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Stuff I read: January 2011 edition
When I quit smoking a few years ago my reading dropped dramatically due to habit association issues. It got a bit of a bump when my TV died but it's still nothing what it was before. Still, I thought it might be nice to post what I've been reading, so this is a new thing for me this year. Even though it will show you what a COMPLETE DORK I am.
Palace of the Plague Lord by C.L. Werner
Short summary: a northern barbarian seeking revenge for his tribe that was wiped out is chosen by a god for a quest with the promise of a reward that is almost too good to be true. A Warhammer tie-in novel. Short review: meh.
I have this thing for RPG's. I have source books for RPG's that I have never played or that I haven't played in many years and will certainly never play again. There's something about the way they spark my imagination. Tie-in novels are a poor substitute, especially when so many of them are poorly written. A tie-in novel for a table-top military based RPG, well, it is at least a couple of steps above a Deathlands novel (yes, I read one once and it was excruciating). The world-building was nice enough but I just couldn't manage any relation to the characters. Even the incredibly imaginative disgusting descriptions of the last third of the book couldn't make me appreciate the book. Besides, I think I'm more suited to the Warhammer 40K universe: future religious-military dystopia whee!
Baltimore: or The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden
Short summary: an encounter on a battlefield in WWI instigates a vampiric plague and the soldier who was there gathers three friends who have had their own encounters with evil to help him fight. Short review: Well done, boys!
I really liked this. I was certainly aware that it was written by someone used to working in comics as there was quite a bit of visual description, but it worked. It did feel a bit like a Hellboy story without Hellboy, with all the bits of folklore and the atmosphere of quiet and noble doom, but that wasn't really a bad thing. On one level it was a well-written spooky tale that I quite enjoyed for its own sake, and on another level it was an allegory for how war is a poison that wounds everything and everyone around it and how the battles we choose to fight change us. The Steadfast Tin Soldier motifs worked very nicely. In the 'synchronicity is cool' category, I received a relatively new translation of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales for Christmas; "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" has always been one of my favorites.
Batman: Arkham Reborn by David Hine and Jeremy Haun [graphic novel]
Short summary: Arkham has been destroyed and a descendant of Amadeus Arkham rebuilds it from plans Amadeus left behind. Short review: it brings the crazy and is for the most part a solid Arkham tale.
This takes place in the middle of some continuity that I haven't kept up with; that mostly wasn't a problem except for a bit in the middle that felt like a few pages had been left out. It wasn't too much of a problem though and if anything it enhanced the unreliable narrator parts a bit. There are some concepts I would have liked to have seen expanded on, such as the geometry of the new building, but overall I enjoyed it.
Batman: Arkham Asylum: Madness by Sam Keith [graphic novel]
Short summary: a day-in-the-life of the asylum, much of it through the eyes of a nurse working a shift that's waaaay too long. Short review: Enjoyable interpretations of our cast of crazies, especially the Joker; allows a nice creepy atmosphere to build but the payoff is a bit lacking.
Sam Keith is an interesting writer when he's allowed to run wild, but he seemed a bit restrained here. There is some great character work and mood building but the film of normalcy lasts a bit too long and everything seems to be building towards a climax that never really happens. It's still Sam Keith and the artwork was top-notch, including a nightmarish Croc that echoed Dave McKean's version.
B.P.R.D Volume 4: The Dead & B.P.R.D. Volume 5: The Black Flame by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi and Guy Davis [graphic novels]
Short summary: it's Mignola - awesome Liz is awesome, we find that Roger is better off not wearing pants and though everyone in a Mignola book has a haunted house for a psyche this time around it's Abe who does the guided tour. Short review: I feel Arcudi and Davis were good choices to work with Mignola. I loved Liz here; I'm still on the fence about Daimo. I wish these collections weren't so small, but I'm glad I could check them out from the library. And that's as rambly as I'm going to get with these.
Palace of the Plague Lord by C.L. Werner
Short summary: a northern barbarian seeking revenge for his tribe that was wiped out is chosen by a god for a quest with the promise of a reward that is almost too good to be true. A Warhammer tie-in novel. Short review: meh.
I have this thing for RPG's. I have source books for RPG's that I have never played or that I haven't played in many years and will certainly never play again. There's something about the way they spark my imagination. Tie-in novels are a poor substitute, especially when so many of them are poorly written. A tie-in novel for a table-top military based RPG, well, it is at least a couple of steps above a Deathlands novel (yes, I read one once and it was excruciating). The world-building was nice enough but I just couldn't manage any relation to the characters. Even the incredibly imaginative disgusting descriptions of the last third of the book couldn't make me appreciate the book. Besides, I think I'm more suited to the Warhammer 40K universe: future religious-military dystopia whee!
Baltimore: or The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden
Short summary: an encounter on a battlefield in WWI instigates a vampiric plague and the soldier who was there gathers three friends who have had their own encounters with evil to help him fight. Short review: Well done, boys!
I really liked this. I was certainly aware that it was written by someone used to working in comics as there was quite a bit of visual description, but it worked. It did feel a bit like a Hellboy story without Hellboy, with all the bits of folklore and the atmosphere of quiet and noble doom, but that wasn't really a bad thing. On one level it was a well-written spooky tale that I quite enjoyed for its own sake, and on another level it was an allegory for how war is a poison that wounds everything and everyone around it and how the battles we choose to fight change us. The Steadfast Tin Soldier motifs worked very nicely. In the 'synchronicity is cool' category, I received a relatively new translation of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales for Christmas; "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" has always been one of my favorites.
Batman: Arkham Reborn by David Hine and Jeremy Haun [graphic novel]
Short summary: Arkham has been destroyed and a descendant of Amadeus Arkham rebuilds it from plans Amadeus left behind. Short review: it brings the crazy and is for the most part a solid Arkham tale.
This takes place in the middle of some continuity that I haven't kept up with; that mostly wasn't a problem except for a bit in the middle that felt like a few pages had been left out. It wasn't too much of a problem though and if anything it enhanced the unreliable narrator parts a bit. There are some concepts I would have liked to have seen expanded on, such as the geometry of the new building, but overall I enjoyed it.
Batman: Arkham Asylum: Madness by Sam Keith [graphic novel]
Short summary: a day-in-the-life of the asylum, much of it through the eyes of a nurse working a shift that's waaaay too long. Short review: Enjoyable interpretations of our cast of crazies, especially the Joker; allows a nice creepy atmosphere to build but the payoff is a bit lacking.
Sam Keith is an interesting writer when he's allowed to run wild, but he seemed a bit restrained here. There is some great character work and mood building but the film of normalcy lasts a bit too long and everything seems to be building towards a climax that never really happens. It's still Sam Keith and the artwork was top-notch, including a nightmarish Croc that echoed Dave McKean's version.
B.P.R.D Volume 4: The Dead & B.P.R.D. Volume 5: The Black Flame by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi and Guy Davis [graphic novels]
Short summary: it's Mignola - awesome Liz is awesome, we find that Roger is better off not wearing pants and though everyone in a Mignola book has a haunted house for a psyche this time around it's Abe who does the guided tour. Short review: I feel Arcudi and Davis were good choices to work with Mignola. I loved Liz here; I'm still on the fence about Daimo. I wish these collections weren't so small, but I'm glad I could check them out from the library. And that's as rambly as I'm going to get with these.