Soul Stealers & Annihilation = Bummer!!!!!

Heyo all,
It's Library Ninja Bill with what appears to be a very depressing post; if you just read the title. Let me tell ya something though....the end has never bee so fun!!! What the heck am I talking about? Check it out:

Warning: The Last Apprentice books can be quite scary as the creatures that a Spook must take on can do some pretty horrible stuff. So if you or your parents don't want you reading this sort of material, DON'T!!!!!!!!!

The Last Apprentice: Night of The Soul Stealer by Joseph Delaney - This is the third book in the series, following Revenge of The Witch and Curse of The Bane, and this title does not disappoint. The Spook (Mr. Gregory), his apprentice Tom and the young witch Alice are back dealing with more than ever before. In this story not only do they have to take on Stone-Chuckers and other beasties, but while wintering in the Spook's home in Anglezarke Tom meets the love of Mr. Gregory's life, Meg. Meg is a very dangerous witch that the Spook is keeping imprisoned by drugging her tea. Wait a minute, he loves her but keeps her memory of what she is fogged and distorted. This can only lead to bad things... Add to that an evil Necromancer, a mage who controls the dead for his own selfish purposes, named Morgan (who also was once the Spook's apprentice) and the return of an ancient god called Golgoth ("The Lord of Winter") and I'd say the Spook and company have a very full plate indeed!!!! This is a great series that just keeps getting better. If you click on "Curse of The Bane" above you can look at my review on this blog of that book. As for "Revenge of the Witch" read the next entry below.

The Last Apprentice: Revenge of The Witch by Joseph Delaney - Tom is the seventh son of a seventh son and in the world of magic that makes him extremely special. Tom lives in what appears to be medieval England (or around that time) and has just turned 12. At this age Tom is expected to start learning how to make his own way in the world. His mother knowing of his potential arranges for him to be the apprentice of a local Spook - Old Gregory. What is a Spook you ask? Why Spooks deal with the world of the supernatural. They deal with boggarts * gasp*, witches and all sorts of creatures that go bump in the night. Tom turns out to have the potential of becoming a great Spook under the tutelage of old Gregory, if his mistakes don't kill him as they did Old Gregory's previous apprentice. As you have probably guessed from the title of this book, one of Tom's first challenges is a very evil witch named Mother Malkin (read the book to find out how she got this name; it's pretty creepy). This is a great read and the first book in a series.

And Now For Something Completely Different:

 

Annihilation Book One by Keith Giffen, Dan Abnet, Andy Lanning, Scott Kolins, and more - Okay if you like your comics or graphic novels on a cosmic scale, well have I got the first GN in a series that is going to knock your block right off!!!!! This series has just about all Marvel's best outer space heroes allied against a mysterious juggernaut known only as The Annihilation Wave. The GN includes the pre-Annihilation mini-series Drax The Destroyer, The one-shot Annihilation Prologue and the four part Annihilation: Nova series. Okay what exactly does this all mean Bill? Well there is this extremely mighty destroying force that is crossing the Galaxy and destroying everything in it's path. In this first GN we are introduced to some of the good and bad guys who will go toe to toe. I'm talking Drax The Destroyer, Skulls, The Kree, Thanos, The Silver Surfer, Nova, Quasar, Ronan The Accuser and more!!!!! All of existence is in danger and the odds are stacked against the good guys. All the cards are on the table and there can be only one winner who takes all!!! Yea baby, don't get much better than this!!!!!!

Till next time kids!!!!

Peace!!!!!

Battle Frenzy, Thunder Gods, Tiny Titans and Other Zaniness!

Hello all. Well it's been a little while, but Library Ninja Bill is back!!!! Welcome and lets talk about some good reads!!!!

Here we go:




Black Hole Sun by David Macinnis Gill - If you like books that hit the throttle in a hurry and don't let off to the very end; boy this book is so for you! This book is set in the future where the planet Mars has been colonized and what goes for government is all but gone. In this awful environment any law that is enforced is done so by a group that would be best characterized as futuristic mercenary cowboys/samurai warriors known as Regulators. The main character in the book is Durango (a 17 year old teen who has an interesting past to say the least), a failed Regulator, who still upholds the noble tenants that Regulators once followed. Durango, who is well versed in sarcasm, is an interesting character made more so by the fact that his former Regulator Chief, Mimi, is now implanted in his brain as an artificial intelligence. The story is about him operating as a Regulator Chief to a rag tag team made up of such characters as his no nonsense first officer Vienne to the uncontrollable  shoot-em-up Leroy Jenkins. Each character in the book really holds their own as characters and are not dull or uninteresting. Durango and his crew basically take on a suicide mission to protect poor miners in the middle of nowhere who are being attacked by a cannibalistic race known as the Draeu and their queen (who has many secrets also). Once the bullets, plasma weapons and hand to hand combat starts, the intensity only keeps building to the end of the story. If you love nonstop action in a book and want one you will not be able to put down, well ya found your book!!! I Loved It!!!!!!!
This book is intended for teen readers because of violence mainly (hey lots of bullets and bombs go off) so if you are a younger reader check with your parents or guardians to make sure it's okay for you.

Pretty Cool Huh?



And what is one of Library Ninja Bill's post without Graphic Novel reviews?????

Tiny Titans: Sidekickin' It by Art Baltazar & Franco - I don't care what your age is, this GN will make you laugh. Come and join the Tiny Titans (Robin, Kid Flash, Speedy, Bat-Girl, Beast Boy, Cyborg and more) in their daily trials and tribulations which also happen to be laugh out loud funny. Join them with their pets at  "Pet Club" in which the first rule is you don't talk about Pet Club. Find out which Tiny Titan is the fastest in a race around the world. Will it be Kid Flash, Super Girl or Raven (wait a minute Raven doesn't have super speed, how could she win?) or somebody else? Watch and read as the Tiny Titan's deal with Principle Deathstroke, Coach Lobo and Janitor Darkseid. This GN is just to much fun.

Thor: Ages of Thunder by Matt Fraction and others - This is a kick-butt GN about Thor and the Asgardian Gods before Thor was sent to Earth to learn humility.  The stories, of course, are set in Asgard featuring along with Thor such Norse Gods as Odin - The All Father, Loki - Master of Mischief, Hemidall - Guardian of The Bifrost Bridge, Balder The Brave, The Enchantress, The Valkyrior and many others. This is high octane Norse Mythology brought to life!!!! Thor in these stories is a lean mean fighting machine. He takes down Frost Giants, the Undead, Storm Giants and more, but is kinda full of himself. Things finally reach the point where his father Odin has to take him down a peg and the two have an epic battle. How does that turn out? Read the GN and find out. The writing and the art work are a wonder to behold. As with Black Hole Sun this book is intended for older teen readers, so if you are younger make sure it is okay for you.

Well Peace out all. Until next time,

Bill

Good Graphic Novel Reads!

Hello again residence of the "Land of Blog." Sorry it has been awhile since my last post but a Library Ninjas Job can be very time consuming. Here are some of the things I have been up to since my last post for example:

Defending myself from "The Evil Squirrel League of Ninja Assassins." Let me tell you something, these guys may be small but their vicious!!!!!!

You would be surprised about how upset some people become when they can't find the book they want at the library!!!!

And finally finding a new hobby while not being an ultra violent Library Ninja.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well enough about my daily trials and tribulations, let's talk about some cool Graphic Novels I have read lately:

 

 

Olympians: Athena, Grey-Eyed Goddess by George O'Connor - If you like Greek Myths and the Greek Gods and Heroes, this GN is definitely for you. This is the second GN in The Olympians series (the first being Zeus - King of The Gods). This is a wonderfully illustrated and well-spun tale about Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, War, Strategy, Crafts and Cities. It tells of how she was born and came into the world by bursting out of her father's head (that would be Zeus), helped save Mount Olympus and the Gods by battling and defeating Pallas, leader of a race of Stone Giants called the Gigantomachy, helping Peruses (along with Hermes) in defeating Medusa and much more. I really learned a great deal about Athena that I did not know and enjoyed this GN very much!!!!!!!




For older readers (13 an up) you may want to check out this really great GN:

Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites by Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson - At first glance Burden Hill looks like an idyllic community and area, but underneath the surface evil abounds. With the human residences being blissfully unaware, its up to a brave crew of dogs and a cat to deal with what is wrong in and around Burden Hill. Pugs, Ace, Jack, Whitey, Red and the Orphan (the cat) are just some of the crew that are fighting the good fight against such things as witch covens, animal zombies, demonic frogs, evil mystical rats, the undead, werewolves and more. This is really an original concept that is extremely well written along with being graced with the awesome art of Jill Thompson. Highly recommended!!!!!!





Well that's all for now all. Being talking at you again soon,

Bill

 



Verily, I Mean Spookily, I Say

Well Happy New Year all out there who dwell in "The Land of Blog." I did not intend to but it seems I have started my new year with some spooooky books. Oh well, here are two books I recently finished reading and hope you will give them a try if you have not already.


The Curse of The Wendigo by Rick Yancy - This book is a follow up to the most awesome "The Monstrumologist." To see my review of that book click HERE! As in the first book young Will Henry is in the service of Dr. Pellinore Warthrop, a well respected Monstrumologist (a scientist who studious dark creatures that go more than bump in the dark). Dr. Warthrop is approached by a women he loved long ago after her husband goes missing in Canada. Her husband, who also happens to have been a close friend to the Doctor, had been tasked by there former mentor Dr. Von Helrung to prove the existence of the mythical Wendigo (He Who Devours All Mankind: a creature that starves even as it endlessly hunts and feeds on human flesh). Dr. Warthrop eventually agrees and he and Will journey into the wilds of Canada in search of his lost friend. This is an intensely frighting book as the protagonists struggle against a monster that may be real or a trick of the mind. The intensity level for this book is set to 11 and does not go down until all is said and done. Who will live? Who will die? Who will remain sane? Mr. Yancy is on par with Stephen King in presenting a story that is so frightening, yet you must keep turning the page to find out what happens next. Really great stuff!!!!! As with the previous book I feel obligated to warn all that this is probably not for young children. This book contains some extremely gory scenes in addition to just being down right frightening. It scared the living "you know what" out of me and I'm far from being a child. Also there are few curse words. So before starting to read this book make sure it is cool with your parents and you are not frightened easily.

Just to give you a taste of what these books are like, check it out:

Bloody Horowitz by Anthony Horowitz - Another great book with spooky, scary, bloodcurdling stuff. This is a compilation of 14 short stories by Mr. Horowitz that is guaranteed to be loved by all you out there who love frightening stories. Some of my favorites in the book were Bet Your Life, Robo-Nanny and Are You Sitting Comfortably. Bet Your Life is about Reality T.V. and Game shows taken to the extreme. 5 contestants are competing for 10 million dollars in precious diamonds. What's the big deal about the story you ask? Think about the title and maybe you will understand. Robo-Nanny is actually kind of funny in a dark way. It is set in the future where the use of robots is quite common. Two extremely busy parents purchase T-199 the most advanced human like Nanny on the market. It has different settings for how strictly it deals with children from very lightly to...uh, read the story to find out. Are You Sitting Comfortably deals with the horror of message chairs. Horror of message chairs you ask? Again read to find the gruesome answer. Again this is a great collection of scary stories recommend for those 9 and above.

My complements to Iron Carl on the exciting review of "Behemoth" and I will be sinking my teeth into that one soon (get it, sinking my teeth.....um, never mind).

Until next time,

Library Ninja Bill

The New Year Starts with a Behemoth!

Happy New Year to all you rockin' cats out there! This is Iron guy Carl. I hope you had a great holiday season and will have a very happy new year. I saw Library Ninja Bill's review of Leviathan, so I want to piggy back off that and start 2011 with a review of a truly rockin' book--Behemoth by the amazing Scott Westerfeld. Yes, I know this is a slightly-edited repeat of a review I posted on the the Boys Read blog. I am such a huge fan of Leviathan and got so excited when Bill posted his review that I had to say something. Hey, don't knock repeats! All the TOMAS (like me, the Iron Guy) get their incredible strength from doing reps!! Well, anyway, I would have been happy if this second book had been just as good as the first. Well, guess what--this one's even better!!

The story takes place in Istanbul (or Constantinople), Turkey in 1914. World War I has just broken out--except, in this story, the world is a little different from the real world of WWI. This is an "alternate history" story; the Germans and Austrians (called "Clankers") use walking war machines, while the British and their allies (called "Darwinists") use fabricated animals. The two main characters, Prince Alek of Austria and Dylan Sharp (who's really Deryn--I'll get to that in a minute) have flown to Istanbul. Prince Alek is a prisoner of the British. Dylan is with Dr. Barlow, the granddaughter of Charles Darwin, who is on a mission to deliver a secret cargo to the Sultan. Things do not go as planned, however. The mission fails spectacularly, Prince Alek escapes, hides in Istanbul and joins a revolutionary movement to overthrow the Sultan. In the meantime, Dylan performs acts of heroism, gets sent on an underwater mission and discovers a deadly Clanker weapon. And speaking of secrets, important people start to discover Dylan's secret--which is that Dylan is really Deryn, a girl who disguised herself as a boy to join the Royal Air Service!

If you liked all the adventure, excitement, humor of Leviathan, then get ready, because this book has all that plus some!! You've got Clanker machines attacked on the streets of Istanbul, strange Darwinist animals, daring nighttime escapes and an unbelievable battle at the end. And the illustrations!!! In most books, the pictures are just--well, they're just sort of there and don't really add anything. In Behemoth, the illustrations really take you into the story and bring everything vividly to life. I enjoyed this one and I'm sure you will, too. I can't wait until next year when Goliath, the third book, comes out!!

PS--if you want to see my review of Leviathan from the Boys Read blog, click here. If you haven't read it already, you could go right to Behemoth, but I'd advise you to read Leviathan first so you get a better sense of what's going on.

Merry, Merry and Other Cool Stuff!

Hello and Happy Holidays to all you travelers in "The Land of Blog!!!!" Well it's getting closer to Christmas and I am looking forward to spending time with family, friends and loved ones. Hey have I ever shared any pictures with you of my family? Well heck, let me do that now:




Papa-san Ninja



Momma-san Ninja (Taking care of business)

Little Ninja Bill and pet Fox!!!!

And now, my big Christmas surprise....Porky Pig singing White Christmas!!!!

Incarceron by Cathrine Fisher - It was created to become paradise. A place where all criminals where taken to be reformed by a group of wise people known as the Sapienti. They all disappeared into this place that has passed on into legend, except for the existence of a warden, and people are uncertain if it really exist. Well it does exist and the this paradise has become quite the opposite. Welcome to the ultimate prison; welcome to Incarceron. Incarceron is more than a mere prison. It is alive and controls the lives of all its inmates in one way or another. A teenager, who is more than meets the eye, named Finn is a prisoner in Incarceron who is trying to escape. His fellow potential escapee's are his oathbrother Keiro, a dashing but very unpredictable character, Gildas, a Sapienti, and Attia, a former slave to a group that Finn and the others belonged to before trying to escape. There is also a place that is supposedly outside of Incarceron known as The Realm. The Realm is a scientifically advanced civilization where, to supposedly stop war and humanities atrocities, time has been stopped to the period of the 18th century. Kings and Queens rule the land and treachery is around every corner. Claudia, who is the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, feels trapped and without hope in The Realm. She is to be married against her will to an oafish an unfeeling prince and put under the thumb of the Queen who rules the land. She discovers secrets about Incarceron with the help of Jared, a Sapienti (it is an order that has existed for a very long time both without and within Incarceron), that she hopes to change her fate. This is a fantastic read that will delight those who are into Scfi and Fantasy. Heck, if you just like good stories you will love this one. This book is intended for teen readers as it has some language and violence.

P.S. Hot off the presses!!!! The follow up to Incarceron, Sapphique is coming out soon and I can't wait.

And now for something completely different!!



Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld - This Steampunk book is set in an alternative history at the very beginning of World War I. The two main characters are Alex, heir to The Austria-Hungary Empire (which is allied with Germany), and Deryn Sharp a British girl pretending to be a boy in order to join The British Air Service. The Austria-Hungary Empire and Germany have in their arsenal Clankers, steam-driven iron machines (both land based, Stormwalkers, Land Frigates, etc. and flying, Zeppelins, Aeroplanes, etc.) with guns and weapons attached. The British, French and Russians have genetically engineered animals. Darwinist Scientists have mixed genes from several animals to make new ones that are used for everything from labor to weapons. The most feared and powerful creation in The British Arsenal is The Leviathan a massive air-beast, which is mainly made after a whale, but is actually a massive ecosystem. Weapons on The Leviathan range from deadly bats that hurl metal shrapnel to powerful airguns (the reason being that The Leviathan uses massive amount of hydrogen to fly and hydrogen plus spark equals a big boom!!!!!!) amongst other things. The story mainly revolves around Alex and his friends trying to smuggle him out of Austria-Hungary because the powers that be want him dead and Deryn's struggle to be accepted into The British Air Service and maintain her secret that she is not really a boy. The two do end up crossing paths in this very cool book. What's even more exciting is that the sequel to this book, Behemoth, is already out and I can't wait to get my hands on it!!!!

Well that's it all you crazy cats!!!! Have a great holiday season and be kind to each other,

Bill



Sea Ghost, Comics and Graphic Novels, Oh Yea!!!!

Ahoy all me Maties in "The Sea o Blog," ti's I Lieutenant Y (also known as Ninja Librarian Bill) here to talk about some great Graphic Novels and Comics for all ages. All ages does not mean just for the kiddies, but for all - children, teens and adults who love great stories and art. Check it out:

The Sea Ghost: The Sea Ghost in The Machine by Jay Piscopo - This is a comic that is a shoot-off from the most awesome "The Undersea Adventures of Capt'n Eli" Graphic Novel Series. Hey, do you know about them? Well then it's time you did!!!! Check out these reviews I did not that long ago, in a galaxy not that far away:

The Undersea Adventures of Capt'n Eli: The Mystery of Me, The Mystery of the Sargasso Sea; Plus Much More!!!!! by Jay Piscopo - The first story "The Mystery of Me" introduces us to the main character of the graphic novel Capt'n Eli. This is Capt'n Eli's origin story and introduces many characters and asks many questions that you will be intrigued to learn about in the future. In this story he joins the Seaserchers and also meets for the first time the mysterious Commander X (a descendant of Captain Nemo himself).

The second story in the book,"The Mystery of the Sargasso Sea," is an adventure tale that involves the mysterious Sargasso Sea that has been a floating burial ground for ships throughout history and the even more curious Bermuda Triangle where both ships and other seafaring vessels, planes even, have mysteriously disappeared never to be found again. This story involves time travel,Christopher Columbus, some of the very interesting history (or would that be future????) of Commander X, and lots of battling with the Hydrons. This is such a cool story!!!!!!

The last story in the book, "The Return of Baron Hydro," take us back to the days of World War II. The Big 3 (Commander X, Sea Raider, and the Human Sun) take on the villainous Baron Hydro and his evil Hydrons. This story is action packed and just a whole lot of fun!!!!!!!!

 

The Undersea Adventures of Capt'n Eli: The Mystery of the Sargasso Sea (Volume 2) by Joe Piscopo -  Man with this volume the Capt'n Eli Graphic Novel Series hits another gear and really takes off!!!!! As it was left off in the previous volume, Capt'n Eli is still with Commander X aboard his super high tech submarine "Sub Zero." They reach the underwater city of Aquaria only to find it under attack by a race of underwater denizens known as the Outcast. It seems Aquaria and it's people are now ruled by Commander X's former World War II partner, known then as The Sea Raider. We also find out that Commander X is Aquaria's sworn Lord Protector and it is his duty to protect them from all threats and enemies. Let's see what else happens in this story, we learn the history of Aquaria and its relationship to Atlantis, we learn the secret origin of the ruler of the Aquarians known by many names such as - Rex Noble, The Sea Raider and The Sea Ghost among others, Lord Hydro is back with all his evilness and Hydrons and much. much more!!!!!!!!!! I promise you if you pick up this Graphic Novel you will be unable to put it down until you have finished reading it and then you will still be wanting more.

Oh yea almost forgot, The review of The Sea Ghost Comic (I just get so jazzed up about this ultra cool GN series and it's offshoots!) Well the Sea Ghost is minding his own business when he discovers this strange device on the ocean floor. Next thing he knows he has been transported through time and space onto a world where two fractions, The Phlan - an Ocean dwelling race and The Simas - a land dwelling race, are in a constant circle of hate and war. The Sea Ghost tries to bring peace to these waring races, but is at a loss until he discovers an interesting fact. Both races seem to fight this endless war in the name of a god they both share. How does The Sea Ghost use this information and what is the ultimate outcome. Well, you will have to read the comic to find out. Check out this link to get more information on this wonderful comic http://captneli.blogspot.com/2010/11/sea-ghost-1-has-arrived.html.

One other piece of information I would like to share is that my buds Jay (Creator, Writer and Illustrator) and Tami (Just a very cool person) sent me a bunch of copies of the comic and other goodies to share. I have not given them all away yet, so if you write a review in our comments section on something you have read and enjoyed, I will send you the comic along with some other cool swag!!!! Come on!!!! What are you waiting for??????

That's all I have time for now me Hearties!!!! Until next time,

Stand By For Adventure!!!!!!

Lieutenant Y and Library Ninja Bill!!!!!!

Torpedoman by Jay Piscopo