There Patel got out with his burden, walked along the platform and took the escalator up through the tubelike corridor that led to the overpass which avoided the mainline BR tracks: then down the other side again, and out across the open concrete plaza". There's no escalator that leads up from the platform! It should simply say "walked along the platform, took the escalator down, then walked out across the open concrete plaza". Ah well, maybe a future (ebook?) edition can correct that.
One of the characters in the book is eventually identified as a young Arthur Conan Doyle. He's best known for his Sherlock Holmes stories, but he also wrote The Lost World which is about dinosaurs. I read that when I was at school and enjoyed it, so it deserves to be better known. This book implies that Conan Doyle was inspired to write his story because he'd actually met dinosaurs who lived in a hidden land. I don't know whether there's a trope for this, but I have mixed feelings about it. I'm sure that Diane Duane actually intended this as a tribute to an author who inspired her. However, whenever I see something like this it seems to diminish what the original writer accomplished: "Actually, they didn't have much imagination at all, they just copied all their ideas from my story!" (For another example, look at the Star Trek episode where Mark Twain appeared.)
This all sounds a bit negative, but I really did enjoy the book and I've read it several times, so I certainly recommend it. (hide spoiler)](less)
The plot is ok - not great, but not bad either. However, the characters are far better, and it's nice to see a few new faces in Ankh-Morpork. It was a...moreThe plot is ok - not great, but not bad either. However, the characters are far better, and it's nice to see a few new faces in Ankh-Morpork. It was also interesting to see a slightly less sympathetic attitude towards the Watch, since I'm used to rooting for them as the protagonists. The phrase "A lie can get halfway around the world while the truth is still getting its boots on" has stuck in my mind since I read the book, so even the antagonists make some good points.(less)
This is a spin-off from the "Young Wizards" series, set in the same world. Chronologically, it comes after A Wizard Abroad, although that may get a bi...moreThis is a spin-off from the "Young Wizards" series, set in the same world. Chronologically, it comes after A Wizard Abroad, although that may get a bit wonky with the new NME timeline because Luciano Pavarotti (who appears in this book) died in 2007. Anyway, you don't need to have read any of those other books first; this is actually the first book in the extended series that I read, and I followed it ok. There are some cameo roles from familiar characters, but this book tells you everything that you need to know about them.
I think this book is aimed at an older audience than the Young Wizards series. There's nothing in here that would be inappropriate for teenagers, but the storyline is a bit more intricate and there's a larger cast to keep track of.
The protagonists are all cats, so the story is told from their point of view. This means that there's a risk of excessively anthropomorphising them; think of Garfield, who is more like a person wearing a cat costume than an actual cat. However, a lot of their behaviour will be very familiar to anyone who's spent time around cats, particularly their body language.
This book is quite serious overall, with some sad moments. However, there are also some very funny bits, particularly when there's a language barrier between cats and (non-wizard) humans.
The title of the book is slightly odd: in the context of the series, this is actually the name of a real book, and it's basically a big magic spell which rewrites the whole universe. Several characters say that they wouldn't want to read it, so I don't know how they'd feel about a novel with the same title. Still, I suppose that it needs to get a potential reader's attention, and it's a nice turn of phrase.(less)
I think the first half of this book worked much better than the second half. It was interesting to see an American perspective on Ireland, although as...moreI think the first half of this book worked much better than the second half. It was interesting to see an American perspective on Ireland, although as an English person I think it told me more about America than Ireland. Obviously this is based on the author's real-life experience, which makes it feel authentic.
The series has already established that cars are "alive" (in a way) so it makes sense to say that planes are too. However, this made me feel uneasy: "Nita had to smile a little in spite of everything, wondering how much the pilots really thought they had to do with the process of flight. The plane had its own ideas." What does that imply about the planes which crashed into the World Trade Center? This novel was originally published in 1993, but that text is still present in the New Millennium Edition (published in 2013).
Speaking of the NME edition, there's an old tech reference that slipped through the net: on page 167, Dairine's computer "made a soft disk-drive thinking noise, which amused Nita, since she could see that its drives were both empty." I assume that originally referred to floppy drives, which don't even exist on modern laptops. There are also several typos in this ebook (like the other NMEs), which is a pity.
As for the ending, I lost track of what was going on. It reminds me of the mega-crossovers that you see in superhero comics, e.g. "Secret Invasion" at Marvel. If you only read one comic then its storyline will be disrupted by the big events that are going on, and you'll only see a small part of the overall picture. That may be good in a way, so that we can empathise better with Kit and Nita, but it's not a very fulfilling reading experience.
Finally, there's the issue of Ronan. (view spoiler)[Once Nita discovered that he had a Power hiding inside him, this raised a dilemma: he would need to channel that Power to throw the spear, but once he did that his own identity would be obliterated in the process. So, would he be willing to make that sacrifice? As it turned out, he did throw the spear, then went back to business as usual. The "sacrifice averted" has come up in previous books (usually with someone else saving Nita), but it seemed even more futile here. When Elisa Hansen reviewed the Twilight books, she summed them up by saying: "Oh no, what's that? Oh, wait, never mind." This book falls into the same trap, which is a pity. (hide spoiler)](less)
Like Darkness of the Light, this is definitely part of a trilogy rather than being a standalone novel in its own right. So, be aware that you aren't g...moreLike Darkness of the Light, this is definitely part of a trilogy rather than being a standalone novel in its own right. So, be aware that you aren't getting a complete story here. Still, taken on its own merits it works well: it follows up on the previous book, introduces new characters, and pairs up existing characters in new ways. There's a definite sense of moving all the chess pieces into position, but it's not contrived.
After I finished the first book I wasn't sure whether we'd met all 12 of the races. I'm still not sure, but this book does provide more information.
This book includes a few passages which are copied directly from the previous novel; these basically serve as a recap, a bit like the "Previously on ..." segments that you often see at the start of a TV episode. Personally, I didn't need them because I read this book immediately after the previous one. Even if I did want a recap, I'd prefer to do one big "story so far" exposition dump at the start, rather than having these bits dotted around through the book.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to the next book, and hopefully it won't be a long wait.(less)
This is a long novel, so you definitely get your money's worth. I initially assumed that it was fantasy, but arguably the premise is more sci-fi; I wo...moreThis is a long novel, so you definitely get your money's worth. I initially assumed that it was fantasy, but arguably the premise is more sci-fi; I wouldn't be surprised to see a lot of this in a Star Trek novel. Still, the genre doesn't make much difference to the story.
There's a large cast, and the key characters don't all meet each other. Some of the names are familiar from the author's other work, e.g. there's an amphibian called Orin (the same name as Aquaman). The book mentions 12 races, but I haven't counted that many, so I assume that some are yet to be revealed (similar to "the final five" Cylons in Battlestar Galactica).
It gets off to a bumpy start, e.g. it takes a few pages before a character refers to Jepp by name but the narration reveals it 1 page earlier. I'm happy for the omniscient narrator to provide exposition, but it seems odd to leave her unnamed for so long and then drop her name in like that. There are also a few cases where the book would have benefited from extra proofreading, e.g. "The moment's hesitation is enough to cost it his life." (I would either say "cost him his life" or "cost it its life" rather than mixing pronouns like that.)
Speaking of Jepp, her relationship with the mandraques reminded me of West of Eden.
This book is set in an alternate future of Earth, so several of the locations have garbled names. I recognised "Perriz" (Paris) and "Venets" (Venice), but I'm not sure about "the land/country of Feend"; maybe Finland?
Things certainly change in this book: it establishes the status quo, then shakes it up. Without giving too much away, I was quite surprised to certain characters die.
I think this works well as the first book in a series, but it doesn't really tell a complete story by itself. I don't mind that, because I bought the second book at the same time. However, since they were published several years apart I can understand why other people felt let down by reading this book in isolation.(less)
This is only half a book; it's not the first book of a duology. So, be aware that you're not getting any kind of complete story here. However, if you'...moreThis is only half a book; it's not the first book of a duology. So, be aware that you're not getting any kind of complete story here. However, if you're tempted by the book as a whole (both parts) then this is a cheap way to try it out: if you don't like it then you've only lost 99 cents (~= 70 pence) and if you do like it then you can keep going and pay a normal price for the overall story. Personally, I enjoyed this enough to go ahead and buy part 2: it's got clever ideas, action, characters, and humour.(less)
This is really the second half of a novel rather than a book in its own right. That said, there was a weird discontinuity: part 2 starts out by talkin...moreThis is really the second half of a novel rather than a book in its own right. That said, there was a weird discontinuity: part 2 starts out by talking about Rodney, and I assume that this is the character formerly known as Arnold, but it confused me for a while. I assume that the author renamed the character at some point, but only did it in one of the installments rather than both. Aside from that, there are a few typos (I counted 5 between both parts), but I've seen a lot worse in some other novels.
The story as a whole is very good, and I'm looking forward to the sequel ("Raising Stakes").(less)
Basically, this is a book length version of a magazine article. It's not padded out: there's certainly enough material to fill the book. Equally, this...moreBasically, this is a book length version of a magazine article. It's not padded out: there's certainly enough material to fill the book. Equally, this isn't just a set of articles stuck together, like many "books of blogs" I've read. This book is quite tightly focussed but it doesn't go into any more depth as it progresses. It's fine for what it is, although it would be nice to get an extra page in the ebook to say what happened to the people who went to trial.(less)
I bought this book on the strength of Smile and the author has done a good job of moving from auto-biography into fiction. There aren't any amazingly...moreI bought this book on the strength of Smile and the author has done a good job of moving from auto-biography into fiction. There aren't any amazingly deep revelations here, but it's fun and funny. I definitely like the art style, which is clear and cheerful. I did get a bit confused between the twins, and I don't think I'll ever understand how the American "grades" work, but I still enjoyed it.(less)
This is the best book of the series so far. It's called "Redemption", but that doesn't specify whose; there are at least 4 characters who it could app...moreThis is the best book of the series so far. It's called "Redemption", but that doesn't specify whose; there are at least 4 characters who it could apply to ((view spoiler)[Torg, other-Riff, Horribus, and Mosp (hide spoiler)]). There are some funny bits in here, particularly at the start, but it's mostly played straight for drama with some genuinely sad moments.
As usual, my only complaint is the "Meanwhile in the Dimension of ..." section: in this book it alternated between the Dimension of Grief and Hell. It really doesn't suit the tone of the rest of the book, and Sam seems wildly out of character. Oh well, at least there's only 1 installment of that left.
There's no bonus story in this book, but there are instructions for a game. I haven't tried it, but the author clearly put quite a bit of effort into it so he wasn't slacking off.(less)
The vampire story (as shown on the back cover) is very funny. It shouldn't be, since it involves innocent people being assaulted and killed, but someh...moreThe vampire story (as shown on the back cover) is very funny. It shouldn't be, since it involves innocent people being assaulted and killed, but somehow it works.
As usual, I'll complain about the "Meanwhile in the Dimension of Pain" storyline in the middle of the book. The final page, where Horribus shouts "What are we doing?" really emphasises the contrast in styles, and does a good job of reversing the damage.
Then we come to "That which Redeems" (part 1) which is an excellent story, although you need to read book 13 after this one to find out what happens.
There's no bonus story in this book (unlike previous ones); there are a few word searches etc., but I'm not sure who they're aimed at.(less)
I enjoyed the simpler parts of this book, e.g. the Torg Potter parody. I'm still not keen on the "Meanwhile in the Dimension of Pain" filler, and this...moreI enjoyed the simpler parts of this book, e.g. the Torg Potter parody. I'm still not keen on the "Meanwhile in the Dimension of Pain" filler, and this book had a crossover between the two strips so I can't simply disregard the MitDoP stuff as non-canon. The main storyline works ok, and it certainly benefits from being read in one sitting rather than being spread out over several weeks/months (in the webcomic), but it didn't really interest me.(less)
Another good installment in the series, balancing plot with humour. This is part of an ongoing story, so you may be a bit lost if you start here, but...moreAnother good installment in the series, balancing plot with humour. This is part of an ongoing story, so you may be a bit lost if you start here, but it does still begin and end at sensible points (rather than being an arbitrary selection of n months of comics like Dilbert collections).
I'm really not keen on the "Meanwhile in the Dimension of Pain" guest strips, and now that these books are print-on-demand I'd like to see an option to just skip those pages altogether. However, they fortunately don't take up too much space here. The cover seemed quite flimsy on my copy, but the other Sluggy books from the same publisher (IndyPlanet) are better, so hopefully this was just an aberration.
Like other books, there's a bonus story which wasn't put on the website (or at least not for the general public). I liked it, but I was surprised that this revealed new information about the Book of E-ville, so I suspect some of it will have to be repeated in the ongoing strip later.(less)
This is another good installment in the series: it fits into the ongoing storyline, while still telling a complete story in its own right. It also shi...moreThis is another good installment in the series: it fits into the ongoing storyline, while still telling a complete story in its own right. It also shifts the focus to a different character (Dairine) while still keeping Nita and Kit around in supporting roles.
Diane Duane said that this book was the catalyst for the New Millennium Editions, and I can understand that. Looking back at my paper copy, it talks about Nita's parents buying an Apple IIIc+ (with a set of floppy disks) and Dairine has to type in a series of DOS commands to configure it. In the new timeline, this book is set in August 2008, so that seems hopelessly archaic. The revised text fits better, e.g. Dairine now gets a laptop rather than a desktop computer that she can carry around without batteries. Unfortunately, these changes introduced a minor plot hole.
(view spoiler)[On page 38, Dairine specifies a password to retrieve the copied computer and clicks "Keyboard" (rather than "Verbal"). Then on page 39 she whispers the password to get the computer back. That means that it must be verbal, and that's what she chose in my paper copy, i.e. it changed in this edition. NB She'd already typed in the password by this point (in both editions) so the question didn't relate to that. In fact, the keyboard option seems pretty pointless: how can you type the password on the keyboard that you're trying to retrieve? So, it would be better just to omit that question and answer altogether. (hide spoiler)]
Still, while this book has changed more than the other NMEs, it hasn't changed that much compared to the original: the main story is still the same. The series as a whole is all about magic, but I think this book is more sci-fi than fantasy. That's fine by me, since I read quite a bit of sci-fi anyway, including Diane Duane's Star Trek novels; however, it may put some people off.
As with the other NMEs, this book suffers from multiple typos; this includes 3 on a single page! Taking page 93 as a particular example: (view spoiler)["Between those, and various memorized spells that needed no extra equipment to run she as well equipped." When I read that, I thought that "as well" meant "also", so the sentence was saying "she also equipped [something]" but it didn't specify the [something]. I then realised that it was supposed to be "was well equipped" (i.e. a missing "w"), so "equipped" was an adjective rather than a verb. (hide spoiler)]
When I read a novel, I want to be fully immersed in the story, even if that means that I miss my stop on the bus/train. Mistakes like this are annoying because they throw me out of the story and force me to focus on the medium rather than the message. It's also rather ironic that the books keep emphasising the need for precision whenever Kit and Nita write spells so they double-check everything.
I was tempted to knock this book down to 3 stars because of these mistakes, but the ending redeemed it. (view spoiler)[When Dairine defeated the Lone Power, she did it by using kindness rather than aggression. (hide spoiler)]
If anyone's interested, I've put a full list of mistakes inside the spoiler tags below. Technical books often have errata webpages (e.g. O'Reilly allow readers to submit mistakes) and I think we need an equivalent system for fiction.
(view spoiler)[Page 10: "who already I in" should be "who was already in".
Page 22: "WHen she succeeded" should be "When she succeeded".
Page 23: "Little things, strange thin" should be "Little things, strange things". "For the time being covered" should be "For the time being she covered". "Dairine's mom and dad wet out" should be "Dairine's mom and dad went out".
Page 74: "the reonstructed" should be "the reconstructed".
Page 93 (see above): "as well equipped" should be "was well equipped".
Page 104: "lis-tened" should be "listened". (It would be ok to hyphenate across lines, but not on the same line.)
Page 107: "Reserved Words" should be formatted as a chapter heading.
Page 111: "missary" should be "Emissary".
Page 112: Kit refers to "That dislocator on page eleven sixty." However in So You Want to Be a Wizard New Millennium Edition (page 98) Kit and Nita discovered that their manuals have different pages, due to their different specialities. So, it's not helpful for Kit to provide a page number here.
Page 115: "thta" should be "that".
Page 138: "Save and Exit" should be formatted as a chapter heading.
Page 142: "They'll bum themselves" should be "They'll burn themselves". (hide spoiler)](less)
As the name suggests, this book has a flying element, involving Charley's younger brother Wilf. There's also a story focussing on Charley's cousin Jac...moreAs the name suggests, this book has a flying element, involving Charley's younger brother Wilf. There's also a story focussing on Charley's cousin Jack at sea. I liked them: I think it's a good way to see other aspects of the war without putting the lead character into implausible situations.
Charley's romance seems quite rushed, but I'm willing to believe that it's quite plausible as an effect of the war.
Like earlier books, this includes a commentary at the back. However, this one is much shorter: some of the others took up almost half of the book, whereas this one is only a few pages long. That's ok, since the book is the same length, so we get more story. There's also an interesting article at the front about shell shock.
I'm certainly looking forward to the final volume next year.(less)
I originally bought this comic as monthly issues, then again as a TPB, and I'm just sorry that the series didn't continue for longer.
Dan Slott is a gr...moreI originally bought this comic as monthly issues, then again as a TPB, and I'm just sorry that the series didn't continue for longer.
Dan Slott is a great writer: he clearly relishes obscure continuity, and this comic involves several guest appearances from other Marvel superheroes. At the same time, it's not involved in any big crossovers so it stands alone as a complete story.
Beyond that, there's a real sense of fun, and the characters genuinely seem to like spending time with each other. I liked Civil War but at the same time it's good to see a friendly game of poker rather than brutal fights to the death. Similarly, the Thing is determined that they can all get out of Arcade's "Murderworld" without anyone dying; compare and contrast to Avengers Arena...
There are some very funny scenes in this, particularly involving Lockjaw. It's also good to see the GLX again, and Squirrel Girl's team-up was great.
I've never been a huge fan of the Fantastic Four, but they come across well in this: in particular, Reed gets to display his intelligence, rather than us being told that he's smart. (He gave a very clear explanation of the "phone number with missing digits" problem.)
The artwork is good too. It's quite cheerful, but still detailed enough to show the characters' emotions. The cast have a range of body types, and lots of them are wearing normal clothes rather than skin-tight outfits, so I'm glad that Andrea DiVito has the range to pull it off.
I read "Charley's War" in Battle/Eagle when I was young, but it was on a repeating loop and it stopped before this point, so the material in this book...moreI read "Charley's War" in Battle/Eagle when I was young, but it was on a repeating loop and it stopped before this point, so the material in this book was new to me. As the name suggests, Adolf Hitler appears as a character: I think the writer does a good job of extrapolating what could plausibly have happened based on what we know.
The first half of the book involves trench warfare. Charley is now a sniper, and he seems a lot more ruthless than before when he kills Germans who aren't directly threatening him. Later, he has to confront this when he sees the graves of the men he killed.
The second half of the book involves Charley's younger brother Wilf, so it's set around planes rather than trenches. That adds a bit of variety, and there are a couple of unpleasant deaths in that story that will stick with me for a while.
The artwork is as good as ever, keeping the characters distinct even when they all wear the same uniform.(less)
This is my favourite book out of the whole "Young Wizards" series. I think it gets to the core of what the series is all about, i.e. the Wizard's Choi...moreThis is my favourite book out of the whole "Young Wizards" series. I think it gets to the core of what the series is all about, i.e. the Wizard's Choice and the consequences of that choice, particularly in terms of self-sacrifice. I also like the idea of exploring a new world beneath the waves.
I didn't notice any major differences in this new edition compared to the original; they mention mobile phones a few times, but mainly just to say that there's no coverage where they're staying. I think the most important update is that there's a new date at the start of the book, to fit the revised timeline: this one now took place in July 2008 (2 months after So You Want to Be a Wizard).
There are a few minor typos, e.g. "I'm lot sure" (rather than "I'm not sure") but I can live with them.
My only real complaint about this book is that there's a plothole regarding Kit's "warning sign"; it's a pity that this wasn't corrected in the new edition.
(view spoiler)[On p59, S'reee explains how Kit and Nita can change into whales. Nita did it by blood, and the risk was that she might get stuck as a whale. ("If you start finding your own memories difficult to recall, it's time to get out of the whaleshape, before it becomes you permanently.") By contrast, Kit used a whalesark, and the risk was that his body might reject it. ("Your warning signs are nearly the opposite of hNii't's. Language is the first thing to go. If you find yourself losing whalesong, you must surface and get out of the sark immediately.")
Jumping ahead to pp158-159, Kit tells Nita that he's been having some trouble with his speciality (talking to rocks). ("Nita said nothing for a moment, startled by the idea that Kit had been losing some of his talent at his speciality. There was something that could mean, some warning sign - She couldn't think what.") If Nita's losing her memory, that's a warning sign for her, although ironically it's not very helpful if she can't remember what it's supposed to be warning her about! However, Kit was never supposed to be in any danger of losing his normal skills; this implies that he's becoming more whale than human, which is the opposite of how it was originally explained.
There's a similar issue on p177-178:
The other was Kit [...] looking up at Nita and singing one note of heart-tearing misery - not in the Speech - not in the human-flavored whale he had always spoken before - but in pure whale.
"Oh, no. He's lost language! Nita's heart seized. S'reee had said that if that happened, the whalesark was about to be rejected by Kit's brain.
Well, no. S'reee said that he'd be in trouble if he lost whalesong; losing human language (or the Speech) is the opposite of that. Ah well, never mind.
There are obvious comparisons between Ed in this book and Fred in the previous book. They both have long names that are abbreviated (and the abbreviations rhyme); also, they both wind up sacrificing themselves to save the protagonists. However, I think it's more interesting to compare each of them to Nita.
The whole dilemma in this book is that Nita has inadvertently signed up to die, and she doesn't want to go through with it. When she finally changes her mind, realising that she needs to save Kit, she's triumphant; this really reminded me of Fred, when he realised that this was what everything else had led up to. All his experience had prepared him for the one moment when he could really make a difference and save everyone else.
As for Ed, I don't see him as a murderer; I think that the Silent Lord's death is more like assisted suicide. Looking at the Silent Lord's song, it's impressive that it manages to apply to both Ed and Nita but in different ways. ("Not old enough to love as yet, but old enough to die, indeed.") Nita is too young to have loved someone; Ed is so old that he's ready to die, and he's never loved throughout his long life. (hide spoiler)](less)
A good start to the series, introducing the key characters and concepts. There's a strong theme of self-sacrifice in this book, and I found it quite m...moreA good start to the series, introducing the key characters and concepts. There's a strong theme of self-sacrifice in this book, and I found it quite moving.
The New Millennium edition has made a few tweaks, mostly involving mobile phones and references to the World Trade Center. I wasn't particularly bothered about the old version, because I'm used to "comic time" (where characters were teenagers in the 1960s and haven't aged much since), but the changes are harmless enough, and a good excuse to replace my paper copy with an ebook.(less)
Another solid installment, and Hannelore's character is much better established in this book.
Looking at strip #615, there's an interesting comment tha...moreAnother solid installment, and Hannelore's character is much better established in this book.
Looking at strip #615, there's an interesting comment that he wouldn't make the same joke nowadays. I can believe that in light of recent events (particularly strip #2323).(less)
To borrow a quote from Babylon 5: "This was the year that everything changed." Marten and Faye finally settle the "will they/won't they" question, and...moreTo borrow a quote from Babylon 5: "This was the year that everything changed." Marten and Faye finally settle the "will they/won't they" question, and the strip moves on from there. The artwork is a lot more consistent here than in vol 1, but it does still show a steady improvement.
Looking at strip #313, the commentary says: "I think I was already foreshadowing the character of Hannelore here in panel three". I really hope that he meant panel 2 (the lady who vacuums at odd hours) rather than panel 3 (the murder-suicide)!
This book has some guest strips at the back, but they're comics that Jeph Jacques did for other comics rather than the ones that other people did for QC. I think that's a good way to go; there are Sluggy Freelance books where I'd happily ditch all the guest strips by other creators.(less)
Loading...
