James M's review of IDW Sonic Scrapnik Island Issue 3 & 4

  

Greetings fans. Sorry I took so long, but I'm finally doing a review of the final two issues of the Scrapnik Island, which is very intense. So, what's the plot?

Simple. Mecha Sonic, whom Sonic tried to bond with while on the island of Scrapniks, went rogue after a battle with Mecha Knuckles and captured the blue hedgehog we know and love. His plan was to take over Sonic's body and use him to leave the island. Tails and the good Scrapniks caught on to what was happening and launched a rescue mission, which went south a little as Mecha Sonic took out the Scrapnik forces and sent Tails into a trash compactor. 

After that, he then initiated his plan to hijack Sonic's body with some scrapped Eggman mind tech, which then went wrong as the Scrapniks attacked (which also led to a Super Mario Bros Z/Dragon Ball reference as Mecha Sonic threatened to crush them). Sonic and Mecha battled, which led to them winding up in the Death Egg's trash incinerator. But unlike a certain two-part Sonic anime where Metal Sonic died, Sonic saved Mecha Sonic with help from Tails and the Scrapniks. As everyone breathed, we got an interesting moment where Mecha Sonic was happy. However, his attempt to take over Sonic's body led to their minds being linked and, as Mecha Sonic was feeling happiness, Sonic teared up.

That's right, SEGA finally let Sonic shed tears (for the first time in ages too, unless the movies count). And according to the story's writer, Daniel Barnes, SEGA gave his team all the freedom with the story and Daniel was able to fulfill his vision for Scrapnik Island. Back to the story, Sonic and Mecha Sonic part on good terms with Sonic and Tails flying off in the Tornado with Mecha staying behind on the island to look after the rest of the Scrapniks. 

For a Sonic miniseries revolving around sci-fi horror, this was great and seeing SEGA allow things such as the usage of Mecha Sonic, a Classic Sonic character, and Sonic shedding tears (even though they weren't his own) makes a fan happy, especially in a time where the Sonic brand is experiencing success after success following the release of the first Sonic movie. 

Sonic truly is back and SEGA is slightly easing up on their many restrictions, even though Sonic will always be their property and they'll have some guidelines in some shape or form. However, I'm getting off-topic. Daniel Barnes' writing was really nice and this isn't the first time a Sonic comic has tackled the idea of an island populated by scrapped Badniks, Archie Sonic did it first with the Island of Misfit Badniks and the usage of Mecha Sonic further solidifies the recent merging of Classic and Modern back into one with the Classic games being canon proper again. The art was real good too, helping to sell the eerie atmosphere and there were a lot of fun moments throughout the arc.

Also, fun fact, the story takes place between the Overpowered Arc and the Urban Warfare arc in the overall IDW Sonic timeline. Quite somethin, eh? I once again salute the IDW crew for their great efforts in delivering a quality Sonic the Hedgehog story worth reading and making fans happy. See you later, everyone, CVGW out!

BW8: Storytellers

 

It's book week 8 in our 52 Books quest and this week is all about Storytellers and all those lovely books they have created for our pleasure: narratives, myths, memoirs, drama, poetry as well as the world of fiction. From the classics to the contemporary writers of today there is a wide variety to choose from.

Growing up, my brother was the one who told the most magnificent stories, whether he was retelling a Monty Python skit, relating an event that happened, or telling us about a book he’d read. We would hang on his words, groaning or laughing as he told a tale, astonished by the details, even if he’d only read or heard something once. I was never great at oral storytelling, maybe because it was difficult to get an word in edgewise with my large talkative family.  Today, the role has been taken over by my husband and son, both who have Eidetic memories,  remembering everything that’s ever happened in their lives. Which can be great, unless it’s something stupid you wish they’d forget. LOL!    I prefer writing, taking my time to remember, exploring thoughts and phrases, seeing the words on the page.

I finished the non fiction historical arctic exploration thriller Against the Ice by Ejnar Mikkelsen. grit and determination it took for the two men to battle against the elements through hunger and strife as they persevered in their quest to recover the notes of prior explorers is amazing. Not something I would have ever chosen to do. (Book 18)

Finished Vicki Myron’s memoir about Dewey: The Library Cat which is so much more than just about the cat, but the town of Spencer and the people who live there. (Book 19)

And The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks by new to me author, Shauna Robinson. Maggie has always been a non conformist, trying to find the fun in her jobs, planning special events and parties. She's between jobs again and offers to help her best friend who is about to have a baby by running her bookshop for her. Little does she know, the Bell River Literary Society has strict rules which means she has go underground and behind their backs to help the book store stay afloat. . She also enters into a budding romance with a guy who follows the rules, which makes it even more difficult. She enlists the aid of the local businesses and how they managed to keep it a secret so long is beyond me. (Book 20)

I’m currently in the midst of  James Rollin’s Fantasy novel The Cradle of Ice in which the characters have crash landed in a place where it’s virtually impossible to escape from. What will happen next?

Devon Monk’s book of 22 fantasy/sci fi short stories A Cup of Normal which are far from normal and very entertaining.

Haruki Murakami’s Novelist as a Vocation and the man seriously doesn’t think he is a good writer, but shares his stories, his process, and so much more.

BW7: Amari, Writers, and Eve

 

It's book week 7 in our 52 Books Quest and this week is all about Pablo Neruda. As I was meandering about the internet I came across Meanderings and Muses (Don’t you love that name) Odes to Common things. And wouldn’t you just know it, I fell down a rabbit hole.  Found The Examined Life’s article on Pablo Neruda’s Sublime Poetic Wonder at Meaning and Utility in Everyday Things.   Then stumbled upon Interludes where his poetry inspired  The Music of Poetry – Pablo Neruda: Odes to Common Things.   Yes, he even penned An Ode to a Book, but I liked his Common Things better.

I finished Amari and the Night Brothers which was a wonderful middle grade story in which I kept forgetting Amari was only 12 years old. She was mature for her age, continually bullied and not believed because of the type of magic she had. But she was bound and determined to find her brother who’d disappeared under mysterious circumstances.  (Book 15)

Also finished Writers and their Notebooks which has been sitting in my shelves for quite a while and would dip in from time to time. Finally read it from cover to cover, highlighting and annotating. Will be copying highlighted portions in my notebook at some point. So many writers, so many different ways to use a journal. I have discovered that one journal, a catchall for all my thoughts, ramblings, and stories works for me. Many thanks to Diana Raab and the many others for sharing their thoughts. Will be working on all the questions at the end of the book.  (Book 16)

Finished J.D. Robb’s Encore In Death, # 56 in the In death series. Don’t know why this series is comfort food for my soul but it is. Have read most of the series several times. Guess I enjoy diving into the lives of all the characters as well as the mystery of murder. Eve’s mind is fascinating. Her love for Roark is ever growing and it was interesting seeing how this particular murder made her appreciate their relationship even more. (Book 17) 

Diving into James Rollins The Cradle of Ice, the 2nd book in his Moon Fall series.

“To stop the coming apocalypse, a fellowship was formed.
A soldier, a thief, a lost prince, and a young girl bonded by fate and looming disaster.
Each step along this path has changed the party, forging deep alliances and greater
enmities. All the while, hostile forces have hunted them, fearing what they might
unleash. Armies wage war around them.

For each step has come with a cost—in blood, in loss, in heartbreak.

Now, they must split, traveling into a vast region of ice and to a sprawling capital of the world they’ve only known in stories. Time is running out and only the truth will save us all."

BW6: Sleuths and trouble is afoot.

 

It's book week six in our 52 Books Quest and this week's subject is Sleuths, continuing with our Agatha Christie theme. 

I'm currently reading three books right now. 

My sleuth is a twelve year who wants to help her brother in the children’s fantasy Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston which is quite good

“Amari Peters has never stopped believing her missing brother, Quinton, is alive. Not even when the police told her otherwise, or when she got in trouble for standing up to bullies who said he was gone for good.

So when she finds a ticking briefcase in his closet, containing a nomination for a summer tryout at the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, she’s certain the secretive organization holds the key to locating Quinton—if only she can wrap her head around the idea of magicians, fairies, aliens, and other supernatural creatures all being real.

Now she must compete for a spot against kids who’ve known about magic their whole lives. No matter how hard she tries, Amari can’t seem to escape their intense doubt and scrutiny—especially once her supernaturally enhanced talent is deemed “illegal.” With an evil magician threatening the supernatural world, and her own classmates thinking she’s an enemy, Amari has never felt more alone. But if she doesn’t stick it out and pass the tryouts, she may never find out what happened to Quinton.”

as well as the non fiction arctic historical fiction adventure Against the Ice by Ejnar Mikkelsen

“Ejnar Mikkelsen was devoted to Arctic exploration. In 1910 he decided to search for the diaries of the ill-fated Mylius-Erichsen expedition, which had set out to prove that Robert Peary’s outline of the East Greenland coast was a myth, erroneous and presumably self-serving. Iver Iversen was a mechanic who joined Mikkelsen in Iceland when the expedition’s boat needed repair.

Several months later, Mikkelsen and Iversen embarked on an incredible journey during which they would suffer every imaginable Arctic travail: implacable cold, scurvy, starvation, frostbite, snow blindness, plunges into icy seawater, impossible sledding conditions, Vitamin A poisoning, debilitated dogs, apocalyptic storms, gaping crevasses, and assorted mortifications of the flesh. Mikkelsen’s diary was even eaten by a bear.

Three years of this, coupled with seemingly no hope of rescue, would drive most crazy, yet the two retained both their sanity as well as their humor.

Indeed, what may have saved them was their refusal to become as desolate as their surroundings…”

Plus a dusty book: A collection of essays in Writers and Their Notebooks edited by Diana Raab in which I’ve been highlighting and annotating because there are so many meaningful snippets.

“This collection of essays by established professional writers explores how their notebooks serve as their studios and workshops—places to collect, to play, and to make new discoveries with language, passions, and curiosities. For these diverse writers, the journal also serves as an ideal forum to develop their writing voice, whether crafting fiction, nonfiction, or poetry.”

Some include sample journal entries that have since developed into published pieces. Through their individual approaches to keeping a notebook, the contributors offer valuable advice, personal recollections, and a hearty endorsement of the value of using notebooks to document, develop, and nurture a writer’s creative spark."

January Reading Wrap Up!

 

January has been an interesting reading month with an interesting assortment of books from magical realism to steampunk, to romance, to urban fantasy, to historical fiction, plus two non fiction writing books for a total of 4519 pages  which on average is 150 pages a day.  

1Q84 was a chunky read at 935 pages and took me most of the month to finish.  Write for Life was the shortest but was meant to be read in six weeks. However, I just kept reading because I was ready to implement her suggestions rather than wait.  I managed to clear 5 dusty physical books and 1 dusty ebook from my shelves and discovered six new to me authors.  

 After Dark - Haruki Murakami, (Magical Realism, Japan, 256)

“Time moves in it special way in the middle of the night.”

You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty -  Akwaeke Emezi,(Romance, e)

“For a moment, there was the scream of tires and the mad chime of broken glass, the soft petals of white lilies, and a clod of dirt breaking apart in Feyi’s hand, but she brushed it all aside like smoke. “Single,” she’d said in return, stepping right into his personal space. He smelled of rain and bergamot.”

Clockwork Angels - Kevin Anderson and Neil Peart (Steampunk, dusty, e)

"In another few weeks, he was going to have to put his dreams away on a high shelf. It didn't seem fair. All his life he had followed the rules. He had done what was expected of him rather than what he wanted; every day mapped out, every event scheduled; every part of his existence moving along like a tiny gear in an infinite chain  of other tiny gears, each one turning smoothly, but never going anywhere."

 

Black Orchid Blues - Persia Walker (Mystery, 20’s Harlem, dusty, 270)

“If he’s the kind of man I think he is, the kind who sees you for what you are, who you are, and still wants you, then never let him go. Sam”

Kitty and the Midnight Hour - Carrie Vaughn (Urban fantasy, reread, e)

“To be a DJ was to be God. To be a DJ at an alternative public radio station ? That was being God with a mission. It was thinking you were the first person to discover The Clash and you had to spread the word.”

Who Need Enemies - Keri Arthur (Urban Fantasy, Australia, e)

“Maggie waved a gnarled finger in my direction. “Mention one word,” she said, voice sharp but grey eyes twinkling with merriment, “and I’ll curse your sex life for the next year.” I snorted. “Curse away. It can’t get any worse.” She shook her head. “How can a siren have such a pathetic love life?” “Because I’m a siren who can’t actually sing, remember?”

Kitty Goes to Washington - Carrie Vaughn (Urban Fantasy, reread, e)

“That we have purpose for being who we are, and what we are, though we may not always know it.”

The Blue - Nancy Bilyeau (Historical Fiction, England, dusty, e)

"Amiability has never been counted more important in a woman's character than it is today." 

Write for Life - Julia Cameron (NF, Writing, 208)

"A well executed outline resembles a train track with each entry a tie."

1Q84 - Haruki Murakami (Magical Realism, reread, 996)

"1Q84 - That's what I'll call this new world... Q is for Question mark. A world that bears a question. Like it or not, I'm here now, in the year 1Q84.  The 1984 that I knew no longer exists.  It's 1Q84 now. "

A Swim in the Pond in the Rain - George Saunders (NF, Masterclass, dusty 432)

“The Russians, when I found them a few years later, worked on me in the same way. They seemed to regard fiction not as something decorative but as a vital moral-ethical tool. They changed you when you read them, made the world seem to be telling a different, more interesting story, a story in which you might play a meaningful part, and in which you had responsibilities.”

The Winter Lodge - Susan Wigg (Romance, e)

“We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face.”

Absolution by Murder (#1 Sister Fidelma - Peter Tremayne (Historical Fiction, 664 AD, dusty, e)

"Whenever there is a conflict of opinion, then human tensions rise and give way to fear. I do not think we need to worry. There will be much posturing during the verbal conflict. But once we have reached a resolution, then all will be forgotten and forgiven." 

BW5: Mini Reviews: Saunders, Wigg, and Tremayne!

 

It's book week 5 in our 52 books quest and the author of the month is Agatha Christie. I've been bouncing around the list, instead of reading chronologically, and currently have Why didn't they ask Evans?, Mystery of the Blue Train, and Sad Cypress in my reading stacks. 

Read Agatha Christie 2023 Motive and Methods February's readalong challenge is Partners in Crime, from one of her Tommy and Tuppence short story collections.   Which I don't have in my stacks and will have to wait until my buying ban is over. :(

The Royal Reading Room recently covered Agatha Christie during their Christmas Interlude which including a video discussion between Vaseem Khan, Dreda Say Mitchell, Robert Thorogood, and James Prichard on the Legacy and Life of Agatha Christie which was quite interesting. 

I finally completed George Saunders A Swim in the Pond in the Rain which has been sitting on my shelves for quite a while. I finally applied myself and got into it.  Saunders analyzes 4 Russian Authors and their short stories:  Antov Chekhov’s In the Cart, The Darling, and Gooseberries; Ivan Turgenov’s The Singer; Leo Tolstoy’s Master and Man and Alyosha the Pot, and Nikolai Gogol’s The Nose.  All the stories were good and The Nose made me laugh, Tolstoy made me cry, and the rest of the stories made me think.  I annotated the heck out of In the Cart and disagreed with Saunder’s view of The Nose. I didn't think it was a walking nose, but someone who had his nose, but I could be wrong and Saunders may be right. I'll have to go back and reread it again.   What I enjoyed most of all was Saunders and his analysis which is something I always had a hard time doing in literature class.  The symbols and analogies, the how’s and why’s. And his tips on writing were invaluable.  And as with all writing books, like Stephen King as well as Ray Bradbury, once I read how they write, I wanted to read their books.  Will be adding George Saunders to my reading list.  (Book 11) 

Cleared my palate with an angsty romance:   Susan Wigg’s The Winter Lodge, #2 in Lakeshore Chronicles series. She's grieving the loss of her grandmother when her house catches on fire which prompts the reappearance of Chief Rourke McKnight whom she'd been avoiding after a certain night together 4 years prior when they through her husband and his best friend was killed overseas. (Book 12)

I also finished Peter Tremayne’s first book in his historical fiction Sister Fidelma series – Absolution by Murder - set in 7th century Ireland and was quite good.  Also the sister was a member of St Brigid at Kildare which is grand since today is St. Brigid’s day.  It was quite interesting to read the history about the Synod and the differences between the Roman and the Celtic churches. I liked Sister Fidelma and will probably read more of the series. (book 13)

I'm in the midst of several books again. I heard it described by someone,  I can't remember who at the moment, who described it as an omnivorous reader, devouring more than one book at a time. I think I like that description better. 

I'm currently reading 2034 by Elliot Ackerman and Admiral James Stavridis, an alternative geopolitical thriller about the next world war in 2034 between America and China in the South China Sea.  It is really good and scary.  China has developed cyber warfare and are  refusing to back down from their possession of the South China Sea They have technology that wipes out all electronics and communication so the U.S. battleships keep getting destroyed.  Which means the U.S. needs to go back to analog tech which some of the commanders are  totally against because they love their technology.  But the president is also threatening to go Nuclear which has caused a pause in the action. (Book 14)

I'm dipping into an anthology of fantasy short stories by Devon Monk with A Cup of Normal.

Non fiction wise,  I’m not done with Haruki Murakami yet so reading Novelist as a Vocation as well as Writers and their Notebooks edited by Diana Rabb. I'm enjoying Writers, better than Novelist at the moment.   Plus the historical set in 1910 - Against the Ice - by Ejnar  Mikkelsen which is an arctic survival story.  

 

  

Book Ten: 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

It's been exactly 10 years since I first read Haruki Murakami's 1Q84.  I remember loving it then. Now, I don't remember much at all. I didn't love it, but enjoyed the bizarre magical realism.  The story is about two characters who never get together until practically the end of the story.   Both characters, Tengo and Aomame are flawed, far from perfect, and find themselves in odd situations. 

 Aomame, stuck in a taxi on a gridlocked expressway,  climbs down the emergency escape ladder on the side of the expressway in order to get to an appointment in time.  Thus begins her journey into the surreal. 

"1Q84 - That's what I'll call this new world... Q is for Question mark. A world that bears a question. Like it or not, I'm here now, in the year 1Q84.  The 1984 that I knew no longer exists.  It's 1Q84 now. The air has changed. The scene has changed. I have to adapt to this world with a question mark as soon as I can. Like an animal released into a new forest, in order to protect myself and survive, I have to learn the rules of this place and adapt myself to them."

Tengo is pulled into a scheme to rewrite a story written by a 17 year old girl about a girl, the death of a goat, and the 'little people,' and his life is forever altered.  

Murakami has a tendency to have the characters repeat themselves over and over and over again, but with each reiteration, you're pulled in just a little bit deeper in to the weird life of the characters which is full of symbolism with cats, and crows, and owls, and death. It's full of  mystery and romance, with much to do about a cult, as well as a literary conundrum, in which Leoš Janáček Sinfonietta plays a big roll in the fusion of the alternate world.  It's bizarre, but a good bizarre to say the least, but well worth reading once or twice in your lifetime.