Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Far from the Madding Crowd


Far from the Madding Crowd - 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 & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.
Title: Far from the Madding Crowd
Series: -----
Author: Thomas Hardy
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Classic
Pages: 512



Synopsis:
The Life and Adventures of some farmers in a small English village. Sheep farmers to be specific. And one of them happens to be a beautiful, young woman.

My Thoughts:
When I read Tess of the D'Urbervilles, I developed a great hatred of Hardy's scathing, pedantic tone. So I wasn't looking forward to this, at all.

So imagine my surprise when I ended up loving this. Every flowery description of a back woods bucolic  village. I loved this! The tragedy, the drama, the awesome over the top'ness of it all. The wordsmithing was topnotch and practically made me want to read MORE about sheep dying because they ate clover.

A typical, victorian love story with a happy ending [for some] and a worthy end [for others]. Despite my enjoyment of this book, I won't be reading any more by Hardy. I prefer to go out on a good note with him.

Friday, March 27, 2015

Monday's Mob (The Executioner #33)

Monday's Mob - 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.leafmarks.com & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.
Title: Monday's Mob
Series: The Executioner
Author: Don Pendleton
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Action/Adventure
Pages: 136




Synopsis:
Bolan has agreed to work for the United States Government, but first he wants a week to pull a complete blitzkrieg against the few remaining Mafia strongholds.
With help from Brognola, saddled with a new Technical expert by name of April Rose, Mack is about to finish his War Against the Mafia.

My Thoughts:
This book seemed to consist more of Mack and April talking to each other in some sort of 70's lingo and unfinished thoughts than anything else. The hit on the Mob stronghold was kind of small and the whole flipping of the head gunman so he delivered the bosses to Bolan just didn't feel right.

The philosophical info dumps by Bolan were rather tedious as well.

Overall, pretty "meh". I hope the rest of the books in this "Week Cleanup" are a bit more exciting.

Thursday, March 26, 2015

The Devil's Deuce (The Barrier War #2)


The Devil's Deuce - Brian J. Moses
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 & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.
Title: The Devil's Deuce
Series: The Barrier War
Author: Brian J. Moses
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: SFF
Pages: 612



Synopsis:
The battle to prevent Hell from breaking loose onto the earth continues. Betrayed from within and without, the Paladins struggle in a completely unequal battle against the demons.
Only, several things that most humans assumed to be true might just not be. Not wrong, just slightly skewed. Big things, like God and the Devil.

My Thoughts:
This book continues the great story begun in Hunting the Three.

First, the negatives.
Moses could have done with a story editor. The grammar, etc were spot on but there were several places where the descriptions were almost Dickens'esque in their loquaciousness. I just skimmed several pages at times and didn't feel like I had missed a thing. Also, the info dumps and theological expositions were a little heavy at times. They would have been better served in smaller portions.  Other than that though, I was still impressed.

On to the positives then.

This was a 600+ page book. Roughly half of that was the battle to contain Hell. In some ways it reminded me of Sanderson's battle writing for the final Wheel of Time book, not in its intricacy, but in its ability to keep me interested for so long. When I realized this was happening, I was delighted.

The whole revelation about God, Satan and Mephistopheles was quite unexpected, interesting and utterly opposed to my theological outlook. I can appreciate a well done Dualistic theology and when you throw in ambitious underlings into the mix, well, it makes for a rather large set of possible options :-D

The ending completely threw me and made me realize that this trilogy is nothing but a game. Probably the card game that the author describes in great detail in the appendices. Rather fun actually.

Monday, March 23, 2015

Ramba Ral (Mobile Suit Gundam The Origin #3) (Manga Monday)


Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin, Vol. 3: Ramba Ral - Hajime Yatate, Yoshiyuki Tomino, Yoshikazu Yasuhiko 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 & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.
Title: Ramba Ral
Series: Mobile Suit Gundam The Origin
Author & Artist: Yoshikazu Yasuhiko
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Manga
Pages: 495



Synopsis:
After successfully fulfilling their mission in the L.A. battle, the White Base finally begins making its way to Jaburo, an apparent Federation stronghold in South America.
Problem is, Amuro really acts like a spoiled brat and steals the Gundam. A new Zeon mobile suit and commander are revealed and Amuro learns that fighting isn't just about the suit but the warrior within.
And one of the White Base officers is revealed to be Char's sister [which anyone who has even a smidge of knowledge about Gundam knows at this point in time]

My Thoughts:
I can't say that I enjoyed this. Amuro throwing a massive temper tantrum and stealing the Gundam and leaving the whole ship in danger is just inexcusable. I would have shot him and put another pilot in the Gundam, even if one who didn't appear to mesh so well as Amuro.

We do get the first mention of the Newtype of human, even though no specifics are given and it is basically just mentioned. Superhumans evolving from Homo Sapiens apparently.

On an artistic/technical side of things, I am simply in love with this series and how these books have been produced. Glossy color pages throughout, heavy stock paper, hardcover binding, large size, it all comes together to make for what I want in a manga. Sadly, at 30 bucks a pop, this type of treatment just isn't possible for your run of the mill manga. Heck, I can't even afford these and am borrowing them from the library. Thank goodness for libraries! I would LOVE to see this kind of treatment for Akira as well, but somethings are always going to be dreams I suspect.

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Odd Hours (Odd Thomas #4)


Odd Hours  - Dean Koontz 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 & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.
Title: Odd Hours
Series: Odd Thomas
Author: Dean Koontz
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 283

 

Synopsis:
Odd meets a pregnant young woman who spouts mysterious drivel while Odd must figure out a blood red ocean dream.

My Thoughts:
Every time I go into these books, it always surprises me how short the time frame for the story is. This time was less than 24hrs.
And nukes coming into the country.

Ever since 9-11, this type of story, the very idea itself, scares the crap out of me. So I'm just going to leave it at that.

As for the pregnant girl, she pissed me off. Enigmatic, vague, pointless warnings have a way of doing that to me. Refusing to explain something is a sure fire way to piss me off as well.

Saturday, March 21, 2015

His Sombre Rivals (Classic)


His Sombre Rivals - Edward Payson Roe 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 & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.
Title: His Sombre Rivals
Series: -----
Author: Edward Payson Roe
Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Classic
Pages: 297



Synopsis:
Graham and Hilland, two young men meet at a German university and become fast friends. Unbeknownst to either of them, they fall in love with the same woman in America, Grace. Instead of letting this come between them all, they act like adults and Graham does not allow his heart to dictate his life.

The American civil war is breaking out and Graham makes it his job to look after Hilland for Grace's sake. Sadly, the vicissitudes of war take their toll. Grace loses her faith in God and Graham does all  he can to support her.

Grace has a complete breakdown and the only way that Graham can take care of her is to marry her with her father's permission. She eventually recovers, they are married in spirit as well as in name and little girl comes of their union.

Sadly, once again Grace and Graham are faced with another death, but this time, instead of turning to despair and hopelessness, they are turned back to God and His love for them in the face of an apparently uncaring universe.

My Thoughts:
This could turn into a long review replete with personal anecdotes for my own personal recollections. So proceed with that knowledge in mind.

This book was recommended to me by my former highschool teacher and I have to say, I am thankful she did. This book is the best book I've read this year and it will be very hard to read a book that is more solid, more enjoyable, more well done than this. The above synopsis pretty much tells the entire book. The "Sombre Rivals" of the title are not other men, but simply Death & Grief.

The main things that drew me when reading this book was the manly friendship of Graham and Hilland and then the Redemptive power of God to draw His children back to Him even when they've turned from Him.

Manly Friendship.
Part I:
The type of selfless, manly love displayed between Graham and Hilland is something that most men today desperately need but lack. Worldwide abuse of strength has led to a worldwide breakdown in just what it means to be a man. Couple that with the American ideal of Rugged Individualism and you have men who are looked down upon while believing they must be Islands of Self-Sufficency. Men need other men to recharge and reaffirm their Manliness. But it isn't happening today for so many reasons.
So to read about this was like drinking a tall cool glass of lemonade after having been in the desert for years without water.

Part II:
The dynamics between Graham, Hilland and Grace.
Graham and Hilland showed a strength of character and friendship when dealing with Grace that just floored me. Hilland never knows that Graham was desperately in love and Graham does not allow his thwarted love to poison his friendship with Hilland or with Grace. He does not turn petty and while he retreats for a bit, he comes back and becomes an even firmer friend to Hilland than before. Putting his life in danger to save Hilland so that Grace won't have to fight the spectres of Death & Grief.

When I was in college there was a girl that I really liked, a lot. But it was obvious that she liked another guy and he happened to be a good friend of mine. Sadly, I didn't react quite as well as Graham. It didn't tear our friendship apart, but it put a strain on it that allowed for an eventual breakdown of friendship. Losing a friend, even if you are choosing that, is a bad thing. So I can understand Graham's feelings and to see him NOT allow that to influence him was just superb!

Redemption:
I am a devout Christian and that is why I am delving into the following. It means a lot to me.

The attempt to answer why God allows Evil is called Theodicy. This is something I have struggled with ever since my little sister got leukemia when I was 10 or 11. That was the first time I realized that there were different kinds of suffering and some of them had nothing to do with our behaviors or action. I've actually just reserved a book at my local library that is only about this issue, thanks to Joel and his great Review.

Roe doesn't go deeply into this, but he does slightly in regards to Redemption. If God is truly omniscient and we are broken, fallen creatures [including our minds and intellects] then it follows that we will not always understand the means and the ways He uses to draw us back to Him.

Graham had never had faith in God. He was a product of a german university and was an avowed materialist. Grace had a general faith from her mother, but nothing that had taken root in her heart. When Hilland died, Grace lost her faith as it had no basis.  It takes the faith of a former slave and the death of Grace and Graham's first daughter to bring them to God and to accept His intervention in their lives.

That can turn people off quicker than you can say boo. "Why would a good God allow..."is a question asked by the atheist, the agnostic and the devout. In my stronger moments I can answer that with full assurance of God's goodness AND His greatness. In my weaker moments I scream it at God and am very much like Job in my questioning. I found Roe's answer to be simple yet enlightening and enough for a person who is honestly asking. No one who is screaming that question at God in pain will be able to hear an answer, yet. Everything in it's right time and place. But the answer is there.

To summarize this section, Roe does an excellent job of showing why God allows the Sombre Rivals of Grief & Death to stalk humanity.


In Ending:
This book is the best I've read this year. It is not something I'd want to read when I want action. However, when I want something contemplative, deep and sold, the ideas put forth are perfect.

Quite possibly the Best Book I'll Read in 2015.

Friday, March 20, 2015

The Heart of Matter (Odyssey One #2)


The Heart of Matter  - Evan Currie 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 & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.
Title: The Heart of Matter
Series: Odyssey One
Author: Evan Currie
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: SFF
Pages: 539




Synopsis:
The crew of the Odyssey One are back at a homeworld of the Priminae, deepening political ties.
However, said world is attacked by the Drasin and the Odyssey chases off the spaceship portion of the attack and the Marines and other ground support crew deal with the ground invasion.
Lots of things are learned, such as how immense the super computer on the planet is, that the drasin are biological weapons tailored to wipe out the Priminae and that whoever the guiding hand behind the drasin are, they are apparently technologically exponentially beyond us.

My Thoughts:
Kickass action! I went in with a groan, because 500 pages seemed like an awful lot and I was sure there was going to be whine and angst and other such stuff-n-nonsense to pad things out.

Thankfully, I was wrong. The buildup was good, the action intense, the reveal predictable yet satisfying and in general I was satisfied. Overall, I am liking this series much more than the Hayden War Cycle/Warriors Wings series, as there is just a lot of action and that is what I expect from my SFF.

Thursday, March 19, 2015

The Crimson Gold (The Rogues #3) (Forgotten Realms)


The Crimson Gold - Voronica Whitney-Robinson 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 & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.

Title: The Crimson Gold
Series: The Rogues, Forgotten Realms
Author: Voronica Whitney-Robinson
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: SFF
Pages: 237



Synopsis:
Thazienne Uskevren, from the Sembia & Eravis Cale series, is the middle of Thay, recovering some Crimson Gold so she can pay tribute to her recently deceased father.
Unfortunately for Tazi, she is caught in the middle of a Red Wizard's spat and even worse, in the potential destruction of Thay, as a demon is about to break loose from its entrapment hundreds of years earlier.

My Thoughts:
The main saving grace of this book was Tazi and her association from previous books. The idea of a Red Wizards spat involving a chained super-demon is pretty good. Unfortunately, little side story about treasure hunting and the duegar hunting for more of his kind, was pretty weak.

I enjoyed this up until the main battle between the Red Wizards, the demon and Tazi. Up to that point Tazi was a good thief, a good Rogue, but when she was cast as a general for the Red Wizards' forces, it just didn't fit. And the whole strategy of throwing one monster army at the other to literally create a barricade of bodies, well, it smacked of ignorance, just like me trying to write a contemporary romance wouldn't go so well.

Thankfully, this Rogues series has been ok and as there is only 1 book left, I'll be finishing this series, unlike the Citadels series, which was just poor crap.

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

The Pimpernel Plot (Time Wars #3)


The Pimpernel Plot - Simon Hawke 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 & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.

Title: The Pimpernel Plot
Series: Time Wars
Author: Simon Hawke
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: SFF
Pages: 236



Synopsis:
The group [I say group, but they are more of a loosely associated bunch of people who happen to have had adventures together before] goes back to deal with an Adjustment, only to find those rat bags from Intelligence are STILL playing games and absolutely nothing is as it seems.
The novel this takes place in is the Scarlett Pimpernel.

My Thoughts:
Thoroughly enjoyed this one. Even while being rather confused. However, said confusion was on my part and not because the book didn't make sense; Hawke does a great job of writing the double game here.

The 2 main intelligence guys from before are back and causing headaches for our guys, who just want to do their job and then go home. Most of this story is dealing with rogue agents, double agents, etc instead of weaving through the main story of the Scarlett Pimpernel. If I hadn't read the original novel, I'm not sure I could have figured out what it was actually supposed to be about.

This book was about the repercussions of the Time Wars and the nature of a Time Split. It was kind of horrific to be honest, in its implications. Billions upon billions of people coming into existence and then just as easily ceasing to exist. And realizing that the narrative of the those we follow could just as easily be replaced by another group of them.

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Heart of the Dragon (Supernatural #5)


Heart of the Dragon  - Keith R.A. DeCandido 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 & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.

Title: Heart of the Dragon
Series: Supernatural
Author: Keith DeCandido
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Media tie-in
Pages: 243



Synopsis:
The war between the Angels and Demons for control of the coming Apocalypse continues.
One demon has thought long term and is trying to bring into a play a fallen spirit of great power, a corrupted Samurai.
Said Samurai has been banished, but reappears every 20 years. Sam and Dean's grandparents successfully banished it, as well as their father and now it is their turn. But this time, that banishment must be permanent or the Samurai will tip the odds in favor of the demons and it will be Hell On Earth.

My Thoughts:
Best Supernatural book yet. It was split  30/30/30 between grandparents, father and then the brothers. For me, that worked real well, as the epic emo'ness of this arc in the tv show was largely cut out and we could focus on Hunters being bad ass hunters.

There was a lot of action, with everything from vampires to humans to demons and angels. Everything I liked about the first 2 seasons was in force in this book. It was simple research, hunt and kill. No whining about this, that and the other. No crying over their forsaken feelings. Just good clean hunting.

My only concern is now the remainder of the books will be compared to this one.

Monday, March 16, 2015

Garma (Mobile Suit Gundam The Origin #2) (Manga Monday)


Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin, Vol. 2: Garma - Hajime Yatate,Yoshiyuki Tomino,Yoshikazu Yasuhiko 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 & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.
Title: Garma
Series: Mobile Suit Gundam The Origin
Author & Artist: Yoshikazu Yasuhiko
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Manga
Pages: 432



Synopsis:
White Base and crew make it to earth. An earth which appears to be as divided between Zeon and the Federation as space is.
Due to military incompetence by those in overall charge, White Base is sent on a mission to Los Angeles instead of heading to South America to deliver the new Gundam.
The Zeon leader in L.A. is named Garma and he is a close friend of Char, thus ensuring that Amuro and Char will meet again.

My Thoughts:
Amura does a lot of growing up in this book. Being a 15 year old and suddenly thrust into a spot of huge responsibility, he reacts. At first he pouts, sulks and throws a tantrum. Then he begins to realize just how much and how many people's survival is depending on him and he begins to mature and take on that responsibility instead of shunning it.

Char is shown for the cold hearted, long planning son of a gun that he is. He maneuvers Garma to his death even though he is Char's friend. And all we know about it is it is based on something that Garma's father has done in Char's past.

War, with a capital "W", is shown as something manly, necessary and yet oh so easily manipulated by the Politicians. Politicians, from high to low, are shown as the scum most people believe them to be. A very interesting mix of viewpoints and ideas.

I'm still confused as to why White Base hasn't booked it to South America. I know the lame excuse given, but don't you think that with all the effort that went to develop this gundam and to get it to earth, that the top military brass would have that much more of an incentive to get it to their stronghold so they could begin mass production?

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Artificial Evil (Techxorcist #1)


Artificial Evil - Colin F. Barnes 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 & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.
Title: Artificial Evil
Series: Techxorcist
Author: Colin Barnes
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: SFF
Pages: 207




Synopsis:
Mr Genius wakes up one day to find that he, supposedly exempt from the Death Lottery since he's a bigshot in The Dome, has been chosen to die.
Escaping the Dome, Mr Genius finds out that everything he's been told is a lie and the Dome isn't quite the Utopia it is supposed to be.
Fighting an evil A.I while trying to survive in a brand new world, Mr.Genius leads us on fast paced adventure.

My Thoughts:
Barnes really did copy the outlines of this story from Shirow Masamune. The Dome/Utopia is straight from Appleseed, the A.I.'s from Ghost in the Shell.

Frenetic is the best word I can think of to describe this. I was as lost and confused as the main character for most of the book. The techno-babble wasn't necessary and added nothing to the story except to let us know that the author "was an expert".

The supposed "revelation" about the nature of Mr Genius was not much of a revelation if you've watched/read the anime/manga I mentioned above. It was a real non-starter for me.

Finally, the ending. The ever-hating cliffhanger. Mr Genius is returning to the earth on a spaceship and it has been messed with, so we end the story with him jetting off into space.

No more Colin Barnes for me.

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Damia's Children (Tower and the Hive #3)


Damia's Children - Anne McCaffrey 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 & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.
Title: Damia's Children
Series: Tower and the Hive
Author: Anne McCaffrey
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: SFF
Pages: 300




Synopsis:
Following the exploits of Damia's Children as they come of age and deal with the Hive threat in their time.

My Thoughts:
This was more 4 short stories than 1 novel. However, that worked out ok as you only had to stay with one character so long, which is a blessing if you happen to hate a particular child.

The Hive have lost their homeworld and there is a vocal minority among humanity clamoring for "peace and understanding" even while having no clue about the viciousness of the Hive. To be honest, the child associated with this part of the story drove me up the wall and almost made me put this book down. I can't stand when "feelings" trump sound, solid thinking.

The other three stories were quite enjoyable. One was about the eldest girl going to the Mridini homeworld to further cement the alliance between Mridini and Humanity. The next 2 were about the 2 boys going to military vessels and using their Talent. The final story dealt with another daughter who was just coming into her teen years and all that that entails.

Overall, this was a good solid story by McCaffrey. Hoping this keeps up with the next 2 books.

Oh, yeah, the cover. This cover is SO aimed at the teen girl crowd. I wouldn't have read it based on that alone. However, based on the original cover (picture below), I would definitely be reading this. Marketing is scary!

Friday, March 13, 2015

Pippi Goes On Board (Pippi Longstocking #2)


Pippi Goes on Board - Florence Lamborn,Nancy Seligsohn,Astrid Lindgren 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 & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.
Title: Pippi Goes On Board
Series: Pippi Longstocking
Author: Astrid Lindgren
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Children
Pages: 78




Synopsis:
Pippi and her two little friends have adventures at the Fair, on a deserted Island and eventually with her father, the Cannibal King.

My Thoughts:
A fun story with each chapter being a little story on its own.

This is the type of book I would love to read to kids to awaken their interest in reading. It is short and well within their attention spans, funny and humorous and most of all, it is about kids their age.

When I think of a "children's book", this is what I envision. And as an adult, it might not be the greatest of literary fare, but it was good for an afternoon's read.

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Blood Brothers (Vampire World #1) (Necroscope #6)


Vampire World: Blood Brothers - Brian Lumley 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 & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.
Title: Blood Brothers
Series: Vampire World, Necroscope
Author: Brian Lumley
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Pages: 622




Synopsis:
Harry Keogh is dead. But before dying, he got it on with a Szagny woman who ended up having twins.
This sub-series, Vampire World, of the Necroscope series follow Nathan and Nestor on the Vampire World. One lusts after the power of the fallen vampires, the other trying to figure out what that wall of numbers in his head means.

My Thoughts:
This book, at 600+ pages, was a monster [hehehehehe]. However, it was mostly setup.

The first 10% was retelling the end of Deadspawn from another viewpoint than Harry's and finding out that even when mostly dead, Harry is a real horndog. Letting us know that Harry's line will survive.

The next 20% - 30% was retelling the Shaitan origin story. How the nuclear blast from Deadspawn sent him back and started the whole vicious cycle. It is more about the rise of the Vampire Lords than anything and it doesn't lead anywhere. Filling in the history gaps.

Then another 10% - 20% [this is all just really rough guesswork, as I didn't realize how things were going to be at the beginning and hence didn't keep track really] is about how there is yet another group of Vampire Lords in yet another Mountain area. These vamps fight their primal urges and are basically ascetics. This leads into one of them going back to Starside to take over since the original vampire lords were all wiped out.

Finally, we get to Nathan and Nestor, the twin sons of Harry. We get a little bit of their growing up and then we really join them when the vampires return and attack. Both go their own ways. One to learn about his abilities, the other to become a vampire.

And there is a girl involved.

This was not nearly as depressing or perverted as Deadspawn. There were graphic descriptions, but they were short and not pages long, nor were they as monstrous as in the previous book. Felt like Lumley pulled back and it really improved the book in my opinion. This book passed muster and allowed the Necroscope series another chance at life for me.

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Tennessee Smash (The Executioner #32)


Tennessee Smash - 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.leafmarks.com & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.
Title: Tennessee Smash
Series: The Executioner
Author: Don Pendleton
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Action/Adventure
Pages: 136



Synopsis:
Bolan teams up with former members of Able Team, now a  super secret Government Agency, to rescue 2 missing members.
He also combines said rescue with taking down yet another Mafia upstart with Political Connections.
Finally, Brognola offers Bolan yet another chance to join the Government and take down badguys all over the world who are outside the purview of regular law enforcement.

My Thoughts:
Now that the Mafia is trembling, toppling, it feels like Bolan is just a punk with a gun. He's losing focus and Pendleton does a great job of showing that with his writing. There's really not much to say about this book on its own. Bolan kills badguys, rescues goodguys and generally does his thing.

The next 6 books, each focusing on a day of the week, promise to be the final push towards the end of the Mafia and Bolan's War. I'm hoping they pan out ok.

Monday, March 09, 2015

Activation (Mobile Suit Gundam The Origin #1) (Manga Monday)


Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin, Vol. 1: Activation - Hajime Yatate,Yoshiyuki Tomino,Yoshikazu Yasuhiko 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 & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.
Title: Activation
Series: Mobile Suit Gundam The Origin
Author & Artist: Yoshikazu Yasuhiko
Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Manga
Pages: 456



Synopsis:
Humanity has expanded into Space, in artificial satellites. One satellite and the surrounding areas, declare independence and call themselves Zeon.
Zeon & the Federation go to war, kill off half of humanity [crashing spaceships, etc into the world satellites] and then declare a truce.
The Federation has a new weapon, a new Mobile Suit and Zeon wants to know about it.
And the War begins anew.

My Thoughts:
I've been aware of Gundam ever since I was aware of Robotech and in my mind, they are two sides of the same coin.
Gigantic robots fighting in space.

But I've never gotten around to watching the original anime. I've watched various later incarnations, (8th MS, Gundam Wing, G-Gundam Fighter, etc], so when I saw this series at the library, in hardcover no less, I decided NOW was the time.

Young Amaro is the only man available to drive the new Gundam in the midst of a Zeon attack at a Space Colony. Under fire and outnumbered, Amaro and a civilian crew must fight their way to Earth to deliver the Gundam to the Federation Forces.

This is good stuff. A young man and other civilians stepping up to do their duty, untried, afraid but not allowing that to stop them. Fighting the forces of Zeon while their own Military acts very cowardly and pretty much abandons them to their fate.

The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars was because the Zeon being ON Earth just didn't make sense to me. Nor Char's ship [Char is the Zeon's super ace and seems to be shaping up as Amaro's nemesis] coming right up to Earth's atmosphere. Control of space didn't seem to be a factor here, even though it should have been.

To close up, I really enjoyed this and am looking forward to the next 7 volumes that the library has.

Thursday, March 05, 2015

Banner of the Stars II: Protecting the Precious (Seikai Trilogy #3) (Manga Monday on Thursday!)


Banner Of The Stars II: Protecting the Precious - Hiroyuki Morioka,Wasoh Miyakoshi 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 & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.







Title: Banner of the Stars II: Protecting the Precious
Series: Seikai Trilogy
Author & Artist: Hiroyuki Morioka & Wasoh Miyakoshi
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Manga
Pages: 248
 

Synopsis:
Jinto and Lafiel are working on the new Basroil and their assignment takes them to the fringes of the continued war with the United Mankind.
They are to evacuate a planet, only it turns out it is a prison planet and various factions are claiming to be in charge.
Jinto must therefore head planet side to sort everything out. And nothing goes right. Eventually Lafiel must choose between her duty and her feelings.

My Thoughts:
The artist changed, so the artwork was different and I have to say, I was not a fan of that change. Also, there were a couple of instance of fan service that just didn't need to be there.

Storywise, I didn't feel like things really took off until Jinto and Lafiel got to Lobnos II, which was quite a ways into the book. All the other stuff dealing with Lafiel's brother and other Abh felt extremely extraneous and superfluous. It was fluff.

But, when things went South and Lafiel had to make the tough decisions, it was well done. Also, things didn't end as I was expecting since this was a manga and my recollections of the anime were pretty fuzzy, but it was a good ending and I enjoyed it. I really wish more of the anime existed, so I could watch it, but such is life.

Tuesday, March 03, 2015

Corsair (Blades of the Moonseas #2) (Forgotten Realms)


Corsair - Richard Baker 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 Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.
Title: Corsair
Series: Blades of the Moonsea, Forgotten Realms
Author: Richard Baker
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: SFF
Pages: 384



Synopsis:
Geran, now acting like a responsible adult, comes across pirates, who seem to be preying on only ships headed for his hometown.
Due to politics, which hide more revenge motives than you can shake a stick at, Geran is sent off with a boat and some Shieldsworn to hunt the pirates down.
On the phracking MOON!

My Thoughts:
This was so much more enjoyable than the previous book, Swordmage. Geran isn't acting like a spoiled brat and his enemies are acting like enemies instead of petty idiots.

I thought the whole pirate/ship thing was pretty cool actually. And when they magically fly to the moon on a sailing ship, all I could think of was Captain Harlock and his Pirate Space/Sailing ship. And it was cool, in case you didn't get that.

The other thing I liked was that Geran wasn't so aggressively introspective and angsty. I'm an introspective kind of guy, but even I get tired of reading about other people being like me. Overall, there was more action, less "characterization" and more "fun" factor in this book.

Sunday, March 01, 2015

Solo Command (X-Wing #7) (Star Wars)


Solo Command - Aaron Allston 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.

Title: Solo Command
Series: X-Wing, Star Wars
Author: Aaron Allston
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: SFF
Pages: 354


Synopsis:
Wraith Squadron and Rogue Squadron hookup under the command of Han Solo as they all try to take down Warlord Zsinj.

My Thoughts:
I read this at work on my lunch breaks. However, with the atrocious winter [100+ inches of snow so far] combined with the typical seasonal slowdown, I haven't been working much and hence didn't read this very much. All of which is to say that it took me over a month to read this, all spread out and not in a quick read like most of my books.

I enjoyed this, but can't remember much to say one way or another. If I ever got rid of my Star Wars book collection [mostly hardcover science fiction book club editions and just about everything up through Kenobi] I'll definitely be holding onto the X-Wing books. They remind me of the movies with their simple, clean adventure stories.