Scott's Take: Justice League vs Godzilla vs Kong 2 by Brian Buccellato and Illustrator Christian Duce

 

Justice League vs Godzilla vs Kong 2 by Brian Buccellato, illustrated by Christian Duce is the sequel to Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong. In this story, Amanda Waller has decided to take the Suicide Squad to Legendary Earth (Godzilla and friends (King Kong, Mothra, and others). She has come up with the brilliant idea to steal the DNA of the Titans (giant monsters) and turn it into a serum. She then injects that into super criminals  making them giant feral creatures to enforce her world.

 

Of course, the Justice League realizes this is a really bad idea and decide to stop her. Unfortunately, the DC Universe heroes are outmatched because two of their heaviest hitters, Supergirl and Superman, do not get the solar power they need to be as strong as usual on this planet. So, they may need the serum themselves to even the odds…

 

This is action packed adventure with solid art work and decent character work. There is a lot of science fiction concepts in this tale at work. If you want to see Batman piloting a giant mech or Superman fighting Godzilla then this is the book for you.

 

I think the first one was better, but this is still a fun read. There is setup for another book in the series, but we will see if that happens, Part of the ending was deliberately vague, which was very annoying, and that couple be the springboard for a new read.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3Pz9vsK

 

I read the first 4 issues through DC Infinite App and the last three through Hoopla by way of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2026

Scott's Take: Captain America Vol 1: Our Secret Wars by Chip Zdarsky, Valerio Schiti (Illustrator), and Ben Harvey (Cover Art)

Captain America Vol 1: Our Secret Wars by Chip Zdarsky,  Valerio Schiti (Illustrator), and Ben Harvey (Cover Art) is a prequel story set shortly after Captain America has just woken up from the ice. Captain America, who feels lost and alone in this new country, has been reactivated by the U.S. Army to join a rescue mission to save hostages in Latveria. The country has recently been taken over by the dictator, Dr. Doom. Alongside a new version of the Howling Commandoes and another new Captain America that had not been referenced before, they and the reactivated Captain America are to link up with the resistance. Then get the hostages. Then get out.

 

At least, that was the mission that Steve was told. Of course, the real mission is not that. Not even close to that.  The government knew that Steve is too honorable for the real mission.

 

This is an action-packed thriller with plenty of violence and character development. The physical volume won’t be out until late er this month, as of right now, you can read the whole volume plus more on the Marvel Unlimited app.

 

There will be a second volume set in the present time of the Marvel Universe and that has not been titled yet. It will tie into the One World Under Doom and Armageddon events. According to various interview on Marvel.Com, as since Doctor Doom has left this reality, Latveria has fallen to pieces as various factions seek to control what Doom has left behind. Red Hulk and the U.S. Army will clash with the Avengers and Steve over what remains. Doom has left nukes and even worse things behind. Not much is known about this Armageddon event other than it is going to have massive ramifications and see a new Avengers team assembled to save the world again as the Jed Mackay team has been disbanded.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/42HD9Pm

 

 

As noted, I read this enjoyable book as the individual issues appeared on Marvel Unlimited.

 

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2026

Scott's Take: The Eye of the Bedlam Bride (Dungeon Crawler Carl) by Matt Dinniman

 

The Eye of the Bedlam Bride: Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman is a weird book even for this series. This is also the sixth book in a series that must be read in order.

 

So, the Crawlers are sent back to a copy of Earth before Earth’s destruction. Our heroes are sent to Cuba. There is now a new battle system in place based on cards. Donut, now as squad leader, must use cards to battle the monsters on this copy of Earth. There are quite a few new characters added to the squad on this level. That includes my favorite two new characters -- Uzi Jesus and the Yule Cat. 

 

On this copy of Earth, Crawlers can defeat enemies, and flag them before they die in order to put them in their own squads Pokémon style. Donut and Carl decide to recruit one of the most dangerous creatures to help them. The Bedlam Bride, a Demigod Spider Woman sort of thing, with her own plans and own motivations is the one they want. Of course, things get worse for our heroes.

 

This is an action-packed adventure that sees Donut and Carl traumatized even further.  This is even darker book than what has gone on before as there is drug use, bestiality, child abuse, suicide, and more in this read. There is also plenty of humor as there has been all along in the series.

 

The third act consists of twists upon twists upon twists. While there are always twists upon twists, in this case it was ridiculous. There are way too many twists in my opinion. Most of them are based on information the readers do not have.  That was annoying.

 

I read parts of The Eye of the Bedlam Bride: Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman by way of the eBook and parts by way of the physical hardback. By having the hardback arrive from the library after I was more than halfway through the library eBook, I had access to the bonus short story. A tale that I thought was awful, but also included yet another twist, only included there, so it would be helpful to read for this series. 

 

The seventh book is in my library TBR pile and it is titled, This Inevitable Ruin: Dungeon Crawler Carl, where the Faction Wars have begun. So, its armies vs armies now as the Crawlers have formed one faction and various alien groups have formed factions of their own. The AI continues to go crazy. It now has agreed to turn the safeties off for the alien leaders. That means that the alien leaders can die just like Donut and the others. The result is a more level playing field. Now it is kill or be killed for everyone. Can Warlord Donut and friends win?

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4edRRVu

 

Entire Series Amazon Associate Purchase Link:

https://amzn.to/3R8HKaO

 

  

While both formats came by way of the Dallas Public Library System, my hardback reading copy came from the White Rock Hills Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2026

Scott's Take: The Butcher's Masquerade: Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman (Dungeon Crawler Carl series)

The Butcher's Masquerade: Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman is the fifth book in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. I read this by way of an eBook so I did not have access to the bonus short story for this novel.

The publisher’s plot synopsis for this one is pretty vague. That presents a problem as the book is hard to describe as it is without spoilers. Basically, there is a giant jungle region where the hunters are now part of the game and are hunting the crawlers. There are roaming dinosaurs, Vrah, one of the Mantis, is hunting Carl. If that was not vague enough, the book ends with a cliffhanger.

 

The audible book might be worth listening to instead of reading this one as there is at least one song only included only in the audible version. However, that song is also available on YouTube. Princess Donut becomes a bard in this novel so there are songs now.

 

I enjoyed this book, but the final third act is way different than what I expected as I was reading. It also drags a bit. If you like the humor and the action of the series than you should enjoy this one. But, you are also warned that things get pretty weird.

 

I am looking forward to reading The Eye of the Bedlam Bride which is the sixth book in the series.

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4u4TRUH

 

 

My digital reading copy came by way of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2026 

Scott's Take: Marvel: What If...Kitty Pryde Stole the Phoenix Force? (An X-Men and America Chavez Story) by Rebecca Podos

Marvel: What If...Kitty Pryde Stole the Phoenix Force? (An X-Men and America Chavez Story) by Rebecca Podos is the fourth book in the What If… series, but you could read this one on its own. This one is a complicated time travel book with multiple timelines and flashbacks throughout.

 

Billed as an X-Men and America Chavez story, the main character is actually Kitty Pryde. Kitty Pryde is experiencing flashes of another life. One where she had way different friends and is not a servant of the Hellfire Club (mutant led organization that uses its powers for their own ends) under Emma Frost. These flashes promise a better life.

 

Soon, a stranger, Betsy Braddock, finds her and tells her that she has a psychic trail. A trail that leads into the past. With her help, she can get back the life she should have led. She also needs Pryde’s help to fix her own timeline as she too has a life she should have led.

 

They are not the only ones seeking a way to go back into the past and fix the timelines. America Chavez is as well.

 

They are trying to go back in the past to where the X-Men have lost Jean Grey due to her murder by Dr. Doom and his multiversal counterpart, The Whisper. They want to steal the Phoenix Force and Jean Grey’s status as a Nexus Being. The Whisper knows that if they do that, they will kill everyone who will ever live in this reality. The Whisper does not care. The fact that there are two timelines, one of which were the X-Men are all dead, means the heroes failed to save their teammate. Can the heroes from the broken timelines save Jean Grey and reality?

 

This is a book with extensive connections to X-Men history and is an action-packed adventure with strong character development and romance. I think this book would be hard to follow for people not very familiar with the X-Men as this read takes place over many eras of X-Men history. This is a really good book if you are a fan of Kitty Pryde or the X-Men.

 

It ends on a bit of cliffhanger since there is setup for the last book, Marvel: What If...The Multiverse Was Doomed? by DaVaun Sanders, which comes out in August. Do not read the synopsis for the fifth book before finishing this one.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/48Pq2zc

 

My hardback reading copy came from the Central Branch, aka Downtown, of the Dallas Public Library System. 

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2026 

Scott's Take: The Gate of the Feral Gods (Dungeon Crawler Carl series) by Matt Dinniman

 

The Gate of the Feral Gods is the fourth book in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman and continues the adventures of Princess Donut and Carl. In this adventure, the Princess Donut and friends must take down four castles in a row to escape this level.

 

They start in the desert in a little town being run by alien camels and being bombed by a bunch of airplane flying gnomes. They need to find a way to breach the flying castle in the sky to stop the bombings. If that is not bad enough, they also have the other castles to take down such as Necropolis, a submarine, and more. Obviously, some of those locations are not really castles, but they are classified as such for the game.

 

Carl and Donut also must work with the survivors assaulting the other castles. As nearly all the other survivors are pretty much idiots who have somehow still survived to this point, despite the fact that the AI clearly wants them dead, things are going to get harder for Carl and Donut.

 

This series remains fun and each book remains an action packed adventure with plenty of humor. There are things that happen in this book that should have major ramifications for the series. The print version still includes a bonus short story which I am still not sure what is the point of these characters yet.

 

This series is continued by the Butcher’s Masquerade which is book five in the series. I am currently reading this in eBook via the library. The crawlers have reached level six, The Hunting Grounds, so the space aliens who have been watching the show now can play as well. The space aliens that are now participating in the game have been classified as “Hunters” and have been assigned the mission to kill every crawler and their primary target is Carl. He has pissed off a lot of alien factions who have placed a bounty on his head. Can he survive this level?

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3Q6maU7

 

 

 

I read the print version of this book by way of a copy from the Polk-Wisdom Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2026

Scott's Take: Predator Kills The Marvel Universe by Benjamin Percy, Marcelo Ferreira (Illustrator), Daniel Picciotto (Illustrator), Brent Peeples (Illustrator), and Leinil Yu (Cover Art)

 

Predator Kills The Marvel Universe by Benjamin Percy, Marcelo Ferreira (Illustrator), Daniel Picciotto (Illustrator), Brent Peeples (Illustrator), and Leinil Yu (Cover Art), is the fourth book in the series. This is the sequel to Predator vs Spider-Man.

 

In this book, the Earth suffers a sneak attack from the Predators which quickly wipes out several major heroes. It is up to the survivors of the ambushes to rally together and take the fight to the Predators. The Predators are armed with arsenal of vibranium and are also getting help from Kraven the Hunter to turn the Earth into a hunting zoo.

 

The main trio of people who actively fight back is Spider-Man, Iron Man and Wolverine. Many heavy hitters are nerfed (weakened or written poorly) and have unrealistic deaths in this particular universe to make this bloody and violent book work. The heroes have to be taken by surprise continually for more than half of the read, along with being dumb, to make things work.

 

In Predator versus Black Panther, it was directly asserted that the Panther would be playing a big role in this book. He does not. He stays on the sidelines for most of this book.

 

There is a lot of fighting which happens off screen that I would of like to see. Like the Punisher vs Predators or Dr. Strange and She Hulk vs the Predators.  Instead of seeing the battles, we see the aftermath repercussions.

 

The characterization of Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Wolverine is really good. But, one can tell these are favorites as they are some of the very few characters who actually stay in character for the read.

 

The book is over quickly as once the heroes rally together in issue four, there is one more issue, and done. There is setup for a fifth book, but we will see if the series continues. Whether it will or not has yet to be announced. If one was done, I would like to see how the world rebuilds with just the survivors, the arsenal of alien technology now scattered across the planet, and the surviving Predators still on Earth.

 

I read this through the Marvel Unlimited App.

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4mo3z1C

 

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2026

Scott's Take: Batman: Dark Patterns by Dan Watter and illustrated by Hayden Sherman

 

Batman: Dark Patterns by Dan Watter, illustrated by Hayden Sherman, is a read that I read through Hoopla and the DC Universe Infinite App. This is a twelve-issue miniseries where each of the four separate story arcs contain three issues each. These stories are set in Batman’s early career.

 

These tales are supposed to be grounded street level mysteries which means they are not supposed to have supernatural, space aliens, or other fantastical elements. Yet, there are implications in the read that those elements are, in fact, very much present. The read does not match the plot synopsis marketed with the book. This is a mystery series with some horror elements.

 

My favorite of the four separate story arcs was the second one. The tale was clearly inspired by the movie, The Raid. (A way better movie than the sequel.) In the story arc, Batman has to fight his way through an entire apartment building full of people to solve the mystery at the heart of that story.

 

Overall, I enjoyed this miniseries even if each story arc is a bit rushed. If you are looking for some less fantastical Batman reading than the normal fare, this is a book for you.

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/48nIbUA

 

Some of this I read by way of the Hoopla App through the Dallas Public Library System and some by way of the DC Universe Infinite App.

 

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2026

Scott's Take: Enemy of My Enemy: A Daredevil Marvel Crime Novel by Alex Segura

 

Enemy of My Enemy: A Daredevil Marvel Crime Novel by Alex Segura is the second book in the Marvel Crime series. The series began with Breaking the Dark: A Jessica Jones Marvel Crime Novel that came out in the summer of 2024. The third book in the series, Truth to Power: A Luke Cage Crime Novel by S. A. Cosby, is scheduled to be released in September.

 

In this book, Daredevil agrees to represent the Punisher who is on trial for the murder of Wilison Fisk, aka Kingpin, and a cop. The death of Kingpin has started a gang war as various people fight over control of the criminal underworld of New York. At the same time,  there is a deeper conspiracy at work in the Punisher case. Can Daredevil stop this war while trying to uncover the truth?

 

This is action packed legal drama with various villains making appearances and a number of supporting characters. There are also some small tie ins to the first book with Jessica Jones and setup for the third book with Luke Cage. It is not necessary to have read the previous Jessica Jones book at all. The author clearly knows a lot about Daredevil and incorporates stuff from the comics as well as the various Netflix, Disney, television series.

 

The only things that bugged me, at times, was the overuse of animal sounds/metaphors/references. Also, the Punisher does not play a big role in this. I thought he would be basically the second main character and he is not. Unlike a Lincoln Lawyer type series novel, in this case, we do not spend much time at all actually in a courtroom at trial. Instead, the read is focused out of the courtroom while dealing with numerous aspects of the case.

 

I enjoyed this book far more than the Jessica Jones book and I highly recommend it. I am looking forward to the Luke Cage book.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4c4JQ3F

 

 

I read this book through Hoopla by way of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2026

Scott's Take: The Death of Captain America by Larry Hama

 

The Death of Captain America by Larry Hama is a novel that adapts the same story arc in the comics from the Marvel Universe. In this book, set after the events of the superhero Civil War, Captain America is murdered through a conspiracy by the Red Skull. This novel explores various characters attempting to uncover the truth and stop the Red Skull from destroying the United States. But with Steve dead, who will pick up his legacy, and stop the Red Skull?

 

This book is told from the point of view of Bucky, Sharon Carter, The Falcon, Iron Man, Red Skull, and others. Steve is in it for a bit, but this book deals mostly with how his life impacted others. There is action, humor, Nazis, and sex. There is also a miscarriage which could be triggering for some readers.

 

Overall, I enjoyed this adaption of the comics books story arc.

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4u4pIFJ 

 

 

I read this through Hoopla, by way of the Dallas Public Library System.

Scott A. Tipple ©2026

Scott's Take: Absolute Batman Vol 2: Abomination by Scott Snyder and Marcos Martin (Illustrator), and Nick Dragotta (Illustrator)

 

Absolute Batman Vol 2: Abomination by Scott Snyder and Marcos Martin (Illustrator), and Nick Dragotta (Illustrator) collects issues 7 through 14. The previous issues in the series were collected in Absolute Batman Vol. 1: The Zoo which I reviewed here last September.

 

In this action-packed volume, Batman takes on Mister Freeze, Bane, and learns more about the mysterious man in white, aka the Joker. Bane has Batman in his sights and has plans for Batman that Bruce is not going to like. Batman investigates Arkham M, which is supposed to be treating the mentally ill, but instead is creating monsters to terrorize the world with.

 

This is a really interesting action-packed saga, but there is a lot of body horror and torture sessions. This book introduces new versions of Bane, Cat Woman, and Mister Freeze, and others. The new version of Killer Croc is pretty cool.

 

The art for the Mister Freeze section was not good in my opinion, but the art for the Bane story, which is the main story was excellent. This series will continue as Batman will face off with Poison Ivy. We will also meet the new version of Robin. The title of the volume and the release date have yet to be announced.

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4rBlQL0

 

 

 

I read some of this through the DC Universe Infinite app and some through Hoopla by way of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2026

Scott's Take: New Avengers Vol 1: Killuminati by Sam Humphries and Ton Lima (Illustrator), Tiago Palma (Illustrator), and Stephen Segovia (Cover Art)

 

New Avengers Vol 1: Killuminati by Sam Humphries and Ton Lima (Illustrator), Tiago Palma (Illustrator), and Stephen Segovia (Cover Art) more collects the first five issues of the series. Somone has cloned the Illuminati ( a group of heroes that tried to police the world). So, there are evil versions of Iron Man, Professor X, Namor, Reed Richards, Dr. Strange and others running around causing havoc. They need to be killed so Bucky Barnes and the Black Widow have assembled a team of killers to take them out. Carnage (Eddie), the Hulk (who is in this volume a little bit), Wolverine (Laura) and others.

 

This is a big budget action movie style read with a conspiracy and humor thrown in. The characterization for a lot of the characters is somewhat off for comedic effect. This book is just about having a fun time with a big idea. If you want to see what evil versions of some heroes could be as they terrorize the Marvel Universe than this is a book for you.  There will be a volume 2 to end the series, but the title and the release date have not been announced yet.

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4qNq2pC

 

 

I read this through the Marvel Unlimited app.

 

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2026

Scott's Take: Absolute Flash Vol 1: Of Two Worlds by Jeff Lemire and Nick Robles (Illustrator)

 

Absolute Flash Vol 1: Of Two Worlds by Jeff Lemire and Nick Robles (Illustrator) is a read in the Absolute Universe where The Flash is reimagined. In this universe, the legacy of The Flash is gone, there is no speed force, and Wally is on his own. After an accident at a government facility military brat Wally West became a speedster. Feeling overwhelmed by these new powers and dealing with the loss of his mother he went on the run. The government is going to track him down and bring him back. They want his powers at any cost. His father thinks he can control the situation and protect his son.  Of course, the government does not care about the boy. They just want his powers at any cost. They will bring him in either alive or dead.

 

The art is excellent. It’s also nice to read a Jeff Lemire title in the DC universe again. I like his writing, but he is mostly doing indie horror comics now, and I am just not a horror guy. I really like this new version of Grodd that is introduced in this volume. The Rogues are now government operatives instead of just bank robbers. They are now “the good guys” instead of the bad guys. This series will continue with Absolute Flash Vol 2: Still Point.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4c2z2DF

 

 

I read the eBook copy of this through the DC Universe Infinite App.

 

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2026

Scott's Take: The Flesh King: The Discreet Eliminators Series by Richard Kadrey

 

The Flesh King by Richard Kadrey is the second novella in The Discreet Eliminators series that began with The Pale House Devil. I had thought I had reviewed that one, but neither I nor dad can find any trace of it here on the blog.

 

The trio of hit people are now in New York City and living in a former police station. The local mob want them to go after a serial killer called the Flesh King. This killer is absorbing the flesh of people and leaving what’s left behind in a mess. Of course, this is getting the attention of the police who have no idea what they are actually dealing with. The local mob wants them to cap this freak and then they will talk about hiring them for actually paying work. So, the hunt begins.

 

This is a dark horror themed story with plenty of action and some humor. There is a good amount of character development in the short run time of this book. Overall, I enjoyed it. The ending sets up another book, but we will see if we get it.

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4asRBzE

 

 

My slim hardback reading copy came from the Central, aka Downtown, Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2026

Scott's Take: Bug Wars Book One: Lost in the Yard by Jason Aaron, Mahmud Asrar (Illustrator), Matt Wilson (Colorist), and Becca Carey (Designer)

  

Bug Wars Book One: Lost in the Yard by Jason Aaron, Mahmud Asrar (Illustrator), Matt Wilson (Colorist), and Becca Carey (Designer) is a weird book. I am not sure who the intended audience is. It’s sort of Game of Thrones-ish, sort of Conan-is, sort of a lot of fantasy adventure deals. No matter what you try and compare it to, the deal is told from a kid’s perspective of life among the bugs with bug worldbuilding pages by his dad. It is weird.

 

A kid and his family are forced to move to his deceased dad’s place. Slade has inherited his father’s love of bugs. Sydney, his brother,  has an intense hatred of them and blames them for the death of their father. During an argument between the two, Slade is shrunk to the size of a bug and winds up outside the home. He is now stuck in bug world. A word that is remarkably like his own normal world. He now seeks to survive, get back to normal size, and return home. He also wants to uncover why his father died and protect his brother from the bugs vengeance.

 

There is nudity, bestiality, violence, cussing, torture, slavery, and way more. This is a very adult book that, for some reason, stars a child protagonist. It is not ever clear if he is a pre teen or a little older. The read also comes across to this reader as two different books stuck together. Some aspects of it seems forced.

 

The art is excellent, even though most of the humanoid insects end up looking basically human except for some minor changes. The world building is interesting, even if the bug facts were disgusting and made me hate bugs even more. There is a larger world built up.

 

Major Spoiler---the book synopsis claims Slade will uncover the truth about his father’s death. That does not happen at all. Maybe the sequel will explain. The book raises more questions than answers.

 

There will be a second book and a one shot about the witch spiders released at some point. How it will be collected has yet to be announced. The title of the second story arc is The Fellowship of The Fucked-Up. Clearly a play on the Lord of The Rings series.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4taWpRB

 

My paperback reading copy came from the Vickery Park Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2026

Scott's Take: The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook by Matt Dinniman

  

The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook by Matt Dinniman is the third book in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series and my least favorite of the series so far. I got tired of the basic concept of the book before the end.

 

In this book, Carl and friends are forced to fight underground in a series of tunnels, subways, etc. And that’s the book. They flight underground in various locations and conditions.

 

There is intrigue from human crawlers, and world building, and a ton of action. The human crawlers are finally working together. A lot of the supporting characters get to come back here. There is humor and it is a fun read, but the concept does not really need a five hundred plus page book. I just got tired of the idea of the book before the author wounded it up. He had a lot of clever ideas in this one, but it just did not work for me.

 

There is a map that is added at one point that is supposed to help explain things.  As maps go in a fantasy series, the one here is pretty weak and not very good. I have seen way better. I did like how some of the chapters had little illustrations on top.

 

There is a short story included that continues the things happening backstage. One hopes at some point that stuff will matter.

 

The next book sounds way better. The Gate of the Feral Gods where Carl and friends deal with a series of castles. One of which is a floating fortress guarded by gnomes. A castle made of sand. A robot guarded submarine.  A haunted crypt. Somehow, I guess all four count as castles.

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4a9FiXs

 

 

My hardback reading copy came from the Forest Green Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2026