Ultimate Hawkeye #1 - Jonathan Hickman

This was a hardback my daughter had lying around, so I read through it.

Hawkeye is on a mission from Nick Fury to grab a serum. Some high-powered enemies are attacking and taking over SEAR, and it's a problem the leaders there created.

I wasn't a big fan of this one. Hawkeye is a character that rides a line between sarcasm and one-liners most of the time. In this, he jumps over the line and turns into a putz. At one point, he tells Fury, "She was already pregnant." Umm, what? 

And this is going to sound crazy, but I think the number one thing that bothered me about this Hawkeye? His hair. On the cover, it's not too bad, but inside it's awful. And I'm not a fan of his suit. Where's the signature purple?

The story itself sounded like it could've been interesting. The villains, especially the more open-minded of the two Xorn/Zorns (I can't remember which one was which) was really a cool character, and I was somewhat curious to see where that went. But I don't think I can deal with this version of Hawkeye. I'm glad my daughter doesn't have more of this series, so I don't feel obligated to keep going.

Hawkeye (2012-2015) #1-4 - Matt Fraction & All-New Hawkeye #1 - Jeff Lemire

This is one of the Hawkeye series I needed to catch up on. It's my daughter's favorite. It's numbered 1-5, but the fifth one is actually the beginning of a different series, so that was weird. I wish they would name these things better. Seriously, trying to differentiate this one from all the other ones was fun.

Anyone who watched the Hawkeye TV show will see all the little details that inspired the show. It's not even close to being beat for beat, but I like that. The overall story was really great, and I can't say enough about all the different perspectives. My favorites were the one with Lucky, the Winter Friends, and the one with sign language. It was great how Kate ended up sticking with Clint, even though she did take a break in LA for a while. I'll talk about the other one separately.

For some reason, the All-New Hawkeye #1 was styled and labeled as part of the series I was reading, so I ended up reading the first part of a series we don't actually have. I was really struck by the watercolor style used for the past in that one. The "present" problem with the kids reminded me of Akira, where kids have exceptional powers, and people are trying to use them as weapons. The art wasn't as good compared to the past in my opinion. This series is by Jeff Lemire and has five books.

When Kate was done in LA, she mentions trying to find her father, but this series doesn't really follow up on that. From what I was able to find out, supposedly it's in Hawkeye (2016-2018), a series focusing on Kate Bishop and has three books. It's by Kelly Thompson. Good grief, there has to be a better way! Hawkeye first appeared in comics in September 1964. He joined the Avengers in May of 1965, but we're still labeling the series "Hawkeye." We should be to the point where we use colons! Hawkeye: My Life As a Weapon would have been a great title. Ok, I'm done ranting now.

I really liked the Hawkeye series. I don't know that I'd keep going with the Akira-esque series, even though the art was really cool at times. I never figured out why All-New Hawkeye was labeled as part of the original series, but it was worth the read. Good Books!

Daemons of the Shadow Realm #1 - Hiromu Arakawa

I've been reading Fullmetal Alchemist on WebToon, and I saw this manga recommended. I finally got around to reading the first volume.

Yuru lives in a small, mountain village where his sister, Asa, is kept behind bars. One day, "dragons" come and attack the village. Yuru's world is torn apart. The girl he thought of as his sister is an imposter, and he's introduced to his Daemons, Left and Right. They escape the mountain, and from there, it's time to discover the truth.

This surprised me. It's got some elements that are unusual and really creative. There were some little notes at the end that I'm glad I didn't miss. They explained some things that were pretty important and worth knowing. I liked how everyone's Daemons were different.

I'm excited to learn more about Yuru, Asa, and the world they live in. The first book didn't really get into too much of the details, it didn't really have time, but it'll be cool to read more in the future. At present, there are only 10 volumes, but this manga is still ongoing, so I may eventually catch up to this one. Good Book!

Black Widow & Hawkeye: Broken Arrow - Stephanie Phillips

Hawkeye is a fan favorite here in this house. Way back in 2019, I said, "I did read a few of the comics, but I'm not as keen on them." (Living in a Marvel House, May 1, 2019) Wow, how times have changed. Now, I don't only read comics, I watch anime and read manga. I've probably surpassed my kids with my dedication to all three of those genres. Surprisingly, I hadn't actually read my daughter's Hawkeye comics that she already had before picking this up. I'm working on remedying that now.

Black Widow and Hawkeye always seem to be pulling each other out of trouble. It's a cycle that never seems to end, but neither of them are going to leave the other one out to dry. Clint is in real trouble this time, and it seems like everyone wants him dead. Natasha has an extra boost, a symbiote, who she's working on controlling, and it's going to play a vital role in bringing this crisis to a resolution.

I'm not a hardcore comic person. I don't keep up with every release, so at first I thought I was missing something. Apparently, the only thing I needed to catch up on was Natasha's symbiote. I appreciated the way the past and present were meshed together, and I liked the art style. I thought it was a good story, and it gets a Good Book! review from me.

Lucifer (Volumes 1-3) - Mike Carey

I am a big fan of the show Lucifer. It got me interested in the world of Sandman, and then I decided to dive into the minor character of Lucifer. For some reason, I didn't review the first two volumes when I finished them, so I'm going to ignore the story for the most part and focus on my overall impressions.

Lucifer has left Hell and opened his nightclub called Lux. He isn't completely separated from the "family drama," though. It follows him everywhere and won't leave him alone.

I was all in after the first volume. I liked the story, and the way the character was used. It was pretty creative. As I went through volume two and then this past one, I was noticing that Lucifer wasn't really going through any kind of noticeable arc. One of the things that draws me to characters is their reactions to the events and how those shape them. Lucifer just kind of stays the same.

I wasn't planning on comparing this character to the show, because they're not the same at all, but the show Lucifer excels in one thing in particular: growth. Lucifer has a therapist on the show, and while he doesn't seem to learn anything from her, he still ends up growing. Unfortunately, by the end of the third volume, I could see no real growth in his character, so I think this is where I think my journey with comic Lucifer ends.

Odd Thomas - Dean Koontz

This is one of the paperbacks I picked up at HPB. I was recommended this particular book by my uncle. My history with the author made me extremely wary to pick this up. When I was a teenager, I somehow got my hands on a Koontz book that scared the crud out of me. All I remember is that it had something to do with rats, and my mom ended up taking it away from me. My uncle assured me this one wasn't as scary.

Odd (yes, that's really his name) has a special gift. He can see the dead. It doesn't always feel like a gift. At the beginning, Odd is solving the murder of a young girl. Later, dark beings he calls bodachs start to pop up around town, and he links them to a mushroomy-looking guy.

Odd has some friends around town who are aware of his gifts, but certain people only know different parts of the truth. With his friends by his side, alive and dead, he's going to try and prevent a tragedy from destroying his town.

This book was really good. The end wasn't what I was expecting at all, and I love that. It wasn't a fairy tale ending, so that was somber, but I wasn't scared. This book is actually part of a series. Odd Thomas has seven novels, two novellas, and three graphic novels. I might read more of the novels one day. I will say, this is one of the genres I have to be in the mood for. Not necessarily because of the supernatural aspect, but happy endings are my thing. Odd Thomas does his thing, but people still get hurt. 

The writing in this was good. There's a reason Koontz is a bestselling author. The story kept me engaged, and I give it a Good Book! review.

Six Days of the Condor - James Grady

After watching the movie, Three Days of the Condor, I was curious about the novel and where the other three days went.

Malcolm goes out for lunch and comes back to find his whole CIA group has been murdered. He goes on the run and basically takes a woman hostage. She ends up falling in love with him and helping him. There are double agents, but Malcolm has no idea where they are or what to do. His department was just reading books and looking for patterns.

The first part of this book was a mini autobiography of the author and his journey getting this book published. I thought that was really interesting. I started to wonder if it would be more interesting than the book itself.

It wasn't quite better, though. It might have something to do with the fact that this book is so short. At 192 pages, you wouldn't think it would have time to waste on sex scenes or describing strep throat symptoms, but you'd be wrong. The sex scenes weren't overly long, though, thank goodness. Just weird. I did find out what happened in those other three days - he was in bed. For the above stated reasons.

The action was pretty good. There were a few times when I wasn't sure if I was supposed to know who someone was. When an unfamiliar name would pop up, I'd wonder if I was supposed to already know who it was or if it was a reveal. I'll lay that blame on me and my memory. The book ending a bit abruptly, but it still gets a Good Book! review. I still think the autobiography at the beginning is almost just as interesting, though!

Berserk #7 - Kentaro Miura

Just a brief summary for my own benefit.

I was hoping Guts would be able to catch up with Casca in this tome, and as I got closer and closer to the end, I was getting more and more worried. The one thing that gave me a bit of hope was that she wasn't cringing away from him when she actually did see him.

Not sure how I feel about Isidro. Sometimes he seems okay, and other times I want to punch him in the face. It's similar to how I felt when introduced to Puck, the fairy.

I can't fault Casca for retreating into her mind. I swear. It seems like there's always someone or something that wants to "ahem" her. Daggone.

I'm curious to know where we go from here. Griffith popped up briefly, but I didn't really understand everything that went on there. I might have to go through that part again. Egg boy was weird, but what happened to the baby? Maybe these things are answered in the next one, so I've got my peepers on it. Good Book as usual.

And eww. Father Mozgus and his crew were just...eww.

 

Blackout (Cyberpunk 2077) - Bartosz Sztybor

This comic is about a braindance repairman who has a lot of business due to blackouts. They're happening all the time, and no one knows who's behind them. It could be anybody. The repairman has an idea that BD can be used for good. It can be therapeutic, and he tries it out on a friend and gives relief to a man in prison. This gets him in trouble, and he ends up losing his job. Pain pays.

Once I understood more about the world of Cyberpunk in general, this made a lot more sense to me. The end is sad, but not really unexpected. I liked the art style, and the story was surprisingly relevant even though we don't have the technology that's being referred to in the story. The depth wasn't something I was expecting, and I appreciated it for sure. If you're familiar with the world, this is pretty good. If not, you're probably going to be a bit lost. I liked it, though, and it gets a Good Story! review from me.

The World of Cyberpunk 2077 - Marcin Batylda

So, my husband started playing Cyberpunk 2077 a bit ago, and I got the graphic novels from a Humble Bundle a while back. When my husband started playing the game, I was pretty lost. I normally "watch" aka half pay attention, so I wondered if I was missing something. I thought I was reading the graphic novels in order when I started with Blackout, but I was still lost when I finished that one. Fortunately, this was up next.

This novel is set up closer to a magazine that introduces a newbie to the history and current state of things. It talks about politics, tech and the role of corporations. It's thorough and interesting. I think a lot of things would've been clearer to me if I'd read this first before trying to read Blackout, but hindsight is always 20/20.

There's not much to say. If you're interested in learning about the world of Cyberpunk, this is a great way to do it! Good Book!

The Age of Odin (Pantheon #3) - James Lovegrove

This paperback was from the recent trip to HPB. The cover caught my eye, and I like Norse mythology, so I was interested.

Gid and his friend are on their way to join the Valhalla Project when there's a car accident. Gid is pretty banged up, but they figure they can still make it to their destination. When Gid arrives, he's the only one who made it, and he's surrounded by what he believes is a cult. A man in a hat believes he's Odin, the All-Father. Others think they're Thor, Freya and other gods/goddesses from Norse mythology.

When Gid tries to get away, the truth is made very clear to him. From then on, he uses his skills to fight on the side of the Aesir to protect them from the threat that is coming. In the end, do they have a chance against a power that's growing while the powers of the gods are fading?

This book had an interesting story. I really wanted to know what happened next, but I kept putting the book down. Why? Gideon. The main character in this book was such a jerk from beginning to end. He didn't seem to care about much, and his sarcastic quips in every situation grated on my nerves. And one of the goddesses was his lover? Yeah, ok.

I thought the use of technology was pretty cool, and I had no idea this was part of a series when I started reading it. I also wish the main character was slightly less irritating and a complete jerk. Gideon 100% hurt my enjoyment of this book. I also had an issue with the call sign of his friend. Of all the words in the English language, did his friend need to be called Abortion? Anyway, the story had real potential, and I wanted to find out what happened at the end, but the protagonist hampered the story for me.

The White Witch - Barbara Cartland

Barbara Cartland needs no introduction. She wrote tons of cheesy romances, and every once in a while, I'll break one out and read it. I also don't look into what the book is about. It's more fun that way. Also, sometimes I like the covers. They can be pretty strange. Take this one for example. What the heck is this woman doing? I've finished the book, and I still can't answer that question!

This book is about a Marquis who believes he's being bewitched by a woman named Locadi. His butler finds a rock in one of his pockets, and since the Marquis has travelled the world, he's suspicious that Locadi is using black magic. To escape her power, he decides to go to his family home in the country.

When he gets there, he finds that his estate in a state he can't understand. The servants are gone, the vicar has left, and the school has shut down. He finds a young woman helping his grandmother with herbs, and he senses that he hasn't quite escaped all kinds of magic.

Flora is just trying to help people the only way she knows how. She's suspicious of the Marquis at first, but he quickly proves himself in her estimation. When Locadi turns up out of the blue, it becomes clear that she's not going to give up her prey easily.

This book was wild. Flora senses that Ivor (interesting name by the way) is being weighed down by an evil and sets out to help him. I don't know why Barbara Cartland used Satan worship in her books, but this book reminded me of The Flame is Love. If you've never seen it (and you probably haven't), it's a terrible movie that stars Timothy Dalton as not James Bond. He's a devil worshipper who kidnaps a virgin (even though those a rare in Paris - it's a line in the movie) to sacrifice to his weird puppet god. Basically the same thing happens here, except Flora will get sacrificed out of jealousy. I wonder if that's a good enough reason for sacrifice? 

Anyway, the whole good magic/bad magic thing was weird. I really didn't care about it either way. I did like that Flora and Ivor weren't doing the whole "look into each other's eyes and swoon" the entire book. They were just working together toward a common goal and only acknowledged feelings later on. I guess they made up for it at the end when they were mumbling about their love for too many pages. Overall, this one was pretty good in the Cartland universe. I haven't read the book for The Flame is Love, but it kind of feels like I've had the experience now. Good Book! (for a certain crowd)

The Secret of the Caves (Hardy Boys #7) - Franklin W. Dixon

Next up in the adventures of the Hardy Boys, they're sent on a mission to find a missing man. Fortunately, for Chet, it leads them to Rockaway, where the Honeycomb Caves are located. It just happens that Chet really wanted to go there to begin with. He has a metal detector and is anxious to use it. Biff is also excited to go to the caves for the fishing. 

The father of the Hardy Boys is checking on some problems at a site where they're building an antenna (I think, I can't remember), but it's being sabotaged. The two cases will end up being connected!

Okay, so I am concerned these people don't know what a concussion is, and it's concerning. Biff gets knocked out TWICE, and the boys are just like, "you'll be good" and "sleep it off." Bad ideas. Then, they just feel comfortable borrowing his speed boat. With the amount of kidnapping, fires, and general chaos that surrounds these boys, I don't think I'd let them borrow anything I enjoyed having. Especially if it cost more than a dollar. Also, Chet gets blown up. Daggone. These friends need to re-evaluate their friendships. 

Anyway, they solve the mystery. As usual. There was a cantankerous hermit, who I loved. I was so bummed when he ended up being part of the gang. That's what you get when you pretend to be a hermit. This book made me angrier than some of the others. I just didn't appreciate the way the boys used their friends. Sure, the kids were willing to help, but the Hardy brothers throw the girls at a potential shady business, one get assaulted - twice, and the other one got blown up. I didn't like this one.

Twelve Years a Slave - Solomon Northup

This book tells the story of a man who was kidnapped from Washington and taken to Louisiana. He spent the next 12 years as a slave, even though he was technically a free man from New York.

There's not much to say about the content. It's about what you would expect. I will say that this is a very well put together narrative. It was easy to read, and it was interesting to see how Solomon (named Platt after he was kidnapped) was able to be reunited with his family after so long.

I can't imagine living through this time period. I know Solomon experienced both the kind and the cruel slave owners, but he shouldn't have had to live through that at all. It's disappointing the people responsible just made up a story to avoid responsibility. Unfortunately, it was all too common, and I'm a little shocked worse didn't happen to Solomon considering some of the incidents between him and the overseers.

I recommend this book if you want an insight into what things were like for people that deserved to be free. Solomon's account is interesting and worth the read. Good Book!

Killing Mr. Griffin - Lois Duncan

I picked this one up because I wanted to revisit a blast from my own past. When I was a teenager, I read many of Lois Duncan's books. I remember on one vacation, I brought seven books with me. Most, if not all of them, were Lois Duncan. I finished five before we finished the over 8 hour car ride. It made for a long vacation for me. I was an only child spending a week at a fishing cabin with my parents and grandparents. It was loads of fun, but there was lots of down time as well. After that, I learned to ration my reading materials.

Anyway, this is a young adult thriller about a group of kids who think their English teacher is too hard on them. They decide to kidnap him and scare him into treating them all better, but things don't go quite as planned, and the title kind of gives it away. After that, high schoolers are trying to act like hardened criminals. Some of them are cracking right away while others seem to hold out longer. I won't say much else. The book isn't long. I finished it pretty quick.

This one's held up pretty good. At the time, you didn't have a bunch of security cameras to catch things, and not everyone had a cell phone. I remember really loving the writing, and I still do. I looked into what happened to Duncan, and I was saddened to learn that she moved away from writing thrillers and horror after her own daughter was murdered. The worst part was that the murder went unsolved until five years after Duncan's death.

Anyway, this book is so good. I'd like to keep track of some of the others I remember having. I remember some of the covers of the books I had, and I put the cover I remember on this post. The one connected to my Kindle version has unsurprisingly been updated. Good Book!

RIP Mr. Griffin.

Freedom in the Air - Hamish Ross

Bozdech is a Czech who wanted to fight against the Nazis during WWII. That desire brought him to sign up with the RAF, and he picked up an Alsatian pup along the way. Antis became quite the celebrity, and every award and moment of recognition was well earned. The dog was a hero not only during the war, but he also helped Bozdech escape from the Czech communist regime. Bozdech had to leave his wife and son behind, and he was never able to go back to his homeland again.

This isn't the first book I've read about Antis and his owner. I'd read One Man and His Dog by Anthony Richardson in the past. The reason I bring it up is because the book is also mentioned here. Apparently, Bozdech wasn't happy with the finished product of One Man and His Dog. When I read that one, I was curious where the author got his information. It appears he was given a manuscript by Bozdech, but Richardson changed some of the writing. Examples are given. It's also worth noting that One Man and His Dog has more reviews, so it seems like it was more popular than this one.

I looked at the acknowledgments for this book, and the first one is to Bozdech's wife. He was given access to documents, manuscripts and audio tapes. The structure of it is also different than I'd initially expected. I'd break it into three parts: Bozdech and Antis, Bozdech after Antis, and the evolution of Czech politics near the end of Bozdech's life and after his death.

Overall, I liked this book. I think if you temper your expectations that you're not reading a whole book about Antis, it's a good read. Once I caught on to the structure, I liked that it followed Bozdech after the war. It followed both heroes to the grave. Good Book!

Akira (Volume 2) - Katsuhiro Otomo

It's been a bit, but I finally got around to reading the second installment of Akira.

Tetsuo is still crazy, but he's on the loose now. He's obsessed with facing Akira, and he's discovering more powers. The other "children" are trying to keep him contained, but he's just too powerful. Meanwhile, Kaneda and Kei are trying to intercept him as well.

This story is a bit different from the other ones I'm reading in that it isn't broken down into sections. The whole book is what you get. That's nice, but it pushes me to get it done faster. There aren't easy places to stop. It's not any kind of criticism, just an observation.

I'm still on board with this one, but where does it fall in the list of what I'm currently trying to read? I'd say Berserk has priority, but I'm trying to get those when they're a reasonable price. Then we have Dr. Stone and Akira. I wanted to read Fullmetal Alchemist, and it popped up on WebToon, so I'm caught up with it on that platform. Finally, when we were moving my daughter into her apartment over the weekend, one of her friends told me his favorite manga was Frieren. It sounds really interesting, so I think I'll be looking into it eventually.

So, saying all that, I think Akira is in the second position. I'm anxious to find out what will happen with Kei and Kaneda after they've gotten away from the Olympic site. Good Book!

The Dummy Case (Professor Caldwell #3) - Milton K. Ozaki

This was one of the finds from Half Price Books I was really interested in. The size of the book was unusual, and the cover was interesting.

Professor Caldwell is planning a little experiment for his psychology students. He gets his sidekick, Bendy Brinks, to set up a little demonstration down by the lake. When the police show up, they expect to find a dummy in the lake, but instead, they pull up the body of a woman.

The case has a lot of twists and turns. The professor is the Sherlock of the team, while Bendy is the somewhat amorous sidekick. The inept copper, Phelan, is present as well. Bendy was always checking out the women. Even Anita's mother was getting examined.

It was pretty obvious this wasn't the first Caldwell mystery, but I had to hunt a little more than normal to find the list. Apparently, this is the third one out of three. The author himself wrote approximately two dozen detective novels.

While Ozaki's writing style was pretty cool, I think his life might be more interesting. From what I read, he actually made a Yahtzee style dice game called Murder. The most intriguing parts were the cons he pulled. One of them was a device that was said to increase gas mileage. I think my favorite was the fraudulent mail-order college degrees from places like Colorado State Christian College and Hamilton State University.

Back to the book. It was pretty good, but Bendy was irritating. He would kiss whoever, so I felt bad for the girls, especially Wanda. In the end, the case was solved, and I enjoyed the book. I had parts of the mystery figured out but not much. Good Book!

Dr. Stone #1 - Riichiro Inagaki

My daughter was spending some time at home before she could move into her apartment, so we did a mother-daughter trip to...where else? Half Price Books! We had a great time and got some epic finds. I was on the lookout for some manga I wanted to start (because even though I'm currently reading 4-5, that's not enough) and found Dr. Stone.

All of humanity was turned to stone. Taiju awakens and finds his friend, Senku. Taiju was getting ready to profess his love when he was turned to stone, so he vows to free his love as well. Senku says he can help her, but first they have to face predators and the reanimation liquid is used to awaken someone to protect them. Unfortunately, that has unforeseen consequences, and now the two friends have even more to worry about.

This looks like it's going to be another one I'm going to want to read. I keep saying I'm going to finish/catch up with one before I start another one, then something happens, and I end up breaking my own rules! Honestly, I'd like to say it isn't my fault, but it really is. I like how Senku is going to be using science to rebuild civilization. I definitely want to read more in the future, but I have to come up with a schedule of reading to organize myself. Good Book!

Another Monster - Naoki Urasawa

After finishing up Monster, I wanted to find out if there was anything else. It couldn't end the way it did. Could it?

The book is mostly going over the plot of Monster from an investigative standpoint. In that respect, it's a lot of summarizing of things I already knew. Here and there would be some information of how people were doing in the present, but other than that, it wasn't as expansive as I was expecting.

I was hoping to feel a sense of closure once I finished this book, but I really didn't. It wasn't bad, but I feel like Monster was on a much higher level. I'll leave this one on the fence and stick with the manga/anime.

Berserk (Volume 6) - Kentaro Miura

Short synopsis: A butterfly-like monster is harassing a town, but a little girl has a connection with it. Guts doesn't care about the connections, he cares about the kill. 

Guts goes back to a place he's been before and finds someone important missing. He's upset, but it's pointed out to him, rightfully so, that he left everyone behind. 

A group of Christians called the Holy Iron Chain Knights is after Guts now, led by a woman named Lady Farnese.

There is a lot of plague and famine running rampant through the kingdom, and it seems like the king isn't doing much about the issues. They have a torturer (who has his own sidekicks) who can take care of any dissidents.

Guts has had a dream and is rushing to save one of the few people he really cares about.

Watching the next one in the series. The artwork is engaging and downright disturbing at times, but I can't wait to find out what happens next. Good Book!

Whoever Fights Monsters - Robert K. Ressler

Robert Ressler was an FBI agent who helped hone methods to investigate serial killers. Famous murderers were interviewed to help guide police when they encountered gruesome scenes in the future.

The book has a lot more crime scene detail than I was expecting. I didn't realize that serial killers had so much sexual motivation in their crimes. It made reading some of the details of the scenes a bit rough.

Ressler was against the death penalty because he felt killers were too valuable as fonts of information. The things to be learned from them could help build a profile later on and prevent a killer from remaining on the loose. He figures that as long as they're securely locked up with no chance of getting out, everyone is safe. I'd say the flip side of that is life sentences don't mean life anymore (if they ever really did), and I wonder what Ressler would've thought today (he passed away in 2013). 

While the writing style was easy, the subject matter is pretty disturbing at times. Reading about the insanity that exists and can never be satisfactorily explained is frustrating. I did find it fascinating to learn how the behavior section of the FBI differed from what is portrayed on TV. It was also interesting to read that Ressler was interviewed by Thomas Harris for his novels about Hannibal Lecter. Even though Ressler could still find fault, he was happy to have been asked for accurate input. Maybe I'll get around to reading Red Dragon one day.

I think overall this was a really interesting book. To see how the FBI dealt with serial killers early on and were able to identify patterns that helped profile other killers is pretty extraordinary. I'm glad people like him were around to lend their minds to the fight against the monsters that have walked among us. Good Book!

Monster: The Perfect Edition - Naoki Urasawa (9 book series)

I was addicted to the anime for this title, so I was super interested in the books. You can read my review of the anime on my movie/show blog. I was fortunate to get my hands on the whole set of them, so once I was done with one, I was able to start the next one. Needless to say, it didn't take me long to get these done.

Again, I'm not saying much about the plot. Dr. Tenma saves a young boy who grows up to be a serial killer. Tenma is under suspicion and feels responsible since he's the one who saved the boy.

I was impressed how faithful the show was to the manga. The beats hit very close if not exactly the same. Dialogue was added here and there for obvious reasons, but the story itself remained intact, and I was so happy about that. I was able to catch those small details that I missed when I watched the show, and it's going to be great to be able to go back in the future and read these again.

My copies were all in pristine shape except Volume 6. I have no idea what happened there, but the cover page and the first page of the story were missing. I wasn't lost, and it's not worth pitching a fit over. Seriously, though. If you like a good, complex story where you're not sure where it's going next, see if you can track this down. Give it a shot. Good Book!

When the books are lined up together, they create a cohesive picture.

 

Monsieur Maurice - Amelia Edwards

In the past, I read The Phantom Carriage and Other Stories by this same author. Those were ghost stories, but this one was a bit different.

Gretchen is a girl living with her father in the country. He's a loyal soldier to the king, so when word comes that he needs to keep a prisoner at his home, he readily complies. The mysterious man goes by the name Monsieur Maurice and immediately captures Gretchen's imagination. As time goes by, events get more mysterious and even Gretchen's father is getting suspicious.

This book is short and is something of a slow burn. With it being so short, that's kind of impressive, but it struck me as a bit slow in the beginning and then picked up toward the end. SPOILER: My main issue is that we never find out who Monsieur Maurice really was. They reveal how he got there, but never really why or who he really was.

I suppose it was okay, but the end was a bit strange. M. M. writes them a few times, and then it trails off. The old lady is just telling the story of a man she once knew. I liked the ghost stories better.

 

Before Egypt - Robert Bloch

I've seen Robert Bloch's name many times when I'm watching older movies, and I've read This Crowded Earth and wanted to try his other public domain title, Before Egypt.

Mike and his partner, Nicko (a Martian), are going to take a man and his daughter on a trip through space to find a planet where the early Egyptians originated from. On the way, the ship is attacked, and the old man is kidnapped. The ship is disabled, but they make their way to the ground and have to navigate a foreign world and get back out alive.

Every once in a while, I try to dive into science fiction, but it doesn't work out for me often. It's just a genre that I very rarely enjoy. It was a quick read, though, so it was ok. 

Thunder Dog - Michael Hingson

This is the story of a man and his guide dog on the day of the 9/11 attacks. But it's a lot more than that. Mike and his dog, Roselle, were on the 78th floor of Tower 1 of the World Trade Center when a plane was flown into the floors above them. 

From there, it's a trek of 1,463 stairs to the lobby. Mike has Roselle to be his eyes, and he also has his friend, David, to tell him what's going on around them. They have no idea what's happened and no cell service, but the smell of jet fuel in the stairwell gives them a clue.

Sprinkled in the tale of the Tower are memories of Mike's childhood. He was never brought up to see his blindness as a handicap, and now he's using everything he's learned to make it through one of the worst days America has ever seen.

At first, I was a little annoyed at the interruptions of the narrative. It made the story pretty nonlinear to start with 9/11, then go back to the past, then jump back and forth. Then, I understood what Mike was doing. He didn't want to just tell the story of that day. He wanted to use his experience to educate people about blindness. Seeing it from that point of view, the story made more sense, and I was more on board with the structure.

I'm going to say this is one of the most interesting things I've read in a while. Experiencing that day from the point of view of a person so close to it, someone who had to describe not what they see, but what they felt and heard, was so different. I commend Roselle for her calm and dedication that day. She helped more people than just Mike, and I was glad to read she was recognized for her work. The downside of loving dogs is we don't deserve their love back, and they're never here long enough for us to even get close to try and earn it. Good Book!

Carousel Horse Christmas (The Ornamental Match Makers #1) - Danni Roan

I 100% picked up this book because it said carousel horse. I'm a carousel horse nut, and there aren't a ton of decent books out there that revolve around carousel horses. Any time I see one, I try to give it a shot. 

Audrey is on the way home from shopping with her friend when they almost hit a man on a horse. His trailer was hit, and he had to round up his horses. The horse he's riding looks just like the mysterious carousel horse ornament Audrey received.

The next day, Holden Bays shows up on her doorstep, and the Hallmark movie begins.

The book is really short, so I'm not going to go in depth about the plot. I am curious how Holden "tracked her down." She wasn't the driver of the car, so I can't say he used her license plate. How exactly did he find her? There are a fair number of typos in there, and a lot of them are homophones. They're the kind of typos a spell check isn't going to pick up on. "For o'clock"

SPOILER: The end ruined this for me. It's the same issue I have with a lot of Hallmark movies. The relationships move too fast, and in this book they move WAY too fast. How many hours did they spend together?

Other than that, the carousel horse didn't have anything to do with anything. It popped up in the beginning and, then it was irrelevant. I suppose if you're looking for a short romance, this might be a good diet book. I just really don't like when people rush into relationships. Take some time. Get to know a person!

The Odyssey - Homer

After listening to EPIC: The Musical numerous times now, I wanted to read the original and see where the inspiration came from. The version I read came from Gutenberg.org and has been rendered into prose form. I'm not a fan of poetry. Never have been.

If you're unfamiliar with The Odyssey, it's the story of Ulysses/Odysseus, a soldier who fought at Troy to save Helen. Now, he's on his way home to his wife and son, but the gods, the sea, and sometimes his own men, seem to be working against him. His wits will only get him so far, but when he makes it home, he still has to deal with the suitors who have taken over his house and are wooing his wife.

It took me a minute to get used to the different versions using the opposite names for the gods. EPIC used the Greek names for them, and The Odyssey was using the Roman names. I'm not as familiar with the Roman names, so once or twice I had to pause and remember who someone was (for some of the minor gods like Vulcan).

The story wasn't actually linear, which really surprised me. Considering it was considered to be written between the 8th and 7th centuries BCE, it's interesting to me that the original poem was that complex. I realize I'm not exactly reading the story in poem form, but I would've never made it had I tried to read it that way.

The other really surprising thing was the balance of the story. I didn't realize how much of the story actually takes place after Ulysses makes it home. The very end of it dragged on a bit, but the overall story was pretty good, and I enjoyed it. Good Book!

Side Note: EPIC isn't a 100% faithful adaptation, but I don't mind. I love the songs and the story it weaves. It doesn't bother me one bit, which is unusual for me. If it had been a book/movie scenario, I'm not sure how I'd feel. In this instance, I'll listen to EPIC any day of the week, and I'm glad I read the book (in prose).

The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of the Whole Stupid World - Matt Kracht

After loving The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America, it seemed like a no-brainer to pick this one up.  The first book amused me so much, I had both my kids read it, my daughter's boyfriend, and then I sent my copy to my uncle. He hasn't read it yet, but he flipped through a couple pages, and he's told me it looks pretty funny and right up his alley.

This book is more birds. It breaks them down into basically the same categories, but this time it also adds in where they live. There's a bit of history and games in the back. 

You can't really recreate a first-time experience, and I think that's the problem I had here. A lot of this book felt the same as the first one, but I didn't enjoy it near as much. The variety of birds to be covered around the world is so vast, I was surprised there were so many that were listed in North America. Especially since there was already a whole book about those. I felt the lack of murder birds was criminal (there were only two this time !?), and it just wasn't as fun.

I did smile during the history section, but if I compare the two I'd still prefer the North America book for a couple of reasons. First, it was more focused, so I didn't have the expectation of seeing exotic birds from around the world. Second, the names of the birds seemed to flow into nonsense better (in my opinion). And last, but maybe the most important point, this particular book doesn't have the M-rf--ing Bald Eagle!

Berserk (Volumes 3-5) - Kentaro Miura

So I'm combining a few volumes here. There might be a few spoilers here and there, and those are mostly to help me keep track of what's happening.

Volume 3 was a bit of an adventure for me, and it had nothing to do with the content. I found a used copy on Amazon, listed BY Amazon as Like New. It was only $27, so I was happy to get it. When it came, I couldn't believe what I saw. The cover was warped, and the pages looked like they had water damage. There was even a hole in the spine! The funniest part was the inspection sticker on the back cover. Yeah...ok. Sure, someone "inspected" it. Needless to say, I sent that one back. I did read it real quick, though. I've also found a real new copy for around the same price to replace it, so I'm good now.

Storywise, I'd say the anime ends around the middle of volume 4. After the Eclipse is all new territory for me, and it's been interesting so far. I'm saddened by what the sacrifice did to Casca and Guts, and now he's on the road alone. Well, the fairy is with him, but I'm on the fence with that thing. Sometimes I hate it, and other times I think it's ok. I've never really loved it, though.

I'd say volume 4 was also the book that had the most nudity so far. I normally just skim past it, but this isn't the first time (nor will it be the last, I'm sure). But I wanted to add a warning that rape is part of the story. This also isn't the first time, so if that's a sensitive topic for you, be aware it's in there. 

I am hooked on the story. Guts is one of those anti-heroes that doesn't care about anyone until he does. I like him, and Volume 6 is on the way! Good Books!

Handbook for Spies - Alexander Foote

I was able to get a digital version of this from Coachwhip a while back. It is written by a man who was part of the spy network for Soviet Russia during WWII until he was arrested. After the war, he spent some time in Russia and decided he wanted to cut ties with the Centre.

The pace of this book was a bit tedious at times. I'm not sure what it was, but I had issues getting through sections of it. Other parts were fine, even highly interesting, but when he was explaining the way the network functioned, I was losing interest.

The part that interested me the most was the matter of fact way he approached his feelings of breaking ties with the Centre. He had initially believed in Communism, watched the way it worked in Russia, and decided he didn't want to contribute toward it anymore. 

I'm on the fence with this one. I was interested in how things worked, but it wasn't really written in a way that kept my interest. I'm not blaming the author at all. It's just the way it struck me. Side note: I thought it was crazy that when there was too much information, and the spy wanted to simply hand it over to the Allies, he was told to burn it instead.

 

Passage to Dawn (Legacy of the Drow #4) - R. A. Salvatore

This is the fourth and final book of this particular series. Drizzt and Catti-Brie are sailing the seas, but their travels will lead be cut short and lead them to a reunion with Bruenor and Regis.

Errtu has a captive he's certain will release him from his banishment from the material plane and allow him to exact his revenge on Drizzt. A riddle makes the drow believe the balor is holding his father, Zaknafein, captive. To free the prisoner, Drizzt and his friends will have to return to Icewind Dale, a place that many of them consider home. It's also a place where the crystal shard was buried. But Crenshinibon has freed itself and is working on a new plan to work evil in the realms.

I liked this one, but the end was bittersweet for me. Drizzt's ups and downs create the same for me. I was worried we'd lost the great panther, but I really liked the way she returned at the end. The further I get into the world of Drizzt, the more I appreciate being able to read them in order and close enough together to remember (enough) what's happened before. I'm so grateful I was able to get almost all of them through a Humble Bundle. Next up is the Paths of Darkness series, and I'm not sure when I'll get to it, but it won't be super far into the future. Good Book!

The Heart Hunter - Mickey George

This was a gift for my daughter for Christmas. I wasn't sure how it would go, but I'd done a lot of research, and this was pretty highly reviewed.

A curse on the island of Envecor has caused everyone's heart to be outside their body. Some take care of it, while others aren't as caring. It's also made everyone immortal until they find their soulmate. Once they do that, they can leave the island, grow old and die. Some people don't want that to happen. One of those people is the king, so he hires Psyche, a heart hunter. She is tasked with tracking down the king's soulmate and killing them.

There's a lot to love in this book. The illustrations are bold and beautiful, and the story takes you on a journey of pain and healing. Psyche starts out as a tough as nails type, but as hard as she tries, she can't prevent her softer side from peeking through her own armor.

I don't know why this doesn't have more exposure. It's a self-contained story, and it's really good. It easily gets a Good Book! ranking from me.

 

The House on Garibaldi Street - Isser Harel

This book is the true story of the Mossad's operation to bring Adolf Eichmann to justice for his crimes during the Holocaust. The Mossad members went to Argentina, came up with a plan, and got their target out of there. They dealt with various obstacles, almost caught up with Josef Mengele (another really high-value target), and brought Eichmann back to Israel to stand trial.

The writing in this book was very factual, but it still read like a spy novel. Maybe it should have been boring at times, but I wasn't bored. I was fascinated by the amount of preparation that went into this operation. They made sure they had the right man, they had multiple plans in case something went wrong, and they were able to pull it off.

The really funny thing about this book is that it made me nervous. Obviously, they got Eichmann out of Argentina, but the way the book was written made me feel some of the tension these men and women must have went through at the time. I'm just curious what Eichmann thought he was going to gain by playing the servant to his captors. It was a bit creepy. This definitely gets a Good Book! review. 

Interview with Ernest James - July 13, 1990

This interview was an oral testimony taken on behalf of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. I sought out this particular interview because of where this man served and what he saw. He was briefly at Dora-Mittelbau, a place I've become interested in since I discovered my great uncle was at the liberation of the camp.

I didn't get to learn much about the camp, since James was mostly kept away from the prisoners. He did speak about how Germans would deny knowledge of what went on in the camps, but James debunked that. As punishment, the townspeople were made to bury the dead.

The transcript was hard to read since whoever transcribed it left the "uh" in there. Sometimes there were multiple in a row, or a single word between them. In addition to that, the interviewer would sometimes guide James away from what he was talking about and back to a particular topic. This tactic is basically the reason I decided to make a review of the interview. 

I talked to two of my grandparents when they got older, trying to learn about their lives. I also chatted with my great-grandfather when he had dementia and would talk about me without being able to make the connection that I was the person he was talking about. When people are trying to tell you their memories, I believe that you should just let them tell their story. I understand this interview was for a specific reason, but this man might have jostled loose a memory that he never would've accessed at any other time. When I talked to my grandmother, I tried to guide her through a set of questions. At first, it was more factual, but when I let her expand on her memories and let her answers wander, I learned so much more. My great-grandfather was so much more comfortable when I just let him talk instead of trying to tell him who I was.

I know that's a bit of rambling, but men and women of this generation had such important stories to tell. It was frustrating to read Ernest James's story being cut down to the size it was. If it needed to be a certain length, cut it down later. Let the man talk. Let people tell their own stories.

Ernest James was part of the 238th Engineer Combat Battalion

Siege of Darkness (Legacy of the Drow #3) - R. A. Salvatore

In this book, we find out what happens when the drow march on Mithral Hall. Matron Baenre herself is coming along, but there's also a slight problem before heading out. Magic isn't acting in a predictable way, and no one is sure the cause. When magic returns, they march to the dwarven stronghold, where the fight is long and happens on many fronts. Many races come together to fight against the drow. For the good of all goodly folk.

The end was close approaching, and I wasn't sure how they were going to push back the forces of evil, but the sun shines on the good and bad alike. It just affects them differently. Drizzt and Catti-brie are then off to explore the world outside the tunnels of Mithral Hall, but little do they know, Errtu is waiting to exact his revenge on Drizzt. 

Next up is Passage to Dawn. I'm reading another nonfiction since the interview I just finished was so short, but then I'll be finishing up this series. Good Book!

The Bionic Man Omnibus Volume 1 - Multiple authors

We love the Six Million Dollar Man around here. Lee Majors and Richard Anderson are a great dynamic duo that bring a special kind of friendship to the spy game. When I learned this book existed, I really wanted to read it. Also, this says volume 1, but there isn't a volume 2.

This book is more of a modern take on the bionic man. He's using technology that definitely didn't exist when the book or the show came out, so that's something to keep in mind. The stories cover some familiar ground (Bigfoot), and some new ideas (revenge on O.S.I. for losing a job).

This entire group of comics was disappointing for me. When I read the book, Cyborg, that the show was based on, I was struck by the difference in tone. I still appreciated the book for what it was, but this was a whole other level of unnecessary.

Steve is really whiny in these comics for some reason. There are numerous times he's called out for throwing temper tantrums, and it's a reflection of what I'm thinking. I also don't know why there's so many sexual innuendos in there. The panels with Jaime at the beginning were just way too much. Then, we have the friendship between Oscar and Steve. In this, you'd never be able to tell they were best friends if they didn't tell you all the time. Gone are the little jokes and genuine care they have for each other. In its place are forced dialogue and yelling.

Mini Spoiler: Bigfoot. I don't know what the deal with that was, but anytime you're going to take a bionic dog and rip its head off, I'm out. They try to play it off like "oh, we can rebuild him," but they took his HEAD. That's where his personality's at, so I'm not sure why they were so proud of themselves.

I think if you love the Six Million Dollar Man, the show, I would stay away from this. If you were a fan of the book, you might get some enjoyment out of this, but honestly, if you have to tell the government to secure Steve's Wi-Fi so he can't be hacked, then we're probably dealing with an unnecessary level of stupid. So disappointing...

Impossible Odds - Jessica Buchanan

Jessica was in Somalia as an aid worker when she was abducted with a co-worker. She was held hostage without vital medication for 93 days. Having to live day by day, wondering if today was the day her captors would sell her to a worse organization or just outright kill her was a strain to say the least. On January 25, 2012, 24 brave members of SEAL Team Six parachuted in and rescued both captives.

This book tells the entire story. It changes point of view between Jessica, Erik (her husband) and general information. It also goes back far enough to give information about Jessica's childhood, how she met Erik and how they ended up in Somalia.

If you're looking for a book that focuses solely on the kidnapping and the rescue, this probably won't keep your interest. I personally liked getting to know both Jessica and Erik, but others may not care as much. Also, there is a section of pictures hidden at the end. My copy also had an epilogue that was added later and had an update on how Jessica and Erik were doing. I really liked that. I would've liked to know what happened to Poul. He seemed to disappear from the story once they were rescued.

Overall, I'm glad this one had a happy ending. By that I mean Jessica came out of it able to move on to a fairly normal life. I'm sure there aren't a lot of people that are able to do that after living through such a tragedy. Good Book!

Starless Night (Legacy of the Drow #2) - R. A. Salvatore

Finished the next one in this series. We join up with our heroes who are mourning the loss of Wulfgar. Some are handling it better than others. Surprisingly, Catti-brie seems to be doing the best. Drizzt has decided the drow won't give up on capturing him, and he's determined to go alone to the Underdark and prevent further heartbreak to his friends.

Catti-brie won't let Drizzt go off on his own, so she harasses Regis into telling her the truth. He wasn't super keen on the idea of Drizzt going off on his own, so he hands over some items, and Catti-brie heads off to pursue her friend.

I just want to point out that I did mention if we didn't bury a body, people have a tendency to pop back up. I was right. A certain assassin is wandering around the Underdark, but he isn't having the best time. I liked the different setting for this one, and the author used the darkness almost as another character at times.

Next up will be Siege of Darkness. Starless Night was another Good Book!

 

Akira (Volume 1) - Katsuhiro Otomo

Last week, I watched the movie, Akira. It was interesting, and when reading about it, I saw that the plot differed somewhat from the manga. It got me interested in the book, so when I saw volume 1 was a reasonable price, I snatched it up. Then I read it in two days. It's classified as a cyberpunk post-apocalyptic manga. I had to look it up, because I wouldn't know how to explain it. It's unusual.

I immediately noticed the differences with the plot. They aren't different to the point where it changes things super significantly, it just seemed like they were sorted around into a different order. Kaneda's character was the most surprising to me. He seemed to have a lot more depth in the manga than he did in the movie. I liked how involved he was in the overall story instead of mostly staying on the outside of the main conflict.

I really liked this. If I dare compare it to the movie, I'm going to lean heavily toward the manga. I understand when making a movie, you have to pick and choose what is included, but I'll give it credit for getting me interested enough in the story to check out the manga. I just found the second volume for the same reasonable price as the first one, and you know I snatched that up! Good Book!

The Legasov Tapes - Valery Legasov

This is actually the transcription of some tapes Valery Legasov made before he died. He was a major player at the Chernobyl site, and considered a national hero. His suicide was shocking to the country. I became interested in him when I watched the HBO miniseries Chernobyl.

A lot of speculation surrounded his death, which occurred the day after the second anniversary of the disaster and the day before the investigation results were to be released. He had been trying to encourage reform and change in the industry to prevent further incidents, but no one listened to him. By reading the tapes, I hoped to learn some insight into the mind of the man.

This wasn't what I was expecting at all. It was mostly scientific terms and explaining how people did what they could at the time. He did place blame a few times, but he was very cautious about it. He kept mentioning the main cause of the incident being waiting 10 years.

Then there was the repetition. The tapes weren't just made for one reason. One part was for an article, so a lot of the previous important information was repeated. He praised the firefighters and made sure it was known they hadn't been there in vain. He also mentioned the evacuation a few times and approved of the way that was organized.

Overall, unless you know a lot about chemistry and are interested in how Legasov viewed the problems he faced at Chernobyl, I think you could skip this one. He doesn't really get into his state of mind. He mainly sticks to the facts when he can. He's a sad figure, and I wish he would've been listened to.

Berserk (Volume 2) - Kentaro Miura

I finally got a copy of the second volume of this, but then I had to wait a while because it smelled funny. I'm sensitive to smells unfortunately, so the weird seaside smell that came out of the shrink wrap was upsetting and mysterious.

Continuing on with Guts' story, I was reminded of the anime series I watched from 1997. It was pretty faithful to the source material and went up to the time with the princess. Griffith is on the scene now, and the initial encounters with Casca are in there as well.

At times, I wasn't looking too hard at the pictures due to the smell, but I was trying to see if people were still getting chopped in half. I think I saw a few here and there. I liked seeing the way the band came together in more detail, but I'm not sure that I learned too much more than I had in the series.

I liked this one, and I'd like to keep going. If I am able to continue, I might have little reviews in here just to remind myself of what happens in each volume. Good Book!

The Legacy (Legacy of the Drow #1) - R. A. Salvatore

It's been a while since I've read one of the Salvatore books I purchased in a Humble Bundle. When I dive into them, I make sure I'm ready to get through a whole series, because I'm not piecemealing it. This series is a little different, though, since it has four books, while most of the time there's only three. I'll still be reading my nonfiction in between, but my fiction books are already settled for this next little bit.

Drizzt and his friends are hanging out in the Mithril Hall getting ready for the wedding between Catti-brie and Wulfgar. It seems like everything is fine. Even Regis shows up out of the blue, but then Wulfgar starts to act strangely. Regis even offers to head off into danger, which isn't like him at all.

Deeper in the Underdark, what remains of Drizzt's family hasn't forgotten him. His sister, Vierna, will do whatever it takes to get back some semblance of glory. It will take teaming up with a human assassin and drow mercenary to track down her wayward brother, but will they be able to bring him back to sacrifice him to the Spider Queen?

This was another good book. Salvatore does it again with his battle scenes. He's the only person I've ever read who can write a battle scene in such an interesting and visual way. I almost always know where everyone is and can see the entire battle in my mind. It's a real gift. 

This one was also sad. We lost one of our comrades along the way, and a side character that I had become attached to. I'm not sure if he was in any other books, but I really liked him for the short amount of time he was in this one. I think we lost a major threat in this one, but I never count anyone out until someone buries the body. No one buried this one's body, so I'm not convinced!

Next up is Starless Night. It'll be next after my nonfiction book. The Legacy earns a Good Book! review.

P.S. I don't know if I've ever mentioned it, but I love Guenhwyvar. If they ever lose that figurine, I'm going to have a fit!

Indestructible - Jack Lucas

Jack really wanted to be a Marine. He left home at 14 and worked his way into combat. Most of the time, it wasn't through normal channels. He ended up on the volcanic island of Iwo Jima, where he jumped on two grenades, saving three of his fellow Marines. This earned him a Medal of Honor and fame. While that initially went to his head a little, he took the responsibility of representing his fallen brothers seriously.

Jack is very honest about his life. He isn't super proud of everything that happened, but he doesn't shy away from it either. I was surprised he received his Medal of Honor around halfway through the book. But this man's life was filled with soap opera levels of drama at times. 

The writing style is easy to read, and Jack's life was one I admire. He mentioned his cousin, Sam, a lot, but there wasn't really an update on him in the later parts of the book. I saw Sam in the photos, though. The other thing I felt was missing was some kind of reference to the men who were saved by Jack. They left him in the trench thinking he was dead. Did they ever check on him? Talk to him after the event?

The section of photos are after the index. I'm not sure why they were placed there, but make sure to check them out. There's a fair number of them, and they're pretty interesting. Good Book!

 

The Man of Bronze - Lester Dent

A while back, I was interested in watching the Doc Savage movie from 1975. It's not that easy to find, though, and when I found out I could read the book, I was in!

Doc Savage has come home, and his father has died mysteriously. He's then almost killed by a man with red-tipped fingers. After that, Doc and his group of men, each with their own specialties, are on the case to find out why these assassins are trying to keep Doc away from his inheritance.

A lost civilization, gold, corrupt officials, and lots of BRONZE (the word was used 71 times!) fill this story with twists and turns. Doc is something between a strongman with superhuman intellect and a superhero. I can't really tell if he's supposed to be a superhero, but sometimes it really seemed like he was doing things that simply weren't possible.

This story was really fun. I liked the characters, and Doc was probably not my favorite. There wasn't anything wrong with him. He was just one of those invincible people who train two hours a day no matter what and are untouchable by the love of a woman. "You're a brick," he tells the woman falling in love with him. That was pretty funny. 

In all, there were 213 (!) Doc Savage stories. In later years, he evolved into more of a scientist, because after WWII, people were more interested in comics and Doc's antics seemed a bit silly after the real life heroics that went on. 

I'd probably enjoy more of this type of Doc Savage, but I'm not sure I'll get the chance. The Kindle versions are a bit pricey for what they are, and the paperbacks are so out of print it's ridiculous. With a character that stuck around this long, I'm surprised he's fallen through the cracks this far. I enjoyed Doc Savage and friends. Good Book!

Side Note: I never figured out what the Green Wigglies were...(look up the movie trailer on YouTube)