Suite T- The Author's Blog: To Prologue – Or Not To Prologue? by Leslie Budewitz

Suite T- The Author's Blog: To Prologue – Or Not To Prologue?:                                                                                       Leslie Budewitz In a book club or a writers’ group, s...

Scott's Take: Thor by Donny Cates Vol 2: Prey

Thor by Donny Cates Vol 2: Prey follows Thor by Donny Cates Vol 1: The Devourer King that I reviewed here back in January. This read finally arrived at my local library even though it came out back in the middle of June.

 

In this book, Thor is experiencing issues with Mjolnir, his hammer. It is not working the way it should. So much for hammer time. Thor decides to visit his old human alter ego, Donald Blake, to see if he can figure out what is going on with the hammer. To do this, Thor must use magic and change himself into Donald Blake. He has not done this for years as Donald Blake has continued to exist in another dimension while Thor has been elsewhere doing stuff. What has Donald Blake been doing all this time and what has he become? As the plot synopsis reveals, Donald Blake has become a villain.

 

This excellent adventure is built on decades of history. It features various version of Thor, such as Simon Walterson (Frog Thor). Yes, there is Thor that lives on Earth and is a frog. That is as awesome as you would think.

 

Also appearing in this volume are various characters such as Dr. Strange, Lockjaw, Beta Ray Bill, and others. Thor will need a lot of help to stop the insane Donald Blake from killing every Thor and getting his revenge on Odin. This comic follows up on numerous plot points from other tales, but does so in a manner that even unfamiliar readers will quickly be able to catch on. This volume is just as good as the previous volume while being more graphic and violent since a lot of people suffer horrible and violent deaths.

 

I highly recommend this book for any fans of Thor.

 

 

Thor by Donny Cates Vol 2: Prey

Donny Cates

https://www.marvel.com/comics/creators/12712/donny_cates

Marvel

https://www.marvel.com/comics/collection/80134/thor_by_donny_cates_vol_2_prey_trade_paperback

June 2021

ISBN: 978-1-302-92087-6

Paperback (also available in eBook format)

176 Pages

 

 

My reading copy came from the Downtown Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2021

Scott's Take: Uncanny Avengers: The Red Shadow (Volume 1) by Rick Remender and Artist John Cassaday

Uncanny Avengers: The Red Shadow (Volume 1) by Rick Remender and Artist John Cassaday is an Avengers and X-Men team title spinning out of the AvX event where those two teams went to war against each other. After the death of Charles Xavier and the imprisonment of Cyclops for his crimes, tensions between the Avengers and the X-Men have never been higher. Mutants are feared even more than they were.

 

Captain America has realized that the Avengers have not done enough to help mutants so he is putting together a team. A team of representatives from both the Avengers and the X-men who are now trying to work together for a better world.  As he is already team leader for the Avengers, he puts Havoc in as team leader, Havoc is Cyclops’s younger brother and wants to somehow atone for his brother’s sins. Scarlet Witch, Thor who is the God of Thunder as well as Wolverine and Rogue from the X-Men.

 

Wolverine and Rogue are not dealing with the death of Charles. Wolverine is also trying to come to terms with the fact that he killed his own son to save many other lives. Wolverine’s estranged son was going to murder every single one of Wolverine’s students and Wolverine had to stop him one way or another.  

 

A team in not much more than name only has to face a major threat. The Red Skull has grafted parts of Charles Xavier’s brain into his own brain giving the Nazi telepathic powers. He now, among other things, can even bend heroes to his will. He wishes to use Charles’s Xavier’s gifts to help him turn the American population against the mutant community and create a new Nazi regime. A united team would have a hard time stopping him and this team is anything but united.

 

Full of action, plenty of character development, and incredible artwork are present in Uncanny Avengers: The Red Shadow (Volume 1) by Rick Remender and Artist John Cassaday. These characters flourish as written by Rick Remender. He clearly has a love of minor details that only super fans of the Marvel Universe would know such as Thor having an addiction to lattes. Despite being written in 2013, a lot of the plot points brought up are still very relevant now. I recommend this book to anyone who loves either the X-Men or the Avengers.

 

  

Uncanny Avengers: The Red Shadow (Volume 1)

Rick Remender

https://rickremender.com/

Artist John Cassaday

http://albertmoy.com/ArtistGalleryTitles.asp?ArtistId=506

Panini Books (Marvel)

https://www.marvel.com/comics/collection/46613/uncanny_avengers_vol_1_the_red_shadow_hardcover

March 2013

ISBN# 978-1-7851-6844-7

Hardback (eBook format available) 

 

 

My reading copy came from the North Oak Cliff Branch of the Dallas Public Library System. 

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2021

Scott's Take: The Firmament Of Flame (The Universe After Book 3) by Drew Williams

The Firmament of Flame by Drew Williams is the third book in The Universe After Series. I previously reviewed the first book, The Stars Now Unclaimed and the second book, A Chain Across The Dawn. This third book in the series continues the adventures of Jane, Esa, and others as they attempt to figure out the goal of the Cyn. To do this, the Justified operatives of various teams have launched a joint operation to backtrack the route of the Cyn to try and figure out where he came from. Obviously, there are those that will try to stop that. Hopefully find out where he came from will lead to answers. His fellow Cyn and their followers are going to do everything they can to prevent that. This is a journey of discovery type novel and one difficult to talk about without causing spoilers.

 

This book features a larger cast of characters since Esa and Jane are accompanied by more allies than usual. Everyone has their own personalities and abilities and their own needed skill set. The book is still told from Jane and Esa’s perspectives, however, they have clearly changed a lot over the series.

 

Everything a reader loves about the first two books is present here. Plenty of action, mystery, humor. There is a ton of world building, lore expansion, and set-up. This is a novel that is meant to shake things up and send the series off into a new direction. This book setting up a fourth and, as of yet, untitled and unannounced book. What was originally intended as a trilogy has been expanded beyond what the author originally intended. This series is no longer being marketed as a trilogy.

 

I highly recommend this series in general and this book. The Firmament of Flame by Drew Williams ties into both books heavily and there are numerous plot points from the previous books relevant here. This series should be read in order.

 

  

The Firmament Of Time (The Universe After Book 3)

Drew Williams

http://drewwilliamsirl.com/

Tom Doherty Associates (Tor)

https://www.tor-forge.com

2020

ISBN# 978-1-250-18619-5

Hardback (also available in audio and eBook formats)

380 Pages  

 

My reading copy came from the Mountain Creek Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.

  

Scott Tipple ©2021

Joan Leotta Reviews: The Cook of the Halcyon by Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartarelli

Please welcome author Joan Leotta to the blog today. This is the first guest reviewer by Joan and hopefully there will be many more to come… 

 

The Cook of the Halcyon by Andrea Camilleri translated by Stephen Sartarelli

Review by Joan Leotta

 

Usually I do not like to read a series out of order, but in this case, I made an exception and so should you. This book was conceived more than ten years ago by Andrea Camilleri as an Italian American film project. When circumstances changed regarding its viability Camilleri turned the project into another Camilleri book, one that he put away and is not, after his death coming out  as an out of order book in the series. This is number twenty-seven to be released but in terms of a timeline would have occurred several years before number twenty-six.

 

As often, the book opens with Inspector Montalbano in the middle of a dream. In this case, the inspector has married Livia (his long-term girlfriend who lives in Genoa). Then he finds himself tossed into the sea and is about to drown when he awakens. Catarella, one of Montalbano’s crew, calls from the station to get Montalbano started on a murder—that quickly turns into two murders of two disparate people-- a recently laid -off low level worker and a businessman who turns out to be way less than honorable. The connection between the two initial murders and the spur to  non-stop action, and more, turns out to be a big yacht that stops not far from Vigata now and then, Halcyon. This mysterious ship is a suspected sort of floating international gambling den and brothel. Drug smugglers, gambling, prostitution, the high seas, and a hint of even more nefarious activity attracts American Federal agents, Carabinieri and Italian special units to the scene—so much action! So many actors! Yet, all are kept deftly under the control by Camilleri’s pen.

 

The book’s plotting and drama benefit from the pacing of film and of course, the book shows the author’s usual skill with characters, dialogue, and the wonderful Sicilian setting. While I do not want to give away the plot which takes our dear gourmand Inspector Montalbano asks Adelina to show him how to  cook. This knowledge , later in the novel makes him the captain of his own destiny—in the Kitchen, and yes, in a ship’s galley!

 

The one caveat with this novel is that you will want to read it all in one sitting—and afterward, you will be searching the internet for some of Montalbano’s kitchen creations. It will leave you  hungry also for more Montalbano novels—of course. There is at least one more coming out, likely the last, the one that will finish the series, something Camilleri wrote and put into a vault when he felt that his death was near (although he outlasted his own predictions by several years) so that his fans would not be left hanging as to his intentions for the men of the station at Vigata and all of the other characters Camilleri created, and we have grown to love. It is with sadness and joyful anticipation in equal parts that I await the 28^th and likely final book in the Inspector Montalbano series. If you want to settle yourself down for a long and delightful visit to Sicily start with the Shape of Water, the first one in the Inspector Montalbano series.

Five stars for The Cook of the Halcyon, five stars for the entire series. 

  

•           Publisher: Penguin Books (March 16, 2021)

•           Language: English

•           Paperback: 256 pages

•           ISBN-10: 014313618 

 

Joan Leotta ©2021

Joan Leotta plays with words on page and stage. Her poetry, essays, cnf , short stories, and articles are widely published. Mysteries are favorite things to read..short and long..and to write.

When not worki gushed is either curled up with a book or hunting for seashells.

Aubrey Hamilton Reviews: Murder on the Last Frontier by Cathy Pegau

Murder on the Last Frontier by Cathy Pegau (Kensington, 2015) is the first of three books about Charlotte Brody, a journalist and suffragist who leaves her comfortable life in New York to start over again in a new place after a failed romance. Set in 1919 when Alaska was not yet a state, the journey itself involved a cross-country train trip to Seattle and then a week-long boat ride up the west coast. Her destination was Cordova, a settlement of about 1000 people including the Native Americans, where her physician brother had gone the year before in response to an advertisement for doctors in the Alaskan Territory.

Cordova lacked the structural amenities Charlotte took for granted in New York. Dirt streets and few automobiles meant dust or mud everywhere. The sight of trousered women startled her at first. However, the mountains and the glaciers behind the town were glorious. Her planned articles for a magazine back in New York were almost going to write themselves, she could tell. Her thoughts took a different direction when the badly beaten body of one of the local prostitutes was found a couple of days after her arrival. Her journalistic instincts led her to turn amateur sleuth, despite the disapproval of her brother, the deputy marshal, and the leading ladies of the town.

This book should not be mistaken for a cozy. It has a detailed description of an autopsy. The assaults on women demonstrating on behalf of the vote come up more than once, as well as Charlotte’s personal experience with them. Abortion is discussed as a viable form of birth control.  Prostitution is one of the few ways women could earn money at the time and is acknowledged as such.

This appears to be Pegau’s first mystery; she has published romances previously. The mystery is the weakest part of the plot. Multiple suspects were identified but only a couple of them had a serious motive. A red herring subplot didn’t divert my attention for long. Still, there is a lot to like about this book. A scenic location well described, fresh characters with a realistic mix of strengths and shortcomings, a strong sense of contemporary social mores and customs, and an interesting time in the history of Alaska. For fans of historical mysteries and amateur sleuths.

 

·         Publisher: Kensington (November 24, 2015)

·         Language: English

·         Paperback: 288 pages

·         ISBN-10: 1496700546

·         ISBN-13: 978-1496700544

 

Aubrey Hamilton ©2021

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

Crime Watch: Review: THE SURVIVORS by Jane Harper

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KRL This Week Update for 1/30/21

 Up in KRL this morning KRL staff shares their favorite books from 2020 https://kingsriverlife.com/01/30/krls-favorite-books-of-2020/

 

Also up this week our reviewer Kathleen Costa shares her favorite books and TV shows she reviewed in 2020, plus you can enter to win a $3 Amazon gift card https://kingsriverlife.com/01/30/youre-the-top-my-best-from-2020/

 

We also have reviews and giveaways of another fun catch up group of mysteries-"Broadcast for Murder" by JC Eaton, "Fishing for Trouble" by Elizabeth Logan, "Murder in the Margins" by Margaret Loudon, and "On Deadly Tides" by Elizabeth Duncan https://kingsriverlife.com/01/30/end-of-january-2021-mystery-catch-up/

 

And a review and giveaway of "Bait and Witch" by Angela M. Sanders along with a fun interview with Angela https://kingsriverlife.com/01/30/bait-and-witch-by-angela-m-sanders/

 

And the latest mystery Coming Attractions from Sunny Frazier together with a giveaway of a $20 Amazon from VM Burns whose book "A Tourist’s Guide To Murder" was featured in last month's Coming Attractions https://kingsriverlife.com/01/30/coming-attractions-sweet-treats-edition/

 

We also have an article about Baker Street West, which is part of a fun bookstore in Jackson, CA called Hein & Co Bookstore. If you love Sherlock Holmes you won’t want to miss this place! https://kingsriverlife.com/01/30/baker-street-west-aka-hein-company-bookstore/

 

For those who prefer to listen to Mysteryrat's Maze Podcast directly on KRL, you can find the player here for our latest episode, "The Bucket List" by Ang Pompano read by local actor Teya Juarez https://kingsriverlife.com/01/30/mysteryrats-maze-podcast-the-bucket-list/

 

During the week we posted another special midweek guest post, this one by author Nicole Givens Kurtz about the inspiration for her mystery/fantasy series and you can enter to win an ebook copy of her latest book "A Theft Most Fowl" https://kingsriverlife.com/01/27/my-inspiration-a-theft-most-fowl/

 

Up on KRL News and Reviews this morning we have a review and ebook giveaway of "Malice in Miami" by Barbara Venkataraman https://www.krlnews.com/2021/01/malice-in-miami-by-barbara-venkataraman.html

 

And a review and ebook giveaway of "How to Frame a Fashionista" by Debra Sennefelder https://www.krlnews.com/2021/01/how-to-frame-fashionista-by-debra.html

Happy reading,
Lorie

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Scott's Take: Thor by Donny Cates Vol 1: The Devourer King by author Donny Cates and Artist Nic Klein

Thor by Donny Cates Vol 1: The Devourer King by author Donny Cates and artist Nic Klein. Picking up several months after The War Of The Realms and the realms are finally at peace. Thor is now King of Asgard and not enjoying his time as king. Thor thinks his days of being a hero are behind him and is going to spend the rest of his life getting fat while sitting on a throne waiting for his death. Loki is king of the Jotunheimr and Lady Sif is now guardian of the Bifrost. Everyone is trying to get used to their new responsibilities and their new roles.

 

Thor’s boredom is shattered when Galactus, The Devourer of Worlds, falls out of the sky landing in Asgard. Because of his gigantic size, his crash landing crushes buildings killing many Asgardians. A severely injured Galactus has come for Thor’s aid to stop The Black Winter. While Galactus eats planets to live, The Black Winter is a cosmic entity that wants to consume everything. The Black Winter is far worse than Galactus and Thor will have to help to stop it.

 

Thor must embrace his role as a king and stopping trying to handle everything alone. Thor has always preferred to work by himself or as part of a small team and before the arrival of Galactus he was struggling with that idea. Now, the need of the many forces him to leave the Kingdom behind, delegate things, and go off with Galactus to face the threat that could destroy them all.

 

Full of action, character development, future plot line hints, and incredible art. Thor by Donny Cates Vol 1: The Devourer King is a good read. The book marks the start of a new writer, a new direction for Thor, and a new vision for the character that means he has new powers and a new costume. Much has changed and this is a good starting point for anyone looking to read Thor.

 

While the book is tied into Jason Aaron’s multiyear run of writing Thor, one does not need to read those books before starting here. This is a fresh start and one that looks intriguing based on the events that fill this first volume.

 

 

Thor by Donny Cates Vol 1: The Devourer King

Donny Cates

https://www.marvel.com/comics/creators/12712/donny_cates

Artist Nic Klein

https://www.marvel.com/comics/creators/4989/nic_klein

Marvel

https://www.marvel.com/comics/collection/80133/thor_by_donny_cates_vol_1_the_devourer_king_trade_paperback

November 2020

ISBN: 978-1302920869

Paperback (also available in eBook format)

144 Pages 

 

 

My reading copy came from the Downtown Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2021

Happiness Is A Warm Book: Friday’s Forgotten Book: There’s a Reason for Everything by E. R. Punshon

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Bookblog of the Bristol Library: All Systems Red by Martha Wells

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Crime Watch: Review: SHORE LEAVE by David Whish-Wilson

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