The Quirk mash-up novels have underwhelmed me so far...
585728
I keep trying to get into these mash-up novels and I just don't find them any less boring than the original difficult-to-follow classics they are based on.  So here's my advice to those of you trying to decide whether this book is for you.  If you 1) have read and enjoyed Anna Karenina and 2) like the idea of it being mated to a sci-fi novel, then I suppose you are liable to enjoy this.  For me, only situation #2 applied, and I found myself hopelessly confused and bored.

I am giving this a neutral rating, because I don't want to penalize the author for my own poor judgment in selecting this book.  However, the Quirk authors need to keep in mind that most of their customers are probably attracted to these books for the sci-fi mash-up aspect...and have not bothered to slog through the original tomes they are based on.  Therefore, added clarity would be helpful...rather than simply pasting new content into old and hoping it will somehow make sense to the casual reader.
414459
Reason for Reading:  Next in the series.

Not a lot happens in this volume and I can't say I was all that entertained this time around.  A lot of the book is spent with Scott's friends hanging out with Envy's band and all the uncomfortable angst that brings about since Scott used to date Envy, Scott is now dating Ramona, Envy is talking trash to Ramona, Knives would like to kill Envy, Envy is dating Todd.  Todd used to date Ramona.  And Neil would like his date with Knives to work out tonight.  During this time as they all talk and sort of prepare for the gig that evening we are given flashbacks to Scott and Envy's highschool romance; it wasn't much.  She dumped him.

Then suddenly out of nowhere Scott goes nuts and decides it's time to fight evil boyfriend #3, Todd.  Right there and then only problem is he loses since Todd is vegan and has special vegan powers.  Well this leads to other stuff and the book finally ends with Scott (not so) looking forward to evil boyfriend #4.

I couldn't get into the book this time.  Ramona, who I like best, just didn't do much.  Scott is certainly not on any sort of track to improve himself at this stage and I think that would be wishful thinking on my part, by this point.  The fight scenes were really very dumb so I didn't even enjoy the video game aspect of it this time around.  I'm not trashing the book though.  It did keep the plot going, kept all the characters involved, had a few good one-liners and at the back of the book Bryan Lee O'Malley includes a small list of his favourite manga at the time.  I'd read one series already (<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Death-Note-Box-Set-Vol-1-13/dp/142152581X/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Death Note Box Set (Vol. 1-13)</a>, and loved it) so I looked up the others and found one to add to my "want to read" list&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Berserk-Vol-1/dp/1593070209/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Berserk, Vol. 1</a>&nbsp;by Kentaro Miura.
499101
Collects Archer and Armstrong: Archer #0, Archer and Armstrong issues #18-19, and Bloodshot and the H.A.R.D. Corps #20-21

This was the worst of the Archer and Armstrong volumes so far. Im giving this a very low 3-star rating. Almost 2 stars.

The book opens with a good chunk of Archers origin story which leads directly into a crossover with a Valiant title that I have not been reading, Bloodshot and the H.A.R.D. Corps. Since I haven't read the Bloodshot title, I felt no connection to that set of characters, other than Bloodshot himself. His personality was not what I imagined. I really didn't get a good idea of what his and his teams missions were when they weren't crossing over with Archer and Armstrong, and did not feel compelled to research this more by reading that title.

Something that was nice about Valiant titles is that you could read each individual title without worrying about what was happening in other parts of that universe. It was nice to have unimportant Easter Eggs here and there, but this crossover came too soon in my opinion.

There were still funny parts, as is often the case with Archer and Armstrong, but the humor seems to have moved a step down in intelligence.

Armstrong was portrayed worse in this volume, while aspects of Archer that came to light in this volume made him an even more interesting character.
3554924
I love the concept of this book, but there was so much lacking.
There was very little relational development between any of the characters, no building of relationships. And I'm not just talking about romantic relationships, either. It felt like none of the characters really connected with each other, and when scenes that could have been so emotional and heart wrenching occurred, I couldn't bring myself to care because I never had a chance to get attached to them in the first place.
Also, I didn't like the lack of explanation for a lot of the actions. Things start happening, and the reader just kind of has to muddle through without knowing Why this thing is happening. Its kind of annoying.
I wish that I had been more invested in the story, because like I said, the concept is intriguing. But I probably won't be buying any following books in the series, unfortunately.
388188
I started in on this comic with high expectations.  Tesla has always been a hero of mine, especially as the details of how he was cheated out of credit for his greatest inventions start to become known to popular culture.  I'm sad to say that the comic fell fairly short of what I was hoping it would be.

The idea of Tesla and Twain teaming up to bring peace to the world sounded awesome, and while Tesla and Twain are both written pitch-perfectly - and some of the supporting characters feel pretty solid too - the story as a whole feels nearly incoherent. I get the overall arc of it, but it just feels like it was a story that wanted to be much larger than a single trade paperback comic volume; in the end, there's a lot that's sort of crammed into the story edgewise without a lot of explanation, and the end of the comic just left me feeling unsatisfied.
1478919
I recently re-bought and re-read this book after having originally read the series around 2 decades ago. The foggy lens of memory made the story  far better or at least more interesting in my mind than what I experienced this go-around. It's still a nifty story but 20 years of constant reading has sharpened my critical thought process, so sadly this book doesn't quite meet the standards I expected or believed it once did.

The story is set in the far future, and after first contact humanity has virtually been enslaved by a powerful alien race. This story is about an effort to find a mythical weapon (the Starhammer of the title) to balance the scales and give humanity a shot at throwing off the yoke of oppression. As a theme, it's a good concept. But the details ... the actual writing is very haphazard ... quality of action scenes and dialog varies from chapter to chapter as if chunks of the story were written by different authors. The main character changes his speech patterns regularly and it makes no sense that he talks like a backwoods simpleton in one scene then a romantic poet in another; he seems to be generally ignorant / uneducated during some threads then he's knowledgeable and clever in others ... these are not scenes of character growth as they are not spread across a directional timeline, but randomly interspersed with each other all in the same time frame.

I will add this ... I got this book because I wanted to re-read the "Vang" series, and I still intend to get the next 2 books however ratty condition they must be since they have not been reprinted in well over a decade. As a supposed opener to the series, this book didn't deliver what I expected, but I'm hoping my memories of the Military Form and the Battle Master are more accurate.

After a little more thought, it seems clear that the 'Vang series' actually starts with The Military Form. This book, Starhammer, was a standalone effort by Rowley that shows no effort whatsoever to be the foundation of a trilogy ... I believe that Rowley simply reacted to the positive feedback regarding the odd little one-off alien life form he invented (the Vang Oormlikoodle) which only appears in the final 10% of Starhammer and is never the focus of the story, then decided to create a whole new pair of stories about the unique alien lifeform he created. The key evidence is simply this: both The Vang: Military Form and The Vang: Battlemaster are actually about the Vang ... this story, Starhammer, is absolutely NOT about the Vang. If I had retained a clear memory of this story, I wouldn't have bothered re-purchasing this book ... it is completely unnecessary in order to enjoy the two actual Vang-centric stories.

TL;DR :  This is NOT the first of "the Vang series" ... Starhammer is actually a tangential standalone story set in the same universe as The Vang: Military Form and The Vang: Battlemaster.  If you are here because someone told you how cool the Vang stories are, then get those 2 books and feel free to skip this one.
3478029
[NOTE: I received a copy of this novel through NetGalley.]

This was advertised in the Comics category, so I thought itd be a comics, but its actually a collection of short stories. Ah, well.

Not sure what to think about it, really. I found it just bland, to be honest. On the bright side, none of the stories come with glaring plot holes or annoying sidekicks, but on the other hand, none left me with a lasting impression either.

The main problems here for me are:
- The characterisation of the Doctor. The stories are supposed to feature Capaldis Doctor; it could be just any generic Doctor, though, the way he acts and is described. I could find no defining feature (even the eyebrows seemed weak!).
- Most of the storiess endings are disappointing: too abrupt, or close to nonexistant. The fifth story, for instance, leaves a lot of things unsaid. The least I expect in a story about an assassin trying to off their target is the assassins motives, or whos hired them. Here, nothing. It just ends.

All That Glitters: Forgettable. The plot is OK, but theres are no surprised here, its all lvery classic, quickly solved, and a bit boring.

Off the Trail: This one had more of a creepy feeling, the somethings wrong but we don't know yet what feeling. Still, the enemy was done with too quickly.

Ghosts of New York: Interesting theme, boring execution.

Taking the Plunge: A bit better. Not complicated, a simple enough plot to follow, but with more oompfh than the previous stories.

Spectator Sport: I seriously didn't see the point. Tourism on battlefields in different eras is ethically bad. OK. I was more interested anyway in the crime story wrapped in it; however, the latter fizzled and petered out. (See above about this.)

Base of Operations: Considering its theme, it would have deserved a more complex resolution: I thought of all the stories, this was the most promising, the one with the strongest premise. At the end the Doctor was more like himself, with his determined stance of defending Earth and making sure the enemys aware of it.

Conclusion: 1.5 stars. I don't recommend it, it is of little interest.
2570662
I wanted to love this novel. I cleared my TBR list and settled in for a wonderful read, but this book had a vibe that didn't work for me. More like a comic book and less like the tense, fascinating world promised in Book 1. The first book had a desperation that I loved. It featured true underdogs struggling to survive in a challenging world. No longer. No spoilers here, but I got tired of the comic book gods like Ares and Athena who we are told are fierce, but come off like snarky teenagers. Both H&H do a lot of TSTL moves all in the name of 'bravery.'  I feel a little bad over the 3-star rating, because it was artfully written with terrific pace and energy..... I am certain others will enjoy this novel, but I just couldn't get swept along with the characters. I'll definitely stay tuned to see what this author tries next, but will wait for the reviews!
1108215
This does not seem to have the usual wit and charm that I have come to expect out of this series.
1751886
I normally don't like Ramos' art but its more tolerable here. He's definitely gotten a lot more polished.

The writing is average. Mr Sinister is kinda over done at this point, and Storm is written strangely, almost immature/youthful. She also repeats 'To me, my XMen!" quite a few times, so be prepared for some majorily unispired writing.

Jean is a main player here and she just doesn't give me a true Jean vibe albeit being the real Jean. She's written as being way too comfortable with these strangers and the fact that she's abandoned in a future timeline where her entire family is dead and she's living with complete strangers. The scene between her and Old Logan is obnoxious. "C'mon Logon.. C'mon..." when appealing to him joining the team was cringeworthy. She doesn't know this strange man from an alternate world.

Not a terrible run so far but 100% meh-worthy.
61608
I get it. World building is hard, but in a series with this many bloated books I expect to get a better feel for the environment and culture that the story is set it. With the Seven Forges I was never able to develop an understanding of how things go together, physically, culturally or conceptually.

So much in the beginning seemed to pivot on the fact that there was a whole secret nation that had remained hidden for hundreds or thousands of years and that geography seemed to have something to do with it staying a secret. It was either far away or tucked behind some volcanoes or protected by a wasteland so that no one even thought to look. Except for the empire's most powerful, near immortal sorcerer who seemed to know it was out there and who wanted to find it but ultimately seemed to happen upon it by accident by sending some inexplainably important mercenary to go look for it. Then later in the story we learn that the strangers aren't actually landlocked and hidden behind unpassable mountains. They have an unbeatable navy, which would seem to suggest a port. And they've been attacking other people for long enough for there to be rumors about them.

But maybe they manage to be landlocked and also have a navy. Geography and physical laws don't seem to hold any sway over this world. Example: there is a lake where every river runs into it. EVERY river. Every river? Is there not maybe one, giant river that runs out of the lake to keep it from filling up and overflowing like a bathtub with the drain plugged? I guess the need to have every new description be more extreme and dramatic than the last trumps the need to have anything make sense or knit together in a way that I end up caring about. If there's a forest it has trees as tall as mountains. If there's a lake, every river runs into it.

And can we talk about the Sisters for a second? Sometimes I think that I'm never going to read another book that isn't written by a women. Then maybe I can avoid situations like the Sisters. Because if the empire's most powerful, near-immortal sorcerer is going to have female assistants, then they're going to be HOT! and there's going to be a blond one, a red-haired one, and one with raven tresses. Because women only have value if they come in variety packs. The sisters are supposed to be powerful in their own right and be responsible for moving the plot forward but I know more about their hair color than I do anything else abut them. I have no idea what color Merros Dulver's hair is. Not because it wasn't ever mentioned, but because it wasn't constantly used to differentiate him as the only distinct characteristic about him. This is gross, lazy, misogynistic writing. We deserve better.

I'm frustrated that I read so much of this series expecting it to get better, but it just got worse. Now, 23% of the way through the 3rd book, I just can't do it anymore. I'd rather throw my money away than waste any more time on a series that is this poorly executed.
1189877
Doctor Aphra is a series that I dug a lot when it first started; unfortunately, the longer its gone on, the more Ive found its shine to be steadily wearing off, to the point that I now find myself myself continuing to read it more out of habit than any real interest or excitement in seeing where its going. I think part of my problem with the series is with Aphra herself: Ive never really found her to be a particularly enjoyable or interesting character, and her quirky cynicism, while amusing in small doses (I thought she was great in Kieron Gillens Darth Vader run) has grown more and more stale with each passing volume. Right now, Ill probably stick with the series for at least one more arc, if only to see what cool ways new writer Simon Spurrier finds to tie the series into the broader Star Wars mythos. Still: if I were to rank all of the current Star Wars ongoing series currently being published by Marvel, Doctor Aphra would (sadly) fall in last place.
4908803
It's been a long time since I've read any of the books, so I know it's on me for not recognizing a lot of the characters here, but this book is only the broad strokes of the CW saga. There's a lot of side-changing, one-upmanship during fights, and some really nice drawing, but not a lot of the more character specific internal conflict or discussion of the more specific points that brought the whole thing to a head. I feel like this book is just missing too much.
2959808
The first Marvel Now series I bought as trades were Avengers Assemble and Captain Marvel, both of which I enjoyed immensely.  I was eager to start this new Avengers series, but it didn't measure up to my expectations.

The concept behind this new series is that the world is facing ever increasing and more dangerous threats and the Avengers need to expand to meet the need. So they recruit everyone who is willing to the team.  Honestly, I didn't find this so different than before because the Avengers roster has always been fluid. Only now everyone is "officially" on the team.  After Tony Stark and Steve Rogers make the decision, they face their first major otherworldly threat - only it's not really any more dire than the Phoenix Force. Or the Skrull invasion. Or Galactus, or...  Three aliens have decided to either wipe out Earth or terraform it and every living creature on it. When the initial team goes to Mars to investigate, they are captured. Cap is sent back as a warning to Earth and promptly returns with everyone. There are lots of panels of outer-space and vague words like "we raced to the light."

Not much else happens except one person, who I don't recognize, is taken over by the "universe" - a sentient version of the origin of creation. She warns that the white event is coming. *yawn*  Honestly, I really didn't care.  I think the author was trying too hard for a space opera feel for the Avengers, and that's more suited to the Guardians. In any case, it didn't work. Though a couple new heroes are introduced that I think have potential, like Smasher, the story was too weak.  If I hadn't already purchased the next two volumes, I probably wouldn't have continued this series.  It just didn't wow me in any way.  Overall, I was disappointed.

As a final note, I really do not like these new hardcover editions of Marvel's.  They have picture covered boards instead of dust jackets and the quality just isn't as good. On top of that, the retail price is high for what you get. I think I'll wait for paperbacks or omnibuses from now on.
1371587
The covers to these books have caught my eye every time I go into the book store. So I finally broke down and got one. It was a quick read and was entertaining but I found it frustrating too. The characters feel sort of flat despite some decent efforts here and there. Also, a lot of the book felt very familiar, a bit like a lot of my favorite stories remixed into one. Which doesn't bother me too much if the author takes it somewhere new or puts a spin on it. I didn't get that here.
2732479
I feel like what was one of the, if not the, best LitRPG books I've ever read has become something very different. What started as an awesome and fun and interesting LitRPG has taken a left turn into harder science fiction dealing with the concepts of AI. While that could be interesting, here it's jarring and takes away from what I was originally excited to read. I hope the next book brings it back on track. I also feel like the side stories aren't that interesting. I blazed through Riley's book. It was decent. But I want to read about Jason. In game. And the stuff he comes up with and is involved in. That's the good stuff. The rest of this just feels like filler and stuff I have to read just to get to the good stuff. And it looks like the next book is another one dealing with a water mage I honestly couldn't care less about.

I still have hope and I still want to see what happens. And this book did have good parts in it. But overall, I feel like a major misstep has happened and all I can do is hope the story doesn't continue to stumble.
4812049
I was completely underwhelmed by Soldier. Kagawa is a brilliantly creative writer with quite a few best-selling series. Talon is full of dragon politics, genetic manipulation and a love triangle, This book is a little on the tepid side though.
This is the third in the Talon series, an urban fantasy with scaled fire-breathing shifters. It sort of felt like an in between book packed with information with the sole purpose of leading us into a culmination of the fighting between all the factions.
Ember is still trying to figure out whether she should listen to her dragon or her human side when it comes to Garret and Riley. Her dragon clearly wants Riley, but perhaps more on a physical level. Her heart wants Garrett on an emotional level.
No wonder she is confused, irritated and suffering from insomnia. I suppose its like having two souls, which technically she probably does.
Things are heating up, loyalties are being questioned and connections are being revealed. Betrayal at the highest level is on the table. Nothing is as it seems.
Soldier may be full of action, but it is a little low on the usual entanglements, herzschmerz and meaningful interactions. Perhaps the next instalment will have more of Kagawas usual flair.
*I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley*