Even though it’s been something like 6 years since o read a previous book on this series, it’s like I never left. The Deathland books remain ridiculouEven though it’s been something like 6 years since o read a previous book on this series, it’s like I never left. The Deathland books remain ridiculous, over the too, cliched, and dumb. And yet they are still an absolute blast to read.
Homeward Bound continues the story of Ryan Cowder and is ragtag band of post apocalyptic survivors, trudging their way through the Deathlands, either on foot or using the MAT-Trans portals they continue to come across. Inbetween there are mutants, bands of wild gangs, animals, and, in this case, despotic rulers of pockets of civilization that just so happen to be related to Ryan.
Yeah, the whole thing is crazy, but I’m not complaining since I have the same attention span and juvenile enjoyment of this kind of thing that a 14 year old testosterone fueled adolescent boy would. I don’t need a deep plot or much of anything as long as there is a radiated wasteland, lots of guns, lots of action, lots of death, and lots of sex. As the previous 4 books already did, Homeward Bound delivers on all those things, keeping most readers of the same mindset satisfied.
I guess you could equate reading this book (and series) to cake. You know what you’re getting isn’t necessarily the best thing for you, nor are there any real healthy benefits to consuming, but it sure tastes good for those few moments you get to taste it....more
The 2nd of the "Boy in the Iron Box" set of shorts finds the team of Russian hit men still stuck in the abandoned ruins in the mountains as they discoThe 2nd of the "Boy in the Iron Box" set of shorts finds the team of Russian hit men still stuck in the abandoned ruins in the mountains as they discover there is a lot more to their location than meets the eye. Like the first one, this is a bit too short, but I know that it’s an intentional homage to serial novels and keeps the readers coming back for more. Hoping the 3rd one ups the ante. ...more
Batman vs. Batman…or at least a creation of Batman himself in AI form. This wasn’t the absolute best Batman story, but it was far from the worst, espeBatman vs. Batman…or at least a creation of Batman himself in AI form. This wasn’t the absolute best Batman story, but it was far from the worst, especially as it brought in multiple DC superheroes who actually looked beatable. The “I am a Gun” storyline tacked onto the end was pretty mid though. ...more
More of a long novella than an outright novel, Masterton’s Trauma follows the path of a crime scene custodian whose family life begins to fall apart tMore of a long novella than an outright novel, Masterton’s Trauma follows the path of a crime scene custodian whose family life begins to fall apart the more blood and guts she cleans up. Like most Masterton’s there is a sinister reason behind everything and by the time the final sentence ends, you’re left wondering just what is reality and what is imagined. ...more
Mack Bolan can never catch a break. On his 2nd attempt at a vacation, in which he attempts to solo trek Iceland, he quickly become embroiled in a Russ Mack Bolan can never catch a break. On his 2nd attempt at a vacation, in which he attempts to solo trek Iceland, he quickly become embroiled in a Russian conspiracy to use Iceland’s natural resources and volcanic geology to build a secret submarine base and thwart NATO treaties. Of course, Bolan being the kind of man he is, can’t let it slide, and with the help of some secret Norwegian agents, he takes on the might of the KGB almost single handedly.
This is Peter Leslie’s 3rd Executioner novel and at this point it’s pretty clear he has perfected the formula: an exotic locale, an intertwined plot, and lots of violence that seems to revel in gunplay and seething. Unlike Pendleton and Mertz and even Newton, his version of the Executioner novels are far more cynical and mean spirited, which, generally, makes Bolan a bit more believable. There’s also a lot less moral high ground and Bolan leaves his soapbox at home. Instead he’s blowing away Russians right and left with high tech weaponry as well as quite a lot of explosives.
Despite that, Leslie isn’t one of my favorite authors in this series. I enjoy his vision of Bolan, yes, but his books always feel kind of jarring when sandwiched between Mertz and Newton’s work. ...more
It’s weird that in all the horror novels I’ve read involving vampires and nuclear apocalypses, Vampire Winter is the first I’ve read involving both atIt’s weird that in all the horror novels I’ve read involving vampires and nuclear apocalypses, Vampire Winter is the first I’ve read involving both at the same time.
Overall, the idea is sound as Tipton, in her debut novel, follows the titular vampire through a nuclear winter as he tries to survive and learn the ropes of coping with trying to dine on the remnants of humanity on the verge of extinction. There’s some decent ideas and a few moments that take the vampire sub genre in different directions than we are used to (no burning crosses, no absent reflections, no immediate turning after a vampire bite). Tilton also does a good job in giving some actual characterization to Kitridge, the main character.
The problems with Vampire Winter, however, are 2 fold. First, it’s incredibly uneven most of the time. Parts are well written and fast, while others feel like a repetitive slog, since we never really leave the town of Danby and eventually circle back to it at any opportunity. It’s also a novel that doesn’t always know what it wants to be. Is it a vampire novel? Is it a post apocalyptic survival story? The elements are there multiple times for both genres but it’s not handled as deftly as this could have been with a more refined and practiced author…of which Robert McCammon’s vampire genre bending They Thirst comes to mind.
Obviously I didn’t hate Vampire Winter and I give Tilton major props for trying something different, but I definitely didn’t love this one. Still though, it’s a decent example of something unique that isn’t flat out terrible. ...more
So what was supposed to be the end is not really the end and we have to read another 2 collections in the subsequent “Dead Man Logan” series2.5 stars
So what was supposed to be the end is not really the end and we have to read another 2 collections in the subsequent “Dead Man Logan” series…With that kind of conclusion to a 10 part series, you can’t help but feel led on and strung along forever with hope of closure and then not really getting one. So with that being said, “End of the World” did exactly what I was afraid it was going to do…and that’s let Old Man Logan fade into obscurity with barely a whimper. Neither of the 2 storylines did much to make this feel like a decent finale. Fighting plants and then returning to fight Maestro to get his time machine…yeah, can’t say either really did much for me or the series in general. Even the “Old Man Logan” annual, in which Frank Castle is miraculously still alive in the wastelands, was a swing and a miss.
Unfortunately, since I have dedicated all this time and effort in completing this once great series, I now have to read ANOTHER 2 collections to get the real closure I should have received on finishing the last panel of “End of the World”. *sigh*...more
Nothing like going back to the original EU (or “Legends”) to see how far Star Wars has fallen off the map while under the iron fist of the House of MoNothing like going back to the original EU (or “Legends”) to see how far Star Wars has fallen off the map while under the iron fist of the House of Mouse.
In no way, shape or form is The Golden Globe great reading, but it highlights that at a time, way back before Disney came in and destroyed the franchise, there were some original ideas in the novels (or at least some kind of heart).
The Golden Globe shifts readers from the twins of Han and Leia to Anakin Solo, their 3rd and final child. This takes place long before he is killed in the Yuzhaan Vong invasion of the New Jedi Order timeline so he’s just an innocent 11 year old fledgling Jedi, navigating his way through the Jedi Academy and trying to avoid getting into trouble with his uncle who now runs the place. Since his is a Solo, it’s only a matter of days before he’s off in the jungle, with a new found cohort, finding abandoned ruins and discovering there is still the dark side’s presence on the planet.
I suppose I have to be partial since this was written for younger fans that weren’t quite ready for Kevin J. Anderson’s Young Jedi Knight Series, so from that lens, there isn’t really anything terrible about this book. It’s juvenile and has some silly moments that would only really appeal to a 8 or 9 year old fan of Star Wars, but honestly, it’s readable and accessible. It also places an actual emphasis on story instead of the modern Disney tales, which try their hardest to cram identity politics into every thing.
Obviously this book, and the entire series, are not requisite reading to fully understand the universe of Star Wars after Return of the Jedi, however if you want a taste of what things were like before Bob Eiger and Kathleen Kennedy decided to torch the legacy of Star Wars, well, this is a decent place to start. ...more
If anything, Old Man Logan reminds me of Marvel Zombies a previous Marvel IP that started amazing and then began to fizzle. While “OML” is nowhere neaIf anything, Old Man Logan reminds me of Marvel Zombies a previous Marvel IP that started amazing and then began to fizzle. While “OML” is nowhere near the fall off that “Zombies” encountered, this series is slowly beginning to lose its edge and everything it had going for it.
Somewhere after Shogun Lemire seems to have lost his spark and is phoning it in, and nowhere is that more clear than Past Lives. While I probably liked this collection a bit more than most other readers seem to, I can’t deny argue that this 5th volume felt weak and lackluster, with Lemire going the simple route of using yet another time manipulation storyline that inevitably goes awry when Logan decides to use Asmodeus as a vessel for returning, once again, to the wastelands. Instead of something fully original, it’s just the titular character revisiting past lives and stories that have already been told.
I guess Lemire tries to put a bit of an original spin on it as none of the jumps are Logan’s fault or intention, but even then, it really feels kind of lazy and a failed “last hurrah” of sorts since Ed Brisson was tapped to take over stating with issue 25. This collection also suffers at the hands of Andrade’s art, which, true to form, is incredibly basic and elementary. No characters have any distinguishing details. I don’t know why it seems so difficult to keep original artists with the original series the whole way through because replacing Sarrentino only managed to make an already weak storyline look even worse with such “meh” artwork.
I hear Brisson’s takeover gets the series back on track so we shall see if things can be salvaged. ...more
Batman Beyond was a staple of my childhood. I remember coming home from school, eating a snack, and watching the show with my brother before 2.5 Stars
Batman Beyond was a staple of my childhood. I remember coming home from school, eating a snack, and watching the show with my brother before we did our homework. Even now, when I reminisce with my friends about the peak of cartoons, Batman Beyond almost always makes the list of one of the best of that era.
The comic? Eh not so much.
Obviously time has passed, and being older, I have to look at this comic with a more mature eye. I know the animated series was originally aimed at a younger audience, so going in I didn’t expect something akin to Tynion or Rucka’s Batman, but I also didn’t expect this to be so…juvenile. The stories collected in this first volume are incredibly tame and simplistic…even for a 7-9 year old. Terry faces a reincarnated mummy and Inque, a shapeshifter blob of goo. Both could have been great but instead Bader makes them so inoffensive that they’re just boring and silly…not even entertaining.
The writing is also incredibly basic. Yes know the debut episode already explains everything, and in a much better way, but in this illustrated version Old Bruce Wayne picks Terry to replace him in a matter of 2 panels and does little in the way of being a good mentor to young McGiness and When he does talk he just bitches about things.
This is, however, a rare example of simple art style actually working as it does an admirable job of duplicating the same style from the animated series. I’ll keep reading these as I know they do eventually mature with other authors and darker storylines, but for the first 6 issues, I’m a bit underwhelmed....more
It’s crazy to me that we are now into the 3rd volume of collected stories celebrating the 40th anniversary of the original trilogy. “Return of the JedIt’s crazy to me that we are now into the 3rd volume of collected stories celebrating the 40th anniversary of the original trilogy. “Return of the Jedi” is my favorite of the original Star Wars films so you can understand my expectations were going to be pretty high for this one.
And, while the first 2 books weren’t amazing, they were at least decent and had a good amount of short stories. Well, RotJ:FACPoV isn’t nearly as good as the same ideas in the A New Hope or ESB collections. In fact it’s a lot worse.
It’s not that any stories in here are terrible (there’s only like one or two that flat out sucked), but overall, the vast majority of these are forgettable, boring, and repetitive.
Out of the 40 collected short stories, 10 are related to Jabba’s Palace. And I get it, Jabba’s Tatooine retreat is interesting and mysterious, as are his cadre of followers but did we really need 25% of the tales to be directly related to it? Do we need multiple retellings of the same characters saying the same things? One story in this section, “The Plan”, about the infamous crying Rancor keeper, was ok, however, like the majority of everything else in this collection, it is quickly forgettable. For example, there are 3 different stories about the Ewoks and all 3 are a lesson in monotony and boredom. I wanted to see the cuddly, yet vicious denizens of Endor in a new light but all I saw was one failed story after another.
However, speaking of Endor, “Gone to the Winner’s Circle”, a story of one of the speederbike imperials, was a blast and easily one of the best in this entire anthology. Other hits include “Twenty and Out”, about the gunners on DSII, “Impact” and “To the Last” (both about Admiral Piett and the A-Wing that slams into the Executor Star Destroyer), “The Emperor’s Red Guard” (who doesn’t love more stories about Palpaetine’s notorious maroon garbed protectors?) and “From a Certain Point of View” and “Brotherhood” which both let readers see the POV of the force ghosts of Obi Wan, and Anakin, respectively.
Obviously it’s incredibly hard to have an anthology with all straight bangers, so in a sense, I guess it’s to be expected this wouldn’t be a complete 5 star read, however I would have liked at least a bit more consistency throughout all the stories, especially when this film is my favorite of the batch. Then again, this is Disney Star Wars, so lack of consistency and typical woke pandering BS in some of the entires doesn’t really surprise me....more
Generally speaking, I enjoy what Mike Newton did for the Executioner books. Like Timothy Dalton who played James Bond for just one film, Newton was thGenerally speaking, I enjoy what Mike Newton did for the Executioner books. Like Timothy Dalton who played James Bond for just one film, Newton was the author who clearly wrote Bolan’s character as closer to Don Pendleton’s original version than any other author seemed to be able to achieve.
And yet, with “Missouri Deathwatch”, Newton’s streak of really good stories starts to decline. It’s not a huge drop off as series doesn’t go totally off a cliff, however this 83rd entry into the ongoing series just doesn’t really do anything incredibly exciting or new.
Bolan is back in Missouri, tying up some lose ends from his previous mafia destroying excursion into the state, and there are a few returning characters from other books by Newton, so there is a familiarity here that makes this feel like part of a continual stay arc.
The issue is that everything Bolan does and all the mafia dons he encounters have been done and seen before. The mafia is bad and does bad things. Bolan is good and does good things. There’s the usual interworkings of mafia politics that are repeated with nearly every one of these entries and of course Bolan always ends up at the very end, blowing up all the antagonists with some truly explosive firepower and cunning execution, riding off into the proverbial sunset as a conquering hero. Don’t get me wrong, these books early truly disappoint, but it’s become so extremely formulaic that you can pretty much speed read through these and not miss a single important or series altering event.
I’ve said before and I’ll say it again: this series really excels when Bolan takes a break from his personal vendetta against the Sicilian brotherhood and takes on egotistical world terrorists instead. ...more
Replacing cosmic horror for his typical folk horror feels, Nevill’s newest novel was something I had extremely high hopes for. After all, this is the Replacing cosmic horror for his typical folk horror feels, Nevill’s newest novel was something I had extremely high hopes for. After all, this is the same author who penned the incredibly eerie The Ritual and the equally taut and tense No One Gets Out Alive, and that’s not even getting into his mashup of folk and dystopian eco horror Lost Girl.
And for about 45 to 50 pages, All the Fiends of Hell was everything I had hoped for as if tapped into many of my favorite horror tropes An homage to War of the Worlds , a nod to 28 Days Later or The Walking Dead. It even had even some post apocalyptic feels a la The Stand or Swan Song. There’s the familiar creeping dread he is so good at conveying, and his cosmic creations are, as usual, original and dread inducing.
And yet…All the Fiends of Hell quickly becomes a total slog as we are subjected to page after countless page of Karl’s boring quest across the deserted southern England country side. I don’t know how Nevill managed to make an alien invasion story so boring, but here we are. I also didn’t care for any of the characters since they all became incredibly annoying pretty damn quickly. Karl’s constant self doubt made me hate everything he did…and even when he did anything, it was a stereotypical heroes progression. Bob, the antagonist was a cookie cutter bad guy who did all the usual things to make him unlikable. I get it but at the same time, at least make him unique.
And while Nevill’s alien horrors are unique, we never see enough of them. They show up for a few pages, do some damage, and then are absent for another 100 page stretch, replaced once again by another slow burn of passing time. I still give this one 3 stars because it has its fun moments, but there are easily better books that Neville has written and produced.
That being said, I do give Neville some credit for trying to get out of his usual side of horror. Authors are always allowed to try something different. Sometimes it works (Masterton for example wrote a TON of different books in a myriad of different genres) and sometimes, like with All the Fiends of Hell it just doesn’t. ...more
Volume 2 of the Nightbreed series starts off right where the previous volume left off, introducing us to 2 more monster/creature citizens of 2.5 stars
Volume 2 of the Nightbreed series starts off right where the previous volume left off, introducing us to 2 more monster/creature citizens of Midian and their requisite backstories.
Since they aren’t really all that original, neither of the 2 characters or their stories really did anything for me but I also have to be impartial here and say that neither were really “bad” or unreadable. And I know all of this is adding up to something in the final volume so I can understand this middle collection being moderately mediocre. I
think the reason this series has failed to really wow me comes as the cost of me not even really understanding this entire idea as it comes from the mind of Clive Barker, who I’ve made clear, is not my favorite author. Having not seen the movie this comic is based on, nor read the book, it fails to resonate with me the way it does with fans of the author, the movie, or both.
Still, I’m 2 collections in so obviously I’m going to have to finish the entire thing. ...more
I’m one of the rare readers out there who always fails to understand the Barker hype. Don’t get me wrong, he’s not a terrible author by any means, howI’m one of the rare readers out there who always fails to understand the Barker hype. Don’t get me wrong, he’s not a terrible author by any means, however the works of his I have read have let me down and do nothing to make me understand the fandom that surrounds him name.
That would easily explain why I’d never heard of Nightbreedwhich is apparently a spin off from his novel Cabal. And I guess this comic stands as a sort of prequel to all of that? I don’t know. I don’t quite understand it all and I went into this collection totally blind in regards to my knowledge.
That being said, this is first volume of the comic by Marc Andreyko is a decent enough read, though it feels like spooky x-men with blood and a lot more boobs. There’s a couple of engaging storylines that I would like to see pan out so I’ll probably give the second volume a shot.
Some fans have claimed this comic changed the origin of one of the characters but since I know next to nothing of the original source material, I can’t speak to the validity of that. ...more
The characters might be different, but it’s more of the same with this second volume of Percy’s zombie apocalypse: Four different vignettes from 4 varThe characters might be different, but it’s more of the same with this second volume of Percy’s zombie apocalypse: Four different vignettes from 4 varied survivors of the end of the world, spread out over 5 volumes. None of the 4 stories are totally original and all seem to pull from other authors’ previous attempts at the undead, yet they all feel at least moderately well thought out and put together, especially the exploits of the 3 stuck on a boat. What elevates this 2nd volume is its incredibly artwork by Juan Jose Ryp and the colors from Frank Martin. Both excel as a team in bringing out some of the most vivid and detailed panels I’ve seen in a long time. The colors are gorgeous as are the various locales and perspectives ...more
In and of itself there isn’t anything super special or unique to make Percy’s Year Zero really stand out from the plethora of other zombie stories outIn and of itself there isn’t anything super special or unique to make Percy’s Year Zero really stand out from the plethora of other zombie stories out there. Like almost every other zombie related work of fiction, it’s packed full of the tropes this genre is known for.
Where this does excel however is its original approach to the whole thing, taking vignettes of 5 different survivors and spreading their stories throughout 5 issues. From a research assistant in Antarctica who accidentally sets the undead apocalypse upon the world to a modern day samurai, each issue jumps back and forth between the characters in an interesting way, adding a bit more depth and backstory to them. It takes a bit of getting used to as this goes the non-linear storytelling route, but it is worth it by the time we get to finale in this first collection.
Furthermore, the art seems basic at first, yet grows on you with some cool angles and interesting shadows and color choices. With the advent of CGI generated art that’s looking increasingly more plain and boring, it’s nice to see Ramon Rosanas try to make his art look a little more old school....more
It’s wild to think that we have now gotten 21 Pendergast stories and it’s even more wild that I have somehow managed to read all of them, more or less It’s wild to think that we have now gotten 21 Pendergast stories and it’s even more wild that I have somehow managed to read all of them, more or less in order since his introduction was back in Relic.
It goes without saying that when you’re had a series running this long, there are bound to be a fair amount of hits as well as an equal amount of misses. There will also be those novels that somehow manage to fit somewhere in the middle, and, despite a relatively decent run of trying to get this series back on track, Preston and Child kind of drop the ball on The Cabinet of Dr. Leng, leaving it to be one of those middle-of-the-road, and almost forgettable entries in the Pendergast books. Yes, this is still better than the Helen trilogy books, and has a better plot than those weird singular stories of Obsidian Chamber and Crimson Shore, however Dr. Leng is a far cry from the heyday of Pendergast and his adventures.
One of the issues is that Preston and Child clearly wrote themselves against a wall back in Bloodless- the predecessor to this one. While that one has some interesting ideas that took this series to some truly wild and unexpected places, trying to follow that up in this book just didn’t work as well as it should have. Somewhere between the parallel universes, the multiple storylines, and trying to go even further back to the phenomenal Cabinet of Curiosities made it too hard to fully get into or fully enjoy. Mixing in an entirely new plot point with familiar characters from the past was a good idea but was incredibly jarring when thrown into the middle of what is, essentially, a time travel story. Plus, that side-plot had very little bearing on the main idea and felt tacked in to pad this book’s page length…which was about 50 pages too long.
Add to the fact that Dr. Leng felt incredibly repetitive, repeating many phrases, words, and even previous dialogue, and the whole book felt lengthy for length’s sake. I’ll give credit to Preston and Child for crafting a very rich and (to me at least) historically accurate 1880’s New York that reminded me of McCammon’s fabulous work in his Matthew Corbett series, but again, thrown into a story that is equal parts time travel and string theory parallel universe, it just didn’t seem to gel. Lastly, the way the cliffhanger ending was written, made me almost kind of upset. Yes, I know a character from past novels will be coming back in the finale of the “Leng Quartet”, however, this said character has been brought back so many times in those past books that it’s getting pretty annoying. Can’t these 2 authors come up with someone or something new to add some spice to this long running series?
I didn’t hate The Cabinet of Dr. Leng, but I know this duo can (and did) pen better novels so I guess I’m more disappointed than anything else. ...more
For some reason a lot of folks really love the Boba Fett series. Even though he only wrote the first 2 books, Terry Bisson’s works always seem to get For some reason a lot of folks really love the Boba Fett series. Even though he only wrote the first 2 books, Terry Bisson’s works always seem to get a good amount of praise and seem to average somewhere in the aggregate average of 3.5 stars.
Full disclosure: I hated the first Boba book. It was childish, boring, and felt dumbed down just for the sake of young readers. I had no desire to read anymore of this series until I found “Maze of Deception” for a measly 50 cents. Seeing that it wasn’t Bisson writing this, but Elizabeth Hand, I figured I’d give it shot since it was short and i hadn’t really spent any money on it.
Hand is no Jude Watson or Alex Weaver, however she is a far better author than Bisson ever was. Yes, this series continues to feel too juvenile in comparison to other young reader Star Wars novels, but at least this one was mostly enjoyable. There’s just enough of plot to keep readers invested, Boba doesn’t do as many dumb things as he did in “The Fight to Survive” and Hand keeps the pace up pretty much the entire time.
Of course this is a kids’ book about Star Wars so it has a good amount of issues like hardly any explanation of the planet Aargau (which in and of itself is almost a retcon of the planet Munnilinst), as well as some gaping plot holes that throw a wrench into the overall Star Wars timeline, yet to be honest, this wasn’t nearly as bad as I had feared.
And as it only took about an hour to read and cost me a measly 50 cents, I can’t really complain. ...more
Loading...
