HEARTWOOD by FREYA ROBERTSON

Posted on March 4, 2014 by Bookwraiths

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My rating is 2 out of 5 stars.

Heartwood by Freya Robertson is the first book in the epic fantasy series Elemental Wars. The story is filled to overflowing with massive world building, loads of characters, diverse races/species and many different viewpoints. To say it is “epic” is almost an understatement of just how “massive” this world is, and while I usually adore these types of books, this one did not catch my attention. Stick around, and I will try to explain why.

The story itself begins with representatives from all over the land coming together for a summit at the fortress temple of the Heartwood, where they hope to find a solution to the ills spreading across the world. For the land is slowly dying. None can deny it anymore. Food and game has become scarce. The weather has begun to change for the worse. And as the world becomes harsher, the hearts of its people grow cold; their every disagreement turning into violent bickering and strife. The only way to stop the rising tide of destruction is for some way to be found to heal the “Arbor.”

The Arbor itself is an ancient oak tree; a tree best characterized as the linchpin of the entire world. Its gentle magic nourishing and upholding all that is good and right, making the land itself a place inhabitable by the people. Yet now, some unknown ailment has afflicted the Arbor, and it is shrinking – dying most likely. If a cure for it cannot be found, the wise know that the lands will fall into chaos and death. Life itself may very well perish! And so the holy knights of all the lands come together for a great summit to avert disaster.

Good setup for an epic fantasy, don’t you thing?

I did too. Unfortunately, things start to go somewhat down hill after this.

The chapters regarding this great council read much like E television’s red carpet coverage of the Oscars. We get to meet each participant as they walk down the carpet and get their own five minutes in the spotlight. In fact, Ms. Robertson inundates a reader with information about these different people. Much of it useless – at least in this book. We get a history lesson on what land they hail from, a description of their land’s own unique religious beliefs, and a brief synopsis of why this guy/gal is important to what is about to happen. Then they walk on into Heartwood, and we do it all over again with the next person in line. Honestly, after a few pages, it gets tedious at best.

Once the pre-show coverage is over, the council turns out to be a big letdown — much like the Oscars. It quickly turns into a bickering session that even more quickly morphs into an excuse for everyone who hates each other to get into a fight. However, before our heroes can bloody their swords upon each other, the mysterious villains in the story attack, emerging from the river to cast themselves upon the hero filled fortress of the Arbor. A decision that seems foolhardy at best, since Heartwood has the lands mightiest heroes protecting it right at this very moment.

Correct me if I’m wrong here, but wouldn’t an enemy attack a target when it is least defended by the most incompetent people?

Anyway, after the watery enemies are cast back and the battle won, the survivors discover that something awful has happened while they fought: the leaves have begun falling off the Arbor!

When the holy knights pull their thumbs out of their mouths and unwind themselves from a fetal position, they discover that the “heart” of the Arbor is missing. Immediately, horrendous “rains” begin to fall over the lands, and now the wise prophesize (drum roll please) that all hell is about to let loose.

But do not fear! There is a way everyone can save the lands posterior from this cataclysmic disaster.

Epic quest alert! Epic quest alert!

Seven of them to be exact. Seven magical nodes that must be reactivated by seven, unique quest parties. Each group having to do different things to reactivate their own particular node. And if these seven quests can be complete then the wise believe the Arbor shall be healed!

At this point, I really wanted to close the book on Heartwood, because it was using far too many fantasy cliches to interest me, but I didn’t. I kept going, and to be fair, the remainder of the story is an okay read. The characters are fairly interesting, not standard fantasy types but more realistic with many interesting female knights among the groups. There are multiple character viewpoints and ample world building, because you have seven different groups galloping across the lands. The magic of the world, including the Arbor and the elements, is well developed and intriguing. And the final battle at the end was a satisfying conclusion to a first book in a series.

With all that being said however, I did have some things that detracted from my enjoyment of this novel. I’m sure you are sitting on the edge of your seat to read them.

1) I had trouble keeping all the characters straight in my mind, because the story line skipped from quest group to quest group, and I found myself forgetting what one group was doing by the time the story got back around to them. Perhaps I should have kept notes as I read, but unfortunately, I wasn’t forewarned that I needed to do that.

2) The story was just slow. Plodding almost. Part of this was due to the extensive time Ms. Robertson spent world building, but a lot of the blame also goes to the seven quest groups, which meant lots of repetitive talk of each group riding hard, finding an inn, sleeping, et cetera.

3) Too much dying, torturing, raping and general violence. Yeah, I said that. I know it sounds absolutely ridiculous for me to complain about that in an epic fantasy, but honestly, there is a point at which I just don’t care emotionally when someone else gets tortured, violated or killed. It becomes something like “Oh, John got killed. That is sad. Who was John again? Was he the one I didn’t like? Or was that James? Oh well, at least, I have one less character to keep up with now. And Percephalie, didn’t she get tortured earlier in the book? No. Damn, that must have been Andromache.” That might sound harsh, but unfortunately, after half the cast gets tortured or dies, I just don’t care anymore.

Those that know me or read my reviews understand by now that I tend to write more “negative” reviews on books I find disappointing. The simple truth is those novels which I am “disappointed” in are those that I was very excited to read and desperately wanted to love. Heartwood is one of those novels. It sounded like just my kind of series, but for some reason, it and I did not connect. Be that as it may, I’d still encourage other fantasy lovers to give it a try, because it might be exactly what you are looking for.

Netgalley provided this book to me for free in return for an honest review. The review above was not paid for or influenced in any way by any person, entity or organization, but is my own personal opinions.

Purchase the novel at Amazon.

Posted in Epic, Fantasy, High | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

NOAH: EXISTENTIAL NIHILIST — WHO KNEW?

Posted on March 3, 2014 by Bookwraiths

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My rating is 2 out of 5 stars.

I honestly believe one of the most courageous and difficult things for an artist to do is to “re-invent” a famous story. When it works, an artist is given a triumph and a wreath of Delphic laurel is placed upon his/her brow by the adoring mob. When the artist royally screws up, the mob will throw garbage and curse his/her name. Perhaps that sounds unfair, yet it is still very much true and just comes with the territory of deciding to tinker with a fan/believers beloved story, and no doubt, Darren Aronofsky (story) and Niko Henrichon (illustrations) knew that when they decided to retell the Biblical Noah story. (And yes, this graphic novel is based upon the major motion picture Noah. I did know that.)

Now, I’m sure, most people are familiar with the basics of the Noah tale, but if not, it goes something like this. God creates the universe, the earth, all living creatures, and finally the first man and woman. This father and mother of mankind live in paradise until they sin against their creator. At that time, they are removed from the Garden of Eden and put out into a world now tainted by sin – mankind’s inherent evilness, if you will. Adam and Eve make the best of it though, have some children, and try to live their life. Unfortunately, one of their sons, Cain, kills his brother, Abel, and the avalanche of evilness just keeps picking up steam, as mankind invents more and more ways to ruin the previously “perfect” Earth and commit “sins” against the creator. A fact which soon leads “God” to “grow weary” of mankind’s continued evilness and determine to wipe out all living creatures (air breathers) by a worldwide flood before man’s evilness destroys the Earth. The only “righteous” man spared this watery fate is Noah and his family (wife, 3 sons and their wives) who basically build a huge ark, fill it with two of each kind of animal, and ride out a year long flood of the whole Earth. After the waters subside, the creator promises not to flood the earth again, places the rainbow in the sky as a sign of this promise, and then tells Noah’s family to multiply and repopulate the earth.

Those are the basic facts – as I understand them. (No, I am not a professional theology expert, so please do not lynch me if I have gotten something somewhat incorrect. Thanks for you patience with my human imperfections.) However, there are many facets of the Noah story that are not “fleshed” out in the ancient Judeo-Christian tale. Like what was the pre-flood world like? How were the people so “wicked” back then? What was Noah really like? How did he and his family build such a gigantic ark? How did Noah gather up all those animals and put them on a boat together? What did knowing all of mankind would die except for his family do to Noah’s psyche? What happened when people finally discovered that Noah was right and that only he had a boat big enough to save people from the prophesized cataclysm? And how did Noah’s family survive once the flood was over?

As you can see, Noah’s tale lends itself to becoming a marvelous apocalyptic story/film. It has all the bare bones needed to build an edge of your seat adventure tale for the ages with just a bit of re-imagining and filling in of details, and honestly, Aronofsky and Henrichon start this graphic novel doing just that, penciling in the blank spots of Noah’s story and gifting a reader with awe inspiring images of a legendary world. Noah is exciting. It is action filled. It has emotional impact. It is almost spiritual in many of its pages. Indeed, at the start of this graphic novel, the creative team does a marvelous job of tip toeing down that invisible line of “re-imagining” a story and adding excitement without changing it so much that its “fans/believers” become upset. But –

I mean, you knew there was a “but” coming, right? Honestly, there has to be doesn’t there? This is a book review after all, and any “review” is going to point out good and bad things about the book. Maybe not every reviewer does that, but fortunately for you (Because you obviously are one of those inquisitive people, who would always take the red pill, stay in Wonderland and ask Morpheus how deep the rabbit-hole goes.) I am accustom to pointing out unpleasant things while also dodging rotten eggs from my critics.

So as I was saying, Aronofsky does a marvelous job of providing an exciting, Noah story until he decides to begin providing a “message” to his readers. (Something which is never a good idea in an action story/movie, but which is especially not prudent when retelling a religious story to begin with.) However, Aronofsky is determined to turn this apocalyptic tale of worldwide destruction into a modern morality play, and so he soon casts aside the edge of your seat action regarding the end of the world for “greenpeace” proselytizing. The worst of it no doubt being the de-evolution of Noah, the would-be savior of mankind, into an existential nihilist, whose sole purpose is to ensure the destruction of mankind so that the cancer known as man cannot multiply to harm mother earth anymore.

Did you actually read that last sentence?

Uh-huh, sure you did. Let us take a moment to revisit it just to make sure you understood what I was saying.

Noah, the hero of our story, begins this tale as a fighter for right and is chosen by his creator to warn mankind of the coming apocalypse, build an ark to save his family and the animals, and while doing all this he turns into an existential nihilist. Existential nihilism being the belief that human life has no intrinsic meaning or value and that the entire human species is insignificant, without purpose and unlikely to correct its “sinful” ways if it is allowed to continue to survive.

“What?” Some of your are asking yourself. “Are you serious? An action story about the end of the world is preaching that man should be destroyed to preserve the environment. No way.”

Way, dude. Sorry to say I only wish I was joking, because Noah had real potential: a lost civilization, prophesized end of the world, single man against overwhelming odds, cute animals, epic destruction by a flood, and survivors having to rebuild civilization. Can’t get much better elements for a successful story, but Aronofsky decided to throw all those great plot points to the side and try to sell “greenpeace” existential nihilism in an action story/movie. Just a bad idea. Mainly because most people do not want a theology lesson in their action adventure story. You know, they just want — action and adventure.

In summation, Noah is a graphic novel that starts off great, has great artwork but falls flat as it changes from a pure action-adventure tale into a morality play. Read it at the risk of deciding that your continued existence has no meaning since you are the cause of global warming by refusing to stop eating meat, driving your car and using electricity.

Netgalley provided this book to me for free in return for an honest review. The review above was not paid for or influenced in any way by any person, entity or organization, but is my own personal opinions.

Purchase the graphic novel at Amazon.

Want to learn more about Noah and the Great Flood?

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT MY REVIEW OF
NOAH: THE REAL STORY

Posted in Graphic Novels | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

THE NEW 52 BATGIRL VOLUME 4: WANTED

Posted on February 25, 2014 by Bookwraiths

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My rating is 4 out of 5 stars.

I’ve been sampling a lot of The New 52 lately, and my taste tour has finally gotten to the Batgirl cuisine, as prepared by Gail Simone (Story) and Fernando Pasarín and Daniel Sampere (Illustrations). While I was a longtime reader of the Birds of Prey comic, I can’t say I have ever been a Batgirl aficionado, and so as I began this comic collection, I had no preconceived notions of what Batgirl had to be like in this New 52 manifestation. However, after finishing Wanted, I must say that now all future Batgirl comics will be judged against this Simone/Pasarín/Sampere version, because this is “THE” perfect Batgirl in my opinion.

The collection itself contains issues #19-25 of Batgirl along with Ventriloquist #1. Here our caped heroine is struggling emotionally with the death of her brother, James, Jr., and her future career as a crime fighter is definitely up in the air. Not only that but there are issues with her continued relationships with Batman and the whole Bat family as well as real strain between herself and her father. But all is not gloomy in Barbara’s life as a new love interest appears – though even that has unforeseen complication.

Before Batgirl can come to grips with the good and the bad in her life however, our heroine is confronted by an especially nasty piece of villainy called The Ventrilogist, and her appearance gives this comic collection a major dose of creepy psychosis. I mean, there is nothing going to test your mettle as a crime fighter liking going toe to toe with a mentally deranged chic and her demented dummy; both of whom seem more than willing to kill anyone (ordinary citizens or fabulous stars) just for kicks. And if that isn’t difficult enough, Batgirl finds herself trying to do this while side stepping her own father’s quest to hunt down and bring to justice the worst criminal in all of Gotham: Batgirl herself!

From out of this hodgepodge of ongoing plots, Gail Simone does her usual outstanding job of creating a multi-faceted character. For you see, this New 52 Batgirl is not a super heroine caricature but a very real and plausible person, who just happens to live this extraordinarily dangerous life as a crime fighter. That is why the sections of Simone’s story focusing on Barbara Gordon happily going shopping with a friend or enjoying a night out dancing with a guy does not read like filler material but are essential parts of the whole Batgirl story. And this dual role of Barbara as super heroine and average girl is one of the main reasons Simone absolutely nails the New 52 Batgirl and makes it such an enjoyable collection to read.

The other reason to sample Wanted is the amazing artwork, which is quite frankly an ideal match for Simone’s story. For Fernando Pasarín and Daniel Sampere do an outstanding job of capturing the creepiness of Batgirl’s super hero world while also illustrating the normalcy of Barbara’s daily life. Both parts of the tale meshing so well and rendered so beautifully that it adds even more enjoyment to the overall story and makes it difficult to imagine anyone else ever drawing this comic.

Some stories just click with a reader. The New 52 Batgirl Volume 4: Wanted is one of those books with me. It gave me everything I am looking for in a great comic: beautiful art, multi-dimensional characters, and an engaging story. I’d highly encourage everyone to give it a try and see if it is too your liking as well.

I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d like to thank the publisher for allowing me to receive this review copy and inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone.

Purchase this graphic novel at Amazon.

Posted in Graphic Novels | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

THE NEW 52 AQUAMAN VOLUME 4: DEATH OF A KING

Posted on February 21, 2014 by Bookwraiths

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Aquaman: Death of a King by                    Geoff Johns.

Genre: Superhero Comics

Series: New 52 Aquaman, Vol. 4

Publisher: DC Comics (May 20, 2014)

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Length: 192 pages

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars.

The New 52 Aquaman 4: Death of a King collects issues #18-25 of the ongoing series. Geoff Johns creates the story, and Paul Pelletier brings it to life with his artwork. And while the two do an excellent job of coaxing this tale to life, it is still missing some ingredient to actual make it a real page turner.

The adventure itself begins with a bang as Arthur Curry (aka Aquaman) is the unsettled King of Atlantis after the events in the previous story arcs. He is determined to clean up the mess made by Atlantis’ attack on the surface world and has sent his forces around the globe to recovery Atlantean weapons and artifacts taken by the Scavenger. However, even while Arthur is attempting to live up to his responsibility to protect the seas and its denizens, many of his new subjects do not view it as such but rather as a sign of his weakness and desire to side with the surface dwellers rather than his own watery subjects. Not only that but there are even rumblings that Arthur is the right man to be king, and that Atlantis’ previous ruler should return from his imprisonment in America and take back his rightful place upon the throne. Add to this sad state of affairs the fact that Mera herself is reluctance to return with him to the ocean, and one can understand Arthur’s fragile mental state as the book begins.

Naturally, Aquaman gets no chance to come to grips with his problems, however, because immediately a new threat emerges. An ancient denizen of the watery depths is inadvertently reawakened by Arthur himself, and his resurrection from the shadowy past spells trouble for our aquatic hero. For this enemy has power unprecedented, and he is determined to unseat this false Atlantean king. In order to fend this threat off, Arthur finds that he must uncover a horrific truth about Atlantis’ past and his own forefathers while dealing with potential traitors from within.

From this setup, Geoff Johns does his best to throw every curve ball in his repertoire at a reader. There are fights galore, personal musings, relationship issues, ancient knowledge, and unexpected twists. We even have side stories involving other characters. Each of these individual dramas drawn in stunning style by Paul Pelletier and the art team. Indeed, for most of the graphic novel, the art is spectacular, expertly capturing the aquatic underworld of Aquaman and hiding any stumbles in the tale itself. But at the end of the day, pretty pictures only go so far to make a story interesting

And there lies the problem with this collection. It starts off very strong and ends strong, but – in my opinion – much of the in-between of Death of a King is rather ho-hum reading. Sure, it is somewhat interesting and adds some layers to the Atlantean and Aquaman mythos, but it never gripped me and made me want to turn the pages as quickly as possible. While I realize that every story arch is not going to be an epic masterpiece, this one left me rather “meh” at best.

In summation, Aquaman Volume 4: Death of a King is an “okay” read, more than worthy to waste a few hours, but after finishing this one, I do not believe it will end up on your “favorite” list. Even with that being said, I still enjoyed the updated version of Arthur Curry/Aquaman and will look forward to reading more about him in the future.

I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d like to thank the publisher for allowing me to receive this review copy and inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone.

Purchase the book at Amazon.

Posted in Graphic Novels | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

THE NEW 52 GREEN ARROW: THE KILL MACHINE

Posted on February 20, 2014 by Bookwraiths

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My rating is 4 out of 5 stars.

Green Arrow, Vol. 4: The Kill Machine was my first sampling of this New 52 Green Arrow, and honestly, I was a bit hesitant to try it, because I’ve always been a fan of Oliver Queen (especially Kevin Smith’s amazing take on Green Arrow years ago) and was worried I might not appreciate this re-imagined/re-booted version. However, after reading this collection in one sitting, all I can say is wow! Jeff Lemire (story) and Andrea Sorrentino (illustrations) have absolutely nailed it and made this – by far – my favorite New 52 character.

There are lots of things to like about the story that Lemire gifts a reader with in this collection. We have Oliver Queen exhibiting the determination, pride, and loud mouth tendencies that have always been his trademarks. There is a whole, new mythos added to Green Arrow’s history and even a new back story; both of which make the whole Green Arrow story so much more “epic” than it has ever been in the past. We have old, familiar villains that are now updated with stellar back stories and believable super powers. There are also new, mysterious characters who instantly become favorites. Through it all, Lemire uses each new revelation or idea to drive forward his mesmerizing plot; subtly crafting an action/adventure story that reads more like an award winning crime novel than a superhero comic.

Any praise of Green Arrow: The Kill Machine would not be complete without highlighting the absolutely original artwork of Andrea Sorrentino. It is no secret that an action-packed story has to have the correct artwork to compliment it, or it just becomes another ho-hum affair, and Lemire’s story (as compelling as it was) would have fallen flat if not for Sorrentino’s brilliance. In this collection, Sorrentino’s mastery of his craft is on full display, as he puts on an art clinic of how to do action right with just enough originality to set it apart from the crowd yet still be assessable to the most casual reader. When Arrow is fighting, the art shows a fluidity of action. When he is in emotional turmoil, the anguish is clearly seen in his face and in his posture. When Oliver is in excruciating pain, his howls and grimaces radiate off the page. Quite simply, as good as the story was here, the artwork was even better. It was simply amazing.

Now, some of you might be concerned about picking up volume four of a comic series. No doubt, you imagine that there are all these interwoven plots that have been going on for years and that you must have all that back story memorized so as to enjoy a fourth act of Green Arrow’s tale. While I can understand your concern, I am here to tell you it is baseless, because if you’ve never read Green Arrow before – either the old version or the New 52 version – it is not a problem. This collection reads very much like a standalone novel. Sure, you know things have happened in the past, but all the back story you need to appreciate The Kill Machine is quickly and succinctly provided by Lemire without it ever interrupting the flow of the overall tale.

In summation, if you appreciate silky smooth action stories, you need to give Green Arrow: The Kill Machine a try. This one will draw you in so quickly and so completely that soon you will find yourself trailing along behind Lemire and Sorrentino like a kid chasing the ice cream truck, desperate to taste the new flavors that this new Green Arrow has in store for you. It exceeded my expectations, and I can honestly say it turned me into a fan of this New 52 Green Arrow, and he and I will definitely be visiting each other again soon.

I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d like to thank the publisher for allowing me to receive this review copy and inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone.

Purchase the graphic novel at Amazon.

Posted in Graphic Novels | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

THE NEW 52 JUSTICE LEAGUE VOLUME 4: THE GRID

Posted on February 19, 2014 by Bookwraiths

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Justice League: The Grid by               Geoff Johns.

Genre: Superhero Comics

Series: New 52 Justice League, Vol. 4

Publisher: DC Comics (March 18, 2014)

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Length: 320 pages

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.

The New 52 Justice League Volume 4: The Grid is a story where Geoff Johns does his best magician impression and creates a tour de force of comic storytelling.

The Grid sequence collects JUSTICE LEAGUE #18-23, and it starts out as your ho-hum “We have to add some more heroes to the team” sort of story before picking up speed when one of the prospective JL members shows herself to be less than mentally stable and tries to destroy the Watchtower. Naturally, a great fight ensues, and though it is never specifically discussed, the team members seem to suspect that someone or something insidious has caused the whole event. Before any real investigation of this suspicion can ensue, however, another ominous event transpires that propels this story ahead full steam.

From there, Geoff Johns and crew keep the punches coming fast and furious in this collection. There is a trust issues among the team. New members reveal themselves to be not what anyone thought they were. Ancient evils re-appear. Mysterious entities pop up and begin causing havoc. And the Justice League is kept so off balance that even Batman cannot help but be caught unawares. The surprises and pulse pounding action just keep coming and coming, page after page.

And what beautiful pages they are!

Every character in this comic is beautifully drawn in vivid detail and stunning colors by Ivan Reis, Joe Prado and crew. Superman flies off the pages. Wonder Woman is deadly beautiful. Batman is dark and mysterious. Even Despero – one of our many villains – is penned in all his supremely evil magnificence. And the battles fill the pages to overflowing with heroes in statuesque poses, tense with movement as they physically contest with one another. Honestly, it is one of the best art jobs I personally (and yes I know, I’m no comic book aficionado anymore) have had the honor to view lately.

While most comic readers already know this sequence is a lead in to the Trinity War, the set up laid out here is great reading and is highly recommended to anyone who enjoys comics or would just like to try them out. However, there was one thing that I did not enjoy about this story, and without giving spoilers, I feel that I must mention it.

After an entertaining set up of the insidious forces creating machinations behind the scenes, Geoff Johns finally reaches the reveal point in the story. Naturally, this revelation of who is doing these things and why has to be absolutely awesome, because the lead up has been handled so masterfully. However, to me, this reveal fell completely flat, because it was done much too quickly and was not terribly realistically, and once the “evil masterminds” come out from the shadows, the story skips ahead in time. A fact which had me scratching my head, trying to see if I had missed a whole section of the book or something, since the story flew ahead so abruptly.

If not for this misstep on the final act of this story, I would have given this collection the very highest rating. As it is, however, the ending left a bitter taste in my mouth, and I can only say that “I liked it”. So give Justice League: The Grid a read, it has a very good story and sets up the Trinity War perfectly.

I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d like to thank the publisher for allowing me to receive this review copy and inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone.

Purchase the graphic novel at Amazon.

Posted in Graphic Novels | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

THE REAVER by RICHARD LEE BYERS

Posted on February 19, 2014 by Bookwraiths

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My rating is 3 out of 5 stars.

The Reaver is book four of The Sundering: a world changing event, transforming the Forgotten Realms. Each book in the series is stand alone and only loosely tied together by the events transpiring across their pages. While the first three novels of the series focused on established characters like Drizzt Do’Urden, Erevis Cale, and the Brimstone Angels (Farideh and Havilar), this fourth installment introduces a treasure trove of brand new faces: Anton Marivaldi (reaver/pirate), Stedd Whitehorn (boy prophet of the god Lathander), and Umara Ankhlab (Thayan Red Wizard). Together, these unlikely comrades are used by author Richard Lee Byers to craft a classic, sword and sorcery tale.

As the story begins, Marivaldi and his crew are searching for a boy named Stedd Whitehead, who has a huge bounty out on him. This youth is rumored to be a prophet of Lathander, the Morninglord; a god believed to have been lost through time and whose demise helped unleash the endless rain that falls over the lands surrounding the Sea of Fallen Stars. A downpour that has killed the crops in the fields, caused the sea level to rise and flood low lying towns and docks, unleashed hunger and bitterness among the people, and resulted in large portions of the disheartened to turn to the worship of the dreadful goddess of the sea, Umberlee. And it is Umberlee’s chosen (an undead pirate named Evendur Highcastle) who wants Stedd Whitehorn so that he may sacrifice him to Umberlee.

But even as the gold loving reaver Marivaldi seeks this boy prophet, others are also looking for Stedd. Szass Tam, lich-lord of the Thayans, has his own minions scouring the Sea of Fallen Stars. Among the lich’s servants is Umara Ankhlab, who follows her vampiric master across the lands learning necromancy and magic while providing her teacher the blood to sustain him. While Umara finds her lot in life horrible, she holds onto the fact that this is her only avenue to rise above her mortal heritage and become someone of note in her undead ruled homeland.

And as for our Chosen of Lathander, young Stedd is a good hearted youth, too trusting in his belief in people’s altruistic motives, and determined to accomplish his god given task – proclaim the re-emergence of Lathander and announce that soon the endless rain will cease! A task that not only serves as the central plot of the adventure in The Reaver but also illustrates the true nature of the physical effects the Sundering is having on the whole world, as the gods via for power and the planet’s environment shifts in response to the powers unleashed upon it.

Naturally, the story begins when these forces all converge together, but that is just the start of the fun here. For soon, this tale of Lathander’s Chosen becomes filled with even more tension, as unlikely people become companions, sword fights and sorcerous duels ensue, gods and goddesses are unleashed, and good versus evil eventually meet in a climactic clash for all the marbles.

If you relish a fine sword and sorcery novel then The Reaver is just what you have been looking for. It might be traditional fantasy faire, but it still enjoyable, fueled by its fast-paced story and swash-buckling fun, and it even provides a reader with a message of hope and redemption.

Great addition to The Sundering saga!

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to receive this review copy and inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone.

Purchase this novel from Amazon.

CHECK OUT MY REVIEWS OF THE SUNDERING SERIES
THE COMPANIONS (THE SUNDERING #1)
THE GODBORN (THE SUNDERING #2)
THE ADVERSARY (THE SUNDERING #3)
THE SENTINEL (THE SUNDERING #5)
THE HERALD (THE SUNDERING #6)

Posted in Fantasy, Forgotten Realms, High, Swashbuckling, Sword and Sorcery | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

STAR WARS: LEGACY VOLUME 3

Posted on February 17, 2014 by Bookwraiths

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My rating is 4 out of 5 stars.

When I received the ARC for Star Wars: Legacy, Volume 3, I have to admit I knew next to nothing about this comic series, but I didn’t really worry about picking up the story because it was Star Wars and it was a graphic novel, which meant it would follow a familiar old pattern of Sith vs. Jedi.

Boy, was I wrong!

As I slowly began to consume Legacy, I discovered that it was a deeply complex novel, filled with new and thought provoking ideas that was not at all like the other Star Wars novels I had partaken of. Indeed, all I could think as I slowly savored this tale was that co-creators John Ostrander and Jan Duursema had caught lightning in a bottle with Legacy, penning a galaxy spanning adventure story that was well worthy of the “Star Wars” moniker and had come tantalizingly close to recapturing the magic of the original Star Wars trilogy.

The story itself revolves around Cade Skywalker, who lives with his own set of demons and is happy to ignore his Jedi upbringing as he drifts from bounty hunting to pirating to death sticks to general philandering. But this epic doesn’t confine itself to just our fast talking, self-loathing, dreds/goatee wearing, dark side wielding Skywalker but is populated with a galaxy spanning cast from Sith controlled Coruscant to the overthrown Emperor in exile on Bastion to the hidden Jedi temple. Every character – both minor and major – are in constant motion, living out their flawed and complex lives to the tune of Ostrander’s intricate melody, as he weaves an engrossing space opera that is not confined to one planet but spans the whole galaxy. Fleets fight battles. Sith and Jedi clash. Political machinations abound from the Sith sanctums to the Imperial throne rooms. Good characters become flawed. Evil characters show humanity. And one can almost here the famous Star Wars music playing within your mind as you partake of it all.

As for the art that propels this grand story along, I found it to be excellent, exhibiting the dark, moody and bold evolution of Star Wars as presented by the Legacy era and filled with pages of athletic and exotic men and women of different species, who were not only pleasing to the senses but also stylistically different and realistic. However, in all honesty, I am a bit biased on this point, because I have been a fan of Jan Duursema’s style ever since I discovered her work on Arion: Lord of Atlantis when I was a know-it-all teenager in the 1980s. Yet even when Duursema was away and other artists penned small parts of this graphic novel’s contents, I still felt those section were well done and never caused any disruption in my enjoyment. And though there are many “cheesecake” and “beefcake” moments in the novel, it never caused me any more concern than watching a movie or television show where everyone is athletic and attractive.

All in all, this is one of the great “Expanded Universe” Star Wars tales. Legacy is quite simply an exciting, complex story that mixes compelling characters with new ideas and succeeds in creating a truly original “Star Wars” saga. Co-creators Ostrander and Duursema have gifted Star Wars’ fans with a galaxy spanning adventure that not only progresses to an epic confrontation of Jedi and Sith but also to other individual climaxes of minor and major characters; each one just as important to the reader as that of our resident Skywalker.

This one is highly recommended to Star Wars fans!

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to receive this review copy and inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone.

Purchase the novel at Amazon.

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NOAH: THE REAL STORY by LARRY STONE

Posted on February 17, 2014 by Bookwraiths

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My rating is 2 out of 5 stars.

Larry Stone’s Noah: The Real Story is a book many people will pick up because they either believe it is a literary work espousing the creationist viewpoint of the Noah story or a book pointing out the inconsistences of the biblical flood legend. The simple fact of the matter is that neither assumption is true. Rather, Noah: The Real Story is more correctly described as a cliff notes type work, intended to give an uninformed person general information about the Noah story.

Before anyone even points it out, I will concede that this book is most likely being published to take advantage of the hype from the Noah film starring Russell Crowe. Nothing inherently wrong with that, and perhaps it might even be appropriate to view Noah: The Real Story as a companion book to that movie, because its main purpose is to give an interested moviegoer more details about the biblical Noah story, the historical arguments regarding its accuracy or inaccuracy, and other interesting facts. Indeed, the majority of the book is spent on questions such as how did Noah build the ark, how did the animals get on the ark, how did eight people feed all those animals, and how did they get rid of all that animal dung! But other topics such as was the flood a worldwide catastrophe or a local event, where did the ark land, how did all those animals spread across the world, and has anyone ever “discovered” or “claimed” to have discovered Noah’s ark are also touched upon. And throughout the author makes a good faith effort to always present both the “believer” and the “skeptics” arguments about the feasability of Noah’s ark.

Not satisfied with just these general issues regarding the “truth” of the biblical story however, Mr. Stone also spends a large amount of time focusing on pop culture issues. There are chapters dealing with the movie industries numerous attempts to portray the biblical flood legend. There is a chapter detailing all the worldwide ark reconstructions and their current uses. There is even a portion focusing on modern amusement parks built around life size models of Noah’s ark. Honestly, if a topic has something to do with Noah’s ark, Mr. Stone discusses it in some small measure.

With all that being said, Noah: The Real Story was only an “okay” read for me personally, but this was because I was looking for details of the differing points of view on the Noah flood story. Coming into the read with that expectation, this novel seemed very light on scientific evidence, skimmed over numerous facts, and did not give me any additional information that I have not already read on numerous social media websites.

Does that mean no one should read this book?

Absolutely not. For those readers not familiar with the biblical flood story, Noah: The Real Story is a fine book that will give them a solid basis of knowledge to further their inquire into this interesting subject.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to receive this review copy and inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone.

Purchase the book at Amazon.

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT MY REVIEW OF
NOAH: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL

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V FOR VENDETTA by ALAN MOORE

Posted on February 15, 2014 by Bookwraiths

5805 V for Vendetta by Alan Moore

Genre: Superhero Comics

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Vertigo (October 12, 2005)

Length: 296 pages

My Rating: 2 out of 5 stars.

When I picked up this graphic novel (after years of telling myself I’d get to it one of these days), I really wanted to love it. Watchmen by Moore is one of my all-time, favorite graphic novels, so I always envisioned V for Vendetta being another masterpiece of comic writing along those same lines: not only entertaining but enlightening as well. Unfortunately, I was immensely disappointed by this graphic novel.

Now, to be fair, I hate overtly political literary works. If a writer wishes to explore political themes in the framework of an interesting and compelling story then I am fine with that, but I personally do not enjoy stories that are only about politics. And for those of you who have read V for Vendetta, you already know that this graphic novel is 100% a work of political theology. It preaches. It prods. It shouts at you to pay attention. But no matter V’s incessant soliloquies, it utterly falls flat.

Probably the majority of the blame for V for Vendetta’s failure goes to the fact that in order to have a story you must first have a character, and V is not a character but a political ideology given human form in his iconic black suit and white mask. He is an idol to anarchy, wrapped in pop culture coolness to make anarchism an attractive viewpoint.

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And to make this political theology even more appealing, Moore squares him off with the most repulsive opponent he could concoct: an ethnocentric, homophobic, pedophilia, racist, anti-science fascism that drapes itself with religious justification for its inhumane actions.

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No matter his opponent, however, V quickly proves himself to be insane. (Whether his insanity is mild or extensive is up for debate, I suppose, but there is little doubt that he is not going to pass a psychological evaluation without getting several diagnoses.)  He kills when he needs to. He blows up things when he deems it appropriate. He tortures – both physically and emotionally – his foes and friends alike when he believes it serves some greater good.  And he shows no regret for any innocents who might be harmed in the aftermath.

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Revolutionary behavior, I hear some of you saying.  Perhaps.  Yet, V never seems to have any rhyme or reason to his madness. At least not one that he sticks with. There is no desire to fix the problems of the world, but rather an all-encompassing desire to unleash chaos so that it may spread in a wild conflagration until anarchy is obtained and, somehow, remolds society into a chaotic utopia.  Sure, apparently innocent people will get harmed , but, ultimately, all the world’s problems are these people’s fault anyway, so why shouldn’t they suffer for their poor choices.

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To describe the story that unfolds here as convoluted is to be gracious to its famous writer, because this tale is filled with ambiguity to the point a reader has no idea if V is a “good” guy, a “bad” guy, or just some mentally deranged person running around killing people and blowing things up for fun. He will aid a person one page only to set them up for horrible things to happen to them the next. He will give a grand soliloquy on the need to “Vomit up the values that [have] victimized me” one moment, then turn around and exhibit his new, enlightened values by torturing his “supposed” friend to induce a level of insanity comparable to his own. Honestly, V’s display of anarchist morality becomes a tiresome exercise in futility.

v anarchy

The sad truth about this graphic novel is that V for Vendetta is a work of political proselytism.  A piece of demagoguery whose message takes precedent over the actually story being told.  V more an avatar for anarchy than a real revolutionary attempting to better the lives of his fellow men and women.  This graphic novel is not inspirational. It doesn’t expand your mind by forcing you to analyze your current political leaning.  Rather, it is just another piece of political ideology, where the writer frames the narrative in his terms so that only his viewpoint is attractive, and as such, it is better left undisturbed by those seeking a true story.

Purchase the graphic novel at Amazon.

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