Welcome Back to Nerd Church

Welcome my dear friends to the first Nerd Church of 2016.

What is Nerd Church?

Well, you know, some of us aren't that religious in an organised sense. (Most of us, I'm guessing, if you want to be honest.)

But there are a lot of nerds out that who follow their various fandoms and interests with a devotion that borders on worship. And I think that moral stuff and philosophiphising (one thing you should know about me, I don't use the word 'philosophising,' or anything related to 'philosophy,' correctly - it's like a sad, dorky, tick,) can come from anywhere.

So, I came up with Nerd Church. A place in cyber-space where nerds and non-nerds alike can celebrate making the world a better place and trying to make our way through life in (more-or-less) one piece.

Basically, on a Sunday, I talk about moral examples from fiction and related nerd outlets, guides to life, and philisophophising.

And sometimes I just have an out-right rant about something that's bugging me, because it's my blog people. Deal with it. :)

Feel free to drop in and worship at the altar of nerdyness every Sunday - and/or continue the Nerd Church vibe on your own blogs (I just ask that you link back to me - please and thank you!)


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My TBR List is Trying To Kill Me

I think my TBR list is trying to kill me. It just keeps growing. And growing.

It's like Hydra - cut off one head and two more take its place!

I blame Goodreads - all those recommendations! I want to read all the books goddamn it!

And then, like the intelligent woman that I am, I read things that aren't on the list. A lot. And then add more to the list. And then some more. And then... yup, more.

Argh!

Happy reading! ;)


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Success! Goodreads Challenge complete
2016 Bookish Resolutions

Friday Fics Fix! - A Little Bit Of Loki

I think I'm still too full of Christmas food for my inner fangirl to be up to reading much fanfiction.

Plus, I really struggled to find anything to feature which wasn't... well, hugely sexually specific... even for fanfiction.

So, I just have a little character-study one-shot to recommend to you:

The Hidden and Hurting Heart by Earial13

This is an angst-y and short fic with a lot of Loki feels (emotions, to the non-fandom-fluent.)

Yes, I know most of the fics I feature include Loki... or FrostIron... but, y'know, I like what I like ;)


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Graphic Novels

Wolverine: Enemy of the State (UK - US) collects Wolverine: Enemy of the State Vol 1 and 2 (I know, just accept it.) Spearheaded by the fabulous Mark Millar, this tells the story of a Wolverine brainwashed by Hydra and sent out as a weapon against SHIELD and the other superheroes.

It's pretty great, in all honesty; sharp, modern lines, mixed with the odd bit of graphic violence, every bad-guy agency you can think of (Hydra, The Hand, AIM...) and cameos from an array of the Marvel Universe's best and brightest, (Captain America, The Fantastic Four, Daredevil, and a major role for Elektra - it's worth it just to see her wearing a SHIELD baseball cap.)

The book covers Wolverine (2003 run) #20-32. It's Wolverine #32: Prisoner Number Zero (UK - US,) completely standalone and nothing to do with the story arc, that stands out.

Put simply, Wolverine #32 (UK - US) is a work of art. A holocaust ghost story, told largely in silhouette, Logan never utters a word. It's stunning - a true masterpiece.

Single Issues


This week I also dived into Wolverine: The End #3 (UK - US) and #5 (UK - US) - why no #4? Because I bought them at a used comic stall, and they didn't have #4. That's why.

These feature what is commonly known in the Marvel world as Old Man Logan. Yes folks, these are set in the future, where Wolverine's famous side-burns are a fetching shade of pure white.

Due to the now pretty complicated time-lines in the Marvel Universe, I advise you (as with pretty much all comics) to just accept things and not try too hard to figure out what's going on. You'll actually understand more if you're not trying to; I know how that sounds, but trust me.

Of, the two issues, #3 (UK - US) was, in my opinion, the better. The artwork in both is stunning, but the flow of #3 was just more... impressive somehow. And there are fight sequences in there that play out like a beautiful dance - I know this is a cliché, but they took my breath away.

Other Stuff

Unfortunately, I was reminded this week that not all fans of comics and graphic novels are supportive of others - particularly if those others happen to be women.

Narrow-minded people really irritate me. But I hope I conducted myself well in my response.


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The Invisibles by Francis Gideon Now Available on Amazon

The Invisibles by Francis Gideon - a short story of life and romance between teenage boy Mike and his new friend Johnny, is now available on Amazon. You can see my full review here.

I really enjoyed this book - it was sweet, well-written, and thoughtful. If it looks like your kind of thing, then give it a try.

Full Disclosure: I am an Amazon Associate and will receive a small commission should you choose to use any of my links to make a purchase. I received a free digital review copy of the 'The Invisibles' from the publishers, via NetGalley, in return for an honest and fair review.


                                                

Buy Now UK - Buy Now USA - Goodreads – Author's Site

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Review Time! - Dead Ice by Laurell K Hamilton

Title: Dead Ice.

Author: Laurell K Hamilton.

Genre: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Zombies, Vampires, Crime, LGBTQIAP+ and Polyamorous

Series: Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter (#24.)

Amazon: UK - USA.

A few starting notes:

I received a free paperback review copy of this book from the UK publisher, Headline, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is #24 in the series - I know, it's a big series. I'd read a few before, and really enjoyed them, but haven't read all of them, and certainly not in order.

Dead Ice can be read as standalone with very little problem, but there are a few spoilers for previous events in the series, so be aware of that if you want to read this book as standalone. 

As usual, the level of spoilerage in this review won't go beyond what's in the blurb of the book.

Premise:

US marshal, zombie animator, and legal vampire executioner, Anita Blake, is on the trail of someone making zombie porn.

That's ick enough in itself, but there's something different about these zombies... zombies shouldn't be capable of fear.

If that wasn't enough, Anita also has wedding plans to deal with, and relationships - both personal and political - to juggle as well. Things are going to get interesting.

Best bits:

I love the frenetic energy of these books - things happen in a whirlwind of personal, professional, fur (there are wereanimals,) and fangs.

Anita's sarcasm and exasperation are, quite simply, awesome. And she's pretty kick-ass in general.

This series is pretty much the pinnacle of urban fantasy (and I do love me some urban fantasy - what with all the paranormal faffing around cities and everything...) and this instalment does justice to Hamilton's reputation as the queen of this genre.

The plot here is involving enough to keep you reading - keeping the right mix of Anita's personal and professional lives with the promise of a criminal case leading through it all.

Strangely, this book is also pretty emotionally healthy. Nope, I mean it.

Sure, bad stuff happens, a lot, and everyone is slightly broken because of it (of course,) but Anita and her household work pretty damned hard to make sure everyone is open, and no-one ignores what they're feeling. Nice and refreshing in any book.

Not so great bits:

Not everyone is going to be happy with the references (though no graphic scenes,) to BDSM.

There are also explicit sex scenes, including with wereanimals, which ultimately aren't going to be to everyone's taste. They are however handled about as tastefully as you could reasonably expect of explicit sex scenes.

There's a lot of characters here - which can get a little confusing when you're trying to remember who said what with who. But overall, it's not too difficult to regain your bearings.

Some of the LGBTQIAP+ representation - especially regarding intersex people - might be a bit off; though there is so much going on here that it's difficult to fully define that. Overall though, just having this amount of LGBTQIAP+ rep in a book is great.

Verdict:

An enjoyable instalment in a tried-and-tested urban fantasy series, showing that Ms Hamilton has enough in reserve to keep the involving plots and intrigues going for quite a while yet.

Buy Now UK - Buy Now USA - Goodreads - Author's Site

Amended 29th October 2016

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Review! (Yaaaay!) - The Invisibles by Francis Gideon

Title: The Invisibles.

Author: Francis Gideon.

Genre: YA, Romance (M/M), Contemporary, LGBTQ+.

Release Date: Jan 6 2016.

Amazon: UK - USA.

A few starting notes:

I received a free digital review copy of this book via NetGalley. NetGalley provides review copies from publishers (in this case +Less Than Three Press, LLC ) in exchange for fair and honest reviews.

I didn't really have any expectations of this short story - never heard of it, never heard of the author. I picked it solely on the premise, because it seemed quite interesting.

Premise:

Mike is the new kid in school. No one suspects that the 9th of September, 2001, will be anything but another day.

In the chaos that hits the whole country when the towers fall, Mike slips out of school with Ray and Johnny - and they bond over movies and comic books.

Against a backdrop of comics and friendship, Mike starts to wonder if Johnny has his own secret identity... and if it's an identity he's willing to share.

Best bits:

This is a really sweet (but luckily not overly sweet,) story - capturing perfectly the awkwardness of teen identity, friendship, and romance.

The awkwardness never gets cringe-y, and remains cute but not patronising. To be honest, achieving this balance is pretty damned difficult to achieve, and I was impressed by the level of skill that Francis Gideon uses to pull it off.

I also love the comic-book language that the boys use to converse, and to make their way through life.

Of course, being a total nerd, and knowing that comics are more than just comics, I would delight in these bits - but I'm pretty sure non-comics-savvy-folk would understand enough to not be left in the dark.

Not so great bits:

Some people may not be too happy about the references to porn, but there's nothing graphic sex-wise here. There is some swearing, which won't be to everyone's taste.

Occasionally, there is an awkwardness to some of the prose - maybe the syntax (order of the words - check me out with my technical terms and my smarticalness!) is a bit off in places. It's not a big problem, but it's a little jarring when reading.

To me, the 9/11 fixation seemed a little much, but then I was very small and living in South Wales at the time, so wouldn't know to what extent it affected everyday life in the USA.

Verdict:

This is a sweet and well-written romance with an excellent depiction of the awkwardness of teenage social life, and the uncertainties of love and identity.

It flows really well, and will melt some of the most frozen of hearts.

Buy Now UK - Buy Now USA - Goodreads – Author's Site

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