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High Fantasy Month is back to slay some dragons

Posted in books, pop culture, reviews with tags Book Report, books, High Fantasy Month, pop culture, reviews on February 16, 2015 by Paxton

The last time I did this was back in July, so I thought it was time to knock out a few more fantasy books. Next time, I may switch up the media and do High Fantasy movies instead of books only. I’ve been sort of dying to see Sword & the Sorceror.

Anyway, recently I bought a few fantasy books I’ve been eyeballing during a fire sale on Google Play and Amazon. So let’s see how I did.

The Wise Man’s Fear: The Kingkiller Chronicle: Day Two (2011) – Patrick Rothfuss – I read the first book in Rothfuss’ series, The Name of the Wind, back in January 2014 and I enjoyed it. It was very story heavy with lots of characters with weird names but the book is well written and I was very interested in the world that Rothfuss had built. So, when I found the sequel on sale for super cheap a few months ago on Google Play, I snatched it up. It continues the story of Kvothe, a legendary arcanist (ie magic user) who is relating the unbelievable events of his life story to a scribe. Overall, this book is good. However, it’s LOOOOONG. The eBook is 875 pages long. And it feels every bit of that length. And I didn’t realize this, but it’s also a road book. The main character, Kvothe, is sent out on a journey that lasts FOREVER. He finishes the initial task on the journey and then goes off on an interlude. And then another interlude. And another. To infinity. I was ready for the book to end. But the book is written very well and is set in an interesting world with an interesting take on magic. I just think, since we KNOW this book is continuing into a third book, that Rothfuss should have ended it a little sooner. And I feel this is a gripe I have with many books in the fantasy genre.

Troll Mountain: The Complete Novel (2014) – Matthew Reilly – I’ve read most of Matthew Reilly’s books. He’s a great action adventure author who’s most famous series involves a special forces officer code-named Scarecrow. So, this was a bit of a genre departure for Reilly. It’s a junior fantasy adventure. Very simple. Short. The novel is in three parts and each part is only about 50 pages long. I actually liked it quite a lot. It reminds me of L Frank Baum’s fantasy stories. Like this could have been a lost fantasy fable found in his papers after he died. It has that type of heart and charm with a touch of morality and lessons to be learned. The story involves our hero, Raf, who has a sister that has fallen ill to a disease that is plaguing the land. There are trolls living in a nearby mountain that have an elixir that will cure it but they require a high payment. Raf, who is poor, decides to travel to Troll Mountain, sneak into their vault and steal the elixir in order to save his sister. It’s a pretty fun, quick and light read that I highly recommend.

Mistborn: The Final Empire (Book 1) (2006) – Brandon Sanderson – I’ve had my eye on Sanderson’s Mistborn Trilogy for a while. Finally Amazon put the Kindle versions on sale for a song (all 3 books for less than $6) and I snatched them right up. So, I read the first book in the trilogy and it’s pretty damn good. The world Sanderson creates is interesting and he has filled this world with interesting characters and a very interesting system of magic. And the setup is similar to something you’d see in another fantasy series I like, The Lies of Lock Lamora by Scott Lynch. It’s a group of thieves and cons who are hired to perform an impossible heist. Exactly the type of plot I love. I will definitely continue this trilogy. However, I have a similar gripe about this book that I had with the first book in this list. The book is a little bit too long. The first book in this trilogy is nearly 700 pages. Knowing there are two more books in this series, reading through to 700 pages starts to get a little tiring. And slightly annoying. Even when I enjoy the characters and subject matter, story fatigue sets in around 600-700 pages. However, that being said, I really did enjoy the book and would recommend it.

The Second Book Of Swords – Fred Saberhagen – You’ll recall during my last High Fantasy Month that I read Fred Saberhagen’s First Book of Swords. I actually have the compilation of all three of the original swords books, so I thought I’d pick up the book and read the second book in the series. But, alas, I didn’t get much further than 4-5 pages. I just couldn’t get into it. I kept glazing over reading the pages and nothing would stick. Not sure what was wrong. I’m close to saying I’m not reading this series anymore, but I may give it a few months and try again. When I couldn’t finish this book, I started to read Mistborn instead. And you see how that turned out, so clearly it was an issue with this story and not with me getting tired of reading fantasy books.

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Year End Book Report: The Best Books I Read in 2014

Posted in Batman, books, comic books, movies, pop culture, Star Wars with tags Book Report, books, gunfighters, reviews, Star Wars, westerns, Year End Books on January 12, 2015 by Paxton

I can’t believe I’m doing these year end wrap up reports again. Where does the damn time go?!

Anyway, if you’ve read this article in the past you know I keep my book log online. Here’s the link to my Book Log on Google Spreadsheet. There are tabs for every year since 2007.

Looking at that log it looks like I read about 78 books/comics this year. That total includes not only books I read for the first time but anything I re-read for the second (or more) time. For the list below, though, I’ll only take into account books I read for the first time this year.

And I actually have four books on this list that were released in 2014. That ties my total from last year. It’s rare when I get to read a currently released book, but I’ve done it four times each in the last two years. Amazing!

On to the lists!

Below you will find, first, my list of favorite books and following that my list of favorite comic books/graphic novels. All that I read for the first time this year. Enjoy.

Books

Star Wars: Maul: Lockdown (2014) – Joe Schreiber – I predicted at the end of my 2013 Best Books I Read article that this book would be on the list for 2014. And, as you can see, I was right. Joe Schreiber really hit it out of the park with this one. A prison thriller that has Maul locked up in a prototype prison that pits its prisoners in gladiatorial matches and broadcasts those matches on pay-per-view. Very brutal and lots of fun we get lots of awesome Maul in this book. However, to be honest, the last third of the book sort of goes WAY bananas in a weird way. It’s still really good, but the book sort of becomes super-gonzo and you’re left scratching your head wondering, “What the f**k is going on? Did THAT just happen?!”. However, overall, still one of the best books I read this year.

Point of Impact (Bob Lee Swagger #1) (1993) – Stephen Hunter – I was not aware of this book until I saw the Mark Wahlberg movie Shooter, which is based on this book. I love that movie and finally picked up the source material this year to give it a go. And it’s AMAZING. Even better than the movie. A bit more story to sink your teeth into and a bit more of an epic bad guy for Swagger to focus his revenge on. Great action packed book. I look forward to reading more of Hunter’s Swagger books in the future (there are several).

The Shining (1977) – Stephen King – This Halloween I decided to fill another hole in my Stephen King reading list. Two years ago I had finally tackled The Stand and just last year I read The Talisman. So, I thought, let’s continue that trend this year and I decided to read ‘salem’s Lot. I enjoyed it more than I expected, plus it left me wanting to read more early Stephen King, so even though I only had about a week left in October, I picked up The Shining on my Nook for like $2 and dove in. And discovered probably the scariest book I think I have ever read in my life. The Shining is big on plot and character detail as early King likes to be, but once the stuff in the hotel starts happening, it gets seriously scary. Like several nights I had trouble sleeping it was so scary. So here it sits on my list. But as much as I loved this book, I really saw no need for a sequel so I have little to no desire to read Doctor Sleep. I even tried reading a sample and I couldn’t even finish it.

Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer (2007) – James Swanson – Earlier in 2014 I got into an American History phase. I read Walter Isaacson’s epic Benjamin Franklin: An American Life and was all wrapped up in the days of the early Revolution. I then watched Spielberg’s Lincoln and loved it before starting this book. This book is a fascinating account of the days leading up to and the 12 day manhunt that occurred after President Lincoln’s assassination. Lots of inside stuff I never knew about. And it’s written in a very modern way that keeps events interesting and not like reading events out of a history book. Right after reading this book, I watched Robert Redford’s The Conspirator to complete my unofficial “Lincoln trilogy”. So now, I’m on the lookout for Swanson’s other books he’s written, most specifically the one about Kennedy’s assassination. But I highly recommend this book.

Star Wars: Tarkin (2014) – James Luceno – This last slot was tough. I had a few REALLY good books I could have put here. Most notably The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch and When March Went Mad by Seth Davis. But I went with my gut and chose this book. The second Star Wars book on my list. I really love what they’ve been doing with the Star Wars novels the last few years. They’ve really been changing it up and getting really good stories out there. Luceno wrote one of my favorites from a few years ago, Darth Plagueis, and he looked to do the same thing here. But this is a more intimate story than the galaxy wide epic that played out in the pages of that earlier book. Luceno really fleshes out the character of Tarkin in this book and investigates a bit more his relationship with Vader and even the Emperor. Lots of Star Wars-y goodness to be had. It gets me excited to see what comes next for the Star Wars expanded universe.

Comic Books/Graphic Novels

Incredible Hulk: Planet Hulk (2006) – Greg Pak (writer), Carlo Pagulayan (artist) – Oh, man, this book is epic. It’s bad ass. It’s just awesome. Hulk is deemed “too dangerous to stay on Earth” by a think tank of Marvel’s smartest so they devise a way to shoot him off to another world so he can’t hurt anyone. The only problem, something happens en route and Hulk crash lands on the wrong planet. A planet that enlaves Hulk and forces him to compete in gladiatorial games until he decides he’s had enough and stages a coup to take over the planet. So much awesome contained within. I can’t recommend this enough.

Savage Dragon Vol. 1 (1993) – Erik Larsen (writer/artist) – Back in September I decided I wanted to read the first 10-20 issues of all the original launch titles of Image Comics. Most of them were forgettable. However, Erik Larsen’s Savage Dragon was not only readable, it was GREAT and deserves a spot on my list. I was surprised how much I thoroughly enjoyed this comic and I look forward to catching up on all that I missed with this character.

Hawkeye, Vol. 1: My Life as a Weapon (2012) – Matt Fraction (writer), David Aja (artist) – This was suggested to me by several people but I never listened. But the more I heard how good it was the more I became intrigued. So I grabbed the first volume of Matt Fraction’s series for cheap and read it. And loved it. This is minimalist storytelling at its finest. Sort of a “between the panels” look at what Clint Barton does when he’s not being an Avenger. Quirky, but it’s charming and lots of fun. I’ll definitely be checking out more of this series.

Thief of Thieves (2012) – Robert Kirkman (writer), Nick Spenser (writer), Andy Diggle (writer), James Asmus (writer), Shawn Martinbrough (artist) – I’ve actually read the first three volumes of this title which cover the first 19 issues of the series. And it’s pretty great. Master Thief (retired) Redmond is called back into the life in order to save his estranged son. This is a pretty great comic with some pretty great writers. It’s also a nice change from all the super hero books I normally read. Just a regular guy, trying to get on with his current life but his previous life and his reputation won’t let that happen. Great book.

Krampus! (2013) – Brian Joines (writer), Dean Kotz (artist) – I think I’ve talked about this book before. This is such a fun read. It makes great references to all the Santa/Christmas iconography you can imagine and even makes someone like Doc Holliday, that has nothing to do with Christmas, fit right into the story. Great art, fun story. I really hope this gets picked up for some sequels. So much potential awesome to be mined out of these characters. GET IT AND READ IT NOW.

That’s my best of list for 2014. It was really hard to pare some of that list down as I read some really good stuff this year. But I also have some good stuff lined up for myself next year. I plan to continue my Stephen King reading by possibly tackling Needful Things as well as possibly It. There are some good Star Wars books coming out next year featuring Luke Skywalker (Heir to the Jedi) as well as two of our favorite Lords of the Sith.

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A review of The Master Key, An Electrical Fairy Tale by L Frank Baum (1901)

Posted in books, Frank Baum, reviews with tags Baumalong, book, Book Report, Frank Baum, pop culture, reviews on January 5, 2015 by Paxton

Well, it’s been a while since I did an L Frank Baum review. The last Oz book I reviewed was the first post-Baum Oz book The Royal Book of Oz (#15 in the series) back in September 2013. I then reviewed Baum’s non-Oz The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus back in December 2013. Unfortunately, now, I see I’d not done a Baum review in 2014. And that’s a shame. Really sorry about that.

So I thought it was time to check out another of Baum’s non-Oz tales. There’s a short novel Baum wrote that always sounded interesting and has intrigued me ever since. So I thought I’d do that book today.

In 1901, one year after Baum published the first Wizard of Oz book, he released the short novel The Master Key, An Electrical Fairy Tale.

frank-baum-the-master-key

The book was illustrated by Fanny Young Cory who also illustrated Baum’s The Enchanted Island of Yew in 1903. It’s a short boy’s adventure novella with some early elements of science fiction.

The story concerns a young boy, Rob Joslyn, who likes to experiment with electrical devices. He spends his time in his workshop creating electrical inventions that spread all throughout the house. One night while tinkering with his switchboard, he is assaulted by a bright light and sees a being made entirely of brilliant light appear. It’s the Demon of Electricity. Apparently, Rob has touched the “Master Key” and has earned the right to command the Demon. For this honor Rob will receive three gifts from the Demon for the next three weeks to total nine gifts. Over the next few weeks Rob takes the gifts from the Demon and has several adventures all across the globe.

The gifts that Rob receives are all based on electricity and are supposed to show Rob how electricity can be harnessed in nature to do wonderous things. Rob receives a transportation device that uses electrical and magnetic energy to physically transport someone swiftly over great distances. He also receives a tin of food tablets that provide all the nutrition a human body needs for 24 hours (that is somehow based on electricity). He also receives glasses that read a person’s electrical aura to tell if they are good, evil, wise or kind and a small tube that shoots out an electrical signal that knocks a person unconscious for 1 hour. Rob uses these gifts to travel across the globe and help out people like the Kings of England and France, two shipwrecked sailors and a group of middle eastern peoples in a war with each other.

It’s a fun, fanciful read. Typical Baum. Rob winds up getting into a lot of his mischief because he falls asleep at inopportune moments but he’s able to use the gifts and his own ingenuity to get out of the situations. The story reminds me a lot of Aladdin with the Demon of Electricity as the genie and Rob as Aladdin.

Baum makes a few good predictions with his gifts. Especially considering he was writing in 1901. The electrical tube that incapacitates people for an hour is strikingly similar to a Tazer. In a later passage, Baum comes very close to describing intellectual piracy with another gift the Demon bestows on Rob. It’s a small device that can look in on any event that is happening throughout the world. At one point Rob watches a brand new play being performed and is suddenly filled with guilt because he didn’t pay to see the performance. Rob goes on to think that if these little devices become more common then people would sit at home to watch the performances and the actors would all starve to death. Very prescient if you ask me, Mr Baum.

Fanny Cory’s illustrations are simple yet fit the story well. Below are two of the color illustrations. There are also numerous smaller black and white illustrations throughout the chapters. The picture on the left showcases the first time Rob uses the electrical transporter to fly away from his house in front of his family. The right picture shows Rob after encountering a tribe of cannibals on an island. Click the images to see them bigger.

master key 04

I love the cover to the book, it has always intrigued me. It comes from an illustration on the inside. Here’s that illustration from inside the book. It is the first time the Demon of Electricity appears to Rob in his workshop.

Considering the Demon is the main thrust of the story, I’m surprised there are not really any big illustrations of him. He is only showcased a few times in some of the smaller black and white chapter drawings.

Overall, yes, I can recommend this book. It has the typical Baum charm and is fun to read. Very much a journey story where the protagonist learns a lesson and essentially figures out that he was better off before the fantastical events of the book started.

The book is in the public domain and can be read in its entirety here.

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Making 7 Literary Classics More AWESOME

Posted in books, Classic literature with tags Book Report, books, classic literature, humor, Photoshop, pop culture, Star Trek, The Godfather on February 26, 2014 by Paxton

I’m a reader. I love to read. And I sometimes enjoy reading classic literature. However, some of the old stuff is just flat out boring as balls. I mean, have you actually read Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles, Frank Norris’ McTeague or anything by James Joyce? Snoozeville. Population…YOU. I had to read those in high school and I needed to drink a case of Jolt Cola to get through just one chapter.

So, being the helpful guy that I am, I thought I’d take some boring classics you may have had to read in high school and college and make them better. More AWESOME. And easier to read.

So now, here are seven ways to make classic literature a lot more AWESOME. You are welcome, literature.

Don Corleone Quixote – Old guard crime boss Don Corleone Quixote sets up shop in an old windmill with trusty right hand man Pancha.

Little Haunted House on the Prairie – A family is brutally murdered in their secluded old farm house. Twenty years later, an unsuspecting couple purchases the old farm house looking for a serene retreat from their hectic lives only to find skin crawling terror and wheelbarrows of blood.

The Grapes of Wrath of Khan – The Joad family pick up a hitchhiker on their way to California. Little do they know their new addition is a genetically enhanced super being from the future looking to overthrow and rule the human race. Wackiness ensues.

Continue reading →

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Year End Book Report: The Best Books I Read in 2013

Posted in Batman, books, comic books, movies, pop culture with tags Book Report, books, gunfighters, reviews, Star Wars, westerns, Year End Books on January 10, 2014 by Paxton

How did this happen!? It’s that time of year again where I pick my favorite books of the year? Is 2013 over already? WTF?! Time is just flying by. My son is 3, my daughter is 1 and I’m writing the fifth in my series of year end book reports. THAT. IS. COCONUTS.

Anyway, if you’ve read this article in the past you know I keep my book log online. Here’s the link to my Book Log on Google Spreadsheet. There are tabs for every year since 2007. Take a look on the 2013 tab and you can see that I read 58 books/comics/graphic novels this year. That’s way low compared to 2012 in which I read 80 books/comics/graphic novels. However, having two kids will do that to you. Those totals include not only books I read for the first time but anything I re-read for the second (or more) time. For the list below, though, I’ll only take into account books I read for the first time in 2013.

And I actually have FOUR books on this list that were released in 2013. That may be a personal record.

Below you will find, first, my list of favorite books and following that my list of favorite comic books/graphic novels. Enjoy.

Books

Impulse (Jumper Book 3) – Steven Gould – I talked about this series on the Nerd Lunch podcast last year and I sort of reviewed the first two books on the blog back in 2009. I enjoyed the movie for what it was but it led me to the books which were published first. And the books are excellent. There are three of them; the original Jumper from 1992, the 2004 sequel, Reflex, and then this third book which was released early 2013. All three books are excellent, but you’ll need to read the first two before reading this book. There’s a lot of continuity that flows throughout the books. Oh, and if you hated the movie, don’t worry, other than sharing a few of the same characters, the stories are completely different between the two. Just a warning, though, there is another “Jumper” book by Steven Gould called Jumper: Griffin’s Story. That book is not really a part of this series, it’s a part of the movie series. Confusing? Yes, but that’s the way it is. Read my blog review above for a little bit more explanation. All that aside, this is a fun read that I thoroughly enjoyed. And hopefully we don’t have to wait 10 years for another Jumper book.

The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastards Book 1) (2006) – Scott Lynch – I forget how I first stumbled across this book, I think it was while I was searching the store on my Nook. I was intrigued by the title and the premise. It’s somewhat like an Ocean’s 11 con man/heist story but set in a fantasy world. Hard to explain, but the book is extremely well written, has a great world built up within and interesting, smart and dangerous characters. Gun to my head, I would probably put this as my favorite book of the year. Just really fun and well written. I recently bought the sequel, Red Seas Under Red Skies, with holiday money and I’m eyeballing the third book, The Republic of Thieves, which came out in Oct 2013. Lynch also plans a series of novellas based within this world. If you like smartly written, character based fantasy with a nice helping of action, this book is for you.

Star Wars: Scoundrels (2013) – Timothy Zahn – Timothy Zahn is one of the best Star Wars EU writers. He wrote the Zahn Trilogy as well as the awesome books Star Wars: Allegiance and Star Wars: Outbound Flight (which made my favorites list in 2010). This is a Han Solo adventure that also happens to include Chewie, of course, and Lando. And it’s great. I honestly hope that when Disney makes the Han Solo stand alone movie, they use this as the blueprint. It takes place right after the first Death Star is blown up in the original Star Wars: A New Hope. Han gathers a team of expert con men and thieves in order to steal a priceless piece of art from a Black Sun boss. Han hopes the proceeds from the job will free him of his debt to Jabba. Lots of well written, fun dialogue and heist action. There’s also a short story prequel to this book called Star Wars: Winner Lose All that focuses on what Lando is doing right before the actual book. It, too, is a lot of fun.

Star Wars: Kenobi (2013) – John Jackson-Miller – Oh wow, two Star Wars books get to make my list this year. Yay! This book was very highly anticipated by myself. I’ve said for years that a movie or book based on Obi-Wan’s “Tatooine Years” would be amazing. When Disney was throwing out the stand alone movie ideas I said Ewan McGregor as Kenobi should get one. And this book should be the basis. It takes place just after Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. Obi-Wan has dropped off Luke to the Lars Homestead and he’s setting up base in the Judland Wastes and starts getting acquainted with the denizens of a small moisture farming town who are being attacked by Tusken Raiders. Great book. Check it out.