Joker (by Brian Azzarello)

This noir tale in violent bloody Gotham begins upon the release of the Joker from Arkham Asylum. Apparently he has convinced someone that he is sane. Heaven knows how.

Azzarello has a reputation as an excellent crime comic writer, best known for penning 100 Bullets.  Having never read any of the modern (or indeed any) Batman comics, I thought I'd give his work a try.  I liked that this was written as a complete graphic novel, rather than serialized as most comics still are, allowing the author to better guide the flow of the story.  Dark thoughts and actions are not my usual cup of tea so I'm not planning on reading anymore of his work, but the book is well done and will find itself a very satisfied readership.

NYX: No Way Home (by Marjorie Liu)

No Way Home loosely picks up where NYX: Wannabe left off, following a few teenaged mutants as they attempt to make a life for themselves under difficult circumstances.  The story is alright, but nothing terribly exciting. There isn't enough sense of where it's going to satisfy me.  Comic trade paperbacks work best when the arc captures a fully formed story, and this one feels  loose-endy.

For teenaged heroes, give me the Runaways anyday.

Ten Frogs (by Quentin Blake)

I read too many picture books to blog them all, but once in a while I find one that really excites me. Ten Frogs is a simple counting book that I first saw in London last summer, but hadn't seen on this side of the pond until yesterday.

For the many of us raised on Roald Dahl books illustrated by Quentin Blake, Ten Frogs is immediately exciting, familiar, and all around fantastic.  Three dogs leap off the page with palpable joy.  Eight chickens ruffle their feathers with chickeny perplexity.  And not to be limited to the standard count of 10, Blake concludes with a hundred wasps that vibrate across the last spread and fill me with glee.  I bought this for my niece, but by the time her birthday rolls around, I'm not sure I'll be able to give it up.

The Sorceress, by Michael Scott

The Sorceress is the third book in the series,The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel.  The first book, The Alchemist, is one of the nominees in this year's Young Reader's Choice Awards (Pacific Northwest Library Association), and as usual, once I begin a story I am easily hooked.  I'd been hoping that this would be a trilogy so I could reach some closure soon, but it appears I'll have a few more years to wait.  There are at least three more books to come.

This is a fairly good teen fantasy series.  The premise is that a technologically advanced race of beings ruled the earth long before humanity evolved and rose to prominence.  Most of these godlike people were banished from the earth, but are attempting to regain power.  The protagonists, of course, seek to prevent this.  The story follows a set of American twins named Sophie and Josh, the eponymous Flamel, and his wife Perenelle.  I've been enjoying the absence of a love story.  I can't remember the last teen story without one, and it's refreshing.  The plot zings along just fine without one.  Once again, I'm also thrilled at the strong female characters amongst the protagonists, antagonists, and supporting cast.  It's a very gender-equal cast, to the point where the twins are equally prominent leads.

A few elements of the story rile my inner literary critic.  I'm impatient with series.  I like reaching the end of a story.  Some series, Harry Potter being an example, treat each book as a semi-independent story, so there's a sense of satisfaction upon reaching the end.  This series, however, leaves most of the plot open at the end of each book.  I feel like I've finished a chapter and now I have to wait a year for the next one.  The second element that irritates me is the suggestion that the current concept of the earth's history is incorrect, and that these powerful creatures have and continue to live on earth without our awareness.  I dislike plotlines that suggest that people are stupid or ignore evidence.  I find it difficult to suspend disbelief for what feels like authorial laziness.  When cameras are everywhere, dramatically magical events and mythological creatures will not go unremarked by mainstream society.

Lucifer, by Mike Carey

I had been hoping to finish reading Lucifer this week, a spinoff from Neil Gaiman's unrivalled Sandman series. As it turns out, my library's only copies of Volume 10 have been listed as "newly acquired" for about 2 months now.  I gave up on waiting and decided to skip right to the last volume. I'll plan on rereading volume 11 after 10 finally makes it into my hands.  The publisher's description suggests that it contains the climax to the whole series.

Lucifer is well done.  As in much of Western literature, Lucifer himself is portrayed as a complex and sympathetic if ruthless character.  I enjoyed following the life he created for himself after abandoning Hell towards the end of Sandman.   A rich cast of supporting characters fleshes out the series, and keeps the reader emotionally engaged.  Women figure prominently, from Lucifer's lieutenant Mazikeen, to the increasingly central half-angel Elaine.  I keep a warm place in my heart for authors who respect their female characters, and aren't content with relegating them to the sidelines.  Elaine is one of my favourite characters at the moment, and I am sad to be done with her.

I found, as the series progressed, that I was less interested in the plotlines as I was in character development.  Lucifer may take place in the Sandman universe, but emphasizes a judeo-christian worldview to an extent that is alien to Sandman.  The parent series revolves around universal  areligious entities, and suggests that all religions are equally valid when one chooses to follow them.  Lucifer seems to suggest that the judeo-christian god created the world.  As a fan of the Sandman worldview, this rubs me the wrong way.  I'm also a fan of consistency, and retcons have a tendency to make me a grumpy critical reader.

Volumes read this week: 6: The Mansions of Silence, 7: The Exodus, 8: The Wolf Beneath the Tree, 9: Crux, 11: Evensong.

Fablehaven, by Brandon Mull

This book was recommended to me by a child who repeatedly came to my library branch looking for it's sequels; there are now 4 books in the series with a 5th due out soon. 

Fablehaven is about a brother and sister who visit their reclusive grandparents, expecting a dull and awkward couple of weeks.  Through a natural course of events (and a few riddles) they discover that their grandparents are the caretakers of a preserve for magical creatures.  Adventures ensue. 

This book may appeal to the usual fantasy readers & Harry Potter crowd, as it involves both magic and empowered children exploring their world and solving problems.  I particularly appreciated that breaking every rule one comes across was not the key to heroism, but that observation, thoughtfulness, and selfless bravery were.

Fantastic Mr. Fox, by Roald Dahl

I thought it was about time I reread this one, before I wander off to the movie theatre. 

A good romp, but generally I like a story with a little more meat to it.  Probably why I've been reading so many more teen than children's books in the last year.  I'm also not as good at disengaging my logical mind while reading the ridiculous as I used to be.  Particular gripes: I thought the other animals should be a little more upset with Mr. Fox than they were, and Mr. Fox's solution seems short sighted. 

I wonder how I felt when I read this as a child.