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Jae is a young Korean artist, hoping for something that will mean she can make a living doing what she loves. Inspiration comes in the form of a beautiful, drunken young man her friend drops off. It turns out he's a vampire and Jae makes a deal with him: he'll be her model in exchange for her blood. She comes to stay in his opulent house, but soon discovers that there might be darker things happening there than her little bargain.
I was excited when I found this at the Friends of the Library booksale, since I had heard good things about it. Unfortunately, I found it a disappointment. From the little bit of info I could find online, this is one of So-Young's early works...and it shows. The pacing is wildly inconstant and the layout uninspired, particularly in the first two-third of the book. Towards the end, the author is clearly trying to make things a little more dramatic and begins using some more advanced layouts with varying results.
None of the characters were very interesting, and even though I probably could have read this book in 40 mins, I kept putting it down and doing something else. Most are bland tropes trying to present themselves as mysterious. Character design wanders and particularly in Jae's case, is inconstant. In a comic it is important to use the visuals to help convey character and personality, which So-Young doesn't seem inclined to do.
The art is of middling quality. Technically, it is often quite good and So-Young clearly has an eye for style. Her clothing and decor are well planned and executed. But often it feels either bland and blocky or overwrought, with too many layers of effects and not enough use of white space and thoughtful framing of scenes.
Quark acquires a set of alien artifacts in order to sell them, but Odo is, of course, suspicious about how safe they may be. After attempting to examine them, Odo is quickly proven right when Quark and Odo are propelled three days into the future, onto a nearly destroyed DS9 filled with a dead crew. Together the unlikely pair must figure out who invaded the station and how to fix the timeline.
I picked this book up because I had read Dafydd ab Hugh'd excellent DS9 novel, Vengeance, but was rather disappointed by this one. Time travel stories are tricky to do, and this one wasn't particularly interesting. Another tricky element is that this was written in the first season of the show (which was abysmally uneven, anyway), meaning ab Hugh didn't have a lot of material to work with, particularly character backgrounds. He chose to make up a lot of background for some characters, particularly Quark, that ends up clashing badly with "canon" backgrounds provided later in the show. His writing also had a tendency to wander, probably due to the very limited character interaction and somewhat monotonous plot. I was also annoyed at how long and wandering the resolution was. It felt like a slow-moving video game: "Let's go to this corner of the station and pick up one object, chat about what else we need, go get one more object, chat, etc." After a couple stops it just became boring.
I did like O' Brian's characterization. He was a more fleshed out character, having been on TNG, and ab Hugh makes good use of him.
In a worn-out world where most people live in slums Spaz is even more of a loner than the rest. He has seizures, hence his name, which brand him as a "deef", defective even more so than the Normals. He works for a crimelord, mostly stealing things, and never thought about the rest of the world until he was ordered to steal from a crazy old man named Ryter. The old man unnerves him, but also makes him think. So when Spaz gets a message that his little sister is dying and he decides to disobey the Bangers, illegally cross multiple districts and try to see her one last time, he brings Ryter along. Their adventure is further complicated by a tagalong toddler and an astonishingly beautiful and healthy "Proov" who has wandered away from her wealthy, safe life and into his.
This story wandered a lot. Part of it was that the author couldn't quite seem to decide a target audience: older kids, teens or adults. The writing feels dumbed down and bland compared to the plot potential. The plot itself was oddly and unevenly arranged, with wobbly pacing. None of the characters seemed to have been fully realized or given fleshed out backgrounds, despite the interesting possibilities the basic character traits could have been used for. This results in an adventurous band that I couldn't really care about.
I picked this book up at the Trumansburg Library's booksale and was throughly impressed. Anthologies are, by nature, generally a blend of good and bad stories with the occasional gem and/or really terrible tale. In this one there wasn't a single story that I didn't like or thought was a poorly done story. Not all of them were to my taste (For example, "Amends" by H. Courreges LeBlanc wasn't my kind of story, but the framing device was well done and the unusual powers well used.) but none were ones I wished had been left out.
Here are my couple favorites:
Nancy Jane Moore's story, "Walking Contradiction" was definitely one that stuck with me. I think one of the marks of great sci-fi is when it makes you think, for days, about what was presented. For me, I spend a lot of time thinking about bioengineering and the possibility of genetically modified humans. I've always been uncomfortable about GE, and often thought that the ways it is used seem immoral, against nature. But somehow, Morgan's situation seemed not only acceptable but even positive. If it is possible to have a perfectly healthy blend of the two genders and it is fairly socially acceptable, why not have the best of both worlds? Thinking about that disconnect made me empathize strongly with Morgan's struggle with what is a morally "right" kind of GE. Moore's quiet, sturdy writing was unobtrusive and yet an elegant framework for the issues she presents.
"A Planet Called Elvis" by Craig Shaw Gardner was pretty much the opposite. What can you expect from a story about a tourist world where everyone gets to pretend to be Elvis? It was fluff fiction, and didn't try to tack on some half-assed element to hide the fact. It is a story that will make you grin, even as it melts a few brain cells with its ridiculousness.
"The Thalatta Thesis" by Charles L. Harness is a rare example of academic sci-fi. It focuses on a graduate student who is stuck with tiny grant to work on developing a microbe that would be able to live on Venus and, hopefully, help terraform it. Harness starts out in a staid, intellectual manner and as his character learns to throw caution to the wind, the story picks up pace and the writing loosens up. The light, sly humor also adds to the story, keeping it from becoming dry.
I'm not sure why I liked Aaron Rosenberg's "Inescapable Justice" so much except that the main character felt like a real guy. It often feels overblown and melodramatic, as one might expect from superhero fiction, but Mike feels like the single steady character; a rock in the river. It conveys perfectly his (partly self-inflicted) isolation and disconnect with what others consider reality.
Jake is Heavy, he can control and alter gravity. This power has gotten him in trouble, but also out of it when the government offers him parole if he helps catch and contain and/or kill criminals who also have superpowers. That would be how he ends up facing off with his ex-girlfriend, the beautiful Delilah Jones, who is a powerful Brute capable of increasing her strength to incredible levels and withstand nearly anything thrown at her. She's accused of robbing 20 banks and killing the people who got in her way, but she claims otherwise. Before long, Jake gets swept up in a worldwide power battle and ends up meeting some interesting folk along the way; including an Okie farmgirl Traveller who can appear and disappear at will; a cold, serious, German Fade who walks through walls; and a bland looking man who is a Mouth and can convince you to believe just about anything he wants.
This book was a lot of fun. It may not have great writing, but Correia's blunt, straight-shooting style suits his character and genre. The plot isn't anything overly complex or riveting, but it holds up the characters and manages not to stumble into too many holes. The characters and their relationships end up being the heart of this tale. Even though they may not be the most original bunch, it is difficult not to like them.
Correia has set up a solid and fairly unique magic system in this book and he manages to do so without the info dumps one often finds in such situations. He provides information in little drips and drabs with a comment here and an observation there. Some readers may find this difficult at the beginning of the story, (although personally I like the hint of a challenge and find it engaging while waiting for the plot to ramp up) so it is a nice touch that there is a glossary in the back of the book for the magical terms.
This book also featured blocked B&W illustrations by Zachary Hill, which make for another interesting thing to keep your eyes open for.
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emmejo has commented on (269) products.
Model #01 by Lee. So-Young
emmejo, February 13, 2012
Jae is a young Korean artist, hoping for something that will mean she can make a living doing what she loves. Inspiration comes in the form of a beautiful, drunken young man her friend drops off. It turns out he's a vampire and Jae makes a deal with him: he'll be her model in exchange for her blood. She comes to stay in his opulent house, but soon discovers that there might be darker things happening there than her little bargain.I was excited when I found this at the Friends of the Library booksale, since I had heard good things about it. Unfortunately, I found it a disappointment. From the little bit of info I could find online, this is one of So-Young's early works...and it shows. The pacing is wildly inconstant and the layout uninspired, particularly in the first two-third of the book. Towards the end, the author is clearly trying to make things a little more dramatic and begins using some more advanced layouts with varying results.
None of the characters were very interesting, and even though I probably could have read this book in 40 mins, I kept putting it down and doing something else. Most are bland tropes trying to present themselves as mysterious. Character design wanders and particularly in Jae's case, is inconstant. In a comic it is important to use the visuals to help convey character and personality, which So-Young doesn't seem inclined to do.
The art is of middling quality. Technically, it is often quite good and So-Young clearly has an eye for style. Her clothing and decor are well planned and executed. But often it feels either bland and blocky or overwrought, with too many layers of effects and not enough use of white space and thoughtful framing of scenes.
Star Trek Deep Space Nine #05: Fallen Heroes by Dafydd Ab Hugh
emmejo, February 3, 2012
Quark acquires a set of alien artifacts in order to sell them, but Odo is, of course, suspicious about how safe they may be. After attempting to examine them, Odo is quickly proven right when Quark and Odo are propelled three days into the future, onto a nearly destroyed DS9 filled with a dead crew. Together the unlikely pair must figure out who invaded the station and how to fix the timeline.I picked this book up because I had read Dafydd ab Hugh'd excellent DS9 novel, Vengeance, but was rather disappointed by this one. Time travel stories are tricky to do, and this one wasn't particularly interesting. Another tricky element is that this was written in the first season of the show (which was abysmally uneven, anyway), meaning ab Hugh didn't have a lot of material to work with, particularly character backgrounds. He chose to make up a lot of background for some characters, particularly Quark, that ends up clashing badly with "canon" backgrounds provided later in the show. His writing also had a tendency to wander, probably due to the very limited character interaction and somewhat monotonous plot. I was also annoyed at how long and wandering the resolution was. It felt like a slow-moving video game: "Let's go to this corner of the station and pick up one object, chat about what else we need, go get one more object, chat, etc." After a couple stops it just became boring.
I did like O' Brian's characterization. He was a more fleshed out character, having been on TNG, and ab Hugh makes good use of him.
The Last Book in the Universe by Rodman Philbrick
emmejo, January 20, 2012
In a worn-out world where most people live in slums Spaz is even more of a loner than the rest. He has seizures, hence his name, which brand him as a "deef", defective even more so than the Normals. He works for a crimelord, mostly stealing things, and never thought about the rest of the world until he was ordered to steal from a crazy old man named Ryter. The old man unnerves him, but also makes him think. So when Spaz gets a message that his little sister is dying and he decides to disobey the Bangers, illegally cross multiple districts and try to see her one last time, he brings Ryter along. Their adventure is further complicated by a tagalong toddler and an astonishingly beautiful and healthy "Proov" who has wandered away from her wealthy, safe life and into his.This story wandered a lot. Part of it was that the author couldn't quite seem to decide a target audience: older kids, teens or adults. The writing feels dumbed down and bland compared to the plot potential. The plot itself was oddly and unevenly arranged, with wobbly pacing. None of the characters seemed to have been fully realized or given fleshed out backgrounds, despite the interesting possibilities the basic character traits could have been used for. This results in an adventurous band that I couldn't really care about.
Imaginings: An Anthology of Long Short Fiction by Keith R. A. DeCandido
emmejo, January 19, 2012
I picked this book up at the Trumansburg Library's booksale and was throughly impressed. Anthologies are, by nature, generally a blend of good and bad stories with the occasional gem and/or really terrible tale. In this one there wasn't a single story that I didn't like or thought was a poorly done story. Not all of them were to my taste (For example, "Amends" by H. Courreges LeBlanc wasn't my kind of story, but the framing device was well done and the unusual powers well used.) but none were ones I wished had been left out.Here are my couple favorites:
Nancy Jane Moore's story, "Walking Contradiction" was definitely one that stuck with me. I think one of the marks of great sci-fi is when it makes you think, for days, about what was presented. For me, I spend a lot of time thinking about bioengineering and the possibility of genetically modified humans. I've always been uncomfortable about GE, and often thought that the ways it is used seem immoral, against nature. But somehow, Morgan's situation seemed not only acceptable but even positive. If it is possible to have a perfectly healthy blend of the two genders and it is fairly socially acceptable, why not have the best of both worlds? Thinking about that disconnect made me empathize strongly with Morgan's struggle with what is a morally "right" kind of GE. Moore's quiet, sturdy writing was unobtrusive and yet an elegant framework for the issues she presents.
"A Planet Called Elvis" by Craig Shaw Gardner was pretty much the opposite. What can you expect from a story about a tourist world where everyone gets to pretend to be Elvis? It was fluff fiction, and didn't try to tack on some half-assed element to hide the fact. It is a story that will make you grin, even as it melts a few brain cells with its ridiculousness.
"The Thalatta Thesis" by Charles L. Harness is a rare example of academic sci-fi. It focuses on a graduate student who is stuck with tiny grant to work on developing a microbe that would be able to live on Venus and, hopefully, help terraform it. Harness starts out in a staid, intellectual manner and as his character learns to throw caution to the wind, the story picks up pace and the writing loosens up. The light, sly humor also adds to the story, keeping it from becoming dry.
I'm not sure why I liked Aaron Rosenberg's "Inescapable Justice" so much except that the main character felt like a real guy. It often feels overblown and melodramatic, as one might expect from superhero fiction, but Mike feels like the single steady character; a rock in the river. It conveys perfectly his (partly self-inflicted) isolation and disconnect with what others consider reality.
Grimnoir Chronicles #01: Hard Magic by Larry Correia
emmejo, January 17, 2012
Jake is Heavy, he can control and alter gravity. This power has gotten him in trouble, but also out of it when the government offers him parole if he helps catch and contain and/or kill criminals who also have superpowers. That would be how he ends up facing off with his ex-girlfriend, the beautiful Delilah Jones, who is a powerful Brute capable of increasing her strength to incredible levels and withstand nearly anything thrown at her. She's accused of robbing 20 banks and killing the people who got in her way, but she claims otherwise. Before long, Jake gets swept up in a worldwide power battle and ends up meeting some interesting folk along the way; including an Okie farmgirl Traveller who can appear and disappear at will; a cold, serious, German Fade who walks through walls; and a bland looking man who is a Mouth and can convince you to believe just about anything he wants.This book was a lot of fun. It may not have great writing, but Correia's blunt, straight-shooting style suits his character and genre. The plot isn't anything overly complex or riveting, but it holds up the characters and manages not to stumble into too many holes. The characters and their relationships end up being the heart of this tale. Even though they may not be the most original bunch, it is difficult not to like them.
Correia has set up a solid and fairly unique magic system in this book and he manages to do so without the info dumps one often finds in such situations. He provides information in little drips and drabs with a comment here and an observation there. Some readers may find this difficult at the beginning of the story, (although personally I like the hint of a challenge and find it engaging while waiting for the plot to ramp up) so it is a nice touch that there is a glossary in the back of the book for the magical terms.
This book also featured blocked B&W illustrations by Zachary Hill, which make for another interesting thing to keep your eyes open for.
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