I’m embarrassed that I got an ARC of this in ebook format on Netgalley back in 2023, and I unfortunately did not get a chance to read it until this suI’m embarrassed that I got an ARC of this in ebook format on Netgalley back in 2023, and I unfortunately did not get a chance to read it until this summer. Fortunately, my library had the audiobook on Libby, so I was able to listen to this. I am sad to say that I didn’t enjoy this as much as I would have liked. I don’t know what it was. I never got truly sucked into the book. I liked it, but I didn’t love it. I will say that I felt a little disconnected from it. I don’t know if it was the narrator, because I did like his voice. I’m a sucker for Black British actors and narrators, and he did a very good job with all the accents, be it posh English, Caribbean, working class Londoner, Irish, you name it. But despite that, the book just felt dry.
I did like the concept of Rayleigh’s father being the actual Bogey Man, and his heritage as a “monster�. Yes, it does have some aspects that bring to mind Harry Potter, and Percy Jackson but with a different spin. And I loved the ethnic diversity. Rayleigh is a young black boy Londoner whose paternal family hails from Jamaica. I loved the notes about family and heritage, but I feel like for the book being about Rayleigh’s relationship to his father, he doesn’t play a very large part. And Rayleigh’s mother is hardly in the book at all. What I did like was the strong bond between Rayleigh and his uncle. I love how his uncle calls him “Nephew Mine.� I also enjoy some of the side characters, such as Bloody Mary (and I like what the author did with her). There are some trolls, one of which likes to cook. The big bad character had a nice sinister, almost spooky edge. And there were a couple of interesting twists in the story.
But I was just underwhelmed. I just wanted something deep and to be more drawn into the story. It was a bit of a slog to listen to, and the end, when it comes, sort of arrived out of nowhere, with a pretty big cliffhanger. I really liked the pieces of this book, it just came together in a way that was disappointing. That said, I will definitely continue to read this series because I do like the characters and the concept....more
As a Joscelin stan, I was thrilled when I found out that the author had written a book from his viewpoint. I was not disappointed. He was so enigmaticAs a Joscelin stan, I was thrilled when I found out that the author had written a book from his viewpoint. I was not disappointed. He was so enigmatic and swoon-worthy in Kushiel's Dart, and this book only adds to his appeal. I loved it! It took me ten years to read the book, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy reading it.
Readers who enjoy large scale stories about political intrigue will appreciate the depth of that narrative in what initially seems will be a more intimate story. Despite the far-reaching, epic scale, Carey keeps Joscelin and Phèdre central to the happenings. These two beloved characters have the reader on the edge as they find themselves in harrowing circumstances, relying on their unique skills and learning to trust and support each other. The magic is intrinsic for the world-building of this novel, but it’s subtle and never used as a crutch. However, there are moments where the reader is reminded in such awe-inspiring ways of the otherworldly and the spiritual underpinnings in this series. There is so much to love about this book. Readers who were enthralled by the Kushiel Legacy series will feel like they have come home again with Cassiel’s Servant.
Reviewed for Affaire de Coeur Magazine:
Advanced Review Copy provided by Netgalley courtesy of Tor....more
This is the kind of book where you wonder what the heck you're reading. If you don't like those kinds of books, don't read this one. If you like booksThis is the kind of book where you wonder what the heck you're reading. If you don't like those kinds of books, don't read this one. If you like books where the book is a journey as much inside of the character's mind as they are about plot progression, you might like this one. I really enjoy gothic horror, so that's why I picked this up. It definitely has a gothic feel. I feel like the focus on the house really nails that, and the atmosphere the author built was so effective. But is this predictable in any way? No. It was completely unlike what I expected. For some reason, I was thinking it was going in previously tread paths of classic gothic books I've read. No, it's not at all. It's hard to say what the book is about without spoiling the experience. Honestly, I'm not sure I can explain it.
While this is far from the best book I've ever read, and there was more than one moment when I asked myself why I was still reading, I got to a point where I didn't want to put it down because I felt I had gone too far to abandon the journey. Also I became emotionally attached to Jane. She went through so much in this book, and her refusal to give up on the important goal she held made me not want to give up on the story.
I'd give it an A for atmosphere. However, I think other than Jane, the characterization is a little thin, so probably more like a B- in that area. I feel that other characters seem like game pieces that are moved around, and are in service of Jane's journey of self-discovery. The concept is really high, but I do question how well it's executed, so that gets me into a dither of how to rate this novel. I feel that as a reader, being treated to something different, and being taken on a journey is something I definitely appreciate. Lastly, was my level of overall satisfaction to consider. The narrator was good, but her way of telling the story was a bit dry. There are parts that are pretty eerie, but I think with a different delivery, I feel they could have been more scary than the were. I was so glad to finish the book because I felt worn out by trying to figure out what was going on, so that's probably not ideal I feel like you should enjoy a book and be kind of sad when it's over. Having said that, I was satisfied with the ending, and I feel rewarded that I did finish the book. So, you can see why I had trouble rating this. Ultimately, this comes down to a 3.75 star rating for me. Despite my misgivings about pacing and characterization, I really appreciate what Starling accomplished here. It takes a gothic set piece to a different arena and explores the dimensions of what a gothic horror novel can deliver.
Trigger Warnings: Body horror, medical/surgical procedure descriptions...more
"Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell" is truly an epic. I started this several years ago on audio, but I had to stop due to a change in my work/commute sit"Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell" is truly an epic. I started this several years ago on audio, but I had to stop due to a change in my work/commute situation. Recently, and several years later, I was able to pick this up again. I was spurred in part by my love of Magic stories, historical fiction, epistolary and meta-fiction, and also because I had watched the miniseries, which is currently on Netflix. I was interested in this book, but I will admit it is a commitment. Things unfold very leisurely, and assuredly, that's the seductive aspect of this book.
Jonathan Strange and Gilbert Norrell almost seem like polar opposites, or at least two sides of the same coin. Their worldviews are slightly different. Jonathan Strange loves the mystery and practice of magic. He is experiential. He is truly passionate about magic. Norrell is scholarly, fearful, and controlling. He wants to keep all the goodies for himself, but at the same time, he never dives in deep into the well of knowledge. It's really kind of sad, to me. Norrell is a very good magician. He knows magic, but applies himself in a very scholarly and unimaginative way. For him, his practice is skimming the surface. They form an alliance, on Strange's part, it's to gain access to the enormous body of knowledge that Norrell has on tap, in the voluptuous collection of books on magic that he jealously keeps to himself like Smaug does with his gold hoard.
Clarke takes great care to build her characters so that we think we understand them very well. As the story goes along, we realize that they don't even understand themselves. But before this book is over, they will start that process and get very far down that journey, and the reader is there to join them.
Susanna Clarke takes England and gives it a fantastic origin story of sorts in that English Magic has been a huge part of what it means to be English, since the great King of the North, John Uskglass, who was once enslaved to the Faerie race as an infant, but became one of their great kings, and who brings magic to England. Many years later, the glory of English Magic has mostly faded, and Norrell, who believes himself completely righteous in his quest to Restore English Magic, does his very best to quench any authentic magic that is not practiced by his own hands, and on a very small level (comparatively speaking). I really enjoyed how England is revealed as a distinctive place in which magic is not a possible but a reality, and how John Uskglass' legacy is part of the stone and in the roots of England itself. In some ways, Uskglass is a bit of a King Arthur figure, if Arthur was actually Merlin, with some Mordred thrown in.
Another part about this book I loved was all the footnotes. If there's anything that makes my bibliophile heart giddy, it's the use of footnotes in a fiction book that refer to other fictional books. I always have this urge to track down the books. To be honest, I would not have found this book so compelling or accessible without the footnotes. I feel that including the footnotes highlights Norrell's selfish wrongheadedness about what England needs. I think that it offends me deeply because of my love of knowledge and my passion about education. I hate the idea that someone tries to deny knowledge to others or access to that knowledge. He is in fact, keeping England from reaching its full potential by squirreling away all the knowledge and jealously gatekeeping and guarding it.
While I vastly preferred and liked Strange, I do think on some levels he did neglect his wife, or at least, took her for granted. Although I think by the end, he learned exactly the enormous cost of that. Jonathan's great love was magic, and while he loved his wife, I did feel that he loved magic more than he loved her. It's almost as though this aspect of the story is another way to critique the characters against each other. While Strange seems more adjusted and more open, his prioritizing magic over his wife doesn't do him credit in comparison to Norrell, who seems to have decided early on in life that magic would be his spouse, so to speak. I have to say, I think Norrell would have been an awful husband.
There are inherent critiques of 19th Century English society. Classicism, racism, sexism, bigotry, xenophobia to a certain extent. All of this comes under the microscope, but in a thoughtful way.
Stephen Black is a compelling character and he becomes the stand-in for the reader, and I believe him to be the more sympathetic and relatable character. Stephen is a black man who is servant to Sir Walter Pole, whose young, beautiful wife Emma, Lady Pole, becomes a pawn in a deep game that involves Norrell and a spiteful, murderous faerie named "The Gentleman with the Thistledown Hair". Norrell, in his selfishness, isn't even privy to what he has wrought and the suffering he has brought down on Lady Pole and Stephen Black. Norrell goes on about his business, hiding his deep, dark secret and continuing to consolidate his power as the authority on English Magic. But Stephen is deeply involved, and the reader feels deeply for him, and if they are like me, root for him.
Stephen Black's character allows the reader to examine the inherent racism of English society. Stephen is not considered an Englishman, even though he's lived there his whole life. All he can help to achieve is to be the butler to a great man like Sir Walter. When "The Gentleman with the Thistledown Hair" takes a shine to him, and promises to elevate him to the role that a great prophecy has predicted, Stephen still maintains his inherent sense of justice and goodness, and a great deal more loyalty than is owed. At this time, slavery was not legal on English soil and within the English Navy. So, while Stephen is technically free, his ability to live as a free man with all the rights of an Englishman is in effect limited by the darkness of his skin. Now, on top of this, he is bound to the will of a capricious faerie and subject to being privy to the monstrous creature's machinations. He also feels an extreme amount of concern and sympathy for Lady Pole.
Lady Pole is a prisoner of the fairy due to the bargain made by Norrell with the faerie, dancing night after night in his home in Lost-Hope in Faerie. Her husband, neglectful at best, believes her to be ill and mad, and continues to take the advice of the wrong people, doing nothing to help her situation. So it's a double whammy. Lady Pole is trapped by her situation as a woman in a male-dominated society and also subject to the whims of a faerie. I think that considering what she goes through, she shows a lot of strength that she is able to retain her sanity with all she suffers.
There is a cast of secondary characters who help move the story along, and also play pivotal roles in the rivalry/partnership of Strange and Norrell, and also interact with the magicians and they serve the cause of English Magic (and their own aspirations).
Childermass, Norrell's servant (who pretty much acts as his right hand), struck me as a figure who has much more importance in ways that didn't quite develop in this book. I feel that I'm meant to see more of him. I don't know if there's a sequel in the works, but I believe that Clarke should spend some time delve into his mysteries. Also, I would love to see more of John Uskglass.
While this book unfolds at a leisurely place, and in some ways, it's more of an intellectually engaging read, I did find myself very emotionally involved in the story. I felt for Strange and his wife Arabella, the battle scenes really hit me hard, and I laughed out loud many times. Of course, there is so much pathos in Stephen Black and Lady Pole's situations. "The Gentleman with the Thistledown Hair" is so monstrous and I really disliked him. And then there are Norrell's hanger on-ers, Lascelles and Drawlight, are utter scoundrels. And oh, there's a cameo by Lord Byron himself, who finds inspiration in Strange's bizarre turn of luck much later in the book.
The description of the magic is not so much into the light show and special effects. It's described more as a deep connection to nature that causes the magic or as something that happens through natural processes. Sometimes the characters feel a twisting in their gut or dizziness when the spell is working. But don't look for really sparkly pyrotechnics here. The spells have the most quirky names, and Clarke goes all in with footnotes to explain why they are named as such. It's pretty fun.
The narrator is really good. He has an excellent voice for this type of fiction, and is able to vary his voice to fit the personalities of the characters. He manages to have just the right tone for each one that they feel distinctive from one another.
I think that this book is so clever in all the right ways. It's a quiet read that sneaks up on you, but you find yourself deeply drawn in, until the very last sentence ends....more
I gave this four stars, but my feelings about this book are difficult to coalesce down to a simple numeric rating. I read this with my Readings in theI gave this four stars, but my feelings about this book are difficult to coalesce down to a simple numeric rating. I read this with my Readings in the Graphic Novel course, and I agree that it is seminal graphic novel/comic reading. However, there are some things about this book that I didn't care for. Ultimately, I would say that like and dislike are not the best terms to apply to it.
"Watchmen" started a whole ripple through comic book/superhero fiction that is still profoundly influential in the many years since it was published. The dark and aheroic/antiheroic superhero/crimefighter motif that subsumed what we know about comic books in the 21st Century can largely be attributed to this book, although Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Returns is also essential. I like darker superhero stories, but some aspects of this one made it hard to sympathize or care for many of the characters. I had to write essays for my class on our readings, and I have some longer opinions on this book that I intend to post on my Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ profile under my writings.
This book is very thought-provoking and my class had some very interesting discussions on it. I have to also say that I thought about it for a long time after I finished it. My viewpoint evolved on a few of the characters as well. However, some, I hated to the very end. I could actually write about 20 pages about this book, but I won't. I'll try to coalesce it into a reasonably short review.
"Watchmen" is essentially a murder mystery with masked crimefighters/superheroes. The narrator is extremely atypical, the very questionable person of Rorschach, who is a violent vigilante that wears a hood that changes its expression, much like the Rorschach Test his mask resembles. He is determined to find out who killed Eddie Blake aka The Comedian, an original member of the Minutemen, who later became part of the Crimebusters. He goes to visit other former members: Dan Dreiberg (Nite Owl II), Jonathan Osterman (Dr. Manhattan) and Laurie Juspescyk (Silk Spectre II), and Adrian Veidt (Ozymandias) to warn them that they might be next. Along the way, the reader gets to experience how conflicted the life of a masked crimefighter and/or superhero/villain is. The story is set in an alternate history where Nixon was never caught in the Watergate scandal, the US won the Vietnam War, and in the 1980s, America and the Soviet Union are on the brink of war (the Doomsday Clock frighteningly close to midnight).
Each character has a slightly different perspective of how the passage of the Keene Act made their crimefighting work illegal. Dan and Laurie bond over missing the excitement of it all. Veidt has gone on to build an huge business empire and is a celebrity for his incredible level of fitness. Dr. Manhattan is mostly interested in his research and has become disconnected from human concerns, an issue in his relationship with Laurie, who has been his girlfriend for about twenty years (since she was sixteen).
Intertwined with the overarching story is a subplot about a kid reading a pirate comic. The adventures of the comic protagonist mirror the overall story themes. A huge part of this story is how heroism is not what its cracked up to be. Also, becoming strong enough to achieve a goal can be a path paved with destruction, and in some instances leading to the 'hero' becoming a 'villain'. And really, what is heroism? That's a question posed for every lead character. Since this is a dark, and in some ways, nihilistic-toned work, the answers aren't encouraging. The Comedian is one of the most wretched examples of someone having abilities and using them for bad purposes. The Comedian is an incredibly adept fighter and soldier, but is also very corrupt, acting as a bully, knowing right and wrong but not doing it. He makes excuses for the evil things he does because the world is bad and it's going to burn anyway, essentially. Dr. Manhattan, Jon Osterman is a physicist whose body was obliterated in an accident at the science testing facility where he worked in 1959. When he comes back, it is as a being with seemingly godlike powers that separates him from the rest of the humans he once interacted with, eventually leading to his breakup with his girlfriend. The US government exploits his powers to exercise dominance over other nations (in fact, he's part of the reason that Vietnam surrendered). He's seen and done some of the worst things to other humans, which doesn't help his cynicism about the better parts of humanity. At the point that this story begins, his only tendril of contact is through Laurie. Eventually, that's gone as well when Laurie breaks up with him. But when it's clear that the world is on the brink of obliteration, Laurie has to convince him to care again.
The more I ruminated about this story, Osterman/Manhattan became more of a sympathetic character to me. He seems the less empathetic, but in some way, he strikes me as feeling more deeply than anyone else. I can completely understand his decision to retreat to a self-built crystal castle on Mars. Sometimes I wouldn't mind having me own, but probably in the mountains in some undiscovered cold part of the world with plenty of snow and ice. People are exhausting. It hurts to care, especially when others aren't all in with you. The circumstances of the accident that gave him his powers were heartbreaking, and he was abandoned to his fate. That's soul-destroying right there. Having said that, he's not off the hook for the questionable things he did and how he treats Laurie.
Ugh, Rorschach. Where do I start? That dude is a bucket of crazy. I feel for what he went through as a child, but it twisted him until he was so broken. All of us are f*&%$! up, but there's no fixing him. He represents the worst of self-righteousness. He's so rigid in his sense of right and wrong that he won't compromise, but then he is bigoted, racist, has poor hygiene and litters in Antarctica. His contempt and mean treatment of his landlady because she has six kids by different men. And he's extremely violent. It's a huge Glass Houses kind of scenario. To me, he is not a hero. He is an antihero, and he's the narrator, but other than the horrors of his childhood, it's really hard to feel sympathetic. While there are parallels between him and other vigilante crimefighters I admire like Batman and Daredevil, his core feels rotten to me. I can't get past that.
Laurie is just plain underwritten. She is interpreted through her relations with the male characters. I am grateful that graphic novels have matured and evolved past this kind of writing, frankly. Laurie could have been a lot more interesting a character if deeper layers to her persona were made available. Just delving into how her stint as Silk Spectre differs from her mother's tenure. How interacting with and in a world of violence has changed from the 30s to the 60s and 70s. Maybe just not stopping at her relationships with men and why her mother and her don't get along.
Dan is honestly a bit on the underwritten side as well. He's written a good-natured guy with a facility with gadgets and a desire for action. His mid-life crisis has to do with missing that sense of purpose and it translates to feelings of inadequacy about not being Nite Owl anymore. Maybe because Moore didn't really know what to do with a guy who is more or less 'normal'.
Veidt is such a sneeringly superior person in his own mind. I can't say too much because I'd reveal some things better left to be read. Suffice it to say that he reminds me of the so-called polite white supremacy that is increasingly in vogue (especially since the 2016 presidential election).
Another issue is the treatment of the GLBTQ characters. Many meet unfortunate ends and their peccadillos are looked at as being unforgivable in a way that being a violent sociopath, bully or rapist are not.
I think a psychology doctoral student could write a hell of a thesis on this book.
There is so much cynicism in this book. It's hard to take in. Some ugliness not easily forgotten. I feel like the psychiatrist who interviews Rorschach in that sense. While I'm not necessarily into the sugary sweet kind of fiction writing, I think it can definitely go the wrong way with the dark and dreary. I'd be a hypocrite to disavow this book. I think it had some insights to give me, and something to offer as far as story and artwork. I gave it four stars because to give less didn't seem fair to me. I couldn't say it was life-changing or a graphic novel that would make the top of my list. I can understand why it would for some though.
I am really sad to see this series end. I started it on a lark, and I have truly enjoyed reading about Lockwood and Co's adventures. The characters haI am really sad to see this series end. I started it on a lark, and I have truly enjoyed reading about Lockwood and Co's adventures. The characters have developed and evolved beautifully over the course of the series, while maintaining what makes them lovable. Lockwood starts as an enigmatic leader with an irresistible allure to him. As the series progresses, Lucy comes to love him for who he is and she comes to realize that Lockwood truly needs Lucy to stay balanced and grounded. Their relationship has plenty of ups and downs through the books, but I am extremely happy with how things culminate. I was really afraid how things would end overall. I ended being satisfied with the conclusion, other than the fact that things have to end. I know many people hate series that go on indefinitely. I don't mind ongoing series as long as they stay good. But I realize that this series had to end at some point, based on the fact that ghost hunters have a strict use by date because they stop being able to sense the ghosts.
Having said that, I wouldn't mind at all if Stroud was about to roll this series over into a spinoff. At all.
This series snuck up on me and now it's one of my all time favorites. I think it would make a great tv show. There's plenty of suspense and creep factor as Lucy, Lockwood, George, Holly and friends encounter the uncanny, and Stroud is excellent at developing the growing tension and sense of danger. There are some really heinous entities in this books, both otherworldly and otherwise, so that may be a trigger for readers that these kids are deliberately placed in dangerous situations due to the work that they do.
I highly recommend the Lockwood & Co Series....more
Beautifully quirky and unique from all the books I've read. I am enamored with stories that embed magic-use and systems into the culture, and the concBeautifully quirky and unique from all the books I've read. I am enamored with stories that embed magic-use and systems into the culture, and the concept of being a 'craftsman' being part of one's heritage is really interesting. I liked how this book is also multicultural in that it doesn't just look at magic from one ethnic perspective. It explores the uniqueness of magic based on the culture of the people who practice it. One of the aspects of a story that most appeals to me is how well it stimulates imagery when I'm reading. This book definitely rates high in that department. I like the infusing of both history and literary references such as Poe and Lovecraft (often as though the worlds they built were real and a part of accepted history).
The lead characters are well fleshed out and have enough flaws and good points to make them feel like real people who just happen to be magicians.
I do have to say the beginning is a bit rocky and confusing, but it's worth sticking it out for a book that is distinctive and involving, with nuanced characters.
Bizarre and spooky in turns, I definitely recommend this book to urban fantasy or contemporary fantasy readers looking for something slightly off the beaten path. I'm eager to continue this series....more
I loved this book. Captivating magical elements, sympathetic lead character who is the underdog, a critical look at racism, misogyny and classicism, aI loved this book. Captivating magical elements, sympathetic lead character who is the underdog, a critical look at racism, misogyny and classicism, a lovely romance, historical fantasy. I wish I had written my review sooner so I could have done this book more justice. The narrator, Jenny Sterlin, also narrated Howl's Moving Castle, and she is great! I hope to reread this one soon, and I placed a hold on the next book, The True Queen, at the library.
Highly recommended to fans who enjoy genre-bending between historical romance and fantasy. ...more
This was kind of weird. It was a skewed version of the Wonder Woman origin story, but instead of their patron goddess being Hera, it's Aphrodite. You This was kind of weird. It was a skewed version of the Wonder Woman origin story, but instead of their patron goddess being Hera, it's Aphrodite. You can imagine how that could change a few things. It has a lot more overt sapphic tones than I've seen with Wonder Woman (but hardly surprising or shocking). I mean its a Utopian all female society, so why wouldn't the women pair up together as partners and lovers? I was fine with that. I think some of their rituals were on the verge of kinky if I'm honest. I've always been leery of sex and violence together thought.
I did like that Steve Trevor was black in this version. The relationship that Diana has with him is undefined. Since Wonder Woman has a lover already, I wasn't sure that there were any romantic undertones in her relationship with Trevor as it was written.
When Diana comes to the world of men, she is portrayed as very dominant with an edge of cruelty. I didn't love that about her characterization. I don't see Diana as being that kind of person.
The storyline where she encounters the sorority girls on a wild spring break trip and bonds with a particular girl was a bit odd. I know it was a way to group Diana and teach her the ways of the modern world. I didn't much care for it.
Honestly, I was glad this is Earth One. While I didn't mind the aspect of Diana being queer, and I liked that Steve was black, I didn't care for other aspects of the storyline. It wasn't terrible, so I would still give this three stars....more
I adore this series. I always look forward to the newest book. And I have to get these on audiobook because the narration is always excellent. I was nI adore this series. I always look forward to the newest book. And I have to get these on audiobook because the narration is always excellent. I was not disappointed. At the end of "The Hollow Boy", Lucy leaves Lockwood and Co for what seems like good reasons at the time. She becomes an independent contractor ghost hunter and she's good at her job. But she's not happy, even with her glass jar skull for company. She misses the camaraderie of Lockwood and Co.: George, even Holly, and of course, Lockwood. But she left to keep them safe because her newer abilities to communicate with ghosts might cause her to make a mistake and get one of her friends hurt.
Lockwood shows up at her new digs and asks for her help with a case, and she agrees to help them out. It's one of their tougher cases, and Lucy finds her life in jeopardy shortly after, and realizing that she's more safe sticking with Lockwood and Co. until they figure out who's trying to kill her. That's when their biggest case comes their way, a whole haunted village. They end up in a small town with serious ghost problems a conspiracy that will shake the foundations of the ghost hunting community.
I love how Stroud steadily builds on the foundation of the last book and the previous ones. The story just expands beautifully and he doesn't leave any plot elements dangling. While he turns a few things on their heads, it's organic as the reader realizes that things weren't as the characters thought or believed. The characters are very well developed and layered. While the main characters are all teens, they have a maturity that is realistic considering the world they live in and the dangers they face every day. Let's face it. The children are the ones on the frontline, confronting and dealing with the ghost Problem.
These books are delightfully eerie and downright chilling at times. Also, there's plenty of human menace. I mean, grownups trying to kill kids. How sick is that? While the paranormal elements are integral to the story, the heart of it is the characters. Everything is told from Lucy's point of view (it's 1st person), but the characters don't suffer from being seen through the typically narrow 1st person vantage point. Instead, they are richly described, with dialogue and action that shows you everything you need to know about them. Lucy also grows as a character as she faces significant challenges and comes to realizations about what she is and how to deal with the troubles she and her friends face. And that they are stronger together.
As with the last book, this has a nice conclusion but it also leaves the door open for the next book. Things are about to get even more intense, and I'm here for it.
Another book I'd love to see made into movies. And I just checked and it's going to be optioned for a tv series in the UK. This pleases me. Sadly, the next book is the last book. But all good things come to an end.
I can't get over how disturbing the evil twins of the Justice League are. I mean just the Triad is bad enough. Ultraman is a sleazy, psychopathic, cruI can't get over how disturbing the evil twins of the Justice League are. I mean just the Triad is bad enough. Ultraman is a sleazy, psychopathic, cruel bully. Owlman is like a demon-possessed Batman (or maybe if Batman was the Antichrist). Superwoman is a little more developed in this than in Justice League, Vol. 5: Forever Heroes, and I what I know, I definitely don't like. She's playing Owlman and Ultraman off each other, and I think she hates both of them (but feels more lust for Owlman). She's sadistic and psychosexually deviant. Yeah, it's just bad. More disturbing is that Earth 3 is the opposite of Earth 2. Evil is the predominant value, given free reign.
I think that the science seems too implausible (or at least was so nebulously explained, I didn't believe it was plausible), and I didn't get how the day was saved in the end. I feel that Crisis on Two Earths Justice League movie (which I suspect this is based on) explains the situation a lot better. It's worth watching as an adjunct to this graphic novel. I re-watched it again last night and I liked the further insight into the characters.
It was pretty good, and kept my interest. Surprisingly adult and dark in content. It's kind of fun if you want to see the dark side of the triad of the Justice League and Lex Luthor as a good guy.
In my opinion, this is the best volume in this run of Justice League. I feel after volume two, they just got better, but this is definitely the best sIn my opinion, this is the best volume in this run of Justice League. I feel after volume two, they just got better, but this is definitely the best so far. The strength of it is telling the story of the dark versions of the Justice League. They are absolutely bone-chilling. I think that horror is not always supernatural aspects, but delving into the psychological heart of darkness. In this care, seeing what an Evil Clark Kent/Superman, Batman, and others would be like. What if the Justice League was merely a syndicate of super-powered, super-evil villains who have plenty of agency to do whatever they want? That is not a world we want to live in, trust me. Unfortunately, the Crime Society have gotten a foot into our world.
I think that I really liked this volume because it's so high on character development. It shows how Earth 3's version of Batman, Owlman is really like the evil side of Batman. He has all Bruce Wayne's strengths, but also a twisted, sick lack of morality that allows him to make methodically evil choices. You really don't want an Owlman when you can have a Batman. Same to be said for Kal-Il/Clark Kent/Ultraman. That's a case of nurture versus nature. Both sets of parents were evil, if not twisted. Kal-Il received all the teachings of his father as he traveled to Earth-2, and they were about the worst conditioning you could give a child, unless you want them to be absolutely twisted morally. Teach a child to hate weakness and to believe that strength is everything, that strength allows someone to take whatever they want with impunity. Earth 3's version of the Green Lantern is rather like the flip-side of the whole ideology of the Green Lantern Corps. Instead of being powered by will, how about your fears and pain being used against you to power the ring? And let's not talk about Johnny Quick and Atomica, a pair of thrill killer/criminal lovers who happen to become super-powered when they are about to commit suicide after a botched escapade. One shortcoming is that we don't learn much about Superwoman, other than she's a piece of work. I am intensely curious about her, and I hope that we get her backstory in the next volume.
This whole adventure is narrated by The Grid, the computer virus/AI consciousness that takes over the super-powered machinery of Vic Stone, Cyborg and expels his human part. I like the way that Vic deals with The Grid and the group of unlikely crime-fighters he recruits.
"Forever Heroes" left me wanting more of this series. High on adventure, suspense, and character development, it was a page turner.
I wasn't expecting much from this volume, but the Superman story was quite innovative, with a narrative angle I wasn't expecting at all. It's really kI wasn't expecting much from this volume, but the Superman story was quite innovative, with a narrative angle I wasn't expecting at all. It's really kind of a scary what if about Superman's origins. He is not the man we know but that doesn't mean he doesn't come into his own as much as he's able. I liked the theme of villainy not necessarily starting from a place of pure evil or self-interest. To my mind, some of the worst villains are true believers or fundamentalists. Their intense belief in their cause can lead to committing atrocious acts in the course of the mission. In this case, it makes for a disturbing story. I really loved Lois Lane. Normally, I'm not a fan, but the Flashpoint situation seems to bring out the best in her character.
The Booster Gold story was interesting, and I think it shows him as heroic in ways I haven't previously encountered. In other words, he doesn't come off as inept and fixated on looking heroic. He has to deal with well-meaning military who decide to harness Doomsday as a weapon, but fail to realize that he cannot be controlled. It wasn't the strongest volume here, but it was pretty good.
Traci 13 is not a character I'm familiar with, but this story was very good. Traci finds herself in an adversarial relationship with her father, who both want to save the world, but in vastly different ways. Very intense look at how grief can tear a family apart.
"Canterbury Cricket" was pretty weird. Closest to horror in this volume out of the stories. A bunch of antiheroes have become guerilla warriors for the cause of England, including Cantubury Cricket, who has a very checkered past. I liked it, but it ended a bit too abruptly for my tastes.
This is even darker than the Flash volume! Batman isn't the Batman we know and love. He's a much more driven, more morally compromised version. What wThis is even darker than the Flash volume! Batman isn't the Batman we know and love. He's a much more driven, more morally compromised version. What would happen if a man's child was killed in front of him and he was powerless to prevent it. The Joker is probably even more twisted, and you wouldn't believe me if I told you. That's just the Batman story.
Then there's the story about the biggest jerk in the DC-Verse, Deathstroke, and his crusade to find his lost daughter. I can't call him a hero, because he's not. He's ruthlessly selfish and murderous. I feel bad for anyone who throws in with him. He's not a man I'd trust as far as I could throw him. This is non-stop action, a world in which the seas have become a lawless place of pirates, and the Atlanteans kill humans with impunity.
The story about Dick Grayson and his family tells us how things might have gone if Bruce Wayne had not been there in his life after the death of his parents. Also shows a Europe that has been decimated by the Atlantean-Amazonean war, and where various DC-verse figures have become freedom fighters (even ones who were once villains).
My least favorite was Secret Seven. It was pretty gruesome and twisted, and while I see the point of it all in terms of the Flashpoint story arc, I didn't really appreciate the story at all.
I would still give this four stars because I thought it was pretty interesting, and frankly, nightmarish....more
I will confess I watched "The Flashpoint Paradox" Justice League movie prior to reading this, and let me tell you, I was blown away at how dark this sI will confess I watched "The Flashpoint Paradox" Justice League movie prior to reading this, and let me tell you, I was blown away at how dark this story arc is. This is like "What If?" on steroids.
The movie goes into some explanations I won't get into, and I tried to forget I knew that, because I haven't read The Flash, Vol. 2: The Road to Flashpoint yet, which I think is probably the backstory. All I know is, I don't want this life for any of the DC characters I know and love. One of the interesting things is seeing what this crazy world does to the various characters as you know them. Villains end up on the other side. Sometimes, they stay just as villainous. Sometimes, they are worse, unchecked in a world where the Justice League as we know it never existed or has fallen by the wayside. Where Wonder Woman has become an autocrat who leads ruthless, murderous Amazons who delight in killing humans.
This one isn't for the kiddos. Very violent and has some disturbing imagery. Probably the most disturbing in the story about Gorilla Grodd, who has pretty much taken Africa and claimed it for his own, and it ain't pretty. I couldn't look away. I'm starting to wonder why AU seems to be so dark and dreary. Maybe so that the reader will repeat, "It's only a book. It's only a book. It's only a book," and wipe their foreheads. While the first story is about Flash, this is really more like an anthology featuring different characters from the DC verse in the aftermath of Flashpoint.
Flash is a cool character. I like him more all the time. Interesting that this is my first official solo Flash graphic novel. I'll be reading more....more
Oh, dear. I shouldn't have put off writing this review for so long. There is a lot going on in this book, because of the complexity of the storyline. Oh, dear. I shouldn't have put off writing this review for so long. There is a lot going on in this book, because of the complexity of the storyline. It revolves around Rick Jones, a sort of honorary human sidekick of the Avengers who has some very traumatic moments, as well as having saved the Avengers himself a time or two. Immortus, a villain from the future fixates on him Rick Jones with the intention of killing him, and Rick uses his mental abilities to pull various Avengers from different time periods to help him, because helping him will save time itself.
This is my first official Avengers comic book. That was a good and a bad thing. It was good in the sense that it gave me a crash course in Avengers history. It was bad in the sense that there was so much information, I can't really say what is canon and what is specifically part of this storyline and the fact that Immortus can manipulate timelines.
This was a long book. I checked this out of the library, but regardless, I can definitely say I got my money's worth. The stories are quite different from my exposure to the Avengers from movies and TV shows, and I ended up getting introduced to a lot more members than I would have if it focused solely on the traditional team.
Honestly, I feel like it's a full time job for Marvel comics developers to keep track of the massive Marvel universe. So much happens, and it impacts the Marvel characters more or less across the board. I think writing this book was probably a huge challenge and it may have caused some serious migraines as the authors worked to keep it straight. At the same time, it was clearly a labor of love and a loving homage to the Avengers to people who really care about the stories and the characters.
The artwork is bright and descriptive, a bit dated looking compared to newer books, but still appealing. Clearly a lot of effort was put into drawing the same characters from different timelines as related (as in same character), but different due to their different experiences. There are some scenes that must have taken a long, long time to draw in all the characters, so that was a wow for me. Also, I like that there were footnotes that described the characters involved in the panels and when they first appeared and referenced which book they were featured in; as well as and the major events related to the various panels. That why I said earlier that this was like a crash course in Marvel history, Avengers and otherwise.
While I am quite sure that I prefer the newer artwork, and I think I will probably stick with the newer graphic novel publications for that reason, this book energized me to dive in headfirst (even more) into the Marvel Universe. I'm quite happy my library had this and I gave it a chance, even though it was a bit older book....more
This graphic novel is about the day that Wanda Maximoff, The Scarlet Witch, changed mutantkind forever. It happens after a sequence of upsetting eventThis graphic novel is about the day that Wanda Maximoff, The Scarlet Witch, changed mutantkind forever. It happens after a sequence of upsetting events break her fragile mind, and put others at risk due to her incredibly powerful, world-shaping powers.
The X-Men and Avengers have to decide what to do about Wanda. With her mental breakdown and her intact powers, surely she will continue to pose too much of a danger to others around her. Her brother, Quicksilver, desperate to save his sister, convinces her to do something to distract the various superheroes and mutants from what she has done and is capable of doing. As a result, the world changes into what seems like a better place, but some mutants cannot believe in its false promises. Particularly Wolverine.
Wolverine and a powerful mutant child named Layla seek out various mutants and superheroes and recruit them for a mission to go to the seat of the throne of of the House of Magnus (Magneto aka Eric Mangus Lehnsherr, from which he rules over a world in which non-powered humans are second class citizens, and mutants are superior. They know this is a dangerous mission, but the world cannot stay in its broken state.
"House of M" reads like a "what if" set of stories. Some characters have a much happier life, and it's devastating to them when they realize things aren't as they seem. But they know that doing the right thing means sacrificing their own seeming happiness.
The end is even more devastating, and it sets up the events that lead to future events that unfold in various other Marvel titles. I've been reading a lot of Marvel lately, and it's enlightening to see the puzzles come together. Reading this book wasn't exactly an uplifting experience. It was quite sad and bewildering. I guess I could fully empathize with the characters and their heartbreak as they navigate through a terrible situation that only gets worse.
This is a pivotal story arc in the Marvel Universe, so it's good that I was able to read this from my splendid library, even if it was a downer overall....more
Ruse is a graphic novel series that is perfect for readers who love the Victorian-set adventure vibe. There is a paranormal element that felt very ligRuse is a graphic novel series that is perfect for readers who love the Victorian-set adventure vibe. There is a paranormal element that felt very light in this volume, but it's there for readers who like a bit of the weird (admittedly myself). For readers who can't get enough of the sometimes obnoxious Sherlock Holmesian character, Simon is going to appeal. At the same time, with this edition, we see more vulnerability and the less confident person beneath the know-it-all exterior. Emma's loyalty to the often maddening Simon is much like Watson. It serves to make you like Simon more because you feel that if Emma likes him, then there must be something to like/love about him. Emma is definitely long-suffering. Simon gets her into many a dangerous situation, and he isn't very nice to her. Much like Watson is treated by Sherlock. The arch-nemesis adds a twist that reminds the reader of Moriarty, but takes the character in a much more interesting direction, although I admit I am rather tired of that character. At the end of this volume, the author teases at a game-changer, so we'll see what happens next.
The chapters in this volume have some interesting story-arcs, especially the small village that our two leads end up staying in. That was really kind of cool. Not what I expected at all. The other stories tie closer together to the overarching theme of this volume, and they bring to mind the high adventure classics of Victorian literature in a very pleasing fashion.
The art is well-done, but as I said for the previous volume, I find the panel progression confusing. Instead of moving left to right down the page, they often go willy-nilly from page to page and often across the page. I find myself having to backtrack and catch the flow of the story, especially last night, when my brain was fried. That is the major detractor for this series.
Ruse is a graphic novel series that I count as a major find, as such a huge fan of Victorian genre literature, and know-it-all sleuths and their long-suffering companions. The action is really good and it keeps me guessing what will happen next. I'm excited to keep reading this series. ...more
Non-stop adventure and intrigue with very poignant human drama. Like a good spy/adventure novel with a healthy dose of weird/supernatural/sci-fi fictiNon-stop adventure and intrigue with very poignant human drama. Like a good spy/adventure novel with a healthy dose of weird/supernatural/sci-fi fiction thrown in.
Danielle The Book Huntress
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