Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Detroit Deathwatch (The Executioner #19)


Detroit Deathwatch (The Executioner, #19) - Don Pendleton This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis:
Bolan heads to Detroit to shake things up in the city that the Mob considers safe. He runs across a undercover cop that he ran across in Vegas and ends up helping her find a lost partner instead of blowing the mob out of the water.

My Thoughts:
Bolan rolls into Detroit to make a big splash since Detroit was pretty entrenched with the Mob and safe, in their eyes.

However, before he can really get rolling, he runs across an undercover hottie who's looking for her missing chica and Mack, manly man that he is, decides that a damsel in distress is more important than his killing spree.

Thankfully, he still gets to do a lot of killing, probably so we the readers don't get bored :-)
And that sums up everything about this book, the previous books and the future books.

Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Author: Don Pendleton

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Treasure Island (Classic)


Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson,N.C. Wyeth This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis:
Jim Hawkins, young boy at a boarding house, ends up with a treasure map. A good friend, a doctor, believes it is real and thus an adventure to recover pirate treasure is started. And pirates come back into the picture before all is said and done!

My Thoughts:
After reading Stevenson's Black Arrow last year and being sorely disappointed, I was hoping this would redeem him. It certainly did.

It started out very fast paced and suspenseful. Jim at the inn with an old drunk who turns out to be a pirate, who other pirates are after, makes for a good time. An attack on the inn, Jim fleeing, taking refuge with the doctor, it was a good beginning.

Then you have the sailing to the island and all the whoop de whoo with just about all the crew being former pirates. The adventure ON the island after the mutiny and whole working out of justice as the pirates fall prey to their own piratical nature.

And through it all, Jim the scamp, the wonder hero, the all round British boyo, is central to everything.

This is very much a boys adventure fantasy. I enjoyed it quite a bit and can see why so many spinoffs [Disney's Treasure Planet and the Muppet Treasure Island being the most recent in my mind] exist. It is simply a great story.

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Author: Robert Stevenson

Monday, May 26, 2014

Maul: Lockdown (Star Wars)

Lockdown: Star Wars (Maul) - Joe Schreiber This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis:
Maul is sent undercover to a prison to ferret out the identity of an Arm's Dealer and to buy a proscribed weapon from him to further one of Palpatine's devious schemes.

My Thoughts:
I enjoyed this book more than I did the previous 2 by Schreiber. Mainly because it wasn't lame-o horror but a typical action/thriller.

Think Cage Match on a self-contained prison satellite. And Maul gets to do most of the fighting. The whole reason he is there is razor thin plotwise, but let us be honest with ourselves, I don't read Star Wars for it's Dickens' like plots, characters and settings.

I can see people enjoying or not enjoying this book, depending on their mood at time of reading. If I'd been grumpy, I'd probably have torn this book apart for the shallow piece of tripe that it is; but I wasn't grumpy, so I enjoyed the rollercoaster action and the all most non-stop fighting.

I also went into this with ZERO expectations. After the news about the gutting of the Extended Universe a little bit ago, my fandomometer went right down to empty. So since I enjoyed the action, I ended up enjoying the whole book.

Also, I really liked the fact that Schreiber makes a no holds barred confession that he's a Christian in his intro/ending/thanks/whatever. That encourages me.

Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Author: Joe Schreiber

Friday, May 23, 2014

A Gathering of Widowmakers (Widowmaker #4)


A Gathering Of Widowmakers - Mike Resnick This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis:
Young Jeff, the Widowmaker cloned to take the Original's place, so he can live in peace, ends up fighting with the second clone, who has taken on the identity of Jason Newman.
The Widowmaker realizes he hasn't taught young Jeff all he really needs to know to BE the Widowmaker and sets about to do just that.

But of course, there is a new outlaw that forces all 3 of the Widowmakers to team up and in the process young Jeff grows up and takes his rightful place as the True Widowmaker.

My Thoughts:
This was a good ending to the Widowmaker series. It was classic Resnick with some good banter between the Widowmakers as well as Kinoshita (?).

In many ways this whole series could be thought of as shallow and trite and just some throw away space opera. And really, you wouldn't be wrong. But Resnick's stories always revolve around ideas that are bigger than life and instead of trying to make those ideas fit into our world, he simply turns those ideas into people and situations that are bigger than life. I find this approach VERY appealing as well as good story telling.

The Widowmaker is Justice personified. He is quick, deadly, emotionless and never lets his quarry get away. And through this tetralogy we get to see all sorts of sides to that. Old, bitter experienced Jefferson Nighthawk. Young, inexperienced but super deadly [and ironically, dead] Jefferson. Middle aged, experienced Jason Newman who is sick of it all. Young, experienced and yet teachable Jeff.
So many aspects of Justice. Cold and Calculating. Righteous Indignation. Devil may care.

It is just a lot of fun to read and it resonates with me. These Widowmaker books, along with his Santiago duology, are the best of Resnick in my opinion. Highly recommended.

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Author: Mike Resnick

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Monster Hunter Nemesis (MHI #5) (ARC)


Monster Hunter Nemesis - Larry Correia I received this copy from the publisher through Netgalley.com and that in no way has influenced my opinion in regards to this review.

This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer


Synopsis:
Agent Franks is center stage in a Special Task Force Unicorn vendetta. Franks is on the run while he must clear his name, destroy a whole set of bodies based upon him AND prevent an invasion of the original fallen angels.

My Thoughts:
Just like in Alpha, this book follows a particular person in the MHI universe. Agent Franks, the mysterious, deadly bulldog of the Monster Control Bureau.

First off, the violence level is just as high as in Alpha. In fact,  the book starts off with Franks using guns, crowbars and fists to destroy a cult that is trying to raise an Elder god.

Then things really get started. Apparently, Franks has a deal with the United States, but it works both ways. One of those conditions is that no recreating of Franks is allowed. But the STFU [yeah, I love how Correia worked that] is being as evil'y as ever and the leader, Stricken, has broken that agreement and made multiple flesh golems with all the modern tech at his disposal.

So Stricken must get rid of Franks and Franks must get rid of Stricken and the copies.

However, unbeknownst to humanity, but very well known to Franks, is the fact that the bodies are taken by fallen angels, not new human souls. And here Correia gives his readers a crash course in semi-mormon theology and mixes it with Cthulthuic lore.
Pretty interesting and it makes internal sense for the overall series.

Franks must stop the invasion of a literal Hell on Earth. It is great. Huge battles involving everything from 50cal guns to fisti-cuffs. It is a pulse pounding, hard core, thrill-a-minute, roller coaster adventure.

I just tore through this book and loved every second of it. It was good enough to make me seriously consider buying the whole series in hardcover. I did drop a half star because of the profanity. It wasn't completely gratuitous, but it was way more than necessary.

Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars
Author: Larry Correia

Monday, May 19, 2014

xxxHolic #5 & 6 (Manga Monday)


xxxHOLiC, Vol. 5 - CLAMP
xxxHOLiC, Vol. 6 - CLAMP
This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis:
Watanuki has several adventures, most with Domeki saving his butt, some by himself and all with Yuko making fun of him the entire time.

My Thoughts:
The whole tone of xxxHolic is so different from Tsubasa that it is hard to compare them. xxxHolic is darker while at the same time being funnier. Watanuki and Domeki have the perfect comedy vibe between. So much so that even when they are both in terrible danger they are constantly bickering and making the audience laugh.

Watanuki does seem to have an unhealthy fascination for Himiwara, even though it is obvious she doesn't like him. Tie that in with the fact that the Rain spirit is nuts about him and you have to wonder what is going wrong inside his head.

The overall plot. Having read Tsubasa to the end I am now aware of what is going on, so little things are jumping out. But they are so little that if you didn't know the end of the story they wouldn't mean anything.

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Artist & Author: CLAMP

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Firebase Seattle (The Executioner #21)


Firebase Seattle - Don Pendleton This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis:
Mack sniffs out a new super base of Operations in Seattle. With help from the double agent Leo Turin and Agent Hal Brognola, Bolan puts the kabosh on yet another Mafia operation.

My Thoughts:
I accidentally skipped books 19 and 20, but it didn't make a difference and I'll be going back and reading them anyway.

Basically, there is an effort by the Mafia to do some sort of global economic messing about. They plan to fill their base in Seattle with gold and weapons and prepare to take what they can in the coming chaos.

Bolan puts an end to that by blowing up the base, thoroughly. And destroying yet another batch of Elder Mafia. So world domination by the Mafia has been set back yet again.

Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Author: Don Pendleton

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Forbidden City (Rogue Angel #5)


Forbidden City - Alex Archer This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis:
Annja, in the process of helping out a Chinese man find his long dead relative, stumbles onto a secret that both Garin and Leroux want. And there is a whole gang of Chinese triads under the direction of a ruthless business man involved as well.
A lost city in the desert, traps and lots of action.

My Thoughts:
This was a lot of fun.  Annja gets almost killed in California while looking for a corpse and that ends up with her teaming backup with her ersatz mentor Leroux and going against Garin, Leroux's former pupil.

And there is a sub-plot about some girl assassin, but besides literally providing a piece of a puzzle, she wasn't an integral part of the story.

But we get a booby-trapped city under the desert! That is what made me bump this up half a star. Swords, darts, spears, falling floors, a locked room with a descending ceiling, it was ALL good.

The magical item this time was some doodad that Leroux thought was terrible, so he and Garin join up to destroy it.

Overall, a good fun read. No complaints from me this time :-)

Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Author: Alex Archer

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Black Wolf (Sembia #4) (Forgotten Realms)


Black Wolf: Sembia: Gateway to the Realms, Book 4 (Sembia Gateway to the Realms) - David Gross This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis:
Talbot Uskevren, a newly minted were-wolf, is trying to put his life back together after the battle his whole family faced in the last book.
At the same time, the Werewolf that turned him is in league with a family enemy. And if that isn't enough, a prophecy about The Black Wolf is coming into play.
Finally, a woman is involved.

My Thoughts:
Thamalon Uskevren is a great man, who made his house great. And if you ever wonder why Great Houses become Middle Houses, it is because the children.
Each of the Sembia books follow an Uskreven child. And lordy, are they all spoiled brats! They aren't hopeless, but their weaknesses are great enough that not one alone could keep their House great and they can't get along.

I'm not a big fan of were-wolves, but this worked. It was an adventure family revenge story that just happened to have were-wolves AND vampires. Oh yes, vampires. And they aren't the Dracula sexy vampires, but more like a sea leach. It was gross and I loved it.

Obviously, things turn out as you pretty much expect, it IS Forgotten Realms after all but that is part of the fun. A fun, comforting adventure read that doesn't push me mentally in any way. I need those sometimes.

Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Author: David Gross

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Chasers of the Wind (Cycle of Wind and Sparks #1) (ARC)


Chasers of the Wind - Alexey Pehov I received this copy from the publisher through Netgalley.com and that in no way has influenced my opinion in regards to this review.

This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer


Synopsis:
One kingdom of humans, who use not-bad magic [not to be confused with good, mind you!] are being invaded by a kingdom of renegades that use bad, necromantic, evil, etc, etc, etc magic.
Follows several pairings/groupings of people who were caught on the border of the conflict, who all have their own problems in addition to invading demon thingies, zombies and magicians who will eat you.

My Thoughts:
First off, this guy, Pehov, is Russian. So this is a translated work. Which is why I finished the book instead of DNF'ing it. I'm going to blame most of my issues on the translator, but my resolve to not read anything else by Pehov is on his shoulders alone.

This was choppy writing. Short sentences that should have been rewritten into one longer, well constructed sentence. I had saved a couple of particular egregious examples, but then by the end I didn't care enough to go back and copy them out. Maybe in Russian it made sense for sword choppingly short sentences, but certainly not in English. It made Pehov sound like an amateur [and yes, I know I used the word "sound" in regards to the written word *wink*].

However, what annoyed me the most, and was all the author, was that ONE character was written in the First person, while everybody else was in the Third. It doesn't sound like much, but trust me, when you go from a limited "I" point of view to an Omniscient narrative "they" and back,  it is really jarring. And that was deliberate, nothing to do with the translator.

The plot was ok, with a good back story waiting to be explored and a good amount of magical and mundane fighting. In many ways it reminded me of Eddings and his love of groups, just without the humor.

But it "feels" like amateur writing and I refuse to numb my reading skills. Let's just say Pehov's no Dostoyevsky. That being said, you won't have wasted your time if you try this. Perhaps just not spent it as wisely as you "could have".


Rating: 2.5 of 5 Stars
Author: Alexey Pehov

Monday, May 12, 2014

Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE #27 & 28 (Manga Monday)


Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, Vol. 27 - Clamp
Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, Volume 28 - Clamp
This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis:
The series wraps up and to be honest, while I am satisfied with the ending, I am not wild about it. Nor do I understand much more than I did several books ago.


My Thoughts:
Well, things do wrap up and while I don't like the fact that Li must keep on journeying and Sakura must stay in Clowland, at least they are themselves and not clones, images or their own parents.
Yeah, you heard me right. Time travel and re-incarnation are only the beginning of the weirdness.

And while I don't understand what in the world Fei-Wang was all about [yep, another thing I don't understand, surprise!], there were enough hints to answer the questions I might have had.

The fact that part of the plot was dealing with Yuko the Time Witch and Watanuku suddenly made xxxHolic, or what I've read of it so far, make a lot more sense. I'm glad I'm reading it next as well.

Series Thoughts:
Overall, while I enjoyed this, the artwork at many times was so busy, so full of activity, that I couldn't figure out what was going on.
That was my only complaint however and for a 28 volume series, I guess that is pretty good.


Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Series Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Artist & Author: CLAMP

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Scout's Progress (Liaden)


Scout's Progress - 'Sharon Lee', 'Steve Miller' This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis:
Caylon, an abused middle child, now an abused adult, is a math genius. But it isn't enough to get her from under her domineering brother's thumb.
So she makes a bet, under her Delm's protection, that she can make her portfolio do better in a year than her brother can.
It is all a ruse to prepare her for running away and leaving her life behind and starting a fresh.
What she doesn't count on is running into Daav, head of Clan Korval.

My Thoughts:
With each Liaden novel, I enter with trepidation, wondering if "this" will be the book that falls flat for me.
Well, it wasn't this one! :-)

I absolutely love these books. Space Opera Romance, that while not of Jane Austen quality, are perfect for what they are.

A balance of light humor, dark emotions, people using their brains and some really good action.

Caylon was shown perfectly. An abused woman who was intelligent enough to know that she needed to run and made the plans accordingly. It was great to see her start out as a mouse and become warmer and stronger the more she interacted with her new friends and Daav.
We also get to see Daav move from a man who is jealous of his twin for his life mating while Daav must deal with contract marriages as the Clan leader to someone who finds his own lifemate. I love that type of thing.

Happy Endings and Justice for All, all around!

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Author: Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

Thursday, May 08, 2014

Vengeance of Orion (Orion #2) DNF

Vengeance of Orion - Ben Bova This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Merriam Webster defines Blasphemy as:

Full Definition of BLASPHEMY

1
a :  the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God
b :  the act of claiming the attributes of deity
 
2: 
irreverence toward something considered sacred or inviolable
 
 
As a reader of SFF I encounter ideas and philosophies that I disagree with, sometimes quite deeply, and while it colors my enjoyment of that book, I don't usually stop.
As a Christian, I can take mockings, I can take my faith being belittled and I can take being told that I'm just plain wrong.
But one line I won't cross in my reading is Blasphemy.
 
In this book Bova makes a future humanity, amped up and greekgod like. One of those humans comes back and pretends to be the God of the Old Testament to the Israelites in the desert. Not taking His place, but being the reality and the God of the Bible a myth based on him.
 
That I won't countenance. I'm not going to riot, or ask for a death squad to go after Bova or put out a price on his head; but what I am going to do is never read any of Bova's books again nor support him financially.
 
Rating:1 of 5 Stars
Author:Ben Bova

Wednesday, May 07, 2014

The First Casualty (Jump Universe #1)


The First Casualty - Mike Moscoe This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis:
A sequel series to Mike Shepherd's [aka Mike Moscoe, or vice versa] Kris Longknife series. Takes place during her Grandpa Troubles time and before humanity encounters the aliens.
This is the battle between the inner planets and the diaspora.

My Thoughts:
This was pretty much like the Kris Longknife series, just without all the whining. However, the sexual side of things was a bit more blatant.

On the positive side, the action was a bit more, the self-indulgent rants didn't exist and there were no references to non-existent boobs or hips. Lord, that last one alone made this one book better than the whole KL series.

Looking forward to the rest of the books in this trilogy.
ps,
Leafmarks didn't have this book in their system, period. I tried title, author, isbn and asin. So I'm done with them for a couple of months or a year, if they survive that long.

Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Author: Mike Moscoe

Monday, May 05, 2014

Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE #25 & 26 (Manga Monday)

Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE, Vol. 25 - Clamp
Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE, Vol. 26 - Clamp
This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis:
We get the whole back story of Li and Sakura and what is driving Li in the present. We also find out how Watanuki [from xxxHolic] came to be the way he is.
We also get a climactic battle between Wang-Fei, Li-clone and Li, Fai and Kurogane.

My Thoughts:
Oh my goodness! I know these volumes were supposed to be tear-jerkers, but my goodness, it really got to me.   Love, duty, sacrifice, destiny, free will. Li has it in spades. And he's got a fantastic gang backing him up.

Things are still working out, what with Li's wish and Wang-Fei's [I go back and forth between Fei-Wang and Wang-Fei without really caring. Kind of like John or Jon. Big whoop, right?] somehow being opposite, the same and feeding off of each other. I really don't understand what is going on and I just hope I do by the end of the series in 2 books.

I am REALLY looking forward to the final 2 volumes just to see exactly what is going on and how it all wraps up.

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Artist & Author: CLAMP

Sunday, May 04, 2014

Eifelheim


Eifelheim - Michael Flynn This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis:

A physicist and her historic loving partner try to figure out why a village was abandoned and never repopulated.
Then we get the history part, about the village of Eifelheim and the aliens that pretty much crash land there.

My Thoughts:

I honestly don't know why this book came across my radar. That is the problem with having a long TBR list.

Anyway, I found this very meh. Lots of the historical story about the aliens trying to survive in a medieval village and the local priest trying to figure it all out.

Then you had the modern story  about the man and woman who, in the process of figuring out the mystery of Eifelheim end up figuring out interdimensional space travel.

I guess this was originally a short story and to be honest, it should have stayed a short story. Sometimes authors shouldn't mess with their past.

Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Author: Michael Flynn

Saturday, May 03, 2014

Tess of the d'Urbervilles, a Pure Woman (Classic)


Tess of the d'Urbervilles, a Pure Woman - Thomas Hardy This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.com by express permission of this reviewer

I hated this book.

From the beginning where Hardy mocks, needles and jabs Christianity at every turn, to the middle where the "humanist" husband shows his utter hypocrisy, to the end where Alec Durberville  shows his change of heart for the sham it is.
And through it all, poor Tess. Alone, unprotected by those who should have protected her, abandoned by her husband, used and at the end, forced to pay for her crime of murder that was brought about by her complete and utter abandonment by any and all.

While some take the view that Hardy was showing up Victorian life [and don't get me wrong, this is a perfect example of what was wrong in the era], it was simply too vicious, cutting and plain antagonistic for me to cool-headedly read it and analyze it.

Hardy had an axe to grind and he gave it all he could in this book. I certainly won't be reading any more by this ass.

Rating: 1 of 5 Stars
Author: Thomas Hardy

Thursday, May 01, 2014

The Jungle Book (Classic) - Group Blog Review


The Jungle Book - Rudyard Kipling This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.com by express permission of this reviewer

Synopsis
Several short stories about India and animals. 3 stories about Mowgli the mancub, 1 about a white seal, 1 about the elephant dances, 1 about the mongoose Ricki-tikki-tavvi and 1 about some camp animals chatting it up one night.
Plus several songs and poems.

My Thoughts
Last time I read The Jungle Book it was actually The TWO Jungle Books and I was not very impressed. There was stuff about Eskimoes and a LOT more poems and songs and short stories that didn't seem to fit. It did have some additional stories about Mowgli however, so it might be worth reading if you really like him.

This time I read the first Jungle book and it was great. We all know Mowgli, but this is the real one, not the disneyfied cartoon doofus. Nor is he the young strapping lad of mighty pectorals seen in the live action movie with Jason Scott Lee.

Overall, this was just a bunch of stories about the animals of India. Funny, sad, courageous and heartwarming. Perfect for a child's introduction to Kipling and to a wider range of the world's Literature than they might have experienced to date.

As for comparing this to the movie, I'll leave that for the movie review later this evening. But the movie has almost NOTHING to do with the short stories about Mowgli from this book.

Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Author: Rudyard Kipling

Group Blog Info:
For the main event, please head over to:
Jungle Book Discussion Central
and follow the instructions :-)

The movie can be watched here at my blog at the following post:
Jungle Book Movie