Oct.24, 2009

I read all these Graphic Novels:
Ultimate X-Men, volumes: 6- Return of the King, 8-New Mutants, 9-The Tempest, 11-The Most Dangerous Game, 12-Hard Lessons, 13- Magnetic North, and 19-Absolute Power. I'm gonna rate them as a big group here, because none of them really stood out form each other. I just never have liked the Ultimate universe as much as I do the regular Marvel universe, and although I love the X-men, the Ultimate versions just aren't as good. I almost rated this group a 2, but it was slightly better than that. Rating for all= 3
Marvel Knights: Spider-Man, Vol. 3- The Last Stand, story by Mark Millar, art by Terry Dodson, 2005. I read the first volume of this series back when I was still collecting comics, and it really had me on the edge of my seat back then. Someone (Norman Osborn/Green Goblin, of course) has learned Spider-Man's secret identity, and kidnapped his beloved Aunt May. Unfortunately, this Graphic Novel, collecting the final chapters of the story arc, just didn't live up to the promise of the earlier books. Rating = 3.

Oct.23, 2009

I read the following Graphic Novels:
Fables: Vol. 12- The Dark Ages, created by Bill Willingham, story/art by many artists, 2009. In case you haven't read my previous review on this series; this series is about as good as comic series get, in my opinion. Sandman? Watchmen? OK, but this is right in there. This series has won like 7 Eisner Awards since its inception. This is the first volume of a new story cycle, as the long war with the adversary is finally over. Still just as good as always. What else can I say? It's outstanding. Like graphic literature? Read this. Rating = 5.
The Ultimates 2, vol. 2: Grand theft Auto, story by Mark Millar, art by Brian Hitch, 2007. The second volume of the second Ultimates series. I like the Ultimates, but this was good, not great. I've been reading a lot of the Ultimate universe stuff lately, and I'm getting a little worn out on it, actually. Rating = 3.
Justuice League of America: The Lightning Saga, story by Brad Meltzer, art by Geoff Johns, 2008. I've always kind of liked the Justice League, even though I was always much more of a Marvel guy then a D.C. follower. I guess I tend to like team superhero books better in general as opposed to solo series. Anyway, this is very well done. Great story, excellent art. I recommend this Graphic Novel if you like this genre. Rating = 4.

Oct.22, 2009

Lots of reading the last couple days, so lots of new stuff:
Books:
Ill Met in The Arena, by Dave Duncan, 2008. Fiction; Fantasy. I've been reading Dave Duncan for many years, starting with the weird but good stand-alone West of January. I'll review a lot of his books I've read in the past in the near future, as I plan to add "classic" reviews (translation: shit I read awhile ago) to this already tedious blog...but let me just say that some of his stuff is incredible (His two series about Rap- A Man of His Word and A Handful of Men- are among my all-time favorite books) and some just alright. Graphic Novels:

    This one was a stand-alone book, not part of a series. The book is set in a world where women rule and men are the protectors, and both are bred for increased psychic powers (mind reading and control in women, telekinesis-type stuff in men). This book starts a little slow, but once it gets going it is very good. I'd give it a 4.

Spider-Man: Until the Starts Turn Cold, story by J. Michael Straczynski, art by John Romita, 2002. Every one knows who Spider-man is; I've been reading him off and on since I was a kid. I like Straczynskis' writing- always have since I first read his Rising Stars series. And I like Romita; he always delivers solid art. I've read this before, but I enjoyed re-reading it. Pete tries to get back with his estranged wife (Mary Jane Watson) and deal with his Aunt May knowing he's Spider-Man. Worth reading. Rating = 3.
Marvel Zombies: Dead Days, story by Robert Kirkman, art by Mark Millar, 2008. I believe this is the 4th Marvel Zombies collection. I am a big fan of Kirkman; I've been reading his Walking Dead series and it's great. This series is kind of horrifying for a long-time marvel reader, as all the heroes get turned into zombies and eat a lot of people throughout. But t turned out good; Millars' art is outstanding as well. Rating = 4.
X-Men: Endangered Species, 2008. I've read a big part of the entire enormous X-Men/related titles storyline over the years, and I'm trying to catch up by reading all the ones I haven't read through the library's graphic novels. This one deals with Hank McCoy (Beast) and his quest to try and revive the Mutant genome after the events of the House of M storyline reduce the world mutant population to a few hundred, rather than the millions there were before. He eventually teams up with his evil alter-ego from the Age of Apocalypse reality, Dark beast, who is actually an interesting character unlike so many of the other characters from that reality (Sugarman, anyone....). A good storyline with a balanced view of Hank as he tries to navigate through the shifting moral stances he faces here. Good stuff, I rate it a 4.
X-Men: The End, story by Chris Claremont, 2009. In case you don't know, Chris Claremont was the writer who propelled the Uncanny X-Men title to the top selling comic book during its heyday. He left the X-Men for a long time, and then returned for various projects in the 2000s. He is good, although he tends to re-use the same lines and it can wear you out...if I hear any variation of "From your lips to God's ears" again, I may have to hunt him down and kill him. Try another turn of phrase, Chris! Jesus. Shakespeare didn't REPEAT the line "alas, Poor Yorick" over and over during each play..Anyway, this collection, which is a hypothetical future story about the end of the X-Men, is actually good. I give it a 4.
House Of M , 2006. This series chronicled the alternate reality created when the Scarlet Witch went crazy and used her reality-altering powers to change the world to one where mutants rule it, especially her dad (Magneto, if you don't know). A few heroes remember the "correct" world, and fight to restore it. I've read it before, and I liked it overall. I rate it a 4 also.
And last but not least:
From Hell, by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell, 1196(I think ? This volume was a 2006 edition). This is a MASSIVE graphic novel. The total number of pages isn't listed, but I think it is over 600 pages. This is "widely considered the most significant graphic novel ever published". Might be. This is a vast treatise on the Jack the Ripper killings in London in the nineteenth century. Very interesting, although at times tiresome in my opinion. There are 16 chapters, plus a prologue and an epilogue, along with a long appendix citing sources, etc. for each chapter. Definitely a massive work and I'm glad I finally read it. I have no problem with anyone who wants to say Alan Moore is the best comic writer of all time (I'd at least put him in the top ten), but I don't think this is his best work. It's exhaustively researched, and grand, and fascinating. But I rate it a 4, not a 5.

Oct.20, 2009

I finished some Graphic Novels yesterday:
All-Star Superman, Vol. 2, by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely, 2009. I reviewed the first volume briefly before; this is the second and final volume of this collection. Let me say, I'll read almost any comic series once, but Superman has never been one of my favorites; I tend to enjoy him more teaming up with Batman or as a part of the JLA. But Grant Morrison is always excellent, and I love Quitelys art. They merge into a seamless team in this series, which may be the best Superman stuff I've ever read, anyway. This is a great work in this medium, and I would recommend it to all. Rating = 4.
The Ultimates 2, Vol. 1: Gods and Monsters. From Marvels' Ultimate universe, another tale of this "alternate Avengers" group. I'll keep it short. Good. I like the Ultimates as I read more of them. Not crazy about Ultimate Spider-man, X-Men, or fantastic Four, but I like this group. Rating = 3.
Fables, by Bill Willingham and others. Yesterday I read Vol. 2: Animal Farm and Vol. 3: Storybook Love, the only two volumes I hadn't ever read (out of the first 11 voulmes- I've got Vol. 12 requested from the library, but haven't read it yet). I also re-read Vol. 5: The Mean Seasons. I rate the collective first 11 volumes collecting this landmark series a 5. Yes; it's that good. If you haven't read this series, and you are a literate adult, and you like comics/graphic novels, you are seriously missing out. I am going to add a list of my recommended reads, and this series will be one of the few in the Graphic Novel/comic category. Let's see if I can clear this up: READ THIS SERIES IT IS DAMN GOOD STUFF.

Oct.19, 2009

I finished several books since my last post:
The Medicine Cabinet of Curiosities : an unconventional compendium of health facts and oddities from asthmatic mice to plants that can kill, by Nick Bakalar, 2009. Non-fiction. Sounds interesting, doesn't it? The title pretty much explains it all. But it was hit and miss. The book is broken up into short sections about various medically-related stuff. Basically, this guy just took a bunch of facts that are readily available and mashed them into a book. I'd skip it unless you REALLY like this subject. Rating = 2.

The Dangerous World of Butterflies : the startling subculture of criminals, collectors, and conservationists , by Peter Laufer, 2009.  Non-fiction. This guy, a reporter and author of many books on more serious topics, explores the world of butterfly collectors, watchers, exhibitors, and breeders. I admit to being very prone to collection-obsession myself (although I can usually fight it off), so I always find books about collectors interesting, especially if they relate to natural history. (I'd recommend The Orchid Thieves, by Susan Orleans, as a well-written example of the genre). This one is well-written, and interesting, although the author (apparently also a radio talk show host) really slants the stories towards his view, and inserts quite a bit of unnecessary political commentary as well. I guess I feel he didn't pursue what I thought were some of the more interesting aspects of the story, at least not all the time. But, I enjoyed it overall. I rate it a 3.

The Wild Trees : a story of passion and daring , by Richard Preston, 2007. Non-fiction. You may know this guy, as I did, from his mid-1990s mega-selling book about Ebola in particular and emerging viruses in general. If you never read it, it still stands up today, even though many of the revelations in it are a little dated. The Hot Zone will give you chills at times. He also wrote a book about Mad Cow disease and the theory (fairly much accepted now, I think) that it is caused by a prion, rather than the traditional bacteria or virus, which was also a good book. Anyway, this one is defiantly a digression from the deadly pathogen genre. This book is about the tallest species of trees, especially redwoods, and the people who learned to find, climb, and research these massive behemoths. As with the other books I've read by this author, the book is a tauntly written, quick-reading, and engaging tale of true-life adventure, obsession (with giant trees- that's a little unique), and scientific exploration. Of course, I thought the subject was fascinating anyway. I really enjoyed this; I chewed through it in part of one evening. I'd rate this one a 4.

I also read one Graphic Novel of note:
Amulet : Book 2- The stonekeepers curse, by Kazu Kibuishi, 2009. I haven't read Book 1 of this magna series, but it looked interesting, so I gave it a go. Kind of a weird mix of fantasy (evil, dark elves), steam-punk, sci-fi, and Warner Brothers-looking cartoon animals mixed with people. But well-done, with nice art (especially some panoramic landscapes), and an engaging cast. I'll read more of this series. Rating = 3.  

Oct.16, 2009

I finished a book last night:
Dry Storeroom # 1: the secret life of the Natural History Museum, by Richard A. Fortey, 2008.
     Non-fiction. This book is about the British Museum of Natural History, apparently now correctly known as the Natural History Museum. The author is a long-time (and recently retired) staff member who specialized in trilobites. I've always loved museums and the idea of collections (especially natural history collections) in general. Although I've never been to the Natural History Museum, I've always had an interest, so this book got my attention.
     The book is an amalgamation of anecdotes, profiles of present (and mostly, past) personalities from the museum, and discussions of the collections owned by the museum. It is interesting, although a bit unfocused. The author occasionally seems to feel the need to stop down and try and convince the reader of the importance of museums and collections, and the taxonomy derived from these specimens. This often seems a little forced, and I think is probably wasted on the mostly already converted readers for this book. I just can't see someone who thinks natural history and museums are pointless ever picking this book up to begin with.
     Well, I enjoyed the book overall. Of course, I love the subject matter, so bear that in mind. I'd rate this a 3.
I also read a few Graphic Novel collections over the last two days:
The Umbrella Academy: Vol.1-Apocalypse suite, by Gerard Way. You might know this guy as he is from the band My Chemical Romance. Very cool concept, nice art, and an interesting story. An undercover alien gathers a group of superpowered orphans and they save the world. Very well done, lots of twists and turns. I'd recommend you give this a try- I enjoyed it alot. Rating= 4.  
Green Arrow: The Sounds of Violence; Green Arrow: The Archer's Quest, and Green Arrow: Straight Shooter. I've never been a huge fan of Green Arrow, but the Keven Smith written re-make was well done, just as his reworking of Daredevil was previously. I'd rate these all a 3.
Superman / Batman : Vengeance.
A weird story involving alternate timelines. The art was good, and portions of the story were well done. Unfortunately, the story involved Bizarro (and Batzarro...dohh), as well as Mr. MXYZPTLK. Nothing gives me more tired-head than these characters. I think Jeph Loeb is normally great, but I got worn out trying to wade through this. Previous books in the series were great; this one I give a 2.

Oct.14, 2009

I just finished a monster book this morning:
Drood: a novel, by Dan Simmons, 2009. 777 pages. Yes : 777 pages. Fiction- I guess I would call this historical fiction? Dan Simmons is an author I really like. He writes science fiction/fantasy, horror, mysteries, all kinds of genres. He doesn't seem to give a damn what category he writes in, and I find that kind of interesting in this time when it seems most authors get locked in to one genre, and are considered as authors who ONLY write that genre of story.
    For example, Stephen King is considered as a horror book writer (or maybe "the" horror book author), but I actually find some of his books should really be in a different genre- The Stand, is post-apocalyptic sci-fi, in my mind, and The Talisman is fantasy. Sure they have horror elements, but I think they fit better in those categories.
    Well, I digress. This is not uncommon...but back to this book, and Dan Simmons. Some of the best books I've ever read were written by Dan Simmons. His 4-book Hyperion series (I think the order is: Hyperion, The Fall of Hyperion, Endymion, The Rise of Endymion) is outstanding. His quasi-horror book The Hollow Man is one of the most haunting and emotional books about love you'll ever read. And his update of Homer's Odyssey into a modern, sci-fi setting (in Olympos and Ilium) was very innovative. He likes to incorporate historical figures into his sci-fi, brought back via cloning or computers or alien technology, but this one is about Charles Dickens and is set firmly in the time period in which Dickens actually lived (mostly in the last five years of his life (1865-1870)). The narrator of this book is Wilkie Collins, apparently one of Dicken's close friends and collaborators, a minor author that history has largely forgotten (I had). The book is drawn from an obsession from late in Dickens’ life with a shadowy figure named Drood, which was a real part of the end of Dickens’ life (according to the book jacket, anyway- I actually don't know much about that and haven't researched it, but the author provides lots of fodder for research in his bibliography section). Anyway. Interesting concept; well-written book; wasn't his best work in my opinion. His premise for how it all happened (can't tell you more- could spoil the book) just wasn't that great in my opinion. So, I would say read this book if 1) you find the era or Dickens himself interesting, and 2) you don't mind long books. But I didn't think it was as good as some of his other works. I rate this one a 4.

Oct.9, 2009

Here's 2 books and a Graphic Novel I finshed:
BOOKS:
Soul Music, by Terry Pratchet, 1995. Fantasy. This is a novel set in the Discworld series, by super-rich and successful British author Terry Pratchet. I just found this series a couple of years ago, and this is the earliest book in the series I've read so far (there's a bunch of them- 20 or more). Each book, while set in the same world/universe, is really a stand-alone tale, so you don't really need to read them in order. This guy writes what I'd call Humor Satire Fantasy, a weird sub-genre I grant you, but he's damn good at it. It's not my favorite category of book, but I always enjoy his books- I think I've read 5 or so in the past, all set in the Discworld universe, and I liked them all. I wavered back and forth between 3 and 4 on this one, but I decided to rate it a 3.
The Life and Times of a Legend: Bigfoot, by Joshua Blu Buhs, 2009. Non-Fiction. This is a very intriguing book by a guy who's name I have no fucking idea how to pronounce. The book is an overview and examination of the Bigfoot phenomenon from it's beginnings to the present day, looking at all the various evidence and personalities which created the perception of the Bigfoot/Sasquatch/Yeti mystery as it exists in society today. He doesn't attempt to "solve" the existence/non-existence of Bigfoot, although he does note that he isn't a believer in Bigfoot as a real creature. Instead he charts the creation of the mythos of Bigfoot. Sound boring? It wasn't. Of course, I'm fascinated by this type of subject, but this was extremely well-written, even-handed, and comprehensive. If this sounds interesting to you, I would highly recommend this book. I'll definitely buy it someday (of course, probably at a used bookstore, but I'm cheap..and poor). This guys first book (this is his second, apparently) was apparently a similar treatment of fire ants, which normally I wouldn't read at gunpoint, but now I think I'll look it up for sure. Rating: 4.
GRAPHIC NOVELS:
Jack of Fables , vol. 3: the bad prince. Set in the Fables comic book universe, if you've read the outstanding series Fables, than you've met Jack in the early part of that series (before he was banished). Jack is the "Jack" from many fables, including Jack in the Beanstalk, Jack-Be-Nimble, etc. Apparently he got his own series (I had no idea until I saw this one). I figured since I already was familiar with the fables universe, I could start with this even though it is the third GN collection. I was right. I'm not going to give this a long review- I'll just say it was good, not great, and didn't have the "heart" that makes fables such a tremendously good series, at least to me. Rating is a 3.

Oct.10, 2009

I read three Graphic Novels yesterday:
The Walking Dead, Vol. 3. This collection of the comic series by Robert Kirkman continues to keep up a high standard. I'd heartily recommend it so far, although there are already 10 volumes in the Graphic Novel collection, so I still have a ways to go. Maybe it'll start sucking soon...but not so far. Rating: 4.
X-Men: Empereor Vulcan. This collects the mini-series of the same name. I am a little out of date as to my X-Men continuity, and I wasn't familiar with Vulcan, who is apparently the younger bother of the Summers brothers (Cyclops and Havoc), who was pulled out of his dying mother's uterus and raised as an alien. OK. Sometimes comic book story manipulation irritates me, but I'm used to it...Anyway, I actually enjoyed this a lot. Often mini-series (ESPECIALLY X-Men mini-series) are just cranked out to capitalize on the selling power of the book (as I wondered about this, since it's actually really about the Starjammers, not the X-Men, although several past (and future, I'm sure) X-Men are in it, like Rachael Grey/Phoenix, Havoc, and Polaris). But this one was worth the money (actually, I checked it out from the library, but you know what I mean...). Rating: 4.
The Ultimates 3, vol. 1: who Killed the Scarlet Witch? The Ultimates, in case you don't know, are kind of the alternate Marvel universe (the Ultimate universe, dude) version of the Avengers. I wasn't crazy about the entire Ultimate universe idea when Marvel first floated it, and I'm pretty indifferent to the Ultimate versions of the X-Men and Spider-Man, but I like the Ultimates (and also the Ultimate Hulk- he eats people sometimes). This is the third series, 1st volume collection, I guess (could they make it any more fucking complicated? How about series 12, volume 32, sub-section 19, division 4, chapter 13, version 4.1?). But anyway. Title kind of tells the subject. Overall good. The Terminator imitating robots taking over the Ultimates ids was stupid, though. But pretty good anyway. Rating is a 3.

Oct.5, 2009

I finished several books and graphic novels from the library since my last post:
BOOKS:
Loch Ness Monsters and Raining Frogs : the world's most puzzling mysteries solved , by Albert Jack, 2009. Non-Fiction. A skeptics "let me explain everything" book about cryptic creatures, the paranormal, and historical mysteries. There were aspects of this book I really liked, and aspects I didn't. I think maybe that had to do with MY level of knowledge about the particular area he was writing about, rather than his writing. BUT I don't give a shit- these are my reviews, so I'll be as unfair as I want. The book is organized by chapters, with each devoted to explaining (or not) a particular phenomena. An example of one I liked was the chapter about the mysterious moving coffins of the Chase vault, which is truly unexplained (as he also acknowledges). It's a fascinating story, if you haven't ever heard of it, check out this website http://www.qsl.net/w5www/coffins.html rather than reading this so-so book. On the other hand, the chapter on Bigfoot, a "mystery" I've read an enormous amount about, is very dismissive and "explains" away the entire mystery with poorly-researched and incompletely considered arguments, and will piss you off if you are well-read on the subject. Don't get me wrong- his conclusion is that Bigfoot doesn't exist, which I would agree with based on the current evidence, but he doesn't even give the REAL evidence for the existence for Bigfoot mention. Basically, he says it's silly, so it's wrong. This guy had previously written a book about urban legends which I thought sounded interesting. I think instead of reading it I'll just read through the phone book instead, after reading this. It wasn't all bad, but then again neither is major surgery. My rating is a 2.
By Heresies Distressed, by David Weber, 2009. Sci-Fi/Fantasy, about an a future world where a church controls the world, while hiding the evidence of past interference by aliens when the world was settled. It is the second book of a series, and I hadn't read the previous book, so I had to catch up somewhat. It was okay, but I read about 1/3rd of the way into it, and then gave it up. A fairly predictable and ordinary novel. I'd rate it a 2.

GRAPHIC NOVELS:
I read several X-Men GNs, which I won't review separately at this time, as I'd read them in the past. I'll go back and do a long explanation/review on a lot of books and graphic novels I'd read in the past at a later date.

The Walking Dead, vol. 2,  Still holding up as a very good story, with some really horrific stuff mixed with some excellent characterization and a good "it might happen like that" plot. I rate this volume a 4.

Oct.3, 2009

I finished with two more books since my last post:

Swimming with Piranhas at Feeding Time, by Richard Conniff, 2009. Non-fiction. This guy (you may regonize his name- I did, althogh I couldn't remember who he was until I read the book jacket) is a long-time outdoor/nature writer/tv host/media-nature-animals-kind of dude. If you like nature writing, or just good writing, read this book. This guy has an engaging, humorous, friendly writing style that, for me, made the book fly by. I throughly enjoyed it. Oh- what's it about? Lot's of short (1 chapter) anocdotal stories from his life in nature journalism. He even mad termites interesting. In case you can't guess- rating is a 5.

Texas Unexplained: strange tales and mysteries from the Lone Star state, by Jay Sharp, 1999.Man, I was looking forward to this book. I requested it from a branch of the library, and eagerly broke it open once I got it...I couldn't have been more disappointed if Kate Beckingsale was in a movie called Nude Beach Volleyball and only did a voice-over...I find the "cryptic world" very fascinating. I usually end up not buying inot it, but give me a good book on cryptozoology, aliens, paranormal, or whatever, and I'm fascinated. This dude managed to make it suck. His chapter on Bigfoot in Texas, for example, was a fake interview with Bigfoot. Yep, it was just as bad as that sounds. Poorly written, a waste of time, didn't read most of it because I decided it'd be a better use of my time to stare blankly at wallpaper instead. A waste of a good tree. Rating: 1.

Sept.18, 2009

Her's some more books I finished since the last post. Actually, I forgot one I finished earlier this week, so I'll do it first:

Steal Across the Sky, by Nancy Kress: This is SF, by an author who always writes a good book, in my experience. Her Probability series is excellent; everything I've read of hers is good. I imagine I've read 5-10 books by her over the years. She also writes some non-fiction "writer's aid" books, which I need to try sometime. Well, after all that, you can probably guess I liked this one also. The concept is this: an alien race shows up in the near future, announces itself, says the alien race (which calls itself the Atoners) did something unspecified to the human race in the distant pre-historical past which was wrong, and it needs to atone for that. So it asks for volunteers to be a "Witness" to other planets where humans were settled by this race long ago. Then things proceed from there. The concept is interesting, and although Kress skips around to various protagonists at different stages in the book, she keeps the story tight, and as always she combines an interesting plot with good characterization. It was good, but not her best. I rate it a 3.

UFOS-The Great Debate: An objective look at extraterrestrials, government cover-ups, and the prospect of first contact, by J. Allen Danelek: Non-fiction. A supposedly unbiased, objective look at the main topics in the UFO field. I am always interested in anything to do with UFOs, the paranormal, and (especially) cryptozoology. That doesn't mean I buy all (or even any) of it, but I find the subject fascinating. Usually. This guy could bore a crystal-meth using, hyperactive rhino to death in about 3 minutes. His points are pretty good, but there is nothing new in this book. He, like far too many on both sides of this field, seems to have first decided where he wants to come down, and then uses the "data" to show how his view is the ONLY logical one. Please. I read all the way through it, although usually as I get older I bail on this kind of crap so as not to waste any more of my time, worthless as it might be. I rate this a 2. If you're interested, skip to the conclusions.

In Defense of Dolphins: The new moral frontier, by Thomas I. White, 2009: Non-fiction. Philosophy professor contending that dolphins are "non-human persons", and setting out to prove it. I actually think this guys' premise, which is that dolphin's are intelligent and should be treated as such (I would include whales in there as well)(in case you didn't already know, calling them "dolphins" is kind of like calling us "primates"; there are a lot of different species). He tries to prove that they are intelligent, have emotions, etc. I have to say that the book, which I really wanted to like, is kind of poorly written, and that his arguments are not that well articulated, especially from a scientific point of view. But, I have sympathy for his main point, so I guess the book ends up somewhere in the middle. I rate it a 3.

Night of Knives: A novel of the Malazan Empire, by Ian C. Esslemont: Fantasy, set in a world that was apparently created by this guy and Stephen Erickson, who has written all the other, earlier books in this series (I think 8 so far). All the books by Erickson, one of my favorites, are great. THIS one sucked really bad. I couldn't get past the first few chapters. Mother of god, what a cluster fuck. What can I say? A chimp on crack cocaine could do better. I'm sure this guy is a very imaginative person, as the world of the Malazan Empire that he and Erickson have created is one of the most intricate, fascinating worlds I've even read about, with a deep, complex history. But the book's still bad. So, I rate it a 1. Instead of trying to read this, just do something more fun. Like, say, jabbing yourself with sharp sticks.

I also read the 9th and 10th Graphic Novel collections from the Fables comic series: #9- The Good Prince, and #10- Sons of Empire. They were outstanding (rating on each a 5), as is all the Fables series. If you like Graphic Novels/comic books, this series is one of the best I've ever read, up there with classics like Watchmen, The Sandman series, and The Dark Knight Returns. Do yourself a favor and read it. I might not always bother to rate GNs because if the series is still ongoing, the overall body of work can change, but this is an excellent series.

Sept.14, 2009

Well, let me try and get to some lighter matters. Books I've read since my last book posting: Well, since I decided to do little mini-reviews, let me skip back to one I mentioned I'd read last week, but I didn't review:

To See every Bird on Earth, by Dan Koeppel : Non-Fiction. This is by a guy who is an outdoor adventure/cycling author normally, about his dad, who's been a doctor most of his life, but is one of the world's top bird "listers". For those of you who don't know, that's a birder (or "birdwatcher", if you want. But they - we, I guess, since I've always liked to watch wildlife, and I have begun tentatively birding and listing- like that term about as much as a football player would like being called a "feet-dude".) that keeps a list of each species they've seen in their lifetime. For North American lists, anything over 700 life birds is awesome; this guy has over 7,000 for the world. Only a few people have every seen that many (there's around 9,000 - 10,000 species in the world, depending on who you listen to, and there are certainly some that still haven't been discovered). Anyway, this is a story of his dad, and the author's attempts to understand his dad and his obsession with listing. It is excellent. Good story, very good human insight, plus it's a subject I like, so I rate it a 4.

I read a bunch of graphic novels at the public libraries over the lst week also, but I'm not going to try and list all of them, or rate most of them. I'll just mention them if I think they're worth mentioning. All-Star Superman was very good (rating= 5). So was Silver Surfer: Requiem (rating= 4). I've always been a big X-Men fan (used to have a big collection), and I try to keep up with them as much as I can via library graphic novel collections. I read the first four Astonishing X-Men g.n.s (I'd read the first two in the past), and continued to enjoy them. I'd give them as follows: vol.1 and 2, I'd rate as a 5; volumes 3 and 4, I'd rate as 4.

I also just finished a book Monday night:

Birdsong for the Seasons, by Don Kroodsma, 2009. It was interesting. Comes with 2 CDs, which I wasn't able to listen to, due to my circumstances. But I'd recommend it, if you like birds. I have another book of his, called Birdsong I think, and it's very good; I would give it a 5. He is kind of the guru of birdsong and audio-science when it comes to birds. I rate it: 3 (I may give it a higher rating down the road if I can listen to the CDs).

Sept.10, 2009

Here's some of the books I read last week (I read a lot. Plus being broke kind of limits you options re: entertainment). These I checked out from the library here in Fort Worth:
Genesis, by Bernard Beckett: SF. Never read this author before. It was a short book (almost a novelette...whatever the hell makes it one of those- length, I think). I really enjoyed it. It is written from the POV of the protagonist, and is set in a post-apocalyptic world. It has quite a twist at the end. I would highly recommend it. I'll definitely read more by this dude.
Rating: 4

WWW : wake, by Robert J. Sawyer: Also SF. Very cool concept set in a near-future world whereby the internet develops consciousness and helps a blind girl learn to see. Not bad. Read it if the concept interests you. Rating: 3

The Caryatids, by Bruce Sterling: Yes, more Science Fiction. I like SF. Did you figure that out? Who am I talking to? NOW who I am asking that question to? Am I just amusing myself? Yes. This is a weird book. Set in another post-world-disaster (caused by human pollution this time) world. About some clones. Hard to describe. Good, not great. Read it if it sounds interesting to you. If it doesn't, don't. Actually, that is probably pretty good advice for all your future reading. So, feel free to use it. Although it is good to force yourself to read something you might not ordinarily read sometimes, just to try something out of your comfort zone. You might find something cool. But most of the times you'll just waste time trying to wade through some crap...(trust me; I've tried it many times). Rating: 3

Well, since I intend to blog about some of my reading, maybe I should expound on my likes/dislikes/how I'll do it a little. Probably I should not do that; I should just delete this shit-poor blog, jump in front of a car, and save everyone a lot of grief. But, instead, I'll expound on my reading philosophy.

I read a lot of different stuff. Here are some of the genres I read most often, along with some of my favorite authors:

Fiction: Science Fiction (Larry Niven, Rebecca Ore, Stephen R. Donaldson, Nancy Kress, Doris Pisceria); Fantasy (Stephen Erikson, Stephen Brust, Stephen R. Donaldson, Terry Goodkind, Orson Scott Card); Other?: Stephen King, Dan Simmons. I have a friend who has got me interested in reading some of the classics again, so I will start doing that ASAP.

Non-Fiction: Subjects I like include: nature, wildlife, birds, mammals, paleontology, geology, science in general, astrology, cosmology, physics (low-level, me not understand high-level math), true crime, fishing, outdoor adventure or survival stories.


I guess I'll include a rating for books I write a short review on; let's say a 5-point scale, where 1= sucks like a Hoover vacuum, 2= bad, 3= good, 4= excellent, and 5= great; a classic in my opinion. Is that fair? Who gives a fuck. That's what I’ll use. Feel free to disregard it; I probably will.

More later. Promise, not threat.

Sept.25, 2009

Here are a couple more quick notes on books I finished recently:

Basic Texas Birds: A Field Guide, by Mark Lockwood, 2007. Non-fiction, a photographic guide to the 200 "most common" Texas birds. Not bad for a beginners’ field guide to Texas bird life. Not all that useful, though. I'm glad it was a library book, because I doubt I'll ever need to refer to it again. Rating: 3

A Supremely Bad Idea: three mad birders and their quest to see it all, by Luke Dempsey, 2008. Non-fiction, I actually finished this about three weeks ago, but forgot to add it when I started this blog. A British guy moves to the US, becomes a successful magazine editor, gets converted to birding my some friends (a husband and wife, the other two of the three "mad birders"), and chronicles some of his/their adventures. I really wanted to love this book, but I ended up just liking it. The author is a little too sure that he really thinks he's a great guy, and his self-surendness (definitely NOT a word) and love for his own cleverness gets annoying from time to time. But he is funny, and the book is entertaining. IF this kind of subject interests you, give it a go. Otherwise it will be like watching paint dry slowly. Rating: 4

Shadow Magic, by Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennet, 2009. Fiction, Fantasy. BY a new duo of authors, whose first book (Havemercy, which I Haven'tread) got quite a bit of acclaim. Pretty well written. I stuck with it until towards the end, when I finally lost interest and gave up. I rarely read a book until this close to the end without finishing it, but it finally wore me out. Why? 1) too many POVs- it tries to follow 4 characters while telling only one basic story, and 2) a weird homosexual slant without being overtly homosexually oriented. I don't mind gay characters; a well-written story is a well-written story to me. NONE of the main characters are gay, as far as the book says, but the relationship between 2 sets of 2 male characters is SO gay it just got tiresome to me. Was it an unstated agenda, or just the way the 2 authors (a gay couple? I have no idea, but the book jacket gives that impression) write, and completely unintentional? I couldn't tell you, but it was weird. And once again, openly gay characters- fine. This was just odd, like a 17th century "underground" gay book where no one was gay according to the story, but they acted like they were. I hope this doesn't make me bigoted, because I like to think of myself as open-minded. But I really didn't like the character interaction, whatever the reason. Rating: 3.

I also read a bunch of Graphic Novels from the library: Several X-Men volumes, which were good, nothing exceptional. Also I tried The Walking Dead: Volume 1, by Robert Kirkman, which was great (rating = 4). It's a "zombie apocalypse" story, which has certainly been done to death, but the first volume was very good, and a nice change from the usual zombie stuff. I'm going to have to read more of this series; I am requesing some from the library. Also I read the Dresdan Files (GN adaptation of a popular series about a wizard in Chicago), vol. 1, which was alright, but not great (rating = 3). Maybe the actual book would be better, I haven't tried it yet.

Ratings

Okay, here's how my rating system works. I'll use the same system for books, graphic novels, movies, and video games. Will that work? Who the fuck knows. The ratings given will be from 1 to 5. Here is a basic explanation of each rating level, and what I mean by it:


1 = it sucked really, really bad; right up there with driving a sharp nail through your testicles on the “fun” scale.


2 = bad; like watching a capuchin monkey try to solve a differential equation while smoking crack (the monkey, not you...).


3 = fair/good; worth spending time on if you think it sounds like a genre you'd like, or if, like me, you have no other life anyway, so why the hell not?


4 = great; I highly recommend it. Try it if it sounds like it's up your alley.


5 = excellent; I consider it a classic, and think it is well worth re-reading again later. So, I liked it. A lot.