World of Warcraft (Comic) - Book One - Walter Simonson (writer)

Next up in my graphic journey is the comic series for WoW. I had no idea what to expect going into this.

Three very unlikely teammates are entered into the competition at Dire Maul. A human, a night elf and a blood elf have to put any prejudices aside and work together to save themselves and each other. They end up forming a bond, but the human is missing something. He has amnesia, and he wants to find out who he really is. Finding the answer will eventually lead them to Jaina Proudmore, where he learns he's the true king of Stormwind. There are also assassins after him, so it's a good thing he's got his new friends. They've got their own problems, but when they work together, they are a force to be reckoned with.

I liked this one. It's a bit of a cliffhanger since Lo'gosh doesn't make it back to Stormwind, but I suppose that's why there's a Book 2! I really enjoy the memories these familiar places/characters bring back, and I look forward to diving into the next one. Good Comic!  

The Clue in the Crumbling Wall (Nancy Drew #22) - Carolyn Keene

I was excited to get through my latest book so I could start on my Half Price Books pile. Sometimes it's good to take a trip across the mountains and go to three different stores! I did go a bit overboard, but I haven't been to a HPB in years, so that's the excuse I'm using. 

If you're not familiar with Nancy Drew, I don't know what to tell you. I have a few of these hardbacks. They're super fun to read, and they make no sense in reality (policemen aren't going to ask teenagers for help on a case). They're just nifty little mysteries for kids. And they're a jolt of nostalgia for me. 

Nancy is asked to help find a woman that's been missing for ten years. It will help a little girl stay out of trouble, because the little urchin keeps listening to the young ruffian next door. The little girl does terrible, horrific things like stealing rose bushes!

Anyway, Nancy is given the key to this rundown estate, and she heads there to search for clues. There's a lot to deal with, though. Locked in a tower, dogs, her friend's clothes are stolen, her other friend hides from the dogs in a tree and also decides to hide in the villain's car, an explosion...all sorts of exciting things!

Salty is definitely my favorite character. I know he's selling oysters, and I don't eat fish, but if he came by with a cart full of those things and was singing a ditty, I'd totally buy some! Don't know what I'd do with them after that, but that's irrelevanat.

Not much more to say. It's Nancy Drew! Good Book!

The Nuremberg Interviews - Leon Goldensohn

This book has general observations of German men on trial for war crimes committed during WWII. The sections are of varying length, and there are two parts to the book. The first part is dedicated to those on trial. The second is focused on witnesses.

Each section begins with a brief summary of the accused's role in the war, what they are accused of, and their fate. After that is a picture. In the following pages, the interviewer documents various answers and ramblings of the men. He tries to get each man's family history, and he tries to gauge their level of guilt and responsibility for the fate of the Jews. He does this for each man. He also allows them to say whatever is on their mind.

For me, this wasn't quite what I was expecting. When I read this was the notes of a psychiatrist, I thought there would be some breakdowns of what he thought of each individual. Instead, he puts down the facts with almost no bias (it does pop in there once in a while). You're just not going to get anything close to diagnoses in this book.

The other thing that was disturbing was the attitudes of these men toward the Holocaust. I always figured there would be a disconnect with them, a mental misfire that would be apparent when they were confronted with their actions. On the contrary, they acted like you would expect a self-serving person who was trying to save their own life. It was all "It was someone else's fault." and "I never knew anything about that." I think the nonchalant attitude was more vile than the one man who seemed to actually have outright issues having basic emotions. It's much harder to imagine so many men involved in something so destructive when they're capable of feeling something.

Overall, even though the book wasn't what I expected, it was an eye opener. These men would tell lies that sounded reasonable, but then I remembered who they were and why they were there. When they were confronted with evidence of their acts, they had no real answers. Good Book!

The Halfling's Gem (Icewind Dale #3) - R. A. Salvatore

The third book in the trilogy finds our heroes headed toward Calimport to rescue Regis. To my great delight, a certain flaming dwarf has reappeared!

Drizzt had a lot to deal with in this book. He had a personal struggle with who he was as a person. The assassin seemed to be the antithesis of Drizzt, and it really bothered him. He's also lost his panther, his friend, and he's trying to travel incognito. He has a mask, but his friends aren't happy about him wearing it. He puts it on for the sake of Regis, but it makes him think.

There's some great action in this book, and I really enjoyed it. I was a bit bummed Mr. Assassin slipped away. I'm thinking he'll pop up again sometime in the future, but I don't know. Next up in my Drizzt list is the Legacy of the Drow series, but it might be a bit. We had a trip to some bookstores recently, so I'm going to try and get through some of those. It's been years since I'd been in a Half Price Books, and going in three may have given me more to read than I really needed...

Who am I kidding? I can never have too much to read!

The Halfling's Gem? Good Book! Neat Trilogy! 

Curse of the Worgen (World of Warcraft comic)

This is my last single shot comic in my WoW folder.

The town of Gilneas is under attack by the Forsaken, and now a new threat looms on the horizon: the worgen. These beasts have their roots in the night elves. They've been forbidden to shapeshift into this particular form due to its dangerous nature. Transforming into the wolf can make the druid forget who they are and give themselves to the beast form. An investigator from town is abducted and forced to hear the story of the worgen.

I liked the steampunk vibe I was getting from the people of the town. Bowler hats, vests and long-barrel pistols were highlights of the art style for me. I liked Hadley Ramsey's character, and his outfit was the icing on the cake. In Ashbringer, a bunch of men had the same hair. In this one, the worgen ended up looking alike. Fortunately, at least one of them had an eyepatch. I always knew who that one was.

I liked this one. The art was really good, and the story kept me entertained. It wasn't an emotional roller coaster or anything, but it was enough for me to give it a Good Comic! review.

 

Ashbringer (World of Warcraft comic) PLUS Happy Little Accidents!

This is going to be another one of those reviews that I'm making more so I remember I've read the comic than to make any kind of statement about the content.

This particular story is centered around the Plaguelands, Scarlet Crusade, Argent Dawn, etc. The Mograine family is a mess of insecurity and betrayal, leading to deaths all around. Tirion Fordring also shows up, a very familiar name among many others.

I liked this one for the most part, but there were too many auburn-haired men with the same general hairstyle. They got a bit confusing at times. Other than that, the art was good, and I enjoyed the story. My favorite part was when both Darion and his horse were scowling at the same time.

Happy Little Accidents

I accidentally discovered something really cool, and it kind of made my day. It's not a super big deal, but sometimes it's the little things that make ya smile. These comics and manga are in PDF form. So far, I've been zooming in and moving around every page like a goober. Well, when I put my Kindle down today, it auto-rotated and...TA-DA! I could see the entire page across and could read the little bubbles without an issue! Then all I had to do was pull the page up to see the rest of it.

That made reading the comic easier, and I was able to read it so much faster. Love those happy little accidents!

Tangent over. Back to Ashbringer. The story was cool, and I liked it. I'm giving it a Good Comic! review.

I still have a couple comics, and I discovered I had a set in the wrong folder, so I have more manga than I initially thought. I like to read these when I'm not quite in the mood to settle in with my current novel, or I just want the feeling of accomplishment that comes with finishing something that's been sitting on my virtual pile waiting to be read.

James Willard Schultz Collection

This book has been on my list for so long, I have no idea how I heard of it or why it's on the list. James Willard Schultz was an explorer and historian. In this volume, he collects four eyewitness accounts and preserves them for future generations.

The stories are Bird Woman (Sacajawea [sic]), Lone Bull's Mistake, Rising Wolf - the White Blackfoot and Apauk Caller of Buffalo. I didn't make it through the whole book.

The first story kept my interest, but I can't really relate much of what I read. All I know is Sacajawea had a horrible husband, and her original name was Grass Woman.

The second story was the highlight for me. It's the story of Lone Bull and his pride. He gets punished for disobeying the hunting rules and relocates his family. It's not an easy thing for them, and disaster seems to follow them everywhere. But Lone Bull lives up to his name of being stubborn, and the hits just keep on coming.

Toward the end of the third story, I was done. In the story, Hugh Monroe describes his first year with the Blackfoot tribe. He worked for a trapping company, married a Blackfoot woman and had 10 children. The issue I had was the killing. I am definitely an animal person, so while I would understand the killing of the buffalo, I wasn't super happy about it. This story had a whole section dedicated on how to butcher an animal. Yeah, I skipped that. I didn't like the senseless killing. To me, killing an animal for its pelt, and only for its pelt, is a senseless killing. The mountain goat killing seemed pointless to me. They even knew ahead of time the meat was bad. Killing a mountain lion and her young that had run from you and hidden was just too much. The wolf trap? It created a fish-in-a-barrel scenario. And the story about running a herd of buffalo over a cliff? Pass. I understand it's a personal thing with me. I'm not a fan of hunting, and there was so much of it in this section that I was over the whole thing. And they killed so many beavers.

When I read a snippet of the fourth story, I saw that Apauk was a buffalo caller, or a man who was renowned for his skill in calling the buffalo to their deaths. So I stopped reading.

Overall, I'm not sorry I started reading it. The hunting was just too much for me. I didn't realize it would be such a large part of the book overall. Lone Bull is still a worthwhile story, and my non-hunter heart was okay with that one. The third story just lost me, but these are still important stories that I'm glad aren't lost to time. Even if they do make me cringe.

Death Knight (World of Warcraft manga) - Dan Jolley

This was the other class specific manga that came in my Humble Bundle.  Apparently, there was also one focused on the shaman, but I don't have that one. The only manga I have left is the Sunwell Trilogy.

Thassarian is turned down for a promotion. He's told that he's more of a follower than a leader. Ouch. He finds purpose following Arthas against the Scourge, but eventually, Thassarian is killed and turned into a death knight. Arthas is behind the change, and for a while, Thassarian is a mindless servant. His father helps him break free, and he's the first of the Ebon Blade. Thassarian wants revenge on Arthas.

In contrast to the first manga I read, this one is focused on an actual character I'm familiar with. Aodhan (Mage) was a name I'd never heard before, and I couldn't find evidence of him anywhere. I liked reading the story of Thassarian, and between the two, I liked this one more than Mage. Maybe it was the horses. Maybe it was Lurid, the summoned skeleton. This one was just better. Good Story!

 

Kobo - my new nemesis...

A few weeks ago, I saw a Humble Bundle with a series of books by Terry Brooks. I downloaded a sample of the first book of the series and was interested enough to read more. As with every Humble Bundle I've bought, the deal is extremely good. I saw the warning that the books were on another site, Kobo, and headed over there to check things out.

And everything seemed fine. I've been out of the loop for a while, so I'd never heard of Kobo or the new (?) Kobo reader. To me, it sounded like a Nook, where you can only read those things on that device. It's why I never purchased a Nook. But! The website said you could use a free Adobe program to change the files into a different format and then put them on other devices. Cool!

So I was in. Got my Bundle and claimed my books. Went to download one and...nothing. It wouldn't open, and I couldn't get anything to happen. I used the Adobe program mentioned, but it wouldn't recognize my device (I have older Kindles), so that was a problem. Upon searching, it seems the program hasn't been recognizing Kindles for at least four years. I wasn't giving up yet, though.

My next step was to take my Kindle Fire and try to download the Kobo app. My Kindle would not download that app. It wouldn't even pretend to try. I even tried to use Google Play to try and download it there. Didn't work. My husband messed around with it, even trying to push back the OS. He was able to get Google Play, but not the app. It was at that moment, I raised the white flag. Between my husband and myself, we had wasted waaay too much time on this.

So, my options boiled down to reading these books on my phone or my laptop. My phone is too small for my old self, and my laptop is too large to lounge around comfortably with. Or I could buy a Kobo! Pass. I'm peeved now. It all sounded so simple at first, and it turned into a frustrating exercise.

I realize this is probably my "old man yells at cloud" moment. I'll have more. But maybe I'll save one person from going through this same thing. If you have older Kindles and are believing you'll get Kobo books to work on them, look a little deeper. Make sure your device will connect to the program. Or just avoid the site. That's what I'll be doing in the future. I've gotten books from other sites before, Coachwhip to name one, and never had an issue getting it to work. Circumstances were just not in my favor this time.

Mage (World of Warcraft manga) - Richard A. Knaak

*This review is mostly for my memory.*

Digging into one of my other Humble Bundles, I had some World of Warcraft titles. My husband and I have a lot of history with that game and made a few friends while playing (a few we still keep in touch with!). The bundle is a mix of comics, manga and novels. This was my first manga from the bundle.

Dalaran is under attack by a force led by Malygos, the great blue dragon. Aodhan is a young mage who hears a voice in the prison. He follows the voice and finds his uncle, a man who he believed to be dead. What follows is Aodhan's journey of choosing sides and testing the limits of his knowledge.

I definitely would not recommend this to anyone who knows zero about WoW. You're just dropped into the world, and being plopped onto a floating city would make most people just ask questions. For me, familiar names like Dalaran, Kirin Tor, and Azeroth brought back memories. A few of the major events were mentioned as well. 

At first I didn't realize this was a manga, so I was a bit confused why it was in black and white. Knowing it's a manga, I understood. I was a bit bummed, though, since Malygos is a really pretty color of blue. Other than that, it didn't bother me. I read this on my Kindle, so I had to zoom in and move the pages around to read it. A bit of work, but I do what I have to! Good Story!

Streams of Silver (Icewind Dale #2) - R. A. Salvatore

This is the second book in the series. The first book was The Crystal Shard, and I'll be diving into The Halfling's Gem after my next nonfiction book. 

In this book, we're on a quest with Bruenor to find his ancestral home of Mithral Hall. There are a few things going on. Drizzt is being pursued by a wizard searching for the buried Crystal Shard. Regis is being pursued by Entreri, an assassin sent to retrieve the ruby pendant he stole, and Catti-Brie, though left behind, gets wrapped up in the adventure as well. Shimmergloom, a shadow dragon, has taken up residence in Mithral Hall, so even if the party can get there in one piece, there's danger waiting.

This was another good book. I liked the depth to the characters and how Entreri was the antithesis of Drizzt. That'll come in the next book. The assassin has the gem, Regis, and Drizzt's shadow cat. Not cool. I really liked the storyline with Morkai, the slave wizard who was trying to break free from Dendybar. I mean, the man had a golem that was practically indestructible. Scary stuff. The end was sad, but I want to read into one sentence about a stone moving. Maybe the dwarf torch still lives? That made me super sad. It can't be the end for him, can it?

There's not much more to say. I'm just glad I have the whole trilogy, because otherwise I would be peeved at the cliffhanger nature of these. But I don't have to worry about it. Good Book!