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X-Force, Volume 1: Angels And Demons
X-Force, Volume 1: Angels And Demons
Craig Kyle | 2008 | Comics & Graphic Novels
8
8.5 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
When X-FORCE relaunched in 2009, I was on board for the first couple issues. Clayton Crain's sombre-hued, v art was perfectly suited to the new incarnation of the team: essentially, they were being re-crafted as a mutant Black Ops team. This was the book that got me into the character of Laura Kinney/X-23, and since that time, I have gobbled everything related to her backstory (both the well-written stuff and the not-so-well-written stuff).

Unfortunately, I was trying to read X-FORCE at a darker point (no pun intended) in my life. Long story short, I dropped the series after the third issue.

Fast forward to now.. I am at a better place mentally/emotionally (for the most part. Some days are better/worse than others). In I went, gobbling it up at a brisker pace than I could have imagined, bearing witness to a hitherto unheard of trail of carnage in an X-related book!

Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost were responsible for the creation of the character of X-23, where she first appeared in the animated series X-MEN: EVOLUTION back in the early 2000's, so I had an inkling of what to expect. However, the animated series was tame as heck compared what went down. If you have had the opportunity to see the movie LOGAN, it was that kind of intensity that was going on in these pages!

From the start, it was a team that Logan did not believe in, and he told Cyclops that in so many words (and a punch to the jaw!). However, as Cyclops told him, these are dark times, and to combat what is about to come, a "no rules" team, one that would be off-the-books is necessary! Logan does not agree with the team as whole, but he goes along with their first mission, as he feels the need to keep an eye on them, as well as watching out for Laura (Cyclops' assigning her to the team earns him the sock on the jaw!).

A lot of blood, a boatload of hurt, and a whole lot of things you mostly likely will not be able to unseen. All in the name of making it safe to be a mutant!

Kyle and Yost's characterizations are spot on, never wavering or disappointing. The characterization for Logan is particularly good, as are that of the Purifiers, the series', and mutantkind's, Big Bad. From the art to the writing, everything about this book, and clearly the series as a whole, is one hundred percent!

I won't lie, this is probably one of the darkest X-books you will ever read! The only one darker that I can think of is OLD MAN LOGAN. However, if you can handle angst-heavy, zero happy endings, then this is definitely for you! I can't recommend it enough!
  
Earth Abides
Earth Abides
George F. Stewart | 1949 | Dystopia, Science Fiction/Fantasy
9
9.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Truly a classic, and a must read.
Earth Abides is not an entertaining book. It is not perfect. It is a tad long-winded at some points, sometimes decidedly dated feeling, and has a serious lack of everything that generally entertains me. It is, at it’s base, a look at the post-apocalyptic world through one man’s eyes. It was first published in 1949, and according to Goodreads, currently has 55 editions. It is considered a sci-fi book, but there’s nothing science fiction about the book. A disease hits, wipes out most of the world’s population, and the few that survive are left to pick up the pieces. That’s it. But that’s not all there is to it. A lot happens, but it’s over the life of one man. There’s no grand battles, no good versus evil in the ruins of the old world, just the quiet puttering of one of the last embers of humanity as it strives to not die out completely. And yet it won’t let you alone until you finish it.

I think this book had to have made some waves when people first started reading in. Published in 1949 and it features an interracial union and espouses a life better without God in it? Yowzers.

I frequently disliked the main character. Isherwood Williams is the type of man that – while I might admire his mind – I would frequently want to thump. He’s full of himself. He’s so cynical about the ‘simplicity’ of the people around him. And, of course, he’s completely human, and there’s the rub. We look for a ‘hero’ in these types of books. Ish is no hero. He’s someone who had the ‘luck’ to survive the end of the world, and now he’s got to live in it. But the world changes – doesn’t it always? And Ish isn’t a King of old. He’s just the head of his Tribe.

Earth Abides feels timeless. I have read many post-apocalyptic books, and they’ve grown tiresome. I approached this book with some caution, because I was afraid of more of the same drivel that is wonderful the first few times you read it, and then swiftly approaches “Been there done that” with disturbing ease. I didn’t want to dislike this book because I was bone-weary of the sub-genre. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case. Because, for all the post-apocalyptic books I’ve read, I don’t think that I’ve ever read a novel like Earth Abides. It also feels the most real. This is how the world goes on; earth abides while humanity fumbles along.

I won’t deny that the main reason I’m making the connection between the two is because I just recently read it, but I could not help but think of McCammon’s Boy’s Life when I finished Earth Abides. I am not someone who self-describes as liking ‘literary fiction’. I’m happy with my genre jollies, thankyouverymuch. I’ll admit to even wrinkling my nose at the idea of reading ‘literature’. However, I think both Earth Abides and Boy’s Life are perfect examples of books that show the appeal of that type of book. They’re not 600 pages long and packed with five dollar words, yet they don’t fit into any particular genre, and they make you think far more than they entertain you.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes:

“If there is a God who made us and we did wrong before His eyes—as George says—at least we did wrong only because we were as God made us, and I do not think that He should set traps. Oh, you should know better than George! Let us not bring all that back into the world again—the angry God, the mean God—the one who does not tell us the rules of the game, and then strikes us when we break them. Let us not bring Him back.”

“Man has been growing more stupid for several thousand years; I myself shall waste no tears at his demise.”

“During ten thousand years his numbers have been on the upgrade in spite of wars, pestilences, and famines. This increase in population has become more and more rapid. Biologically, man has for too long a time been rolling an uninterrupted run of sevens.”

Earth Abides really does deserve it’s spot on the “Must Read” list folks. Its hard to talk about but easy to read. You’ll need some quiet to be able to really appreciate it. Take as long as you need to take with it. I actually walked away from it for a week or so because I have an attention span the length of a gnat, but was drawn back to it, and able to pick up right where I left off.
  
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Everything, Everything
Everything, Everything
Nicola Yoon | 2015 | Children
4
8.3 (49 Ratings)
Book Rating
I'm part of a reading challenge on this app called Habitica where I have to read a book turning into a movie this year, so <em>Everything, Everything</em> kind of got picked because of that. (I know it's problematic. The reading challenges are the only reasons why I chose to read the book.)

Anelise and I were also throwing out random books from our library for hours and this was the first that we both had a copy of or could borrow from the library, so here we are.
<b>
</b> <b>I was hoping to learn more from <i>Everything, Everything</i> than I actually did.</b> Madeline Whittier, aka Maddy, is someone who has SCID - an immune disorder where those affected basically have to be isolated from everything. <b>I learned virtually nothing but the bare bones definition of SCID</b> for the duration of the book:
<ul>
  <li>You have to be isolated from the world</li>
  <li>Anything, ANYTHING can trigger a reaction</li>
  <li>It is basically a very miserable life</li>
</ul>
<div>Let's be honest: it's the dictionary definition.</div>
And <b>everything is so WHIT</b>E. White walls, white rooms, white bookshelves - I like the occasional white but ALL white is associated with hospitals. <b>I suppose hospital is the atmosphere Yoon is going for? </b>Still, though. Hospitals do have a splash of color somewhere? At least I'm pretty sure they do, but I'm that one kid who rarely went to the hospital.

So if you want the really quick version:<b> the romance is the plot</b>. I'm usually not a fan of contemporary romance, but I've been on a contemporary streak lately after reading some amazing books lately in the genre. <b>The romance between Mandy and Olly is adorable</b> - seeing their limited interactions, IMs, emails, etc. and even when they saw each other outside of those. <b>If you don't mind a cute romance or have a curiosity to know more about SCID, then <i>Everything, Everything</i> might be up your alley.</b> But I like learning things. This is why I'm still Ravenclaw and not Gryffindor, so Pottermore is wrong, I tell you. WRONG.

I thought<b> the layout was interesting and different, making the book seem quicker</b>. I also loved the illustrations - they complemented the story really well and felt like a nice addition.

Despite the cute romance, interesting layout, and amazing illustrations, <b>I am still disappointed with the ending.</b> It's one of those endings that might depend on the reader’s preferences, but I thought <b>it was a screwed up ending where some of the characters have HUGE issues</b>. I know I have my own issues of life, but this one is a really messy issue and I'm surprised no one got even a tiny bit suspicious for what? 16, 17 years?

I know there are some out there who will turn around and say that <i>Everything, Everything</i> is a fantastic novel. It is! But <b>the ending ruined everything, and I cannot add this to my collection of shove worthy books.</b>

<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/everything-everything-by-nicola-yoon/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>