Valerie

This comic is a delight for Coulton fans. Greg Pak did a wonderful job weaving together a fantastic cast of characters and telling a story which passes the Bechdel test with flying colors, zigs every time you expect it to zag, and gets a lot of songs stuck in your head.

In short, this comic really put the rock in the house.

I am kinda torn on rating this book. I feel I may be doing something of a disservice to it without reading the other two books in the trilogy. The ending left me with no closure, a thousand dangling ends. and so many things I just didn't understand.

As a self-contained book, it had a lot of things I liked and a lot of things that just weren't really my bag. The idea of Hitler's Ubermensch being actual Supermen was captivating if the characters felt kind of static. I guess I've just watched enough Joss Whedon to be a bit tired of the Drusilla/River/Gretel character. Crazy precog female has been done to death, as has hothead pyromaniac. Klaus was by far the most interesting on the Nazi side, possibly because we get to hear so much of his perspective and look into the psychology that motivates him to keep doing awful things, even after no one is holding the whip on him any more. He also has the coolest power.

The juxtaposition of the Nazi X-men against a Lovecraftian cult is probably my favorite thing about the book. I probably will continue the series just to see what goes on with the Eidolons. They are a terrifying and refreshing spin on the concept of magic. It's Lovecraftian, but still has its own set of rules that keep it unique. Will is my favorite character on the Allied side. His transformation is both frightening and realistic, and I just kept hoping he would catch a break. Poor guy never can catch a break.

The conceit of the book as alternate history wasn't a great match for me, although I respect what Tregillis did with it. As someone who has no more than a high school knowledge of WWII from a military standpoint, a lot of key points and deviations were pretty much lost on me. Whole lot of googling going on here. If you're a sci-fi fan and a WWII buff, this book was pretty much written for you, and you'll likely enjoy it much more than I did.

Having said all that, now I need to get in to the myriad of dangling questions that left me ending this book feeling perturbed rather than excited.

Why did Gretel give Klaus Agnes' evacuation number if she didn't intend for him to save her? Did she somehow save her? Why does Will leap to the conclusion that the soulless unborn child is Marsh and Liv's? Wouldn't the Eidolon's take an unborn child that was actually in the womb during the negotiations? I'm assuming from a jacket summary of the second and third books that the phantom is Marsh. I'm sure it has relevance later, but it just felt so dropped in.

All of this and more is probably resolved later in the series, but not having even hints at some of the answers really hurt my enjoyment of this book. I finished it with a lot of wtf feelings. Obviously, you need a cliffhanger or two before the next book, but this one barely resolved a single story line. It felt chopped right up the middle. I know Tregillis intended a self-contained novel beginning with what's now the second book, but this book became more than exposition and should have been wrapped up accordingly.

I've not decided whether I'll continue the series. The first book was only 2.99 on the Nook but the second two are 12.99 which is more than I'll pay for an ebook. We'll see if any copies crop up at the used store. Otherwise, I'm a bit too annoyed to go out of my way for a copy just yet.

World-building is a term that gets tossed around a lot. I think Patrick Rothufuss, N.K. Jemisin, and lots of others are magnificent world-builders. That said, I know of relatively few authors who are both excellent world-builders and planet-builders, which is wha makes Helliconia Spring (and I assume the following two books) such an impressive achievement. The amount of research Aldiss put into the science of his world must have been intense. And yet, the book does not end up as dry science fiction, but a vivid, fantastical tone grounded in hard science. Not an easy marriage.


I was also impressed by how un-dated the book feels. The characters are all interesting and could have been written about at any point. The idea of women founding a scientific academy and working through the scientific method while being repressed by a pre-enlightenment society is an interesting twist on what usually happens to women in traditional SFF. Vry stands out as unique in her independence and thought process, even among her cohorts.

It's an acclaimed series that I'm glad I finally had motivation to read, and I'd highly recommend it to people who like sweeping but still sciency sagas.

This is exactly the kind of psychological sci-fi story I live. It's such a nuanced look at grief, guilt, and mental health while also featuring organic alien cities and space colonization. Renata as a main character is brilliant, secretive, and a great person to tell this story. I really enjoyed it, and am definitely keeping an eye on this author.

This is a brilliant start to a trilogy. While it stands well on its own with well-rounded characters and an intricate but well-paced plot, it also throws out tendrils of other larger stories in the books to follow. As for the story in this novel alone, one member of my book club pointed out that he is a hero without a quest. Fitz' place in society is so unique and his ways of coping with it feel very boyish and natural to me. He follows the hero's quest but every step of the way ends up a twist on the traditional formula. His relationships with people and with animals all carry a strength of realism within the fantastic setting. He isn't the most likable of heroes, but he is very believable in all his actions.

Definitely a series I'll be continuing when I clear a bit more off this to read shelf.

I was pretty disappointed in this book, sadly. It had been on my “To read” list for a while, but it just didn't grab me the way I'd hoped. Chambers does an awesome job envisioning aliens, and the reptilian society was particularly interesting and unhuman without being a cliche. The parasitic Ohan was also pretty fascinating. The rest of the characters, though, felt extremely one-dimensional. Kizzy in particular just irritated me every time she opened her mouth in the space version of manic pixie dreamgirl. It felt like the novelized version of a pretty bad Syfy space opera, something I've just seen to many times to really get into.

Not totally in love with the artwork, but I think it might just take a bit of adjustment. The “Strange Someone” art is like Jhonen Vasquez took a course in moe-manga. A bit disconcerting, but more than covered by the wonderful dialogue. “As We Were” is more seriously toned, but equally engaging. Also, it's just nice to read funny, cute werewolf stories. I like werewolves. I picked these up at Otakon on a whim and my sister's recommendation. Glad I did and will definitely be following McDonald's other works.

This book was just delightful. Admittedly, I bought it because Neil Gaiman told me too and that's just how I roll, but he did not steer me wrong.

The stories collected here all center around a family of radioactive mutant hillbillies attempting to bide their time in peace and quiet until humanity evolves/dies out/is ready for their plans. While they were written in the forties, they really don't seem that dated with the exception of the Nazi spies in the first story. Saunk Hogben, our narrator, is charmingly simple with infinite knowledge, and that combination is positively delightful. I know I used that word already; it's the best word to describe this book.

I'm very glad the founders of this kickstarter were able to revive these stories from the depths of old pulp magazines. They take hardly any time to read, so I strongly suggest you give the Hogbens a chance.

I'm just going to review the series as a whole.

reMIND is weird. It starts out weird. It ends weirder. I do not understand how talking cats, Lizard men, giant sea anemones, brain transplants, and steampunk suits fit together. Jason Brubaker does, though, and his story is one of the most original comics I've had the pleasure of reading. It's another one I pulled off my sister's shelf when I was staying with her over the summer and then jumped on the kickstarter campaign for volume 2. It arrived a couple weeks ago (I have #419 of 1500), and I finally had time to sit down and read it.

The story in its base elements is pretty simple: a mad king betrays his daughter and his people while a young prince must fight back. However, those people are lizards and the betrayal involves switching lizard brains into people's house pets and also a religious rapture event is taking place under the waves. I love the twists on a solid storyline, and I particularly like Sonja's reactions to everything. If I had a complaint about this story, it's that there isn't enough Sonja. Also, what happens to her real cat? I am a cat person. You lose a star for not saving the real kitty

The book is absolutely beautiful, and the kickstarter funds were truly used to create a work of art. Brubaker's style is unique, almost like watercolors with none of the overly photoshopped feel you find in a lot of modern graphic novels. The pages flow seemlessly, and the space is never wasted. I sometimes have a hard time reading graphic novels because I speed read the text and forget to stop and look at the panels. That's not an issue with this book. The art is eye-catching enough to calm even the most ADHD of brains.

Highly recommended for people who love a weirdly beautiful story.

I picked this up because Michael Zulli is an extraordinarily talented artist and he was at Denver Comic Con. I'd only ever seen his adaptations and never any of his original work before, but bought this on the strength of amazing art. I can't call it beautiful. So much of this story is about the ugly, ugly things deep in people's psyches, but the beautiful parts are beautiful and the ugly parts are terrifying.

I think I probably understand about 40% of what is going on in this work. I'm tempted to summarize it as “The coma dream of a dying artist,” but I think that's too short and probably not the only interpretation. If you like incredibly well drawn, deeply twisted, and frequently confusing forays into the human psyche, definitely try this one.

My mental math bible. Great resource for teachers.

I got this book through First Reads, the first fiction book I've won through the program, so I'm a little sad I have to rate it so low. Truthfully, it was pretty hard to read. I get where the author is coming from, sort of the world at the end of Shaun of the Dead only with more with-it zombies. Also road trips. The concept is one that I was drawn to, but the execution fell flat. The style is pretty laden with problems addressed in any creative writing 101 class and what should be clever references (Dr. H. West and towels anyone?) come off as forced. The characters could be taken far, but so much time is spent explaining their every waking thought that there's just no time to get to like them. The writer breaks the fourth wall with criticism of his own work... which could really be taken to heart. I know it's a first novel, but the technique feels much earlier in the writer's career than that.

I hate leaving negative reviews, but I just didn't finish this book with much more than a meh feeling. There is apparently a sequel in the works, and I hope the writer learns to trust the reader more and leave a bit more to the imagination rather than spelling everything so blatantly clear.

An enjoyable collection with some great stories and some okay ones. Isabelle Melancon's art is easily the prettiest thing here, and the book is worth it just to look at her take on the Princeless Universe. You also get a glimpse of Bedelia's backstory (which is heartbreaking) and the King and Queen's youth (which is intriguing and I'm very hopeful we'll get more soon).

Well worth putting in your collection for Princeless fans. It can probably be enjoyed without knowing the series, but would recommend reading the main story first before checking this one out.

I really hope there isn't too long of a delay before volume 3. I love this webseries, but reading the old stuff makes me remember just how many loose ends they have going on and how much I wish we could get back to the Oz timeline.

I backed the kickstarter for this a million years ago and then mostly forgot about it, so it was a really fun surprise to find it in my mailbox today. The story is set in the far future, a group of kids separated from their parents, trying to find them and the long-lost Earth. It's an all ages comic and one I'd definitely like a second copy of for my classroom. The characters are a little stock, but it's nice to see a diverse cast with lots of different choices for kids to identify with. Definitely a good gateway for kids into the wider realm of science fiction.

Also, SCIENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First off, I have to say that it's pretty neat to find a fantasy collection that, while not devoted to female authors, has 75% content from female authors. This makes me happy.

Second, I ordered this copy from Subterranean Press about whom I've heard nothing but wonderful things, and all those wonderful things are true. These are publishers devoted to taking good stories and creating really beautiful books out of them. As a cheap person, I ordered the cloth-bound version of this collection, and it's a really lovely little thing. When Kevin Hearne's next novella comes out, I may spring for the leather.

Now to the content. I bought this because Kevin Hearne said it was currently the only way to read “Goddess at the Crossroads” and I wasn't willing to wait for his next collection to read more Iron Druid. The story tells about how Atticus met and saved the life of Shakespeare, and for fans of the series, it's a fun little injection to fill the void until book 9 comes out. While it could use more Oberon (what couldn't?) it has been vetted by proper Shakespearean scholars and is a delightful aside. You don't need to have read the series to enjoy it, but chronologically it takes place after Tricked, so it's good to have read that far.

The other three stories were authors I've never read before and a distinct mix of styles. I think I enjoyed “The Death of Aiguillon” the most as it combines Vietnamese fantasy with fallen angels on earth and just what is not to love about that? Jacqueline Carey (who I've always neglected reading as probably too racy for me) contributes a story that I attached to right away with its themes of a woman's rights to her own life, her own choices. I may have misjudged the author due to cheesy covers in the past.

The fourth story “Ashes” was probably my least favorite. It has some cool elements in it, but they seem like elements that belong in a novel, not a short story. Also, that novel would be fairly formulaic. It has nods to both Buffy and Noir stories and a pet fire salamandar, but I think it just wasn't enough space to tell the story properly.

This collection is a hundred percent worth it for Iron Druid fans, but I think, surprisingly, it's also a hundred percent worth it for fantasy fans looking for unconventional social fantasy. A quick but enjoyable read.

Once upon a time I was privileged to be Eleanor Swanson's student. At the time, I really did not realize what an honor that was. She is a fine teacher, to be sure, but I only knew her through that “teacher” lens. It wasn't until after university that I discovered her as a writer

Trembling in the Bones has just been re-released in memory of the 100th anniversary of the Ludlow Massacre. I would never have known about the event if not for my then professor's interest. I am not especially interested in history and certainly don't make a habit of reading sad things. So take it from me when I say even if you don't like history, poetry, or sad stories, you should still read this book.

Swanson's poetry is magnificent in its own right. She has a talent with language that will haunt readers long after they put this book down. Every poem captures a setting, a character, a storm of emotion, and so much more in just a few hundred words. She recreates Ludlow and the events leading up to and following the tragedy with honesty and feeling.

I like to write long reviews, but I don't think I'll do the poems justice by rambling any further. Just read this book.

Beautiful poems, tangible language, and haunting stories. It isn't my favorite of her collections (I prefer her historical explorations), but it is still a thought-provoking collection.

I got into Aaron Alexovich via a recommendation to read “Eldritch.” I did and loved it. I'm sure he's sick of being compared to Jhonen Vasquez, but the sketchy style and off-kilter goth jokes filled a long empty Vasquez-void in my brain. I had no idea he also did the character designs for Invader Zim, but it all makes quite a bit of sense now. When I saw Alexovich was doing a Kickstarter for his pre-Eldritch comic, I joined on faith.

Serenity Rose is great. There's a bit of “I Feel Sick” influence I feel (and that's never a bad thing), but really the story is much sweeter than anything Vasquez has ever done. Serenity is not just admirable, she's lovable. She may be something of a stunted (literally and figuratively) shut in who fails to make use of her Phenomenal Cosmic Powers, but that's really the point. Vicious repeats that mantra over and over again. We all have Phenomenal Cosmic Powers, and we take them for granted because we are shy or scared or confused. Serenity is all those things, and it makes the reader love her.

The supporting cast is equally entertaining. Tess provides the abrasive, angry side that allowed this to be published by Slave Labor Graphics. Vicious may be a manic pixy dream girl but she is A) no one's love interest and B) called out on her overly-rosy manipulation of people. The supporting townsfolk also play their parts without falling into stereotypes. GovernmentMan is actually understanding though pragmatic. The town sheriff actually sides with our hero. The wicked stepmother is anything but.

It has signs of being a first work. Some of the word balloon positioning is a little awkward (especially in the early volumes), and a few plot lines fizzle without really playing to a satisfying conclusion. Still, it's a wonderful series and well worth a read for people who like a bit of off-beat humor and ectoplasmic ponies. Who doesn't want an ectoplasmic pony?

This is really a book about perspective and scale. Kelsey narrates her essays from the voice of a mother watching her children grow up in a world that is at once very small and mind-bogglingly huge. It's a different sort of nature book than man alone in the woods or a clinical study, very human and thoughtful. The essays cover topics from very specific studies of sperm whale diets to holistic assessments of the health of our oceans and what we can do to stop it. She covers a variety of myths (including distressing theories about pre-whaling population numbers of whales and what it truly means to be a recovered species) and takes a critical look at bandaid solutions like “dolphin free” tuna. Even as something of a cetacean nerd, I learned a few new facts from this book, and it definitely heightened my perspective of how big whale culture is and how big an effect humans can have on it. Highly recommended for ocean enthusiasts and anyone wanting to take a large scale look at our environmental practices.

I've been wanting to read this for some time and finally managed to snag a copy at Dr. Swanson's last reading. I am a huge fan of her poetry, but I don't think I've been able to read any of her short stories since I was in college. This collection reminded me that A) I don't read enough short stories and B) I was very lucky to have been her student.

During the last reading, people commented on her ability to grasp such a wide range of voices in a very few pages. This is absolutely accurate, but not the element that struck me most about this particular collection. Instead, I found the most fascinating trick the way she manipulates time in these stories. It reminded me a lot of Ted Chiang's “Story of Your Life” which deals with an alien language where written words are created with single branching characters which defy the very idea of linear reading. The stories work like memories or like dreams with scenes and thoughts rising and falling as they occur to the characters. Stories trigger further stories which at first appear disconnected, but taken as a whole, enrich and build on each other.

My favorite story in the collection is probably “Lucia on Fire” in no small part because it is set in my home-state of Minnesota within a community of Swedish immigrants and enthusiasts. It's a story about sisters and identity that resonated strongly with my own child. I also loved “Memory” which also deals with identity and exactly how little it takes to destroy such a fragile concept. I've listened to other speakers talk about just how little it takes to become homeless, and this story explores that strikingly fast descent.

Highly recommended for fiction lovers, especially those of us in need of a reminder of the joy of short stories.

I got this book through first reads, and found it quite informative. For someone with only the most minor of astronomy backgrounds like myself, the text gets a bit dry at times, and it isn't really a heart-pounding adventure, but it did teach me a number of things I didn't know about how we reached our current place in the stars. It starts of with a detailed description on the history of photography and how much that shaped how we view the stars. It shows me how much I take for granted looking at pictures of distant galaxies and not fully understanding how many lives have been devoted to acquiring those pictures. It also elevated Edwin Hubble to that mythic status with Teddy Roosevelt and Nicola Tesla.

The book is probably meant for someone with a much stronger interest and background in the field, so I found it a little slow-going, but if you have more than a passing interest in those who came before, it's a solid read.

I bought this book at Fantasy-Con this summer at Peter's booth (we're BFFs, so I can call him Peter). He recommended this one because it was just reprinted with new additions and revisions including some of his earliest published work and his forays into journalism. The fantastical stories were my still my favorite part, particularly “Professor Gottesman and the Indian Rhinoceros” and “Come, Lady Death.” The former is a sweetly sad tale about aging, philosophy, and companionship featuring my absolute favorite pachyderm. The latter is one of Neil Gaiman's inspirations and I can't believe it has taken me this long to read it. As the title suggests, the theme of the collection is “odd acquaintances,” including a rhinoceros who insists it is (and may be) a unicorn, a werewolf, Death herself, and an actual unicorn. For fans of “Folk of the Air,” it also reunites Julie and Farrell, which was great fun.

The early stories are interesting reads, and I could definitely hear them being read aloud on the New Yorker podcast, but they are not exactly to my taste. The journalist essays, however, are a glimpse into a very different world and are fascinating additions. The last of these chronicles Peter's participation in the Poor People's campaign of 1968. Peter grants us a ground's eye view of the participants, their struggles, and the opposition they faced as he camped out in Resurrection City. This essay took a paragraph out of my history book and made it vivid and real. While it is unfortunate that this will be relevant for a long time, I am particularly glad to have found it now after recent tensions stemming from racism and poverty have once again begun to push at my country's foundations. While Peter says in this book that journalism wasn't the career for him (and I am happy he returned to the world of fantasy), it was clearly a worthwhile foray into the field.

There is a little something for everyone in this collection, and I highly recommend it for Beagle fans as well as anyone who loves a good story, true or true at heart.

Grief is a really difficult subject because it is so very different for every person and every situation. In this collection, Dr. Swanson deals the subject delicately and diversely, leaving my own heart aching both for her characters and for the loved ones and loved places missing from my life. The stories inhabit a multitude of personas from teenage girls to Czech musicians resembling Kafka, most of whom are coping in some way with a loss that resonates through their lives and will not be silenced. The Kafkaesque musician from “The Singing Mistress at the Window” is probably my favorite in this collection for the wry humor that overlays the sadness of its narrator. That sarcasm and melancholy (I am no more like Kafka than a giant beetle is like a man!) masking sincerity is an utterly true portrait of so many people in my life.

“The Dream Closet” talks about guilt-imposed exile, another theme which ties in easily with grief. The characters in these stories have made mistakes, lots of them, and they separate themselves because of their guild, sometimes emotionally and sometimes literally. Characters distance themselves by choice or by necessity, and yet roots of their homes continuously reach out to them. I've never visited Prague (though I feel as though I've taken a trip to the Czech Republic in these pages), but I connected strongly with the foreign identity people inhabit abroad. I'm glad I read the stories on a sunny morning to help with the aching sensation echoing out of these pages.

Of course, the collection highlights my favorite parts of Dr. Swanson's writing, including her brilliant manipulation of time and her ability to inhabit so many startlingly different voices. I was especially happy to see “Stray Dogs” appear in this collection because I remember reading this piece during her fiction workshop my sophomore year. The last line where Jamie shakes his head from side to side, demonstrating how he'd caught Kate in his teeth like a dog to pull her in, saving her from drowning in her grief is an image that has stuck with me for a decade now and still one of my favorite lines she's written.

Highly recommended to all lovers of fiction, but especially those who have lost someone recently and need to be reminded of the many faces grief wears and the validity of every tumultuous one.

Kel McDonald's art style is refreshingly unique, and I've been following his Misfits of Avalon since it debuted on the interwebz. However, I never got too far into Sorcery 101 because the archive is enormous and reading comics on the screen too long makes my eyeballs bludgeon my skull from the inside out. Thankfull, the first few dozen chapters are now collected in an extremely heavy omnibus.

The story is a hodgepodge of magical lore set in a world where magic and magical creatures are all real, but only a select few actually believe in it and generally it isn't powerful enough to disrupt everyday life. The two societies coexist more or less parallel, but every once in a while, people are drawn across one border or another. The characters are fresh and it even features a werewolf/mage power couple which is probably my favorite kind of power couple.

It's a great series for fantasy genre fans and I recommend picking up the collection before sacrificing your vision to reading the rest online.