Meteor Men - Review

On a summer night, Alden Baylor sits in a field watching the largest meteor shower in human history.What begins as teenage adventure becomes something more - the celestial event brings travelers who will change the world completely, and Alden discovers a connection to one of them. How does a young man who had to grow up fast handle the invasion of his planet? Can Alden keep humanity from oblivion? From writer Jeff Parker (Aquaman, Hulk) and artist Sandy Jarrell (Batman'66) comes this story of adolescence, friendship, and hard decisions.

Meteor Men by Jeff Parker, Sandy Jarrell and KevinVolo 

Read July 6, 2014

Find it on GoodReads

Rating: 4/5 stars

My Review:

*Thanks to the publisher, Diamond Book Distributors, for the free review copy via Netgalley.*

This is a hard book for me to review, simply because I wasn't quite sure what I thought of it - even as I was reading it. One thing's for sure, "Meteor Men" had a very memorable story line. There were twists and turns in it that I hadn't even considered as possibilities for where the book might go. The art wasn't my absolute favorite, but it was definitely good and really held my attention throughout the storytelling.

Without giving too much away, I'll say that I enjoyed the uniqueness of the aliens and their capabilities. Everything about them was intriguing even by the end, as well as some of the finer points of how Alden, our MC, was involved with them. I would definitely recommend this to science fiction fans and I'm sure that it will gain many fans once published.

Pinocchio Vampire Slayer - PREVIEW

Pinocchio Vampire Slayer by Van Jensens

Read July 6, 2014

Find it on Goodreads

Rating: 4/5 stars

This puppet may not be a real boy... but he just might be a real hero! When bloodthirsty monsters invade Pinocchio's hometown and kill his father, Geppetto, Pinocchio discovers a new benefit to his magical nose: telling lies produces a never-ending supply of wooden stakes to combat the vampire hordes! Will Pinocchio be able to defeat these horrors, avenge his father, and save his friends? Now, for the first time, the complete trilogy is collected together in a single deluxe softcover edition. Jensen (Green Lantern Corps) and Higgins (Knights of the Living Dead) present a captivating blend of comedy, horror, romance, and adventure, rooted in the original Italian novel, but brought - as if by magic - to new life.

My Review:



*An extended preview of this novel was provided by the publisher, Diamond Book Distributors, in exchange for a review. The fact that I received a free copy has in no way influenced my review, nor have I received any compensation.*

In this interesting take on the classic Pinocchio our hero, Pinocchio obviously, has an interesting way of taking out the vampires. Lie, break off nose, stab vampire, repeat. In my opinion this makes it much more unique than the many scores of classic vampire retellings that have made an appearance in recent years. Unlike most of the many books that have surfaced "Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer" has more to it than taking the same story and adding vampires to it. Instead it expands on the original tale and gives it a new level of depth, differentiating from the original tale so that it becomes something new and original. 

The illustrations were also very well done, there was consistency in their quality and there was definitely quality. The humans and puppets alike looked realistic enough to be believable, but not overly so. 

The only real reason I didn't give this book a higher rating was because there were some grammatical errors. Perhaps once I read the entire work I will give it a higher rating, because I will quite possibly better understand how the particular characters talk.

The Artful - Review

The Artful by Wilbert Stanton

Read June 23, 2014

Find it on Goodreads

Rating: 4/5 stars











New York City, 2025: Everything is changed. The city that never sleeps is now a land of death and decay. A rampant virus has taken over and the survivors have become carriers, quarantined from the rest of the world.
Twist and Dodger grew up in the streets, the sewers and underground tunnels - their playground. They aren't heroes. They just like attention; and stealing meds from the rich and giving them to the poor is their golden ticket.
On their latest raid, they unknowingly steal a cure that puts them square between the ailing Emperor of Manhattan and the war hungry Governor of Brooklyn and forces them on a quest into the darkest shadows of their putrefying world

My Review:

*Thanks to the publisher, Curiosity Quills Press, for the free review copy via Netgalley.*

Possible Spoilers of a Minor Nature

The Artful by Wilbert Stanton has become one of my favorite books of the year so far. It features as it's main characters Twist and Dodger, two thieves who call themselves the 'Gutter Punks' and act like a post-apocalyptic version of Robin Hood. They take medicine from the privileged Tower Babies and give it to the poor, who are forced to live on the streets. Its set in Manhattan and Brooklyn in 2025, anyone who is still around is unable to tolerate the sun's rays and burn much to easily without shelter and protection. The story picks up when the two boys rescue a girl named Gia and Dodger is injected with a lethal virus only their enemies have the cure to. They'll have mere days to take back something their other friend stole before Dodger dies a painful death.

Twist was by far my favorite character. Unlike so many scores of YA main characters, he not only saw his flaws but also embraced them. He didn't whine and moan about his imperfections and he didn't over or under look them to any extreme. They were simply there and a fact of life.

He also really grew as a main character. In the beginning he resented the fact that everyone thought he was Dodger’s shadow, but it was sort of true, by the end he realized his own strength. He neither needed or wanted Dodger’s assistance because he had become his own person, Dodger’s illness really forced him to see his potential as it was.

One of the things I love about YA books with male main characters is the lack of drama. In particular girl type drama, evil in the clever disguise of words when it’s overused, so I also appreciated how there were no real frivolous type problems in the book. All of the issues the main characters faced were realistic and understandable. It was a lovable novel about the true pains of survival in a futuristic world that has been destroyed through something realistic. The only thing I didn't like about it was some of the dialogue. Whenever Dodger and Twist were separated, Dodger would tell Twist what happened to him while he was gone. That doesn't seem like a bad thing, but everything Dodger said during those times was a big block of text that told what happened just about word for word with no details omitted. Too many words were used at these times and it happened all at once, leaving the reader with no question as to what happened to Dodger during those times. It got to be quite annoying.

Although not everything about the book pleased me, The Artful was a greatly enjoyable read which I highly recommend to dystopian lovers. In particular those who enjoyed Andrew Smith’s The Marbury Lens.