Joe Goodhart (27 KP) rated House of X/Powers of X in Books
Nov 30, 2020
***
Say what you want about Marvel and their annoying reboot kerfuffles, but this whole "Dawn of X" that Jonathan Hickman is helming? FUCKING BRILLIANT, okay?!!? I swear to ya, the X-books haven't been this exciting or even remotely relevant in about twenty years! And as some who's been reading the X-books since the late 70's (yeah, I'm THAT old!), you can be sure that means something!
I have been bored with Wolverine's character the last handful of years. Other than the film LOGAN, I thought his character was overused and something of an ass, if I have to be honest. However, here? Holy crow, I am digging the ol' canucklehead again! Thank you, Mr. Hickman!
And I am going to keep this next bit Spoiler-free, just in case there is anyone reading this review and they have not yet finishing a'readin' it... Who knew [SPOILER-FREE] was a frikkin' mutant?! Again, I am a reader of the X-Men since the late 70's, but I still never had an even inkling that they were a mutant! And the way it was all presented? EPIC! I wanted to hate it, because it sounded so frikkin' trope-ish, without any redemptive potential! None of us likes to be proven wrong, but in this, yeah, I'll take it! Hickman did a smashing job with this plot point, one in which I am apt to conclude that when "Dawn of X" reaches its pinnacle (whenever this is.. <u>Thanks, COVID!!</u>), it's gonna come back around and it's a'gonna pack one hell of a punch!
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/188153395@N04/50081223842/in/dateposted-public/" title="Image00016"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50081223842_cb1c47d5be_n.jpg" width="220" height="218" alt="Image00016"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
And I am fairly certain that what I am about to say is not going to be a spoiler, as I feel this has been true for some time now, but good Lord, Professor X is a dick! He is playing chess, with a board in his head that only he knows of, and anyone who is close to him gets relegated to "pawn status"!
I totally get where he, Erik (Magneto) and [SPOILER-FREE] are working towards with the whole mutant-nation of Krakoa, I truly do! But, with Xavier keep his hand of cards close to his chest, it seems sketchy at best! While we have seen Xaviers in past X-books where he wasn't as good as we thought, but it got old hat, y'know? Here? Yeah, I'm in for the long haul, as I am curious where this is all going to go and I suspect it's not going to go well as far as Xavier is concerned!
And amaz-a-balls as Hickman is with all this, it would be so unbecoming of me if I didn't address the fab art on both series! We had Pepe Larraz on HoX, while R.B. Silva handled the art for PoX. And let me tell ya, both of them did bang-up jobs, really bringing the icing for two already outstanding "cakes"! Bravo, gentleman, bravo!
So, time to wrap this up.. If you have any vested interest in all things mutant-related and have felt severely disappointed in the way things have been handled for the last twenty years plus, then you sincerely owe it to yourself to read this book! Worse case scenario? You're a closed-minded S.O.B., like I used to be, and there's just no pleasin' yer ass!
Peace. y'all!
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Merissa (11958 KP) rated Heart of the Fae (The Otherworld #1) in Books
Dec 8, 2017
This is an excellent story that grips you from the start. The descriptions of the blood beetle are enough to curl your toes, and therefore it becomes just as important to the reader that Sorcha finds a cure. The author has certainly done her research with regards to Irish mythology, and it certainly shows in this story. Yes, it is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but to be honest, that was second to the mythology that I was reading. Descriptive and smoothly paced, this story is full of Fae (both Seelie and UnSeelie), old legends and new stories. There is never a dull moment in this story, and the scenes flowed from one to the next. The characters are all fully developed, and I can't wait to read more about them. I love how they are 'complicated', there isn't a single one that is just "good" or "bad". If I had to say one bad thing about this book, it's that I was NOT ready for it to end. However, it did *sigh* and now I must wait impatiently for book 2!
A fantastic Fantasy that I highly recommend.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Connor Sheffield (293 KP) rated Assassin's Creed: Revelations in Books
May 15, 2017
Following the story of the third and final game in the Ezio story line, as seen in the Ezio Collection video game, and combining it with his final moments told in the 'Assassin's Creed: Embers' short film with more detail, as books do best.
The Revelations Novels offers us insight into the mind of an aging Ezio, as he journeys to Constantinople where the Templar Order are threatening to destabilize the Ottoman Empire. Ezio meets new friends even after all these years, such as Yusuf. Ezio also discovers more about his ancestor Altaïr and the mystery behind what lies in Altaïr's tomb beneath Masyaf.
His journey began as a pilgrimage, but quickly turns into a battle with the Templar's once more. With help from his new friends, and allies, Ezio must help stop the rising Templar army in order to find the missing keys to the Masyaf tomb. Through letters to his sister Claudia, and through the same format as the previous two Ezio novels, we read about Ezio as though we were watching him in the animus, but unable to control what happens, unlike the video game.
As mentioned in my previous review, I'm not sure how many times I can praise Bowden for his work on this series. All I can say is that he does not fail to entertain and reveal a new experience to the world of Assassin's Creed. If you have read my previous reviews then you know how much I praise this man for his work on the series of Novels he has written for the fans. Each one delivers a new thrilling experience and each one stays true to the events of the video game as much as possible. Of course each person who plays the video game plays differently. These novels give more of a sense of what the Assassin's themselves would have truly done in the events that unfold.
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated The Murder of King Tut in Books
Apr 27, 2018
Genre: non-fiction thriller
Rating: 4.5/5
Summary: James Patterson tells a story in three parts—one part, the mysterious death of King Tut, the second part the discovery of his tomb by Carter, and the third part his writing, own exploration, research, and discovery of the elusive history of the boy king.
Thoughts: This is one of the best James Patterson books I’ve ever read (listened too). JP has taken an age old mystery and solved it. Yes, it appears as though the mystery of Tut is mystery no more. This book is very alive, even though the plot revolves around a murder. I felt like I was standing right there, watching it all take place. At times, I felt like the characters themselves. This was an amazing escape from reality.
Characters (5/5): Characters should be relatable for a book to be enjoyable, and the characters in Tut’s world were wonderful. They were highly developed right away, and were the kind that either you routed for or hated with a passion.
Writing (4/5/5): James is an awesome writer. I always love reading his work because it’s so lyric. His words flow smoothly and he doesn’t overuse too many phrases (though several “waves” of various things did “wash over” many people).
Content (4/5): There was barely any language in this book, which was a nice change of JP’s work. It wasn’t necessary, either. It just goes to show that the point can be made—and made well—without filthy language. There was a little bit of sex but it wasn’t too graphic, nor was it frequent.
Reader (4/5): I really liked the voice of the reader for this book. I’ve heard some pretty awful ones before, I’ll say that much right now! But Joe’s voice was perfect for this book. The only thing I didn’t like were the voices he put with the characters—the accents were pretty lousy, and when he put on a “fake” voice for the child characters, it just sounded a little silly. I was glad when Tut got old enough that he didn’t have to do that anymore!
Recommendation: Ages 16+ to lovers of fiction, history, nonfiction, thrillers, mystery, or to any James-Patterson-addict.
MaryAnn (14 KP) rated Jaguar (Painter Place Saga, #3) in Books
Nov 4, 2019
My Thoughts: This is the continuing saga of Painter Place, where there is no shortage of drama. In this episode we find Caroline abducted and taken into the jungle to escape the cartel. The thing is, it is her former boyfriend whom Caroline thought to be dead that is her rescuer. How will this affect her marriage? Will she ever get home to her family and children?
This is a fast-paced novel that will keep the reader on the edge until the very end. Pamela Poole writes her books that will make the reader think. Always full of valuable lessons for all of us to consider. I enjoyed meeting new characters and of course meeting up with some old ones. I do believe that the author was trying to convey how powerful our prayers can be; and enjoyed reading about the jaguar. I certainly look forward to her next book in the series.
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