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Batman: The Killing Joke

Alan Moore, Brian Bolland

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 160 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

An amazing Graphic Novel! 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Now that everyone has seen the Dark Knight, Twice. For those interested in comics I would recommend checking the graphic novel out. It is a look inside the mind of the joker. Crazy, demented and twisted mind. This is not a comic for kids. It is more adult oriented and shows how a real joker would react in a world like Gotham. It is a good launching pad for understanding or at least getting an idea for what Heath Ledger portrayed in his performance in The Dark Knight. All in all if you're a huge comic fan you probably already have this, if you're just getting into or want something related to a comic movie this is a good start.

Editorial Review:

The Killing Joke, one of my favorite Batman stories ever, stirred a bit of controversy because the story involves the Joker brutally, pointlessly shooting Commissioner Gordon's daughter in the spine. This is a no-holds-barred take on a truly insane criminal mind, masterfully written by British comics writer Alan Moore. The art by Brian Bolland is so appealing that his depiction of the Joker became a standard and was imitated by many artists to follow.

Batman: Year One

Frank Miller

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 95 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A good summary, but just that 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I was excited to read this graphic novel since it is considered to be one of the top Batman stories to be printed. However, when I finally got to read it, the story felt rushed, and the whole thing seemed to be from Sparknotes rather than the actual text. With a day being one panel on a page, I began to find myself wishing I could see more of what happened. Especially towards the end, everything seemed to fall into place too easily. The friendship between Batman and Gordon seemed to pull a 180 between the two last pages.

Even though the story had it's problems, I enjoyed that we got to see both Batman and Gordon start their careers, and both of their hardships and emotional strain that each of them go through. We finally get to see the Gotham Police truly corrupt, rather than simply being told. This is the only part of the story Miller shows us what is needed to make a great story.

Check it out or borrow it from a friend, it may grow on you. It was a quick read, had good writing, nice artwork, decent, but known story, and never really quite fit all into a nice little package for me.

Editorial Review:

Whether you grew up reading Batman comics, watched the campy television show, or eagerly await each new movie, this is the book for you. A retelling of the events that led to Bruce Wayne's becoming Batman, this book combines Frank Miller's tight film-noir writing with David Mazucchelli's solid artwork.

Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again

Frank Miller, Lynn Varley

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 231 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The Dark Knight Strikes Again is Frank Miller's follow-up to his hugely successful Batman: the Dark Knight Returns, one of the few comics that is widely recognized as not only reinventing the genre but also bringing it to a wider audience.Set three years after the events of The Dark Knight Returns, The Dark Knight Strikes Again follows a similar structure: once again, Batman hauls himself out of his self-imposed retirement in order to set things right. However, where DKR was about him cleaning up his home city, Gotham, DKSA has him casting his net much wider: he's out to save the world. The thing is, most of the world doesn't realize that it needs to be saved--least of all Superman and Wonder Woman, who have become little more than superpowered enforcers of the status quo. So, the notoriously solitary Batman is forced to recruit some different superpowered allies. He also has his ever-present trusty sidekick, Robin, except that he is a she, and she is calling herself Catwoman. Together, these super-friends uncover a vast and far-reaching conspiracy that leads to the President of the United States (Lex Luthor) and beyond.

The Dark Knight Strikes Again is largely an entertaining comic, but much of what made The Dark Knight Returns so good just doesn't work here. Miller's gritty, untidy artwork was perfect for DKR's grim depiction of the dark and seedy Gotham City, but it jars a bit for DKSA, which is meant to depict an ultra-glossy, futuristic technocracy. Lynn Varley's garish coloring attempts to add a slicker sheen, but the artwork is ultimately let down by that which worked so well for DKR--this time around, it just feels sloppy and rushed. The same is true of the book's denouement, which happens so quickly that it leaves the reader reeling and looking for more of an explanation. Moreover, DKSA is packed full of characters who will mean little to those unfamiliar with the DC Comics universe (e.g., the Atom, the Elongated Man, the Question). Perhaps the book's biggest failing is that where The Dark Knight Returns gave comic book fans a base from which to evangelize to theuninitiated, The Dark Knight Strikes Again is just preaching to the converted. Comic book superhero fans will find much to enjoy here, but others would be better off sticking with the original. --Robert Burrow

A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 3)

George R.R. Martin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 749 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Is George R.R. Martin for real? Can a fantasy epic actually get better with each new installment? Fans of the genre have glumly come to expect go-nowhere sequels from other authors, so we're entitled to pinch ourselves over Martin's tightly crafted Song of Ice and Fire series. The reports are all true: this series is the real deal, and Martin deserves his crown as the rightful king of the epic. A Game of Thrones got things off to a rock-solid start, A Clash of Kings only exceeded expectations, but it's the Storm of Swords hat trick that cements Martin's rep as the most praiseworthy fantasy author to come along since that other R.R.

Like the first two books, A Storm of Swords could coast on the fundamentals: deftly detailed characters, convincing voices and dialogue, a robust back-story, and a satisfyingly unpredictable plot. But it's Martin's consistently bold choices that set the series apart. Every character is fair game for the headman's axe (sometimes literally), and not only do the good guys regularly lose out to the bad guys, you're never exactly sure who you should be cheering for in the first place.

Storm is full of admirable intricacies. Events that you thought Martin was setting up solidly for the first two books are exposed as complex feints; the field quickly narrows after the Battle of the Blackwater and once again, anything goes. Robb tries desperately to hold the North together, Jon returns from the wildling lands with a torn heart, Bran continues his quest for the three-eyed crow beyond the Wall, Catelyn struggles to save her fragile family, Arya becomes ever more wolflike in her wanderings, Daenerys comes into her own, and Joffrey's cruel rule from King's Landing continues, making even his fellow Lannisters uneasy. Martin tests all the major characters in A Storm of Swords: some fail the trial, while others--like Martin himself--seem to only get stronger. --Paul Hughes

Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse

Stephen King, Cory Doctorow, George R. R. Martin, Octavia E. Butler, Jonathan Lethem, Orson Scott Card, Gene Wolfe, Jack McDevitt, Tobias S. Buckell

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Not Free SF Reader 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Wastelands is pretty close to the perfect anthology, making just a touch over the magic 4.00 story average.

For an authoritative (the editor does say he is now an expert) look at the sub-genre, it is a bit light on for analytical non-fiction. For readers, less space taken thanking your mates, more time writing about the work would be appreciated, I think.

There is a fairly lengthy bibliography of various written works in and around this particular sub-genre at the back of the book. What is lacking here is one for short fiction, which is a bit odd, for an anthology. There is a good website for the book mentioned here, too, and it is useful, actually lists the contents and authors and other information like reviews. If there wasn't space in the book, then the website would be a natural for this sort of list. Minor issues, but you can't be perfect without 'em.

That said, the more important part is the fiction. This is an extremely strong selection, with a five star story by Doctorow, and several 4.5s to be found. Having many stories of this calibre in one book is not common at all. The pick of the rest include Bacigalupi, Martin, Wells, Barrett and Langan.

Overall this anthology is a great effort.

Wastelands : The End of the Whole Mess - Stephen King
Wastelands : Salvage - Orson Scott Card
Wastelands : The People of Sand and Slag - Paolo Bacigalupi
Wastelands : Bread and Bombs - M. Rickert
Wastelands : How We Got In Town and Out Again - Jonathan Lethem
Wastelands : Dark Dark Were the Tunnels - George R. R. Martin
Wastelands : Waiting for the Zephyr - Tobias S. Buckell
Wastelands : Never Despair - Jack McDevitt
Wastelands : When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth - Cory Doctorow
Wastelands : The Last of the O-Forms - James Van Pelt
Wastelands : Still Life With Apocalypse - Richard Kadrey
Wastelands : Artie's Angels - Catherine Wells
Wastelands : Judgment Passed - Jerry Oltion
Wastelands : Mute - Gene Wolfe
Wastelands : Inertia - Nancy Kress
Wastelands : And the Deep Blue Sea - Elizabeth Bear
Wastelands : Speech Sounds - Octavia E. Butler
Wastelands : Killers - Carol Emshwiller
Wastelands : Ginny Sweethips Flying Circus - Neal BarrettJr
Wastelands : The End of the World as We Know It - Dale Bailey
Wastelands : A Song Before Sunset - David Grigg
Wastelands : Episode Seven Last Stand Against the Pack in the Kingdom of Purple Flowers by John Langan


Calm mind lost.

4 out of 5


Gold
Always believe in your soul
Youve got the power to know

3.5 out of 5


Immortal ruined future's lack of taste for pets.

4.5 out of 5


Bad snow and strange candy.

3 out of 5


Scapeathon.

3 out of 5


Only a rat.
Pretty big, though.

4.5 out of 5


Late ship stress.

3.5 out of 5


Holo advice from Churchill.

4 out of 5


Biowar makes geekfu and gruntwork a necessary combination afterwards.

5 out of 5


Mutoid zoo show minigirl metamorphosis.

4 out of 5


Author has done it himself :

"Apocalypse is the last gasp of bureaucracy."

4 out of 5


Bike lord's legend.

4.5 out of 5


Mushroom message to heaven's afterlife lockout anecdote answer.

4 out of 5


Tv total dead zone.

3.5 out of 5


Quarantine lack of collapse restraint.

4.5 out of 5


A post-apocalyptic motorbike courier, really, really should have read Ghost Rider in her younger days.

4 out of 5


Literacy despair youth hope glimmer.

4.5 out of 5


He dumped me, but he's still pretty tasty.

3.5 out of 5


Sextape speedup shootout repair hookup.

4.5 out of 5


No Triffids, Kraken, Cuckoos or Lichen.

4 out of 5


I said sing, Piano Man, not strangle.

4 out of 5


Batboy postapocalyptic pregnant prey girl's only chance.

4.5 out of 5

Editorial Review:

Famine, Death, War, and Pestilence: The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the harbingers of Armageddon - these are our guides through the Wastelands... From the Book of Revelations to The Road Warrior; from A Canticle for Leibowitz to The Road, storytellers have long imagined the end of the world, weaving tales of catastrophe, chaos, and calamity. Gathering together the best post-apocalyptic literature of the last two decades from many of today's most renowned authors of speculative fiction, including George R.R. Martin, Gene Wolfe, Orson Scott Card, Carol Emshwiller, Jonathan Lethem, Octavia E. Butler, and Stephen King, Wastelands explores the scientific, psychological, and philosophical questions of what it means to remain human in the wake of Armageddon.

A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire)

George R.R. Martin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 752 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Few books have captivated the imagination and won the devotion and praise of readers and critics everywhere as has George R. R. Martin’s monumental epic cycle of high fantasy. Now, in A Feast for Crows, Martin delivers the long-awaited fourth book of his landmark series, as a kingdom torn asunder finds itself at last on the brink of peace...only to be launched on an even more terrifying course of destruction.

A Feast for Crows

It seems too good to be true. After centuries of bitter strife and fatal treachery, the seven powers dividing the land have decimated one another into an uneasy truce. Or so it appears....With the death of the monstrous King Joffrey, Cersei is ruling as regent in King’s Landing. Robb Stark’s demise has broken the back of the Northern rebels, and his siblings are scattered throughout the kingdom like seeds on barren soil. Few legitimate claims to the once desperately sought Iron Throne still exist—or they are held in hands too weak or too distant to wield them effectively. The war, which raged out of control for so long, has burned itself out.

But as in the aftermath of any climactic struggle, it is not long before the survivors, outlaws, renegades, and carrion eaters start to gather, picking over the bones of the dead and fighting for the spoils of the soon-to-be dead. Now in the Seven Kingdoms, as the human crows assemble over a banquet of ashes, daring new plots and dangerous new alliances are formed, while surprising faces—some familiar, others only just appearing—are seen emerging from an ominous twilight of past struggles and chaos to take up the challenges ahead.

It is a time when the wise and the ambitious, the deceitful and the strong will acquire the skills, the power, and the magic to survive the stark and terrible times that lie before them. It is a time for nobles and commoners, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and sages to come together and stake their fortunes...and their lives. For at a feast for crows, many are the guests—but only a few are the survivors.


From the Hardcover edition.

Mage-Guard of Hamor (Saga of Recluce)

L. E. Modesitt

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Best Recluce novel in a long, long time. 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 6 people found this review helpful.

Mage-Guard of Hamor is one of Modesitt's best works to date. He continues Rahl's story in a believable and enthralling fashion & his supporting characters have great depth and their own enticing backstories and intriguing motivations. The exact nature of the final conflict and its resolution were reasonably difficult to predict until just before the events. Even then, the resolution had a few interesting surprises and the epilogue offers its own little twist.

The main character Rahl is believably flawed and slowly matures over the course of the book. Rahl's maturation is done in a great variety of ways that are gradual enough to feel realistic yet quick enough to keep pacing steady and lend urgency to the plot. While there are certainly surface similarities between Rahl and Lorn from Modesitt's Cyador duology, I found that the vastly different political structure, Rahl's status as an immigrant, the nature of the campaign and the presence of a guiding mentor lead to a completely different story.

Rahl's mentor Taryl is one of my favorite supporting characters in any Recluse book. I found his backstory to be fascinating and the way he keeps Rahl (and the reader) somewhat in the dark will make you want to keep turning pages very late into the night! Partially because of the greater attention and detail on a mentor than other Recluce books, Mage-Guard is longer than typical of Modesitt, but I found that the pages were well filled.

Modesitt also reveals much about Hamorian customs, food, and general life in the book. He depicts a variety of cities and rural areas within Hamor as well as the seat of government itself. He blends this quite well with the military campaign, never stopping the flow of things to gush Hamorian history but doling out enough to give a lush backdrop to the events of Mage-Guard.

Editorial Review:

Acclaimed author L. E. Modesitt, Jr. continues his new Recluce story in Mage-Guard of Hamor, the second of two volumes set mostly on the continent of Hamor, far across the sea from Recluce, where the story began.

Rahl was a young apprentice on the island of Recluce sent to the mages training school for testing, then banished to Hamor. His education now continues under dangerous circumstances. In Hamor, his powers have increased, but so has the amount of trouble he attracts.

The whole society of Hamor is a new culture for Modesitt—and Rahl—to explore, one in which magic is a monopoly of the state. Rahl is a mage now, powerful and still just as dangerous to himself and to others. This is the story of how he gains both more knowledge and power, and more self-control.

A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 2)

George R.R. Martin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 629 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

How does he do it? George R.R. Martin's high fantasy weaves a spell sufficient to seduce even those who vowed never to start a doorstopper fantasy series again (the first book--A Game of Thrones--runs over 700 pages). A Clash of Kings is longer and even more grim, but Martin continues to provide compelling characters in a vividly real world.

The Seven Kingdoms have come apart. Joffrey, Queen Cersei's sadistic son, ascends the Iron Throne following the death of Robert Baratheon, the Usurper, who won it in battle. Queen Cersei's family, the Lannisters, fight to hold it for him. Both the dour Stannis and the charismatic Renly Baratheon, Robert's brothers, also seek the throne. Robb Stark, declared King in the North, battles to avenge his father's execution and retrieve his sister from Joffrey's court. Daenerys, the exiled last heir of the former ruling family, nurtures three dragons and seeks a way home. Meanwhile the Night's Watch, sworn to protect the realm from dangers north of the Wall, dwindle in numbers, even as barbarian forces gather and beings out of legend stalk the Haunted Forest.

Sound complicated? It is, but fine writing makes this a thoroughly satisfying stew of dark magic, complex political intrigue, and horrific bloodshed. --Nona Vero

Chalice

Robin McKinley

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Editorial Review:

As the newly appointed Chalice, Mirasol is the most important member of the Master’s Circle. It is her duty to bind the Circle, the land and its people together with their new Master. But the new Master of Willowlands is a Priest of Fire, only drawn back into the human world by the sudden death of his brother. No one knows if it is even possible for him to live amongst his people. Mirasol wants the Master to have his chance, but her only training is as a beekeeper. How can she help settle their demesne during these troubled times and bind it to a Priest of Fire, the touch of whose hand can burn human flesh to the bone?

Robin McKinley weaves a captivating tale that reveals the healing power of duty and honor, love and honey.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier

Alan Moore

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 81 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

LXG: black dossier 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The random extracts from "The Black dossier" and 3D pages make this well worth reading. However the central plot is a little weak, and is just an excuse to fit in many pop-culture references. I was hoping for more swashbuckling adventures in the style of the other LXG graphic novels.
That said Alan Moore is an amazing writer and i don't know of any other writer who could handle the different styles of prose used in this collection.

Editorial Review:

England in the mid 1950s is not the same as it was. The powers that be have instituted...some changes. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen have been disbanded and disavowed, and the country is under the control of an iron-fisted regime. Now, after many years, the still youthful Mina Murray and a rejuvenated Allan Quatermain return and are in search of some answers. Answers that can only be found in a book buried deep in the vaults of their old headquarters, a book that holds the key to the hidden history of the League throughout the ages: The Black Dossier. As Allan and Mina delve into the details of their precursors, some dating back centuries, they must elude their dangerous pursuers who are Hell-bent on retrieving the lost manuscript... and ending the League once and for all.