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volund's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A very different look into the Dredd universe with the scion of psi division.
Fun and unapologetically weird, this book works very well as a companion to Judge Dredd year one and gives us a more human look into Mega City 1.
Fun and unapologetically weird, this book works very well as a companion to Judge Dredd year one and gives us a more human look into Mega City 1.
verlkonig's review against another edition
2.0
Arc provided by Netgalley in return for an honest review.
I'll admit straight off the bat that I've never read the Judge Dredd comics or graphic novels, and I had a very tenuous understanding of who Anderson was prior to beginning this. The vast majority of my knowledge of the characters, setting and landscape of the Dredd Universe came from the 2012 Dredd movie starring Karl Urban, which I hugely enjoyed. I especially liked Olivia Thirlby's role as the rookie Judge Anderson - a young telepathic Judge (AKA futuristic police officer) who was naive and nervous but ultimately powerful and determined.
So I was pretty excited to read this collection of 3 novellas - Heartbreaker, The Abyss, and A Dream of the Nevertime. Alec Worley's introduction had me swooning with anticipation. He writes about his understanding of Anderson with such a sense of reverence bordering on hero(ine) worship that I was immediately excited to get to know her better. She seemed like everything I want in a female character:
And on top of this, Worley seemed to have the very best of intentions when it came to Anderson's representation:
Does this not sound EXCELLENT, so far?
I left the introduction truly excited to learn more about this fantastic character. Unfortunately, I did not get what I wanted.
The stories in this collection are very, very, action/crime/thriller orientated. Imagine a very violent, new-case-every-week detective show, and you're on the right page. There are a lot of fight scenes, and true to his word, Worley makes sure that we're up to our necks in forceful and unpleasant violence and profanities. This in itself is not an issue, as Anderson is shown to navigate this wholly disgusting city and its inhabitants with confidence and proficiency. Of course, she makes mistakes, and tries to fix them, and we hope that she will succeed, and in this way we get some glimpses of her psyche.
However, I was not convinced that Worley showed me everything he aimed for when writing this. I was left impressed with Anderson's intelligence, competency, compassion, and strength, but by the end of it I didn't really feel like I knew her any better. There were a few brief glimpses of personality, but all the introspection in the novellas were based around the present situation - Anderson thinks about what she should do next, how she can stay alive, guilt or sadness over a character that just bit the dust. I didn't really learn anything about her past, her character, her relationships, or who she is outside of her career as a Judge in Megacity One. I didn't come to love the character as I had wanted to, because of the ceaseless focus on action action action.
Unfortunately, after I slogged my way through the first two stories - 'Heartbreaker' and 'The Abyss', I couldn't bring myself to go on with the final instalment, 'A Dream of the Nevertime.' It's entirely possible that ADotN could be very, very good, with lots of character study and growth. After skimming through the first 20 or so pages, though, I was not convinced and regretfully, will be giving up.
I feel like these stories could have made good comics, or even a few episodes of a TV adaptation. The action wasn't bad, it just wasn't what I wanted. If you're into fast paced detective stories you may well love this collection.
I'll admit straight off the bat that I've never read the Judge Dredd comics or graphic novels, and I had a very tenuous understanding of who Anderson was prior to beginning this. The vast majority of my knowledge of the characters, setting and landscape of the Dredd Universe came from the 2012 Dredd movie starring Karl Urban, which I hugely enjoyed. I especially liked Olivia Thirlby's role as the rookie Judge Anderson - a young telepathic Judge (AKA futuristic police officer) who was naive and nervous but ultimately powerful and determined.
So I was pretty excited to read this collection of 3 novellas - Heartbreaker, The Abyss, and A Dream of the Nevertime. Alec Worley's introduction had me swooning with anticipation. He writes about his understanding of Anderson with such a sense of reverence bordering on hero(ine) worship that I was immediately excited to get to know her better. She seemed like everything I want in a female character:
"Anderson is driven to redeem the city by something more than a sense of duty. She wants to prove not only that good exists (despite the odds), but also that the people are worth fighting for - and she does so not because the law says she must but because she wants to."
And on top of this, Worley seemed to have the very best of intentions when it came to Anderson's representation:
"Above all I wanted to treat Anderson like a human being rather than a sexy cartoon. My Anderson farts. She stinks of sweat. She doesn't have time to shave her legs. She cracks jokes about being on her period. And no more of those daft kick-boxing moves she did in some of the comics just to show off those shapely legs. This bitch mixes it up like Gina Carano in the movie Haywire: chokeholds, thumbs in eye sockets, broken teeth, violence at its most ugly and magnetic."
Does this not sound EXCELLENT, so far?
I left the introduction truly excited to learn more about this fantastic character. Unfortunately, I did not get what I wanted.
The stories in this collection are very, very, action/crime/thriller orientated. Imagine a very violent, new-case-every-week detective show, and you're on the right page. There are a lot of fight scenes, and true to his word, Worley makes sure that we're up to our necks in forceful and unpleasant violence and profanities. This in itself is not an issue, as Anderson is shown to navigate this wholly disgusting city and its inhabitants with confidence and proficiency. Of course, she makes mistakes, and tries to fix them, and we hope that she will succeed, and in this way we get some glimpses of her psyche.
However, I was not convinced that Worley showed me everything he aimed for when writing this. I was left impressed with Anderson's intelligence, competency, compassion, and strength, but by the end of it I didn't really feel like I knew her any better. There were a few brief glimpses of personality, but all the introspection in the novellas were based around the present situation - Anderson thinks about what she should do next, how she can stay alive, guilt or sadness over a character that just bit the dust. I didn't really learn anything about her past, her character, her relationships, or who she is outside of her career as a Judge in Megacity One. I didn't come to love the character as I had wanted to, because of the ceaseless focus on action action action.
Unfortunately, after I slogged my way through the first two stories - 'Heartbreaker' and 'The Abyss', I couldn't bring myself to go on with the final instalment, 'A Dream of the Nevertime.' It's entirely possible that ADotN could be very, very good, with lots of character study and growth. After skimming through the first 20 or so pages, though, I was not convinced and regretfully, will be giving up.
I feel like these stories could have made good comics, or even a few episodes of a TV adaptation. The action wasn't bad, it just wasn't what I wanted. If you're into fast paced detective stories you may well love this collection.
ghostmuppet's review against another edition
3.0
This is a book based on the Comic of Judge Anderson (part of Judge Dredd from 2000ad comic).
Essentially this is three novellas combined into a novel (with a bonus short story at the end). It follows the first year of Judge Anderson when she left the academy.
The first story was pretty good, and something i could easily see being in the pages of 2000ad. Meat Market is a dating company, and Eros is sending out his arrows and causing them to go crazy. A fun read.
The second was again something i could see in 2000ad. This time in an asylum. The patients get free and there is a bomb involved. A little darker than the first, but enjoyable.
The last was not good. It was about a dream virus, which sounds cool, but in reality it wasn't. I didn't get on with this story at all, and the CowBot (robot Cowboy) was plain awful.
The short story was very short, and pretty forgettable.
Essentially this is three novellas combined into a novel (with a bonus short story at the end). It follows the first year of Judge Anderson when she left the academy.
The first story was pretty good, and something i could easily see being in the pages of 2000ad. Meat Market is a dating company, and Eros is sending out his arrows and causing them to go crazy. A fun read.
The second was again something i could see in 2000ad. This time in an asylum. The patients get free and there is a bomb involved. A little darker than the first, but enjoyable.
The last was not good. It was about a dream virus, which sounds cool, but in reality it wasn't. I didn't get on with this story at all, and the CowBot (robot Cowboy) was plain awful.
The short story was very short, and pretty forgettable.
trackofwords's review against another edition
4.0
Judge Anderson: Year One by Alec Worley explores what it’s like as a psyker living and working in Mega-City One. The search for a powerful, rage-filled psyker infecting others with his anger; a fight for survival in the midst of some of the most deranged of Mega-City One’s inhabitants; and a quest to find the source of a psychic malaise infecting dreams…these are among the challenges facing the young Judge Anderson.
If you’re looking for straight-up action from start to finish then this probably won’t be for you, and it’s certainly a different experience to reading about Anderson, Dredd et al in comic book form – in case you weren’t certain, this is fully prose, and not a graphic novel! If, however, you’re after stories set in the same world but with more depth and detail, with the pacing and storytelling to really delve into the head of a particularly interesting character…this should be right up your street.
Read the full review at http://www.trackofwords.com/2017/07/08/judge-anderson-year-one-alec-worley/
If you’re looking for straight-up action from start to finish then this probably won’t be for you, and it’s certainly a different experience to reading about Anderson, Dredd et al in comic book form – in case you weren’t certain, this is fully prose, and not a graphic novel! If, however, you’re after stories set in the same world but with more depth and detail, with the pacing and storytelling to really delve into the head of a particularly interesting character…this should be right up your street.
Read the full review at http://www.trackofwords.com/2017/07/08/judge-anderson-year-one-alec-worley/
capellan's review against another edition
2.0
Text adventures based on the 2000AD comic book character. As you might expect from someone who writes for the comic itself, Worley has a good command of the setting in which these stories take place, and does a fine job of conjuring up the quirky, satirical madness of Mega-City One. And for each of the the three cases presented here, he has an interesting and suitable initial hook.
He is alas rather less successful at conjuring up especially engaging follow-through. There's a heavy reliance on lots of action to obscure the essentially rather thin nature of the mysteries themselves. Supported by dynamic comic book art, this probably works pretty well. Here, the "oh look another fight scene" fatigue factor definitely kicks in.
He is alas rather less successful at conjuring up especially engaging follow-through. There's a heavy reliance on lots of action to obscure the essentially rather thin nature of the mysteries themselves. Supported by dynamic comic book art, this probably works pretty well. Here, the "oh look another fight scene" fatigue factor definitely kicks in.
verlkonig's review
2.0
Arc provided by Netgalley in return for an honest review.
I'll admit straight off the bat that I've never read the Judge Dredd comics or graphic novels, and I had a very tenuous understanding of who Anderson was prior to beginning this. The vast majority of my knowledge of the characters, setting and landscape of the Dredd Universe came from the 2012 Dredd movie starring Karl Urban, which I hugely enjoyed. I especially liked Olivia Thirlby's role as the rookie Judge Anderson - a young telepathic Judge (AKA futuristic police officer) who was naive and nervous but ultimately powerful and determined.
So I was pretty excited to read this collection of 3 novellas - Heartbreaker, The Abyss, and A Dream of the Nevertime. Alec Worley's introduction had me swooning with anticipation. He writes about his understanding of Anderson with such a sense of reverence bordering on hero(ine) worship that I was immediately excited to get to know her better. She seemed like everything I want in a female character:
And on top of this, Worley seemed to have the very best of intentions when it came to Anderson's representation:
Does this not sound EXCELLENT, so far?
I left the introduction truly excited to learn more about this fantastic character. Unfortunately, I did not get what I wanted.
The stories in this collection are very, very, action/crime/thriller orientated. Imagine a very violent, new-case-every-week detective show, and you're on the right page. There are a lot of fight scenes, and true to his word, Worley makes sure that we're up to our necks in forceful and unpleasant violence and profanities. This in itself is not an issue, as Anderson is shown to navigate this wholly disgusting city and its inhabitants with confidence and proficiency. Of course, she makes mistakes, and tries to fix them, and we hope that she will succeed, and in this way we get some glimpses of her psyche.
However, I was not convinced that Worley showed me everything he aimed for when writing this. I was left impressed with Anderson's intelligence, competency, compassion, and strength, but by the end of it I didn't really feel like I knew her any better. There were a few brief glimpses of personality, but all the introspection in the novellas were based around the present situation - Anderson thinks about what she should do next, how she can stay alive, guilt or sadness over a character that just bit the dust. I didn't really learn anything about her past, her character, her relationships, or who she is outside of her career as a Judge in Megacity One. I didn't come to love the character as I had wanted to, because of the ceaseless focus on action action action.
Unfortunately, after I slogged my way through the first two stories - 'Heartbreaker' and 'The Abyss', I couldn't bring myself to go on with the final instalment, 'A Dream of the Nevertime.' It's entirely possible that ADotN could be very, very good, with lots of character study and growth. After skimming through the first 20 or so pages, though, I was not convinced and regretfully, will be giving up.
I feel like these stories could have made good comics, or even a few episodes of a TV adaptation. The action wasn't bad, it just wasn't what I wanted. If you're into fast paced detective stories you may well love this collection.
I'll admit straight off the bat that I've never read the Judge Dredd comics or graphic novels, and I had a very tenuous understanding of who Anderson was prior to beginning this. The vast majority of my knowledge of the characters, setting and landscape of the Dredd Universe came from the 2012 Dredd movie starring Karl Urban, which I hugely enjoyed. I especially liked Olivia Thirlby's role as the rookie Judge Anderson - a young telepathic Judge (AKA futuristic police officer) who was naive and nervous but ultimately powerful and determined.
So I was pretty excited to read this collection of 3 novellas - Heartbreaker, The Abyss, and A Dream of the Nevertime. Alec Worley's introduction had me swooning with anticipation. He writes about his understanding of Anderson with such a sense of reverence bordering on hero(ine) worship that I was immediately excited to get to know her better. She seemed like everything I want in a female character:
"Anderson is driven to redeem the city by something more than a sense of duty. She wants to prove not only that good exists (despite the odds), but also that the people are worth fighting for - and she does so not because the law says she must but because she wants to."
And on top of this, Worley seemed to have the very best of intentions when it came to Anderson's representation:
"Above all I wanted to treat Anderson like a human being rather than a sexy cartoon. My Anderson farts. She stinks of sweat. She doesn't have time to shave her legs. She cracks jokes about being on her period. And no more of those daft kick-boxing moves she did in some of the comics just to show off those shapely legs. This bitch mixes it up like Gina Carano in the movie Haywire: chokeholds, thumbs in eye sockets, broken teeth, violence at its most ugly and magnetic."
Does this not sound EXCELLENT, so far?
I left the introduction truly excited to learn more about this fantastic character. Unfortunately, I did not get what I wanted.
The stories in this collection are very, very, action/crime/thriller orientated. Imagine a very violent, new-case-every-week detective show, and you're on the right page. There are a lot of fight scenes, and true to his word, Worley makes sure that we're up to our necks in forceful and unpleasant violence and profanities. This in itself is not an issue, as Anderson is shown to navigate this wholly disgusting city and its inhabitants with confidence and proficiency. Of course, she makes mistakes, and tries to fix them, and we hope that she will succeed, and in this way we get some glimpses of her psyche.
However, I was not convinced that Worley showed me everything he aimed for when writing this. I was left impressed with Anderson's intelligence, competency, compassion, and strength, but by the end of it I didn't really feel like I knew her any better. There were a few brief glimpses of personality, but all the introspection in the novellas were based around the present situation - Anderson thinks about what she should do next, how she can stay alive, guilt or sadness over a character that just bit the dust. I didn't really learn anything about her past, her character, her relationships, or who she is outside of her career as a Judge in Megacity One. I didn't come to love the character as I had wanted to, because of the ceaseless focus on action action action.
Unfortunately, after I slogged my way through the first two stories - 'Heartbreaker' and 'The Abyss', I couldn't bring myself to go on with the final instalment, 'A Dream of the Nevertime.' It's entirely possible that ADotN could be very, very good, with lots of character study and growth. After skimming through the first 20 or so pages, though, I was not convinced and regretfully, will be giving up.
I feel like these stories could have made good comics, or even a few episodes of a TV adaptation. The action wasn't bad, it just wasn't what I wanted. If you're into fast paced detective stories you may well love this collection.
ghostmuppet's review
3.0
This is a book based on the Comic of Judge Anderson (part of Judge Dredd from 2000ad comic).
Essentially this is three novellas combined into a novel (with a bonus short story at the end). It follows the first year of Judge Anderson when she left the academy.
The first story was pretty good, and something i could easily see being in the pages of 2000ad. Meat Market is a dating company, and Eros is sending out his arrows and causing them to go crazy. A fun read.
The second was again something i could see in 2000ad. This time in an asylum. The patients get free and there is a bomb involved. A little darker than the first, but enjoyable.
The last was not good. It was about a dream virus, which sounds cool, but in reality it wasn't. I didn't get on with this story at all, and the CowBot (robot Cowboy) was plain awful.
The short story was very short, and pretty forgettable.
Essentially this is three novellas combined into a novel (with a bonus short story at the end). It follows the first year of Judge Anderson when she left the academy.
The first story was pretty good, and something i could easily see being in the pages of 2000ad. Meat Market is a dating company, and Eros is sending out his arrows and causing them to go crazy. A fun read.
The second was again something i could see in 2000ad. This time in an asylum. The patients get free and there is a bomb involved. A little darker than the first, but enjoyable.
The last was not good. It was about a dream virus, which sounds cool, but in reality it wasn't. I didn't get on with this story at all, and the CowBot (robot Cowboy) was plain awful.
The short story was very short, and pretty forgettable.
eyed's review
1.0
I received this book through netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
Before reading this book I was not very familiar with the world it takes place in. Sure I have seen Judge Dredd and Dredd, but I was not aware that more stories existed about the Judges. So this was a new experience for me.
This book includes a few stories about Judge Anderson as a rookie. She is a Judge with psionic powers so she can read thoughts and use her mind to do so much more. What she is capable of are some of the things you learn throughout this book.
I was quite happy with the first story Heartbreaker. It was fast paced and action packed. The action scenes were well written and I got a pretty good feel for Judge Anderson and osme of the things she is capable of.
I also got a good feel for the sort of place these stories take place in. Mega-City One is a crazy place filled with even crazier people. But everyone fears the Judges. I am a little unsure about whether they are necessary to keep the peace or if their existence makes things worse.
This story was the best by far, it was actually the only one I enjoyed. Parts two and three were very rough to get through for me. I found them to be boring despite the insane amount of action that took place.
You get to learn a lot more about Judge Anderson both as a person and more about what her powers make her capable of. Part two kind of reinforced for me that while the Judges may be to keep the peace, they are not necessarily be the good guys all the time.
I struggled through the last two thirds of the book but I am not really thrilled that I did. I spent so much time avoiding picking it back up because I knew it was going to be a struggle for me that it took up a lot more of my time then a book of this size should have.
Before reading this book I was not very familiar with the world it takes place in. Sure I have seen Judge Dredd and Dredd, but I was not aware that more stories existed about the Judges. So this was a new experience for me.
This book includes a few stories about Judge Anderson as a rookie. She is a Judge with psionic powers so she can read thoughts and use her mind to do so much more. What she is capable of are some of the things you learn throughout this book.
I was quite happy with the first story Heartbreaker. It was fast paced and action packed. The action scenes were well written and I got a pretty good feel for Judge Anderson and osme of the things she is capable of.
I also got a good feel for the sort of place these stories take place in. Mega-City One is a crazy place filled with even crazier people. But everyone fears the Judges. I am a little unsure about whether they are necessary to keep the peace or if their existence makes things worse.
This story was the best by far, it was actually the only one I enjoyed. Parts two and three were very rough to get through for me. I found them to be boring despite the insane amount of action that took place.
You get to learn a lot more about Judge Anderson both as a person and more about what her powers make her capable of. Part two kind of reinforced for me that while the Judges may be to keep the peace, they are not necessarily be the good guys all the time.
I struggled through the last two thirds of the book but I am not really thrilled that I did. I spent so much time avoiding picking it back up because I knew it was going to be a struggle for me that it took up a lot more of my time then a book of this size should have.
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