Is it getting spooky around here or is it just me?

Good Evening (or morning, afternoon, whatever) it is I your master of ceremonies Necromancer/Spook Ninja Bill. Man have I got some good stuff for ya, but first a spooky little clip:






Spooky Stuff - Awooooooooooooh!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now for some super cool spooky reads:

Hold me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride -

This book is awesome!!!!!!!! I finished reading it in record time as it sucked me in and left me waiting for more. The story is about a teen-age boy named Sam, who unknown to him, his mother is a witch and father carries the genetic code for necromancy. Sam has flunked out of school and is working in a dead in job at a fast food joint with his friends Ramon, Brooke and Frank. Sam has always felt out of place and strange but does not learn why until one night at work he runs into a man named Douglas who he and his friend offend. The next thing he knows, that night after work he and his friends are attacked by a super strong human (or what appears to be). Sam's life starts to spiral out of control as his friend Brooke is beheaded, but her head is still alive and talking. Douglas, we find out, is the head of a council of fey and fairytale creatures that live right beside humans in the everyday world. Douglas discovers that Sam is also a Necromancer and decides to use him for his own evil purposes. Fear not though as Sam and his friends, plus new ones he makes such as Brid (a hybrid Werewolf), are not going down without a fight. This is an exciting, scary story that promises more books to follow. Man, I sure hope so! Recommended for teens (13 and up). 

Check out this video for the book and tell me you are not intrigued:

The Last Apprentice, Attack of The Fiend by Joseph Delaney - This is the forth book in this series and they just keep getting better and better ( I have already started the next book). In this installment The Spook, his apprentice Tom and Alice (a young budding witch whose future for good or evil is undetermined, but who is a good friend to Tom) set off for the town of Pendle to take care of the witch clans that have grown out of control. The three main witch clans in Pendle are The Malkins, The Deanes and The Mouldheels. Things start of bad for our brave adventures and steadily get worse. Tom's brother Jack and his family are attacked and kidnapped by witch clans from Pendle soon after the travellers reach it. Tom and Alice take off to see what has become of his family while the Spook starts to plan for how to handle the witch clans. When Tom and Alice reach his brothers farm they find it destroyed and his family gone. Tom's brother James, a blacksmith arrives to help, but will his help and anybody elses be enough? Tom must recover three trucks left for him by his mother that the witches have stolen (not to mention his kidnapped family) along with dealing with wraiths, witch assassins and worst of all the witches' plan to bring into the world the Devil himself. Twist and turns at every corner. This is a great book and series for those 9 and older.

Until next time friends,

Library Ninja Bill

The First Rule of Pet Club and Tales Dark and Grim

Heyo all there out in the Land Of Blog, Tis I again the lone, nomadic, forever wandering Library Ninja Bill. Times have been tough, I have to be honest with you, but reading goes on. So without further adieu:

First I'm gonna talk about The fourth GN in The Tiny Titans Series, so to set the mood check out this video that totally rocks:

The First Rule of Pet Club by Art Baltazar, Franco and Geoff Johns - This Tiny Titans Graphic Novel collects issues 19 -25 of the monthly series. Problems abound for Robin as Wayne Manner and the Batcave has been overrun by bunnies from a magic trick gone wrong by Zatara and penguins from Robin opening a forbidden door in the Batcave. Now all the bats have flown the coup from the Batcave and Batman tasks Robin with getting them back. Thank goodness for a little help from your friends...that's right it's Tiny Titan Time, aw yeah!!!!!!! Also this issue has the powerful tale (well maybe powerful is the wrong word, but it sure is funny) that ties into (not really) "The Darkest Night!" Gotta love those Tiny Titans, aw yeah!!!!!! Great for all ages!!!!



Next a totally rocking book based on the fairy tales of The Brother Grimm:

A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz - Now if you like sweet and safe, watered down fairy tales, this is most definitely not the book for you!!!!! The author of this book has taken two famous Grimm Fairy Tale characters, Hansel and Gretel, and woven a phenomenal story that ties other Grimm Fairy Tales into one fantastic ride. The book starts before the birth of these two children with the Tale of "Faithful Johannes" servant of the King and Queen of The Kingdom of Grimm. If this opening story does not grab you, twist you and leave you aghast, please get help soon? Hansel and Gretel are born to the King and Queen and the adventures of these two siblings rocket you through the rest of the book.  This book is a page turner from front to end. Think you know your favorite fairy tales? Well guess again as the author puts them back into there somewhat original and gruesome versions. There may even be tales new to you that are expertly woven into this most excellent story. If you are a little squeamish, never fear, the author often butts into the story to make sure you really want to know what happens next? Sometimes ignorance is bliss, but not with this book. Two Thumbs high in the air!!!! Great book recommended for those 9 and up, who believe it or not, like things not so sweet and sugar coated.

Also check out this little tease:





Until next time all you hepcats,
Peace,
Bill

Sapphique and doing Hard Time!!!!

Hi all,

It's been awhile, but I have been crazy Library Ninja busy. Always time to read though, so check out what has captured my attention recently.

Sapphique by Catherine Fisher - This sequel to Incarceron (click here to see my review of that book) takes place with Finn outside the prison where he finds the outside world to just be another type of prison where danger lies all around. Although the daughter of The Warden of Incarceron (now inside the sentient prison) Claudia claims him to be the long lost and rightful successor to the thrown Prince Giles, Finn himself has no memories of his past and the Queen is determined to see both Finn and Claudia dead. Inside Incarceron Finn's oathbrother Keiro and Attia remain and seek a means to escape. They cross paths with a strange magician by the name of Rix, who claims to possess the magical glove the mysterious and legendary Sapphique used to escape. Add to all this that Incarceron itself wants to exist in the outside world and you have, to say the least, an exciting story that deserves to be read. I enjoyed this book immensely and recommend it to all 12 years and up. 

Check out this video and see if it does not get you excited about reading this book:




All I can say is "Awesome!!!!!!!"

Until next time all, peace,

Bill

The Blackest Night is Here!!!! Along with Some Dead Boys and Batman!

Hayo all me bukoos in "The Land of Blog." It's the wondering Librarian with Kung Foo Gripping Action, Ninja Librarian Bill. I have been very busy but have managed to squeeze in some good reads to let you know about. So lets get to it!!!!

Blackest Night by Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis and others - The Dead are rising and they want all to join them (being dead that is). The Blackest Night long ago prophesied in The Great Book of OA is happening now!!!!!! Lead by The Black Hand, the dead are being brought back to life/death by Black Lantern Rings seeking them out. There is no good news in this as The newest Lantern Corps, The Black Lanterns, want everyone and everything dead. The Seven Emotional Spectrum Corps (The Green Lanterns (Will Power), The Sinestro Corps (Ability to Install Great Fear), The Red Lanterns (Great Rage), The Orange Lantern (Great Avarice), The Star Sapphires (Great Love), The Blue Lanterns (Great Hope) and The Indigo Tribe (Great Compassion)) must set aside their differences and fight together or all is lost. OA (home of The Guardians and The Green Lantern Corps) and Earth are assaulted hard by the Black Rings, bringing former Green Lanterns back to life on OA and deceased superheroes and villains on Earth. Let me introduce you to some of The Black Lantern Corps (without giving away to many surprises): The Martian Manhunter, The Elongated Man, Aquaman, Hawk (of Hawk and Dove), The Original Firestorm (Ronnie Raymond), Dr. Light, Maxwell Lord, Azrael, Jade, Airwave, Tomar-Re, Solomon Grundy, Psycho-Pirate, Captain Boomerang, The Original Question, Professor Zoom and many more. Our DC heroes and villains that are among the living really have their backs to the wall. This story needs to be read if you are a Green Lantern fan or just enjoy good comics/stories & art and I feel the more I say, the more I will rob the reader of this wonderful tale. Let's just say a whole lot happens, no one is safe, and when you think things are going one way they go just the opposite. This GN is really a terrific ride!!! Recommended for age 12 and up.   

If that was not enough to get you interested take a look at this:

Pretty Intense eh?

Next on my list is a really cool book for guys who like mysteries and scary stuff:

The Dead Boys by Royce Buckingham - In this book 12 year old Teddy and his Mom have moved to Richland, Washington where his Mom has gotten a job at the local Nuclear Plant. What they do not know is that during the past, going back to around World War II, radioactivity has contaminated the area. What does this have to do with anything? Well it is the summer when they move there and Will's Mom demands that he go out and find friends in the area. Well he does meet a couple of guys on different occasions, but has trouble finding them afterwards. Also the areas he finds them at change dramatically when he revisits them. Oh and one more thing, the house next to Teddy's is abandoned and has this giant sycamore tree in the front yard. What's so interesting about that you ask? Well Teddy could swear that the tree is trying to open the window to his bedroom and even catch him with its limbs. Is this all in his imagination or is something very strange going on in Richland, Washington? Read the book and find out. Recommended for guys around 9 and over. 

Batman: Battle for The Cowl by Tony S. Daniel, Fabian Nicieza, Dustin Nguyen and others - Batman is dead (Bruce Wayne was killed by Darksied at the end of Final Crisis) and Gotham City is in a state of chaos. Without his presence criminals are fearless in their assault on Gotham's citizens. Many heroes associated with Batman show up to try to reinstate order to the city under siege (Nightwing - Dick Grayson, Robin - both Tim Drake and Damian Wayne, Catwoman, Jason Todd and others). It becomes apparent that one of those close to Bruce must takeover as the new "Batman." Jason Todd starts dressing as him, but has gone off the deep end maiming and killing those he perceives as criminals. Dick Grayson finds himself being drawn by Jason's actions into not only stopping him, but taking on the identity he never wanted. The very role he was groomed for: Batman! Great read recommended for those 12 and up.





That's all folks!!!! Until next time Peace,

Bill

Free Falling with The World's Finest and Yoda!!!

Hi all that dwell in "Blog Land," I am back from adventuring in the outer regions where I found more excellent reads.

Before I start, I just want to share a little video about one of my best friends Yoda by Weird Al. It makes me cry every time I watch it. I love that guy!!!!!





Alright, enough of that!!!! Just silly, move along now!



Okay here are some book and GN reviews:

Superman/Batman Public Enemies by Joph Loeb and Ed McGuinness - When I was a kid comics cost 25 cents and one of the comics I bought every month was called World's Finest and it stared Batman and Superman. Well, Superman/Batman "Public Enemies" reminds of those days. In this GN, hurtling toward Earth is an asteroid that also just happens to be a remnant of Superman's home Krypton. If that where not bad enough, Lex Luther has been elected President of The United States and decides that sense he cannot stop the asteroid, he will kill Superman before it collides with Earth. Is that enough for you? Well if it's not lets throw in supervillains such as Gorilla Grood, Captain Cold, The Banshee, Metallo, Solomen Grundy, Mongul, Nightshade and superheroes (who may or may not be on Superman's or Batman's side) Green Lantern, Captain Atom, Power Girl, Starfire, Black Lighting, Major Force, Hawkman, Shazam, The Atom, etc. So basically in a very short amount of time the dynamic duo must stop an asteroid from destroying the Earth and keep themselves alive from all those heroes and villains (wait a minute, I forgot to throw in a Superman from the future and The New Gods). Great read and art so don't miss out on this one!!!!! Short general note: this one is probably best for teens.

Another great GN for all ages:

Batman Brave and The Bold: The Fearsome Fangs Strike Again by J. Torres, J. Bone and others - This is the second GN in The Brave and The Bold series that teams Batman up with different superheroes of the DC Universe. This GN collects issues 7 - 12 of the comic book series. In the first story Batman teams up with one of my favorite superhero teams The Doom Patrol. The Doom Patrol is lead by Chief Niles Caulder and consists of Robotman (human brain in a robot body), Elasti-Girl (ability to shrink or enlarge body size), Negative Man (a bizarre radioactive energy being who must be wrapped in radiation-proof plastic bandages, unless projecting his body outside itself to fly and do other amazing feats) and Beast Boy (has the ability to change in any animal he can imagine). Other stories have Batman teaming up with the likes of The Great Ten (a Chinese superhero team made up of August General in Iron - wears high tech armor and carries a trident like device that shoots electric pulses, The Perfect Physician - a sorcerer, Celestial Archer - mad archery skills, The Yeti - man able to transform in hulking beast and others who do not appear in this story) to stop one of it's own who has gone rouge; The Catman in a story where we are not sure, until the end, who is the real villain; and many other stories with Green Arrow, The Atom, Adam Strange against a wide spectrum of supervillains. This is fun stuff for all!!!!!

One last review, that is not a GN, but the third book in a really killer series (ages 9 and up):

Freefall by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams - Things are looking pretty grim for Will, Chester, Elliott and Bartleby after the ending of Deeper (the second book in the series) with Cal dead, killed by the Styx, and finding themselves blown into a hole that descends even deeper underneath the Earth (known as The Pore). If that were not bad enough, the Rebecca twins are also down in the bowls of the Earth with them and in hot pursuit with two Styx Limiters (specially trained underground soldiers). Will and the gang need to find a way out of The Pore and topsoil in order to find Will's father Dr Burrows(who unknown to him is down in The Pore also) and get the cure to The Dominion virus (a virus designed by the underground dwelling Styx to kill all humans living on the surface) into the right hands. In another interesting twist we discover that the mercenary Drake is still very much alive and doing what he can above ground to stop the Styx. If you have not read the two books that proceed this one, Tunnels and Deeper, you may have a wee bit of a time catching on to what is happening. The good news is that you have two great books to read before this one. High adventure with lots of twist and turns. Highly recommended!!!!

P.S. To see a quick overview of Tunnels and Deeper click HERE.

Until next time hepcats,

Bill

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