Review: Justice League: Cry for Justice Issue 1

Puttering Plot but packed with B-List Heroes and Extras (4 stars)

The mini series, Cry for Justice, reflects a wonderful theme of heroics and what the obligation of heroics entails. The comic starts off with a collective meeting of super heroes including Hal Jordan, Superman, Supergirl, the Green Arrow, the Flash, and others. With despair over the friends they have lost in the battle against evil this body starts to fracture about how they should push back and take the fight to their enemies; obviously with Superman taking the side of protecting and "fighting the good fight," so to speak.

The Green Lantern and the Green Arrow splinter off to take the fight to their enemies instead of waiting and responding. James Robinson does an excellent job of painting the camaraderie and friendship between the two Green Heroes, and alludes to a collective past history. Issue 1 of Call for Justice shines in the character relationships and interactions but it falls short in direction and plotting. By the end of the issue there has been little to no development of the master plan of the apparent antagonist Prometheus. The storyline jumps all over the place and follows several heroes and their personal call for justice and gives a little insight into how each character ticks. These scenes include the opening scene with Green Lantern and Green Arrow, Ray Palmer and the Atom, Starman, and Congobill.

While the plotting and direction drags in this opening installment there is definitely a feeling of the larger scope of good versus evil on the horizon. On its own right, the storyline is certainly not the strength of this issue, but the cast of characters and the way they interact with each other is the shining beacon. The illustrations by Mauro Cascioli are beautiful and realistic. For readers that enjoy the realistic touch with the edgy feel this is a good comic to fall into.

In addition, Cry for Justice issue 1 is packed with additional materials including writer James Robinson's commentary on the series, some panel sketches, and an origin story of CongoBill. While the Origin story is extremely short (only two pages) it contains a nice short story of how CongoBill came to be supplemented by some beautiful illustrations of the golden gorilla. Robinson makes it clear that he is interested in spotlighting some less famous heroes in this series so there should be some expectation for future Origin stories in the remaining issues. Interestingly enough, Robinson states that his desire with CongoBill is to bring him more mainstream and get him known simply by Bill; which becomes apparent in Issue 2 when Bill introduces himself. The commentary really adds to the entire experience.

Good reading,

Plants and Books

Review: Death of Superman

Title: Death of Superman
Author: Dan Jurgens, Louise Simonson, Roger Stern, Jerry Ordway
Copyright: 1993
Publisher: DC Comics
ISBN: 1563890976


Notes: First graphic novel adaptation of the Death and Return of Superman. Includes crossover issues from Superman, Superman: The Man of Steel, Adventures of Superman, and Action Comics.

The Death of an American Icon - 3 stars - a book review

In 1992 DC Comics killed off the superhero who brought comic books to their glory days. In a similar fashion, the death of Superman brought thousands upon thousands of new readers to the genre since Superman had become an American cultural icon. While short lived, this collection of comics represents a turning point in the comic industry, where no superhero was safe any longer. Shortly thereafter, DC Comics pulled a similar "stunt" with their other flagship hero, Batman, with the Knightfall story arc. Regardless, what transpired in the pages of these comics would be talked about for years.

Introduce Doomsday, a mysterious and sinister alien killing machine, with one thing on his limited mind: destruction. After escaping from being buried beneath the Earth's surface for who knows how long, Doomsday stages a one man mayhem show across half the United States.

Doomsday first faces off against the Justice League of America, quickly leveling them to nothingness, rendering them obsolete with his power and strength. Their combined powers do little to stop Doomsday, who time and time again proves he cares nothing for anything, killing birds in the palm of his hand and strangling a deer for no reason. What happens next would be the fight of the century against this beast and America's cultural icon, Superman.

The Death of Superman story arc is long in the action scenes and short in the storyline.
Absolutely no information is given about Doomsday at this point and the only focus of the remaining storylines is stopping him from destroying Metropolis (and everything else in his way). There are a few brief moments of reflection among minor characters about how Superman saved them or what Superman means to them. The virtue of the mysterious nature of Doomsday is appreciated, since it adds to his allure as a supervillain; similar to the recent movie, The Dark Knight, and the villain Joker. The reader is absolutely unaware of any motivation, making Doomsday that much more treacherous. Readers wouldn't find out about the history of Doomsday until the Superman/Doomsday: Hunter/Prey story arc published in 1994.

While Superman is one of my personal least favorite heroes, this collection is a must read for the same reason it sold out overnight with a starting number of published issues that had never before been dreamed. With Superman being such a cultural icon, watching his fall is a must anyone. The action is unparalleled as it had to be since the stakes had never been higher. How do you create a monster worthy of killing a Superman? The satisfying answer is in the Death of Superman.



Good reading,

Plants and Books

Review: Daemon by Daniel Suarez

Title: Daemon
Author: Daniel Suarez
Copyright: 2009
Publisher: Dutton Adult
ISBN:0525951113


Notes: first book in a series, followed by Freedom.

Intriguing and Exciting Beginning; Story Comes Off the Track at the Midway Point - 3 stars - a book review

Daemon has an irresistible premise: upon the death of computer mastermind, Matthew Sobol, a computer virus type is released that wreaks havoc on the technology based world. Spread out (unknowingly) over thousands of computers, Sobol's Daemon is constantly checking online news websites for key words and phrases which, when triggered, unleash a new plague of technological insanity including stealing stocks and major business' money, recruiting members to his cause, and releasing alternative media. With Sobol already dead, it becomes increasingly impossible to stop the mayhem as everything is already in motion and nobody is directly controlling the direction of the Daemon.

The first half of the book is a wonderful techno thriller. During this early stage of the book, Suarez gives sufficient pertinent information about the inner working of the Daemon searching news sites and the logical progression of what terror is unleashed. The reader has full knowledge of each step of the Daemon's "thought process" and, although some suspension of belief is necessary, everything makes sense. Unfortunately, once the Daemon becomes so big and powerful; and a chunk of time elapses without any information provided to the reader, the book becomes much more of suspension of all belief. Whereas the first part of the book the reader feels like he/she is in control and knows everything that is going on, the last half of the book there is so much going on behind the scenes with only minor (and insignificant) views of Sobol's "army" doing things they don't even know why they are doing them. Each person in Sobol's "army" has no clue what he or she is doing, only a brief piece of the puzzle (i.e. take this mechanized part to location X). While this story telling mechanism works to push the story, it loses emphasis with the reader as to the power of the Daemon brainchild Sobol. At the beginning of the book I thought Sobol was a pure mastermind supervillian genius. By the end of the book, I really did not care much for the dead architect as the story shifted dramatically from a techno thriller to a simple action adventure story of nearly impossible proportions.

The characters in Daemon are unique and suffer many trials and tribulations. The best characters were the ones who thought they were in control and making headway towards stopping Sobol's Daemon only later to find out they were only a pawn in the master plan. The emotional responses in these characters were written well, and the characters had my full empathy.

Daemon, for the most part, is a tightly written techno thriller. I may be a bit too critical because I recognize how difficult it can be to accurately and completely write about the exponentially expanding influence of the Daemon; I only wish the entire book was a solid as the beginning. If you are looking for a solid techno thriller from beginning to end you might look elsewhere; however, if you like techno thrillers and action adventure you have come to the right place.

You might also check out Peacemaker, by Dan Ronco, for a similar techno thriller on the doomsday scenario with technology leading to societal downfall.

Good reading,

Plants and Books

Review: Deadhouse Gates by Steven Erikson

Title: Deadhouse Gates
Author: Steven Erikson
Copyright: 2005
Publisher: Tor Books
ISBN: 0765348799

Notes: Second book in The Malazan Book of the Fallen series.

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Getting Better, but Still an Unsatisfying Return on Investment - 3 stars - a book review

Having been utterly amazed by the world building and utterly disappointed in the story telling of Gardens of the Moon, I started Deadhouse Gates. Had it not been for the epic world building and the positive opinions of people whose reading tastes and preferences generally aligns with my own I would have stopped right there with the Malazan Book of the Fallen. All over the internet almost everyone agrees that Gardens of the Moon is the weakest of the series, and that after you read Deadhouse Gates or (in some opinions) the third book, Memories of Ice, you will be hooked. Generally speaking, upwards of three thousand pages is a hefty undertaking, especially considering the return on investment is not so apparent. I have to say that Deadhouse Gates was a considerably better told story than its predecessor; but I'm not sure at this point if the time and energy spent was equivalent to the output received from Deadhouse Gates.

The first (and most obvious) thing to note is that this book starts a whole new storyline on an entirely different continent than the events that occur in Gardens of the Moon. This tactic works well because it establishes how epic and vast the worldly struggle is. The problem, of course, is with Erikson's writing style it is a huge personal struggle to get engaged with the new characters and the background of the area. If you enjoyed the confusion from Gardens of the Moon of being dropped in the middle of a sweeping landscape of political turmoil and magical/metaphysical trouble then you have that to look forward to again; although Erikson has definitely improved in area of character introductions. Some might be frustrated that it took 650+ pages to finally understand who the characters were in Gardens of the Moon and now they aren't in the second volume. If the third volume really plants me into this series (as it supposedly will) then having the multiple plotlines spanning multiple books will be a solid victory in establishing this series as an epic wartime dark fantasy series.

I thought the plotting of Deadhouse Gates was better than Gardens of the Moon and the storyline/character motivations were much more real and believable. In fact, I believe that Coltaine, the commander of the 7th army, is the most fascinating character of the series thus far. I was engaged with his hard nosed, duty stricken nature, cursed by both his objective of saving 30,000 refugees and his location in the heart of a savage desert. In addition to the plotting, the writing is so heavy and almost cumbersome to read at points. It takes a lot of focus and energy to read Erikson's writing.

I think the most significant struggle with Erikson's series is not that the book is not descriptive; it is ripe with description; the struggle is that it is descriptive in the wrong areas. There is still too many random occurrences and/or knowledge of the world, magic, culture, and army hierarchy that feels like it should be basic knowledge to the reader; but it isn't. I find that overall the sheer lack of information (that supposedly all comes to light in later volumes) is simply more frustrating than the benefit I received from the epic world building and the few extremely fascinating characters. A reader should not have to read seven massive tomes and over 5,000 pages to fully appreciate the first 650 pages of the series; and if a reader doesn't mind doing that or being confused, lost, or overwhelmed more power to him or her; but, I still cannot in good faith recommend this series to anyone outside the die hard fantasy junkies.

The cover art is wonderful and the maps, Dramatis Personae, and glossary are welcome additions to the overall purchase.

Am I planning on reading the third installment, Memories of Ice? Yes, although at this point I feel it would have to be an unbelievably spectacular experience in order to make the return on this reading investment worthwhile.

Good reading,

Plants and Books

Kindle Cost Savings Analysis Update: Reflecting the $259 Price Tag

The Amazon Kindle 2 was lowered in price a while back and I am finally updating my cost savings analysis to reflect the "new" $259 price tag. As I mentioned in the previous cost savings analysis, there are plenty of other non-tangible reasons to purchase a Kindle (or any e-reader) including wasting less paper, convenience of book access, and size. I created a spreadsheet that can be easily modified to book reading preference which will illustrate some rudimentary cost savings with some basic assumptions. The previous Kindle cost savings analysis can be found here.

Photo courtesy of Kindle 2.0 product page

Cost Savings Analysis One:
Assumptions:

Hardbacks purchased at Amazon
List price: $27.95
Hard Back discount: 40%
Kindle 2.0 start up cost: $259.00
Equivalent Kindle book price: $9.99
Shipping cost: $3.99
Break even point (without shipping): 15 books (previously 53)
Break even point (with shipping): 12 books (previously 34)

Cost Savings Analysis Two

Assumptions:
Paperbacks purchased at Amazon
List price: $7.99
Kindle 2.0 start up cost: $259.00
Equivalent Kindle book price: $6.39
Shipping cost: $3.99
Break even point (without shipping): 47 books (previously 65)
Break even point (with shipping): 162 books (previously 255)

One thing to keep in mind is the numbers proposed should be considered averages or assumptions. Obviously, it also depends on book buying patterns. I, for one, rarely buy hardback books. I may work on my spreadsheet more if I have nothing better to do than create Excel formulas that would project semi-random purchases of hardbacks (or paperbacks).

Food for thought.

As a side note, AMZN stock is currently at $133.52, thus my hypothetical investment would have yielded me a net profit of $8,512 so far.

Good reading,

Plants and Books

The Amazing Avatar

If you haven't seen Avatar yet, I don't even want to know you. I took off work Friday morning and went and saw it with my wife. We went to the 3D version; but not the IMAX version. My wife tends to feel a little sick at certain movies with a lot of camera movement (i.e. Terminator Salvation) so went to the 3D version only. I'll probably go back someday (soon) and check out the IMAX on my own.

Needless to say, Avatar was an amazing experience. It almost lived up to the epic trailer; and, had the trailer been only slightly less epic the movie would have exceeded my expectations. As it stands, Avatar met my expectations in every single way.

The Colonel was classic in his warmongering ways and his dialogue was priceless. He was easily my favorite character. The main characters associated with the Avatar program were all believable and well done. The world building was nothing short of incredible.

If you haven't seen Avatar yet, you are doing yourself an injustice. My wife loved it and she typically is not a fan of the science fiction/fantasy genres. After the movie ended I started thinking about the entire world of Pandora and the wealth of storytelling that could occur. There could easily be a great, long running science fiction/fantasy fiction series with the world and the cultures. I wish it was...

Good viewing,

Plants and Books

Most Epic Movie Ever?

If, somehow, the upcoming movie Avatar bombs in the box office, it will still have had the most epic movie trailer... ever.

Good viewing,

Plants and Books

Review: A History of Violence by John Wagner

Title: A History of Violence
Writer: John Wagner
Illustrator: Vince Locke
Copyright: 2004
Publisher: Vertigo
ISBN: 1563893673



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Some of the Best Illustrations and a Great Story Line - 4 stars - a book review

A History of Violence is one of the most provocative graphic novels I have read recently. Vince Locke's illustrations are edgy, raw, and unrefined; which adds to the overall feel of the story. It is a gritty story and the hard black and white ink reinforces the chaos and unpredictability of the characters. Some of the shining moments are the large panels simply looking out over the town or a horizon with looming darkness spreading.

The storyline is perfectly articulated, starting with the murder of two people in the opening page. From this first page the reader can tell that all bets are off and anything goes. As the main characters (Tom McKenna) past comes out it becomes more and more obvious that the ending will only come after much bloodshed and violence. A History of Violence reads like an excellent crime book, with supplementary pictures that enhance the experience.

A History of Violence is one of those gems in the graphic novel medium that can almost be told without the commentary and text; the illustrations, while basic black and white, are that good.

The only drawback of A History of Violence is the fact that the story, while excellent, could have been even bigger and better. The resolution comes way too soon and with the capability to convey such an excellent chain of events through words and graphics it is almost squandered. I would have loved to have had twice as much story. Make no mistake, A History of Violence is not to be missed.


Good reading,

Plants and Books

Plants and Books in Print?!

I had an interesting conversation with one of the students at the university I work for today. She was telling me about how she was talking to some guy she knows that reviews movies for a newspaper (I'm not sure which) and that they were looking for someone to review books for the paper. The student mentioned my name and give him my email address; so she told me I should be expecting an email in the near future. It was pretty exciting, but I wonder if my reading interests will jive with what the paper is looking to review; since, shamefully, fantasy/science fiction isn't as mainstream as we all know it should be.

On a side note, I think I just broke the 20,000 page mark for total pages read since January 1. A few stats:

• 59 books read (or are in the process of reading);
• Average book size: 355 pages;
• Average duration of time to complete a book: 5.95 days;
• Average pages read per day: 69.45; and,
• Percentage of reviews requested (either by Amazon Vine or publisher/author request): 44.07%

Maybe I'll see you in the papers!

Good reading,

Plants and Books

Riding Again on the Winds of Time

So the twelfth volume of Robert Jordan's epic fantasy masterpiece was released this past Tuesday, with the previous installment having been released four years ago, and the first volume published in 1990. I am about a third of the way through the book, and I already have to say that it is everything I dreamed and more.

I went to the bookstore on Tuesday over the lunch hour (I almost forgot that it came out that day!) and walking in greeted by a huge display case of The Gathering Storm books and other associated Wheel of Time books put me grinning like a child on Christmas. I decided not to take the afternoon off of work to pound through the book and opted to just enjoy the book like any other, taking it at a pace that was satisfying; although there have been times I haven't wanted to put it down.

I got home and opened The Gathering Storm and saw the familiar font... I haven't felt that great in a long time. Although portions of the book were written by Brandon Sanderson it is hard to see where the author voice changes. The style is very similar to Robert Jordan's and the story pacing so far is miraculous. I can already tell that this volume will be one of the best in recent times and many of the plot lines that had slowed in the past few books are definitely coming to an end (or at least making dramatic progress). The Dark One is definitely getting a stronger hold on reality as his prison weakens.

I'm hoping that there is some serious ta'veren weaving and pulling that occurs in this book, bringing characters together for events that seem to happen just by happenstance; something the first several books had all the time, creating scenes that were near magical. I have not read any Mat Cauthon chapters yet, and I hope that one of my most anticipated plot lines gets some progress; that being the Aelfinn and Eelfinn and Moraine. However, due to the fact that the next book is tentatively called Towers of Midnight I assume the the Tower of Genji and the White Tower plot lines will be resolved in that book.


Anyways... Was it worth the wait? Absolutely. Will it be "the one book to rule them all"? It just might be, but I'm thinking the next one is going to be even better.

Stay tuned for the review; I image I will finish by the end of the weekend at the latest.

Good reading,

Plants and Books

Amazon Stocks Through the Roof

For those of you have been following this blog, you'll remember back in January when I suggested to invest in Amazon stock (this was right around the time that Amazon was making a big announcement, which many correctly assumed would be about the Kindle 2.0). At the time, Amazon stock (AMZ) was trading at $48.40 per share. For the past month or two the price has been hovering around the high eighties/low nineties. I checked today, and Amazon stock is trading for $124.63!


That means my hypothetical investment of $4,840 would now be worth $12,463! I net gain of $7,626... Getting close to twice my initial(hypothetical) investment. I can only imagine that it will continue to go up with the holiday seasons coming up. However, the recent announcement of the Barnes and Noble Nook (the B&N electronic reader) it will be interesting to follow along the success/shortcomings of each business venture.

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Good investing,

Plants and Books

Review: The Man Who Laughs (Batman) by Ed Brubaker

Title: The Man Who Laughs
Author: Ed Brubaker
Illustrator: Doug Mahnke
Copyright: 2008
Publisher: DC Comics
ISBN: 1401216226



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An Unbalanced Collection of Two Batman Stories - 3 stars - a book review

I still cannot imagine for the life of me why DC Comics published these two Batman stories together in one volume, let alone why the volume was name The Man Who Laughs (other than the title story sharing the same name). I can only wager a guess that when it was published The Dark Knight (the movie) was looming on the horizon and DC Comics wanted to get as much Joker/Batman as they could on the shelves. The two stories contained in this graphic novel include Batman: The Man Who Laughs and Batman: Made of Wood.

Batman: The Man Who Laughs introduces (again) the Joker, Batman's number one villain and a fan favorite from the beginning. While the story is familiar to most (especially those outside the comic world who have seen the original Batman movie), it is portrayed in an excellent, very straightforward fashion. There is not a lot of depth to the story; but the visuals and characterizations are what make this story strong.

Batman: Made of Wood was originally a three part story in Detective Comics, revolving around an unsolved mystery. Not only does the Joker not appear in this arc, but the Green Lantern makes an appearance. The story itself is a typical murder mystery with a retired Jim Gordon playing a major role as well. The depiction of Jim Gordon is perfect, in my opinion. In a collection titled The Man Who Laughs, one would expect the Joker to be a central figure in both stories; however, no mention of the Joker is made in Made of Wood.


Both stories are well told and wonderfully illustrated, making the stories real and full of life; but the seemingly polar opposites of the stories make this an awkward collection. With so many great Joker stories out there, and trying to capitalize on the Batman/Joker mania with the upcoming (at the time of publication) The Dark Knight film, could there not have been a better collection? Especially considering that Batman: Made of Wood was longer than Batman: The Man Who Laughs.


Fans of Batman will be sure to enjoy this one; but fans of the Joker will surely be disappointed.

Good reading,

Plants and Books

The Wheel Weaves as the Wheel Wills - Seven Days to Go

I had a conversation with my wife several weeks ago, and by now it is sort of a wash of a memory, but I certainly remember the context and the outcome. She was telling me about waiting for some book to be published and how hard it was with the anticipation, given the level of success and public interest in the previous installments (it might have been the Twilight books, and I hesitate to even mention that series on this blog). She had the audacity to say to me:

"You just don't know what it is like to wait for something like that."

At this point I said something along the lines of:

"EXCUSE ME?! I don't know what it is like to wait?! I've been anxiously (and more patiently than a lot of fans, I might add) awaiting the conclusion to the epic fantasy series The Wheel of Time for over a decade! If anyone in this world knows what waiting for something is like, it is Wheel of Time fans, and nobody else.

Then I started in on the nature of the fantasy genre and specifically The Wheel of Time and epic volumes of high fantasy. Of course, while not factually correct, my statement does resonate the sentiment felt by many of us fantasy nuts who have been in a torrid love affair with a 10,000 page story for the better part of our lives. In any other context, and with the publishing of A Gathering Storm only months away (at the time), I would have certainly included George R.R. Martin fans; but I was already pushing my luck with the allowed time of fanatically speaking about fantasy literature for one car ride to the grocery store.

What's the point, you may ask? Well, in seven days the next installment of one of the all time bestselling fantasy series is being published. On October 27, A Gathering Storm, book 12 of The Wheel of Time, by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson will hit the shelves, just under four years after the previous volume. The light at the end of the tunnel is coming quickly, with a speculated publishing dates of November 2010 and November 2011 for the concluding two volumes of this fantasy work (tentatively titled Towers of Midnight and A Memory of Light, respectively).

After this conversation (or rather my outburst of total lack of respect for the fantasy readers' dedication and patience) I started thinking some more. I honestly can't even really remember life without the knowledge that there is another Wheel of Time volume on the way. What's going to happen in November 2011 once I finish the last word on the last page? The end?

If images like these don't make you wish you lived in a
different world, there is no hope for you.

I can't remember exactly when I started reading The Wheel of Time. I do know that my love for The Wheel of Time has transcended anything else that has been a constant in my life (in terms of duration); I've had three different cars, seven or eight different jobs, I've earned both a Bachelor's Degree and a Master's Degree, overseen the planning and construction of an 18-million dollar building, been directly involved in close to a thousand college students' lives, I started dating and married the love of my life, and have celebrated four anniversaries with her (clearly the most important of those things were the last two).

Talk about young boys becoming men.
Grow out your beard, Wolfbrother.

I love reading. It is one of my favorite things to do. I love escaping into fantasy environments and reading coming of age, epic quests. For these reasons alone, I am eternally in debt to Robert Jordan, since before I picked up The Eye of the World you could not get me to read anything. I actually remember a field trip in junior high when I was sitting next to a guy from my class (who I would later become pretty good friends with) and he was reading one of the first couple of books from The Wheel of Time. I don't remember which one, but I do remember the classic Darrell K. Sweet artwork. He started telling me about the book and I simply said I wasn't interested. He asked me why not and said it is great. I responded:

"I don't like to read."

GASP! I now want to scream anytime I hear someone say that and I always think of this moment. Several years late he and I, along with several other friends, would be debating the weaving's of the Wheel and speculating on a number of pertinent issues on the roof of his house. Moments like those can never be emulated, nor would I want them to be.

As I mentioned previously, reading epic fantasy is truly a torrid love affair (or at least what I assume a love affair would be like). It has been an up and down roller coaster of excitement, disappointment, waiting, late nights, and waiting. I will not even begin to get into the quality of the last few books, as many fans have been rather disappointed. I will mention that sometime after I finished Crossroads of Twilight and after I started reviewing books at Amazon I drank a little too much and started reading reviews on Amazon, so in my passionate state of mind (read: drunken stupor) I pumped out a "review" basically calling anyone that didn't like the book a pseudo-WOT fan and saying they didn't appreciate the magnitude, and blah blah blah. It was great; I remember feeling like people were going to read my "review" and be like, "wait a second, he's on to something here..." I was going to start the revolution of bringing the viewpoints of fantasy fans back to this beloved series. For God's sake, The Wheel of Time is why I read these days! Such blasphemous things should never cross anybody's mind; but of course, it was mostly stupid ramblings and incoherent drivel. I never deleted that "review" because I have fun reading it sometimes. It is fun remembering those moments of passion. Actually, five people thought it was helpful (out of 23), which is still surprising. Some of the finer quotes from my Crossroads of Twilight "review":

Okay, here's the deal: A lot of so called WOT fans have been complaining about the last few books (mainly books seven and on) because they are boring and not as interesting as the first six. I will call these people pseudo-WOT fans because it is clear that they do not appreciate "The Wheel of Time" for it's entire worth, because they only appreciate specific scenes and incredible moments from the first six books (including all of "The Great Hunt," Domani's Wells, the battle with Rahvin, etc.).

I admit, I thought book ten was going to be "The One" book to rule them all. I was disappointed because not much really happens.

So, honestly, as a TRUE fan of "The Wheel of Time," I am telling you that if you truly appreciate the Wheel of Time world and the characters involved, you will appreciate "Crossroads of Twilight." It may not be the best book you've ever read, and you may get a little upset with it, but those are the times you need to step away and think about what is actually going on in the series. These pseudo-WOT fans obviously do not understand anything that is going on, because they are to preoccupied with looking for one good reason for this being "the last Robert Jordan book they ever read," which is exactly what they've been saying for the last three books. And yet, the pseudo-WOT fans will still pick up book eleven, and when it is "the One" book to rule them all, will say, "I LOVE ROBERT JORDAN, I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A FAN OF HIS WORK!!!"

At that point, we will all look back at their one star reviews and say, "well actually, you wern't.... Sorry sucka!"

I cannot believe how stupid I was. The second quote is probably my favorite with regard to my fanaticism. I should also note, for the record, that this was prior to receiving both a Bachelor's Degree and a Master's Degree, as mentioned above.

The last thing that I will mention is that The Gathering Storm is partially written by Brandon Sanderson, from Robert Jordan's notes. Sanderson is a phenomenal writer himself, but it will be different reading the story written by someone other than the visionary.

So, seven days from today I will have the next step in this decade old journey ahead of me. Like Rand al'Thor's coming of age story, I feel that in some ways my own coming of age story has been transpiring in the background (at least I hope so; but we'll see if people start trashing A Gathering Storm and I have a few too many beers one night - be on the lookout for Amazon reviews!). The next biggest decision is going to be power through the book in one sitting or try and savor it? I already know the answer, and have always known the answer since ten years ago. I just need to remember to request Tuesday off of work.

This image is where it all began. Possibly one of the
most celebrated covers in fantasy history.

If any of my fantasy friends out there are reading this, I'll be ready to grab a six pack and head up to the roof and enjoy the night in a way that Robert Jordan would have appreciated.

Ten years. Has it been worth the wait? Absolutely. So as they say, let the Dragon ride again on the Winds of Time.

Good waiting,

Plants and Books

Review: Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson

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Title: Hero of Ages
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Copyright: 2008
Publisher: Tor Books
ISBN: 0765356147

Notes: The concluding volume to the Mistborn trilogy

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The Epic Conclusion to a fully Realized Fantasy World - 5 stars - a book review

Let me just say this before I begin: if you even consider yourself halfway interested in fantasy and you have not read the Mistborn trilogy, you are doing yourself a disservice everyday that passes without experiencing this epic masterpiece.
At the conclusion of The Well of Ascension Vin had been tricked into releasing Ruin, one of the Gods responsible for the creation of the world, and the one given the promise of destroying it. Vin, Elend, and the rest of their gang have their work cut out for them not only fighting an unknown force, the increased ash falls, and larger mists blocking the sun; but also uniting the Dominances and uncovering the secrets left behind by the Lord Ruler.

Hero of Ages brings the trilogy full circle, enlightening readers to things throughout the previous two volumes. The world of the Final Empire is epic in scope and fully realized in this volume. In each installment has unveiled a little bit more of the Final Empire, gradually increasing knowledge of Sanderson's world.


The characters all have their personal conflicts and ethical dilemmas they each have to deal with. They are believable and engaging. Some of the lesser characters in the original Kelsier gang take on more prominent roles, leading the charge on undermining local city governments and completing difficult tasks for Vin and/or Elend. Additionally, the Kandra, the Koloss, and the Inquisitors play a larger role as well, and the history of their species is rich and lush; providing a lot of background information about the land of the Final Empire and the Lord Ruler himself.

My main concern (and it is minor) with The Final Empire is with the character Sazed, the Terrisman scholar. He had previously been one of my favorite minor characters, but in this book he was so preachy about how he couldn't prove any of the hundreds of religions he knew were true; this is understandable since he was having a personal conflict after the loss of his recently found love at the end of The Well of Ascension. However, the nature of his internal dialogue is well executed, and although annoying at first, it does become more meaningful and thoughtful as the book continues.

Per usual, the allomancer battles are exciting and interesting. That magic system devised by Sanderson rivals anything in recent memory in terms of creativity and believability. He executes his Allomantic Pushes and Pulls with grace and ease.

Sanderson's world is enthralling and impossible to resist. I wouldn't recommend reading anything else until you've finished this trilogy. If you are a fantasy fan, you have been kidding yourself for far too long by not reading this.

Good reading,

Plants and Books

Review: Joker by Brian Azzarello

Title: Joker
Author: Brian Azzarello
Copyright: 2008
Publisher: DC Comics
ISBN: 1401215815



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The Joker?! Released from Arkham?! Talk about Insanity! - 4 stars - a book review

The premise of Joker is nearly unbelievable; however, given that premise, the story is believable beyond a shadow of doubt. Joker, in Joker, is in prime form, after being released from Arkham Asylum (for reasons never told, much like the vague and contradicting answers given in The Dark Knight about Joker's scars) and is starting from scratch, with nothing; no money, no help, and he considers "his city" in the toilet due to the negligence and greedy of his former associates. Anyone who thought they had the last laugh when Joker went away is in for the surprise of his life.


Joker's story is top notch; the reader is escorted through a journey with Joker as he tries to reinsert himself into the bowels of Gotham City through the vantage point of a henchman named Jonny Frost, Joker's newest loyal member, and the only guy who picks Joker up from Arkham. Joker starts calling in his old boys to deliver a message: the Joker that they all feared (and readers love) is back. The cast of characters include The Penguin, Killer Croc (in a more human rendition), Two-Face, Harley Quinn, the Riddler, and Batman.


The portrayal of Joker in this graphic novel is the side of Joker that I have always loved more than the others. As you can see, the imagery is strikingly similar to the Heath Ledger portrayal in The Dark Knight, with the ratty faded purple suit and makeup/scars. This is not the bright purple outfit, smiling, wise cracking jester (although Joker does have some great funny moments, although they are most likely only funny to Joker and the reader, as it should be). This Joker is out for blood and no joke will satisfy. The story is gruesome in parts but completely within the realm of plausibility, considering the subject matter.

For the most part, the illustrations are absolutely stunning, and do an excellent job of making the Joker, his associates, and Gotham come to life. This is a back alley story with only a couple of scenes in "higher society," and Lee Bermejo makes the setting a place you don't want to be, night or day. The only (minor) problem I have with the art is that the style switches from panel to panel during some of the story. At times, it is 100% illustration (and well done) and then the next panel will appear almost like a real picture or computer generated image (smudged for grits sake). While I appreciate both styles, I am a person that prefers consistency from panel to panel, from beginning to end.

The only other drawback of Joker is the fact that it is so short. Joker definitely should have been serialized since there is enough material here for several books of the same size. Many times, Joker does something where the plot would have benefited from a little more background (or visualization during the moment, since many times Joker just does stuff with no explanation). Although an excellent story, it almost left me unsatisfied since I felt it could have been a lot deeper, less rushed, and more impactful than it was; however, given the length, it does pack quite a punch.

Good reading,

Plants and Books

Review: Slammer by Allan Guthrie

Title: Slammer
Author: Allan Guthrie
Copyright: 2009
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 0151012954



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Definitely Not A "Slammer" Dunk - 2 stars - a book review

I can see the appeal of this book and I can see how some people would like it; however, I hardly enjoyed it at all. The premise is solid, but underdeveloped. The terrorizing from the inmates to the guard could have been so much greater and the story would have been more of a "throat grabber" had there been more favors, more threats, and... well... more terrorizing. The main character, Glass, is only put in two situations before his life spirals out of control (and the story spirals out of control, I might add). There are parts of the story that are grotesque, but I felt it was more for shock value and could not really buy into those actions.

On top of all that, there seems to be random flashbacks that did not seem to fit in the story for any reason, providing seemingly insignificant details about the characters. Maybe they were significant; but if so, it was poorly executed. The ending was also so unsatisfying and disappointing.

My other concerns with Slammer is that there is no writing in the book above a sixth grade reading level. The writing was pretty juvenile and the dialogue was equally juvenile. It is hard to take a dark and gritty story seriously if there are no words over two syllables.

Overall, I say if the premise of the story strikes your fancy, go for it. Given that it is such an easy and quick read it won't take too much time, and you might enjoy it. In my opinion, there are far better books in this category that are executed better and ten times as engaging, with stronger characters; like Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk and each of the books in the Caught Stealing trilogy by Charlie Huston.

Good reading,

Plants and Books

Review: The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson

Title: The Well of Ascension
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Copyright: 2007
Publisher: Tor Books
ISBN: 0765316889

Notes: Second book in the Mistborn series.

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Sanderson is a Master of his Craft in this Second Volume - 5 stars - a book review

With The Final Empire (Mistborn book one) being one of the best fantasy novels I have read in the past five years, my hopes were high for the continued success of this fantasy world. Needless to say, I was not disappointed, and if Sanderson continues to pump out books at this pace (almost one a year) and this quality (magnificent) he could be hailed in the upper echelons of greats fantasy writers of the decade.

In The Well of Ascension, Brandon Sanderson not only builds upon the unique world and intriguing characters introduced in The Final Empire, but he also shows off his marvelous writing skills by expanding his storytelling repertoire into areas that were not explored previously. While The Final Empire was heavy world building, character introduction, coming of age story with enough magic and wizard battles to satisfy any fantasy junkie for the coming year, The Well of Ascension starts to explore another facet of fantasy fiction: political intrigue. The book starts one year after the conclusion of The Final Empire: Elende Venture is now the king in his experimental idealistic governmental setup imagined around beers with his friends in the previous installment. Since large portions of the book are focused on the political manuevering, The Well of Ascension starts significantly slower the any other Brandon Sanderson book I have read; however, once settled into the different style of book the pacing ramps up quickly and effectively making the overall reading experience beyond satisfying.

Alongside the political nature of The Well of Ascension, there is still the coming of age story of the heroine from The Final Empire, Vin. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the Mistborn trilogy (so far) is the stereotypical fantasy coming of age story told in such a way that is original and engaging, making it nearly impossible to compare to the timeless tale of a boy gaining powers and saving the world. Vin has not only gained significant powers and is still struggling to find her powerful place in the world, but she is also struggling with problems that are far above her maturity level including falling in love, a sense of honor and duty, and the price each of these play on her own mortality.

Finally, what would a good fantasy story be without magic and fighting? As luck would have it, as true to form, there is no need to worry with The Well of Ascension. There is plenty of Pushing and Pulling and allomancer battles to feast upon. As Vin grows more powerful so does the epic-ness of the battles. The fight scenes are beautiful realized and exceptionally original; I could read the epic 700 page tomes of the Mistborn trilogy for the fight scenes alone. I started reading fantasy for the escapism from the real world and found magical worlds where my imagination could run wild. What I really look for in a fantasy book is something that leaves me with visual images that stick with me and that I can fully realize with very little effort. The tales and descriptions in the Mistborn books provide some of the most fully realized, enjoyable, engaging, and believable memories in modern fantasy.

All in all, The Well of Ascension, while starting a little slowly, is a tour de force of fantasy imagery, worldbuilding, and storytelling. If Sanderson is not already at the top his game with his first few books in his career (Elantris and Mistborn) I can’t even begin to imagine what is in store for fantasy in the next decade; of course, with Sanderson at the helm, I won’t have to do much imagining on my own and will be able to sit back and enjoy the ride.

My only minor complaint about this publication is the fact that there is a quote on the back of the mass market paperback comparing Brandon Sanderson to Terry Goodkind...

I’m still mad at myself that I let these books sit on my shelf for years waiting to be read.

Good reading,

Plants and Books

Review: Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson

Title: Gardens of the Moon
Author: Steven Erikson
Copyright: 2004
Publisher: Tor Books
ISBN: 0765310015

Notes: First book in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series.

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Epic Worldbuilding; Mediocre Storytelling - 3 stars - a book review

First of all, for all the Malazan fanboys out there, let me say this: I get it; I really do. I recognize that many (if not most) of the Malazan cult followers will say that Gardens of the Moon is the weakest of the bunch, and the storytelling gets better and it all starts to come together after the second or third books. I get that. In fact, I am truly glad to hear it. I look forward to those moments as I fully intend to read on and most likely finish the series. In all honesty, I can see myself getting sucked into the Malazan world quite easily, becoming a fanboy who posts in the Malazan forums and awaits the next installments like Armageddon is on the horizon. That is what I do with fantasy series; especially series with fully realized worlds, which the Malazan world clearly is.

The truth of the matter is that despite needing two or three books to “get it,” Gardens of the Moon (and the Malazan Empire world) is not for everyone. Two or three books is a lot to swallow for the casual fantasy reader, given that the first two books clock in at 1400 to 1500 pages combined. That is a lot to swallow, especially if it is tough going for the first 300 to 500 pages. And in all honesty, it is tough going; that being said, one of the virtues of Gardens of the Moon is the fact that the world of the Malazan Empire is epic in magnitude and scope while fully realized in every aspect. The world exists and has lore and history galore; it is truly almost unbelievable. The Malazan Empire is the penultimate Dungeons and Dragons world crafted by the most obsessed Dungeon Master, and then written about in all of its glory. The problem with this incredible feat of worldbuilding is the simple girth of the world and the fact that the reader is literally dropped into the middle of it. I am actually hesitant to call it worldbuilding, since the world already exists and the reader almost awakens in the middle of a war.

Added on to that is the mediocre storytelling. There are countless plot lines at the beginning with no real (apparent) connection until much later in the book. Characters are introduced quickly and left behind abruptly, to only come around later on. There are also some fairly interesting plot devices that were almost a total turnoff for me; and I mean close the book and saying “who is kidding who?”

I can see the Malazan Empire in all its glory and I can see the war ravaged country sides, the battle hardened armies, and the towns that barely survived the individual Cleansings. The city of Darujhistan is unbelievable. However, the beauty and magnitude of these people and this world is interrupted, almost detrimentally by the previously mentioned plot devices. No matter how hard I tried, I could not picture in my head, nor believe that a marionette puppet was running around the countryside such as he was. I could not get past it and it ruined the beauty of the scenes that had been developing.

The overarching plot really comes together about halfway through and makes the book tough to put down. As a freshman work of fantasy fiction, I can already see the improvements from the beginning of the book to the end in the storytelling department. With all that in mind, Gardens of the Moon was certainly a chore to read; but it also introduced me to one of the most remarkable and engaging fantasy worlds. Unfortunately, the story told in this world was weak; but as it has been said, this is not a theme of the entire series. And remember fanboys, I will most likely be joining your ranks in another month or so.

I guess my point is that with a fully realized world (such as the one presented in Gardens of the Moon), anything is possible; and I fully expect Erikson to deliver in future installments.

At least at this time, I can honestly only recommend Gardens of the Moon for the most dedicated epic fantasy junkies.

Good reading,

Plants and Books