A morality tale about Mr Wonder's connection with three women ...
346148
A morality tale about Mr Wonder's connection with three women; his efforts to compartmentalize his relationships without the knowledge of these women finally causes a mental breakdown when he gets involved in another relationship that doesn't fit the others.
1105501
I was pleasantly surprised by WONDER LIGHT: UNICORNS OF THE MIST (hereby shortened to WONDER LIGHT). Having been a big fan of The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle, I was excited to see how R.R. Russell would handle the portrayal of unicorns in a children's book. These are not the unicorns of old, innocent and pure and for virginal maidens only. Oh, sure, the archetype is there, but from the mists of Lonehorn Island, a new breed of unicorn has risen: blood-thirsty and murderous. Such a refreshing twist! (Rest assured, parents, this isn't a book that will induce nightmares.)

I'll admit, even though I am a grown woman, I was swept away by the impending doom of the wild unicorns and Twig's desperate attempts to keep the Murleys, the other girls, and the rest of the inhabitants of Lonehorn Island safe. R.R. Russell knows how to build suspense!

Twig Tupper is an excellent character and, I believe, a great role model for young girls. She's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but she's smart, fiercely loyal, and compassionate. The story of how she came to be at the pony ranch unfolds slowly but with perfect pacing. I couldn't help but ache for her as she struggled with feelings of abandonment, loss, grief, and inadequacy, yet my heart soared when she came into her own and discovered unconditional love and acceptance, and most of all, an unshakable confidence in herself and a sense of purpose.

The other characters, big and small, were also well-written and I felt like I connected with most of them, especially Mr. and Mrs. Murley, the owners of Lonehorn Island Pony Ranch, and the guardians of the six "throw-away" girls. WONDER LIGHT doesn't glorify their roles as pseudo-parents, and instead shows them as flawed but compassionate individuals doing their best to love and care for children who are not their own. I loved the depth that R.R. Russell gave to each character within the book, especially the "Wild Boy", Ben, whose mysteriously-worded letter toward the end of the story makes me eager to read the sequel.

Another notable aspect of WONDER LIGHT is the incredibly detailed setting and atmosphere. I could picture Lonehorn Island and the yellow house on the pony ranch in my head just as clearly as if I were there. Even the descriptions of the meals that Mrs. Murley made had my mouth watering and my stomach grumbling in hungry protest! I was incredibly impressed by this, as I feel that, far too often, these types of details are glossed over in children's books. Kudos to R.R. Russell for writing such a brilliant novel in a genre that is often lacking in substance!

Overall, WONDER LIGHT is a suspenseful, exciting read especially for children who yearn for adventure and "something more" from their fairy tales. For families who like to read aloud, this is perfectly written for bedtime story time. I hope there is an audiobook of WONDER LIGHT in the future!

*An advance copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
895421
R J Palacio did an excellent job of different views on August`s life I enjoyed the twists and turns in the plot .I would read Wonder all over again if I had to.
2389421
A three part story that brings lives together that are meant to be.  It's a lovely yet riveting story of two women and how one becomes weakened and one becomes strengthened by her contact with a narcissistic spoiled rich boy who finds his joy in demeaning others  The real hero is the humble, hard working handy man who knows and shares the real joy of loving and helping others.. A real happy ever after ending.
1256718
No this isn't wonder woman that came before or after but is never the less entertaining. Open your mind to the time of publication and enjoy .. :)
4960369
These were originally published as JLA #61 - #65.

Wonder Woman is usually an ensemble character at best in the JLA series. But, in this first storyline written after Mark Waid's steady hand (written by Joe Kelly), Diana, Princess of the Amazons, takes center stage. A child is kidnapped in a strange land, and Diana, always seeking the truth, comes to a paradox, where there are multiple truths, and her precious Lasso of Truth, the Sacred Rope of Hestia, is "torn asunder" by Diana pursuit of her only belief of what is right. And it breaks the very foundations of truth for the rest of the world and humanity. Wonder Woman must go on a quest to rebuild it, as the other members of the JLA battle events brought down by the distruction of quantum mechanical laws (yes, you read correctly. pg76 Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle, explained by the Atom in a JLA graphic novel!).

An excellent story, as Wonder Woman discovers that there can be many truths, showing the frailties and strengths of one of the core members of the league.

Fav panels: pg 102, Wonder Woman with her lasso (of course), and the opposing page of Batman on top of Plastic Man making like a gargoyle.
1760234
The title is somewhat misleading.  This book is really a biography of Wonder Woman creator William Moulton Marston (1893-1947) and his two wives, Sadie Elizabeth Holloway and Olive Byrne, a niece of Margaret Sanger who was the founder of Planned Parenthood.  All three were strongly influenced by the early suffragists and feminists, especially Emmeline Pankhurst, and the author does a good job on showing those influences, especially feminist utopian fiction, on the early years of Wonder Woman.  Armed with three degrees from Harvard, including a Ph. D. in psychology, Marston was the inventor of the first lie detector test, although the version actually used by police departments and government agencies was invented by one of his competitors.  He had also written one novel and several screenplays before trying comic books and had been a consultant for Universal Studios when they were starting to produce horror movies.  Except for her appearances with the Justice Society, Marston, under the pseudonym of Charles Moulton, wrote all of Wonder Womans adventures up until 1944, when he was stricken with polio and had to hire an assistant, and was still writing them up to two days before his death from cancer in 1947.  He also hired Harry G. Peter, an illustrator for suffragette publications, to be the first artist to draw Wonder Woman.  One of the early criticisms of the stories is that almost all of them featured bondage in one form or another, which was one of Moultons pre-occupations.  He is also a polyamorist in that he lived with Holloway, Byrne, and sometimes a third woman named Marjorie Wilkes Huntley during the last twenty years of his life and had two children each by first two.  His legal wife, Holloway, worked outside the home as an editor and actually supported the family because Marston multiple business ventures failed and he was unable to hold academic appointments for more than a year.  Officially the housekeeper, Byrne stayed home and raised the children, although she did occasionally write articles for Family Circle.  It was an article by Byrne, writing as Olive Richard, that brought Marston to the attention of M.C. Gaines, the first publisher of DC Comics, who hired Marston as a consultant to defend comic books against charges that they celebrated violence.  Then in 1941, Marston persuaded Gaines to publish the adventures of a female superhero, who became Wonder Woman.  I found the book quite fascinating and highly recommend to anyone interested in the history of either feminism or comic books.
2811753
Zeus has gone missing which leaves an empty throne and gods wanting to fill it including Apollo. Hera meanwhile is on the hunt for a woman who carries Zeus's child, though she knows nothing of the world of the gods and was tricked.  Hermes arrives to try to save her. He tells her to use her special key which takes her away from her farmhouse and lands her in Diana Prince's home.  They go back to the farmhouse and fight centaurs off.

Wonder Woman takes Zola and Hermes to Paradise Island for help but is greeted with animosity for bringing a girl who bears the child of Zeus.  This is where we hear the origin story Diana grew up hearing from her mother Hippolyta about being fashioned out of clay and how her mother prayed to the gods for a miracle and was granted one by having the clay come alive. That Diana was a child born without a man's seed.  Growing up she had to put up with being called the cruel nickname of Clay and now the nickname has come back out of the past.

Meanwhile, Strife is counseling her mother Hera on how to handle the situation with the girl and with Diana's new involvement.  She's egging her on a bit.  Hera sends her down to Paradise Island to deal with Diana and the women and to get Zola.  When she arrives she causes chaos and the Amazonians find they are fighting themselves.  When the fighting ends Strife lives up to her name and lets the cat out of the bag about Diana's real parentage. It seems that Hippolyta had an affair with Zeus the result of which was Diana. She made up the story about her being made from clay to protect her from Hera's wrath.  Diana leaves the Island in a terror.  While she is gone Hera visits Paradise Island to enact her punishment upon Hippolyta for her betrayal.

Diana must get over her rage at her mother and find a way to protect Zola from those who seek to harm her with the help of a wounded Hermes.  What they do is quite creative and daring. I love it.  The art is good and while the colors are lovely they don't pop. It's still a good start to a very interesting series.
1277830
What a kick! Mini-van driving super hero ladies! This is a novel about three middle aged women who find themselves each with an extraordinary power. But don't expect a typical super hero action packed novel. This novel is subtle. It is a book about women for women. You'll read about taking kids to ball games, chaperoning a prom, dropping a son off at college and other mundane daily events. These women go about their normal duties while contemplating fighting evil. Long passages of descriptions and thoughts cover their diligent homemaking activities, career tasks, and hero actions. Even that worked for me.

There are some thought provoking issues in this novel. One is the temptation to use the super power for personal benefit. Another is how the changes in the women's abilities affected their families and other relationships. There is a good discussion guide at the end of the book covering issues like these so this novel would be a good choice for a women's reading group.

I do recommend this novel to women who dream of fighting the evil in the world, one neighborhood block at a time. Pardon me but I think I'll go out and buy a distinctive pair of reading glasses right now. (You've got to read the book.)

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book through Providence Book Promotions. My comments are an independent and honest review.
3509002
M/F is not my go-to genre, but Sara's snippets grabbed my attention. Exquisite writing, lovely mixture of humor (The three army surgeons run a prosthetics clinic? LOL!), and a heart-enriching tale of a man fighting to save his marriage. It was enough to make this conservative reader cheer for the sex scenes. Well done, Sara!

But a word of caution: Don't re-read the Grimm fairy tale first. Let yourself be surprised as you read.
192828
I found this story too filled with moralistic dialog then mystery, but that reflects only my feelings
 Others may find this story to be rewarding.
1887672
I love Wonder Woman, and I love Batman. Like the peanut butter and chocolate commercials of yester year, put your hands together and you've got sweet, delicious, magic. Phil Jimenez brings a terrific Wonder Woman tale to life, and does so in a Gotham centric fashion, which means Batman territory of course. And in this case, we get pretty much the entire Wonder Woman extended family, thrown together with the entire Batman extended family for some major adventure. Not to go too heavily into plot lines, but basically the story involves some B list gods and goddesses from the Greek Pantheon, specifically the childred of Ares. Moreso, they 'infect' and possess three of the most dangerous Batman villains, namely Joker, Poison Ivy, and Scarecrow, with a little occosionaly cameo by Harley Quinn. The story is fairly fast paced, and masterfully told as it juggles all the various cast. Wonder Woman and Batman are central, true. But we also get Nightwing and Troia (Donna Troy), as well Wonder Girl and Robin, and lastly, Huntress and Artemis. The adventure and plot are grand in scope, and handled with incredible skill by Jimenez, who had a LOT of balls to juggle at once. Not to mention, the art is pretty spectacular too. I thoroughly enjoyed the story, the art, and most importantly, the large group spanning team up. This set of stories was later collected in the Wonder Woman graphic novel entitled Paradise Lost. (<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Paradise-Lost-Wonder-Woman/dp/156389792X/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Paradise Lost (Wonder Woman)</a>) All in all, I give this book an easy 5 stars across the board. If you love Wonder Woman and Batman, you won't be disappointed.

  Thanks so much for your time folks.
  Sincerely, R.A. McDowell
3401483
I was very excited upon learning that Richard Donner had written a Superman tale.  Many in my generation recognize Donner's Superman as the definging Superman.  So much so, Bryan Singer retold the movie and called it Superman Returns.

This was an excellent tale that re-introduced our three favorite Kryptonian criminals:  General Zod, Ursa and Non from Superman II.  It also introduces Christopher Kent (named as a tribute to the late Christopher Reeve) as a child whose rocket crash lands in Metropolis and turns out to be from Krypton.  Superman feels a fatherly bond with this child and decides that as a fellow Kryptonian, it is his responsibility to raise this child.

As the story unfolds, we learn Christopher's true origin and his place in Zod's nefarious scheme to re-create Krypton.  We also see that while Superman may not be this child's true father, Christopher Kent has learned more from the Man of Steel than his true father.  While ultimately a Superman adventure, you get a glimpse into the personal wants and desires of the Man of Steel.
4621995
I enjoyed the fact that this story made me question my own sense of morality. I'd like to think I would make some of the same decisions as the character, but I doubt anyone could say what they would ACTUALLY do in such a situation. I hope there is a sequel!  Great read.
2072559
With a story by the fabulous Mark Waid and incredible art by painter Alex Ross, "Kingdom Come" spins a version of the Book of Revelations as a war between metahumans. Set years in the future from today, Superman has become an exile of humanity. Batman no longer defends Gotham City himself; he uses an army of robots. Captain Marvel, Shazam, has disappeared. Green Lantern has built a huge city over the Earth, with a purpose akin to that of the Justice League's Watchtower. Wonder Woman still wanders the Earth, one of the only heroes aware of a war brewing between metahumans. Norman McCay is a priest, the P.O.V. of the story, and he is shielded to be invisible by the Spectre, who takes him on a journey to watch the war unfold. With breathtaking art and an entertaining story, Waid and Ross truly deliver with this incredible graphic novel.
3166163
I have been a longtime fan of Wonder Woman and when I saw this 238 hardcover book (Wonder Woman Super Hero High by Lisa Yee) on Amazon for a bargain price I purchased. This book is aimed at high school age teens but I still enjoyed the story.

This story is about the early years of Wonder Woman, Amazon Warrior and princess.  She lives on Paradise Island and desires to attend Super Hero High where she can learn and meet other super heroes.  The lessons she learns and the interaction with other well-known DC super heroes makes the book move along at a good pace.

There are underlying positive messages in this book and young high school age fans of Wonder Woman will enjoy reading this book.
Rating: 4 Stars.  Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Martial Arts and Warrior Haiku and Senryu)
2885768
The writer is Australian and the story protagonists live down under the earth.  This short fantasy tale has the basic elements: good guys and bad guys and a crisis. One can argue about deciding who is "good" and who is "bad", but from the protagonists' point of view the question is more easily answered.

I don't want to spoil the story, but if early on the reader can figure out exactly who the protagonists are and if said reader is enamored of this particular group then the story will unfold most deliciously.  May your nose wiggle in anticipation.