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

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?

Artificial Evil (Techxorcist #1)

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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.

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

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!

Pippi Goes On Board (Pippi Longstocking #2)

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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.

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

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.

Tennessee Smash (The Executioner #32)

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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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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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.

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

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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.