Take a photo of a barcode or cover
ethancf's reviews
1293 reviews
Spill Zone by Scott Westerfeld
4.0
Westerfeld's first attempt at a graphic novel is his usual scifi shtick: taking a well-worn subgenre (in this case, post-apocalyptic mystery like ANNIHILATION or STALKER) and putting it through another filter; in this case an almost Lovecraftian one. This method has served him well in the past in making fascinating premises with human characters, perhaps most notably in PEEPS which was vampires by way of parasitic body horror.
Westerfeld was one of the first authors that I ever discovered when my taste was developing and the first author I ever really began following, so it's no surprise that I loved this. The art is magnificent and Westerfeld's writing is as great as ever, though at times does struggle to adapt to the medium (a book, for example, would have had the breathing space to explain Wiley's role in the time before the start of the book). It moves a little too fast for its own good but wanting more is always a good problem to have for scifi like this.
The spill zone itself is a horrifying place full of totally inexplicable sights: I'm hoping that we don't see too much explanation in the follow-up, as that would make it lose some its magic.
Westerfeld was one of the first authors that I ever discovered when my taste was developing and the first author I ever really began following, so it's no surprise that I loved this. The art is magnificent and Westerfeld's writing is as great as ever, though at times does struggle to adapt to the medium (a book, for example, would have had the breathing space to explain Wiley's role in the time before the start of the book). It moves a little too fast for its own good but wanting more is always a good problem to have for scifi like this.
The spill zone itself is a horrifying place full of totally inexplicable sights: I'm hoping that we don't see too much explanation in the follow-up, as that would make it lose some its magic.
Dungeons & Dragons: Forgotten Realms Classics, Volume 1 by Jeff Grubb
4.0
Despite its overblown cheesy, 80's/hair metal aesthetic, and ridiculous wizards shouting the names of their spells...I sort of adored this? It's a decent dnd story with memorable characters and the promise of a solid arc in further volumes. It's not outstanding but its fun, light, and imaginative with great golden age era artwork. It feels like the old X-Men comics I read as a kid, only dnd flavored.
Saga, Vol. 8 by Brian K. Vaughan
4.0
Vaughan's politicizing is at its clumsiest in this volume, but I'm pretty sure when this series is over and I do a marathon re-read of all these volumes I'll end up giving each one 5 stars.
Sex Criminals: Volume Five: Five-Fingered Discount by Matt Fraction
3.0
Remember when this series was funny?
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
3.0
3.5? 4 if I was the right age?
I think I'm just a tad late to the game on this. I enjoyed it well enough, it's a good world, good characters (Edmund sucks). But for all the book's promise of rollicking adventure and heroism, it all feels very passive. The protagonists don't really do much except show up, and while the book constantly tells us how amazing Aslan is, it never actually bothers to demonstrate why he's amazing. Things just sort of happen, and the conflict just sort of flops over and resolves itself easily. We go from "It's always winter and never christmas" to "oh actually it is Christmas and tomorrow will be spring, even though the protagonists did literally nothing except talk to a beaver". It's fun, sure, and quick, but for kid's fantasy you can do a lot better these days.
I think I'm just a tad late to the game on this. I enjoyed it well enough, it's a good world, good characters (Edmund sucks). But for all the book's promise of rollicking adventure and heroism, it all feels very passive. The protagonists don't really do much except show up, and while the book constantly tells us how amazing Aslan is, it never actually bothers to demonstrate why he's amazing. Things just sort of happen, and the conflict just sort of flops over and resolves itself easily. We go from "It's always winter and never christmas" to "oh actually it is Christmas and tomorrow will be spring, even though the protagonists did literally nothing except talk to a beaver". It's fun, sure, and quick, but for kid's fantasy you can do a lot better these days.
Star Wars: The Screaming Citadel by Kieron Gillen
3.0
The problem with any expanded universe of this size, across multiple mediums, is that eventually you run out of space to tell a story that fits in seamlessly. The Screaming Citadel is not the first time the new SW comics have added dumb stuff to the new canon, and it certainly won't be the last, but placing this in between IV and V makes it feel more like Legends than current canon. That aside, it's a pretty fun adventure although does feel more like an Alien film than a Star Wars film at times. If your favorite part of Rogue One was Bor Gullet than you'd probably be super into this weird addition to the canon.
Serve the People: A Stir-Fried Journey Through China by Jen Lin-Liu
4.0
Enjoyed this more than I expected; Lin-Liu's writing whisks you along from one mouth-watering dish description to the next and features a charming cast of people. I think it's slightly misnamed; the scope of the novel is pretty limited to just Shanghai and Beijing (with some, but not much, Sichuan cooking), but there's a lot of cultural unpacking here as well that's really interesting. I'm not sure I'll make any of the recipes here (well, maybe the Sichuan green beans), but as a dive into the Chinese culinary scene, you'd be hard pressed to find a better read.
Dungeons and Dragons Art and Arcana: A Visual History by Sam Witwer, Michael Witwer, Jon Peterson, Kyle Newman
4.0
A bit hagiographic (well, a lot hagiographic) but a good crash course in some of this history. If you hang around dnd nerds often enough you probably know a lot of this stuff, but there's a lot of primary sources and a boatload of art to make the repeat info not totally worthless. As a browsing art book, really spectacular. I have a soft spot for a lot of the amateur old art, and it's amazing to see the splash pages of iconic monsters renditions in each version of the game (lmao at 1e beholder). Loved it.
Bastard by Max de Radiguès
4.0
This was lovely, though not at all what I was expecting - I thought this would feature more of the actual heist, but it's really about the fallout of the crime and the relationship of April/May and Eugene. It's a very nice story that contrasts sharply with the extreme violence, which again contrasts with the very simple traditional art style. There's also a handful of surprising Lonesome Dove references.