Deadspeak (Necroscope #4)

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Title: Deadspeak
Series: Necroscope
Author: Brian Lumley
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Pages: 517


Synopsis:
Harry is BACK. But his son, to defend his bad ass vampire self, took away Harry's Necroscope powers and returned him to Earth.
Now another Vampire is Ascending, one with the capability and know how to survive in our modern age. A Vampire who can Foretell the future. A Vampire who is the blood son of Faethor Ferenczi.
Can Harry regain his Mad Skillz, Defeat Janos and Prevent Faethor from taking over his mind?
Find out in this 4th Necroscope Novel!

My Thoughts:
I know my synopsis sounds ridiculous, but really, as much as I am truly enjoying the deliciousness of these books, they are just so THAT.

I really like the fact that these are also Cold War era thrillers as well as Vampires as Ultra-Monsters horror stories. The politics and how the world was at that time make this a lot of fun to read about. However, young people today will be missing out on a lot. They won't know who Nicolae Ceaușescu was or anything.

I think that Janos, the Vampire of this book, is the worst yet. He raped his mother repeatedly because he hated his father [and that is why this got the sexually explicit tag], allowed himself to be killed to survive until the present day, takes over a blood relative's body and then just plays mind games with Harry. Each Vampire gets worse in each book and it is wonderful. Vampires are BAD and these books show just what horrible monsters they are.

One thing that I wondered and kind of look forward to, is Harry killing Harry Jr. That little brat is now a Necroscoped Vampire who is a Super Genius. I don't care how good, strong or noble his intentions are, he is a Vampire and it will show at some point. And Lumley seems to like making Harry suffer and to I like seeing him suffer [he's really not the most likable of people] so having him kill his own son that he sacrificed so much for would just hit the spot I think.

Good stuff, eh!

Gunslinger Girl #15 Finale (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.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer

Title: Finale
Series: Gunslinger Girl
Author & Artist: Yu Aida
Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Manga
Pages: 192


Synopsis:
The End of the series and the Social Welfare Agency. The terrorists are defeated but their sympathizers in the government mobilize to destroy the Agency. Which in turn allows the legitimate gov't to take out the rogue elements which have been hiding in plain sight.
We get to see how the various girls and handlers handle the future and in the end, how something good comes from all the death and destruction.

My Thoughts:
I am so glad that the previous volume was not the ending, as it showed the end of the battle but not the aftermath.
This was Sad and melancholic.
Seeing Henrietta and her handler dead [for sure with no questions] just cut me. I liked her the best of all the girls.
Watching the survivors wear out was hard too. You know they are going to die, we knew that right from the beginning, but seeing them drop off one by one, it was heart wrenching.

I did like the fact that the story ended with Triella's daughter making a success of herself in a normal life. The ending quote was very uplifting:

Yes, there is still
HOPE
in our world!

As a series overall, I found this went from the Action'y to Deeply Life Affirming to simply Touching. I highly recommend it.

Nexus (Nexus #1) DNF

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Title: Nexus
Series: Nexus
Author: Ramez Naam
Rating: 1 of 5 Stars
Genre: SFF/Cyberpunk Prequel
Pages: DNF @ 46%


Synopsis:
Mankind is messing with their genes and dna and creating all sorts of miracles and monsters and possibly the next step in human evolution, the Post-Human.
One young genius and his friends have created a breakthrough using a nanobot type drug called Nexus5. The breakthough? Mind to Mind Contact...and Control.

My Thoughts:
Two main reason I didn't get past the 46% mark.

First, the profanity. It was "fuck" that and "shit" this every other sentence after the first chapter or so. I don't want to read that kind of language, as I do believe that what we expose ourselves to on a continual basis will change us in that direction.

Second, in the last couple of years the big bad bogeyman of the future is nano/bio/techno whatzuhazzits. Just like if you read Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein, their stories are filled with either how wonderful Nuclear energy is and how every garbage disposal is a small nuclear reactor that powers your portable rocket pack OR how horrible it is and how mankind ends up destroying itself every time it is used. That is how I feel this story was. Horrible, terrible humanity destroying. So forget it.

One thing I did enjoy was how this is definitely Prequel Cyberpunk. Every wonder how societies like Snowcrash or Neuromancer came about? They didn't pop into existence over night. This story explores a world on the brink, but instead of humanity using the tech, it is all about the tech using humanity. And I just don't buy that. We don't understand 1/100th of the awesome miracle known as the brain, so don't tell me that some computer program is suddenly smarter. It might be able to do certain things more focusedly, [not sure that is even a real word, to be honest] but it will not have the depth, breadth and creativity of the Mind.

So there you have it.  Good plot overall, good grammar and story editing, just hit me wrong and I didn't like it. Maybe you will.

A Tale of Two Cities (Classic) (Buddy Read)

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Title: A Tale of Two Cities
Series: -----
Author: Charles Dickens
Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Classic Literature
Pages: 443


Synopsis:
A Tale set during the times of the French Revolution which follows a French family living in England.
A story of Hope and Redemption even during the worst of times.

My Thoughts:
Fan-phracking-tastic! Having read this in the late 90's, then again back in '07, my decision to re-read Dickens every decade or so seems to be paying off.
This was just as good, if not better than previous reads and it was in no way diminished by being a re-read.

I thought Dickens did a masterful job of portraying the characters. Not one single person was a Superman with no flaws, but all had their strengths and weaknessess and Dickens used that to make them interact in such a way that it was more than believable.

Darnay was a polished but emotionally naive Frenchman. Carton was a diamond in the rough that only shined in the last minutes of his life. Lucie was a pillar of strength to her husband while putting her only daughter into harms way. Dr. Mannette survived the Bastille, rescued his son-in-law, only to see him re-taken by the Republic and Mannette himself reverting psychologically to his prison days. Defarge wants Justice but not untold bloodshed. Madame Defarge is hard and implacable and yet it is love that destroys her in  the end.

I loved this.

And I really enjoyed doing a buddy read with Book Cupidity as well. It was fun to see the other's updates and comments. Good times.

Warrior Spirit (Rogue Angel #9)

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.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer.

Title: Warrior Spirit
Series: Rogue Angel
Author: Alex Archer
Rating: 2.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 292


Synopsis:
Annja is recruited to find an old family relic with possible mystical powers, by the last in a clan of.....Ninjas!

And they are opposed by the Yakuza, another Ninja'y kind of guy and some monks.

My Thoughts:
My eyes were rolling so much while reading this that I had to change my glasses.
Ok, it wasn't quite that bad, but almost.

The Sword goes on the fritz whenever Anna isn't in real danger, which I find ridiculous. It completely took away the idea of Free Will and negated the idea that she could go all Darkside by killing innocents, which has been previously explored.

I don't expect much from my action books, but if you are going to try to be Philosophical, I expect something real, not some new age crap that has as much depth as a bikini.

And Mr Ninja? I have nothing to say *grin*

Azumanga Daioh Omnibus (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.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer

Title: Azumanga Daioh Omnibus
Series: Azumanga Daioh
Author & Artist: Kiyohiko Azuma
Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Manga
Pages: 688


Synopsis:
Follows the highschool years of a group of young girls. Slice of Life type manga, with everything from humor to sadness to absolute saccharine sweetness.

The majority of the manga is the 4Koma style, ie, 4 single panel drawings one atop the other, which lends itself to very brief, intense one shots.
However, there are times where Azuma breaks away from this format to tell a slightly more connected story and then you get the typical manga layout.

My Thoughts:
Loved this, hence the favorite designation. It is light, comedic, fun, easy to digest and just generally a delight to read.

The omnibus collection collects all 4 volumes of the original manga and it is one monster book. I read a copy from the library and they used that special reinforcing clear tape on the spine and on the insides of the front and back cover, to keep it from cracking. It seemed to work and if I ever buy this volume, I'd definitely want something like that, as this is just too big for simple glue binding to handle.

I have to admit, if you had suggested that I would love a manga [and anime, which I do one, by the way] about highschool girls, I would have been very suspicious of you. But the comedy and lack of angsty pathos made this a series that I wholeheartedly recommend to anyone looking to try out this new fangled fad thingy called manga.
The format also lends itself to easing a newb into the whole right to left reading of panels. Good practice for when you're trying to figure out some of those other more complicated series.

If you've read Yotsuba&! and liked it, you'll definitely enjoy this ancestor of it. And if you like this, you'll definitely want to read Yotsuba&! next.

Balance of Trade (Liaden)

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Title: Balance of Trade
Series: Liaden Universe
Author: Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: SF
Pages: 670


Synopsis:
Jethri, young spaceborn Terran, is hated by his mother and she wants him gone. In one of those upsets of circumstances, Jethri is taken as a new apprentice, on a Liaden ship.

Adopted as the new heir of the Captain, Jethri is plunged into the Liaden world, filled with Honor, Melanti, and pitfalls he has no idea even exist. Thankfully, he acquires allies who help him as he in turn helps them.

My Thoughts:
As with previous Liaden novels, I simply loved this. I cannot pin down exactly what Lee & Miller do to make me love their books, but it hasn't failed yet.
One thought that did strike me was how much this reminded of "Jane Austen.....In Space!"  The light romance touches, the family/clan drama, it just struck as Austen-lite and I really liked it.

This story follows a different Liaden clan from the former books and I am glad of that. It actually follows a Terran who is becoming Liaden. So everything is from Jethri's viewpoint. I am glad to have read the previous Liaden books, as it gave me a background that helped me know pieces that weren't obvious.

Everything that characterized the former books was here as well. It does end incomplete, but not a cliffhanger.  Looking forward to the next book immeasurably. I wonder how long I can drag it out before I HAVE to read it?
*grin*

The Man-Kzin Wars (Man-Kzin #1)

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Title: The Man-Kzin Wars
Series: The Man-Kzin Wars
Author: Larry Niven, Poul Anderson, Dean Ing
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: SFF
Pages: 389


Synopsis:
Mankind meets the warlike Kzin [cat empire that is conquering everything they can] and we kick their freaking butts.
These 3 stories show First Contact and then some activities AFTER the war.

My Thoughts:
In all honesty, I was expecting more of the War and less whatever these stories were. Social commentaries or longwinded SFF monologues about science'y things. Boring, pointless and non-war oriented science'y things no less.

I was expecting something more like Alan Fosters trilogy, The Damned, where the fighting was what it was all about. This was just some rather generic space adventures. Not really sure how these 3 stories spawned over 10 books worth of stories.

It wasn't bad, it simply wasn't engaging or interesting enough. I won't be reading any more in this series.

Shadowstorm (Twilight War #2) (Erevis Cale) (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 Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer


Title: Shadowstorm
Series: Twilight War, Forgotten Realms
Author: Paul Kemp
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: SFF
Pages: 352


Synopsis:
Erevis, Riven and Magadon make a deal with the Devil to escape hell and to prevent Magadon from being obliterated. This deal is what propels their actions for this book.

In Sembia, and specifically the city of Selgaunt, War happens. Shadow forces are at play and nothing is straight forward or as it seems. Shar, a goddess of dark, is ascendant and she uses, abuses and discards her servants as she sees fit.

Shadovar, long lost shadow sorcerers arise to combat the darkness, but they are servants as Shar as well.

My Thoughts:
Much like the first Twilight War book, Cale only plays a part, not the main part of the story and I find that rather unfortunate. The other characters, while driving the overall plot forward are not really people I am invested in. Cale, I am invested in. I've read the Sembia series [where he is a major character in the first 2 books and appears throughout the remaining 5] and the Cale trilogy. So 11 books I've invested in him.

Whenever I am reading a Forgotten Realms books, I have to remember to not get to excited about some big change that is coming because that is ALL the books are actually about, gods ascending/descending, the world changing, new conquerors/heroes/villains, etc.  Some of the smaller series/authors might be nice little side adventures [here's to hoping Castles or Rogues are more standalone] but most of the trilogies are always earth shattering events.

This one did get the Ultra-violent tag because what Magadon's father, the Devil, does to him. Graphic disemboweling while keeping him a live. And then eating half his soul.

The ending, where some sort of portal is opened between this world and a shadowrealm was pretty cool. Looking forward to how Cale & Co save the world and their friend Magadon, as with only half a soul he is sliding faster and faster toward his devil heritage.

Dixie Convoy (Executioner #27)

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.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer


Title: Dixie Convoy
Series: The Executioner
Author: Don Pendleton
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 129


Synopsis:
Mack heads to Georgia following a cocaine trail and comes across a huge mafia front which deals in laundering everything from money to automobiles.
With the help of the trucker community Mack crushes them and allows the Feds to roll the Mafia up like a rug.

My Thoughts:
Can't say I liked this one as much as the others. There was so much trucker/CB talk that half the time I had no idea what was going on, even when one of the characters took the time to explain it.
Other than that, this was a good fun book with lots of guns blazing and rockets blowing things up.