The Blue Fairy's Bookshelf

Black Powder War Naomi Novik, 2006 Premise: Sequel to His Majesty's Dragon and Throne of Jade . Laurence and Temeraire are finishing their business in China and preparing for the long journey home, when new orders change their plans. They have to take their crew and hurry to Istanbul to take possession of three new dragon eggs, paid for in a treaty with Britain. In order to get there they'll have to face deserts and many more inhospitable miles. Even if they succeed in their mission, though, they'll have to get the eggs home, but meanwhile Napoleon is moving on Prussia, and soon all mainland Europe may fall... This was a great read, and a worthy successor to the earlier books. I love the continuing threads as Temeraire refines his theories of dragon equality, and Laurence tries to find a place to stand balanced between what he thinks is right and what he knows is possible. There is plenty of action interspersed, and we meet quite a few new dragons and ways ...

Just one pick today, but it's a good one. New in stores on 3/28/12 American Vampire #25 (Death Race Part Four) Writer: Scott Snyder, Artist: Rafael Albuquerque, Colors: Dave McCaig This is a great wrap up to a really fantastic story arc. We finally get the history (such as it is) between young vampire-hunter Travis and American Vampire/all-around bastard Skinner Sweet. The twists come fast and furious as the fight plays out and the reappearance of the Vassals has me really interested in what's coming up. Albuquerque's art is perfect for the tone, as usual, and the dialogue is snappy. I love this book when it's both dark and defiant, and I hope to see Travis again soon. Good to see Pearl again in the epilogue, although it's a sad, if expected, turn of events. I really enjoyed this arc, and while I'm intrigued by the upcoming two-issue story about a minor character from the Ghost War arc, I'm really looking forward to seeing Pearl and Skinner togethe...

The Hunger Games Suzanne Collins, 2008 Premise: I think you know by now. Badass teen Katniss Everdeen is drawn into a competition in which teenagers try to kill each other while being filmed for the entertainment/oppression of the masses. Okay, let me get this out right at the start: The Hunger Games is a compelling story that's really hard to put down. It's really well written. And it has a logic hole in the premise the size of a 747. While I was reading it, I just flew through the pages. I adore Katniss. She's a complicated character without being too flawed or too perfect, and I love her down-to-earth attitude about everything. She's fierce and unapologetic and awesome. I love her relationship with her sister and the friendships she builds later in the book. I loved reading about her alone in the woods, or alone in the arena, in a similar way that I love Island of the Blue Dolphins . It's a survival story much of the time. The world, on the other...

I haven't done a Follow Friday in a while (long enough that they've changed their logo) but I do glance at the questions each week and I quite liked this one. It's still hosted by  Parajunkee's View  and  Alison Can Read Today's Question is: Q.  What is the longest book you've read? What are your favorite 600+ page reads? I remember the first time I read a book that I thought was impressively long. That book was Watership Down , and I remember having a giant hardcover edition from the library, although most editions of that book fall in the 450-500 page range. I exceeded this achievement fairly quickly. I'm not sure what the longest book I've read might be by now. For a while it was To Green Angel Tower by Tad Williams, which is long enough that it's generally split into two when published in paperback. Tad Williams' Otherland series are all 700+ page bricks, too. 1104 pages, so it might still hold the crown, if it wasn'...

Only one issue purchased this week, and it's likely to get even sparser from here on in. (See list at the bottom of this post) Issue new in stores on 3/21/12 Star Trek/Legion of Superheroes #6 Writer: Chris Roberson, Pencils: Jeffery Moy, Inker: Philip Moy, Colors: Romulo Fajardo, Jr. This issue wraps up this cute little crossover. Like most stories of its type, it's a fun exercise for fans, but nothing too special. There are a bunch of decent character beats as the Legion and the Enterprise Crew swiftly wrap up the plot: Brainiac and Spock are clever, Cosmic Boy and Saturn Girl show off their power, and Kirk makes a big speech about the idiocy of his enemy. Pretty standard stuff for these folks. There is one very odd panel that appears to be an art error: McCoy is clearly wielding a hypospray by the context, but the picture shows... a dagger? Well, everything is solved in short order and unraveling time paradoxes return both teams home with no one the wiser. This cr...

Bride of the Rat God Barbara Hambly, 1994 (e-edition 2011) Premise: Small-town Norah is surprised how well she's adjusting to Hollywood as her sister-in-law's assistant and doggie caretaker.   Chrysanda (aka Christine) is a rising star in the silent movies with a flamboyant lifestyle and a troupe of Pekinese. Norah begins to hope that she can finally start to put the sadness of her husband's death behind her, when mysterious happenings begin to follow both women. What does Christine's necklace have to do with a gruesome murder? And how can they protect themselves from something they barely understand? This was absolutely delightful, a B-movie set in literary prose. The plot has curses and visions and magic from the MYSTIC EAST, and through it all Norah is determinedly practical and grounded. I love how she manages, even when being practical involves listening to some dreams and not others, talking her friends into seeking out a Chinese wizard, and paying atte...

A Princess of Mars Edgar Rice Burroughs, 1917 John Carter Directed by Andrew Stanton Screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Mark Andrews, Michael Chabon Disney Pictures, 2012 I went to see John Carter last weekend, and I really enjoyed it. For the occasion, I also re-read A Princess of Mars . The Book: Premise: John Carter is a life-long soldier, a veteran of many wars. While prospecting for gold during a time of peace, he is driven into a cave full of a deadly gas. He dies. Yet his greatest adventure lies ahead of him, for he then goes miraculously to Mars. He has to learn to live among the violent warring Thark tribes, especially once he decides to rescue Dejah Thoris, princess of Helium. Adventures ensue! I liked this book a lot more than I remembered. It does have a good deal of telling-rather-than-showing at times, and especially early on there are some dated attitudes that are pretty awkward to read. Before too long, though, it settles into a good pulpy science-fant...

Favorite Issue This Week: Wolverine and the X-Men #7 All Issues new in stores 3/14/12 Demon Knights #7 Writer: Paul Cornell; Pencillers: Diogenes Neves & Robson Rocha; Inkers: Oclair Albert, Julio Ferreira, Robson Rocha; Colorist: Marcelo Maiolo This issue wraps up the first arc, with the rest of the Horde's attack on the village of Little Spring. Xanadu gets back into the thick of things, and all of the Knights acquit themselves well. The ending is dark in a way that isn't too annoying, although my favorite bit of the issue was probably a flash of black humor early on between Etrigan and Savage. Exoristos has some especially nice moments, too. I want much more of her and The Horsewoman as the series continues. Mouse Guard: The Black Axe #4 Written and Illustrated by David Petersen Celanawe takes on the fox plaguing the Ferret King as promised, and most of the issue is taken up with the details of that battle. I did especially like an early section when he d...

The Curse of Chalion Lois McMaster Bujold, 2001 Premise: The Castillar dy Cazilar, once a minor lord of the kingdom of Chalion, is travelling home. He had gone into danger and war by his choice, but was left in slavery and pain through betrayal. Now, though, all he asks is a place to heal and do some small service to a noble lady who was kind to him as a young man. The Provincara and her granddaughter, however, will soon have more use for Cazilar than he could have hoped, and his kingdom will ask more of him than he could have feared. I should know better. I should know better than to think I can tear myself away from a Bujold book for anything short of paid work. I put off quite a few things, including more dirty dishes than are prudent, in my dash through the last half of this book. Even though I had read it before. Do I need to say I loved it? Do I need to talk about the brilliant prose, the unique characters, the wonderful story? The eponymous Curse is fascinating, th...

Ex-Heroes Peter Clines, 2010 Premise: It's been long enough since the outbreak that those who were going to make it to shelter have done so, but not long enough to really start to rebuild. But is it good or bad that the group of survivors in Hollywood includes so many superhumans? And what will they do when the gangs that still exist seem to have somehow allied with the infected, and have an eye on their territory... Zombies and Superheroes? I was skeptical, but it's actually well done. The book flashes back and forth between the current time, when the surviving heroes lead their band in survival tactics and fortification against both zombies and raids, and the past, both when the various heroes obtained their powers and when the outbreak occurred. The characters are unique enough to enjoy for their own sake, while I also appreciated some of the ways they play off of established characters. The main two leaders are St. George (super-strength, flight, invulnerabi...

I'm counting down to the end of my weekly comic buying soon (see the scorecard at the bottom of this post) but I'm not done quite yet... Favorite Issue This Week: Action Comics #7 All Issues new in stores 3/7/12 Action Comics #7 Writer: Grant Morrison, Penciller: Rags Morales, Inker: Rick Bryant, Colorist: Brad Anderson This was a pretty strong issue, especially the beginning. We're dropped back into the plot from three issues ago - Metropolis abducted and miniaturized, Superman determined to help. Clark's take-off toward the spaceship (despite not quite having full flying yet) was particularly great. There are a bunch of side characters in the scenes with Lois and Lex who I vaguely feel like I should know, but they're not interesting compared to Superman. There are a few silly or confusing moments, and the Steel backup is fine but uninspired. Overall, though, this is a strong issue of a strong series. Huntress #6 Writer: Paul Levitz, Penciller: M...

The Hero and The Crown Robin McKinley, 1984 Premise: Aerin, daughter of the King of Damar, has always lived under the shadow of her late mother, said by many to have been a witch. Did she inherit more than her hair color? She struggles to find a place in a society that distrusts her, but when danger and war comes to Damar, she will wield a power unknown for generations. I really really enjoyed this book. It's a delightful fantasy that starts very grounded and grows into something completely epic and surreal by the end. Aerin is tremendously likeable, without being perfect or cliché. She is a practical and stubborn person in a world in which magic and dragons, etc. are real, which means that her practical pursuits include befriending an old war-horse and alchemical experiments. The writing is easy to read, suitable for younger folks, while being beautiful prose: earthy, classic, stately and poetic. Graceful is a good word for it I think. In the middle, about the time a...

Star Trek Omnibus Volume 2: Early Voyages Dan Abnett & Ian Edginton, Patrick Zircher, Michael Collins, Greg Adams, et. al. Collection published by IDW in 2009 This graphic novel contains the entire run of the Star Trek Early Voyages comic book, originally released in 1997-1998. I previously looked at a couple of loose issues in this post: Star Trek Comics : the 90's . I really enjoyed the majority of these issues, and I'm glad to have the series in this format. I do have a few quibbles, though. The reproduction of the art was uneven. Sometimes the page art went all the way to the edge, sometimes there was a white border. Many of the issues were bright and gorgeous, but for some the art had an odd grainy quality. My only explanation for this is that perhaps for some of the issues they no longer had the original art, and so had to reproduce it from a lower quality copy. The stories were strong and interesting, maintaining a old-school Star Trek feel while playi...