Someone Has Murdered Forbush Man! Could someone be targeting all of Marvel’s funniest characters for death? That’s what Deadpool thinks, and now he’s gotta act before someone bumps off Squirrel Girl, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Ant-Man, Howard the Duck, and The Punisher! (Like we said, the funny characters.) Good thing Deadpool is renowned for his investigative skills!
Collecting: Deadpool: Too Soon? 1-4
(from Goodreads)
My Thoughts:
So Deadpool gathers the most comedic characters in the Marvel Universe together to a secluded mansion just to get a photo for christmas… even though it was summer. And while has all these characters together one gets murdered and the rest of the book is our merc with a mouth figuring out who killed Forbush Man.
First thing I did like about this is that it did gather the comedic characters in the Marvel Universe: Squirrel Girl, Groot and Rocket Racoon (my favourite Guardians of the Galaxy pairing), Spider-Ham. And they were a few good jokes that went on the book. I actually enjoyed the Squirrel Girl and Deadpool dynamic. I also liked the interactions between Dr. Strange and Deadpool in this graphic novel.
Also Squirrelpool? I can’t believe they did this in this graphic novel!
However I have issues that drag this graphic novel down for me. The first is for two of the characters: Forbush Man and Shiklah (Deadpool’s “Wife”). I had no idea who these two characters are. So when Forbush Man gets killed off, I didn’t feel anything because I didn’t know anything about this character.
Lastly the Christmas issue at the end felt like it should have been part of another book and not this book. It felt out of place compared to the rest of the story.
Overall, Deadpool: Too Soon? is a nice short read. But I would only recommend it if you are a die-hard Deadpool fan.
Half hidden by forest and overshadowed by threatening peaks, Le Sommet has always been a sinister place. Long plagued by troubling rumors, the former abandoned sanatorium has since been renovated into a five-star minimalist hotel.
An imposing, isolated getaway spot high up in the Swiss Alps is the last place Elin Warner wants to be. But Elin’s taken time off from her job as a detective, so when her estranged brother, Isaac, and his fiancée, Laure, invite her to celebrate their engagement at the hotel, Elin really has no reason not to accept.
Arriving in the midst of a threatening storm, Elin immediately feels on edge–there’s something about the hotel that makes her nervous. And when they wake the following morning to discover Laure is missing, Elin must trust her instincts if they hope to find her. With the storm closing off all access to the hotel, the longer Laure stays missing, the more the remaining guests start to panic.
Elin is under pressure to find Laure, but no one has realized yet that another woman has gone missing. And she’s the only one who could have warned them just how much danger they are all in…
(from Goodreads)
My Thoughts:
The Sanatorium is a Mystery thriller that takes place during the winter at the Swiss Alps. Where Elin and her boyfriend Will are going to an engagement party, as Elin’s brother Isaac is getting engaged. Elin who is a police detective who is on leave is going through some mental health issues and decides to go to meet her brother. They go to a five star hotel that used to be a Sanatorium for tuberculosis patients. And during the stay, Laure, Isaac’s fiancée disappears causing a mystery to start.
There are several things that work for this novel, the first is the setting. It takes place during winter… during avalanche season in the swiss alps. I’ve long said that Winter is the perfect time of year for a scare and the time of year does help. The fact that the Hotel has a dark history of it being a Sanatorium also helps. And the fact that our characters are cut off from the outside world due to an avalanche and people start dying creates an eerie atmosphere and setting.
I also liked that this was a page-turner, as a lot of things going on in this book did keep me in suspense wondering: where is this going? And what’s going to happen next? I also did like how the chapters were short.
Now I do have some criticism of this book. I feel like Elin made some very poor decisions that make me question her skills as a detective. For example: She should have gotten backup for the meeting of Laure in the middle of the book. I mean she’s gone missing, then she texts you telling you to meet her and Laure will explain everything… alone in the sketchiest area of the hotel. When she went alone? I went: Are we seriously doing this? This is one of the most cliched moments in mysteries. You get a message promising information, if you meet this person at a sketchy location and to come alone.
I found the reveal at the end a little lacklustre and I just was not convinced by the murderer’s motive.
Not to mention, the characters were pretty bland except for our main character Elin.
I did not understand the Epilogue at all. It felt like a very cheap way of suggesting that there will be a sequel to this book.
Overall, The Sanatorium is a page-turning mystery thriller that to me failed to nail the ending. The first half of the novel was very interesting but the second half of the novel went downhill. If you are looking for a good chilling thriller to read during winter… I think it’s best you look elsewhere.
It’s up to a famous rapper, a biologist, and a rogue soldier to handle humanity’s first contact with an alien ambassador—and prevent mass extinction—in this novel that blends magical realism with high-stakes action.
After word gets out on the Internet that aliens have landed in the waters outside of the world’s fifth most populous city, chaos ensues. Soon the military, religious leaders, thieves, and crackpots are trying to control the message on YouTube and on the streets. Meanwhile, the earth’s political superpowers are considering a preemptive nuclear launch to eradicate the intruders. All that stands between 17 million anarchic residents and death is an alien ambassador, a biologist, a rapper, a soldier, and a myth that may be the size of a giant spider, or a god revealed.
(from Goodreads)
My Thoughts:
DNF – 92 pages at 30%
This is the first DNF of the year. This book I just did not like it. While it has a very interesting premise of an alien coming to earth wanting peace but wanting a home for her people who have landed in the waters outside of the city of Lagoon in Nigeria. The premise is interesting… but it’s the execution of it that’s the problem for me.
The first problem I have with this is the characters. I just didn’t feel too attached to any of the characters. There just wasn’t anyone who really stood out to me in this book.
My second issue is the writing in this book. The dialogue I thought was terrible. And at times I couldn’t even tell who’s POV it was. The POV changes alot and it happens completely unannounced. There was at one point where we switched POV’s three times in less than 3 pages!
Lastly the plot just felt all over the place. We kept jumping to subplot to subplot and I kept asking myself: Is this really going anywhere?
Overall, this book was a mess to me, and I decided to put the book down. Next!
Logen Ninefingers, infamous barbarian, has finally run out of luck. Caught in one feud too many, he’s on the verge of becoming a dead barbarian – leaving nothing behind him but bad songs, dead friends, and a lot of happy enemies.
Nobleman Captain Jezal dan Luthar, dashing officer, and paragon of selfishness, has nothing more dangerous in mind than fleecing his friends at cards and dreaming of glory in the fencing circle. But war is brewing, and on the battlefields of the frozen North they fight by altogether bloodier rules.
(from Goodreads)
My Thoughts:
The Blade Itself is a more grittier Fantasy that takes place in quite a unique world but focuses mostly on the Barbarian Logen Ninefingers, Glokta an Inquisitor of the government, and Captain Jezal Dan Luthar, a swordsman. As they navigate the complicated world, it’s magic and politics.
So I came into this book not quite expecting and while it started off being slow, I eventually found myself liking and enjoying this book quite a bit.
The book does a very good job at establishing it’s characters, their personalities and their motivations. We learn the characters behaviors and their internal conflicts. We have Logen Ninefingers, a Barbarian with a past that he’s trying to move away from. Glotka, an Inquisitor who has a disability and not a very friendly guy but does want to prove that he is still a strong person. Jezal, a rich kid who’s gotten everything he wanted but has to work in order to win a dueling tournament.
I also like the worldbuilding that goes on this novel. As there are quite a few countries that exist in this world and we do get a good glimpse of some of the countries in this book: We get to see the North, The Union (the main setting) and The Gurkish Empire. We do get quite a bit of lore for The Union, and we do get a pretty good grasp of how the government of The Union works. We also learn a bit of how The Gurkish Empire operates and Bethod who is the King of the North.
The Magic system, while I feel like it’s soft magic (I have no problem with soft magic), it does appear to have two clear rules: 1. It is forbidden to touch the “other side” direct. 2. It is forbidden to eat the flesh of men.
I liked the action sequences that went on in this novel. I had very little trouble visualizing the fighting that went on in this series.
Also for a supposedly grimdark fantasy series there were quite a few laughs I got while I was reading this.
While I do think there is good worldbuilding and lore in this story, I am disappointed in the lack of maps in this book. You are telling me that there are many countries, a sea, a continental island all in this world and no maps of this world? I’m sorry what?
I also found the first 40-50ish pages a little slow to begin but it does get better after that.
Just an observation but I found it interesting how it took over 400 pages just for a “party” to form in this book. Usually the “party” in these Fantasy books tend to be formed earlier in the book. Still I was excited when I realized the “party” was formed in the book!
Overall, The Blade Itself was a book that I really enjoyed with very memorable characters, an interesting soft magic system, and a very interesting world with politics mixed in! I ended up liking this much more than I was expecting it too. I enjoyed it so much that I quickly ordered the rest of this trilogy so I can read the rest of the series!
Hello everyone! Welcome to the Monthly Wrap-Up where I give updates on my reading and other things I’m up to in the past month. So let’s get to it!
Books Read: 3
Yes, I know, I know. Three books again this month. Sigh… what can I say? This year has been off to a very busy start with my job, my volunteer commitments and the many other projects or commitments I made. But I am still committed to reading as much as I can. Finishing The Way of Kings and The Blade Itself this month alone was quite the accomplishment in my eyes.
The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson is so far the best book I’ve read this year. I think this is the most developed world from Brandon Sanderson. This book is proof that Brandon can be amazing when it comes to worldbuilding. The characters are all strong.
Deadpool the Duckby Stuart Moore
This was another fun Deadpool story. Honestly whenever I read something involving Deadpool… I just know that it’s going to be weird but always going to be fun. And this book is no exception to that.
The Blade Itself by Joe Ambercrombie
I’ll keep my full thoughts in my upcoming review of the book, but I liked it. I felt it was a refreshing take on gritty fantasy. Anyway review is coming so stay tuned!
Short Stories Read: 2
While the book count was low, I was able to read two short stories about Fantasy… both from one of my favourite authors: Brandon Sanderson.
The Hope of Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
This was a fine short story. It’s nothing too special but it’s not a bad story. This story felt more like a deleted scene from Elantris if anything. I’m glad that it did reveal that Raoden and Sarene are doing well together after the events of Elantris. But again it’s just a fine story.
The Eleventh Metal by Brandon Sanderson
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
I kind of liked this better… mostly because it’s a Kelsier POV and I’ve made it no secret that he is one of my favourite Mistborn characters. He’s always a fun character and he still is through this short story. Here we get some of his backstory and we see Kelsier being trained to become a Mistborn. While also getting hints of his connection with a certain evil God in the Mistborn trilogy.
Currently Reading:
Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor
I am about just over 50 pages into this book… and I am not sure how I feel about this book yet. I just can’t decide if I like it or don’t yet. I’ll read for a few more pages and decide if it’s worth continuing to read this or to DNF it.
The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse
I just started reading this book so I haven’t gotten too far in it so far, but I am interested in the premise of it. So stay tuned for more!
What I’ve been doing and watching:
I’ve gotten a lot more busy in the past month as I took on a major commitment in my volunteering. As such I am lowering my expectations when it comes to my reading this year. I am expecting the amount of books read this year to be a drop from the past two years. And there will most likely be delays in some of my posts, but I am not giving up on this blog and I will keep this blog active. I am not going anywhere!
D&D continues to be a major source of fun for me. I played a fun one-shot on the Theros setting (a setting from Magic the Gathering), where I played an Oath of Glory Paladin. There was some really good worldbuilding going on in that session.
In the Phandelver campaign I’m currently doing, our party fought a green dragon and we won the fight! The fight was amazing! The tension was there, we all realized we may not get out of this alive but we were able to all work together, and together we slayed the dragon! It was probably going to be one of the best D&D sessions and it was my first dragon fight I experienced playing this game.
Plans for Next Month:
For next month, I plan to watch the comedy series: Community. It’s a show that I remember watching maybe one or two episodes here and there but never actually committed to watching it… for some reason.
Anyways I plan to begin watching this series. I want to read a few books that are not fantasy before I read through the second Stormlight Archive novel.
February was a very busy month for me personally and I think it will set the tone for the next few months. There are challenges ahead but I feel ready to face them. See you all next time!
Deadpool the Duck is sent on a mission by S.H.I.E.L.D. to capture a rogue alien!
Collecting: Deadpool the Duck 1-5
(from Goodreads)
My Thoughts:
So this is a going to be a quick review. I just saw this was when I was browsing at the library and went: Ah, why not?
So Deadpool the Duck follows Deadpool and Howard the Duck and they accidentally get fused into the same body… and of course hijinks and shenanigans happen because of course it is! It’s Deadpool related! Oh and they also have to save Rocket the Raccoon from space rabies.
There are a few things I liked about this. Most of the jokes did land and I bursted out laughing a few times while reading this. It was also very witty. And both characters being able to break the fourth wall just added to the humor.
Also Doctor Bong was hilarious in this graphic novel, and was an entertaining villain for our heroes to face.
If I have one major flaw with this short graphic novel is that Mary and her mother subplot wasn’t that interesting. It just kind of made me yawn.
And most of the time Rocket was just kind of there.
Overall, I’d recommend it if you want to have something you want to finish reading in an hour and have a few good laughs from it. If you are looking for something deeper… it’s best to look elsewhere.
I long for the days before the Last Desolation. Before the Heralds abandoned us and the Knights Radiant turned against us. When there was still magic in Roshar and honor in the hearts of men.
In the end, not war but victory proved the greater test. Did our foes see that the harder they fought, the fiercer our resistance? Fire and hammer forge a sword; time and neglect rust it away. So we won the world, yet lost it.
Now there are four whom we watch: the surgeon, forced to forsake healing and fight in the most brutal war of our time; the assassin, who weeps as he kills; the liar, who wears her scholar’s mantle over a thief’s heart; and the prince, whose eyes open to the ancient past as his thirst for battle wanes.
One of them may redeem us. One of them will destroy us.
(from Goodreads)
My Thoughts:
Wow, this was one of the longest books I’ve read in a long time at about 1258 pages. That is a longer book than the longest The Wheel of Time book!
The Way of Kings is an Epic Fantasy that mostly follows five main characters: Kaladin, Shallan, Dalinar, Adolin and Szeth. Kaladin is a guy that is trying to survive being a slave and tries to save his crew from certain death. Shallan, a woman who is trying to save her family… by wanting to steal a Soulcaster from one of the most powerful women in the world. Dalinar & Adolin are Father and Son who are both trying to protect their king and try to end a war that’s been going on for years, all while trying to support each other.
Now there are several things I like about this. For one thing this definitely feels different than the other Brandon Sanderson books, I’ve read. For example: I did love the first Mistborn book in the original trilogy… but I had some issues such as worldbuilding. The pieces were definitely there in that first book.. but my main issue with that book was despite this being a whole world… we stay in the same place for the majority of the book. And it takes until book three to see more of that world.
However this book is proof that Sanderson deliver on both worldbuilding and the lore in the first book. This book is probably the most focused on worldbuilding and lore that I’ve seen in a single book from Brandon Sanderson. The other books such as Elantris, Warbreaker etc do not even come close to the detail that this book brings. This book we stay in mostly two locations… but thanks to the Interludes chapters we are able to see glimpses of the world of Roshar.
Once again Brandon Sanderson shows that one of his greatest strengths is his characters. Kaladin is now one of my personal favourite main protagonists from Brandon Sanderson. He is a character that cares about others, he’s a true leader and despite all the shit he had to go throughout this novel, he never gave up. It’s a true underdog story. Also he’s the character that has the best supporting cast with Bridge Four. Bridge Four is awesome!
Dalinar is probably the other best character throughout this book, I liked how he was trying his best to protect his King (who just happens to be his nephew), struggle with figuring out the nature of the visions he’s having, and his relationship with his son Adolin. His struggle with the ideals he believes, and the practice of those ideals. And trying to reconcile practice with ideals is a very relatable.
For the magic system, I kind of like how Brandon went back to having his magic system being more mysterious. I always like it when magic systems retain a little bit of mystery as it just helps make the magic…. well feel more magical. And I like how the magic system slowly gets revealed throughout the novel. And I personally look forward to learning more about this magic system for the rest of the series.
And I feel like Brandon did an excellent job with the twist villain at the end of the novel. As it doesn’t change the story too much but it definitely helps set things up for the next book. I’m not going to spoil it, as I think you can only appreciate it by reading this book. I actually look forward to see what Brandon does next with this twist villain.
Also it’s cool to see Hoid (he’s a character that has shown up in all of The Cosmere books either as a cameo role or as a supporting character) play a bigger role. We even get a POV chapter from him!
I do have some criticism though. While I appreciate the Interludes for showing us a little bit more of the world at large. There were a couple of interesting ones such as a very interesting reveal involving some of Brandon’s characters being on this world. But some of them made me wonder: What was that all about? And most of the Interludes had no further impact or involvement with the rest of the book. Did Brandon just wanted to tell some short stories to help flesh out his world in between the main story? Is Brandon setting things up for the future books?
Secondly, if you are expecting this to be a fast-paced novel with action… well it’s a slower pace than some of Brandon’s other books. Although too be fair it is a 1258 pages, and it does spends a lot of time developing the world, lore and it’s characters.
Thirdly the revelations involving Shallan at the end just kind of came out of nowhere for me.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. In terms of worldbuilding and lore, this is Brandon’s best work! And after reading this I can understand why this series of books is Brandon Sanderson’s masterpiece. I definitely recommend this if you like Epic Fantasy and like reading books. I don’t recommend this if you are not into reading a long book though. I look forward to reading more of The Stormlight Archives and where Brandon goes from here!
Hello everyone! Welcome to the Monthly Wrap-Up where I give updates on my reading and other things I’m up to in the past month. So let’s get to it!
Books Read: 3
Yeah… I know the amount of books read this month has dropped. But it’s for a very good reason as I am currently reading The Way of Kings which is a book over 1200 pages. That’s a very long book to read and reading long books tend to take longer for me to read. Besides that this month has been pretty busy.
The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
We started off 2024 was a Science Fiction classic! This book literally started the Alien Invasion genre and it is worth a read.
Watchmen by Alan Moore
This was probably the best book I read this month. I think it’s one of the best written graphic novel I have ever read.
Dungeons & Dragons: Frost Giant’s Fury by Jim Zub and Netho Diaz
This was a quick and very fun read. Nuff Said.
Currently Reading:
The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson – 73%
I am about 73 percent through this book. I’ll expand this in my review but this feels a little different than his other books and I kind of like it. There is a lot more worldbuilding in this book, the magic system is mysterious, and a lot of lore! I am getting myself ready for the Sanderlanche, cause I just know it’s coming!
What I’ve been doing and watching:
It’s been a weird month. I’ve been dealing with the aftermath of my boss retiring. Been busy with the volunteer committee I’m part of. As we are facing committee election that could change the direction we are going this year.
This was great month though for playing Dungeons & Dragons. I started playing a Phandelver campaign where I am playing as a Tabaxi Bard College of Eloquence. And I am having fun with it. Just last weekend I played two Adventurer League one-shots, the first I played a Wizard Order of Scribes and it was the shortest one-shot I have ever played as we were done in less than 2 hours! Our party was able to completely avoid the final boss fight ( it was a Blue Dragon) by everyone succeeding on our Deception Checks and the Dragon crit failing his Insight Check. We were able to complete the adventure without any further opposition. Proof that fights can be avoidable in D&D … including the final boss!
While the second session, finally after almost 2 years of playing this game I finally casted Fireball! And it was totally worth it!
I am still catching up on David Tennant’s tenure as the Doctor. I just haven’t had a lot of time to watch TV lately.
Plans for Next Month:
Nothing too big. The main goal is to finish The Way of Kings and I will have to see what comes my way in February.
This a weird month to start off 2024, but there were some good bright spots and there is hope for better days ahead as I am moving on to bigger and better things.
Mighty giants stir across the land and before their crushing might, nothing is safe. Badly injured after their encounters in the Demiplane of Dread and now lost in the frozen northern reaches of the Forgotten Realms, the Baldur’s Gate heroes will be tested like never before. Roll for initiative, a new Dungeons & Dragons adventure begins!
(from Goodreads)
My Thoughts:
Yep, I’m back to reading Fantasy again. And I decided to read something I am comfortable with: Dungeons & Dragons.
So basically our adventuring party finds themselves in the Spine of the World in the Forgotten Realms. They have to stop a bunch of Ice Giants from getting an object that would allow them to control dragons and of course shenanigans happen.
There’s quite a few things that I do like about this book. I love how Minsc is in this story. Minsc is a great character dating back to the Baldur’s Gate games, and to me he is always welcome in any Dungeons & Dragons story. Krydle and Shandie have a fun dynamic together.
I also like the dialogue, character interactions, funny moments thanks to Minsc and Boo! I also liked how they included the character sheets for each of our main characters at the end of the graphic novel. This was a lot of fun to read. Also the artwork was nice.
Also Boo becoming a giant hamster is the best scene in this entire book and I love it!
There isn’t anything really wrong with this graphic novel. It’s a nice quick and fun graphic novel to read. I would recommend it if you love Dungeons & Dragons or if you just like Fantasy in general.
A murder mystery-turned-nationwide conspiracy, WATCHMEN examines the lives of the eponymous superhero team as they seem to decay alongside the ever-darkening America around them. Rorschach, Nite Owl, the Silk Spectre, Dr. Manhattan and Ozymandias reunite to investigate who’s behind a teammate’s murder, but find that the truth may be even more grim than the world they seek to protect.
One of the most influential graphic novels of all time and a perennial bestseller, WATCHMEN is considered a gateway title to the entire graphic storytelling medium. Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ seminal story is the benchmark against which all other graphic novels and comic books are judged with an incredible story that chronicles the fall from grace of a group of super-heroes plagued by all-too-human failings.
(from Goodreads)
My Thoughts:
The Watchmen is about a realistic take on superheroes and asks the question: What if Superheroes existed in real life all while the Cold War is taking place? And one by one each of the Superheroes are being killed off. And our characters have to figure out what is going on.
There’s quite a bit of things that I liked about this series. I like the Cold War connections throughout, as a history buff who’s into that stuff I thought it helped make the setting more interesting.
I think this story’s biggest strength is its characters. There’s a lot to talk about them. Dan Moore successfully creates morally grey characters… these characters are not like Superman or heroes that are the embodiment of virtues. These are characters that are deeply flawed. Another strength of the characters is their backstories. They have some very interesting backstories.
In terms of characters, I love Rorschach’s character design and he was a very interesting character to follow throughout this series. Dr. Manhatten was also interesting character to follow.
I also liked how this book explores various themes such as Moralist vs. Utilitarian Ethics, Identity, Meaning and Nihilism.
This whole series is a proper deconstruction of the superhero genre and comic books. I actually really liked this book and I’m finding it very hard to not get into spoilers as I think you should read this for yourself.
I guess the only real criticisms I have is sometimes it seems to be just a little too cynical tone for my liking. The other criticism is I didn’t understand the whole point of The Tales of the Black Freighter storyline that went on throughout this series. I found it a little distracting from the overarching story.
I honestly think this was one of the best graphic novels I have ever read. It has good pacing, a good story with deep themes and very interesting character studies. If you are a fan of the superhero genre, I think this book is a must read.
Spencer's Bookcase 