Behind the Sheet by Charly Evon SimpsonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
View all my reviews
Tuesday, May 05, 2020
Monday, May 04, 2020
Review: Lady Death: Blasphemy Anthem
Lady Death: Blasphemy Anthem by Brian PulidoMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Lady Death: Blasphemy Anthem
by Brian Pulido
Story: Brian Pulido, Mike MacLean
Interiors: Dheeraj Verma, Sabine Rich
Cover: Diego Bernard, Alisson Rodrigues, Ceci de la Cruz
Chapter 10 in the Coffin Comics Lady Death Universe.
Hardcover, Kickstarter Hardcover, 48 pages
Published January 2020 by Coffin Comics
Chapter 10 of the Lady Death Universe opens just after the tragic events of "Scorched Earth," an extinction level disaster brought on by The Trinity. At this point the world wonders whether Lady Death is a hero or a threat to humankind. Even The Sworn, a group of supernatural anti-heroes begin to wonder. It doesn't help that she is seeking some dark power and leaves bodies in her path to find that power.
Lady Death Takes her battle against The Trinity to Phoenix (which just happens to be author, Brian Pulido's, hometown) The story is all part of a huge story arc to be continued in the next installment, "Malevolent Decimation," which I should be receiving in my mailbox sometime this month.
Pulido knows how to tell a story and his group of anti-heroes are a great assortment to have as a foundation for a superhero/supernatural comic. The artwork comes alive with action and the details in the pages keep you looking over and over through the book to catch all subtleties.
I will say that Lady Death comes out a changed person and while I'm not sure where Brian Pulido is taking his group, The Sworn, and Lady Death, I do know I will definitely stay in line for the next issue and read on.
View all my reviews
Thursday, April 30, 2020
Monday, April 27, 2020
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
Review: Sanctuary
Sanctuary by G. Michael HopfMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Sanctuary
A Postapocalyptic Novel
By: G. Michael Hopf
Narrated by: Keith Szarabajka
Series: The New World Series (Hopf), Book 3
Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 05-27-14
Language: English
Publisher: Penguin Audio
I started reading this book before the COVID-19 Pandemic was a thing, and I always figured that an EMP attack was the one that would knock out our country. I am now thinking otherwise. That being said, I still have most post-apocalyptic novels on my list.
Months after the EMP pulse has crippled the nation, the United States are no long fully united and the factions are splitting the country up further. This allows for a war-monger from South America to invade and take over the state of California with very little resistance. The hero of these books, Gordon, just wants to get back to his family.
This book tells his story, and how in just wanting to get home, he is helping fight of rogue factions of gangs and very bad people while at the same time helping the President get the country back together.
The narrator, Keith Szarabajka, does a great performance and is able to deliver this story in a fashion which makes for an audio drama from a written book narration. Never was I confused as to who was speaking, and as a plus, he was able create vocal characters from the characters in the book that are believable and endearing.
By the way, I didn't read the first 2 books in the series, but I will be going back now to check them out.
Publisher's Summary
Surviving the attack proved to be more than they could have imagined….
Months after a super-EMP attack devastated the United States, the country is now unrecognizable. Major cities are run by gangs, survivors are dying of starvation and the government is falling victim to lawlessness. Those who were prepared for the end find that they weren't really prepared at all.
While some seek vengeance for their losses, others are determined to restore the nation. Gordon, Samantha, Sebastian, Barone, Connor and Pablo are all on different paths, but they are all in search of a home away from chaos. They are all in search of a sanctuary.
©2014 G. Michael Hopf (P)2014 Penguin Audio
View all my reviews
Review: Yi Soon Shin: Fallen Avenger
Yi Soon Shin: Fallen Avenger by Onrie KompanMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
View all my reviews
Yi Soon Shin: Fallen Avenger
by Onrie Kompan (Author, Editor), David Anthony Kraft (Author, Editor), Giovanni Timpano (Illustrator), El Arnakleus (Illustrator), Adriana De Los Santos (Illustrator), Joel Saavedra (Illustrator)
Book 2 of the Yi Soon Shin Series
Hardcover: 176 pages
Publisher: Onrie Kompan Productions, LLC; First edition (August 24, 2017)
Before I get on to the review of this Graphic Novel, I would like to give you a heads up on what may happen in this review: 1.) I am an avid comic book reader, so I may be biased. 2.) I may name drop in this review, but not to make me look good. That being said let's talk about how awesome this book is.
I was attending a local comic-con a few years ago and was interviewing the author Brian K. Morris for my podcast, The NerdUp Podcast. After the interview he told me I should seek out Onrie Kompan and talk to him. Morris told me that Kompan is doing some very unique things in using the comic book format to re-tell the story of a Legendary Hero from history. I immediately looked for Onrie Kompan's booth and the journey began. This was back when the first Yi Soon Shin graphic novel was released, "Warrior and Defender." Onrie told me about his plight to get the story told and showed me the book. The first thing that grabbed me was the artwork. Beautiful!!! Once the pitch was over, I bought that first book and loved it. Then I heard he had compiled the next issues of individual comics into another graphic novel. (I prefer that format rather than waiting between issues.) I seemed to keep missing Onrie Kompan at various cons and was looking to find this book. This time not for an interview, but to buy the book and continue reading.
I finally found out that he was doing a Kickstarter for the first comic in a third series. In this Kickstarter one of the rewards was the 2nd graphic novel and the first issue of the third series. I jumped.
I can't say which of the two books is best, because they both are equal in splendor. The beautiful artwork continues. The story is told using "modern" language and the action is perfectly recreated by the art.
I have to tell any history buff and comic book fan that this book as well as the first are a must have. Great story, great art and passion behind the book make this a book you must have.
Review: And Another Thing...
And Another Thing... by Eoin ColferMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
And Another Thing...
by Eoin Colfer
Series: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Book 6)
Hardcover: 276 pages
Publisher: Hyperion; 1 edition (October 12, 2009)
I have to start out by letting you know, I'm a HUGE Douglas Adams fan (who isn't?). I saw this book and thought, well Mr. Adams didn't really know when to stop so why should his estate? Eoin Colfer is a outstanding writer so that should be a plus. As it turns out this is not the book I was hoping it to be.
There is some entertainment in this book, to be sure, but there is just something missing. It was entertaining, some typical moments with Ford Prefect, Arthur Dent, Zaphod Beeblebrox, Trillian and many of the beloved cast of characters. Eoin Colfer has the verbal abilities to create the wordplay Douglas Adams could do best. In this book jumping back and forth between the "Guide," the footnotes, and the action going on in space, Eoin Colfer tells a great story.
So, you are probably asking right now, what is wrong with the book? Technically nothing. I was moderately entertained but for some reason I just couldn't stay focused on the book. I would stop and start several times and finally just forced myself to read and not get distracted, thanks to COVID-19 I had the time. It just wasn't as good as Douglas Adams. Maybe that's it, I just miss Douglas Adams.
I would like to give the audiobook a listen, maybe with a well performed multicast version it would hold my interest. I still would tell all "Hitchhiker's Guide" fans to give it a shot, but just know that it may make you miss Douglas Adams.
View all my reviews
Thursday, February 13, 2020
Review: Photograph 51
Photograph 51 by Anna ZieglerMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
"Photograph 51"
By Anna Ziegler
Performed by: Matthew Arkin, Maxwell Caulfield, Miriam Margolyes, Jon Matthews, Darren Richardson, Nick Toren
Length: 1 hr and 58 mins
Release date: 11-22-11
Publisher: L.A. Theatre Works
Once again I become cultured for a couple of hours and attend a live play production. Okay, this one is in the mind thanks to the audio productions of L.A. Theatre Works. LATW's releases of theatrical performances in audiobook format are pure genius and a delight to hear. The performances are always great and the production put in to each one places the listener smack-dab in the middle of the audience.
This time around I was enlightened with the story of Rosalind Franklin whose x-ray photographs proved the helix shape of DNA, unfortunately for Rosalind, Watson and Krick got all the credit. But after listening to this Ms. Franklin didn't seem to concerned with who got the credit, just so science advanced with research to help humanity.
The real eye-opener of this production was the ill-treatment of female scientists back in the day. It was as though women didn't have the brains to be scientists. Yet women such as Rosalind Franklin have/had just as much to contribute (if not more) than any man. I love how this play does not sledge hammer that point but only subtly points it out.
This is a must hear for any one that knows of or is a woman seeking a career in the scientific field. (I'd also venture to say that this is a must hear for anyone.)
Publisher's Summary
Rosalind Franklin was a gifted research scientist who was part of the race to uncover the secrets of DNA in the 1950’s. Her more famous contemporaries Watson and Krick took all the kudos for the discovery of the molecule’s double helix structure – yet it was Franklin’s skill with X-ray diffraction that first uncovered what’s called “the secret of life”.
Includes an interview with Brenda Maddox, the world's foremost biographer of Rosalind Franklin and author of Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA.
Also includes and interview with Dr Pamela Björkman, the Max Delbruck Professor of Biology at the California Institute of Technology, and an Investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast performance featuring:
Miriam Margolyes as Rosalind
Matthew Arkin as Caspar
Maxwell Caulfield as Wilkins
Jon Matthews as Watson
Darren Richardson as Gosling
Nick Toren as Crick
Directed by Michael Hackett. Recorded at the Invisible Studios, West Hollywood.
Photograph 51 is part of L.A. Theatre Works’ Relativity Series featuring science-themed plays. Major funding for the Relativity Series is provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to enhance public understanding of science and technology in the modern world."
©2011 L.A. Theatre Works (P)2011 L.A. Theatre Works
View all my reviews
Tuesday, February 11, 2020
Review: Once
Once by Morris GleitzmanMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
"Once" Felix and Zelda, Book 1
By Morris Gleitzman
Narrated by: Morris Gleitzman
Length: 3 hrs and 6 mins
Release date: 02-02-06
Publisher: Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd
Every once in a while we need to view the world from a child's eyes. That is exactly what Morris Gleitzman has done with "Once." The sad part is that it is a view of one of the most horrific events in the history of our world, the Holocaust. But the view of the Holocaust through the eyes of actually give you a feeling of hope.
Felix was take to an orphanage by his parents with the promise that they will be back to pick him up. When they do return he will know because they will give him a carrot. One meal Felix looks down in his soup bowl and sees a carrot. This is highly unusual in that the only chunks found in the orphanages broth are chunks of ceiling plaster. Felix knows his parents have come for him.
After searching the grounds he sees no parents, instead he finds Nazis burning Jewish books and yelling at the nuns in the convent. Jewish books are in danger and Felix's parents own a bookstore which sells Jewish Books. Now he must warn them. Felix sneaks away from the orphanage to find his parents.
The adventures from there are very dark and sinister, as the Holocaust was, but through the mind of young Felix he just thinks the Nazis hate books. The atrocities committed by the Nazis through Felix's eyes are told by the author in such a way that one can appreciate the and love the naivete of young Felix, and keep rooting for him along the way.
Soon Felix finds Zelda who doesn't know her parents are dead. He knows he must protect her and he brings her along on her journey. The find a man who is struggling to keep a group of Jewish children alive and safe while the Nazis destroy poland.
From the orphanage to making a Nazi with a toothache laugh to being rounded up and placed on a boxcar Felix is always doing his best to keep people happy.
This story will soon be one of your favorites.
Publisher's Summary
Felix lives in a convent orphanage high in the mountains in Poland. He is convinced his parents are still alive and that they will one day come back to get him. When Nazi soldiers come to the orphanage Felix decides to escape and make his way home. The journey to find his parents is a long and difficult one, as all of Poland is occupied by the Nazis and a dangerous place for a Jewish boy. Felix manages to live and look after himself and another orphan, Zelda, with the help of a kind dentist, Barney, who is hiding and looking after a number of Jewish children. When the Nazis discover them, Barney makes the ultimate sacrifice for the children, electing to go with them on the train to the death camps, rather than taking the option of freedom offered by a Nazi soldier, one of his grateful patients.
©2005 Morris Gleitzman (P)2005 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd.
View all my reviews
Wednesday, February 05, 2020
Review: On Two Feet and Wings
On Two Feet and Wings by Abbas KazerooniMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
"On Two Feet and Wings"
By Abbas Kazerooni
Narrated by: Abbas Kazerooni
Length: 4 hrs and 35 mins
Release date: 10-21-14
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
To an adult having the task of going to another country getting a taxi to go find a hotel, and then go to the British Embassy to apply for a visa doesn't sound too bad. But think of a 9 year-old doing this. That's exactly what needs to happen to young Abbas. In his memoirs, Abbas Kazarooni, takes us on a journey in his world where he was forced to go to Istanbul, Turkey (where he doesn't speak the language) to avoid being shipped off to fight the Iran/Iraq war.
The Ayatollahs have lowered the draft age to 10 years old and Abbas' parents, who were once upper class during the Shah's regime, don't want to lose their son to the war and would rather take him to England where he can get an education instead of dying. The family sells everything they own to go on this sudden trip.
Once the family arrives at the airport the officials stop Abbas' mother from leaving the country. This seems to be only politically motivated to punish Abbas' family and to keep them from leaving. Instead the family makes one of the most difficult decisions one would ever have to make. They decide to send their 9 year old son (soon to be 10) on the trip.
Young Abbas already has a bit of a reputation of being able to work with what he's given, and this trip is about to test his spirit. Carrying with him thousands of US dollars (they are better for converting to local currency), Abbas must first find a hotel where he can stay.
The cab driver at the airport feels for young Abbas and helps him to secure a hotel room where he won't get ripped off. Abbas also finds a friend in the Hotel manager/owner that helps along the way.
Abbas then has to find a black market money exchange (black market because of better rates). This has to be done with caution because a 9 year old can be easily ripped off or worse in the city of Istanbul.
Then to top it all off he has to go to the British Embassy in Istanbul to apply for a visa. This all takes place within a couple of months. Abbas makes some friends, creates opportunities for himself and even has a few bad scrapes, but the adventure is the day to day struggle of a young boy navigating a foreign land.
This book will not have you feeling pity but rather amazement for what a young boy or rather THIS young boy can do.
Publisher's Summary
He is in a foreign country, he is alone, and he is just a boy.… Abbas Kazerooni is not yet 10, but he’s suddenly forced to leave his parents, his friends - his entire world - and flee Tehran. The Iran-Iraq war is at its bloodiest, and the Ayatollahs who rule Iran have reduced the recruitment age for the army. If Abbas doesn’t escape, it’s almost certain that he will be drafted and die fighting for a regime that has stripped his family of all they have.
On his own in the strange, often frightening city of Istanbul, Abbas grows up fast - with little more than his wits to guide him. He must conquer difficult things: how to live on his own, how to navigate a foreign city and culture when he doesn’t speak the language, and, most importantly, how to judge who is a friend and who is an enemy. Facing the unexpected as well as the everyday challenges of life on his own, Abbas walks a tightrope of survival - yearning to please the demanding father he has left behind, yet relishing his new found independence.
His quick thinking, entrepreneurial spirit, and the kindness of strangers allow him to make the best of his dire situation in surprising ways. Does he have what it takes to not only survive against these challenging odds but achieve his parents’ ultimate dream for him: a visa to England, and the safety it represents?
This compelling true story of one young boy’s courage provides a powerful child’s-eye view of war, political tumult, and survival.
©2011 Abbas Kazerooni (P)2014 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.
View all my reviews
Friday, January 24, 2020
Review: Home Vol.1
Home Vol.1 by Todd BlackMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Todd Black never ceases to amaze me. He knows how to capture this old comic book nerd's attention.
View all my reviews
Thursday, January 23, 2020
Review: Of Poseidon
Of Poseidon by Anna BanksMy rating: 1 of 5 stars
I couldn't even finish the book. Yet another YA novel where the teen finds out they have powers and are a mythical creature and has to marry to save the rest of the mythical creatures.
View all my reviews
Monday, January 20, 2020
Review: Molly Sweeney
Molly Sweeney by Brian FrielMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
"Molly Sweeney"
By Brian Friel
Narrated by: Jenny Bacon, Robert Breuler, Rick Snyder
Length: 3 hrs and 46 mins
Performance
Release date: 02-16-10
Publisher: L.A. Theatre Works
This is the second story of a blind person regaining sight I've listened to in the past month. Not sure why, but my reading list has led me down the path of disabilities. The last one I read, "Love and First Sight," was a YA novel following a young boy who regains his sight in modern times. This time around it is a play that takes place in a remote Irish village, I'm not too sure of the time period, but it seems that it is during a time where restoring sight is just short of miraculous.
The play is performed through a series of monologues from the three main characters, Molly, her husband, Frank, and Dr. Rice. From what I gathered the two men have no real interest in how Molly feels about all this and judging from the tragic end, I would say Molly is not too happy about the promise of a sighted life.
Dr. Rice seems to be only interested in gaining back his standing in the medical world. Alcoholism has taken most of that away from him, but now he may be able to redeem himself. So his interest is very selfish.
Molly's husband, Frank is pushing her to the surgery with no concern for her feelings or risks. While Molly has led a happy life for 40 years, all while sightless.
The two men never really care about how Molly would be able to handle the sudden influx of visual information.
The complete lack of interaction between the characters helps to solidify the lack of concern from all but Molly. There's a moment when Molly get's angry and delivers a scathing monologue, but with no one listening it is a perfect example of how her feelings are never considered.
The performances in the L.A. Theatre Works production are once again perfect and the production puts you once again in the middle of the show.
Publisher's Summary
Molly Sweeney, by the great Irish playwright Brian Friel, tells the story of married couple Molly and Frank, who live in a remote Irish village. Molly has been blind since birth, but now a surgeon - Mr. Rice - believes he may be able to restore her sight. In a series of interwoven monologues, Molly Sweeney takes us into the minds of three people with very different expectations of what will happen when Molly regains her vision.
©2009 L.A. Theatre Works (P)2009 L.A. Theatre Works
View all my reviews
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Review: Lucy
Lucy by Damien AtkinsMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
Lucy
By: Damien Atkins
Narrated by: Lucy DeVito, Roxanne Hart, Geoffrey Lower, Sarah Rafferty, Raphael Sbarge
Length: 2 hrs and 3 mins
Performance
Release date: 02-02-10
Publisher: L.A. Theatre Works
I have recently found myself exploring books and stories that deal with the human condition in relation to disabilities. Not sure why this is but it just seems to wind up on my listening/reading list this way. I've gotta get back to my sci-fi reading soon. Until then I will explore humanity. This time around the story revolves around autism and how it affects the family.
Never having had to deal with anyone in the spectrum, I really have no point of reference on this. I do know people with autism and friends with autistic children, but I have never had to experience this first hand. That being said understand that this review will not consist of how the story addresses autism but rather how the story is told.
One thing to note is that this is an L.A. Theatre Works production and that the performance is beautiful. The acting and performance as a whole is stellar. I have never had a bad experience with any LATW production.
Lucy is a 13 year old who has autism. She has lived all her life with her father but at 13 there are certain things puberty brings that the father doesn't think he's capable of handling. So he leaves Lucy with her mother. This part of the story was a bit sketchy for me, but it was necessary for the rest of the play to continue. I just couldn't see a dad pretty much abandoning his child. Sure, it was with her mother but the mother was out of the picture for nearly all of those 13 years.
As the rest of the story goes, Lucy's mom struggles with learning how to deal with the schedules and emotions of a child with autism. The mother also begins to obsess over her guilt of not being there for Lucy. Soon Lucy's mother, who is an anthropologist begins to theorize that autism is the next step in the evolutionary process of humanity. So much so that she makes this the subject of a book that has been in demand for some time from her publisher. The problem is she starts letting Lucy do what she wants, pretty much, and Lucy's welfare comes into question.
What I found most interesting in this performance were the insights where the playwright gave Lucy monologues in which she could step out of her own brain and express her normality. I was intrigued by these and at the same time emotionally stirred.
Nice performance but I see some holes in the story.
Publisher's Summary
In a thought-provoking new play, 13 year old Lucy, who suffers from autism, moves in with her estranged, misanthropic mother. Having lived her entire life with her father, Lucy, as well as her mom, struggle with all the difficulties of such an arrangement.
An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast performance featuring Lucy DeVito, Roxanne Hart, Geoffrey Lower, Sarah Rafferty and Raphael Sbarge.
Lucy is part of L.A. Theatre Works’ Relativity Series featuring science-themed plays. Major funding for the Relativity Series is provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to enhance public understanding of science and technology in the modern world.
©2009 L.A. Theatre Works (P)2009 L.A. Theatre Works
View all my reviews
Review: Love and First Sight
Love and First Sight by Josh SundquistMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
Love and First Sight
By: Josh Sundquist
Narrated by: Pat Young
Length: 6 hrs and 25 mins
Release date: 01-03-17
Publisher: Hachette Audio
I have to admit at first while listening to this audiobook, I was worried I had grabbed another whiney angsty teen novel. For the most part YA fiction can be some really nice stories and story telling but many of them fall prey to the "let's make a romance novel for kids" genre. This one starts in that direction and you do get a bit of the whiney but not necessarily from the lead character, Will Porter, but from some of his friends. What I, at first, got from Will was that he was a smug know-it-all and being blind made him better. I'll talk more about the love interest later.
I pulled up my bootstraps and kept rolling with this book only because of the author's description of how it is being blind. I have several blind friends (it's because of one of those friends I started listening to audiobooks in the first place) and I have never really understood what their life is like. Josh Sundquist writes about that experience through Will Porter and gave me a better understanding of what a sightless world is like. Concepts such as perspective and colors were explained to me in ways I never would have even considered and then when Will gets the miracle surgery restoring his eyesight, the learning HOW to see floored me. I've since talked this over with one of my friends and he said that it sounded like some of the reasons he has not considered gaining eyesight if the chance arose. Sundquist's descriptions are very thought provoking.
The problem with this story is there is a bit of a forced love interest. Will meets new friends as he tries to be mainstreamed in a "normal" school. Apparently Will was a big deal at his school for the blind, now, not so much. He becomes friends with kids on the Quiz Team and begins to fall for a girl who seems to be hiding something. After gaining sight he learns she has a huge birthmark on her face. At this point he feels betrayed in that no one told him about her face. Here's where the book pretty much lost me again.
What I got from the book is the awesome descriptions of life from a blind person's point of view. What I disliked were the two-dimensional portrayals of human love and interaction.
Publisher's Summary
In his debut novel, YouTube personality and author of We Should Hang Out Sometime Josh Sundquist explores the nature of love, trust, and romantic attraction.
On his first day at a new school, blind 16-year-old Will Porter accidentally groped a girl on the stairs, sat on another student in the cafeteria, and somehow drove a classmate to tears. High school can only go up from here, right?
As Will starts to find his footing, he develops a crush on a charming, quiet girl named Cecily. Then an unprecedented opportunity arises: an experimental surgery that could give Will eyesight for the first time in his life. But learning to see is more difficult than Will ever imagined, and he soon discovers that the sighted world has been keeping secrets. It turns out Cecily doesn't meet traditional definitions of beauty - in fact everything he'd heard about her appearance was a lie engineered by their so-called friends to get the two of them together. Does it matter what Cecily looks like? No, not really. But then why does Will feel so betrayed?
Told with humor and breathtaking poignancy, Love and First Sight is a story about how we relate to each other and the world around us.
©2017 Josh Sundquist (P)2017 Hachette Audio
View all my reviews
Monday, December 16, 2019
Free is good, right?
I'm all about free...and free pizza would be great. check it out:
https://www.quikly.com/dominos/s/PoDxbeLl?utm_content=blogger
https://www.quikly.com/dominos/s/PoDxbeLl?utm_content=blogger
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)