Library Book: Batman: Noel

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you combined Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol with Batman? Batman: Noel! Batman has lost sight of the people he is protecting, becoming rather akin to Scrooge in his outlook towards crime. On Christmas Eve he is visited by three "ghosts" who help him see the error of his ways, and help him change before it is too late.

Written and illustrated by Lee Bermejo, Batman: Noel is a haunting and beautiful tale. This is a must for every Batman fan. I'm hoping to pick it up myself after the holidays so I can read it every year before Christmas!

Library Book: Axe Cop

Axe Cop. My brother told me about Axe Cop awhile ago. From his descriptions, I knew it would be crazy. He told me to look for it online, which I never got around to doing. Lucky for me, Axe Cop is now available in graphic novel form (and even luckier: the library has a copy!)

I don't really know what to say about it, other than it is awesome. Axe Cop is written by Malachai Nicolle, who was five years old at the time, and drawn by his much older brother Ethan. Axe Cop is a crazy story about Axe Cop and his team as they fight the bad guys in all shapes and sizes.

I really enjoyed the graphic novel because it gave commentary by Ethan. Reading the behind the scenes was just as funny. Alright, maybe not quite as funny. But still entertaining.

Axe Cop just really made me laugh. It is definitely worth reading if you enjoy random silliness. I can't wait for Volume 2 (in graphic novel form!)

Library Book: Shadow's Lure

Luck was with me: the library ordered Jon Sprunk's Shadow's Lure immediately after getting Shadow's Son; I only had to wait a couple of weeks to read it!

Shadow's Lure takes place only a few weeks or months after Shadow's Son. Caim has struck off into the Northlands with only Kit for company, leaving Nimea in the hands of the new Empress, Josephine.

Caim must be the unluckiest guy in the world. He starts his adventure by getting mauled by a bear. He then stumbles his way into a conflict. The northern country of Eregoth is being taken over by a self-proclaimed Duke and his witch paramour. They have started a reign of terror, with the witch's son (known as "The Beast") murdering villages across the country.

Back in the south, things aren't much better. Josephine is on the throne, but the deposed Church refuses to lose its power without a fight; they are encouraging the people of Othir to riot against Josey. On top of that, a shapeshifting assassin is after her, making it very difficult to know whom to trust.

I enjoyed reading Shadow's Lure, but I did find Josey's chapters a bit of a drag. To me, they seemed to take away from the fun that is Caim's life. About half way through the book, I also ran into a problem with Josey's character that bothered me (I don't want to give spoilers, but it involves things that happened to her in Shadow's Son), so that made it even tougher to get through them. But her story is full of lots of political intrigue, so if you enjoy that you will enjoy reading about what happens to her.

That being said, the rest of the book was great! Caim managed to get into one scrape after another, and also really grew with his powers. He was also separated from Kit for a good portion of the book, and her sections were interesting as well. I will admit though, I was rather confused about where Shadow's Lure was heading, but it really kept me reading! I would love to read the final book, Shadow's Master, but unfortunately I'm going to have to wait until next summer for that.

Mogworld

I wanted a standalone novel to read, so I settled on Mogworld by Yahtzee Croshaw. I've had the book for awhile now, but just never got around to reading it. Having read it in two days, laughing my head off during a few parts, I'm rather sad I didn't read it sooner.

Mogworld is the story of Jim. Jim was a student at a battle mage college and died when the college was attacked. Some sixty years later, he is brought back to the world of the living by a necromancer along with most of the people from the graveyard where he resides. He agrees to join the necromancer's undead hoarde, all the while trying just to end his unlife.

But the world he has returned to has changed. The regular living people can no longer die and are brought back to life at the nearest church. Adventures are coming down with "the Syndrome," where they start moving mechanically and lose their personality. And the world's economy has become all about rewarding points to Adventurers. When the necromancer and most of the horde is deleted, Jim strikes out on a quest to find the deleter angels and make them take him, too. But the closer he gets to the deleter angels, he finds himself closer to the world's creators (who tend to talk in gibberish and don't seem as all powerful as they would have you believe). Helping him are the only other two undead minions left, the bubbly Meryl and the dour priest Thaddeus, and the rather inept rogue Slippery John.

Mogworld was a really funny read, reminiscent of Terry Pratchett (at least his later work, not the first two Discworld novels). This is definitely a recommended read for lovers of video games, satire, and Yahtzee's particular phrasing. I laughed really hard at the ending, and just really loved this book.