DC ENTERTAINMENT ESSENTIAL GRAPHIC NOVELS AND CHRONOLOGY 2015

Posted on May 16, 2015 by Bookwraiths

DC ESSENTIAL GRAPHIC NOVELS 2015 Growing up I was a huge comic fan, reading everything I could get my hands on, but something horrible happened: I got a job. Bills started mounting. Bills people expected me to pay! (Yeah, college was over.) My reading slowed down a bit. Then I got married and had kids. More bills to pay and longer hours at work. Gradually, my comic purchasing days came to an end. My friends accused me of just giving up comics; I preferred to label it as a temporary (albeit long) hiatus. But in the last few years, the hiatus has ended, as I’ve tried to get back into comics. The only problem I’ve encountered is where to start?

Honestly, that was a hard question to answer. My favorite characters had been rebooted . . . then rebooted again since I last read them. When I turned to my comic loving friends for advice, they each gave me a different starting point and different title to begin with, and even when I tried to limit their advice to just my favorite DCU characters, their instructions became no more coherent. There was just so much material out there no one really knew where to begin.

But then I found some help in the DC Entertainment Essential Graphic Novels and Chronology 2015. This great guide is exactly what I was looking for! In it, DC has 145 pages of lists to help people (whether comic newbies or die-hard comic fans) get a grip on all the amazing comic material out there and present them with a proposed reading map of the essential graphic novels in the DCU. Honestly, if you’ve ever wanted to start or pick back up with a DC title, this guide is a must have!

And for those who are already thinking it, no, this guide isn’t just for fans of Batman or Superman or Wonder Woman or the Justice League. Sure, each of the “big” titles have their own section, but this guide covers all the bases from kid-friendly comics to serious, adult fare with descriptive blurbs that really lets a reader decide if a particular comic is something they’d be interested in.

Essential Graphic Novels. Modern Classics. New 52. Vertigo. Neil Gaiman. Alan Moore. Grant Morrison. Fables. And the very clever From Page to Screen. All these sections and more are packed into this guide. Then there are the character specific sections on Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and all the rest, which serve as amazing spreadsheets of each characters evolution through the decades, allowing a prospective reader to pick what epoch interests them and plot their own reading journey.

Now, normally, I am not big of “guides.” Hell, I don’t even read instruction manuals. I’m a guy after all. I learn by trial and error. (Lots of error if I’m telling the truth.) But this is a guide that overwhelmed me with its ease of use, wealth of information, and ability to simplify difficult reboots (The New 52 for me), making my reinsertion into the DCU much easier than it was before I stumbled upon it. For those reason, I highly recommend this one.

Pick up this guide today at Amazon!

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

ICHABOD BROOKS COVER REVEAL by CHARLES E. YALLOWITZ

Posted on May 15, 2015 by Bookwraiths

Coming on June 1st for 99 cents!

Ichabod Brooks & the City of Beasts (Cover by Nio Mendoza)

Ichabod Brooks & the City of Beasts (Cover by Nio Mendoza)

In a time of heroes, a man will take any job to provide for his family.

Ichabod Brooks has earned a reputation for taking the jobs most men and women fear to challenge. This reputation has brought him to the charred remains of a small village nestled within the hills and forest of Ralian. The ruins are a source of strange monsters that terrorize the countryside and repeatedly elude the local guards and hunters. The few brave souls who have entered the creatures’ lair have yet to come out alive or dead.

The chances of survival are slim, but that generous payment is too much for Ichabod to resist. After all, a man and his family have to eat.

Author PhotoAuthor Biography

Charles E. Yallowitz was born, raised, and educated in New York. Then he spent a few years in Florida, realized his fear of alligators, and moved back to the Empire State. When he isn’t working hard on his epic fantasy stories, Charles can be found cooking or going on whatever adventure his son has planned for the day. ‘Legends of Windemere’ is his first series, but it certainly won’t be his last.

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Posted in Author Spotlights, Cover Reveal, Fantasy, High | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

SHADOWS OVER INNOCENCE (THE EMPEROR’S EDGE 0.5) by LINDSEY BUROKER

Posted on May 11, 2015 by Bookwraiths

shadows of innocence

The Emperor’s Edge by Lindsey Buroker

Genre: Fantasy

Series: The Emperor’s Edge

Publisher: Self published (January 1, 2010)

Author Information:Website | Twitter

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

“Shadow’s Over Innocence” is a short story set about a dozen years before The Emperor’s Edge. In it, Lindsay Buroker takes a closer look at the mysterious and deadly assassin Sicarius, who plays a central role in the ongoing series, also named The Emperor’s Edge.

As the tale begins, Sicarius has just completed a successful assassination for his liege lord. Upon his arrival at the palace, he interacts with Emperor Raumesys Savarsin, Commander of the Armies Hollowcrest, and five-year-old Prince Sespian; something that allows this silent assassin to divulge parts of his murky past, explore who he might truly be, and internally express his true feelings about those he serves – years before his chronicled exploits.

As a less-than-enamored reader of The Emperor’s Edge (The book was far too “campy” for me.), I choose not to continue along with the series, but this short story was one I felt compelled to give a try for one simple reason: Sicarius! While Amaranthe Lokdon was definitely the protagonist of the series, this near silent, mysterious killer was, by far, my favorite character.

Yeah, I know, I tend to say that assassins are a bit overused in fantasy, and I still stand by that opinion, but Buroker’s take on this standard character was very compelling. This was mainly due to how Sicarius was portrayed: saying very little, blending in with the crowd, keeping to himself, not trusting people, and being skilled at numerous tasks. Traits which allowed this royal assassin to do his job with high efficiency and little fuss in The Emperor’s Edge. A standard Sicarius mission going something like this. “Sicarius, go kill Joe Blow.” Sicarius disappears. Sicarius reappears some time later and says “Mission completed.” End of story. No endless planning. No annoying brooding. No monologue-ing. Nope, just a skilled assassin doing his job. And in “Shadows over Innocence,” I was finally allowed a glimpse behind the stoic façade at how and why Sicarius acted as he did as well as what he truly felt.

Now, if this story is one you’d like to try, please realize it might be more entertaining if you have read book one of the series and are already familiar with the characters highlighted here, but if you decide to start with “Shadows,” never fear, because it is an entertaining adventure tale in its own right, filled with wonderful interactions between Sicarius and the other main characters as well as having a rousing assassination tale of its very own.

Purchase this story at Amazon.

Posted in 4 Stars, Assassin, Fantasy, Low, Self-Published, Short Stories | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Interview with Wendell Adams (Bookwraiths)

Posted on May 3, 2015 by Bookwraiths

S.C. Flynn graciously interviewed me over at his blog. Check it out.

S.C. Flynn's avatarS.C. Flynn

It’s interval time at the local Imax theater and I’m chatting with Wendell Adams, the overwhelmed blogger from Bookwraiths.

SCy-Fy: Your blog has a good following now, Wendell, but it was a struggle at first, wasn’t it?

WA: Honestly, the first nine months of my blogging experience were brutal. I’d spend hours tweaking my site, studying how to craft a proper review, and then finally writing what I hoped was a decent critique of these great SFF novels. The only problem was no one ever read them. If not for my family and friends giving my site mercy visits, my page views would have been zero most days. Even with those visits, my site stats were still horribly depressing.

The only thing that kept me going was the belief that I was going to find some really great books out of all of this. Hence the “Books! Where…

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STAR WARS: LORDS OF THE SITH by PAUL S. KEMP

Posted on May 1, 2015 by Bookwraiths

A long time ago in a galaxy far,
far away . . . .

star wars

EPISODE III (and then some)

The Empire reigns supreme in the galaxy.
With an Enlightened Emperor upon the throne
and his Enforcer Darth Vader beside him,
who would dare to oppose the mighty Empire?

On Ryloth, one groups does dare to resist.
Led by an idealist named Cham Syndull,
these freedom fighters battle on, determined
to rid their world of the Empire.

When spies report the visit of both the Emperor
and Vader to Ryloth, the rebels plan a daring
assault to rid the galaxy of the Sith disease forever.
But is their strike a surprise, or has the Emperor
already foreseen it and planned accordingly!

After a lifetime of watching and reading Star Wars, it takes a lot for a new Star Wars story to really impress me, but Lords of the Sith did just that. Without a doubt, it is not only a great Star Wars story, but a great space opera period, brimming with non-stop action, intrigue and enthralling characters. A book that every Star Wars fan and every fan of high flying action and adventure tales should give a try immediately!lords of the sith

The story itself is – at its core – a familiar one of a group of rebels (This time on the planet Ryloth.) attempting to fight back against Imperial occupation and oppression. Upon this world of “spice,” the idealist Cham Syndull has built up a highly effective and successful rebel cell; they routinely commit terrorist attacks upon their occupiers and have slowly wormed their spies into the very heart of the Ryloth Imperial leadership. Through this network of informants, Cham is told that the Emperor himself will be making a “secret” visit to Ryloth to make sure nothing stops the spice from flowing.

Such an opportunity to catch the Emperor away from his nigh impregnable fortress upon Coruscant is too good to be true for the Ryloth rebels. And while Cham has some misgivings about attempting to assassinate Palpatine himself, ultimately, the chance to strike such a resounding blow to the Empire is too tempting to resist, and so the rebels concoct a daring plan to unleash every weapon in their arsenal at the Imperial leader, determined to cut the head from the Imperial snake and watch it wither away!

But how does one surprise a Sith Lord who can foresee the very future?

It is damn hard. And even as Palpatine and Vader (Did you think the Master would undertake such a mission without his apprentice?) embark upon a super star destroyer to journey to Ryloth, the Emperor seems to already guess what is about to transpire, yet has some secret purpose for the trip; a purpose that revolves around his apprentice Darth Vader, especially the “goodness” and “regret” that seemingly still haunts the dark enforcer and limits his Sith powers.

From this beginning, Mr. Kemp weaves a thrill ride of action and adventure that never slows down. One chapter will see nail biting espionage; the next chapter will detonate with space battles; and the next will dazzle you with Sith mind games and displays of awesome power. Each stage of the journey building on the next like a roller coaster ride, slowing up slightly for a bit of character development or interaction before taking your breath away with the next sudden drop or hill climbing tension.

And throughout all the space opera fun, Mr. Kemp does something few Star Wars writers have succeeded at: Make Darth Vader’s inner turmoil believable and memorable. Too many stories just get it all wrong in my opinion, portraying Vader as a Sith killing machine, fully in lockstep with the dark side of the Force and his Master’s will; a state of being that doesn’t ring true with Episode VI’s revelation of Vader as a flawed Sith, who harbors sentiments of “goodness,” or the true Sith master and apprentice relationship of wary co-existence and inevitable confrontation. But in Lords of the Sith, Kemp finds the sweet spot among all those divergent things, painting Vader as a powerful Sith, fully powered and coldly efficient, but one who harbors a sliver of unsuppressed innate goodness, fondness for old friends (even the old Chancellor Palpatine), and wariness toward a Sith Master, whom he fears more than idolizes. It is a classic portrayal of Vader that really is one of the very best in my humble opinion.

If I had to criticize anything about the story, I’d probably say that the last few chapters of the book did tend to drag a bit, especially the Emperor and Vader’s joint fight underground, but even those slow portions of the book were filled with many interesting bits of characterization and interactions between major characters which made up for a decrease in the tempo. So even this quibble of mine is only a minor one.

All in all, I have to admit that I really loved this novel. It was everything I look for in a Star Wars novel: fun-filled action, riveting space battles, Force amped Sith strutting their stuff, and interesting characters. Kemp delivered big time with this one, and he is now one of my favorite Star Wars writers. Applauds for you, Paul Kemp, and may the Force be with you – as you write your next Star Wars novel. (I’m using an old Jedi mind trick on you there, Mr. Kemp.)

Del Rey Publishing and 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.

Buy the novel at Amazon.

Posted in 5 Stars, Science Fiction, Space Opera, Star Wars | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

TOUGH TRAVELING — THE BIG CITY

Posted on April 30, 2015 by Bookwraiths

tough-traveling

Every Thursday, Nathan over at Fantasy Review Barn hosts a weekly party where blogs set out with Diana Wynne Jones’ hilarious book The Tough Guide to Fantasyland: The Essential Guide to Fantasy Travel in hand to explore all the tropes from their favorite stories. So sit back and enjoy the fun.

30th April, 2015 – THE BIG CITY

There has to be somewhere in Fantasyland where everyone comes together. All roads lead to Rome after all. A place where traders prosper, politicians scheme, and criminals thrive.

There are too many of these to list, so I’m going to narrow it down to those cities which played host to significant events in the story line.

MINAS TIRITH (LORD OF THE RINGS by J.R.R. TOLKIEN)

MINAS TIRITH Does this city even need any introduction?

Well, it shouldn’t to any fantasy fan, because the white city is at the center of events in the Return of the King. It could even be said that the fate of Middle-Earth hinged on what happened before its mighty walls. Sure, Frodo’s quest to destroy the ring is the ultimate objective in the war, but if Sauron’s forces had captured this fortress-city, killed Aragorn, and routed the remaining armies of the free people of Middle-Earth, I doubt very seriously Frodo would have reached Mount Doom, and if he did, there wouldn’t have been much left to save back home.

Buy The Lord of the Rings: One Volume at Amazon.

REVELSTONE (CHRONICLES OF THOMAS COVENANT by STEPHEN R. DONALDSON)

REVELSTONE This city of the Lords of the Land was carved by the Giants of old from the very cliffs of the mountains. It has stood unconquered by its enemies for a millennium, safe behind inside its sheer mountain fastness with a fertile plateau behind it capable of feeding the city during any siege. Even Thomas Covenant is rendered speechless when he first beholds this great city, which is pretty amazing since Covenant generally bitches and whines about everything.

During the three series, more important events happen in Revelstone than I can even begin to list. It might not be the heart of the Land, but it definitely the head of the Land.

Buy Lord Foul’s Bane (The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Book 1) at Amazon.

AMBER (CHRONICLES OF AMBER by ROGER ZELAZNY)

Amber Amber: the one true world from which infinite, parallel worlds have sprung. From this amazing city rules a superhuman royal family, who can travel freely through the “shadows” (alternate worlds) of the universe. Standing opposite in the multiverse of is The Courts of Chaos, which is situated in Shadow at the very edge of the pit of Chaos itself.

Now, I realize Amber is considered a “world,” but in the chronicles, Amber is also synonymous with the city of Amber, where lots of important events take place, so I’m putting it on this list whether it strictly fits or not.

Buy The Great Book of Amber: The Complete Amber Chronicles, 1-10 (Chronicles of Amber) at Amazon.

KRONDOR (MIDKEMIA STORIES by RAYMOND E. FEIST)

krondor_by_miguelcoimbra-d7plq8u

While Rillanon is the capital of the Kingdom, Krondor seems to be where everything important always happens — at least in the Feist series that I’ve read. Situated in the western part of the Empire on the Bitter Sea, it is usually the residence of the heir to the Kingdom and is the seat of power for the governance of the Western Realm of the Kingdom. Plus, it is where Jimmy the Hand was a thief, so that means it is really the most important place anywhere on Midkemia. 🙂

That beautiful image of Krondor is by Miguel Coimbra found here.

Buy Magician Apprentice – Volume 1 (Magician Apprentice (Numbered)) (v. 1) at Amazon.

KEEP OF DARE (DARWATH SERIES by BARBARA HAMBLY)

THE WALLS OF AIR In this world, the legendary Dark have risen from the bowels of the world and begun to eat all the humans they can find. Civilization has collapsed. Cities have crumbled under the onslaught. Kingdoms annihilated. Humanity itself on the verge of extinction. But there remains one place where the refugees of humanity huddle together and hope for salvation: The Keep of Dare.

This ancient edifice rises like a multi-storied obsidian cube from the side of a mountain, nestled in a forested vale far from the major cities. Legend says it was built with magic and technology from the old world before the first rising of the Dark, and that seems surely true because the smooth, dark surface is unlike anything built by human hands.

No matter its origin, however, this is basically the last city in the northern part of the world, and most of the stories in the series take place (at least in apart) within its walls. So it has to be on the Big City list.

Buy The Darwath Series: The Time of the Dark, The Walls of Air, and The Armies of Daylight at Amazon.

RHEMUTH (CHRONICLES OF THE DERYNI by KATHERINE KURTZ)

BISHOPS HEIR

This city is the capital of the Kingdom of Gwynedd. Within these hallowed walls all the political intrigue of a nation seem to seethe. Royal plots against royal. The church plots against the crown. And a young king tries to find a way to remain true to his believes yet rule a nation at war with a whole group of its own people.

As I’ve mentioned before, the Chronicles of the Deryni remind me of an old school Song of Ice and Fire. Others might not agree with me, but I’ll always compare the two. And just like King’s Landing in Westeros, Rhemuth is the hub of all the great struggles in Gwynedd.

Buy Deryni Rising (Chronicles of the Deryni) at Amazon.

VIDESSOS (THE VIDESSOS SERIES by HARRY TURTLEDOVE)

KRISPOS RISING Mr. Turtledove might be more well known for his alternate history novels, but he also has published several series set in a fantasy world centered around the great city of Videssos and its empire. Now, for any history buff, it is obvious that Videssos is basically a fantasy version of Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire, but be that as it may, these series are entertaining fantasy romps with more than their share of magical twists and turns.

Yeah, I guess you could categorize these novels as alternate history fantasy, but they are still fairly entertaining reads where the city of Videssos is usually the center of the action.

Buy Videssos Cycle: Volume One: Misplaced Legion and Emperor for the Legion (The Videssos Cycle Book 1) at Amazon.

KING’S LANDING (A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE by GEORGE R.R. MARTIN)

KING'S LANDING

Well, I began this list with a city that really needed no introduction, and I’m going to end this part of the list with another: King’s Landing. This capital city of Westeros is so well known by this point I really don’t see any need to belabor the point.

Buy A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1) at Amazon.

IRONFORGE and DALARAN (WORLD OF WARCRAFT)

Ironforge

Most of my real life friends know that at one time I was a World of Warcraft addict. I played the game every spare minute of every day, was a dedicated officer in a raiding guild and was even a raid leader for a short time. And during those years spent in this great MMO, my favorite big cities were Ironforge in Vanilla WOW and Dalaran during Wrath of the Lich King. Those were the places to go to rub elbows with your fellow players, check out their uber gear, and (in vanilla anyway) form some raid groups. Yeap, those were some good times, but eventually, my time in WOW ended about the same time as the pandas invaded.

DALARAN

Buy World of Warcraft – PC/Mac at Amazon.

Posted in Fantasy, Lists, Tough Traveling | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

ARDNEH’S SWORD (EMPIRE OF THE EAST #4) by FRED SABERHAGEN

Posted on April 28, 2015 by Bookwraiths

ARDNEH'S SWORD

Ardneh’s Sword by Fred Saberhagen

Genre: Fantasy/SciFi

Series: Empire of the East

Publisher: Tor Science Fiction(May 1, 2007)

Author Information:Website

My Rating: 2 out of 5 stars.

Ardneh’s Sword is a “bridge” story linking Fred Saberhagen’s Empire of the East series with his later Swords series. And while avid fans have always recognized the world of Swords as being a future iteration of the Empire lands, this novel cements that fact as an absolute truth, providing a rather seamless transition from one series to the next.

The story opens with a thousand years having passed since Ardneh saved humanity from the arch-demon Orcus. That long ago time seems lost in the shadowy past however. Few people believing the legends of an epic clash between magic and technology. But Chance Rolfson is not one of those doubters; he has always believed the legends, as did his ancestors back to the illustrious warrior Rolf – a man who fought evil in Ardneh’s name.

Even though his faith remains undisturbed, Chance finds himself beset by troubling nightmares. Terrifying images of death and destruction that refuse to leave his mind even when he awakes. In a vain attempt to put these dreams behind him, he joins a wilderness expedition searching for Ardneh’s Vault: A legendary place said to hold the savior’s secrets of wisdom and power that can save humanity!

Naturally, things do not go smoothly on the journey; bandits, demon worshipers, demons and even a mysterious djinni with his own schemes causing untold complications and misery for the band. Soon, legendary entities come to life before Chance’s eyes, and he begins to suspect that his nightmares are, in fact, visions of the destruction of the world and that he might be the only one who can unlock Ardneh’s Sword (The ancient savior’s most powerful weapon!) and save everyone!

If that description sounds like a fairly typical Fred Saberhagen fantasy story, I won’t attempt to disagree with you. I thought exactly that as I pounded my way through this sword and sorcery genre blender. Not that Ardneh’s Sword is a clone of the Swords series (The only Saberhagen novels I’ve ever read), but it definitely has the broken landscape and post-apocalyptic vibes, grey heroes and villains, and moody and gloomy atmosphere of the Book of Swords – at least to me. A similarity that is obviously expected to a certain extent (It is a bridge novel after all) and isn’t necessarily bad, but it certainly suggests that if you didn’t love the Empire or Swords series, then you probably won’t have your opinion of the author’s writing changed by this book.

Even with that cautionary warning, there are certainly things to like about this novel. Naturally, the pure adrenaline rush of a sword and sorcery tale is fun, at times. Plus, Saberhagen adds such a cool post-apocalyptic history to the setting that it will undoubtedly stir your curiosity to learn more about the past and the future of this world and its shadowy denizens. And, lastly, there are a couple really interesting characters like the djinni, who are real scene stealers, instantly turning a casual reader into a concerned follower – at least of your favorite character.

Unfortunately, the positives in Ardneh’s Sword didn’t outweigh the negatives for me, because this novel did a few flaws which really jarred my enjoyment of it. Specifically, the story was a bit too formulaic for my tastes and the ending was far too deus ex machina for me to rate it anything other than “okay.” But I can definitely see others adoring it – if for no other reason than they were able to revisit the world of Empire and Swords, gather up yet another morsel of lore about this post-apocalyptic world, and finally know for certain how these two Saberhagen fantasy series fit together.

Recommended for diehard Saberhagen followers, devoted fanboys (and fangirls) of Empire of the East and the Swords series, or for old school sword and sorcery lovers. All others need not apply.

Buy the books at Amazon.

Posted in 2 Stars, Cross-Genre, Fantasy, Post-apocalyptic, Science Fiction | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

FUN DAY MONDAY, OR THE BOOKS THAT WILL HELP ME SURVIVE THE WEEK AHEAD (APRIL 27, 2015)

Posted on April 27, 2015 by Bookwraiths

funday-Monday

The work week begins. I quickly slip into my business suit and head back into the office to save a few innocent people from wrongful incarceration. But while I try to fool myself into being excited about the grind, deep down I’m not, so I’m going to escape dreary reality by reading some great books. Without any further ado, here are the novels I will be giving a try this week.

WAR OF SHADOWS (ASCENDANT KINGDOMS #3) by GAIL Z. MARTIN

war of shadows I started this one last week but haven’t found the time to finish it yet, so it is my top reading priority.

“The lines are drawn. The war has begun.

Blaine “Mick” McFadden has scored a victory and restored the magic, but new threats rise from the wreckage of the kingdom of Donderath. While the magic remains brittle and undependable, warlords both mortal and undead vie for power, fighting for control of the ruined Continent. McFadden and his unlikely band of convict heroes must choose their allies wisely as renegade talishte take long-awaited vengeance and powerful mages seek to control Donderath’s next king. Blaine McFadden must protect those loyal to him against the coming storm, and find a way to bind magic to the will of mortals before it destroys him, because time is running out…” — Goodreads Description.

Buy Your Copy at Amazon.

THE GREAT BAZAAR & BRAYAN’S GOLD by PETER V. BRETT

the great bazaar “From the dangerous world of the Demon Cycle comes the early adventures of Arlen, Peter V. Brett’s quintessential fantasy hero. These exciting origin tales follow Arlen as he learns to navigate a world where the elemental forces of evil conjure themselves from the earth each night.

Humanity has barely survived a demonic onslaught by using magical wards that protect their cities and homes. Only a handful of mercenaries and explorers risk traveling after the sun sets. Arlen, seeking adventure and fortune, is barely protected by the warded armor upon which he has inscribed intricate defensive runes. From a journey ferrying a wagonload of dynamite to a mountain stronghold, to a dangerous mission to recover desert treasures, Arlen faces friends and enemies with a strong arm and a cunning wit.” — Goodreads Description.

Buy Your Copy at Amazon.

Posted in Fantasy, Funday Monday | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

TOUGH TRAVELING — THE ACE

Posted on April 23, 2015 by Bookwraiths

tough-traveling

Every Thursday, Nathan over at Fantasy Review Barn hosts a weekly party where blogs set out with Diana Wynne Jones’ hilarious book The Tough Guide to Fantasyland: The Essential Guide to Fantasy Travel in hand to explore all the tropes from their favorite stories. So sit back and enjoy the fun.

23rd April, 2015 – THE ACE

Some people are just ridiculously good at everything. Be it magic, swordplay, or all of the above. THE ACE has no equal.

Well, I’m going to interpret this topic as being about Mary Sue or Marty Stu characters. I might be wrong about that, but my “Aces” are going to focus on those types of characters.

JORG ANCRATH (THE BROKEN EMPIRE by MARK LAWRENCE)

jORGWhile I was awestruck by Prince of Thorns, I began to feel that Jorg was turning into a bit of an Ace, or Gary Stu, characters by the time I finished reading King of Thorns. While I know lots of people don’t agree with my dislike of this ever more powerful direction with Jorg, I think we can all, at least, agree that this guy is definitely an “Ace.”

In Prince, our favorite Ancrath is fourteen years old, but already a great swordsman, amazing tactician, and ruthless leader of a group of bandits. Later in the story, he shows an mindnumbing grasp of ancient history and ancient language (which he uses to decipher maps and texts that no one else ever has) as well as basically being better, smarter, and craftier than anyone he meets.

By the end of book two, Jorg has added to his amazing skills the power of necromancy. A skill that he appears to be stunningly proficient with little or no training in its use. Plus, Jorg is still more clever than anyone else alive in the world — as far as I could tell anyway.

Like I said, I’m not trying to hate one of my all-time favorite bad guys (Jorg is a bad guy in my eyes.), but he is definitely an “Ace” who seems to just be blessed with greater ability in everything than all his contemporaries.

Buy Prince of Thorns (The Broken Empire) at Amazon.
HORACE (THE BOOK OF THE BLACK EARTH by JON SPRUNK)

bloodandiron Now, I really hate to pick on this next guy, but even though his character morphs into less of an “Ace” or “Gary Stu” in the second book of the series, Horace was WAY good at everything at the start of this series.

It all starts off innocent enough in Blood and Iron. Horace beginning the story as a peasant nobody on the way to a Great Crusade before a storm shipwrecks him in enemy lands. This twist of fate results in him being captured and enslaved by his enemies. But before you know it, our dear Horace is discovered to be the most powerful sorcerer seen in the Akeshian Empire in generations! Not only that, he also turns out to be such a sexy man that every woman (including the ruling queen) can’t wait to get their hands on him!

Yeah, it was good to be Horace in book one. Well, at least, after the whole slavery thing, anyway. So for these reasons, Horace has got to be one of my top Aces.

Buy Blood and Iron (The Book of the Black Earth 1) at Amazon.

AMARANTHE LOKDON (THE EMPEROR’S EDGE by LINDSAY BUROKER)

THE EMPEROR'S EDGE

Not wanting to only hate on male Aces, I thought it was about time to list my first female Ace, and I couldn’t think of a better one than Amaranthe.

Now, before I say any more, I want to go ahead and acknowledge that some reviewers believe Buroker deliberately made Amaranthe a “Mary Sue” character to imbue the series with a “campy” feel, and since I haven’t spoken to the author, I don’t know if that interpretation is true or not. What I can say is that Amaranthe fits our “The Ace” topic extremely well.

In The Emperor’s Edge, Amaranthe begins as a police woman who is stuck in a dead end job with no hope of advancement. Soon, however, she turns into a woman who steals the heart of an emperor with a glance, wins the devotion of the most vicious assassin in the empire, outwits master politicians, outthinks foreign spies, and even outlasts a biological weapon unloaded on her. (No, I’m not exaggerating with that last statement.) Added to all this, our dear Amaranthe is the purest of hearts who wins the vilest of people over to her due to her nature. It is good to be Amaranthe in The Emperor’s Edge.

For these and many more reasons (Sorry, I’ve forgotten everything else Amaranthe is great at.) this lady has to be on my Aces list.

Buy The Emperor’s Edge Collection (Books 1, 2, and 3) at Amazon.

ERAGON (THE INHERITANCE CYCLE by CHRISTOPHER PAOLINI)

eragon Honestly, I hate to even put Eragon on the list, because I know Paolini was a teenager when he wrote this and that is probably why the title character is such an absolute Ace. I mean, the whole book reads very much like a teen’s wish fulfillment fantasy, after all. No matter my misgivings, however, Eragon has to be here.

As the story begins, Eragon isn’t anything special; he is just a simple farm boy. Soon, though, his transformation into a total Ace begins. First, he turns into a master swordsman seemingly overnight. (I know he practices for a few weeks, but he is a master in that short a time?) Second, he goes from illiterate to literate in record time then begins to learn the ancient language of magic, which he is brilliant at. Magic? Not a big problem. Everything seems to come easy for this youth once he leaves home. I’m sure he wished he had fled sooner.

You really can’t be much more of an Ace than Eragon.

Buy Eragon (Inheritance, Book 1) at Amazon.

DRIZZT DO’URDEN (THE LEGEND OF DRIZZT by R.A. SALVATORE)

DRIZZT I’m not what you would label a Drizzt fanboy. Sure, I really enjoyed the Icewind Dale trilogy when it was initially released years ago, and, yes, I’ve found the Companions Codex a fun, entertaining read, but I’m not so attached that I can’t see the inherent flaws in this famous drow. The main one being he is an Ace — especially when it comes to his battle prowess.

As anyone who has read Drizzt knows, the guy is the best swordsman ever. At least, it seems so. Over the years (and his many books) he has also accumulated an assortment of magical items that have given him numerous skills; skills that have made him nearly a one man army. Well, maybe, he isn’t a one man army, but you get my point, the guy is a bit overpowered at times.

Like I said, I really enjoy Drizzt’s adventures, but at times, I wish he was not such an Ace. A little frailty would make him an even better character, in my opinion.

Buy The Crystal Shard: The Legend of Drizzt, Book IV at Amazon.

KELSIER (MISTBORN by BRANDON SANDERSON)

MISTBORN EU Some people might find this Ace pick a bit perplexing, since Kelsier isn’t the most powerful person in the book. I mean, the Steel Inquisitors and the Lord Ruler are way overpowered compared to Kelsier. But I’m putting him on this list not for his overpowered allomancy skills but because of his other skills: his cleverness and cunning.

Without going into the ending of the novel, I will just say that something happens which takes an enormous amount of deviousness, planning and manipulation of not just a few people but multitudes. The scope of it is nearly mind boggling. In my opinion, the ability of one person to accomplish it is beyond belief. And for Kelsier to be able to pull this event off was a bit deus ex machine, turning him into an overpowered character in my opinion.

But that is just my opinion.

Buy Mistborn: The Final Empire at Amazon.

EVERY ASSASSIN IN FANTASY

FEMALE ASSASSIN I know this one is very broad, but I’m just very tired of every assassin in fantasy literature being an Ace. Whether it’s Royce in The Riyrian Revelations or Kylar Stern of Night Angel or whomever, these never ending parade of assassins seem very overpowered to the point of being more superheroes with super powers than true flesh and blood people trained to kill.

Posted in Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Lists, Tough Traveling | Tagged , , , | 15 Comments

SENSATION COMICS FEATURING WONDER WOMAN

Posted on April 22, 2015 by Bookwraiths

sensation comics

Sensation Comics featuring Wonder Woman by Gail Simone

Genre: Comic Collection

Series: Sensation Comics

Publisher: DC Comics (April 14, 2015)

Length:168 pages

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.

I have a confession to make: I really like Gail Simone stories. Whether it be Birds of Prey, Red Sonja, Batgirl, or Wonder Woman doesn’t seem to matter, because, somehow, Simone always seems to put together a narrative that entertains me and, many times, captivates me. So I’m not ashamed to admit that I read this collection of Sensation Comics mainly for the Simone WW story – everything else was just extra fun.

Well, after finishing Sensation Comics, I want to say that Simone didn’t disappoint with her contribution to this volume. The tale was classic Wonder Woman kick ass fun with more than its share of thought provoking moments. Worth a read by any WW fan or entertainment seeker.

But what about those “non-Simone” tales of our favorite Amazonian?

Well, I have to say there were some really cool things about all of them. One, they were basically one shots with no continuity demands or entanglements with ongoing storylines, which meant you enjoyed a self-contained story. (How often does that take place anymore?) Two, since the creators weren’t chained to one location, WW skipped around from one great local to another, which really livened things up. Three, the pages were overflowing with guest stars – characters like Darkseid, Joker, and Oracle. Fourth, the tone and artwork of the tales changed story to story with some modern in tone, others old school, and a few going back to the original series decades ago. Fifth ( and last), there were different artists on each story, giving a reader some very different styles to sink their teeth into.

What does all that mean really?

For me, it meant I got to sample some really different version of Wonder Woman. Some I loved. (WW’s interaction with Darkseid was my favorite non-Simone story.) Some I liked. Some I thought were okay. And a couple I personally hated. (Not big on the cartoony WW story.) But even with the negatives included, I’m glad I read this collection, because I was constantly surprised by the next story I sampled.

So for readers looking to sample what Wonder Woman is all about or for those fans of the Amazon Princess, I’d recommend you give this one a try. It definitely is an interesting introduction to this DC icon.

DC Comics 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.

Buy this one at Amazon.

Posted in 3 Stars, DC, Graphic Novels, Wonder Woman | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments