8.31.2009

 

The Strain


by Guillermo Del Toro & Chuck Hogan, 401pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: A

Vampires. Wait! They sure as hell don't sparkle. As you would expect from the man who brought us 'Pan's Labyrinth' and 'Hell Boy' this is a refreshing take on the classic blood-sucking monsters that's more Michael Crichton than Ann Rice or Bram Stoker, God-forbid Stephanie Meyer.

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# posted by Cptn. Suz @ 5:30 AM
 

SPQR VIII: The River God's Vengeance


by John Maddox Roberts, 275 pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: A
Series: SPQR

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# posted by Cptn. Suz @ 5:19 AM
 

A Nameless Witch


by A. Lee Martinez, 320pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: C+

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# posted by Cptn. Suz @ 5:18 AM
 

Scott Pilgrim vs. the Universe [vol5]


by Bryan Lee O'Malley, 179pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: B
Series: Scott Pilgrim vol.5

This picture does not do justice to the shiny that is this cover!
Also, this is not the last volume... I await #6!

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# posted by Cptn. Suz @ 5:14 AM
 

Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together [vol4]


by Bryan Lee O'Malley, 205pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: A-
Series: Scott Pilgrim vol.4

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# posted by Cptn. Suz @ 5:11 AM
 

Scott Pilgrim and the Infinite Sadness [vol3]


by Bryan Lee O'Malley, 192pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: B+
Series: Scott Pilgrim vol.3

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# posted by Cptn. Suz @ 5:08 AM
 

The Magician: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel Book Two


by Michael Scott, 461 pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: B+
Series: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel book 2

Much better than the first book. Many fewer references to current stuff that would quickly date it.

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# posted by Cptn. Suz @ 4:53 AM
 

Beat to Quarters


by C.S. Forester, 324pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: C+
Series: Horatio Hornblower

Wherein Horatio defeats the same superior ship twice, helps a junta, receives news that the Spanish are now allies and goes back to defeat said junta, receives news that the Spanish are not so friendly and has to repair his ship without help, then sails back to England chatting everyday with the woman he won't commit adultery with.

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# posted by Cptn. Suz @ 4:44 AM

8.10.2009

 

Vellum: The Book of All Hours


by Hal Duncan, 463 pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: B

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# posted by Cptn. Suz @ 7:32 PM
 

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World vol. 2


by Bryan Lee O'Malley, 200 pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: A
Series: Scott Pilgrim vol.2

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# posted by Cptn. Suz @ 7:30 PM
 

The Harsh Cry of the Heron: The Last Tale of the Otori


by Lian Hearn, 569 pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: B+
Series: The Tales of the Otori

Follow-up to 'The Brillance of the Moon', takes place many years later and sees out the end of Takeo's prophecy.

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# posted by Cptn. Suz @ 7:29 PM
 

The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel


by Michael Scott, 369 pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: B+Series: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel book 1

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# posted by Cptn. Suz @ 7:27 PM
 

The Man Who Was Thursday


by G.K. Chesterton, 192 pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: C-

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# posted by Cptn. Suz @ 7:26 PM

8.06.2009

 

Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the U.S. Navy


by Ian W. Toll, 467pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: A

Solid A, this one. Not only does it cover the history of tall ships (which I love), but the prose is utterly readable, the sections are short. And who could not love an author that quotes not one, but TWO, passages from Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series!
Yes, so this book covers the history of the founding of the U.S. Navy. The Continental Navy is briefly mentioned, but since it was mostly privateers and not actually the national navy (since there wasn't a nation yet), it is quickly skipped over. The main conflicts of interest are the debacle in the Mediterranean with Barbary pirates (Tripoli, Algiers, etc.) in the first decade of the 1800's followed by the War of 1812, where we fought Great Britain in a spastic start-stop American fashion... and somehow both sides considered themselves the winner.

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# posted by Cptn. Suz @ 5:03 PM
 

The Color of Magic


by Terry Pratchett, 210pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: B
Series: Discworld

So in my alphabetically re-reading of the Discworld books, I have quite quickly returned to the very first book in the whole series, The Color of Magic or in the original British, The Colour of Magic. We start with the first tourist of the Disc, Twoflower, and his infamous Luggage, guided by the reluctant failed wizard Rincewind, who is just trying to keep himself alive through all their adventures.
As most Discworld fans would tell you, the older books lean much heavier into the fantasy (dragons, barbarians) than the newer books (post offices, banks). Still good stuff though.
Also, I should mention that if this is your first step into the Discworld series, make sure to follow this one up with The Light Fantastic. It's basically the second-half of the story, and you will be very very confused if you put off reading it.

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# posted by Cptn. Suz @ 4:55 PM

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