Friday, May 16, 2025
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: How to Buy a Planet by D.A. Holdsworth
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: How to Buy a Planet by D.A. Holdsworth: Reviewed by Kristin “The Earth has been sold. What could possibly go wrong? ” Have you checked out some of the gems in Tennessee...
Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN BOOK: FRIGHT
Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN BOOK: FRIGHT: Fright by "George Hopley" (Cornell George Hopley Woolrich) (1950; reprinted as by Cornell Woolrich, 2007) Cornell Woolrich was ...
FFB Review-- Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: The Coffin Trail by Martin Edwards
From the archive….
The Coffin Trail by Martin Edwards (Poisoned Pen Press,
October 2004) is the first book in the author’s Lake District mystery series,
which now has seven titles. He has also written eight mysteries featuring
lawyer Harry Devlin. Edwards is perhaps better known as a crime fiction critic
and anthologist, which is unfortunate, because his mysteries are fine reads.
Daniel Kind, an Oxford historian, visits a childhood
vacation spot in England’s scenic Lake District with his new lover Miranda,
where they impulsively buy a run-down home and decide to leave their urban
lives to start over. Part of his interest in the village is in clearing the
name of a local youth he’d been friends with during the long-ago holiday and
who since then had been unofficially blamed for the gruesome murder of a
tourist. About the same time DCI Hannah Scarlett of the local police force is assigned
to clear up a number of cold cases, including this one. DCI Scarlett carries
out her official investigation in parallel with Kind’s informal questioning of
the long-time residents, both of which upset a lot of people for different
reasons. They each gather essential clues that eventually they jointly assemble
into a resolution that has a further twist at the very end.
Kind serves as tour guide to Miranda, in between wrangling
with the local contractors they have hired to renovate the house, which allows
the story to showcase the geographical features of the Lake District. Setting is sometimes referred to as an
additional character in a story; in this one the rich descriptions of the region’s
hills and landmarks nearly elbow everyone else off the page.
This
book was nominated for the Theakston Old
Peculier Crime Writing Festival’s prize for
best British crime novel of 2006.
- Series: Lake District Mysteries
- Hardcover: 312 pages
- Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press; First Edition
(October 1, 2004)
- ISBN-10: 1590581296
- ISBN-13: 978-1590581292
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3GYdbzS
Aubrey Hamilton © 2017, 2025
Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal
IT projects by day and reads mysteries at night.
Thursday, May 15, 2025
Beneath the Stains of Time: The Case of the Carnaby Castle Curse (2022) by P.J. Fitzsimmons
Beneath the Stains of Time: The Case of the Carnaby Castle Curse (2022) by P.J...: Last time, I looked at P.J. Fitzsimmons' The Case of the Canterfell Codicil (2020), first in the Anthony "Anty" Boisjoly seri...
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: Crime and Punishment, Everything is Tuberculosis, King of the North
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: Crime and Punishment, Everything is Tu...: Nevermore Book Club readers enjoy a wide variety of books, old and new, fiction and non-fiction. Here are some of the books recommended ...
Review: No Lie Lasts Forever: A Thriller by Mark Stevens
Mark Steven’s last
book, The
Fireballer, was a very good book. It was very good, even though he
did not have my team, the Texas Rangers, present in the read that much and even
had the wrong team winning the World Series. That book touched on many things,
not just baseball, and like his Allison Coil Mystery series, was a mighty good
read. So, when Mark Sevens let me know he had a new book coming out and offered
me a reading copy, even though with my worsening health and everything else
here I had no idea if I would ever get to read it, I eventually accepted the
offer.
No Lie Lasts Forever:
A Thriller
takes readers to Denver in a complicated tale of mystery, murder, treachery,
and a lot more. Reporter Flynn Martin, a television icon, is our heroine. Her
dad was a legendary newspaper reporter in Denver and the proverbial apple fell
right at the base of that tree. It is supposed to be her day off as the book
opens.
But, her boss has reached out as a gunman is holding hostages and wants a television
reporter to be a go between for him and the police. Flynn was not his choice,
but she is available, and he will accept her as the go between, if she agrees. Even
though these days she is more known for her projects on climate change and
think pieces, she has a long history on the police beat and has many contacts.
Grudgingly, with
lives at stake, she gets involved only to have things go horribly wrong through
no fault of her own. In the violent and deadly aftermath, she takes a lot of
heat internally and publicly from the police and average folks who have an
opinion, shaped by the storm of media coverage at rival networks and elsewhere,
of what she did that fateful day. Suspended and flooded with grief, she would
like to be left alone to cope with what has happened.
Instead, a long
dormant serial killer decides he is going to involve her in his quest to set
the record straight. He wants credit for the three successful, as he sees it,
kills he got away with many years ago and how he has behaved since. He does not
want anyone placing a murder he did not commit on him. PDQ was a legend in
Denver and some believe he is back killing again. He isn’t and wants his legend
intact and not desecrated by an imposter. He is very mad about somebody doing a
very poor job of copying him and wants Flynn to prove it wasn’t him. She is
supposed to do that without involving anyone else whether it be coworkers,
family, or the police.
While the initial
goal of preserving his legacy might have been achievable, his ego drives him,
as it does Flynn, and numerous other people in this read. Mistakes and assumptions
are made and things quite rapidly escalate for everyone. A violent collision was
and is inviable with its own rippling aftermath.
No Lie Lasts Forever: A Thriller by Mark Stevens is one heck of a read. Multifaceted and moving forward at a rapid pace, Flynn finds herself deeper and deeper into a nightmare. It also reinforces my long held personal belief that leaving the house is often a very bad idea in many more ways than one.
Amazon Associate
Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/44zuNMa
My print ARC was
provided by the author with no expectation of a review. As it happens, the read
was selected for the Amazon First Reads this month. That means, until the end
of the month, the digital version of the read is free for Amazon Prime members,
and $1.99 for other readers. Published by Thomas & Mercer, the book comes
out on June 1st.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2025
Wednesday, May 14, 2025
Mystery Fanfare: UNFORGOTTEN: Season 6 News!
Mystery Fanfare: UNFORGOTTEN: Season 6 News!: Unforgotten, Season 6 Unforgotten returns to PBS Masterpiece Mystery! on August 24, 10/9c. There will be 6 episodes. DCI Jess James, DI S...
George Kelly: WEDNESDAY’S SHORT STORIES #224: THE PRITCHETT CENTURY Edited by Oliver Pritchett
George Kelly: WEDNESDAY’S SHORT STORIES #224: THE PRITCHETT CENTURY Edited by Oliver Pritchett
Little Big Crimes: You Know What You Did, by Karen Harrington
Little Big Crimes: You Know What You Did, by Karen Harrington: "You Know What You Did," by Karen Harrington, in Trouble in Texas, edited by Michael Bracken, North Dallas Chapter of Sisters in ...
Short Story Wednesday Review: A Killing at the Copa: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Music of Barry Manilow Editor J. Alan Hartman
A Killing at the
Copa: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Music of Barry Manilow was a read that
stirred up a lot of feelings for me. As a writer, I knew there was absolutely
no way I could conceive, write, and submit a story for consideration for this
project as my late wife’s love for all things Barry Manilow made it impossible.
One small
example of that reality for me—Back in the day, I changed the song “Mandy” to “Sandi.”
I would often slow dance with her in our apartment kitchen when it came on and
I would sing the song to her. I’m no singer—as a certain Junior High School
music teacher made clear when she very loudly pronounced me “hopeless” and publicly
gave up on me in front of everyone during the mandatory music class one day—so,
I only did it for her in private. That would include coming home from chemo
when it came on the radio as she slept on the nearly hour long drive home.
She was a huge
fan and his music, along with Elton John, Neil Diamond, and a few others, was
interwoven thickly into the fabric of our lives. With her gone, music remains
pretty much dead to me as it is way too upsetting. The music of the 70s
to the early 2000s was the us and Barry Manilow was a huge part of us. It all
seems like a lifetime ago now.
This anthology
by Editor J. Alan Hartman, published by White City Press earlier
this year, plays homage to his music. There are sixteen short stories in the
read. The Copacabana is directly referenced in several of the tales and briefly
mentioned in a couple of others. Diversity on terms of characters and writing
styles is present throughout the read. While all the tales are good ones, I did
have some personal favorites. As always, my brief explanation of my favorite
ones is written in such a way as to not generate spoilers. You can be assured
that I just skim the surface and the tales are far more complicated than they
may appear by my brief description. You can also be assured that, no doubt,
your personal favorites may vary quite a but from mine. Such is the case with
any anthology or short story collection.
Linda Kay
Hardies’s “Rain as Cold as Ice” takes readers to Reno, Nevada, where the
falling water from the sky is nasty. A conversation on a bus stop bench leads
the reader to an unexpected event.
Adam Gorgoni’s “Radical
Boys” is a tale of regret, pain, and what might have been if a different choice
was made decades ago. It is also a redemption story, of sort, and a chance for
a new beginning.
“I Write the
Songs” by Maya St. Clair takes readers on an exploration of a long since
abandoned club. At one time, the place was filled with music legends and
patrons. Now it is full of water, rot and decay, and possibly something more in
this highly atmospheric story.
A police
procedural is at work in “The Daybreak Killer” by Matt McGee. The 30 something
and very dead woman in the Los Angles club, “Flamenco,” is the latest case for Detectives
Parmenter and Bernal. She even has yellow feathers in her hair. A reference
that Detective Parmenter is not picking up on or any of the others that his far
younger partner is pointing out.
“Ready to Take a
Chance Again” by Kurtis Rupé makes extensive use of the current pollical climate
to tell a tale that ius all too realistic. Bad things are happening in Marina
Vista, California, and Geri is slowly putting the pieces together.
There are some
short story writers that always make the read better by their presence. John M.
Floyd is one of those rare breed. “Lonely Together” opens with a Russian and an
American in a crowded nightclub in Moscow. The music and the vodka flows, as
does their conversation that touches on Aristotle’s six elements of drama, and
a lot more.
As you can see,
my personal favorites make up nearly half of the read. That is not to say the
others were not good. They are. I just happened to like these seven a bit more.
A nice touch
here is the fact that each story has a header that explains what song inspired
the tale and what album includes that song. The book closes with a detailed bio
of each of the contributing authors.
A Killing at the Copa: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Music of Barry Manilow, edited by J. Alan Hartman, is an interesting and entertaining crime fiction read. For those of us of a certain age who can mentally hear each song as a story unfurls, we probably get more out of the book thanks to the memories of what were often better days than the here and now. There is plenty to read and enjoy here and the book is well worth your time.
Amazon Associate
Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4mcHiDx
Digital Review
copy provided by the publisher sometime in March with no expectation of a
review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2025
Tuesday, May 13, 2025
Publication Day Review: Skin and Bones And Other Mike Bowditch Short Stories by Paul Doiron
Skin
and Bones And Other Mike Bowditch Short Stories by Paul Doiron is an
entertaining collection of eight short stories. Some of the tales here are
actual short stories while others are novellas. Seven of the reads have been previously
published and are collected here with the all-new tale, “Sheep’s Clothing.” If
you have read the previously published tales before, doing so now once again is
like visiting old friends. And, of course, there is that new short story, Sheep’s
Clothing, and it is really good too.
The book opens
with the short story, “Bear Trap.” Charley Stevens, retired Maine Game Warden,
friend, mentor, father figure, and a lot more, and Mike Bowditch are in a canoe
fishing for northern pike. Mike is in his first year as a game warden. They are
on a lake that back in the day saw Charley on patrol a lot. Many things have changed
here in the decades since. The subject of a local legend, a hermit of sorts,
comes up and Charley tells the story.
Next up is “Backtrack.”
When Charley Stevens gets the call, he is a 28-year-old Maine Game Warden. Dr.
Phillip Stoddard, one of four men staying at a hunting cabin has been missing
for a few hours. A major snow storm is on the way. Soon Charley Stevens is with
the remaining hunters at their cabin and working to get the details such as Dr.
Stoddard’s mental state, what supplies he has with him, and determining who saw
him last and where. All of that is important as those details will help him
find the missing hunter in this highly atmospheric tale. If so inclined, you
can read my November 2019 full review of the story here.
“Rabid” comes
next where, after a long day of riding with Mike Bowditch while he was on
patrol, retired Maine Game Warden Charley Stevens is finally going to explain
why he put a large brown package in the bed of the patrol truck that morning. The
actual events that Charley tells and later explained in further depth by
Charlie’s wife, Ora, happened decades ago. It is a situation that has long
haunted both Charlie and his wife and one that is very hard for them to talk
about even today. If you want to know more, you can read my full August 2018
review here.
Next is the “The
Imposter” where Maine Game Warden Mike Bowditch was new to “Down East Maine.”
In those early days, he had a bit of a reputation and his new boss is less than
friendly. As the short story opens, Bowditch is on the dock at Roque Harbor
watching as a body is recovered from the water. The body has a driver’s license
with the dead man’s name on it. Who he was claiming to be and what he was doing
these past few weeks is the driving focus of this entertaining short story. The
rest of my full review from May 2020 can be read here.
“Skin and Bones”
from May 2022 is also set early in Mike Bowditch’s career. This time, Mike has
been working for the warden service about three years and is in a very foul
mood. He has come to his old friend, Charley Stevens, for advice. He brings the
body of a deceased American Bald Eagle that was killed for no other reason that
the guy could shoot it in a wing and leave it to die. While Bowditch wants to
tear the fishing camp where he believes the suspect is hiding out apart with
his bare hands and toss the guy into jail, Charley has a better way of getting
the suspect into custody at minimal risk based on his own story from long ago
that still haunts him to this day.
Next in the
collection is the short story, “The Caretaker.” Warden Maine Game Warden Mike
Bowditch is sitting on the porch with Charley Stevens when Violet and Josiah
Baker show up to ask for help. They recently bought an old cabin at nearby
Quillpig Pond and started massive renovations. Things were going as expected
until approximately two weeks ago when strange things started happening. Violet
is sure their caretaker, Kevin Moran, is responsible. Charley and Mike are not
so sure. While he is known to the Game Wardens as a loner and with a strange
sense of humor, he isn't known for what Violet is reporting. The couple,
especially Violet, are frustrated and want it stopped. If so inclined, you can
read the rest of my June 2021 review here.
As “Snakebit” begins,
a woman has called Maine Game Warden Mike Bowditch to report that she saw a
rattlesnake. She claims to have seen it during her hike on Black Cat Mountain. Without
proof and with a bad attitude, Mike Bowditch doesn’t believe her. He soon has
an opportunity to reconsider that thought when hours later he is awakened with
news that a teenager has been bit while attending a keg party in the nearby
woods. Something is going on and Bowditch is going to get to the bottom of it. My
full May 2023 review can be read
here.
“Sheep’s
Clothing” is the all-new tale and brings the book to a close. Due to recent
events that took Mike Bowditch to Canada, he has been busted back down to
patrol. He is lucky to still have a job. He knows it and always liked patrol so
he is happy. Though the Withams are not folks he likes to deal with as they are
so problematic in many ways, they also haven’t been seen for some time now as
the read begins. As the only representative of law enforcement in the area for
many miles, it is up to him to go out to their place and do a welfare check.
As one always expects
from this author, Skin and Bones And Other Mike Bowditch Short Stories,
is highly entertaining. If you have read most of the works in the book before,
like I had, the new tale is worth the price of admission. If you are new to
this excellent series, this short story collection will give you a glimpse of
what you have in store by way of his novels. CJ Box may own Wyoming, but Paul
Doiron owns Maine.
Amazon Associate
Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3GaeStC
My digital ARC reading
copy came from Minotaur Books, through NetGalley, and with no expectation of a
review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2025
Monday, May 12, 2025
Mystery Fanfare: Department Q: New Series on Netflix
Mystery Fanfare: Department Q: New Series on Netflix: The new "Department Q" series , starring Matthew Goode, will be available exclusively on Netflix and will premiere on May 29, 2...
Beneath the Stains of Time: The Case of the Canterfell Codicil (2020) by P.J. Fitzsimmons
Beneath the Stains of Time: The Case of the Canterfell Codicil (2020) by P.J. ...: I previously reviewed P.J. Fitzsimmons' The Case of the Ghost of Christmas Morning (2021) and The Tale of the Tenpenny Tontine (2021),...
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Glory Be by Danielle Arceneaux
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Glory Be by Danielle Arceneaux: Reviewed by Jeanne Glory Broussard is a devout, Church-going woman of a certain age in Layfayette, Louisiana but don’t let that lull y...
Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Dead in the Water by Mark Ellis
Consideration of espionage is
inevitable under the circumstances. Whose spy is where and are they double
agents or triple agents? Are they in any way involved with the art sale and
subsequent murders? Then the cash that was taken from a locked wall safe: Only
two crooks were known to be able to crack a safe of that caliber. Where are
they? The potential murderers and possible motives and blameless bystanders are
legion and hard to keep straight.
A compelling side plot deals
with a black U. S. soldier, whom an Alabama lieutenant of the military police adjudged
guilty of a crime without further investigation. Merlin was aghast at the
blatant injustice and stepped on more than a few political toes to stop the
execution of an innocent man.
This series consistently
offers a strong authentic setting that faithfully describes life in London
during the first years of the war. Crime ran rampant and the police could do
little to stop it, with most of its personnel gone off to war. This particular
title is involved and has almost too many characters to easily keep sorted.
Fans of historical mysteries will want to read these books, starting with the
first one. The sixth title is due to be released at the end of May 2025.
·
Publisher:
Headline Accent
·
Publication
Date: April 25, 2023
·
Language:
English
·
Print
Length: 384 pages
·
ISBN-10:
1786159880
· ISBN-13: 978-1786159885
Amazon Associate Purchase
Link: https://amzn.to/4kbHDVm
Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2025
Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.
Sunday, May 11, 2025
Guest Post: A Memory and Places That Are Gone by Tom Milani
Please
welcome back author Tom Milani to the blog today as he shares the backstory of
his debut novel, Places That Are Gone. Published by Unnerving, the book releases this
Tuesday. The official book launch will be held this coming Saturday at Elaines,
208 Queen Street Alexandria, VA 22314, at noon. Tickets are free and can be
obtained through EventBrite.
A Memory and Places That Are
Gone
Tom Milani
In the 1980s, I lived in a
garden-style condominium in West Springfield, a Northern Virginia suburb. On my
eastbound commute, I shared the road with drivers headed to jobs in the inner
suburbs of Washington, DC, or into the city itself. One particular day, before
I even left my neighborhood, I saw a woman hitchhiking.
And here, I’ll let Bennett Wilder,
the protagonist of my debut novel, Places
That Are Gone, take over: “Mary Ann Vecchio. That was
Bennett’s first thought when he saw the hitchhiker. She crouched and spread her
arms, the look on her face pleading. In tenth grade he’d written a paper about
John Filo’s photograph of the high school girl kneeling over the body of Kent
State student Jeffrey Miller.”
Like Bennett, I picked the woman up, and even at the time, she reminded me of the girl in the Kent State photograph—of that much, I’m certain. During the twenty minutes she was in my car, she told me about herself, showed me a picture of her son and, before I dropped her off, said, “I wish I could party with you.”
I
never mentioned that conversation to anyone, and when I thought about it, what
always stood out was how open she had been with me. I didn’t regret turning
down her offer, but as a writer, I’ve always been curious about the turn not made,
the question not asked, the phone call not answered.
Flash
forward to November 2020 and the pandemic. Several writing friends, along with
my wife, convinced me to participate in National Novel Writing Month. For
NaNoWriMo, the goal was to write 50,000 words in a month. I took two weeks off my
day job and started writing just after midnight on November 1. I didn’t
outline, but I had a start: Bennett Wilder picked up a hitchhiker named Liz
Messina on his way to work. They talked. She said she wished they could party
together. Here was where reality and fiction diverged—Bennett accepted her
offer.
That
was enough of a hook to get me started, and anytime I got stuck, I upped the
stakes. Bennett and Liz both had complicated pasts, and what Bennett envisioned
as a break from his failing marriage turned into a far darker cautionary tale. By
the end of the month, I’d written 42,000 words, ending with Bennett and Liz
literally driving off into the sunset. I let the novel sit like that for a few
days before deciding that the ending wasn’t earned. Moreover, I wanted to
explore Liz’s character and motivation, which led me to show scenes between her
and Bennett in separate chapters, from each character’s point of view. The
overlapping narrative paints a fuller picture of their relationship. One of my
friends asked why Bennett’s buddy Paul would so readily agree to help him.
Answering that question led to several scenes from Bennett’s past, showing him
as being morally compromised before he even met Liz.
By
October 2021, I was pitching the novel. Some three-and-a-half years later, on
May 13, 2025, it will be released.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4jTja7t
Tom Milani ©2025
Tom Milani (www.tommilani.com) has published short fiction in Groovy Gumshoes: Private Eyes in the Psychedelic Sixties, Illicit Motions, Janie’s Got a Gun: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Aerosmith, and Sleuths Just Wanna Have Fun: Private Eyes in the Materialistic Eighties, among other places. “Barracuda Backfire” was published in 2024 as Book 4 of Michael Bracken’s Chop Shop series of novellas and shortlisted for a Derringer. Places That Are Gone is his first novel. Tom lives in Old Town Alexandria with his wife, glass sculptor Alison Sigethy.
Saturday, May 10, 2025
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Conclave by Robert Harris
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Conclave by Robert Harris: Reviewed by Jeanne The Pope is dead. It falls to Cardinal Lomeli, as Dean of the College of Cardinals, to manage the Conclave, the g...
KRL Update 5/10/2025
Up on KRL this week a review and giveaway of "Alligators and Apparitions" by Jen Pitts https://kingsriverlife.com/05/10/alligators-and-apparitions-by-jen-pitts/
And a review and giveaway of "Cheddar Luck Next Time" by Beth Cato along with an interesting interview with Beth. Beth has roots in the San Joaquin Valley, and her main character is autistic which is important representation especially now! https://kingsriverlife.com/05/10/cheddar-luck-next-time-by-beth-cato/
And an article about the new mystery short story collection by Debra H. Goldstein "With Our Bellies Full and the Fire Dying", which is perfect for this Mother's Day weekend as mother's feature prominently in many of the stories. You can also enter to win an ebook copy of the book https://kingsriverlife.com/05/10/dont-mess-with-mama-when-murder-is-on-the-menu/
We also have the latest Mystery Coming Attractions from Victoria Fair https://kingsriverlife.com/05/10/mystery-coming-attractions-may-2025/
Up on KRL News and Reviews this week we have a special midweek guest post by mystery author Joe Cosentino where he interviews the main characters in his book "The Player" now out on audiobook https://www.krlnews.com/2025/05/the-player-by-joe-cosentino-character.html
And a review and giveaway of "The Chow Maniac" by Vivien Chien https://www.krlnews.com/2025/05/the-chow-maniac-by-vivien-chien.html
And a review and ebook giveaway of "Dog Grant Me" by Neil Plakcy https://www.krlnews.com/2025/05/dog-grant-me-by-neil-s-plakcy.html
And a review and ebook giveaway of "Swiss Secrets" by Hazel Smith https://www.krlnews.com/2025/05/swiss-secrets-by-hazel-smith.html
Happy reading,
Lorie
SleuthSayers: Behind the Scenes: Scattered, Smothered, Covered, and Chunked by Stacy Woodson
SleuthSayers: Behind the Scenes: Scattered, Smothered, Covered, ...: On Wednesday, I learned Scattered, Smothered, Covered, and Chunked: Crime Fiction Inspired by Waffle House (Down and Out Books), is nomi...
Scott's Take: Thundercats Vol 1: Omens by Declan Shalvey and artist Drew Moss
Thundercats Vol
1: Omens
by Declan Shalvey and artist Drew Moss, collects the first five issues of the
new series. This is a reboot that is very similar to the original show so far.
In this opening volume, the Thundercats land on Third Earth to escape the
destruction of their home world. Young Lion-O Lord of the Thundercats has aged
from a young boy to a man because his cryopod malfunctioned. So, despite his
young age, since he is a grown man now he is in charge. As they attempt to
build a safe place for themselves, The Mutants have followed them, and seek to
finish them off. Also, Mumm-Ra, the ever living has awoken from his slumber
because of the Thundercats arrival.
All the original
members are here. Panthro, Cheetara, and more are present as are several of the
classic villains. For the most part as far as I can remember everyone seems to
be pretty much the same except for Snarf who is less of a comedic presence. The
art is really good and depicts all the various Thundercats really well. I do
think some of the fodder characters all look the same at certain points, but
that is too be expected.
The first four
issues collects the first arc then there is a fill in team for the fifth issue
which features Cheetara teaching Lion-O. I liked this a lot, but I think it
helps if you are a Thundercats fan. There is a distinct lack of original
characters for this new Thundercats series.
The main
strength and its main weakness is that it feels like the TV show with very few
differences. Hopefully as we go the creatives will feel the ability to add to
the mythos.
I read this
through my local library. There is a second volume out called Thundercats
Vol 2: Roar which I also enjoyed. I will say more about that in an
upcoming review.
There is also a
solo Cheetara prequel series which I did read, but I was left with mixed
feelings. It is a prequel that did flush out some stuff but not much. It seemed
like a title that wasted its page count. I can’t really recommend it outside of
for hardcore Thundercats fans.
Amazon Associate
Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/44xwIk8
My hardback
reading copy came to me from the Vickery Park Branch
of the Dallas Public Library System.
Scott A. Tipple ©2025
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