The Sandman: A Game of You

The Sandman, vol. 5: A Game of You by Neil Gaiman, 185 pages

As I near the half-way point in Sandman, I'm beginning to realize that Morpheus, our titular character, is more of a cameo character in the series, particularly in this volume. While much of the story takes place in the dreams of Barbie, a confused woman attempting to regain a hold on life with the help of her rather interesting neighbors, Morpheus only shows up at the beginning and end. And that's a shame. Morpheus as a character intrigues me, and as interesting as Barbie's dreams and neighbors are (more about those neighbors in a minute), I really want to get to know the Sandman a bit better.

So, Barbie's neighbors... The lesbian couple, Hazel and Foxglove, are interesting enough, I guess. As is Thessaly, a mousy, bespectacled young woman who is much more than she seems. It is Wanda, the pre-op transsexual who is the standout in this story, however. Wanda is richly created by Gaiman, who presents a lot of opinions that, while more accepted now, probably weren't so commonplace when this was originally published more than 20 years ago. Neil Gaiman, breaking ground in comics across the board!

I look forward to the next installment, though I hope Morpheus takes on a larger role next time around.

Attack on Titan Vol 1 and 2

Attack on Titan Vol 1 and Attack on Titan Vol 2 by Hajime Isayama, 208 and 192 pages

This manga series came as a recommendation from fellow blogger Nathan S. The series is about the last surviving city of humans. The reason there is only one surviving city of humans is because a titan army suddenly attacked humanity and ate everyone else. With the cities strong walls and cannons for defense the city has been at peace for over 100 years. That all changed when the colossal titan appeared. Most titans are 4-15 meters all and so the 50 m tall walls were more than adequate to keep the titans at bay. But the colossal titan is 60 m tall and was able to smash in the front gate.

The series is still developing in the first two books as we are just starting to meet the different types of titans and learn about the city and its technology. It looks like it is going to be very action packed and worth the read.

Further research by Nathan shows that this series has recently gotten quite the following in Japan with over 33 million books being sold. There is also an anime series, and the titans have been featured in a car commercial.

Locke and Key Vol 4 and 5

Locke and Key: Keys to the Kingdom and Locke and Key: Clockwork by Joe Hill, 160 and 160 pages

Unfortunately I had to skip over the third book in this series as my time ran out with the two I had before it came back from a patron. Despite the leap, I was able to still follow the series. The fourth volume is the weirder of the two as there are multiple keys that all do weird stuff. These keys are then presented in sort of a flashback way. The weirdness factor really ramps up though. Bode who is the only one who can discover keys, becomes a bird for awhile. They also battle sentient rose bushes, an army of stuffed animals and of course the perils that come from high school.

Clockwork on the other hand focuses more on one key that allows people to look back through time. They use the key to see how the keys were created and learn they can make more keys. They also learn of the hidden evil that is behind all of their troubles. The historical aspect is a tad over done in my opinion but does really put the story into perspective.

I do really love the Locke and Key series as a whole and can now look forward to reading the conclusion and third book.

The Crisis of Civilization

The Crisis of Civilization by Hilaire Belloc, 242 pages

Adapted from a series of lectures Belloc delivered at Fordham College in 1937, The Crisis of Civilization is essentially a distillation of his view of European history.  By his account, the fall of classical civilization was ameliorated by the preservation and defense of the best part of ancient culture combined with a new spiritual unity in the Middle Ages.  The decline of the medieval order resulted in the dissolution of Christendom during the Reformation, which directly inspired the new slavery of capitalism and the horrors of its offspring, communism.  This is, needless to say, very different from the "Whig history" conventionally accepted in Belloc's time, and different from the presentist biases of our own postmodern era.  Its only defense, Belloc might say, is that it is true.

Belloc's primary concern is social, which means that it is, inevitably, ethical.  The rise of the modern absolutist state, he claims, dissolved the intermediary institutions that formerly tied men together in bonds of fellowship, thereby exposing the poor to the tyranny of the usurious rich.  The former order, based on a hierarchy of values, was replaced by a materialistic hierarchy of wealth.  Belloc's concern is for the dispossessed masses who, themselves the victims of private monopolies, are attracted to utopian dreams of socialist monopoly.  His antidote is a system of small property.  Government must be enlisted to encourage small business and small landholdings against the natural advantages modern technology gives to massive conglomerates.  Most of all, he insists on the need for a renewal of morality which opposes usury and plutocracy.

The book is easy to read but thick with ideas.  The ideal historical companion to Belloc's The Servile State.

Benjamin Franklin's Bastard

Benjamin Franklin’s Bastard by Sally Cabot  353 Pages

This is a fictionalized account of the lives of Benjamin Franklin, his common-law wife, Deborah, and his son William, born to an unknown woman that this author includes in the story as Anne.  Each character gets quite a bit of time from his or her perspective and makes the book really interesting since the readers get to know how the characters are feeling about the situation, especially the women and the son.  The author does try to keep to the known history as much as possible so dates and letters referenced in the work are real, but of course most of the daily story, thoughts, and feelings of the characters are invented by the author.  Most readers of historical fiction will probably like it, especially if they enjoy books about early colonial and American Revolutionary War times

Archon

Archon by Lana Krumwiede 313 Pages

The sequel to Freakling picks up a few months from where the first book left off.  Everyone is trying to adjust to the fact that there is no more psi power bu  Taemon thought that life would be better but because the people in the city can’t cope and the people in the colony, who have been living without psi, are just too few to effectively help, despite their efforts.  Taemon has finally found his mother, but she has fallen into a coma.  Before she did, she said something that made Taemon believe that his father had been taken to the Republik.  Taemon is determined to rescue him.  This is a great sci-fi/fantasy type book for kids, although I would recommend reading the books in order of the series.

t few realize that it was Taemon who ended it.

Winter Sky

Winter Sky by Patricia Reilly Giff 152 Pages

Siria’s dad is a firefighter and her mom is dead.  She worries about her dad at his job and since his station is in the neighborhood, she tries to check out every fire to watch her dad and make sure he’s ok.  But Siria has a big problem.  Someone in the neighborhood is setting fires on purpose.  They are just little fires, but Siria knows that a little fire could get big fast.  And Siria is worried about a stray dog in the neighborhood.  She’s afraid of the dog because it’s really big and looks like a wolf, but she also wants to help it because it’s really hungry.  This book is for kids who like animal and mystery stories.

And We Stay

And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard 224 Pages

Emily and Paul have been dating for a while.  Then Emily got pregnant.  She wanted to have an abortion and broke up with Paul.  Paul came to school with a gun and threatened Emily.  Then shot himself.  Now Emily is at a boarding school feeling very alone.  She writes poetry, like another famous Emily, who went to school at Emily’s new boarding school.  Maybe her poetry, along with some new friends, can help Emily find some peace.  This is a very good story that deals with a sensitive issue compassionately.  Most teen girls that like quieter relationship stories will enjoy it.

Scorch

Scorch by Gina Damico 332 pages

This is the sequel to Croak.  Lex, still reeling from her sister, Cordy’s, death, would like to just get on with her job as a Grim, releasing souls for her partner to cull, so that the soul can be sent to the afterlife.  However, she also has to deal with the fact that most of the town’s Seniors (the older, established Grims) seem to hate her and the rest of the Juniors (Grims in training).  The Seniors believe that the Juniors are helping Zara, who was a Junior and has turned traitor.  She is killing criminals and keeping them from joining the afterlife, so that their souls will never find peace.  Lex and the rest of the Juniors are trying to figure out how to stop Zara, but the Seniors, who have found a way to block Lex’s Uncle Mort, also the mayor, from protecting the Juniors.  These books are actually kind of funny, despite the fact that they deal with death.  Teen fans of supernatural type books, especially fans of Heather Brewer and MaryJanice Davidson, will probably enjoy the series.