Saturday, June 30, 2007

June '07

SEIKAI TRILOGY: CREST OF THE STARS
-H. Morioka-manga
-245-this was the manga adaptation of the anime by the same name. So pack 13 episodes into one manga and this is what you get. But considering, they did a bloody fine job! The only complaints I have are that there was a bit more fanservice in the Baron Febdash arc & most of the nuances of the Human/Abh differences simply could not be shown. Watch the anime, if you like it, you'll like the manga.

BLEACH #15
-T. Kubo-manga
-184-don't remember. That is the problem with manga, longer series tend to blend story arcs, there are no concrete plot points per se in each volume.

HUNTER X HUNTER #14
-Y. Togashi-manga
-202-Gon and Killua are within the Hunter game of Greed Island. They are taken under wing by the Hunter who trained the Hunter that trained them.

THE KINGKILLER: THE NAME OF THE WIND
-P. Rothfuss-fantasy
-662-a Chronicler finds a Hero and is told his story in 3 days. This book is day 1. Very well written, but it is of the darker variety. Too much sensuality and several instances of taking God's name in Vain. No need for that at all. I also don't care for the darker edge to this. So I am waiting until this trilogy finishes before I decide if I want to buy it or not. Book 1, no. Maybe Book 2 and 3 will redeem it, I hope so.

LANDOVER: THE BLACK UNICORN
-T. Brooks-fantasy
-239-Meeks tries to take over Landover again and it is shown that the Books of Magic are actually captured unicorns, whose magic is siphoned and used. It is like Brooks has taken the whole WORLD of Shannara and tried to push it into one small fairy land. It was interesting, but rather flat.

WINTER ROSE
-P. McKillip-fantasy
-262. McKillip weaves her web about a young woman who is wild. She falls in love with a cursed man, who is in love with her sister, who is engaged to another man. It was very sad and depressing but turned out ok in the end. Her words were downright seductive.

STARWARS: LEGACY OF THE FORCE: EXILE
-A. Allston-scifi
-337-I really enjoyed this. After the "darker and darker'ness" of the last 2 books, this was refreshing. Allston has a humor all his own and it shone through. Ok, Ben is sent on a mission by Jacen, which is really a test of whether he is capable of being Jacen's sith apprentice. Thankfully, Ben has some revelations and it looks like he is back on the correct path. In the end, Jacen still hasn't decided who he must sacrifice to become the Sith Master, but he has decided to take out his parents either way. The Skywalker and Solo clans are starting to pull back together, with the obvious exception of Jacen. Jag Fell comes back and is around Jaina. I hope good things come from it.

CERES: CELESTIAL LEGEND #6
-Y. Watase-manga
-189. I don't really care about this series, just one that the library has, and I want "new" manga to read.

BLEACH #16-17
-T. Kubo-manga
-more fighting. Find out that if Rukia is executed, it will somehow bring about the downfall of the Soul Reaper Society. Lots of infighting amongst the Captains.

HARROWING THE DRAGON
-P. Mckillip-fantasy
-308-a collection of her short stories. Interesting.

THE CHANGELING SEA
-P. Mckillip-fantasy
-137- a story about a fisher girl, a magician, and two princes's. One born of the Land, one of the Sea and how everything is straightened out in the end.

LANDOVER: WIZARD AT LARGE
-T. Brooks-fantasy
-238-Questor Thews attempts to turn Abernathy back into a man, but bungles up as usual. As a result, Ben and Willow go back to Ben's world after Abernathy, while Questor must deal with a demon and Nightshade. Everything gets solved right at the end. I liked it much better than Black Unicorn. Just no character development though.

THE GOLDEN GATE
-A. Maclean-action fiction
-233-a megalomaniac takes the President and a Middle East King & Prince hostage in the middle of the Golden Gate Bridge. It is up to the secret Agent buried among the Journalists/Reporters to solve the situation. Amazing how much action Maclean packs into 36hrs and in an area less than 1mile square.

BONE: ONE VOLUME EDITION
-J. Smith-graphic novel
-1332- 3 "Bone" cousins are run out of Boneville because one of them, Phoney Bone, is a scam artist. They come into an unknown valley, begin living there and meet new people. They end up getting sucked into a long simmering war between the Lord of the Locusts and the Royalty of the Valley. Starts out light and funny, almost vignette'sh, but then it gets more serious once the idea of the long standing war comes into play. It keeps its humorous side though all the way to the end. Very well done and executed.

GOODBYE CALIFORNIA
-A. Maclean-fiction
-310- A madman has 10 nukes and is threatening to blow up California unless he is given a huge amount of money. A local detective, whose wife and daughter are being held hostage by the madman, works to bring him down. Maclean is more fitted for teens and young 20's, or those who can't appreciate a subtle plot. Not badmouthing Maclean at all though.

STAR WARS: SPLINTER OF THE MIND'S EYE
-A.D. Foster-scifi
-182-Takes place between ANH and ESB. So Foster didn't know that Luke and Leia were siblings, in which case he can be excused for the romantic leanings in this book. Still grossed me out though. The Force was certainly not a developed idea like it is now, that was obvious from the battle between Luke and Vader at the end. But considering it was written in '78, it isn't a bad book at all. I'm sure there are some continuity things that are a little off, but nothing major stuck out to me.

DRAGON AND THIEF
-T. Zahn-teen scifi
-248. A young former thief, on the run for a crime he actually didn't commit, hooks up, literally, with a dragon who is the sole survivor of an ambush. Their enemies are linked, so they help each other out. This was meant for teens, and it shows, but it isn't a bad thing. I'd introduce Zahn to a preteen with this series[Dragonback series] and then lead them on from there :-)

PRINCE OF TENNIS #1-2
-T. Konomi-manga
-a 12 year old tennis protege comes to a new middleschool. Considering that the oldest males are in 9th grade, it was kind of disturbing to see romance going on between girls and guys, they are still kids, hahahaha. A really cool storyline and I intend to keep on reading.