| Books! Where are the great books?

THE DELPHI DECEPTION (THE DELPHI TRILOGY #2) by CHRIS EVERHEART

Posted on January 28, 2014 by Bookwraiths

My rating is 3 out of 5 stars.

This second installment of The Delphi Trilogy picks up right where The League of Delphi ended. For those who have not read the first novel, here is a brief synopsis of what you missed.

Zach White is your average 16-year-old kid. Just a normal teenager really. He loves his laptop, really digs girls, and has several close friends he adores – even if they are computer hackers. Unfortunately, Zach’s life is not normal, and it has not been normal in a long while.

It didn’t start off this way, you see. As a child, Zach’s life was very normal: mom, dad, school, and friends. He lived in a small town called Arcanville. A town of tidy neatness and polite people. A place with seemingly no crime, filled with homes surrounded by uniform walls and gardens. A hamlet that was more likely to have been the subject of one of Norman Rockwell’s paintings than to be a place he would have to flee from. But once his father died in an airplane crash, Zach and his mother did indeed leave this idyllic local, vanishing into the night, and once they arrived in Europe, his mother had immediately enrolled Zach in a French boarding school under a false name and disappeared, only visiting him sporadically and for short periods of time. Her reason for all this that she was protecting him from the people who were looking for him. People that she could not let find him. These people are why they had left Arcanville. These people were why they had to each live a false life and do without any family. And these people were why he must never ever return to Arcanville no matter what!

Like any good teenager, Zach didn’t understand what was going on with his mother. Oh, she said all this cloak and dagger stuff was for his own protection, but how did he know that was true? Maybe, she had just lost her mind. You heard of it happening. And so when his mother died unexpected, Zach did what any good teenager would do: he ignored her warnings and immediately returned to Arcanville.

Once back in his old hometown, Zach gets a job at the local coffee house and sees that things in Arcanville are stranger than he remembered; an undertone of weirdness permeating the very air. So when a childhood friend commits suicide, Zach begins to investigate. Along the way, he meets a strange girl with mental issues named Ashley, who also believes Arcanville is hiding something sinister. Together, the two find themselves falling in love and rooting out the secrets of this place. And just when they believe they know what is going on, they uncover an even more terrible truth than they had suspected, for Arcanville is part of a world spanning conspiracy! A shadowy tangle of money, power, pharmaceutical experiments, and prophecies so vast that the two of them have no idea what they have stepped into.

It is more than the two teenagers can handle. Soon, they find themselves pursued by people more than willing to kill them for what they know. At least, they are willing to kill Zach, but Ashley is a special case. For you see, the League of Delphi controls the world by knowing what is going to happen in the future. This knowledge provided to them by their Pythia, or oracle, and Ashley has been identified as the next candidate to be the Delphi Pythia! The League will stop at nothing to recover their new priestess!

So as The Delphi Deception begins, Zach and Ashley are in the hospital after a near death escape from police. Unfortunately, Ashley is firmly in control of the League and is in a mental health ward, injected with the drugs necessary to induce her prophecy trance. Zach, on the other hand, finds himself able to escape from the hospital but has no idea what to do now. Should he leave Ashley to her fate or rescue her? And if he tries to rescue her, how can he fight against a world spanning organization more than willing to kill to protect its power?

Like the first installment of this series, I found The Delphi Deception a real page turner. Zach’s continued efforts to uncover his past, unravel the mystery of the League of Delphi, and rescue Ashley kept the story moving along frantically to its cliffhanger ending. In fact, there was never any dull moments in this novel, because Mr. Everheart skillfully interwove secrets of Arcanville and the League together with teenage betrayal and filled other chapters with mysterious prophecies that were never exactly what Zach – or I – thought they were. So a big congratulations to Mr. Everheart for penning such an engaging YA novel without having to resort to anything “fantastical” like vampires, werewolves, or half-bloods.

Naturally, I have to mention those things which I did not enjoy about the novel, so here goes my short list.

As I mentioned in my review of the first book, Zach seems a bit “naive” at times in these books. He is in dangerous circumstances of course, over his head without a doubt, but even taking this into consideration, he does things which make you scratch your head and think “He is really going to do this. This is stupid.” And it was not a single time or even two that I felt this way but over and over again. Like I said, I understand he is a kid dealing with a situation he is incapable of handling, but I would have expected a bit more wisdom on his part, especially since the first book described him as a street suave, young man.

My second complaint is that The Delphi Deception takes place in the same location as the first, and while Mr. Everheart does his best to introduce new situations and places, he is forced to plow back over freshly tilled soil by revisiting the same locations and same issues. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, it was just difficult to read about Zach and his new sidekick doing the same things that he and Ashley did in the first book. “We have already been there and done that, give me something new” is what I was thinking at times.

Even with those issues, however, The Delphi Deception is a very good novel, and I can’t wait to see where Mr. Everheart goes with the series.

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

Buy The Delphi Deception: Book II of the Delphi Trilogy at Amazon.

See my reviews of the trilogy.
The League of Delphi Book #1
The Delphi Revelation Book #3

Posted in Young Adult | Tagged Arcanville, Chris Everheart, Delphi, Delphi Deception, The Delphi Trilogy, Young Adult, Young-adult fiction | 3 Comments

THE GARDEN OF STONES (PART 1 OF ECHOES OF EMPIRE) by MARK T. BARNES

Posted on January 27, 2014 by Bookwraiths

My rating is 3 out of 5 stars.

The Garden of Stones is the first installment in the Echoes of Empire fantasy series by Mark T. Barnes, and it is quite simply a spectacular concoction imbued with potential brilliance.

From the very first page of this epic, Mr. Barnes immerses his first time reader in a world filled with vivid cultures, unusual species, ancient mysteries, and complex characters. Through beautifully worded descriptions, he unveils an original fantasy landscape, filled with amazing details. A land so richly-imagined and so complex, drawing on concepts and imagery that are so fresh and original, that a casual reader may find themselves caught up in the deluge of fantastical races, names, and places and begin to flounder in this sweeping tide. However, if you can fight against the surge of information and steady yourself by latching onto and constantly referring to the glossary, you will bob to the surface and settle down into a steady rhythm of reading and glossary checking. Once this equilibrium has began, the story that Mr. Barnes pens will quickly carry you away.

The tale itself is set in Shrian, a civilization dominated by a diverse ecosystem of peoples. At the top of the peeking order are two non-humans races called the Seethe and the Avan. The Seethe, or Wind-Masters, have feathers in place of their hair and are the “creators” of the Avan, who were designed to be the Seethe’s servants but ultimately became their masters. Joining these two races upon the world stage are many unique and varied creatures including the Iphyri “giant men with the heads, legs, and tails of horses,” Wyvern riders, Tau-se (lion-like people), and Fenlings, who reminded me a great deal of Warhammer’s Skaven. The newcomer to this diverse environment is Man, who arrived from the stars in their ships long ago.

Among the Shrian culture, there is no shortage of “magic” though it is not the type most fantasy readers are accustom to. Here it is labeled “disentropy” and is described as “the energy of creation generated by all living things, eddied and swirling” within the air itself. But more than that, the users of disentropy are described as using “numbers” cascading through their mind to create three dimensional image as they attempt to influence the worldly elements and string together form from chaos. A description that reminded me more of the “force” in Star Wars than any magic system I’ve encountered in fantasy literature. But the magical wonders do not stop with disentropy itself, because Mr. Barnes unveils mighty machines such as flying ships, time portals, cloning engines, rifle-like guns, and other marvels of a highly advanced technology. Technology that was developed and partially lost in cataclysmic events of the past.

This lost past opens up yet another avenue for Mr. Barnes to world build, as he slowly reveals an extensive and elaborate history. A past which stretches out thousands and thousands of years behind these people, filled with world-spanning empires, cataclysmic events, forgotten technologies, eternal spirits, and ancient enmities. Enmities that are still at play in the current world, fueled by the Great Houses of nobility who via with one another for power and fan the flames of ancient grudges. This world building setting in place a combustible mixture ripe for an epic explosion of conflict and adventure.

A reader’s tour guides through this epic world are no less interesting than the land upon which they reside. The central character is Indris, called “Dragon-Eyed.” He is a prince from the Great House of Nasarat and a former knight of the Seq Order of Scholars. Though among the mighty of the warrior-poets, he abandoned his calling to marry the woman he loved only to loose her. Now, still grieving from her presumed death, he has become a daimahjin (a mercenary warrior-mage) and come to Amnon to aid his father-in-law, Rahn Far-ad-din, who is beset by political machinations at their finest.

The diabolical instigator of Indris’ problems is one Corajidin, who is the leader of the Great House of Erebus in the Shrianese Federation. Although he is losing hold of sanity and more than likely dying, Corajidin will not relinquish power but wishes to fulfill a prophecy he was given, believing that he is destined to be the next Asrahn (High King) of Shrian, Ruler of all the Great Houses belonging to the Federation. All that stands between him and his desire is Far-ad-din, Indris, and his growing insanity.

To further complicate things, we have a forbidden relationship between Indris and Corajidin’s daughter, Mariam “Queen of Swords,”which forces her to make an impossible decision to aid her father or her lover.

From all these different ingredients, Mr. Barnes serves up a fantasy feast of epic proportions. No one beginning this novel should view it as anything resembling a fast, casual read, but undertake it as if you were beginning The Wheel of Time, The Malazan series or A Song of Fire and Ice. Also, please understand that this is no YA novel but an adult one. Throughout this story, Mr. Barnes tells his story through multiple points of view; there is political intrigue resembling a game-within-a-game chess match; sexual situations do get explored; violence and bloody mayhem rule the day many chapters; and there is lots of grey morality exhibited by both the “good guys” and the “bad guys.” If all of that sounds good to you then this is an epic fantasy you must read.

Having said all of this, I want to explain why I only gave this book 3 stars, which in my rating system means that I “liked” the book.

Quite simply, the pacing of the story was too slow for me. While I understand that Mr. Barnes had to accomplish a massive amount of world building to setup the actual plot, it still doesn’t excuse the plodding nature of much of the narrative. This story just crawled at times. And the big showdown between Indris and Corajidin, which is set up and begins to build from the first page, was unnecessarily delayed by minor subplots. I have no problem with there being numerous subplots going on in an “epic” novel like this, but these side issues should either buildup the final showdown or be more in the nature of foreshadowing future events. Here we had unimportant – at least in this novel – characters taking up massive amounts of time for no apparent reason. Later in the series, Mr. Barnes may show me the error of my assumptions, but as of right now, I do not understand what the point was for them and view them as filler material.

Other than this one complaint, I enjoyed The Garden of Stones. It was a fresh, original approach to epic fantasy. Sure it appears to borrow a few concepts from other fictional works, but Mr. Barnes does a great job of incorporating enough new ideas to make this no copycat work. Plus, I absolutely loved the twist at the end of the book and can’t wait to see what happens with Indris going forward.

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 this novel at Amazon.

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT MY OTHER REVIEWS OF THIS SERIES
THE OBSIDIAN HEART
THE PILLARS OF SAND

MARK T BARNES INTERVIEWS AND GUEST POSTS
ANNE CHARNOCK
SUZANNE CHURCH
THE SCIFI SHOW
UPCOMING4

Posted in Epic, Fantasy, High, Sword and Sorcery | Tagged Echoes of Empire series, epic fantasy, fantasy series, Mark T. Barnes, oriental fantasy, The Garden of Stones | 9 Comments

Hawks of Outremer by Robert E. Howard

Posted on January 27, 2014 by Bookwraiths

Hawks of Outremer by Robert E. Howard

Genre: Historical Fiction — Medieval Crusades

Series: Stand Alone Novel

Publisher: Donald M. Grant Publishers (1979)

Length: 165 pages

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.

Robert E. Howard was one of those prolific writers that could churn out stories, characters, and ideas seemingly at will. In just 10 years, he penned approximately 300 short stories, two novels and countless poems featuring numerous characters in a wide variety of genres, including heroic fantasy, western, horror, historical and humor. Without a doubt, Conan the Barbarian is the most famous of his creations, but his stable of protagonists span the gamut from Sailor Steve Costigan, 1930s tough guy sailor, to Dark Agnes de Chestillon, red-haired 16th century French swordswoman, and include such notable heroes as Soloman Kane, El Borak, De Montour, Kull the Conqueror, and Bran Mak Morn, last king of the Picts. One character who is usually not listed among Howard’s famous characters is the half-Norman, half-Gael knight named Cormac Fitzgeoffrey, but just like his more famous siblings, Cormac is yet another sword wielding man who is hard as nails.

In the Hawks of Outremer, Howard gives a reader a series of stories set in the Holy Land at the time of the Third Crusade. Cormac Fitzgeoffrey of Ireland has accompanied the armies of Richard I, King of England, nicknamed “Coeur de Lion” or “Richard the Lionheart” to Palestine to vanquish the hated infidels of Saladin and recover Jerusalem for Catholic Europe. But while Cormac nominally rides under the banner of King Richard, he is a man who recognizes no one as his king, owes allegiance to no man and follows his own personal sense of honor – especially toward his friends. And – like most Howard characters – he is a man of strength – both physically and mentally – and one who has a deep belief in personal justice, or vengeance for any slight. Plus, Cormac feels like an outsider to the civilized world, seeing in himself a superior breed of natural man; one whose inherent superiority is shown by his ability to kill/maim those weaker in spirit and physical strength than himself.

The story itself begins in earnest when one of Cormac’s friends is killed at the border of Muslim controlled territory in the Holy Land. Naturally, our hero decides that such a heinous crime cannot go unpunished and decides to avenge his friend. So as not to incite any renewed hostility between the Christians and Muslim states, Cormac goes alone to exact vengeance. Typical Howard swashbuckling ensues thereafter.

The book also contains two other short stories involving Cormac, albeit in different yet similar adventures. No need to describe the actual action: it is more of the same. In fact, one of these tales was changed a bit to make it into a Conan adventure by writer, Roy Thomas, back in the day.

Overall, this book is a typical Howard testosterone feast. Nothing deeply philosophical here that I caught, but it is worth a read if you are a Howard completionist or just want something to pass the time away. Since I found this book online for free and tend to enjoy anything Howard writes, I probably enjoyed it more than I would have otherwise.

Purchase the novel at Amazon.

Comment Comment | Permalink

Posted in 3 Stars, Historical Fiction, Swashbuckling | Tagged Agnes de Chestillon, Bran Mak Morn, Conan the Barbarian, Cormac Fitzgeoffrey, historical fiction, robert e. howard, Sailor Steve Costigan, Soloman Kane | Leave a comment

PAWN OF PROPHECY by DAVID EDDINGS

Posted on January 22, 2014 by Bookwraiths

My rating is 5 out of 5 stars.

There is nothing I hate more than trying to review one of my all-time favorite books from my teenage years. We all know the reason: the book just never lives up to your memories of its perfection. A fact – which if we are honest with ourselves – is inevitable, because we personally have changed too much, the world has changed too much, and our tastes have changed too much since the initial reading. This is true to a certain extent with David Edding’s Pawn of Prophecy.

Back when I picked up this first novel of The Belgariad in 1984, I was a 13-year-old or a 14-year-old (I can’t remember which anymore) just getting over an addiction to Dungeon & Dragons and trying to transition away from my pre-teen persona into my young adult one. I had also just recently made the life altering discovery of J.R.R. Tolkien, whose books made me fall in love with fantasy and ruined my dreams of ever being considered a cool kid in high school. (It was hard to be cool when you were reading The Hobbit and making jokes about what exactly JRR was talking about when he wrote “…it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort”, but I probably shouldn’t really mention that in this review.) So when Pawn of Prophecy found its way into my hands, it must have been fate, and I fell very hard for all things related to Belgarath, Polgara or Garion. A love which lasted into my early twenties and began from the very first page of this novel.

As a teen who adored the Council of Elrond chapter in The Fellowship of the Ring, the prologue to Pawn of Prophecy was like getting a fix of my favorite pharmaceutical product. Where else except for The Silmarillion could I get to read about ancient gods creating a world only to have its perfection marred by some horrible act and throw creation into a state of constant strife? Not too many places. So within minutes, I was addicted to this story of maimed Torak and his eternal conflict with his godly siblings over possession of the Orb of Aldur, and I had to have more. Honestly, it was just a great hook.

From this beginning, Mr. Eddings immediately thrust me into the story of a simple farm boy named Garion. I learned of his earliest memories, hiding under a table watching his Aunt Pol cook. I experienced him growing up with his childhood friends, playing games, and even saw his first romance between himself and a local girl Zubrette. I also read about – but payed little attention to – the introduction of a wandering storyteller named Mister Wolf, who seemed like the comic relief more than a major character. (Boy, was I wrong on that!) And like all good fantasy books, Mr. Eddings provided me with constant foreshadowing that there was some terrible evil lurking right around the corner, waiting to destroy all this normalcy. A feeling which he deftly stoked by scene after scene of Garion experiencing visions of an unknown antagonist stalking him.

Naturally, one day Garion’s quiet farm life did end and end suddenly. Mister Wolf arriving at the farm unexpectedly, bearing news that a mysterious object has been stolen by a thief whom no-one will name. This news shocks Aunt Pol, causing her to pack up her and Garion’s things and leave the farm with Mister Wolf, dragging our clueless teenager along against his will. From there the true adventures began, and what a tale it was!

A huge, colorful world inhabited by different cultures, grand characters, and even ancient gods opened up before Garion. All of it there for our young farm boy to see and experience and me tagging along behind. Mr. Eddings dazzled both of us with his constant unveiling of ancient mysteries, evil villains, grand conspiracies, divine prophecies, and wonderful history. And the whole time, I – a teenager myself – witnessed one more thing: Garion dealing with the normal teen angst of a simple boy ripped from his safe home and thrown into a larger, more dangerous world than he ever imagined. Every adventure, every heartbreak he experienced slowly turning him into a young man before my reading eyes. Something that I was also struggling with in my own life though in different ways.

It was a grand ride that Mr. Eddings took my teenage self on during those years, and I adored every one – even when I was 19 instead of a 13-year-old, because for a few hours I could go back “home” and visit my teen heroes Garion, Belgarath, Aunt Pol, Silk, and all the rest. They felt like family to me. And it all started with this book.

Later in life I returned to Pawn of Prophecy to revisit my old “friends.” Like many times when you visit your childhood haunts, I found that things had changed – specifically me. I was older. No doubt about that. The mirror doesn’t lie after all. Plus, I was a father now. Responsibilities and all that other grown up stuff weighing me down. And I have to admit that I was now a bit jaded about life. Things were more gray now and a lot less black and white than back in my teen years. So Pawn of Prophecy’s straightforward fantasy about good guys defeating bad guys did not energize me as much as it once did. The best comparison I can give is going to your twentieth high school reunion excited to see your old girlfriend/boyfriend only to realize they aren’t sixteen anymore, have put on thirty pounds and gotten wrinkles just like you. How dare they change! That is how I felt as I sat there reading about my old friends Garion, Belgarath, and Polgara.

So why the five (5) star rating if I felt this way on my re-read you ask?

Simple: I try to rate my favorite, childhood books by what I thought of them when I read them the first time.

Maybe rating certain novels that way is wrong, but I cannot think of another way to be fair to a novel which I dearly loved at an earlier period of my life. It isn’t the books fault that I have gotten old after all. And the truth of the matter is that when I read Pawn of Prophecy – not once but numerous times in the 80s – I absolutely loved it! The simple plot and world spanning journeys of Garion bedazzled me, making me want more and more, and in my obviously biased opinion, it is still a great book for the right person – maybe another 13-year-old boy trying to grow up. Because I truly believe that even in its simplicity Pawn of Prophecy can still speak to that person and begin them on their journey into the world of fantasy novels. For that reason – and all my personal memories of it – Pawn of Prophecy will always remain a 5 star book and one of my all-time favorite fantasy novels.

Purchase the novel at Amazon.

Posted in Epic, Fantasy, High, Young Adult | Tagged Belgarath, David Eddings, Garion, Pawn of Prophecy, Polgara, The Belgariad | 5 Comments

SHADOW CHASER by JEREL LAW

Posted on January 21, 2014 by Bookwraiths

My rating is 2 out of 5 stars.

Shadow Chaser is the third book in the Jonah Stone, Son of Angels young adult’s book series by Jerel Law. This novel is unapologetically Christian in nature and also in its hero’s resemblance to one Percy Jackson. If you are either a follower of Jesus Christ or a lover of half-blood heroes then you might enjoy this YA story of modern day, angelic conflict and Godly messages.

The world of Son of Angels is basically the modern day. In the preceding installments of the series, Mr. Law introduced Jonah Stone: a teenager who is the son of a minister and unbeknownst to him a “Quarterling” because his mother is half angel, or a nephilim. The revelation of his true nature is unbelievable to Jonah and so is his discovery that the earth is still the center of a great conflict between the angels of God, or Elohim, and the fallen angels of Satan, or Abaddon. A conflict which is unknowingly raging around the world as these spiritual beings fight in a dimension encompassing our own.

Naturally, the discovery of another quarterling draws the attention of not only the “good” angels but also the “bad” angels, who wish to either turn Jonah to Abaddon or kill him. Demons therefore begin to attack not only Jonah but his family and friends as well, so he – like all other quarterlings – is encouraged by the angelic hosts to attend a special “school” in New York City, where he will be trained to defend himself from the constant attacks (both physical and spiritual) of these fallen angels.

With that back story out of the way, we now turn to Shadow Chaser.

Jonah and his two siblings are safely ensconced in the Angel Academy for training. Jonah himself has been doing well, growing in his angelic powers and trying to cope with his newly discovered gift of prophecy, but he has a lot on his plate: not only is he still expected to master a “normal” education but an angelic one as well. Plus, let us not forget that Jonah is still a teenager; one who seems especially hard hit by the onset of acne. These teenage blemishes cause him both physical pain (they later turn into really painful sores) but also makes him the butt of everyone’s cafeteria joke and quickly turns our pizza face teenager into a social outcast. But the fun doesn’t stop there because it is time for angelic testing, which means Jonah finds himself competing against a few other students who have become his “rivals” for best quarterling at the school.

The story that ensues from this setup is an engaging one. Plagued by intense visions and actual pestilence, our young quarterling embarks on his own inner journey for understanding and peace, dismayed by the sickness that invades his body and the turmoil raging in his pubescent soul. Soon, the story turns into a modern day (though watered down for 8-12 year olds) version of the Biblical story of Job, and Jonah has to decide whether to place his trust and faith in Elohim (God) or throw in his lot with Abaddon (Satan). It is a life changing decision that our young hero faces.

After finishing this story, I have to admit that I liked Jonah. He reminded me a lot of Percy Jackson. (Please remember imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.) Our young quarterling is confused, dense to most everything around him, committed to his family and friends, and sincerely wants to do the right thing. However, just like Percy, Jonah is having a hard time finding the right combination of youthful enthusiasm, godly ability, and hard-earned wisdom to actually make the correct decisions. But while he may annoy a reader with his cluelessness, Jonah always comes through when he needs to and saves the day. What else could anyone ask for in a YA hero?

Outside of Jonah, however, I have to point out that this book had some issues. Issues which affected my ability to enjoy this very compelling story as much as I otherwise would have. The three main problems are as follows:

1) The rhythm of the storytelling was a bit inconsistent. We all know life is like a roller coaster: big ups then big downs, but spaced between these highs and lowers are times of normalcy. In Shadow Chaser, there never seemed to be any of those regular moments. One minute Jonah would be having a huge fight with evil fallen angels then he would be over in a corner in the cafeteria having an emotional meltdown because his acne had gotten worse or his friends were making fun of him. While I realize that is very teenage-like behavior, there was too much of this up and down behavior and not enough normalcy for my tastes.

2) There was no real mystery in this book. One thing Rick Riordan did an amazing job of in Percy Jackson was to keep leading a reader around through repetitive quests while promising a big payoff; the payoff being the answer to a prophecy or the reveal of the “bad guy” or whatever. Even when these reveals were not earthshattering, they still gave a reader a feeling of reward for reading yet another installment of Percy’s story. In Shadow Chaser, there was no real mystery for Jonah and the Quarterlings to solve, since you already know that Abaddon is behind everything.

3) While the supernatural world of the angels of Elohim are mentioned numerous times throughout the book, a reader never learns much about them. In fact, the angels are written in such a way that they seem much like any other teacher or military instruction in the real world and their otherworldly dimension just an invisible New York City. I personally would have loved Mr. Law to have fleshed these divine creatures and their spiritual world out in all their supernatural glory, making me sit in silence as I read about the divine splendor of it all, but instead I found myself told over and over again that this person – who acted like and talked like any other person – was a divine and glorious angel. That did not work for me.

All in all, this was an interesting book. It leaned heavily upon the Christian Bible and little know sections of that work, and it was also unabashedly a morality play for a Christian YA audience. However, Mr. Law added in enough action with quarterlings fighting fallen angels or quarterlings vs. quarterlings during their Angel Academy mid-term exams that things never got dull. So, for someone looking for a Christian version of Percy Jackson, this is a good read, but I can see where it might not appeal to everyone.

Purchase the novel at Amazon.

Posted in Christian, Young Adult | Tagged Abaddon, christian fantasy, Jerel Law, Jonah Stone, Percy Jackson, Shadow Chaser, Son of Angels, Young Adult | 1 Comment

THE SEA OF MONSTERS by RICK RIORDAN

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Bookwraiths

My rating is 3 out of 5 stars.

Most of us are familiar with Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson books, but for those of you who are not, here is a brief synopsis.

The gods of ancient Greece are real, and they are not really the gods of ancient Greece at all but the gods of western civilization. These guys still live on Mount Olympus, but now their godly home is suspended out of sight above the Empire State building in New York City. Other than their new address however, not much has changed with the Olympians of old; they still bicker and wage petty wars between themselves, still take mortals as lovers, and still keep having half-mortal half-god offspring who prefer to be called Half-Bloods instead of demigods. Hephaestus, Ares, Apollo, Hermes, Dionysus, Athena, Aphrodite, Hera, Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon each have sired their share; all willing to stirring up the Earthly gene pool with some godly DNA.

Unfortunately, this infusion of godly blood seems more a curse for the mortal world rather than blessing, because the half-bloods have inherited their divine sires bickering temperament. Thus, they stir up never ending troubles and even human conflicts: World War Two being the most recent and horrid example, as the offspring of the Big Three (Zeus, Poseidon, Hades) faced off.

To keep these demigods, or half bloods, from making too much of a mess in the mortal world, the gods have established Camp Half-Blood in New York, where Chiron, the trainer of Hercules, and Dionysus, who has been sentenced to a period of sobriety for chasing after one of Zeus’ sweeties, train the godly children how to behave and protect themselves from monsters: vile creature out of myth which appear in the mortal world bent on the destruction of half-bloods. Even more important, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades have sworn an oath on the River Styx not to sire anymore children.

Naturally, though, our ancient philanderers do not abide by their oath, resulting in Percy Jackson being born the son of Poseidon and the deceased Thalia having been a daughter of Zeus. A situation which has caused an ominous prophecy to issue from the oracle of the gods; one which foretells the destruction of the gods by the choice of a child of the Big Three. And to complicate matters even more, Kronos, father of Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades, has awoken, striving to escape his imprisonment in Tartarus and avenge himself upon his treacherous children.

This whole situation was introduced in The Lightning Thief and is continued in The Sea of Monsters. The story itself begins not too many months after the end of the last novel and finds Percy coming to terms with being the son of Poseidon, even though his dad’s indifference to him still bothers him immensely. Our sometimes dense but always entertaining hero has returned to live with his mother in New York, and she – being a loving mother – has enrolled her only son in yet another school for troubled kids. Once there, Percy falls back into his old routine: become an outsider, befriend the school’s biggest loser (An overgrown teenager named Tyson this time around) and get on the bad side of the school bullies. Bullies who turn out to be (Wait for it) – more than what they appear!

When his new school gets nearly totally destroyed by a battle with cannibalistic monsters, Percy beats a quick retreat to Camp Half-Blood with Annabeth (Who shows up unexpectedly from camp) and his new friend Tyson in tow. But things are not any better at the home for misfit demigods, because Thalia’s tree – the one that protects Camp Half-Blood from monsters – has been poisoned and is dying. Even worse, all the clues point to Chiron being the culprit!

From there Mr. Riordan weaves an entertaining tale, not as riveting as The Lightning Thief perhaps but just as fun to read. Where Mr. Riordan does an especially masterful job in The Sea of Monsters is adding depth to the existing characters while also giving the reader several new faces. I and my son really enjoyed Tyson, who added a sensitive and sympathetic character to the mix, but even the good guy gone bad Luke was fun to read about, as he started to become a great arch nemesis for Percy. However, the star of this story was the quest itself, as our incredible clueless but resilient trio of Percy, Annabeth and Tyson head out to rescue Grover and find the Golden Fleece that Jason and the Argonauts made famous centuries ago.

One thing I have to give Mr. Riordan extra credit for in this book and the series as a whole is his ability to not only weave ancient Greek myths into each story but update and change them to fit into the modern world. Single handedly, he – and Percy of course – have made my nine year old an aficionado of ancient Greek mythology, as he longs to read the myths which are so masterfully talked about in these books.

All in all, I thought The Sea of Monsters delivered exactly what it promised: a fun adventurous journey with a normal kid (Percy) who also happens to be a demigod. You won’t have an epiphany about life from reading this novel, but then again were you expecting to when you picked up a Percy Jackson novel? No. So sit back and be entertained – even while you wonder when Percy is going to stop being so clueless.

Purchase this novel at Amazon.

Posted in Urban Fantasy, Young Adult | Tagged Greek mythology, Percy Jackson, Poseidon, Rick Riordan, son of Poseidon, The Olympians, The Sea of Monsters | 3 Comments

WONDER WOMAN: WAR, Vol. 4

Posted on January 13, 2014 by Bookwraiths

Wonder Woman: War, Vol. 4 by Brian Azzarello

Genre: Superhero Comics

Series: Wonder Woman Vol. IV

Publisher: DC (March 18, 2014)

Length:144 pages

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Wonder Woman Volume 4: War continues my foray into the world of the New 52. Actually, I read this volume last year, but I decided to reread it after finishing Wonder Woman: Blood, Vol. 1, and while I definitely appreciated it more this time, War continued to leave me with mixed feelings.

The story itself revolves around Wonder Woman protecting a baby from a group of powerful abductors/fratriciders. Helping her in this endeavor is a group of gods as well as Orion and eventually the other New Gods of New Genesis. Naturally, there are lots of action sequences, especially in the climax portion of the story, but also some humorous frames and emotional scenes. The Wonder Woman portrayed here continues the New 52 rendition of Diana as much stronger and assertive than previous versions, much more in line with what a modern reader would expect a strong super heroine of WW’s stature to be. However, in my opinion, Orion steals the show, providing both the small amount of humor as well as the most dramatic moments of the book as a whole.

The artwork provided by Cliff Chiang and others in this graphic novel takes some getting use to, but it definitely grows on you, not spectacular perhaps but far more than just serviceable, and it does become very appealing to the eye. (Except for the weird gods. I just can’t get use to them or like them.) What is especially excellent is the tailoring of the images to the story; the way the page layouts are so easy to follow; facial expressions and body positioning helping to convey the emotions of the characters; and the new look Wonder Woman combining both athleticism and feminine beautiful in the correct proportion to fit this “New 52” personality. Even Orion, who turns from normal man to his more bestial visage at various times in the tale, was penned admirably. So on this front, Wonder Woman Volume 4: War did not disappoint.

I didn’t feel the same way about the story however.

Now, before anyone says it, no, I haven’t read the whole Wonder Woman series by Azzarello. And, yes, I realize this comic seems to demand that new readers begin with Volume 1 so they will understand what is going on. However, after reading Wonder Woman: Blood, Vol. 1, I knew more than enough of the background to understand this one. Yeah, I recognized that the baby Diana and her posse is protecting is Zeus’ newest child. Sure, I remembered that the gods are fighting to take Zeus’s high seat as king of the gods. But really, other than Diana and her group participating in ever more frequent fights with the would be abductors/fratriciders they spend most of their time babysitting! Something that isn’t terribly interesting.

In summation, this graphic novel was okay: good art work not so good story. If you are a current reader and fan then you might disagree with my assessment, which is fine. If I had been following this story arc for a while and read every volume in Azzarello’s run, this graphic novel might have been much more enjoyable to read. However, for those of you – like me – who are new to this “New 52″ Wonder Woman, I’d warn you not to start your reading with this or any other volume other than number one; Azzarello’s storyline is just not one you can jump into and really understand or appreciate. However, I do like this New 52 Wonder Woman and will be continuing to read along with it.

This ARC was provided to me by DC Comics and Netgalley 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 this graphic novel at Amazon.

Posted in Graphic Novels | Tagged Brian Azzarello, DC Comics, Graphic novel, New 52, Wonder Woman | Leave a comment

RED SONJA: QUEEN OF PLAGUES — CHAINMAIL BIKINI TOUR DE FORCE!

Posted on January 5, 2014 by Bookwraiths

My rating is 4 out of 5 stars.

Red Sonja Volume 1: Queen of Plagues is one of those throwback comics that succeeds in reinventing a character by not taking itself too seriously. Indeed, though I would never have thought it possible, Gail Simone has taken Red Sonja, embraced the image of the chainmail bikini wearing, red haired woman warrior and produced a really fun, old school sword and sorcery graphic novel.

With that being said, I want everyone to understand that Red Sonja is not written as a slapstick comedy or anything of the sort, though there are a few characters that provide plenty of comic relief. No, in Queen of Plagues, there are bloody fights, serious personal tragedies, and emotional reveals. Turmoil that not only explains why Red Sonja is who she is but also alludes to how she was before fate intervened in her life. But Gail Simone meshes those adult-like topics seamlessly with the adolescent fantasy of a red haired beauty in a chainmail bikini slashing it up with armored warriors. So seamlessly, in fact, that when Sonja lays waste her more appropriately armored opponents, it seems perfectly reasonable and totally expected in this fantasy world.

Helping Simone pull this transformation of Red Sonja off so deftly is a team of artists who have turned this new series into a visual stunner. This group brings the world to life before a reader’s eyes, showing not only crowd filled battle pages but tense, emotional scenes; panels where the only expression of the characters’ deep emotions are just the images themselves. Where this creative team weaves its greatest magic, however, is in their rendition of Sonja herself. For our sword wielding goddess appears not only beautiful but strong and lethal, totally capable of leaving a trail of slain foes in her wake. And the fact these artists could make me believe that a chainmail bikini clad beauty could stand upon a field of battle wearing nothing but her metal undies and not look out of place was amazing.

As for the story itself, Queen of Plagues focuses on Sonja returning to a small city-state in Corinthia to repay a debt owed to a king who had rescued her from a horrible fate without any thought of repayment in return. With his kingdom in jeopardy and his army destroyed, this king asks the red haired she-devil to come lead his city in its impossible fight for survival. And of course, Sonja comes. But the battle soon turns into more than what she expected as a person from her past returns. The remainder of the tale is normal sword and sorcery fare, filled with fierce and vividly drawn combat, numerous flashbacks, and evil sorcery from unexpected places.

To sum up, Red Sonja: Queen of Plagues is a re-imagination done right. It takes everything good about Sonja, mixes in a few adult themes and produces pure fun. So go pick this one up and live out your chainmail bikini fantasy. You won’t regret it.

Purchase the graphic novel at Amazon.

Posted in Graphic Novels, S & S | Tagged chainmail bikini, Gail Simone, Graphic novel, Hyborian, Red Sonja, Walter Geovanni | 4 Comments

GRIMM FAIRY TALES: REALM KNIGHTS

Posted on January 4, 2014 by Bookwraiths

My rating is 3 out of 5 stars.

Grimm Fairy Tales: Realm Knights was my first trip to this world of fairy tale superheroes, and very quickly, I found myself immersed in a modern world filled with ancient Greek gods, werewolves, necromancers, shadowy government agencies and a super group to defend the defenseless. Each crisis that this team of heroes was forced to confront became a delightful cornucopia of convoluted cliches and subtle story shifts. The characters themselves growing upon my consciousness until their male and female perfection not only was pleasing to my eyes but became something that required me to keep turning the pages on my e-reader so as to see each beautifully crafted vision. All in all, it was an entertaining introduction to this unfamiliar land of fairy tales turned into reality.

The story itself is best summed up as the standard group of super-powered or gifted people/gods being brought together by a government to face an equally “super” enemy. In this case, the world spanning danger is provided by one Cronus, Lord of the Titans, father of Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades to name just three of his offspring. Cronus’ goal is not only to regain weapons taken from him by his god-like offspring but to rise up his fellow titans and destroy the world.

To fight off this cosmic threat, the government decides to reform the “Realm Knights”, bringing together six people who do not necessarily wish to be in the same room with one another. These gifted individuals include Robyn Hood, Red Riding Hood, Captain Hook, and Van Helsing to just name a few.

Once our would-be saviors of humanity are forced together by circumstances and obligations, the story sprints forward relentlessly, twisting and turning through revelations and fights galore. New characters are introduced along the way, and eventually a winner take all final battle resolves everything. Or does it?

While all of this will sound familiar to comic book aficionados, the fairy tale twist of these characters makes it new and interesting and the beautiful artwork keeping a reader flipping pages. All in all, Grimm Fairy Tales: Realm Knights might not break new ground, but it is an enjoyable read, well worth a try by any comic fan.

Buy Grimm Fairy Tales: Realm Knights (Grimm Fairy Tales Presents) at Amazon.

Posted in Graphic Novels, Grimm Fairy Tales | Tagged Grimm Fairy Tales, Patrick Shand, Realm Knights | 2 Comments

GRIMM FAIRY TALES: WONDERLAND VOLUME 3

Posted on January 2, 2014 by Bookwraiths

My rating is 4 out of 5 stars.

Wonderland Volume 3 is a dark, twisted, and very innovative imagination of Alice in Wonderland as envisioned by Raven Gregory. And while I have not read any of the other graphic novels about this version of Wonderland, I find myself leaning toward getting them in the near future to understand this captivating world.

The story itself – hopefully I’m getting this right here – focuses on one of Alice’s descendants, Calie, who has escaped from Wonderland in the recent past, reconnected with her daughter , Violet, and is now on the run in the real world from pursuers from Wonderland. Calie seems to be trying to make up for lost time with her daughter, eager to be a mother and play the role of overprotective mom to the fullest. On the other hand, Violet is your typical annoyed at everything but still pretty decent teenager. Together, they are trekking across America, trying to discover how to escape the ominous presence of Wonderland and lead a normal life.

In contrast to the real world of Calie and Violet, a reader is given the maddening distortions of Wonderland; a psychedelic scene filled with its devious queens and strange denizens. In this other world, a power struggle is brewing; one that is causing its denizens to craft perplexing schemes of power that are both bloody and insidious. And to fuel these grand designs, the power players of Wonderland are reaching through the rabbit hole into the “real world” ensnaring unsuspecting souls to turn into demonic minions for war. A war that threatens not only wonderland but the real world itself and somehow involves both Calie and her daughter, Violet. (I never quite understood the how of all this but assumed it was explained in earlier volumes.)

As for the artwork in Wonderland, it is top notch. The images and colors here are dazzling, able to both vividly display the psychedelic madness of the land of the jabberwacky and the real world of present day America. The women are stylized beauties, which may or may not be to your personal preferences, and the men are – well, they are normal men, which worked fine with me. And the layout of the pages here are well thought out, making it easy to follow the story even when it drifted off into back story and flashback scenes.

Overall, I really enjoyed this graphic novel. The artwork mixed the beautiful and sinister while capably moving the complex story forward. And quite honestly, the whole Alice in Wonderland psychedelic madness just struck a cord with me – perhaps I had an acid flashback. But whatever the reason, I believe I’ll be going down the rabbit hole here a bit more in the future.

Purchase the graphic novel at Amazon.