manuphoto's reviews
924 reviews

The Old Guard, Book three: Tales Through Time by Vita Ayala, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Jason Aaron, Brian Michael Bendis, Greg Rucka

adventurous emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

The stories are pretty uneven, but the book is a nice addition to the Old Guard series nonetheless.

Inversions by Iain M. Banks

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This book stands out in the Culture series. While it belongs to the science-fiction genre because it is set in the Culture universe, none of its story elements are overtly sci-fi. Instead, they lean toward fantasy (minus the magic and the often tedious world-building typically associated with the genre). 

 

The characters are one of the novel's greatest strengths. The Doctor is particularly compelling, though the Bodyguard is a close second. The narrative unfolds as a tale of palace intrigues, murders, violence, and the various "issues" of a medieval society. Yet, it remains distinctly part of the Culture universe, a fact that enriches the reader's experience in a meaningful way. This unique perspective elevates what could have been a rather mundane—albeit well-written—plot. 

 

This is definitely NOT a good starting point for the series. To truly appreciate this book, familiarity with the Culture universe is essential. Without it, many references and plot points will likely go unnoticed. While the plot is self-contained, the broader context firmly ties it to the Culture series. Reading at least two or three prior novels is recommended to fully understand and enjoy this installment. If you have to choose one, The Player of Games or Use of Weapons would provide sufficient background. 

 

As with most of Banks' works, the writing and pacing are excellent. The prose is a joy to read, and the characters feel richly developed and intimately familiar. From the start, I found myself caring deeply about their fates. Banks had an uncanny ability to engage readers within just a few pages and sustain that grip throughout—a remarkable talent both in its effect and consistency. 

 

All in all, this is a standout read that distinguishes itself from most of my other sci-fi experiences. It incorporates elements of uplifting, but from the perspective of the uplifted species, often without their awareness. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it—with the caveat that one should first read a few preceding books in the series.

The Bat-Man: First Knight by Dan Jurgens

adventurous dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

An interesting take on Batman’s beginnings. Set in 1939, it is gritty and akin to gangster movies from that era.

The book tackles the memory of the First World War, the coming of the second, nazism, antisemitism, American isolationism… it’s a bit much for a single graphic novel. I get that all those elements are part of that time period, but it prevents the story from focusing on one of these aspects enough for the reader to really care.

That being said, it’s still an interesting tale and the art is very good. The use of light is particularly well done, the ambiance is consistent during the scenes and I enjoyed watching these "old style" versions of the characters. The way Batman moves and is drawn reminded me of Batman Year 100, although both books are extremely different in every other aspect.

It’s definitely not for kids (the Black Label should be warning enough). I did enjoy it, but I’d recommend it only to Batman fans who want to explore another setting for their favourite character.

Excession by Iain M. Banks

adventurous emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Another excellent entry in the Culture series, Excession is more complex than the previous titles and features a broader cast of characters. The story is told from multiple perspectives and includes a couple of subplots.

Because of all this, I found it slightly less enjoyable to read than Use of Weapons. It was a bit less coherent, particularly in the second third of the novel. However, Banks manages to tie everything together in a clear and efficient way, which mitigates the relative confusion.

We also get to know the Culture’s Minds much better here, and they are fantastic. The ships, in particular, are great characters—I actually found them more interesting than the humans.

As always, Banks is highly imaginative, so be prepared for some wild concepts, but they are always executed with intelligence. Highly recommended.

The Sculptor by Scott McCloud

emotional funny reflective sad medium-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

5.0

A beautiful, touching, and poignant story, The Sculptor is an excellent graphic novel.

Our protagonist, David Smith, is incredibly easy to relate to, as are his friends and the other characters. They all feel real and alive, if that makes sense.

McCloud incorporates just enough fantastical elements to make the story feel like fantasy, but he also keeps it grounded in human emotions and everyday struggles. This blend makes the story both satisfying to read and a real heartbreaker.

The art is also outstanding—grandiose when it needs to be, subtle when required, and consistently creative. I really enjoyed it.

I highly recommend this book.

The Culture: The Drawings by Iain M. Banks

informative fast-paced

4.25

An interesting peak into Banks’ mind. It’s super nerdy of course, but I found it enjoyable. It’s nice to compare how Banks drew his ships and devices versus how I imagined them.

The scanning quality is very good, you can appreciate the details. Recommended for anyone who’s really into the Culture series.

The State of the Art by Iain M. Banks

adventurous emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Like all short stories collection, it's uneven. But here the range is from good to excellent. I enjoyed all of them, except for the very last one (which is only a few pages long).

A couple of the stories were very funny, some quite dark. The main story, the novella "The State of the Art" was truly excellent. 

It's not as strong as the Culture novels but it's worth reading nonetheless.

A Time of Changes by Robert Silverberg

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This novel is more of a philosophical tale than anything else. 

 

In the first part of the book, we follow our main character through his travels, in which he seeks to discover more about himself and his world. It is written as an autobiography, which is an interesting choice. Silverberg seems to be a very capable writer, so the story works on a sentence-by-sentence basis. However, I did have some issues early on. 

 

This book is very much a product of its time. Our protagonist is some sort of übermensch—tall, strong, hairy, and handsome, but also deeply insecure. He also categorizes women by breast size and attractiveness…and "beds" most of them, to quote him. I’m not shocked, mind you, but after a couple of occurrences, I found it uninteresting and repetitive. I’ve encountered this issue in other works from the late 60s and early 70s. The protagonist is essentially describing a sexually open society with some bizarre abstract rules. Okay, I get it—no need to remind me every ten pages or so. 

 

The second part of the story is triggered by an encounter with an Earthman and, because it’s the 70s, drugs! I must say, I enjoyed how this change of pace was introduced and actually welcomed it, as the novel was starting to feel like a slog, despite its relatively short length. However, between the overly sexualized characters and the use of drugs to "broaden one’s horizons," I couldn’t help but roll my eyes a bit. 

 

That being said, Silverberg writes very well, and this novel is enjoyable to read on a sentence-by-sentence basis—especially considering the grammatical complexity he imposes on himself by having the main character say "one" instead of "I" for part of the story. 

 

He touches on very important themes: culture, self-image, oppression, religion, society’s structures, and so on. I appreciate the exploration of these themes, but I was left a bit cold by the vessels chosen to explore them. It’s mostly a "me" problem, but I never found the protagonist’s society to be particularly original or interesting. The obvious parallels with the Catholic Church, the Inquisition, or other such things felt a bit too heavy-handed for my taste. 

 

A well-written novel that deals with important and relevant issues, but treated in a way that feels very dated, somewhat inefficient, with pacing issues and occasionally inconsistent characters. I’m glad I read it, but I can’t say I enjoyed much of it—though I did enjoy parts of it, especially in the second half.

Valérian et Laureline l'Intégrale, volume 2 by Pierre Christin, Jean-Claude Mézières

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Les dessins sont toujours très bons et les concepts originaux et fascinants. D’ailleurs, ils ont été maintes fois copiés (par George Lucas, DC Comics, et d’autres).

Certains éléments ont mal vieilli, comme la façon dont Valérian traite Lauréline (il l’appelle souvent « petite » par exemple), encore que j’ai trouvé son personnage mieux mis en valeur par ses actions que dans le tome précédent.

Au final, cette bd a ses failles mais demeure bien faite et avec une portée remarquable jusqu’à aujourd’hui.

Use Of Weapons by Iain M. Banks

adventurous emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

An excellent read. The more I read Banks, the more I appreciate his style and imagination. 

Use of Weapons has a unique structure—one that could easily have been a disaster in the hands of a lesser writer. But Banks pulls it off magnificently. The two narratives involving Zakalwe are extremely well interwoven and very gripping. Banks also manages to weave in a fair dose of humour to make the whole experience more palatable, despite some very dark and brutal passages.  

The dynamics between the Culture and other civilizations are fascinating, but this novel is truly about its characters, and they are superb. The entire cast is well-drawn, but Zakalwe, in particular, is both original and deeply troubling. I thoroughly enjoyed this and can’t recommend it highly enough.