Aquaman: the Trench

So I have recently discovered I am a fan of Aquaman.  I started buying the new comic issues because I was blown away by the story.  A friend of mine at work recommended I read the new 52 series because she really liked them, too.  So here I am, less than two hours after finishing Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and I've already finished the first of this series (called Aquaman Volume 1: The Trench).  Aquaman is being laughed at on land as a silly useless superhero.  But when some mysterious creatures from the sea attack a village near his lighthouse, Aquaman will overcome prejudice to save the day!  I was a bit confused by some of the things going on surrounding the mysterious creatures (what exactly are they?  Aliens?  I don't think so but I wasn't really sure), but hopefully these questions will be answered in the next four volumes, which I've already put on hold!

Seriously, these new Aquaman stories are a lot of fun!  I recommend you give them a try!  :)

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

So I finally did it.  I actually read Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.  I honestly thought I would have read it years ago, like while I took Children's Literature courses back in University.  I'm not sure why, but that never really happened.  I remember when the books were coming out, I used to tell people who asked if I had read them that I was waiting for book 7 to come out so I wouldn't have to wait like all you suckers.  When book 7 finally did come out, I then told everyone I honestly had no intention of reading them (even though I do like fantasy books).  And I honestly didn't.  I was quite happy to go through my life without reading them.  But a few weeks ago, a friend of mine decided that I *needed* to read them.  That friend will pay me $1 for every one of them that I read.  (My brother thinks I should have held out for more money). 

The first chapter is sooooo boring.  I know, I know, it's boring on purpose.  As someone who has dabbled in writing (and knows literature quite well) I was able to see that.  But it's still sooooo boring that I had a really hard time getting into it.  So much so that the book, which by all rights thanks to its size should have taken me maybe two nights to read took over a week (to be fair, it's been a very busy week with both a funeral and a wedding).  I also found myself wanting to read so many other things.

But I got through it.  And after the first few chapters it picked up well enough.  Only to be hurt by the fact that I have seen the first movie years ago...and remembered exactly how this story ended.  As other people have told me, the first two Harry Potter movies or so follow the books very closely.  So none of the things that should have been a surprise actually were.  :(

So enough with me complaining.  I didn't want to read it, but I did.  And the first thing I have to say is that this book is very, very well written.  J.K. Rowling is very, very good at describing things.  I really did love some of the phrases she used, and routinely found myself admiring her wordsmithing.

This book is quite simple in its way, being written for about ten-year-olds.  Harry Potter is an orphan left with his aunt, uncle, and cousin, who treat him terribly.  He's very much a male Cinderella, having to make sure everything is perfect for his spoiled cousin.  But everything changes on his birthday when he finds out he's a wizard who has been invited to attend wizarding school.  Not only that, but he is famous in the wizarding world, having survived the attack of the biggest, evilest wizard who happened to kill his parents.

Harry has to navigate the school, making friends, avoiding bullies, and getting points for his house.  Oh and of course learning magic along the way.  But an evil that the wizarding world thought long vanquished is stirring.  And it's up to Harry Potter and his friends to stop it!

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is a book I can see very much appealing to children.  I honestly wish I'd had a child of about 10 to read it with - I think I would have gotten more enjoyment out of it.  That being said, I honestly did enjoy it in the end.  Not enough to rush back to the library and grab book 2 - I'm definitely going to be reading some other stuff before I even think of grabbing book 2. 

Wonder Woman '77 Volume 1

A friend of mine at work really liked Wonder Woman '77 Volume 1 and suggested I read it.  I took it out mainly because I'm honestly not that familiar with Wonder Woman.  The little I know of her is mainly from Batman things where she pops up.  I've certainly never seen the TV show with Lynda Carter.  So I figured I'd give this a shot.

Wonder Woman '77 is actually based off of the 70's TV show.  Wonder Woman in this series is modeled off of Lynda Carter.  So if you're familiar with the show, I'm sure you'll catch lots of nods to it (including the spin!)

Wonder Woman '77 Volume 1 is a collection of five stories where she battles villains in a disco, her nemesis Cheetah, art thieves, and others in her quest for justice for all.  Her ideals are very sound and it's fun to see how she solves the issues in the story (I had no idea her tiara works like a boomerang!)  Reading this definitely made me want to check out the show with Lynda Carter - hopefully I'll be able to at some point!

Uprooted

I've  been wanting to read Naomi Novik's Uprooted since I first saw it in Chapters. A friend bought it earlier this summer and gave it to me after reading it. He's been bugging me to read it ever since. I finally made time to start it yesterday (just after I spoke with him as a matter of fact). And I have to say, the endorsement on the back of it from NPR was correct - I didn't want to put it down once I had started!

Uprooted is about Agnieszka, a girl who lives in one of the villages in the valley. The valley is surrounded by the malevolent Wood, which is kept at bay by their wizard, the Dragon. Every ten years he chooses a girl from the valley who will serve him without question for the next ten years. Agnieszka (and everyone else) knows he will choose her best friend, Kasia. But when the time comes, he doesn't choose Kasia. He chooses Agnieszka instead! And so she is whisked away to his tower without even a moment to say goodbye to her family.

That is, in a nutshell, what the synopsis on the back of the book says. And it is what happens at the very beginning of the book. But honestly, Uprooted is so much more than this synopsis! Agnieszka is a witch, unknown to everyone else in her village. The Dragon ended up choosing her because he recognized her gift and had to train her. But she will not be trained easily. All the regular wizarding spells aren't working for her. But she discovers the text from a legendary witch of folktales and is able to use those spells just fine. Unfortunately, the Dragon didn't think that actually WAS a spell book because nothing in it worked for him! So Agnieszka has to fumble along and find her own way with the grudging help of the Dragon.

And then things totally change! Uprooted becomes this political story, where Agnieszka goes to the capital needing men to help her and the Dragon deal with the Wood. The two of them managed to save her friend from the Wood, which is completely unheard of. While doing so, they found a way to harm the Wood, and figured that they could deal it a death blow with some help. The Dragon remains in the valley, sending Agnieszka to go to the king for help. But Agnieszka is very much a fish out of water. Because she is a witch, she is automatically admitted to the court. But she has no head or patience for the games of the court. And ends up on the run, framed for kidnapping and murder by the freaking Wood!

That sounds so ridiculous as I reread it, but it's honestly the truth. And it was incredibly well done.

So after dealing with THAT, Agnieszka and the Dragon go to confront the Wood one final time. They don't really have a plan, but they'll try to stop it or die while trying. And that ended with a rather epic confrontation with the Wood, which in turn ended in a very interesting resolution. I'm trying to avoid major spoilers here, but the conclusion was quite satisfying.

I also loved the characters. I think some of the political stuff in the capital wasn't as good simply because Sarkin (the Dragon) wasn't there. I thought he was hilarious, especially the way he always interacted with Agnieszka. (He was routinely calling her an idiot, but as the book went further along it got really funny because he would basically be saying "You idiot, I don't know how you're doing this but whatever, I'm not going to ask for an explanation because you don't really know what you're going but it's working somehow.") He got annoyed by her pretty much no matter what she did because her magic (and really Agnieszka herself) defied the way he thought the world (and magic) should function. And their banter really, really worked.

Agnieszka herself was someone I was able to relate to. I found this to be especially true in the political segment in the middle of the book. I'm not someone who is big on decorum and stupid political games behind peoples backs. And she really isn't either. She always means well, even if she's going to take a rambly path getting where she's going. And don't expect her to get somewhere clean!

All in all, I thought Uprooted was a fantastic read. It was definitely the best fantasy book I've read in a long while (the best one this year so far for sure). I'm looking forward to reading more from Novik in the future!!! :)

The Wicked + The Divine Volume 1: The Faust Act

Continuing the graphic novel craze I have been going through (and unwittingly continuing reading stuff by Kieron Gillen), I've just finished The Wicked + The Divine Volume 1: The Faust Act.  I actually found the very first issue of The Wicked + The Divine in my comic box (I think I got it for free from my comic shop) and read it a few days ago.  I was super happy to see that the library had Volume 1, which meant I was able to read a bit more and see if I like it.  The very first issue was enough to interest me, but it wasn't enough to really explain what was going on.

In this world, every ninety years twelve gods come back.  They live for two years and then they die.  In the modern day, the gods are superstars for those two years.  And Laura is their biggest fan. 

She wakes up after a concert and finds herself face to face with Luci.  Luci, who just happens to be Lucifer, the God of Lies.  Lucifer brings Laura backstage to meet the others, who are giving an interview.  When snipers attack them, Luci uses her divine power to deal with them, landing her in the mortal courts.  While sassing the judge, his head explodes in much the same way that the snipers' heads had (what is it with Gillen and exploding heads???)  So Laura, convinced that Luci is innocent, sets out to find the real murderer.

Yes, this is ridiculously intriguing.  Apparently Mercury Heat was not a one-off; I find myself a very big fan of Gillen's writing.  I'll be looking for the next two volumes of this series (and volume 4 is coming out in the fall!!!)

Bombshells Vol 1: Enlisted

A friend of mine at work really recommended DC's Bombshells to me. The premise is that the DC superheroines and villainesses are recast into WWII era people. The men are off to war so it's up to the women to hold down the fort back home. Well, and to also go to war to stop the Nazis' mad scheme. Many of these women have new backstories (and nationalities), making for a very interesting take on the DC universe.

I think of all the new backstories, my favourite was Supergirl. In this world, Supergirl grew up in Russia with her human sister. The two enlisted in the army to eventually become Supergirl and Stargirl (the latter being a superheroine I am unfamiliar with). They're used for propaganda purposes by the Russians.

This was also my first encounter with Mera. I thought the was a lot of fun and was hoping she'd have her own comic (but it looks like she doesn't). :(

Unfortunately, I felt like this first volume of Bombshells was a little too all-over the place for me. Right when I was getting interested in something we'd shift to another character. I doubt that will happen as much in Volume 2 because most of the characters are together now. So maybe I'll keep an eye out for it in the future.

Mercury Heat

And here's one more from the library: Mercury Heat.  I saw this go by several weeks ago and was really intrigued by the premise.  Mercury is ridiculously hot on it's sun-facing side, and ridiculously cold on the other side.  Between the two there's a temperate zone where it's right around Earth-temperatures.  So Mercury has been colonized by a nomadic workforce who has to keep moving to stay alive.  They're building solar panels to trap the sun's energy, which is then transported to Earth.

Meet Luiza Bora.  Her personality-type, 57B, made her dreams of being a police officer on Earth impossible.  So she's moved to Mercury.  Her first assignment is to investigate the death of someone.  It could have been an accident.  But as more and more people try to kill her the more she investigates, it suddenly strongly smells of murder.

If you like a strong, sensibly-dressed female-action hero and aren't offended by seeing people's heads kicked in, Mercury Heat is for you!  I honestly can't wait for volume 2!