Review: Red Clocks

Red Clocks by Leni Zumas
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Imagine a world where abortions are illegal. Beyond that, in vitro fertilization is illegal and soon only married couples will be able to adopt. Red Clocks takes us into a future where all these things happen and explores the impact that would have on the lives of women. There are four women featured in this story (and a pseudo narrative of a fifth woman). Each one seems to represent women at different stages in their maternal development or lack thereof. This is further cemented by the fact that they are very infrequently referred to by name. Each one has a role that defines them: the Daughter, the Biographer, the Mender, and the Wife.

These women are all named at some point in the story, but I think it speaks to their importance in the book that I don't really remember any of their names. Instead, it is the role that they are assigned that seems to define who the are. I found this kind of off-putting. Perhaps the dehumanizing of the characters through this decision is purposeful. It seemed like too much considering how the aforementioned legal changes in their world already strip the women of certain choices, almost relegating them to a lower status.

I am a big fan of characters in a book. A well written character can carry an otherwise poorly written story at times. These characters had a ton of potential, and I found myself rooting for them in each of their stories. Yet, there was something lacking from them. This is partly due to the writing style. Some of the sentences are just awkward. It made it hard to get into the book on top of the already difficult presentation of women in general. And that is part of what makes this book good. It tackles an eerily plausible subject matter and explores how it would play out.

One moment that stood out to me, which happens to be fairly late in the book, actually flips those dehumanizing elements on their head. Two of the central characters are having a moment and one recognizes genuine fear in the other. This is in the context of a situation where fear isn't typically a consideration. It's difficult to convey the impact without spoiling the book, but it was something that made this book worth reading to me even though I didn't like how the characters were treated (by others or themselves) and the writing style didn't work for me. It was a little creepy to read this book as political discussions turn more toward abortion rights again.

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Review: X-O Manowar (2017) Volume 6: Agent

X-O Manowar (2017) Volume 6: Agent by Matt Kindt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Disclaimer: I received a free ecopy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Former colonel Capshaw recruits Aric to head to Australia to take on an alien threat. So the things that jumped out to me as good about this story center around the way it connects into other parts of the Valiant Universe. Capshaw has been used in a bunch of books, but I think this is the first one I've read that gives her a chance to take the lead. It gave her some more personality and showed some good indications of why she was the one that was heading G.A.T.E.

The book also acts as a follow up to the Eternity mini-series. I like that it utilizes those events sooner rather than later. Some of the characters that show up in this book as a result of being so closely linked to Eternity are pretty cool. I would definitely like to see more of them. Despite Capshaw and the Eternity stuff taking center stage, Aric does get some time to shine, especially ones the fighting breaks out. He has a personal moment or two, but that clearly isn't the focus of this book.

I think the biggest drawback for me was the art. A lot of the characters just didn't look right to me at various points throughout the book. Every time Capshaw or Aric were in a pose that struck me as odd it pulled me right out of the story. Don't get me wrong though, there are some great artistic moments in this book. Ryp's character work just didn't work for me this time around. The other thing that sort of bugged me about this arc is that it almost entirely neglects the end of the previous volume. There was a lot of comic used to set that up and then it didn't even make an impact here.

I felt like there were a few more bumps in the road with this volume of X-O, but I'm not giving up on the series.

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Review: Chimera: Book One - The Righteous and the Lost

Chimera: Book One - The Righteous and the Lost by Tyler Ellis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Disclaimer: I received a free ecopy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

On another day, I might have rated this book higher. It's a sci-fi book that starts out as a caper and integrates some interesting alien species. There are some high level moments involving religious sects and various gods. I enjoyed the characters. The designs for the different species are all well done. And the interactions between the different groups really bring the setting to life. It hits a lot of story beats that usually appeal to me.

My problem with this book comes from the storytelling method. I found it tiring to read another book where there is this big problem and the reader isn't privy to enough information about everything involved. I understand the creators can't give everything away at the beginning, but by the time things started to get interesting I didn't care what was happening in this world. Despite that, when I got to the end of this book it had me hooked. I can't say I loved it though and I'm not sure I'd be willing to read the next part of the story.

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Review: Belle: Beast Hunter, Volume 1

Belle: Beast Hunter, Volume 1 by Dave Franchini
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Disclaimer: I received a free ecopy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Grimm Universe books that Zenescope has been putting out have been pretty interesting. They take familiar fairy tale characters and put them into a modern setting, usually with some sort of superhero style story attached. In this one, Belle from Beauty and the Beast fame is put into a role that has her hunting down various monsters that are cropping up across the eastern seaboard of the U.S. Her costume reminded me a bit of Batgirl or Batwoman's.

There are some cool monsters that she fights along the way. It starts out with some well known mythological creatures and eventually settles on the Beast. My feeling on this book is that there just wasn't enough to make me care about Belle and the cast of characters that join her on this adventure. It almost feels rushed because so many of the characters taken from the inspirational material will be known to readers. I guess I would have liked to have seen more build up for some of them. Clearly, Belle has been doing this for a while and it never really seemed to matter that we were seeing this particular story.

It isn't all bad though. It's a fun enough book to read and it has a good concept. The execution wasn't up to my expectations though. I did like the art for the most part, especially when it came to the creatures that Belle was hunting. Tying this in with some of the other books under this umbrella concept might give it some more context and staying power. I wouldn't write this series off completely, but I certainly won't be going out of my way to find out what happens next.

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Review: The Japanese Larder: Bringing Japanese Ingredients into Your Everyday Cooking

The Japanese Larder: Bringing Japanese Ingredients into Your Everyday Cooking by Luiz Hara
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Disclaimer: I received a free ecopy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you're looking for a cookbook focused on traditional Japanese recipes/cuisine, then keep looking. Instead, this book takes a focus on essential ingredients that are traditionally found in Japanese cuisine. Nearly everyone is familiar with some, while others might be hard to find outside Japan. Hara takes those ingredients an shows how they can be used in all sorts of dishes. Sure there are some traditional recipes (dashi stock comes to mind), but there are a whole lot that are inspired from different sorts of cuisines and dishes.

The amount of information in the book can be almost overwhelming. It acts as a primer on a lot of different ingredients and how they play a role in Japanese food. Someone starting out could be intimidated by that. To that I say take it one section at a time. The first chapter focuses on the quintessential ingredients. These are the ones that are most common and you've at least heard about before. Each subsequent section takes a different grouping of ingredients and the recipes build by incorporating these staples from one or more sections.

One thing that is great for less experienced cooks is that there are a ton of photos. I'm not sure if there is a picture for every recipe, but it certainly comes close. The food looks great too. With food it is always nice to have some sort of visual guide of how you should expect it to come out. I think this book does a great job of making these ingredients accessible.

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Review: Abbott

Abbott by Saladin Ahmed
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow, this was a lot better than I was expecting. I don't think my expectations were particularly low, but I just wasn't super into the idea. It's really well done. I like the slow build to the supernatural stuff. It made it have more impact when it comes to the fore. Plus, the first couple issues take time to focus on Elena and some of the social issues of the time. The book looks at racism and sexism at the time and gives the story a lot of context. I think this book works as well as it does because the writer makes that effort to create a realistic setting. And Elena is centered in that so her actions matter. I loved the art too. It has some gruesome moments though. I would read more about this character/time period.

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Review: Batman, Volume 8: Cold Days

Batman, Volume 8: Cold Days by Tom King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Disclaimer: I received a free ecopy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Admittedly, I haven't been keeping up with Batman. I am aware of some of the stuff that has been going on sent this series started. I just haven't sat down and read any of it myself. Curiosity got the better of me though and I decided to pick this volume up. The volume deals with the aftermath of the wedding in the previous arc. It starts out big with Bruce Wayne being selected as a juror for the trial of Mr. Freeze. Think Twelve Angry Men set in Gotham. Wayne's take on the whole situation is interesting not just for being very self reflective but also for how it seems the average citizen views Batman.

Then it shifts to a nice story showcasing Batman and Nightwing. It takes a much lighter approach that counteracts the heavier portions of the jury trial. There are some goofy villains that show up. And we get to see a more human side to Batman as he interacts with Nightwing. Both of these stories are well done. The art between the two stories are as different as the stories themselves and both styles work.

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Review: Artemis

Artemis by Andy Weir
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Let's take a trip to the moon! I had a lot of fun reading about Jazz's shenanigans on the lunar colony. She's a good character for the reader to follow because of her job (delivery person) and personality (she can be abrasive, but people tend to love her). I found her to be funny. The letters to her pen pal from Earth are a nice addition to the narrative. We spend the entire book in Jazz's head, so some of the other characters seem underdeveloped. Not a big deal because Jazz has lots of personality to make up for it.

The setting is very rich. It brings in scientific elements at times, but not overwhelmingly so. And though we don't get to see some of it in depth, Weir does present it in a way that makes it seem alive and someplace that we could return to in the future. His writing grabbed my attention and kept me wanting to come back to the story when I had to put it down. Definitely worth a read.

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Review: Art Matters

Art Matters by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Neil Gaiman writes a few short essays about art. If you like his writing, you will probably enjoy this book. Now, these essays are reprinted from previous publications, but it adds art by Chris Riddel. The images are great and a nice addition to Gaiman's writing. I would read more of this.

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Review: An Anonymous Girl

An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I found this book creepy, which means it probably did a pretty good job of getting its point across. The relationship between Jess and Dr. Shields takes so many turns over the course of the book. It's crazy that it all starts with Jess swindling her way into a morality study that Dr. Shields is conducting. The basis of that study bleeds through the entire book. It's interesting how much of an impact it has on Jess and the times where she self "corrects" her choices based on being part of this study.

Part of the story is told through the second person. This threw me a bit when it first happened because it isn't something that I've encountered a lot in the books that I've read. Add the strange relationship between the two characters on top of it, and it takes that creep factor to the next level. The story is definitely engaging. I kept wanting to read more of it.

The writers really flesh out Jess' motivation for why she even started on the path in this book and made it seem plausible that she would continue even after things get weird. It's a gradual progression. And while the book takes place over a relatively short period of time, it seemed spaced out well enough to allow for the development of the relationship between Jess and Dr. Shields. This book is a bit different from what I normally read. It was a great detour.

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Review: X-O Manowar (2017) Vol. 5: Barbarians (X-O Manowar

X-O Manowar (2017) Vol. 5: Barbarians (X-O Manowar by Matt Kindt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Volume 5 takes a bit of a break for Aric. He's on a journey back to Earth and takes a side trip inside his head. We get to go into his past again, which is something that I always enjoy seeing. It shows off his impetuous side some more and lets us see that he is more than a guy from a rural part of the Roman Empire. I like that rather than jumping right back into things on Earth, we get to see what Aric might be thinking about on his trip back.

This arc also brings in a new character that is different from others that we've seen from Valiant to this point. His story is fun to watch unfold. I'm interested to see how he will be used in the future. He paired up nicely with Aric along the way too. The art is pretty good. There are a couple action scenes that didn't flow the best for me. That wasn't enough to pull me out of the story though. Aric's story continues to be a blast to read.

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