Review! (Graphic Novel Edition!) - Golem by Lorenzo Ceccotti

Title: Golem

Author: Lorenzo Ceccotti (LRNZ)

Genre: Graphic Novel, Manga, Dystopian, Sci-Fi

Release Date: 5th-7th April

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 exchange for fair and honest reviews.

This is a translation, from an Italian author, which blends manga-style art with Western-style art.

So, of course, I was interested enough to give it a try. ;)

Premise:

In a post-apocalyptic Italy, with a corrupt government, a young boy is kidnapped.

But what's so special about him? Why does the government think they can use him? - That whoever has him, has power?

Best bits:

The first few pages of every chapter were stunning, hand-on-your-heart, page-length pieces of art worthy of any museum or gallery.

These were the pieces that the striking cover-art promised. And they are truly breath-taking: like, tears-to-the-eyes style of beautiful.

The rest of the artwork was interesting in places... but more serviceable than anything.

I really liked the character of Steno, just because he was so damned sweet and innocent.

He was like a mini, Italian, dystopian, version of Captain America. I wanted to pet him on the head and give him a medal, simultaneously.

There were moments of emotion in this book, and even of plot, that were really great - but... yeah, I have mixed feelings about this book.

Not so great bits:

I had trouble actually following what was going on - I'm not going to lie.

I got the rebel-group characters confused a bit, because a lot of them were introduced in battle scenes and dark panels, or in a quick and running multi-person intro.

And then I'm just there like: who the hell was he? Where did she come from? Wait, which one is that?!

Maybe something was lost in translation... maybe.

The fact remains, I'm still not entirely sure wtf was going on. Maybe it's just me - maybe this book and me just didn't gel together; who knows?

Oh, and I say this so much that it's almost lost all meaning, but there's gore, violence, and some swearing in this book.

Verdict:

Don't think I'm dismissing this book entirely.

Let's get one thing straight, for all my confusion - I enjoyed this book.

There were narrative issues, ok? But those full-length pages? It was worth the read just for that.

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

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Charity Reading Challenge 2016 Update - March

Yes! I have finally read something for this challenge!

Host: Becky's Book Reviews
Duration: January 2016-December 2016

The Challenge: 'Read for a good cause! Buy books at a charity shop, or, even a friends of the library book sale, or, donate a certain percentage of money for each book you read for the challenge. You can choose your own goal of how many books to read, what charity you'll be donating money towards, how much money, etc.'

The full rules can be found on Becky's Book Reviews here.

My sign-up post can be read here.


March 2016

Number of books read so far: 1/20
This Month: 1


Title: Born on the Fourth of July (UK Click Here - US Click Here)

Author: Ron Kovic

Price: £0.25

Charity Helped: Local cause - sale to help a local child with medical care and equipment.

My Thoughts:

This is a non-fiction book detailing Ron Kovic's experiences as a Vietnam veteran; there is also a film of the book, starring Tom Cruise, of the same name.

Born on the Fourth of July is one of those books that everyone needs to read simply because it is a snapshot of history, and a testament to the uncomfortable truths that we need to remind ourselves of, and never let the world forget.


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Nerd Church - A Rich Man's World

Okie dokie my lovely people! Another week, another Nerd Church post.

And here's what I've been thinking of this week: money!

People don't talk a lot about money - not in the fictional world anyway. But it's an inescapable part of life - we all need it if we want things like clothes and food and all that jazz.

It's also something that, rightly or wrongly, separates us into the rich... and everyone else.

So why are so many fictional characters on the rich side of the spectrum?

This happens a lot, especially when it comes to superheroes - though other genres aren't innocent in all this either.

I'm not saying it's a rampant problem - I'm just saying that given how few people are actually that rich, they seem to crop up a lot in pop culture.

Sure, it helps out with plot if someone like Tony Stark has enough money to go faffing about in a suit of armour with little concern for anything else.

And then, Bruce Wayne is loaded. Oliver Queen (the Green Arrow) has always lived the rich playboy lifestyle.

Hell, even Harry Potter finds out that he has a vault just heaving with actual freaking gold at Gringotts!

Unless it's some huge look-at-me plot point, money just never seems to be a problem to fictional characters. Something which effects all of us every day is just stuffed under the rug and walked away from with an innocent-sounding whistle.

What's the message here?

If the 'good guys' are always rolling in it, does that mean, by inference, that poor people can't be heroes?

Yes, fine, have a rich villain, go ahead! But a rich hero has to stop them in return.

I just find it a little antiquated that people who aren't rolling in it have to be protected by the exceptionally rich - the modern-day equivalent of the feudal Baron, lording it over the little people and claiming to be doing it for their own protection.

Because in no way can non-rich people think for themselves, protect themselves, act under their own direction - perish the thought!

So heroes, then, are rich and handsome. Money somehow gives them status. And we all seem to be OK with that.

The exceptions

There are some heroes who aren't filthy stinking rich (and thank God for that.)

Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, for example, grew up in 1930s poverty, in New York.

I like to think that his upbringing has something to do with the compassion he has, and his willingness to stand up for what's right, no matter who he's standing up to.

And of course, in most versions of his upbringing, Clint Barton (Hawkeye) grew up as a performer in a travelling carnival and/or circus.

And there are others - plenty of examples of non-rich heroes to go around, I'm sure.

But the icons - Batman, Iron Man, etc. - so many of them seem to have no financial worries in this world.

Then there's dystopia...

One of my many theories (and my friends, I have a theory for pretty much everything,) is that dystopia is so popular because it gives us a heightened version of our own world - only one in which things are more changeable than many would consider our world to be.

Katniss Everdeen is the epitome (ooh, look! Fancy word! ;P ) of a poverty-stricken hero.

 

And what's more, she's doing what we all wish we could do - fighting against an unfair system which rewards the few (the Capitol,) while punishing the many (the Districts.)

Dystopia as a genre bucks the rich-people-are-heroes trend, because it simply doesn't seem to fit in with a genre where so many people are suffering in hellish conditions.

So, what's my point?

Rich people can be heroic, I'm sure - but why are we seeing so many wealthy heroes?

Most of us aren't rich. In fact, there are probably more starving Katniss-es in this world than there are billionaires like Tony Stark. 99% and all that.

And aside from that... it just feels lazy.

It means that the writers don't have to give their heroes any uncomfortable, everyday, worries, or work out too many of the restrictions of a secret identity/superhero lifestyle - it seems like you can get away with practically anything if you have enough money to throw at it.

Unlike Spider-man, Iron Man can faff off to anywhere in the world whenever he wants - no job, no responsibilities, no restrictions.

Most of us, though? We're reduced to selling slightly-deceitful photos of Spider-man to the Daily Bugle, like Peter Parker, in the hopes that we can help pay the bills.


Nerd Church is a weekly post where I talk about various issues in various ways, and sometimes just have a rant. Feel free to continue the conversation but, as always, please link back here - it's good karma ;)



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The Month In Review(s) - March 2016

Ahhh, spring and March and books and reviews :)

Check out all the books I've reviewed this month:

Kids

Midnight by Jacqueline Wilson - contemporary, chick lit
After Tomorrow by Gillian Cross - dystopian

Young Adult

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell - fantasy, paranormal, LGBTQ+ (M/M)

Adult

Mr Mercedes by Stephen King - crime, thriller
Orlando by Virginia Woolf - classics, historical fiction, LGBT*Q+
The True and Splendid History of the Harristown Sisters by Michelle Lovric - historical fiction
The Zoo Father by Pascale Petit - poetry

Graphic Novels

Adulthood is a Myth: A Sarah's Scribbles Collection by Sarah Andersen - humour
The Beauty, Volume 1 - dystopian, horror, sci-fi

Non-fiction

Everyday Sexism by Laura Bates

Friday Fics Fix! - Try a Li'l Tenderness

As you all probably know by now if you've spent as much time down the fanfiction rabbit-hole as I have, there's a lot of sex in fanfiction.

So, it'll come as no surprise when I once again point out that this week's fic is for ages 18+ only. I'm not going to be held responsible if you ignore my warnings.

This week's selection is a piece of FrostShield (aka CapsLok) PWP.

(Fangirl notes:

FrostShield/CapsLok: A Captain America and Loki romantic-al relationship.

PWP: Plot, What Plot; Porn Without Plot; Porn With Plot; etc, etc. Basically, all-out porn.)

So, why did I pick this?

Not for its plot value - there is essentially no plot to speak of.

No, I picked this because it's such a beautifully-and-sexily-written love-scene. It's tender and it's hot.

What we have here is sex with emotion and feeling - something you don't find very often, even in mainstream fiction.

This week's fic then is:

Adoration by Mazuku

Well done, Mazuku, I doff my metaphorical fangirling hat to you. :)



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Comics Wrap Up - Better the Devil You Know

Graphic Novels

This week I read Golem (UK here - US here) by Lorenzo Ceccotti (also known as LRNZ) in its recent English translation - this is a dystopian manga with a blending of Eastern and Western styles.

I had mixed feelings about it - but can't deny the beauty of some of the artwork. Review to follow within the next few weeks. :)

(Is it me, or is there a lot of dystopia in graphic novels lately? ...Maybe it's just the ones that I read.)


Single Issues

Daredevil: Yellow #1 (UK here - US here) is the beginning of a retelling of Daredevil's origins (not the being blind bit, the deciding to fight crime as a vigilante in a yellow and red suit with lil horns bit - after all, it takes more than a blinding to incite you to beat up gangsters in the middle of New York. Takes a bit more motivation, and all that.)

The Daredevil costume only really comes in at the very end here, and is in its original jaunty yellow and red form, instead of totally red.

Still, it's better than a lot of early superhero costumes (the Green Arrow originally looked like he was a reject from Robin Hood: Men in Tights.)

It was an entertaining comic, adequately illustrated, and to-the-point, though it didn't really wow me. But then, it was a first issue, plenty of warming-up to do.


Other Stuff

Smirking Revenge over at Confessions of a Book Whore gave us her take on the Civil War trailer. (And if you're interested, you can read my take on the same here.)

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I read Episode 1: A Young Maiden's Curse of the uber-talented Jessi Sheron's webcomic The Evil Queen.

I highly recommend that you check it out - Sheron is definitely one to watch.

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The Writer Diaries: Micropoetry - March 2016

So, I came across micropoetry when faffing around on Twitter... and me being me, I kind of dove right in there.

Of course, then I figured out that since I tend to write directly into the tweet box (I know that's not normally how it's done but meh, that's the way I roll sometimes,) I was seriously in danger of losing the random bits and pieces of micropoetry I throw onto Twitter in the general clutter of my timeline/profile page/whatever it is you call it on Twitter.

Just to keep something of a record of my random writings then, I figured it'd be a good idea to collate them once a month into a Micropoetry Wrap-up type-thingummy.

Here's what I wrote in March (and one day in February,) -



February 29th

I think my heart is breaking darling
but I don't know why
every time I refresh the page the words remain


March 3rd

#MotherEarthsLastWords
Were ones of regret.
She gave her children everything
And they never loved her.
She still loves them.

March 4th

The Truth? The Truth is
That you never knew.
Every breath in my lungs?
It was for you.


March 8th

We still face
Obvious & subtle discrimination
Major & minor inequalities
Every day,
Needing to scream - this is 2016!

March 11th

do this
do that
end up being judged
whatever you do
just the way things go


March 12th

tomorrow I will see you
I wonder if you'll recognise
the one you left behind to die
guess I'm stronger than you thought


March 13th

do you feel sometimes
like people need to learn
that there are other people in this world too?


March 17th

Hello, my dear Shadow Man!
Yes, I love you still -
Though I can't see my Shadow Man,
I know he's with me still.

March 18th

I asked for your #heart,
You told me no.
Don't go, dear Shadow Man,
Please don't go.

March 28th

I throw words out into the dark
Like tiny fireflies
Hoping to spread light

March 29th

I love you, dear stranger,
Just for being you.
Wherever you may be,
You may count on the love
Of a stranger like me



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