Category: Book Reviews

COMING SOON. MONTHLY BOOK REVIEW OF ONE BOOK READ DURING THE MONTH.

Book Reviews

Scribbling Scrivener Reads: Three Comics

DH Hanni

This month I decided to do something a little different and will review three different comic volumes contain the first 4 to 5 issues of a series. I recently picked these up at Heroes Con for a reduced price, figuring it was a great way to see if I might find one or two or three recently launched series I could get into. I’m not the biggest comic book person. Only as an adult have I discovered a few series with well-developed characters and can appeal to people of all ages.

First I read The Tithe Volume I by Matt Hawkins, Rahsan Ekedal, Bill Farmer, and Mike Spicer. The plot is a group of four people, referring to themselves as Samaritan, decide to rob some prominent megachurches. They do this not because they disagree with religion or church itself, rather because the leaders of those megachurches are criminal hypocrites misusing the donations for personal gain. They are led by Sam, a hacker who donates most of the money stolen to charities. The other members are her boyfriend, his junkie younger brother and his equally junkie girlfriend. They act as the muscle while she is the brain.

Chasing them are FBI agents Jimmy Miller and Dwayne Campbell. Dwayne is straight-laced, by-the-book agent who also happens to be Christian so the case is more complex than it is for his partner. Jimmy is a former hacker himself, eventually hired by the FBI, and is an unknown contact to Samaritan. Jimmy and Dwayne clash as Jimmy is sympathetic to Samaritan’s cause viewing it as not as bad as the leaders of the megachurches swindling their parishioners. Meanwhile Dwayne recognizes the criminal behavior on both sides. They work very well together and have a lot of mutual respect with Jimmy being friendly with Dwayne’s family.

Volume I covers issues 1 – 4 and it moves at a quick pace. In fact they resolve one storyline while setting up what I’m assuming is the rest of the series by the end of issue 4. Yet even though it moves quickly, the writer manages to not only give the reader fully fleshed out and sympathetic characters, but also starts planting the next plot line.

I also enjoyed the art work. It has a gritty tone to it with browns and dark greens used primarily yet feels realistic. People are drawn proportionally which makes sense since this story takes place in the real world rather than a fantastical one.

Overall I’d give The Tithe Volume I three and a half pencils out of five. It’s something I’m looking forward to reading the next volume.

Next I read something completely different from The Tithe. Rasputin: The Road to the Winter Palace by Alex Grecian, Riley Rossmo, Ivan Plascencia, and Thomas Mauer covers the first 5 issues of the series. It spins the idea of Rasputin as The Mad Monk, transforming him into a man who has some kind of supernatural abilities. It bounces back and forth between the night of the many attempts to kill him and a fictionalized version of his life. This shouldn’t be considered historical fiction or even alt history as there are many details missing from the narrative. This isn’t a bad thing as this is a reimagining of the legend of Rasputin.

Throughout the issues we see how even as a young boy Rasputin uses the ability to heal and revive people and animals. The first time he does this is when his abusive father battles a bear. He uses his ability sparingly, sometimes without realizing what he’s doing. Naturally, it scares him and he tries to hide it from people. Eventually rumors of what he can supposedly do reach the Tsarina and high-ranking MI6 officials as World War I commences. Not much time is spent within the Winter Palace and healing the Tsar’s son, Alexi, from his hemophilia even though this is what most know about Rasputin.

The artwork is very different from The Tithe. It’s a little sketchier and angular which fits the tone of the story giving it an irregular beauty. Since this is a more fantastical version of Rasputin, much of the artwork supports this. I really enjoyed the panels which integrated Russian folklore.

While it deviates from the blurry history we have of Rasputin, I think the writer captured the spooky, complicated, magnetic personality he’s known for. The writer has also made him a more sympathetic person, one the reader can understand and feel more of a connection with.

Overall, I’d give Rasputin: The Road to the Winter Palace three pencils out of five. Like The Tithe, I’m interested in picking up the next volume and following The Mad Monk around.

The final comic book volume I read was Sovereign Volume I by Chris Roberson and Paul Maybury. This is set in a fantasy world with a group called The Luminari setting out for the Lowlands to warn the king of impending doom, the King’s three very different sons, and an envoy from another part of the world sent to study the city of Khend.

A lot happens with the reader introduced to a large ensemble. The Luminari are an ancient religious order whose primary job seems to be re-killing un-cremated dead people before they rise up as demon infected zombies. A trio is sent out by the order to warn the Khendish king of something called The Convergence, an event which will eliminate everyone and usher in a new age. The King’s three sons have scattered to various parts of the world, although two of them have remained close having spent a lot of time together in battle and in the capital city. The third set of players is a trio coming to Khend from a very long distance. Two of them are warriors with the third member being an intellectual charged with learning more about Khend for some reason that isn’t made clear other than “Because it’s there.”

It was difficult for me to get into this one. Very little about it intrigued me from the shoddy artwork to the large cast of characters to the plots. I liked a couple of the characters, mainly Goodman Ravenstone and Lady Joslyn Evrendon, as well as their plot line, but while it proclaims itself to be along the same vein as the novel series A Song of Ice and Fire, it’s nowhere near the quality or depth that series possesses. Perhaps that’s the biggest flaw; too quick of a pace to set up an epic fantasy in five issues instead of introducing one, maybe two, of the groups that will be important to the story.

Another major flaw is the artwork itself. The best thing I can say about it is the color scheme changes when we switch from group to group. I appreciate that as it signals to the reader not only a shift in subplot, but allows the reader to see how visually different each part of the world of Sovereign are. Other than that, it’s not very well drawn and I found some of the action in scenes to be confusing and almost physics defying.

Overall, I give Sovereign two pencils out of five. Not interested in reading anymore as I don’t really care about any of the characters.

Book Reviews

Scribbling Scrivener Reads: A Skeleton in the Family by Leigh Perry

DH Hanni

A Skeleton in the Family by Leigh Perry is the first book in a new cozy mystery series called the Family Skeleton. It centers on Dr. Georgia Thackery as she returns to her hometown to be an adjunct professor at the college both her tenured professor parents work at. While they are on sabbatical, she and her teenage daughter, Madison move into the family home. But the house isn’t empty when they move in. For thirty years living in the attic has been a walking, talking, wise-cracking skeleton named Sid. He’s known only to Georgia, her sister Deborah, who believes the family needs to get rid of Sid because it’s not normal to have a skeleton friend, and their parents.

As soon as Georgia moves back to start her new job and get her daughter settled into yet another new school, things become complicated in the most unusual way. One weekend Sid convinces Georgia to take him along with Madison, who doesn’t know of his existence by his choice, to a local anime/manga convention. Genuinely a fan of the genre via reading Madison’s books, it’s the perfect way for Sid to get out of the house as he cosplays as a Shinigami from a famous manga. It’s while he’s roaming the convention floor taking pictures with people who think his “costume” is the coolest that he recognizes someone from his past. Problem is he doesn’t who she is nor why seeing her gives him such a bad feeling.

That’s the first of two mysteries in A Skeleton in the Family. Even though Sid’s been in the family for thirty years, it wasn’t as if he came with the house or was a member of the family that passed on. Eventually we get the story of how Sid came to live with the Thackery family. No one knows anything about him including Sid. Yet when he sees this woman, a retired, famous zoo anthropologist from another local college, that he and Georgia begin to investigate Sid’s origins as this woman means something to him. Determining Sid’s true identity becomes Georgia’s focus until the mystery woman turns up dead and a series of break-ins involving people in Georgia’s life cause the two of them to question his identity further.

I like quite a few things about this book. First off I really enjoyed the main characters. Georgia is smart and very down-to-earth and seems like a really good mom. Her interactions with her fellow adjunct staff is hilarious as they are all fishes swimming in the same bowl year after year.

Sid is truly a well-fleshed out character even if all he is a bag of bones. He’s smart and with lots of time on his hands does a lot of the investigative work including risking exposure. He’s protective of the family to the point he doesn’t want Madison to know who he is even though Madison definitely comes across as one of those people who would be okay with having a skeleton in the house.

The supporting characters are all right. They serve their various purposes and one main source of conflict comes from Deborah. Although she has long ago tried distancing herself from Sid, to the point of ignoring him completely in conversations, and is disapproving of Georgia’s choices, she still cares about her sister and niece. They get along and fight but the reader gets the impression they’ve never been at each other’s throats.

Another positive is how the world of academia is portrayed. Georgia has been a lifelong adjunct teacher tromping from college to college for temporary jobs. This is difficult for her not only financially as adjuncts aren’t paid much and don’t generally get too many benefits, but because with having not one but two parents who are respected, tenured academics, she catches a lot of heat from others as to why she didn’t follow in their footsteps. From the start we are introduced to world that resembles more elementary or high school rather than a college. Adjuncts are crammed together into a coop of desks. They backstab each other and fight over space and negotiate favors. Apparently they are treated even worse than grad students are which having supported a spouse through grad school really boggles my mind.

The story itself was fun and while the pacing was quick, it still felt realistic especially when compared to a lot of mysteries and police procedurals where everything is wrapped up in a matter of days or a week. Georgia and Sid do break some laws which is to be expected. How else can you explain to the police you believe the family skeleton and a dead professor are linked? It was a brisk, easy read but still managed to obtain solid character development all while introducing a new series.

And while I did thoroughly enjoy this book, there were a few things I didn’t particularly care for. One was Georgia’s blossoming relationship with a fellow adjunct, Fletcher. Throughout the book he is presented as someone who respects and likes her yet by the end their blossoming romance has ended. The explanation given made little sense and seemed contradictory to everything the reader was shown.

The twist at the end about whom the real murder was felt a little like a Scooby Doo re-run. I needed a few more hints as to who the murderer might have been. In fact I had to search my brain to remember if the murderer had even been introduced before the reveal. This rushed reveal also meant the ending was rushed including a fairly monumental moment I had hoped would have been given more of a proper time in the sun.

Overall I really, really enjoyed A Skeleton in the Family. It was adorable, which is an odd thing to say considering it’s a murder mystery with a real skeleton as a main character. I look forward to the next books in the series and would recommend to anyone wanting a light, fun read. On a scale of one to five pencils I give A Skeleton in the Family three and three-quarter pencils.

Book Reviews

Scribbling Scrivener Reads: A Lasting Impression by Tamera Alexander

DH Hanni

A Lasting Impression by Tamera Alexander is a historical fiction novel primarily set in Nashville’s Belmont Mansion shortly after the Civil War. We follow Claire Laurent as she has to suddenly flee New Orleans for Nashville. She arrives with virtually nothing to her name other than showing signs of promising artistic talent. It’s her talent that is at the center of the story as her father owned an art gallery in New Orleans. Not everything they sold was on the up and up as he used his wife and later daughter to create copies and forgeries of famous artists. However upon her arrival in Nashville, Claire no longer wishes to engage in forgeries and desires to paint her own work.

After spending her first night in a church she happens to overhear a conversation between two of the church’s parishioners about open interviews at Belmont Mansion. Sensing this is her way to earn a living she is determined to go to the interviews. With a little help of an introduction by the church’s Reverend, she gets an interview. The rest of the book spends the time following Claire’s journey as she wrestles with her past and to reconcile it with her present and future.

I picked this book for a couple of reasons. The first being it’s been a while since I’ve read historical fiction and I missed it. The second being on a recent vacation to Nashville I happen to tour the mansion and picked up this book and another one set in Belmont Mansion.

My reaction to A Lasting Impression is rather mixed. What I enjoyed the best was since I’ve actually been to the mansion it was easy for me to see the details Alexander does a great job of including in the book. I could even very easily see the exterior and grounds even though Belmont Mansion is surrounded by Belmont University. I think Alexander’s attention to the setting was one of the strengths of the book. She also does a great job bringing out all five senses which as a writer is an area I struggle with. The time period is as rich and vivid as Belmont Mansion.

Another thing I liked about the book is the premise. I enjoyed reading a book set in a city other than New York or London. I appreciated Claire being a painter and hoping to become self-sufficient with especially in a time period where a woman’s options were very limited. Her main goal is to survive and evade her father’s business partner rather than catch some guy’s eye. Along the way that obviously happens because what would a novel like this be without that?

Overall I thought the characters were okay. As mentioned earlier, Claire is rather unique in many respects. I liked she wanted to make her own way in life. However it wasn’t until the love interest, Sutton Monroe, steps in at the end does it start to become more of a tangible possibility. Claire grated on me frequently because no matter how much she wanted to reveal the truth of her background, she doesn’t until forced to at the end. A whole lot of guilt could have been avoided. She lies for months apparently distracted by the near fairy-tale world she lives in at Belmont.

While Claire is the focal point, we do get a few chapters in Sutton Monroe’s point-of-view. I felt he was rather dull and, at times, kind of a jerk. Not toward Claire, but he has a few odd thoughts I found off putting and questioned if I was allowing my modern reader brain to cloud my judgement. It’s a possibility. His chapters also felt like they were there to provide more of the romantic aspect to the story. While I applaud the author for showing the development of romantic feelings from the male’s point-of-view, the style in which he was written was too close to how Claire was written. What I mean by this is instead of sounding like two different people with their own unique voices both come across as similar.

The supporting characters were cookie cutter and fit a lot of stereotypes I had a hard time excusing. Adelicia Acklen, the real-life builder and owner of Belmont Mansion, comes across as the typical strong-willed woman far ahead of her time. This is a trope I see a lot in historical fiction. Other supporting characters from the servants to name dropping real life members of Nashville society to other fictional characters, everyone is just there. The story suffers from a lack of a real villain. Not that all stories need a flesh and blood villain. Certainly the biggest villain can be ourselves which I think is truly Claire’s biggest villain. But the one “villain” of the book isn’t developed and makes an appearance at the beginning and end.

Which segue ways into one of the main issues I had with the book. Claire has this huge secret and there is a person in Nashville who can expose her, yet the “villain” waits until the last quarter of the book to confront her. Keep in mind he waited more than six months of them both being in the same town to contact her and despite knowing Claire’s employer is one of the most well-known and powerful people in Nashville. It felt like the author forgot all about these details to focus more on developing the romance between Claire and Sutton. Then the ending had to be written and a major plot point had to be wrapped up and thus we get the villain at the end.

My biggest problems with A Lasting Impression come from the author employing several pet peeves I have as a reader. The biggest one being an overwhelming need to emphasize certain words for no reason. And this wasn’t a device used sparingly or just for certain characters. Page after page contained at least three words emphasized no matter who was talking. As a reader it feels too much like the author telling me which words should have added meaning. Or to show me a speaking pattern? I’m not sure the point. Also, no one talks that way. Ever.

Another device employed by Alexander is telling the reader over and over again who people are in relation to the character. Yes, I understand that Cara Netta is Sutton’s kind of girlfriend. I got that the first time you told me. Yes, I understand Claire’s father told her she had no talent. Remember that scene you gave me at the beginning? I don’t need dozens of reminders even though I know it constantly weighs upon her mind. It’s as if the author doesn’t trust the audience to recall who people are.

Overall, A Lasting Impression was enjoyable but the combination of a rushed ending, main characters who sounded too much alike, and a lot of my pet peeves being utilized knocked down the rating to three pencils out of five.