Todd Klein's Blog, page 226

And Then I Read: A SONG FOR ARBONNE by Guy Gavriel Kay

Cover painting by David Jermann.

It’s been a while since I read a fantasy novel by Guy Gavriel Kay, and I’d forgotten how good he is. The setting is essentially medieval western Europe, with countries similar to France, Spain, Germany, etc., though with just enough differences to make it fantasy. The book has a remarkable amount of symmetry. First there are opposing belief systems. Arbonne, the France-like country is the home of courtly love, and their main worship is to a female deity and female preistesses. Gorhaut, the Germany-like country to their north follows the more common male-deity worship and warlike attitude. They think Arbonne is soft and sissy to be ruled by women. The ruler of Arbonne is an elderly woman, the ruler of Gorhaut a young male with ideas about invading Arbonne and conquering it. His chief advisor is the patriarch of their religion who eggs him on in this plan, as he dreams of destroying the goddess of Arbonne and her priestesses.

That’s just backdrop. The main characters are drawn from all the classes of Arbonne, from traveling musicians and swords-for-hire to important dukes and sons of kings. There is plenty of intrigue, romance and action, and the stories of the main characters, who at first seem to have little or no connection to each other, gradually intertwine and form a rich tapestry of human life that is fascinating to read. There are battles, tournaments, midnight raids, assignations, songs and poetry, political intrigues, smoldering affairs, assassinations, carnivals, death marches, duels, dalliances, drinking, deadly poisons, and just enough magic to make things interesting without it being an easy solution to problems. The book is divided into four sections named for the seasons, another nice piece of symmetry, and the year the main story takes place is one that will forever change this world. If you’re a fan of “Game of Thrones,” here’s a book that handles some of the same material equally well without the soul-crushing cruelty and unhappy endings for many of the characters, though certainly there’s some of that too.

Really well done and highly recommended.

And Then I Read: ASTRO CITY 18

Image © Juke Box Productions.

Crackerjack, the battered character above, and Quarrel, his partner in crime fighting and life, also above, are the focus of this issue, but Quarrel gets the most attention. They’ve been doing this for many years, and while attending the retirement dinner for one of their comrades, questions of hero longevity are the topic. Crackerjack is a wise-cracking optimist, with no plans to quit, though events suggest he might be losing his edge. Quarrel finds herself questioning her own life decisions, leading to a long flashback/origin that I found quite interesting. Great art and writing, as usual, by Busiek, Anderson and Ross.

Recommended.

And Then I Read: GREEN LANTERN NEW GUARDIANS 37

Image © DC Comics, Inc.

Kyle Rayner and Carol Ferris have been stripped of their rings and powers, and dumped onto the ruined surface of New Genesis, where they finally have time to talk over their situation in more ways than one. Things seem hopeless until New God Metron shows up to point out a way they get get back into the fight, and they do, rejoining other Lanterns held by the New Gods in an unlikely attack. It’s all somewhat predictable middle-book crossover events, but not a bad read.

Mildly recommended.

And Then I Read: MULTIVERSITY, THUNDERWORLD ADVENTURES

Image © DC Comics, Inc.

Is there room in Grant Morrison’s mind-bending Multiversity saga for light-hearted fun adventure stories? Yes, and here’s one. Grant teams with artist Cameron Stewart, bringing back fond memories of their SEAGUY, in a nostalgic look back to the Captain Marvel Comics of the 1940s, but with plenty of modern twists, including versions of the former Fawcett Comics characters from other universes. Captain Marvel villain Sivana is the main foe, though he has lots of help, and the storyline is full of action. The best thing about it, though it the humor and intelligence of the script. Grant clearly had great fun writing it, and Cameron Stewart’s art has never looked better. Even if the rest of MULTIVERSITY doesn’t interest you, this one is well worth reading, and you won’t feel left out if you haven’t read the others.

Recommended.

And Then I Read: GREEN LANTERN 37

Image © DC Comics, Inc.

Hal Jordan and the GL Corps have found themselves unable to defeat the New Gods, but here Hal plays a new card: he recruits Black Hand and his Black Lanterns. The New Gods have left them out of things, and with good reason, it seems. Hand loves death, and the prospect of a war delights him, but not as much as The Wall at the end of the universe when he realizes it’s made of dead things. Hand has a way with dead things. A clever plot twist, and an enjoyable issue of this crossover, despite the fact that it’s gone on too long.

Recommended.

And Then I Read: JUSTICE LEAGUE 37

Image © DC Comics, Inc.

The Amazo Virus has devastated Metropolis, and even brought down many of the Justice League. Batman is still standing, thanks to his hazmat suit, but no telling how long. Superman and Wonder Woman seem to be the only two impervious to the disease. All three are trying to bring down the first infected, now a very powerful super-being, albeit a sick one. Meanwhile, Lex Luthor has a fascinating conversation with his sister, and is once more under attack. Great writing and art on this book. Even a few full-page and double-page panels that are a delight to see. When I think of how far comics art has come in my lifetime as far as realism, energy, and quality of printing, I’m amazed myself, and this is a good example.

Recommended.

And Then I Read: MOOMIN Volume 9

Image © Solo/Bulls

The Moomin comic strip that ran in British papers (and elsewhere) is what I would call charmingly silly. Lars Jansson continued the strip started by his sister Tove Jansson, and produced it for many more years after she tired of the comic strip grind. His stories are just as entertaining, in my opinion, and fun to read. What are Moomins? Something like funny animals, but not exactly. You’ll have to try it and see. This time we have four stories, “Damsel in Distress” about a film crew making a melodramatic movie serial (think “Perils of Pauline”), but of course the Moomins take the actors at face value. They capture and imprison the movie villain for starters. “Fuddler and Married Life” shows that Lars completely understood the nerd collector mentality. Fuddler and his girlfriend are button collectors, and it’s their consuming passion. In all other things they are clueless, but somehow manage to bumble along in life. Here they decide to marry simply so they can a have a house together to house their button collection. In “Sniff’s Sport Shop,” the Moomin’s friend Sniff inherits a business, which he decides to run, but he has no idea how. Before long he’s giving away all his merchandise. Finally in “Mymble’s Diamond,” young lady Mymble has been given a large diamond ring by a suitor, and decides she must now live a completely different kind of life worthy of such a valuable gift. These stories are light weight, but full of pleasant social satire, some slapstick comedy, and endearing characters.

Recommended.

And Then I Read: DETECTIVE COMICS 37

Image © DC Comics, Inc.

Manapul and Buccellato begin a new storyline featuring Anarky, a character I remember well from when I was lettering the Batman books, though it may well be a different person behind the mask. Also featured is a very mad and caricaturish Mad Hatter, a huge office building set to explode, Harvey Bullock being rather dense, Christmas at Wayne Manor with Alfred, and more. I don’t know that I like Manapul’s art on Batman quite as much as I did on FLASH, but it’s a good read.

Recommended.

And Then I Read: AQUAMAN AND THE OTHERS 8

Image © DC Comics, Inc.

This storyline pits two teams of super-powered covert agents against each other, one based on old Soviet models, the Others (the team including Aquaman) having more of a western model. So, it’s kind of the cold war all over again, and not that interesting to me. Secret bases, secret personas, clones, satellites full of nuclear weapons, old grudges, like that. Meanwhile, Aquaman only appears on four of 20 pages here. The art looks good, the story has its moments, but I’m losing interest.

Mildly recommended.

And Then I Read: THE WATER CASTLE by Megan Frazer Blakemore

Illustration © Jim Kay.

Ephraim Appledore-Smith and his family have retreated from the world at large to a long-empty family mansion called the Water Castle because it was built with money from the family’s natural spring water business — think Poland Springs — though that business is long defunct. Ephraim’s father has had a stroke, and his mother hopes that the Water Castle might be a good place for him to recover. Ephraim and his siblings have a lot to deal with; not only their father’s illness but changing schools and adjusting to life in a very small town where their family is infamous. Mallory Green is a girl whose own family has long been the caretakers of the Water Castle, and Will Wylie’s family has been at odds with Ephraim’s for decades, so when the three of them are drawn together by a mutual desire to find out the secrets of the Water Castle, everyone is surprised, even them. Turns out the mansion and its grounds do hold lots of secrets, and maybe even the fabled fountain of youth. Could that be the cure Ephraim desperately wants for his father?

This is a great read combining a puzzle mystery (lots of puzzles) with well-developed and believable characters, some science, maybe a little magic, and many exciting discoveries and adventures. It doesn’t shy away from real world problems and difficult relationships, nor does it allow them to spoil the thrill of the chase. In all, an excellent book.

Highly recommended.