Bookstooge's Reviews On the Road: Fantasy

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Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Guards! Guards! (Discworld #8) 4Stars

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Title: Guards! Guards!
Series: Discworld #8
Author: Terry Pratchett
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 259
Words: 98K

One hundred percent better than when I read this back in 2007 (link at the bottom of the review). A lot of that is that I’ve read enough of Discworld to know now that it’s not all madcap silliness, like I was expecting back then. It also helps that I’m reading these in publication order and keeps me from getting tunnel vision on one set of characters (Rincewind, the Witches, Death, etc) and hitting a wall when a book is about a different set. I am really liking reading these this way because it feels more well rounded and Discworld as a setting is fleshed out more by the various characters instead of being seen from just one perspective.

I had forgotten just how broken Vimes is at the beginning. In many ways this is a redemption story and yet, it’s not. I can’t put my finger on it exactly, but part of it is more about Vimes himself pulling himself up by the bootstraps than any redemption. Vimes (for some reason I always want to say “Grimes”) is a very humanistic literary character and I can see why Pratchett chose to create him and why many readers of Discworld identify with him. There’s nothing of the supernatural intruding into Vime’s life to make him question life’s basic questions. There’s just crime and grime and apathy. He can overcome those things on his own with no help (as thus enable the reader to feel that they can too). I have a feeling that is one of the reasons I didn’t care for The Watch sub-series as much before.

I still don’t like that direction, but having interacted a lot more with people of no faith in the last 17 years has given me a broader and hopefully more sympathetic feeling towards those who would feel like Vimes does. They are wrong, but I’m not so likely to shake my finger at them and lecture them for 30 min. I cut that down to just 10 minutes now ;-)

The story was fun. Rogue magic user politician wannabe takes over the city and gets in WAY over his head. Vimes and the Night Watch help figure things out while the Patrician sits back and lets things play out. It was a relatively light story with only Ankh-Morpork at stake and not the whole of Discworld. Grimes, blast it, Vimes, has enough Everyman Banal Thoughts to make those not used to thinking for themselves feel like they are reading something deep while the rest of us can safely roll our eyes and think about kicking Vimes in the pants to get him out of his funk.

Now that I’ve read the first of The Watch books again and enjoyed it so much, I am looking forward to the rest of them. I really wasn’t before, but I think that reading the books in publication order is going to continue to make a night and day difference for me.

Cheers to that!

★★★★☆

From Wikipedia.org

A secret monastic order plots to overthrow the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork and install a puppet monarch under the control of the Order. They summon a dragon to terrorise the city and plan to have the puppet "slay" the dragon and claim to be the lost heir of the defunct royal house.

The Night Watch, which is generally seen as both corrupt and incompetent, starts to change with the arrival of idealistic new recruit Carrot Ironfoundersson, a human orphan raised by dwarfish parents. When the Librarian of the Unseen University (an orangutan) reports a book of magic stolen, Vimes links the theft to the dragon's appearances. The Watch's investigation makes the acquaintance of Lady Sybil Ramkin, who breeds small swamp dragons, and gives an underdeveloped dragon named Errol to the Watch as a mascot.

At first, the plot works flawlessly. The Patrician is ousted in favor of the new king, but the banished dragon returns and makes itself king, demanding gold and virgin sacrifices, and prepares to wage war against Ankh-Morpork's neighbours for the further acquisition of both (which the citizenry generally seem to approve of).

Vimes confronts his old childhood friend, the Patrician's Secretary Lupine Wonse, having figured out that he is the Supreme Grand Master, and responsible for the dragon's appearance. Vimes is imprisoned in the same cell as the Patrician. Vimes escapes with the help of the Librarian and runs to rescue Sybil, chosen as the first sacrificed maiden. After the remaining Watch fail to kill the king through a 'million-to-one chance' arrowshot, Errol fights it, and knocks it from the sky. The assembled crowd closes in to kill the king, and Sybil pleads for the dragon's life. Carrot arrests it, but Errol lets it escape. The dragon is in fact female, and the battle between them was a courtship ritual.

Vimes arrests Wonse, as he tries to summon another dragon, telling Carrot to "throw the book at him". Wonse falls to his death after the very literal Carrot hits him with a thrown copy of Laws and Ordinances of Ankh-Morpork.

The Patrician is reinstated as ruler of Ankh-Morpork, and offers the Watch anything they want as a reward. They ask only for a modest pay raise, a new tea kettle, and a dartboard. However, since the Watch's original station house was destroyed by the dragon, Lady Ramkin donates her childhood home at Pseudopolis Yard to serve as the new one.

Monday, January 20, 2025

The Beggar Queen (Westmark #3) 2Stars

Title: The Beggar Queen
Series: Westmark #3
Author: Lloyd Alexander
Rating: 2 of 5 Stars
Genre: MG Fantasy
Pages: 187
Words: 57K

A grungy, death filled finale to the Westmark trilogy.

I regret reading this trilogy.

Lloyd Alexander is now tainted in my mind by the writing of this. I will no longer see him as the great author of the Prydain Chronicles. I see that as a fluke. His name will forever be attached to this coming of age story in the midst of war where only bad things happen. That is a big step down and it is why I regret reading this.

★★☆☆☆

From Wikipedia

The peace between the new constitutional order in Westmark and the kingdom of Regia is fragile. Regia's king, Constantine, supports the liberal and representative reforms that Westmark is implementing. Reactionary elites, including his uncle, do not. Constantine's uncle cooperates with other opponents of the new Westmark regime to fund a coup supporting the return of Cabbarus and supply him with mercenaries. Constantine discovers his uncle's plot to assassinate him to stop the reformist movement and sentences him to a firing squad. Meanwhile, Cabbarus, styling himself as the Director, has set sail for Westmark with his troops.

In Westmark, Theo is wrestling with his duties as a consul. His two counterparts, Florian (the erstwhile revolutionary) and Justin (a radical and Theo's rival), prove difficult to coordinate with. The indefinite postponement of his marriage to Mickle, the reigning Queen of Westmark, does not help matters. For her part, Mickle has been seeking a path to transition to a more republican form of government and therefore freedom to marry Theo and rule her life as she pleases. Her research and politicking are interrupted when armed soldiers burst into her room. The ailing Queen Mother and other Mickle loyalists perish as a result of the coup. Theo and the other consuls manage to avoid arrest, with Justin fleeing the capital into the countryside and Florian getting into contact with Theo and Mickle. It is decided that Florian will attempt to solicit aid from Constantine in Regia while Mickle and Theo organize the citizenry in armed urban resistance to Cabbarus and his regime.

Cabbarus's Directorate begins public executions and utilizes agents, such as Theo's would-be assassin Skeit, to surveil the population. Justin makes contact with Theo, Las Bombas, and other leaders of the pro-Mickle faction and insists that the urban resistance begin to fight violently instead of passively smuggling arms and slowing down the occupation. Theo in particular is troubled by this and wishes to avoid reenacting his past as Colonel Kestrel. Mickle warns Theo against trying to impress Justin and then the raids begin. The violence of the resistance is met with reprisals at the gallows and in the streets. As the resistance intensifies, Mickle and Theo receive word that Florian is on his way back with supporters. After Theo informs Justin that Florian is about to return, he is informed that Justin's army is positioning itself for an invasion of the capital city. Justin also demands that Theo recognize his command authority.

While the resistance and revolutionaries are feuding, Cabbarus's government proceeds to shut down independent publications and seize printing presses. In response, anti-Cabbarus publications become more popular than ever. Even the constabulary sways against Cabbarus. When Theo is arrested, the leading anti-Cabbarus writer, a man named Keller, coordinates with Mickle and her coalition to spring him out of prison. As the raid to free Theo commences, the city bursts into an uprising unprompted by either Justin's army or the resistance led by Mickle and Theo. Everyday citizens set the Directorate's gallows ablaze. Barricades rise and the mercenaries and regime loyalists find themselves being fired upon from every angle. Justin's army chooses this as the moment to enter the city and Justin confronts Theo for refusing to cooperate with him. Theo informs Justin that the people have taken it upon themselves to revolt. Mickle and Theo are then seized by the men of Cabbarus while Justin is mortally wounded. Before Justin dies, Theo promises him to support Westmark's transformation into a republic.

As Mickle and Theo are brought before Cabbarus, Skeit (Cabbarus's secret agent) notices that Florian and his army have arrived. Skeit does not inform Cabbarus of this and disputes with the Director about his payment. Cabbarus initially refuses to pay Skeit and then strikes him in the head with a candlestick before bringing Mickle and Theo into his office. He attempts to negotiate Mickle's return to the throne, as well as Theo's marriage to her, in exchange for supporting his rule. Skeit interrupts the Director with a dagger to the heart and then falls dead to the floor. Mickle and Theo escape from the office using the same trapdoor that Cabbarus had used to try to kill her as a child. They are then found and rescued by some of the victorious citizenry.

Most of the resistance's leadership has fallen in the streets fighting, but the survivors have formed a provisional government headed by Count Las Bombas. Mickle, Theo, Las Bombas, Florian, and other leaders meet. Mickle announces that she is abdicating in favor of a republic and declares her official marriage to Theo. Florian warns her that for her safety and the stability of Westmark she must go into exile if she follows through with the abdication. She acknowledges this and plans to travel the world with Theo, Las Bombas, and Musket the dwarf (Las Bombas's loyal attendant). The story ends with Mickle honoring her loyalists and the citizens of Westmark as the four set sail to a new life.

All of my “Lloyd Alexander” Reviews

Thursday, January 16, 2025

After Dark (Silver John #2) 3Stars

Title: After Dark
Series: Silver John #2
Author: Manly Wade Wellman
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Folk Fantasy
Pages: 170
Words: 55K

Yeah, these are definitely slooooooow and not very full. It’s like Wellman is writing the story at the pace of life in which John lives, ie, day to day with no thought for the morrow. The conflict is more mental with just a little bit of the Occultic (when a character calls on the 5 Kings of the Whatever, from some tome of lore, that is the very definition of Occultic) thrown in. John doesn’t have magic battles. He simply tries to counteract what his opponents are doing.

And that works, as long as you expect it and are not thinking of modern urban fantasy with faux gods throwing it down with the main character ala the Iron Druid, etc. The pacing is also slow in terms of time. This whole story takes place in just one or two days, just like in the previous book, The Old Gods Waken. So you get a lot of small detail that is easily glossed over in a bigger confrontation, but here, it completely sets the atmosphere.

Thinking about that, I’d say these are more “atmospheric’ than anything, including the threat of the Shonokin. John visits their village and the descriptions of their houses and dwellings, while not uber-creepy, just give off that vibe of something being slightly wrong, and when we find out there are no female Shonokin, that too adds a frisson of off’ness.

Another character of Wellman’s is mentioned, John Thunstone. He apparently had fought the Shonokin before and driven them out and Silver John wonders if these are the survivors. I bring this up because I’ve had a picture of John Thunstone on the blog before and it’s awesome. Once I’m done with Silver John, I plan on investigating Thunstone.

And of course, I’m going to include a full sized version of this cover. Whoever scanned it must have had a very yellow light or their scanning settings were off, but this was the clearest version I could find.

★★★☆☆

From Bookstooge

John attends a music festival, run by some odd looking characters. He wins the guitar contest and is asked by the shady characters if he’d continue performing for them. He declines and goes home with an old man and his daughter. He finds out that the shady characters are a race called the Shonokin who claim to have been in the United States before even the Indians. They are trying to return to power and need a gemstone of the old man’s to complete they mystic path of power.

They also need his daughter, as all Shonokin are male. The Shonokin try to drive the old man off of his property, but with John’s help they are rebuffed and their leader killed. This forces the rest of the Shonokin to flee the area, as they are deathly afraid of their dead. A witch who had been helping the Shonokin repents of her evil ways and the book ends with her beginning on her path of self-redemption by doing good deeds.

Wednesday, January 15, 2025

A Close Fight (Demon Slayer #11) 3Stars

Title: A Close Fight
Series: Demon Slayer #11
Author: Koyoharu Gotouge
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Manga
Pages: 183
Words: 8K

The finish up to the fight between the demon siblings, the Pillar and Tanjiro and Co. Lots of “oh noes, oh yays” moments and it wasn’t right up until the end where the demon siblings disintegrate into nothing that I was sure it was over.

It was kind of funny actually, not that it was meant to be. The brother and sister demon have their heads cut off and the heads are lying on the ground, facing each other. They start squabbling about whose fault it is that they lost. Tanjiro comes up to them and pretty much starts lecturing them about how they shouldn’t be squabbling, as they only have each other now. It was meant to be moving and everything, but come on, he IS lecturing a pair of decapitated heads lying on the ground.

★★★☆☆

From Wikipedia

"A Close Fight"

"Grateful"

"A Change of Strategy"

"Worm, Simpleton, Stupid Coward"

"Never Give Up"

"Do Something"

"Final Moments"

"No Matter How Many Lives, Part 1"

"No Matter How Many Lives, Part 2"

After a long fight Daki and Gyutaro are defeated, but during the fight Nezuko almost loses control of herself and Tengen is forced to retire from his position as Hashira due to his wounds. Despite that, Kagaya Ubuyashiki, the leader of the Demon Slayers, rejoice over their victory against the Upper Ranks, certain that the day of Muzan's defeat is at hand.

Wednesday, December 11, 2024

Operation: Entertainment District (Demon Slayer #9) 3Stars

Title: Operation: Entertainment District
Series: Demon Slayer #9
Author: Koyoharu Gotouge
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Manga
Pages: 180
Words: 8K

I am definitely starting to burn out on manga again, not sure it’s just this particular one. So I can’t blame it.

The gang are used by a Pillar to go into the “Entertainment” District (ie, the Red Light district), dressed up as girls, to rescue the Pillar’s three wives and sniff out a demon. The wives are all demon slayers of a sort as well and they’ve gone silent. So of course the Pillar is worried.

I had a hard time reading this mainly because I could only see the weaknesses in the planning. Just like in the last volume, there’s a distinct lack of smarts on the Demon Slayer’s upper echelon and that puts the lower demon slayers in jeopardy. The problem is, that is not a problem in this particular manga, but in all shonen manga in general. It is the idea that one can only grow stronger through conflict, that war fuels innovation, etc. So the story must be structured to give the main characters plenty of instances to fight, to “grow” as it were. I’m just tired of it, that’s all.

There is one panel that made me laugh out loud though. It is when we first see the three main characters dressed up like girls. I just laughed out loud and showed Mrs B. Good stuff!

I was also concerned about the visual side of things, as this was taking place in a Red Light District. But there was nothing to worry about. The manga-ka does an admirable job of showing the idea of “sexy” without it actually being sexy or lust inducing. I say “admirable” because I’m trying to be positive. Otherwise I’d have to say he’s just not good enough to draw that way and I am tired of being a negative nancy.

★★★☆☆

From Wikipedia

ToC & Synopsis – click to open

Operation: Entertainment District”

“Search for My Wives”

“The Chase”

“Daki”

“Various Feelings”

“In Various Places”

“Roar”

“Wriggly”

“Air Hole”

Tanjiro and his friends are drafted by Tengen Uzui, the Sound Hashira to help investigate the red-light district in Yoshiwara, Tokyo, where Daki, one of the Upper Ranks, has established herself while disguising herself as an oiran. Once learning Daki’s secret, they are forced to confront not one, but two enemies, as she shares her body and the position of Upper Rank Six with her brother, Gyutaro.

Monday, December 09, 2024

The Sign of Nine (Warlock Holmes #4) 4.5Stars

Title: The Sign of Nine
Series: Warlock Holmes #4
Author: Gabriel Denning
Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy Parody
Pages: 269
Words: 98K

This has reignited my book hunger. While Sanditon started it and Mon Dieu Cthulhu and KTF Part II put a damper on things, The Sign of Nine has made me voracious again. Every time I put this book down, all I could think about was when I would be able to pick it back up.

Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t laughing out loud or reading horrible excerpts to Mrs B like I did with the first book, but it still fed my soul and I needed that. I was also ready to be fed. If I had read this even two weeks earlier I suspect I’d have been very “meh” about it.

It was the right book at the right time, so watch out. I suspect there will be a lot more book reviews in the coming weeks, even with my Love Saves the Day updates taking up Fridays and not posting on Sabbaths.

Once again I am impressed, and quite rightly, by Denning’s sticking to the short stories of Sherlock Holmes. Every story for Warlock Holmes is based on a story by Doyle and while they veer off, madly and wildly at times, the details included always keep us grounded in a very Holmes oriented world. If you’ve never read Sherlock Holmes, or read them so long ago as to have all the details be fuzzy for you, don’t worry, you won’t miss out on a thing. But if you DO remember the stories, you’re experience will be deeper, richer and oh so much more FUN! Denning continually riffs on the originals and you’ll miss out on all that humor, which would be a crying shame.

Watson is a complete wreck in this book. He is recovering from being poisoned by Irene Adler, he’s obsessed with her (any man who has been in love with a woman who he knows he simply cannot have will know that obsession), he’s obsessed with Moriarty, he’s taking a magical drug solution made out of his own blood and shredded Mummy and he’s got Holmes trying to “help” him. Mainly by getting him hitched to a woman so he’ll move out and stay out of Holmes’ sphere of influence, thus saving Watson’s life. That is the reason why this didn’t get the coveted 5Star Award from me.

In the originals, Watson marries one of the clients and has a happy, contented life with a wonderful woman who supports him. Here, Mary is a tyrant, who he hates on sight and she despises him just as much. Warlock intertwines their “fate” lines so they fall in love, but they still hate each other. I get why that is funny, but it didn’t work for me. Killing puppies is funny (like in the first book), but having people get married who literally want to kill the other isn’t. This is why humor is such a subjective thing. But that was my only issue and was relegated to the last chapter in the book.

Now we come to the future.

There is only one more book left in the series. Unfortunately, I have heard it ends on a cliffhanger as big as the one where Doyle killed off Holmes, but more cliffhanger’y. I’m going to read the final book, but I’m already wondering if that’ll be a mistake. While this book isn’t exactly a “great” ending, it does end on a pretty settled note. See, people who think reading has no drama are idiots. THIS is high drama.

I’d like to thank Mogsy for introducing this series to me over 5 years ago. Here is her review of this volume. Mogsy’s 2019 Review of “The Sign of Nine”.

★★★★✬

From the Publisher

Synopsis – click to open

Warlock Holmes may have demons in his head, but now Dr. John Watson has a mummy in his bloodstream. Specifically that of the sorcerer Xantharaxes, who when shredded and dissolved in a 7% solution, results in some extremely odd but useful prophetic dreams. There’s also the small matter of Watson falling for yet another damsel-du-jour, and Warlock deciding that his companion needs some domestic bliss…

Wednesday, December 04, 2024

The Strength of the Hashira (Demon Slayer #8) 3Stars

Title: The Strength of the Hashira
Series: Demon Slayer #8
Author: Koyoharu Gotouge
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Manga
Pages: 180
Words: 8K

In this volume we conclude the fight on the railroad train that has been taken over by a demon. He’s pretty much destroyed by one of the Hashira, the upper ranks of the Demon Slayers. There are lots of terms tossed about, like “Pillar”, so you know there are degrees even in the upper ranks. And the manga-ka then has an upper level demon show up to show that they too have their hierarchy.

Man, I’m getting too old for manga. Once again, we have a one on one fight between a high powered demon slayer and a demon and the demon slayer dies. Of course he does! Which is why the leader of the Demon Slayers should be sending out the Hashira in pairs or even quads to take down one demon at a time with overwhelming force. Weed out the higher ranks and then go after the demon king. But it’s not happening that way; because of story conventions and expectations. It’s stupid, that’s what it is.

And that’s why I’m saying I’m too old for this. I see a possible solution, a path to victory and either the manga-ka also sees it but has ignored it for “story reasons” or he’s so young that he doesn’t have the experience to see the solution at all. Either way, watching people get killed through pure stupidity because they have to do it on their own is getting on my nerves. It’s also a VERY good indication that I’m getting my reading mojo back and am ready to dive back into a slightly more mature story telling.

And if I hear even one “Yeahhh, more mature with all that Cthulhu stuff, or that faux-Star Wars stuff, suuuuure”, I’ll stick a cherry pie in your eye. Because that is how us mature folks handle a situation like that…

★★★☆☆

From Wikipedia

ToC & Synopsis – click to open

“Ending in a Dream”

“Akaza”

“The Strength of the Hashira”

“Whose Victory?”

“Scattering Into Dawn”

“Looking for Something”

“Wielder”

“Move Forward—Even If Just a Little”

“Kidnapper”

The Mugen Train derails from Enmu’s fatal wound when Tanjiro severed his neckbone with his Hinokami Kagura. Rengoku manages to prevent any casualties. Rengoku teaches Tanjiro to use his breathing to close his wound and prevent its reopening. The victory is short lived when Akaza, the Upper Rank Three of the Twelve Kizuki, appears and targets Rengoku while making attempts to convince him into renouncing his humanity and become a demon. The battle ends with Rengoku fatally wounded as he attempts to hold Akaza down to be killed by the morning sunlight, only for Akaza to rip off his arms and flee into the woods as Tanjiro angrily called him a coward. Rengoku leaves parting words for Tanjiro to give to his younger brother and father, who may have the information about the Hinokami Kagura. Rengoku dies after seeing a vision of his mother expressing pride honoring his childhood promise. Disheartened by his loss, Tanjiro pays a visit to Kyōjurō’s family and learns some rumors about an ancient lost technique that looks too similar to his family’s Hinokami Kagura.

Sunday, December 01, 2024

Trading Blows at Close Quarters (Demon Slayer #7) 3Stars

Title: Trading Blows at Close Quarters
Series: Demon Slayer #7
Author: Koyoharu Gotouge
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Manga
Pages: 187
Words: 9K

I think I’ve realized another reason why I like this manga. Tanjiro is big on encouraging everyone he meets with his words. That feeds MY soul.

Keep it up boy, I love it!

★★★☆☆

From Wikipedia

ToC & Synopsis

“You Are”

“Good Evening, Rengoku”

“Train of Infinite Dreams”

“Wake Up”

“Draw Your Blade”

“Good Morning”

“Insult”

“Defending 200 People”

“Trading Blows at Close Quarters”

Tanjiro and the others board the Mugen Train to assist the Flame Hashira Kyōjurō Rengoku in tracking down a demon behind mysterious disappearances on the train. Tanjiro is unable to learn anything of the Hinokami Kagura from Rengoku but the Hashira instead offers him an apprenticeship. They are unaware that the culprit is Enmu as he uses a desperate conductor to place everyone on the train under his sleeping spell. Enmu recruits other sleep-deprived passengers to enter Demon Hunters’ dreams and destroy their spiritual cores so that they can never wake up. While dreaming the Demon Hunters live out their fantasies. Tanjiro is placed in a scenario where his family is still alive and Nezuko was never made into a demon. Nezuko’s attempt to wake Tanjiro up allows him to realize he is in a dream and, advised by a vision of his father, commits suicide to wake up. Nezuko uses her power to sever the intruders’ connections to the others with Tanjiro knocking three of them before confronting Enmu, managing to snap out of his spell to behead him. However, the “Enmu” that Tanjiro fought was a construct as the real Enmu had merged into the train with the intent of eating everyone. With the other Demon Slayers awake, Inosuke and Tanjiro manage to fatally wound Enmu.

Tuesday, November 26, 2024

The Demon Slayer Corps Gather (Demon Slayer #6) 3.5Stars

Title: The Demon Slayer Corps Gather
Series: Demon Slayer #6
Author: Koyoharu Gotouge
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Manga
Pages: 195
Words: 9K

At the end of the previous volume, Tanjiro was facing down one of the Kizuki and apparently about to lose. Some of the higher powered Demon Slayers show up, clean things up and take Tanjiro, his sister Nezuko, and the Two Doofuses into custody. Tanjiro for allying himself with a demon (his sister) and Nezuko, for being a demon. The two doofuses are just kind of dragged along by association.

This is the volume where we find out a good bit about the hierarchy of both the Demon Slayers and the demons. I know we (as in Tanjiro and thus the “reader”) are finding all of this out for the first time, but for goodness sake, Tanjiro was trained by a former high ranking Demon Slayer and he was told NONE of this? This is a common trope in shonen manga, as that is based on the Warrior Mythos, ie, one man becoming stronger and stronger, all on his own! No help needed, thank you very much. It still bugs the living daylights out of me. Communication is King, you dumbasses.

We also get a special Training Montage chapter or three. Once again, it was all stuff that Tanjiro’s former master should have taught him before ever letting him even try to be a demon slayer. Arrrrghhhh, it’s fun to read about but at the same time it is frustrating as all get out as I can see ways to increase efficiency, decrease demon slayer deaths and work towards killing Big Papa Demon. The funny thing is, in the training montage sequence, Tanjiro does EXACTLY what I just said. He asks for help, and gets it. Once he masters an idea, the two doofuses see that it can be done and thus apply themselves and learn it too. I kind of hope to see Tanjiro change the Demon Slayer Corps for the better. Considering the kind of character he is, I bet that will be one of his story arcs, probably bringing him into conflict with a high ranking Demon Slayer in the process. In other words, the usual. I hope the manga-ka surprises me though and does something UN-usual. Like he has in previous volumes.

All in all, a well deserved return to a 3.5star rating.

★★★✬☆

From Wikipedia

ToC & Synopsis – click to open

“Against Corps Rules”

“Trial by Hashira”

“Master of the Mansion”

“Hmph!”

“Butterfly Mansion”

“Rehabilitation Training, Part 1”

“Rehabilitation Training, Part 2”

“The Nichirin Sword Returns”

“Cruel and Heartless”

After killing the daughter spider, Shinobu targets Nezuko with Giyū holding her back so the Kamado siblings can escape. But they are intercepted by Shinobu’s ward Kanao Tsuyuri, the girl who completed Final Selection with Tanjiro. Luckily, the Kasugai crows relay orders for the Kamado siblings to be brought before the Kagaya Ubuyashiki, the Demon Corps leader, and Hashiras, the Demon Slayer Corps elite. Despite the others’ objections, Kagaya vouches for Nezuko to be spared as both Giyū and Urokodaki vouch on her behalf promising to commit seppuku should she start eating humans. Despite his objection, the Wind Hashira Sanemi Shinazugawa relents when Nezuko refuses to attack him after he repeatedly stabbed her. Tanjiro then begins his rehabilitation with his friends at Shinobu’s Butterfly House and learns new breathing techniques while curious about the Hinokami Kagura he used on Rui. Meanwhile, Kibutsuji has Nakime summon the Lower Kizuki to the Infinity Castle. He deems them no longer necessary and kills all but one named Enmu. Enmu receives some of Kibutsuji’s blood to increase his powers and is instructed to kill the Hashira and Tanjiro. A month later, Tanjiro’s group is assigned to investigate disappearances on the Mugen Train.

Tuesday, November 19, 2024

To Hell (Demon Slayer #5) 3Stars

Title: To Hell
Series: Demon Slayer #5
Author: Koyoharu Gotouge
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Manga
Pages: 192
Words: 9K

Ok, well, this just got gory really fast! I know there has been violence and blood before, but it just seemed to ramp up here. There’s a typical “sliced into pieces” scene that is familiar to fans of Cube to Resident Evil, so it didn’t make me sick to my stomach, but I wasn’t expecting such graphic’ness.

Sadly, but not unexpectedly, Gotouge (the mangaka) commits the cardinal sin of Tanjiro having mercy towards demons mean that they are just poor misunderstood humans who had some bad luck by being turned into demons in the first place. We have evidence that demons CAN refrain from killing humans (Tanjiro’s sister Nezuko is one, as is the Doctor and her apprentice from the previous volumes) and thus they need to be destroyed if they are killing humans. Mercy also doesn’t mean you don’t kill the thing you’re having mercy towards. It didn’t go quite that far in this volume, but suddenly, I am concerned it will. The reason it concerns me is that it means there isn’t evil, just misunderstood “poor babies’ who need just the right coddling and magically everything will be ok and all forgiven with no consequences. I’m not feeling very charitable at the moment so that attitude irks me to no end. Not sure it would actually bother me at another time.

Blaaaahhhhh….

★★★☆☆

From Wikipedia

ToC and Synopsis – click to open

“Scattered”

“This Is Bad!”

“Broken Blade”

“Real and Fake”

“Life Passing Before One’s Eyes”

“Hinokami”

“Shinobu Kocho”

“Behind”

“To Hell”

Zenitsu enters Mt. Natagumo and kills the brother spider but is poisoned. He is saved from the demon’s poison by Shinobu while Giyū dispatches the Father when Inosuke is overpowered. Tanjiro ends up facing the real Kizuki Rui as he was disciplining a demon he forced to be his sister, revealing that assembled the spider demons to create his own familial bonds and takes an interest in Nezuko. Tanjiro is overpowered while trying to save Nezuko, causing him to remember watching his frail father dance the Hinokami Kagura. Tanjiro proceeds to use Hinokami Kagura offensively, managing to behead Rui with support from Nezuko’s Demon Blood Art. Rui survives and nearly kills the Kamado siblings when Giyū appears and kills him, with Rui regaining his memories and closure with the parents he assume did not love him.

Sunday, November 17, 2024

Robust Blade (Demon Slayer #4) 3.5Stars

Title: Robust Blade
Series: Demon Slayer #4
Author: Koyoharu Gotouge
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Manga
Pages: 192
Words: 9K

Yeah, here we go, frenemies. Tanjiro has to fight the obnoxious boar guy and beats him down with his bare hands thus ensuring that the Boar Guy (he has a name, but who cares, really? He’s the Boar Guy because he’s wearing a boars head over his own) will faithfully follow him, trying to beat him at everything. Tanjiro tries to win him over with kindness, not realizing BG only responds to strength. Thankfully, Tanjiro has that in spades too.

All three of our heroes head over to a forest where a bunch of other demon slayers have all disappeared. Turns out there is a spider demon doing nasty things like turning them into half-human, half spiders or human puppets. It was pretty gross actually. I also thought that Coward Boy (the third part of the Trio) had killed the main demon, but the book ends with Tanjiro facing off against a wicked strong looking man with a monstrously fanged spiderhead. It was absolutely disgusting! Here, you judge:

That would give a tween nightmares for goodness sake. It would give ME nightmares if I saw it on the screen (one reason I’m not tempted to watch the anime).

We also get a sliver of information about the Bad Guy, but just a tiny sliver. It would appear he’s been around for close to one thousand years, so my first thought was “Well, why hasn’t the Demon Slayers Association made a concerted effort to wipe him out?” It doesn’t make sense to me to concentrate on the weaker demons he creates and ignore him. Use the lower level demon slayers to deal with the lower level demons and get yourself a squad or five (preferably seven or eight really) of super elite fighters and go after the wretched guy. Make it a suicide mission so everyone goes all out, forget about collateral damage and just kill him. That would stop the spread of new demons in its tracks. We’ll see if the manga-ka has an answer for me in later volumes. I’m sure he does, but I don’t know if it will be one that I can accept. Its the age old warrior mindset versus the soldier mindset. But there is a reason why the soldier mindset won out in the end in the real world.

★★★✬☆

From Wikipedia

Table of Contents & Summary – click to open

“Barehanded Fight

“Inosuke Hashibira”

“Urgent Summons”

“Mount Natagumo”

“Marionettes”

“Letting Someone Else Go First”

“Pungent Odor”

“Suffering and Floundering As You Move Forward”

“Robust Blade”

Following a fist fight between Tanjiro and Inosuke, they and Zenitsu are led by a Kasugai crow to a manor with a wisteria crest to recuperate. Hilarity ensues after Zenitsu learns Nezuko is a girl and becomes smitten with her. The trio are then set to assist other Demon Slayers dispatched to Mt. Natagumo. Tanjiro and Inosuke enter the forest to face a family of Spider Demons whose mother turned most of the demon slayers into puppets. Tanjiro manages to kill the Mother, who welcomed her demise while warning him that a member of the Kizuki is on the mountain. Soon after, Tanjiro and Inosuke get separated when attacked by the Father who the former suspects to be the Kizuki. At the same time, Giyū is deployed to Mt. Natagumo along with his fellow Hashira Shinobu Kocho.

Thursday, November 14, 2024

Believe in Yourself (Demon Slayer #3) 3.5Stars

Title: Believe in Yourself
Series: Demon Slayer #3
Author: Koyoharu Gotouge
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Manga
Pages: 192
Words: 9K

With a title like that, you pretty much know where this story is going. Tanjiro fights a bigger baddie but believes in himself and overcomes all. Throw in a lot of faux-martial art terms for fighting forms and you have a formula. Thankfully, it works.

Since it is a fully known fact that demons are in fact just turned humans, Tanjiro continues to view the demons he fights as humans and not as “other”. A lot of this comes from his desire to heal his sister from her demon affliction and if he can help others, so be it. Once he defeats a demon, he tries to connect to the human side of them, and he succeeds in many cases. Usually, this can lead to the main character in a story becoming weak or all weepy and turning into a total wuss. It also leads them towards not fighting their hardest because they’re afraid of hurting something that used to be human. That isn’t the case so far in Demon Slayer. Tanjiro understands the need to put these creatures down, with extreme prejudice, but he never loses sight of what they were. He has mercy, where none is warranted and that touches my heart. He is walking the narrow path between justice and compassion and doing it well.

My only concern is the shonen style “scream your attack name while performing it” pattern that is pretty much fully developed here. I don’t find that cool any more. I find it annoying, especially since it is all fake. It would be like going grocery shopping and having your bagger scream out “Bagging Groceries: Frozen Food Form 9!” when he comes to the frozen items. And imagine him doing that for every item. Sigh. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, below is a picture from a famous anime, Dragonball, where the hero is using his special attack and yelling out its name.

I could have used a page from this manga, but Goku screaming out “Kamehameha!” while shooting out an energy beam really typifies the idea.

I was also concerned that Tanjiro’s sister Nezuko would become a non-character and just be an object used to gain reader sympathy. While she’s not exactly playing second fiddle to Tanjiro, she is being used as a secondary character. Speaking of secondary characters, this is where The Team seems to start to gather. Tanjiro meets two other Demon Slayers and both have characteristics that will play well in a group, which means there is going to BE a team and not just the standalone adventures of Tanjiro. I’m always more partial to standalone heroes than groups, but a well thought out group can provide a whole level of interaction that isn’t possible for a single hero. Of course, many times it is used lazily so the writer doesn’t have to try as hard. Since we just met the two other Demon Slayers, I don’t know how it will all shake out. Hopefully it won’t make the manga-ka go all lazy.

★★★✬☆

From Wikipedia

Table of Contents & Synopsis – click to open

“Arrow Demon”

“The Curse”

“Together Forever”

“Zenitsu Agatsuma”

“Tsuzumi Mansion”

“Rushing Boar”

“The Boar Bares Its Fangs, Zenitsu Sleeps”

“Former Member of the Twelve Kizuki”

“Believe in Yourself”

Tanjiro and the others proceed to battle Susumaru and Yahaba, who claim themselves to be members of Kibutsuji’s Twelve Kizuki. As Tanjiro manages to behead Yahaba and endure long enough for the demon to fully disintegrate, Tamayo uses her Demon Blood Art to trick Susumaru into uttering Kibutsuji’s name with his cells destroying her. Tamayo confirms from Susumaru’s remains that she was not a Kizuki, whose members have their number ranks engraved on their eyeballs. Tamayo prepares to leave Asakusa as the Kamado siblings set off southeast on their next mission, joined by the cowardly Zenitsu Agatsuma as they enter an abandoned mansion that a former Kizuki named Kyogai made his home while targeting humans with a rare blood type. They are joined by another Demon Slayer named Inosuke Hashibira, a fight-crazy maniac wearing a boar’s head who fights with chipped blades. Tanjiro manages to defeat Kyogai and acquire a blood sample for Tamayo, but gets into a confrontation with Inosuke when he injures Zenitsu as Zenitsu protects Nezuko.

Tuesday, November 12, 2024

It Was You (Demon Slayer #2) 3.5Stars

Title: It Was You
Series: Demon Slayer #2
Author: Koyoharu Gotouge
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Manga
Pages: 192
Words: 9K

The story actually moves forward, amazing! We find out all SORTS of interesting things. Like there is only 1 demon who can turn humans into demons (hence why the world isn’t over run by them), that this Demon King is actually living disguised as a human and has a human wife and child.

But let me back up.

We left Tanjiro fighting against a super fatso demon as part of his testing in the last book.

Ok class, one question pop quiz.

Raise your hand if you think the demon wins and eats Tanjiro?

Nobody?

Excellent, none of you are as stupid as you look then. Congrats!

Yeah, Tanjiro becomes a full fledged demon slayer, has an encounter with another newb and finds out that crows are the agents used to deliver where he’s supposed to go on missions. Brandon Lee would have been so proud.

Tanjiro demonstrates his strength on several occasions but also lets his heart show. I fully approve of that. But mainly I approve of the plot moving forward. Last time I said there were 30+ volumes. I was wrong. There are only 23. I approve of that too. In fact, I approve a lot of things about this manga. Which is why I’m going to keep on reading it.

★★★✬☆

From Wikipedia

Table of Contents & Synopsis

click to open

“Big Brother”

“Welcome Back”

“Kidnapper’s Bog”

“Suggestion”

“I Can’t Tell You”

“It Was You”

“Kibutsuji’s Wrath / The Smell of Enchanting Blood”

“The Doctor’s Opinion”

“Playing Temari”

Returning from Mt. Sagiri after passing the exam, Tanjiro learns his family’s murderer is a demon named Muzan Kibutsuji who knows how to restore Nezuko’s humanity. He departs with Nezuko after receiving his Nichirin Blade from the swordsmith Haganezuka to a town in the northwest where a demon with the ability to split into three bodies has been feeding on young girls. As Nezuko was hypnotized by Urokodaki to consider all humans her family, she helps Tanjiro kill two thirds of the demon with the remaining one forcing Tanjiro to kill him while interrogating him on Kibutsuji. Tanjiro then departs to Asakusa, Tokyo, where he has a short encounter with Kibutsuji while meeting Tamayo, a demon who escaped Kibutsuji’s control, and her assistant Yushiro. Tamayo takes Tanjiro to her tower abode and explains to him the nature Kibutsuji’s ability to place his cells in other people’s bodies to force their servitude with a “curse” added to any who utter his name. Tanjiro agrees to work with Tamayo to develop a cure for Nezuko, promising to let her study his sister’s blood and bring blood from powerful demons related closely to Muzan for her research. But they are soon attacked by assassins sent by Kibutsuji — Susamaru and Yahaba — who were ordered to kill Tanjiro (who was wearing hanafuda earrings).

Thursday, November 07, 2024

Cruelty (Demon Slayer #1) 3.5Stars

Title: Cruelty
Series: Demon Slayer #1
Author: Koyoharu Gotouge
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Manga
Pages: 192
Words: 9K

I originally saw Lashaan reviewing this (kind of) and then had someone else recommend the story via the anime. Considering I’m watching Cardcaptor Sakura, it seemed a bit much to add another anime to the mix, so I decided to read the manga instead. But with no real schedule. So don’t expect this to be a regular thing. Or maybe I’ll just binge this and read all 30+ volumes. Hahahahahaa, ahhhh, I’m so funny sometimes.

I’m know I’m getting older, but man, the beginning was totally telegraphed. I read the opening first few conversations and KNEW exactly what was going to happen. Crap, crap, crap. The main character’s whole family except one sister is killed by demons. Crap, crap, crap. Of course, I totally did not see the sister becoming a demon. That at least was original.

“The meek have no power and no options.The strong will crush them in every way.”
vs
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth.”
That’s what sprang to my mind when I read the first quote.

At the same time, this isn’t about love eros, but love familia. Tanjiro, the main character, is doing everything for love of his sister, to rescue her from being a monster and to protect others from experiencing what he went through. Man, that kicked me the feelz. I also really liked that the usual “romance” angle wasn’t the main point. Awwwww man, there’s “Be a Man” talk! I think I’m in love.

And now Tanjiro’s passing his test, a literal do or die. I’m impressed. It’s been a year since I read a volume of manga and you know, I think I’m ready for this. Don’t know how long I’ll stay ready, but boy, I’m eating it up now.

It is also a great antidote to that filthy Neuromancer. Love, duty, strength, determination, hope and justice. Everything that Neuromancer wasn’t, this is. Suck it, Gibson!

★★★✬☆

From Wikipedia

Table of Contents & Synopsis

“Cruelty”

“The Stranger”

“To Return by Dawn Without Fail”

“Tanjiro’s Journal, Part 1”

“Tanjiro’s Journal, Part 2”

“A Mountain of Hands”

“Spirits of the Deceased”

Tanjiro Kamado is a teenage boy with a heightened sense of smell who lived happily with his family until one day he arrives home to find all his family murdered except his younger sister Nezuko Kamado, who has been turned into a demon. Realizing Nezuko was not the killer and retained her humanity to an extent, Tanjiro protects her from a demon slayer named Giyū Tomioka and convinces him to spare Nezuko while vowing to make her human again. An impressed Giyū instructs Tanjiro to meet a man named Sakonji Urokodaki on Mt. Sagiri while warning him to keep his sister out of the sun. Taken under Urokodaki‘s wing, Tanjiro undergoes two years of harsh training before participating in the Final Selection to join the Demon Slayer Corps and passes after defeating a demon who targeted Urokodaki’s previous apprentices.

Wednesday, November 06, 2024

Pyramids (Discworld #7) 4Stars

Title: Pyramids
Series: Discworld #7
Author: Terry Pratchett
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 253
Words: 88K

This is the first “standalone” Discworld novel. By that I mean that none of the characters in this book ever return as main characters nor do we ever go back to the country the main character is from. This is simply a “Discworld” novel. While having read the previous six books will give you a slightly better overall view of Ankh-Morpork, not very much of the story actually takes place there and a better knowledge of that city will not actually affect your enjoyment of this book. But just like I stated in the previous book, Discworld “should” be read in the order that Pratchett published them. It “can” be read in almost any order, but it is just better the other way.

I was hoping that more of the story would take place in Ankh-Morpork, mainly because I wanted to see more of the Assassins Guild. That didn’t happen. So I pinned my hopes that when Teppic went back to be king that I’d get assassin guild hijinks then. Still didn’t happen. Teppic sneaks around a bit, but that’s the extent of we see of his years of training. I was disappointed. Pratchett seemed more focused on taking his bile out on religion in general in this novel than in telling a fun and engaging story. It was still a fun story, but if he’d written more like some of the earlier books (the Death books in particular, where he tackles a controversial subject, but without coming across like an angry jackass), this could have been so much better. I suspect the acolytes of Scyenze would like this more, as that is/was Pratchett’s pet godling.

Now that I’ve vented MY bile, do I have anything left? That’s a good question. It colors every word in this review. Huh, just like the novel! Amazing, hahahahahaa.

I would not recommend this as a starting place for Discworld even though it is a standalone. The writing isn’t as on point, the humor isn’t as funny and this gives you a glimpse of the author Pratchett would fully turn into near the end of the series. Spare yourself. At the same time, it’s still fun, it’s still entertaining and I don’t feel bad about re-reading this. I do know I would never choose to read this for a third time on it’s own again though.

★★★★☆

From Wikipedia.org

Synopsis – click to open

The main character of Pyramids is Teppic (short for Pteppicymon), the crown prince of the tiny kingdom of Djelibeybi (a pun on the candy Jelly Baby, meaning “Child of the Djel”), the Discworld counterpart to Ancient Egypt. The kingdom, founded seven-thousand years ago and formerly a great empire which dominated the continent of Klatch, has been in debt and recession for generations due to the construction of pyramids for the burial of its pharaohs (primarily on prime agricultural land) and now occupies an area two miles wide along the 150-mile-long River Djel.

Young Teppic has been in training at the Assassins Guild in Ankh-Morpork for the past seven years, having been sent to bring in revenue for the kingdom. The day after passing his final exam by chance, he mystically senses that his father, Pteppicymon XXVII, has died and that he must return home. Being the first Djelibeybian king raised outside the kingdom leads to some interesting problems, as Dios, the high priest, is a stickler for tradition, and does not actually allow the pharaohs to rule the country.

When plans are being laid out for the old pharaoh’s tomb, Teppic (now Pteppicymon XXVIII) mentions that his father did not wish to be buried in a pyramid; in reaction to Dios’s rejection of this idea, Teppic ends up ordering the construction of a pyramid twice the size of the largest one previously built in Djelibeybi. Whilst the pyramid-building Ptaclusp dynasty work out how to build the pyramid within budget and on time (eventually taking advantage of the unfinished pyramid’s premature temporal distortions), the late Pteppicymon XXVII spends his time observing the embalming of his mortal remains and taking an interest in the lives of his embalmers, Dil and Gurn.

After numerous adventures and misunderstandings, Teppic is forced to escape from the palace with a handmaiden named Ptraci, who was condemned to death for not wishing to die and serve the late pharaoh in the afterlife (effectively on Dios’ orders since Teppic wished to pardon her). However, during the attempt, Dios discovers them and decrees that Teppic has killed the King (as the King is only recognised whilst wearing the Mask of the Sun and Dios reasons that Teppic’s actions to save Ptraci would not be those of the King) and should be put to death. Meanwhile, the massive pyramid warps space-time so much that it “rotates” Djelibeybi out of alignment with the space/time of the rest of the Disc by ninety degrees.

After Teppic and Ptraci manage to escape Djelibeybi, they travel to Ephebe to consult with the philosophers there as to how to get back. Meanwhile, pandemonium takes hold in Djelibeybi, as the kingdom’s multifarious gods (many of whom occupy the same roles, such as Supreme God, God of the Sun, or God of the Djel) descend upon the populace, and all of Djelibeybi’s dead rulers come back to life. Also, the nations of Ephebe and Tsort prepare for war with one another, as Djelibeybi can no longer act as a buffer zone between the two.

Eventually, Teppic re-enters the Kingdom and attempts to destroy the Great Pyramid, with the help of all of his newly resurrected ancestors. They are confronted by Dios, who, it turns out, is as old as the kingdom itself, and has advised every pharaoh throughout its history. Dios hates change and thinks Djelibeybi should stay the same. Teppic succeeds in destroying the Pyramid, returning Djelibeybi to the real world and sending Dios back through time (where he meets the original founder of the Kingdom, thereby restarting the cycle). Teppic then abdicates, allowing Ptraci (who turns out to be his half-sister) to rule. Ptraci immediately institutes much-needed changes, Teppic decides to travel the Disc, Death comes to ferry the former rulers of Djelibeybi to the afterlife, and Djelibeybi’s former embalmers and pyramid-builders adjust to life without the pyramids.

Sunday, November 03, 2024

The Old Gods Waken (Silver John #1) 3Stars

Title: The Old Gods Waken
Series: Silver John #1
Author: Manly Wade Wellman
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Paranormal Fantasy
Pages: 161
Words: 57K

First off, I have no idea what genre to call this. I was going to go with “Folk Fantasy” because it really felt like the hillbilly cousin of Urban Fantasy, but this stuff by Wellman hit the scene long before UF was ever a thing. I was looking through my tags and saw “Paranormal”. That definitely fits, as we’re dealing with druids, blood demons, ancient indian spirits and mountains demons of the Appalachia. I tagged on “Fantasy” just to make it official. None of this magical realism garbage that authors today use as a crutch because they can’t tell a good story.

Very, very, very low key. John, who plays a guitar with silver strings (hence the series name of Silver John), hooks up with an indian chief/shaman and they attempt to take down the bad guys who are bringing the bad juju to the region. But there’s no wild spell battles or fights, just John and the shaman pushing on through the various barriers erected by the two druid brothers. It’s almost more of a catalog of what is useful against Magic X, Y or Z. Considering there is pagan druidism, indian mysticism and straight up devil black magic, there’s a lot of choices to use and to counter. The ending is pretty anti-climactic too. John furrows the ground with an iron plow and that brings lightning because of some old curse and voila, all the bad guys get crispy fried to nothingness. It is like watching two fighters who are locked down and can only fight each other with their fingers. Every move is small but significant.

I remember seeing some of these Silver John books in our library back in the early 90’s and they were iconic enough to stick in my head ever since. Never read them, but I saw them. Pictures have power. So I’m including the full size cover here for your viewing pleasure.

★★★☆☆

From the Publisher

Synopsis – click to open

In the wilds of Southern Appalachia, lies Wolter Mountain—a sacred place for the Indians and for their predecessors. But the land atop the mountaintop, taken over by two Englishmen, Brummitt and Hooper Voth, is undergoing frightening changes.
Strange and evil rumblings begin to happen around the mountain—man-like creatures prowling around, mysterious voices reciting evil incantations that terrorize Luke and Creed Forshay who live at the foot of the mountain. Then a wandering minstrel, known only as John, learns that the Yoths are Old World druids who are hell-bent on reawakening the pre-Indian spirits that sleep at the summit of Wolter Mountain. Armed with his own arsenal of personal powers, John and an Indian medicine man must fight their way through the druids’ sorcerous defenses to rescue their friends from certain death at the hands of the blood sacrificing priests.

Tuesday, October 15, 2024

My Grave Ritual (Warlock Holmes #3) 4.5Stars

Title: My Grave Ritual
Series: Warlock Holmes #3
Author: Gabriel Denning
Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy Parody
Pages: 268
Words: 98K

Once again, another fabulous read.

This time around, I was bowled over at just how Denning took a Sherlock Holmes short story, parodied it AND tied it into a bigger narrative that overarched the entire book. It was impressive, especially when you consider the original short stories about Sherlock Holmes weren’t really tied to each other. Denning did a great job of twisting the original stories and stringing them altogether to make a cohesive whole without making it feel clunky.

In that regards, Dennings really shows his writing chops. I really wish he had other books I could read but sadly, it appears that Warlock Holmes was his only literary endeavor.

I guess I shall have to just savor the final two Warlock Holmes’ books that I have left all the more. That’s not really a bad problem to have if you think about it…

★★★★✬

From the Publisher

Synopsis – click to open

As they blunder towards doom, Warlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson find themselves inconvenienced by a variety of eldritch beings. Christmas brings a goose that doesn’t let being cooked slow it down; they meet an electricity demon, discover why being a redhead is even trickier than one might imagine, and Holmes attempts an Irish accent. And, naturally, Moriarty is hanging around… in some form or other. Just as Holmes and Watson are hitting their stride, a pair of ancient enemies return. James Moriarty reclaims his criminal empire and Irene Adler bests Watson with a kiss.

Saturday, September 28, 2024

Wyrd Sisters (Discworld #6) 4Stars

Title: Wyrd Sisters
Series: Discworld #6
Author: Terry Pratchett
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 210
Words: 85K

I really enjoyed this. I do wonder though if in another decade the references that Pratchett makes to such people as the Marx Brothers, Laurel & Hardy and Charlie Chaplin will be as meaningless as references to Britney Spears. A grasp of Shakespeare, while not essential, will make the read much fuller.

The humor, while not laugh out loud, felt genuine and actually funny, unlike in Sourcery. The humor of the witches is earthy and natural and springs from human nature itself. Which is why I think it feels so genuine each time and not forced like with Rincewind. That’s important for a series of book built on humor, even if elements of the sardonic are involved.

The inclusion of Nanny Og and Magrat help offset Granny Weatherwax as an irascible old woman. Nanny Og is an old nympho and Magrat is the sad sack meant to generate sympathy. Each has her strengths and weaknesses and they fit very well together as a unit. It provides a much wider variety of situations for Pratchett to work with and I think his writing will be the better for that.

People always ask where to start with Discworld. I used to give my favorite books as a starting place but this deliberate series re-read has made me realize that people need to start at the beginning and just work their way through the series as Pratchett wrote them. Sure, you will get some books you don’t enjoy as much, but you’ll also get the full Discworld experience and THAT is more important than your enjoyment of an individual book. Think of Discworld like Communism and Pratchett as Chairman Mao and you’ll get the idea 😉

Hail Comrades, may the New Order Enlighten you!

★★★★☆

From Wikipedia.org

Synopsis – click to open

Wyrd Sisters features three witches: Granny Weatherwax; Nanny Ogg, matriarch of a large tribe of Oggs and owner of the most evil cat in the world; and Magrat Garlick, the junior witch, who firmly believes in occult jewelry, covens, and bubbling cauldrons, much to the annoyance of the other two.

King Verence I of Lancre is murdered by his cousin, Duke Felmet, after his ambitious wife persuades him to do so. The King’s crown and child are given by an escaping servant to the three witches. The witches hand the child to a troupe of travelling actors, and hide the crown in the props-box. They acknowledge that destiny will eventually take its course and that the child, Tomjon, will grow up to defeat Duke Felmet and take his rightful place as king.

However, the kingdom is angry about the way the new King is mistreating the land and his subjects. The witches realise that it will be at least 15 years until Tomjon is able to return and save the kingdom, but by then irreparable damage will have been done. Granny Weatherwax, with help from the other two witches, manages to cast a spell over the entire kingdom to send it forward in time by 15 years. Meanwhile, the duke has decided to have a play written and performed that portrays him in a favourable light and the witches in a negative light. He thinks this will cause the witches to lose their power, and the people will like him. He sends the court Fool to Ankh-Morpork to recruit the same acting company that Tomjon was given to, which now resides in the Dysk Theatre on the river Ankh.

The company make their way to Lancre, and perform the play for the King as asked. However, Hwel, the playwright, maintains that there is something wrong with the plot of the play, something that just doesn’t feel right. The witches cast a spell in the middle of the play that causes the actors to portray the killing of the king truthfully, and the audience sees that the Duke and Duchess are guilty of killing Verence I. Felmet finally succumbs to insanity and stabs several people with a retracting stage dagger, before tripping and falling to his death in the Lancre Gorge. The Duchess is imprisoned but manages to escape, only to be killed by a collection of various forest animals who want revenge for the poor treatment of the land.

Granny Weatherwax explains that Tomjon is the rightful king, and he is due to be crowned. However, Tomjon does not want to be king; he is an extremely talented actor and wishes to continue his career with his adopted father, Vitoller. Instead Granny Weatherwax tells the town that the Fool is in fact the king’s son from another mother, and Tomjon’s half-brother, and he is crowned King Verence II of Lancre. Later on, Granny and Nanny reveal to Magrat that the previous fool is actually Tomjon’s and Verence II’s father. The status of Magrat and Verence II, who have been awkwardly courting throughout the story, is not fully explained at the conclusion.