The Successor (Eyeshield 21 #19) (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 WordPress, Blogspot, Booklikes & Librarything by  Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission.}
Title: The Successor
Series: Eyeshield 21 #19
Author: Riichiro Inagaki
Artist: Yusuke Murata
Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Manga
Pages: 200
Format: Digital Scan

Synopsis:

The second half of the game between the Spiders and the Devil Bats concludes. Hiruma continues to play his games within games and Sena continues his growth as a player.

Then comes an interlude in the form of one page vignettes.

The book ends with the choosing of the teams to compete in the Christmas Bowl. The Devil Bats are facing the Naga, the team that has won the Championship for the last 9 years. This is the same team whose Captain is a football genius without trying and who enjoys hurting people and using his skill to get away with hoodlum acts.

My Thoughts:

 My enjoyment shot up again. The game was really good even while ending extremely quickly. Hiruma had a plan right from the get go and it didn't come to fruition until the last 5minutes of the game. That is some serious long term planning.

I continue to be impressed with how Hiruma keeps his crazy, gun shooting ways in the forefront even while scouting and planning ahead. He's as smart as the other guys who scream "genius" but he keeps it hidden.

What I enjoyed the most about this volume was the little vignettes. They ranged from deeply pathos to highly humorous. I was man-tear'ing up and laughing out loud within minutes, and no, it wasn't me being manic.

Jubal Sackett (Sacketts #4)

^{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 WordPress, Blogspot, Booklikes & Librarything by  Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission.}
Title: Jubal Sackett
Series: Sacketts #4
Author: Louis L'amour
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Western
Pages: 368
Format: Kindle Digital edition

Synopsis:

Jubal Sackett, youngest son of Barnabas Sackett, is a loner and a wanderer. Tasked by his father to find land further west for his brothers, Jubal gladly obeys. Along the way he is somehow swept into finding an indian princess, starting a small community and saving said settlement from rogue indians AND spanish slavers.


Ends with him and the indian princess finding the perfect valley and settling down for the long haul.

My Thoughts:

This felt like a very long book and after comparing it to previous Sackett novels, it is. Almost 30% longer in fact.  Most of that 30% could have been cut if Jubal's introspective monologues had been cut to the first chapter or 2 instead of being repeated every third chapter. Seriously, how many times do I need to read about him wondering why he wants to wander, how his brothers are doing and how his mother and sister are doing in England?

Other than that, this was a great "Man Against Nature" and "Man Against Man" story. Fighting a wilderness that wants to kill him, fighting indians, fighting spanish, there was a lot of action here.  This was the type of story that I think of when I think Sacketts.

The decision to limit these to one every 2 months was a good one. Any more and I'd be clawing these up. I'm actually wondering if there is a way that I could push it to one book every 3 months, but every scheme I've come up with is just too complicated. Right now I regulate it by having X number of series/books on my kindle and just reading through them by series. To push it out to 3 months I'd have to add a bunch more series and that would push all the other books out to 3 months and I don't want to do that. Keeping track manually isn't going to happen as I'll forget.
 

Review of Book 1
Review of Book 2
Review of Book 3

Star Nomad (Fallen Empire #1)

^{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 WordPress, Blogspot, Booklikes & Librarything by  Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission.}
Title: Star Nomad
Series: Fallen Empire #1
Author: Lindsay Buroker
Rating: 2.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: SFF
Pages: 253
Format: Kindle Digital edition

Synopsis:

Captain Alisa Marchenko has been left behind on a pohdunk world, recovering from her injuries. Inexplicably, there are NO armed force bases on the world or anyone she can turn to to return home. So she is forced to link up with some strange mechanic lady, find an old abandoned spacefreighter, take on passengers AND figure out how to work with an Imperial cyborg who is camping out in her chosen spaceship.

All Alisa wants is to get to her home planet and see her daughter again. But she can't do that while she has beefcake all over the place and pecs galore to ogle. Poor Alisa. She is so insecure and unable to take care of herself.

My Thoughts:

I went into this thinking it was going to be a cool SF adventure. It was billed as "for fans of Star Wars or Firefly". That should have been more than enough warning.

What I got was a story about a woman who is insecure, incapable of taking care of herself and obsessed with her imaginary relationship with a former enemy soldier. And I mean, totally imaginary. Oh, and don't forget his pecs.

If you like a romance book, without sex, and wrapped in a Science Fiction wrapper, this is the series for you. Considering there are at least 8 books, I guess "somebody" is buying these. Maybe people who like pecs.

Sena Kobayakawa (Eyeshield 21 #18) (Manga Monday Part II)

^{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 WordPress, Blogspot, Booklikes & Librarything by  Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission.}
Title: Sena Kobayakawa
Series: Eyeshield 21 #18
Author: Riichiro Inagaki
Artist: Yusuke Murata
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Manga
Pages: 200
Format: Digital Scan

Synopsis:

The game between the White Knights and the Spiders happens and the White Knights crush the Spiders.

Which leads into the wildcard game between the Devil Bats and the Spiders. The Spiders are a kick team and with their own Eyeshield 21, they dominate the first half of the game. Sena puts off his eyeshield and plays as himself for the first time. If he wants to put that eyeshield back on, he'll have to overcome the Other Eyeshield 21.

My Thoughts:

 This was still a good volume, but it lacked some of the humor and some of the passion of the previous books, which is why I knocked it half a star.

This was a very different kind of game from what we've seen so far. It made for a good break and introduced some new skills and parts of the game. The Spiders are dominating so far and there doesn't seem much that the Devil Bats can do. Obviously the Devil Bats will have to change their strategy and each team member will have to improve.

The Drive to be the Best (Eyeshield 21 #17) (Manga Monday Part I)

^{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 WordPress, Blogspot, Booklikes & Librarything by  Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission.}
Title: The Drive to be the Best
Series: Eyeshield 21 #17
Author: Riichiro Inagaki
Artist: Yusuke Murata
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Manga
Pages: 200
Format: Paper copy

Synopsis:  Spoiler

The Devil Bats get some serious momentum going now that they have a kicker on their side. They begin the comeback and are just overwhelming the Gunmen. Sadly for them, the Gunmen respond in kind and while the outcome is in doubt right up until the final seconds, the Devil Bats lose the game.

THEY LOSE THE GAME.

My Thoughts:

 This was good. This was real good. Seeing the struggle of both teams, as the tide of the game went back and forth was impressive and rather moving actually.

Then when the Bats lose the game on an obscure rule, I wondered HOW the manga-ka was going to keep this going for another 20 volumes. I should have known better. Bloody Wildcard. Basically, the Devilbats get another chance to participate in the Christmas Bowl. The hows and whys and whatnots are irrelevant. And Hiruma, the quarterback, knew about this the whole time but didn't tell his team because he wanted them playing like this was their last chance. What a character!

The ending was pretty good too. Right after the game, they meet another team and the team captain simply stiff arms Kurita [the biggest, toughest guy on the Bat's team] aside like he was nothing. And what's more, he's carrying a jersey with the number 21 on it and his helmet has an eyeshield. Looks like things are gearing up for Sena to step out of the shadow of the Eyeshield 21 moniker and to become his own player. Good stuff!

The Midden

^{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 WordPress, Blogspot, Booklikes & Librarything by  Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission.}
Title: The Midden
Series: -----
Author: Tom Sharpe
Rating: 1 of 5 Stars
Genre: Satire
Pages: 352
Format: Kindle Digital edition

Synopsis:

A rich, spoiled boy gets involved with drug runners who want him to frame his uncle, who is a judge. Spoiled boy runs off, gets drugged, and somehow gets involved in small town politics.
A corrupt police chief, a woman who doesn't want the burden of taking care of her ancestral home and a various cast of inept and bumbling idiots all come together for a finale of death, fire and explosions. Not to mention a Black Mass where hordes of children are to be sacrificed.

My Thoughts:

On the surface, this should have been as funny as Riotous Assembly. However, while it was just as biting and satirical, it came across as bitter and angry without the humor. In fact, this left me in a completely foul mood for about 24hrs.

When a book affects me like that, I drop the author like a hot potato.

The Sorcerer (The Return of the Archwizards #3) (Forgotten Realms)

^{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 WordPress, Blogspot, Booklikes & Librarything by  Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission.}
Title: The Sorcerer
Series: The Return of the Archwizards #3
Author: Troy Denning
Rating: 2.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: SFF
Pages: 320
Format: Kindle Digital edition

Synopsis:

Galaeron fights against the Netherese, along with some of Mystra’s Chosen, while the elves and their allies continue the battle against the Phaerim. The good guys mainly win and the Netherese mainly lose, but not completely.

And Galaeron ends up with both his human lover and his elf spirit mate. And he’s more powerful than ever since he’s gotten control of his shadow.

My Thoughts:

Lots of things happened and then bam, the end.  Just like with the previous books, I had a very hard time figuring out what the author was doing or saying. It was as if my mind was dulled or clouded. Most of it was just Denning’s writing style though. I think I’ll pass on any future books by him if I can avoid it.

The biggest thing for me, as an Erevis Cale fan, is that we see in this book how the Dracolich [undead Dragon wizard, ie, a dragon that is just bones] came to be under the spell of guarding the shadowrealm where Erevis encounters him. This series also explains a bit some of the power in dealing with the Weave and the Darkweave.

Other than that, this was blase and confusing and a poor example of the Forgotten Realms. Of course, some people would say that about ANY of the FR books, so take my saying it with a grain of salt.

My Review of Book 1, The Summoning
My Review of Book 2, The Siege

^{Thanks to Mogsy at Bibliosanctum for putting me onto the idea of putting links to previous books in a series at the end of a review.}

Death's City (Blood on the Reik #2) (Warhammer)

^{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 WordPress, Blogspot, Booklikes & Librarything by  Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission.}
Title: Death's City
Series: Blood on the Reik #2
Author: Sandy Mitchell
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: SFF
Pages: 416
Format: Kindle Digital scan

Synopsis:

When we last left our heroes, they were surrounded by the Witch Hunter's forces with no escape. So the beginning of this book they obviously get captured, Hanna gets a sigil that seals her powers and she'll literally explode if they can't get it off. But they do escape, thanks to Fritz's now fully transformed chaos brother.

The trio hooks up with an old wanderer who helps them to Marienburg, where everyone gets various jobs to survive. Rudi continues his hunt to find his real parents and to figure out just what this "heir" thing is all about.  City adventures ensue and by the end of the book the trio have to run again, as the Witch Hunter has caught up to them.

My Thoughts:

Rudi has got to be the dullest clod of dirt in the whole field. He runs right into the arms of the chaos worshippers who just keep on trying to kill him and sacrifice him. I'm hoping that this time around he learned his lesson. There is obviously a schism within Chaos's ranks [big surprise there, right?] about what do with Rudi. One group wants to sacrifice him for some reason and the other group doesn't want to sacrifice him, but we have no idea what they DO want. With the Witch Hunter and the powers of the Empire behind him, you have a very big 3rd player.

Near the end, the Witch Hunter kept trying to talk to Rudi about something but Rudi wouldn't let him get a word in edgewise. I can't say I blame him but still, the stupid Witch Hunter should have just yelled "I know 'Information X'" instead of trying to "talk" to Rudi. You can't kill someone's relatives and friends, then capture them and once they escape expect them to sit quietly while you explain "what is really going on".

On the writing aspect of things. Too may little pointless details were included. I know they were written in to give the book depth and all that malarkey, but it really came across as padding. I don't need to know about breakfast, break, lunch, afternoon, dinner and night time details of their journey on the road.

With all of that, this was a fun read. Rudi being on the City Watch gave rise to some good action scenes. I do feel like I need to hunt down a Warhammer wiki page and start reading these in more of an order than I have with the Forgotten Realms books. Random isn't the best way to read a vast collection of books.

Petrodor (A Trial of Blood and Steel #2)

^{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 WordPress, Blogspot, Booklikes & Librarything by  Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission.}
Title: Petrodor
Series: A Trial of Blood and Steel #2
Author: Joel Shepherd
Rating: 2 of 5 Stars
Genre: SFF
Pages: 525
Format: Kindle Digital Edition

Synopsis:

Sasha is now in the city of Petrodor. Various political factions are vying for the role of leading a new army against the Serrin. The Serrin in Petrodor are playing their own game, unfortunately for them, they don't understand humanity nearly as well as they think. And the humans allied with the Serrin are split as well. Then once the Priesthood gets involved, all bets are off.

Sasha must navigate allies, enemies and some who are both at the same time.

My Thoughts:

I've given this series 2 books worth of my time. I simply didn't like this one either.

Narrowed it down to the fact that I don't like one single character. The story was intriguing, the political, religious and species aspect of things were well done and complex and the fighting was fun to read about.

But without even one character to like or root for, it wasn't worth it. So I'm dropping this. I'm kind of hesitant about trying his Cassandra Kresnov series now. Sure glad I discovered him with his Spiral Wars series and not this.

Savage Homecoming (Omega Force #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 WordPress, Blogspot, Booklikes & Librarything by  Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission.}
Title: Savage Homecoming
Series: Omega Force #3
Author: Joshua Dalzelle
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: SFF
Pages: 261
Format: Kindle Digital Edition

Synopsis:

The synth that initially found Jason on Earth, who was all set to betray, backstab and sellout Jason, is back. With a vengeance. The synth knows where Earth is, knows who to mess with to manipulate Jason and its got some new allies. Big hitters that can wipe out the tech of a whole planet.

So Jason has to save Earth, save the girl, save his new connection with the alien government who is funding Omega Force and come to terms that he can never go back to Earth again. That is a lot to put on one man's shoulders.

My Thoughts:

The odd thing with these Omega Force books is that I tend to enjoy them overall but not in bits. In other words, I liked Savage Homecoming taken in its entirety and the idea, but if you were to ask me when I was reading Chapter Q if I liked it, I'd probably be "meh".

Earth is menaced and even while Jason single handedly saves them, he's now a wanted man because he gets blamed for bringing the aliens to Earth in the first place. That sounds just like the humanity I know and hate, doesn't it?

The woman "mysteriously" referred to in previous books shows up and my goodness, I did not like her. It is now wonder she and Jason are ex's. She does what she wants without thinking of the consequences or about what she is trying to accomplish and Jason just goes along with it.  Thankfully, she gets relocated back to earth and we won't, hopefully, have to deal with her in future books. This sets things up for Jason to hook up with the alien Captain instead, at least she acts like a mature adult.

The various battles were pretty good but Omega Force had a lot of petty word fighting amongst it's members. Not banter, but spiteful little girl style spats. It really seemed out of character and I'm not sure exactly what Dalzelle was trying to accomplish with it.