Odd Duck by Cecil Castellucci & Sara Varon (Illustrator)

Premise: Theodora might have some quirks, but she leads a quiet, perfectly normal life, in her own eyes. She stays home when all the other ducks are flying south for the winter. She practices balancing her teacup on her head when she swims and she practices flapping her wings for a time when she might need to fly. When Chad moves in next door, Theodora instantly realizes that he is odd. He is unorganized, builds strange creations in the front yard, dyes his feathers different colors, and talks nonstop.

But Theodora soon discovers they have some things in common. They like and dislike some of the same books. They like to watch the stars and eat some of the same foods. Through their time together they become good friends. But when they overhear someone mentioning that “odd duck” within earshot, neither of them is sure which one they are talking about. It might just be too much for either of them to either point a finger at the other or to accept that they themselves might just be an odd duck.

Themes: Odd Duck tackles the many aspects of friendship, including being alone, meeting new friends, enjoying spending time together, arguing over the smallest things, and reconciliation. Theodora was happy by herself, but when she meets Chad they hit it off and love doing things together, especially when they learn they have some shared interests. When they fight over the silliest of misunderstandings it will take some self-examination and humility to reconcile the relationship.

Not only does Odd Duck show aspects of friendship, it also highlights being yourself regardless of what others think and standing by your friends when others look down on them for their differences. When one of them is called odd, Chad and Theodora don’t know who it is that they are talking about, but it ends up hurting their friendship when they care what others think of them. It is only when they accept each other for who they are and realize that they might also be a bit odd that they are able to put aside those differences and go back to being friends.

Pros: Odd Duck does a great job quickly forming characters that stand out through some humorous things like Theodora practicing flapping her wings and Chad dying his feathers different colors. The contrast between these two ducks is obvious, but the way in which Castellucci and Varon manage to display through them a tight bond between friends, and the ways in which a friendship can quickly dissolve because of pride and shortsightedness and be reconciled out of true remorse is pretty amazing. The art is simple and colorful, but it makes the humor more pronounced without sacrificing emotion in the characters. It is in the understated moments where Odd Duck manages to evoke some real emotion.

Cons: Just as the title states, this book is a little odd. Though children will probably enjoy it in spite of being odd, they might not exactly understand all the little oddities it contains, such as putting mango salsa in duck food, practicing flapping, and dying feathers. There is potential for people to use this book to push unadulterated acceptance and approval of alternative lifestyles or for others on the opposite side to denounce it for a perceived political agenda. I think Odd Duck manages to sidestep those issues and deliver a clean, helpful message for children and adults to be nice, to accept others for who they are, and to be true to your friends.

Recommendations: Considered a children’s book, Odd Duck manages to have a lesson for everyone of all ages on how to treat others, when to stick by your friends, and what to think of yourself when others consider you to be odd. With some great but simple art, you’ll find yourself going back through to find the little details that Varon has sprinkled throughout the frames. Castellucci has written an easy to read, yet profound, story that doesn’t talk down to the reader or go down the road of being preachy or cheesy when it comes to giving a message of acceptance of others’ differences. Many people could do themselves well to read this charming little gem of a story, however odd it may be.

Cecil Castellucci’s website
Sara Varon’s website
Odd Duck on Goodreads
Buy Odd Duck on Amazon
I received a copy from the publisher to write this honest review.

 

Red Handed: The Fine Art of Strange Crimes by Matt Kindt

Premise: The city of Red Wheelbarrow has had a spike in crimes, but only because the new detective in town is solving them with a perfect record. With his amazing deductive thinking and use of new spy technology, Detective Gould is catching every criminal in town.

But the recent string of crimes are as strange as they are seemingly connected, and Detective Gould is facing his biggest challenge yet. As he attempts to track down the culprits of these confusing crimes, Gould might just have found his match for solving crimes. In fact, the challenge to solve the crime might be much more intentional and personal than he knows.

Themes: Becoming too immersed into a job can cause strain on personal relationships. Detective Gould begins to learn this as his marriage suffers, as do his other relationships, as the expense for being extremely good at his job and pouring everything into it.

Another theme in Red Handed is the questioning the contrast between law and justice. As Detective Gould makes arrests, the criminals are arrested under the law, but justice is still under scrutiny by the manner in which they are made. Can causing something terrible to happen through intentional yet completely legal means be considered justice?

In pure crime fiction fashion, Red Handed poses mysteries to be solved by a crack detective searching for clues and motives. With a twist of an ending, solving the crimes becomes more personal as the crimes themselves are turned back onto Detective Gould.

Pros: I love that we get a little glimpse of a story before we know what it means, only to see it later on and to have it make more sense and continually bring a new layer of depth to the main plot. The little previews of upcoming and past threads in each of the different character stories add so much more depth to each thread and to the overall story. The retro noir feel of the art style fits perfectly with the crime genre. Kindt knows when to be sparse with his art and when to be more elaborate. I especially like how he makes the newspaper clipping type scenes of Detective Gould solving the crimes actually look more like early sketches with remaining pencil lines compared to the rest of the book. With hints at violence and sex, Red Handed manages to stay fairly clean by doing the more risqué things off screen.

Cons: I actually found myself flipping back constantly as new story threads were introduced to find the little hints and previews that only made sense once you reached them later on. It was a bit confusing as it jumps around and could be something that might either keep people from appreciating the story from start to end or confuse people so much that the story makes less sense on the first read through.

Recommendations: The interweaving stories in Red Handed make the seemingly inconsequential threads come together into a masterfully woven tapestry full of depth and intrigue. Crime fiction and mystery readers will absolutely love what Matt Kindt has done with Red Handed. Not only does he tell a deep, multifaceted story, but he is an incredibly talented artist. The story jumps around a bit and the art looks retro with a hint of noir, but it feels timeless in that it could be placed anytime within the last seventy years or so. If you are looking for a crime fiction graphic novel that gradually gives you new revelations but leaves you guessing until the very end, Red Handed is probably right up your alley.

Matt Kindt’s website
Red Handed: The Fine Art of Strange Crimes on Goodreads
Buy Red Handed: The Fine Art of Strange Crimes on Amazon
I received a copy from the publisher to write this honest review.

 

Teacher’s Pest by Charles Gilman

Premise: Robert Arthur has defeated Professor Gargoyle and The Slither Sisters in Crawford Tillinghast’s plot to take over the world: by bringing his strange monsters from the supposedly destroyed Tillinghast Mansion into the grounds of Lovecraft Middle School. With help from his friends Karina Ortiz, Glenn Torkells, and the two-headed rat named Pip and Squeak, Robert was able to defeat the Price sisters by winning the election for student council president. But Robert never wanted to be student council president, so he withdrew his bid and gave the position to the friendly Howard Mergler. The problem is that Howard is really a giant bug creature in disguise with the ability to control insects to do his bidding.

Howard’s new plot is to infest the school with massive swarms of insects all over Lovecraft Middle School. What a bad time for the janitorial staff to go on strike. As student council president, Howard is trusted by the adoring faculty and staff. There are few who know what he really is, and it is up to Robert, Karina, Glenn, and their pet rat to save the day yet again. Can they defeat a massive insect army led by a giant insect general intent on taking over the world?

Themes: The strength of friendship is put to the test in Teacher’s Pest. Pip and Squeak go missing and Robert will do whatever it takes to get them back. Glenn also grows distant after he is stung by a giant wasp, so Robert attempts to connect with his bully friend. But the reasons for Glenn putting off his friends might be the one thing that Robert can relate to, if only they could be forthcoming with each other. These friends are willing to put themselves in danger for each other.

Appearances are not a good way to judge people. On the outside, Howard Mergler is a well-dressed, polite, wonderful student. On the inside, he is a cruel bug-monster plotting to take over the world. On the flip-side, Robert is a loner with almost no friends, but after his previous fights and the bravery he displays in battling dark forces, he shows that great things can come from unexpected places.

Pros: Teacher’s Pest is full of action and a sense of real danger, more so even than the previous two books. There is some interpersonal conflict not found in the previous books that isn’t necessarily germane to the plot but adds a much deeper character development for the three main characters. Even with the intense action, I thought Teacher’s Pest was more appropriate for younger children than the other books, with less of a scary horror element and more of a gross out factor. Kids will love the bugs, rats, and eyeball monsters. As with the previous two books, the shapeshifting cover is awesome.

Cons: The main characters make some odd decisions that were out of character, excepting for the disjointed thought processes of middle school students. Both Robert and Glenn treat friends terribly at some point: Robert out of fear and Glenn out of embarrassment. The behavior is built up over a considerable time, especially in the case of Glenn, and then the explanation is almost too simplistic. There were also almost no references to the work of H.P. Lovecraft apart from an instance of chanting in another language, which is kind of a disappointment for Lovecraft fans seeking elements of homage to the horror great.

Recommendations: Make sure you read the first two books in the Lovecraft Middle School series to get a lot of setup information, some of which will be necessary to understand the plot, but most of which will just make the entire experience much better. This series has very high quality writing that is easy to read. It has horror elements that might be too intense for readers on the younger end of the middle grade spectrum, though Teacher’s Pest is more appropriate for younger middle grade than the first two books. It is packed full of bugs that are sure to gross kids out, in a good way. Robert and his friends show us that kids can do great things, especially when there are teachers and mentors who support them in their efforts.

Lovecraft Middle School website
Teacher’s Pest on Goodreads
Buy Tales from Lovecraft Middle School #3: Teacher’s Pest on Amazon
Download Tales from Lovecraft Middle School #3: Teacher’s Pest for your Kindle
I received a copy from the publisher to write this honest review.

 

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

Premise: Roshar is a land of savage weather, with highstorms that ravage the scarred land. The flora and fauna have adapted to such extreme conditions, with the plants learning to withdraw into themselves into hardened stalks and trunks at the slightest sense of changes in conditions and the crustacean-like creatures with protective shells. The people have adapted to these storms by building their cities on the sheltered sides of cliffs and within the cliffs themselves. It is under these conditions that men are at war for the gemhearts of the giant beasts of the Shattered Plains, the gems that can be formed into spheres to be used as currency. And once infused with Stormlight from the powerful storms, the spheres can be used to light their dwellings, power their Soulcasters that transform objects, and to give power to the powerful blades and armor left behind from the Knights Radiant.

Ages ago, the ten consecrated orders of the Knights Radiant protected the land by using these Shardblades and Shardplate to transform the Knights into virtually invincible warriors. But these weapons and the legends of their betrayal are all that remain of the Knights Radiant. They are known now throughout the kingdom for turning their backs on the people. But there are things about the Knights and the Voidbringers that have been kept a secret, and Jasnah Kholin, heretic daughter of the assassinated king, might be uncovering things about this history that will change everything and reveal the true cause of the war.

Brightlord Dalinar Kholin, the late king’s brother, is a renowned man of honor. He commands an army on the Shattered Plains and serves to protect the king. However, when he begins having troubling visions of ancient times at every highstorm pointing him to an ancient book called The Way of Kings, his sanity is questioned, including by himself. And then there is Kaladin, who was going to practice medicine, but instead became a spearman to protect his brother. Losing everything he had and being put into slavery, he is now a bridgeman in another highprince’s army, carrying bridges to allow the soldiers to travel over the chasms in the Shattered Plains. The other spearman called him Kaladin Stormblessed, mostly because of his amazing ability to survive through brutal battles, and here on the Plains the other bridgemen begin to notice the same things about him. As each of the ten armies of Alethkar fight against the same enemy, Dalinar’s visions tell him to unite the kingdom of Alethkar. All he has to do is convince everyone that he’s not going mad.

Themes: One of the main themes in The Way of Kings is politics. There are the politics behind the hierarchy of people with light eyes ruling over those with dark eyes, along with the class levels. There are also the politics of war as each highprince jockeys for power and wealth, especially as they battle for gemhearts on the Shattered Plains. Sadeas plays this game well as he uses ruthless tactics to gain an advantage on the Plains and is ruthless with the other highprinces as well. The politics behind the assassination of the king is something that comes into question as we learn more about the assassin and the strange things going on that nobody quite understands yet.

Religion plays a large part of the story, as following the Vorin faith is an assumed thing for all of Alethkar. Jasnah, the king’s daughter and Dalinar’s niece, is considered a heretic because she doesn’t believe as everyone else does. And when confusing visions start to plague Dalinar with every highstorm, his sanity is questioned just as his brother’s did right before he was assassinated. The different regions and races also have different religions, from the Shin revering stone by not walking on it to the Parshendi’s battle tactics and their respect for their dead. Everything comes into question as the true history behind the land of Roshar and the Knights Radiant begins to be revealed.

Standing up for your beliefs and doing the right thing have a huge impact in the world. Dalinar abides by military regulations that no other highprince enforces, even when he is looked down on for it. And when his visions lead him to seek out the codes according to The Way of Kings, to live by honor, integrity, and to unite the kingdom, his sanity is even questioned. Kaladin has the same sense of honor in how he treats the lowliest of bridgemen, including the parshman servant that is assigned to his bridge crew. It is this integrity that leads him to put himself in the most danger to protect those around him and to put in extra work and spheres to help the injured that normally would have been left behind to die.

Pros: Sanderson’s world building is incredible. He includes everything I could think of and more in The Way of Kings: war, government, politics, religion, climate, currency, history, etiquette, flora, fauna, and so much more in this world. I especially like that the flora and fauna are different than what we normally see in fantasy in that they have had to evolve to survive extreme weather conditions. The magic system, like Sanderson’s Mistborn series, is magnificent and multifaceted, and as bit by bit is revealed about Shardblades, Shardplate, Surgebinders, fabrials, and more, my interest in the magic was continually refined, if not having my expectations confused tweaked to the point of wanting more answers. The characters development is good, especially when we get to see their perspectives in different chapters. I thought the contrast and comparison between Dalinar and Kaladin was especially poignant. Between the setting, interweaving plots, characters, and conflicts, The Way of Kings succeeds in just about every aspect of telling a great story. And though this is a long book, it didn’t really feel that long as it is packed with a lot of depth of plot, action, and new shiny magic.

Cons: My biggest complaint is that there was either too much revealed or not enough about the magic in The Way of Kings. We learned mostly about Shardblades and Shardplate, but then we get to see a bit of Surgebinding, where Stormlight is used to bind objects to each other. We get hints at other uses of magic, but no real explanation of what they are or how they relate to the other magics. In Mistborn each facet of the magic is basically revealed with each of the three books in the series, but in The Way of Kings we are given multiple things to chew on without enough clarity on all of them. Shardplate and Shardblades are seen in the battles on the Plains. Szeth and Kaladin show us some Surgebinding. But then we get glimpses of some things through Shallan and Jasnah, but no real insight into what it is the magic really does or how it works. I thought some of this could have probably been left out for the next book, especially considering the length of this one. At around 1000 pages, The Way of Kings is long, almost too long, especially for new epic fantasy readers. Probably due to the length, there were a lot of typos that should have been caught in editing, especially in the last quarter of the book.

Recommendations: Brandon Sanderson fans will do themselves well to read The Way of Kings. There was so much depth to the story, when I finished I felt like I had just finished drinking from a fire hose. Get ready to invest yourself into a real epic series, as the rumor is there will be at least ten books in the series spanning as long as 10-15 years from prelude to conclusion. For Wheel of Time fans, this is a series that is all Brandon Sanderson and not him picking up the source material of someone else. Here you will see his skill at world building and creating magic systems shine. I only hope that we don’t have to wait too long for each book and that they don’t all necessarily each have to be so voluminous to tell his already intriguing tale. The Way of Kings is a good start for those readers who plan on being in this for the long haul. Although The Way of Kings is long, I also expect the other books to possibly be as long, or potentially even longer.

Brandon Sanderson’s website
The Way of Kings on Goodreads
Buy The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive) on Amazon
Download The Way of Kings (Stormlight Archive, The) for your Kindle

 

The Resurrectionist: The Lost Work of Dr. Spencer Black by E.B. Hudspeth

Premise: Dr. Spencer Black spent his childhood in the 1870s robbing graves with his father and brother. From there he attended the Academy of Medicine in Philadelphia and became an esteemed young surgeon until his strange and disturbing theories proved too strange for most scientists to accept.

Dr. Black finds ways to fund his research, from joining traveling carnivals to doing private showings of his horrifying taxidermy specimens. When his work becomes too much for his family to bear, Dr. Black becomes estranged from his brother. The specimens that he gathers from all around the world lead Dr. Black to some strange beliefs that ancient and mythical creatures may very well have existed, and his obsession is to make them live again. He is labeled a madman by most people and a miracle worker by others.

The first part of The Resurrectionist is a biography of Dr. Spencer Black with correspondences between Dr. Black and his family and colleagues included. The second part is The Codex Extinct Animalia, a collection of labeled anatomical drawings of mythical creatures with explanations of their existence.

Themes: Dr. Black’s descent into madness shows the reader the extent to which obsession can harm someone and those around them. Not only are his relationships with his colleagues and family tarnished, but some are also physically affected, some under unexplained circumstances.

There is a vein of science versus religion, science versus nature, or something of the sort in the biography. As Dr. Black delves deeper into his work, his claims against the existence of God become more vocal. His ability to create new creatures, and life itself, grow more insistent, even as other scientists decry his work.

Pros: The drawings in The Resurrectionist are splendid: the work of an artist who has obviously had practice drawing people and animals. The idea encompassed in The Resurrectionist is unique. The only thing I can think to compare the plot to is Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Hudspeth does a good job capturing the obsession of Dr. Black in his work, especially how it negatively harms his relationships.

Cons: Aside from the drawings, there just isn’t much depth to the story in The Resurrectionist. The idea is there, but it is like a short story attached to a book of drawings. As Dr. Black pushed those around him away, I found myself siding with everyone else instead of him. Some of the anatomical claims about certain bones fitting together and evolutionary anomalies causing ancient genes to reemerge in certain cases just didn’t make sense, as splicing animal parts together through taxidermy doesn’t support claims that they once existed that way. It also wasn’t clear which creatures claimed to have existed because of natural specimens or which were created by Black.

Recommendations: The Resurrectionist is the kind of book you can pick up in the store, flip through the pages, and know if it is something you would be interested in. The Codex of drawings in the back might be enough for some people to pick it up, but the biography was just too short for my taste. The weaknesses in the text wouldn’t be enough for me to purchase a copy myself. I only wish the writing had been more fleshed out because I think E. B. Hudspeth had a good idea and the potential to execute it, but didn’t take the time to do so. More story to back up the drawings would have made The Resurrectionist much better.

E.B. Hudspeth’s website
The Resurrectionist: The Lost Work of Dr. Spencer Black
Buy The Resurrectionist: The Lost Work of Dr. Spencer Black on Amazon
Download The Resurrectionist: The Lost Work of Dr. Spencer Black for your Kindle
I received a copy from the publisher to write this honest review.

 

The Slither Sisters by Charles Gilman

Premise: The Slither Sisters picks up where Professor Gargoyle left off, with Robert Arthur at his new school trying to learn the mysteries of Lovecraft Middle School and the strange creatures that inhabit it. Robert soon discovers that there are gates leading from the school to an alternate dimension that is actually the old Tillinghast Mansion, where Crawford Tillinghast and his scientists were thought to have perished under questionable circumstances.

After coming back from their mysterious disappearance, Sylvia and Sarah Price run a campaign for class president. Robert and his friends Karina Ortiz and former bully Glenn Torkells will have to find a way to hinder this small step on the way to the Price sisters and the dark powers behind them taking over the school. As Robert uncovers these secrets it will be up to him and his friends to protect the students and teachers who are unaware of the sinister plots going on around them.

Nothing is as it seems and so many people are not who they appear, and learning who to trust will be important for the survival of Robert, his friends, and everyone else at Lovecraft Middle School.

Themes: Leadership and responsibility are traits that are bestowed on people, sometimes without a choice. With so many people at Lovecraft Middle School being clueless as to the dangers around them, Robert finds that it will be up to him to protect them.

Appearances are deceiving, especially at Lovecraft Middle School. Anybody could have their bodies taken over by creatures from another dimension, while others might be on Robert’s side without him even knowing it. Knowing who to trust is a challenge, but the truth can be discovered through dangerous research and perseverance.

Pros: Just like the first book, the cover is really cool, with a transforming lenticular image changing from the seemingly innocent sisters to their snake-like alter egos. This cover will not be as off-putting as the Professor Gargoyle cover as it isn’t as scary or demonic. The Slither Sisters includes some H.P. Lovecraft tidbits, such as tiny Cthulus infesting our world under the guise as hermit crabs. We get the same fast-paced book as the first, with a little bit of extra character development. The conflict is better fleshed out than book one, I thought the twist ending actually helped make The Slither Sisters even better than the first book.

Cons: Again, the cover is a spoiler for the antagonists of this story, though we got some hints at it from the first book in what the goal of the enemy is. The only character I wish we would have gotten some more fleshing out with was Karina. Hers is the most mysterious of the main characters and we still don’t know much about her.

Recommendations: The Slither Sisters is the second book in the Lovecraft Middle School series. It picks up where Professor Gargoyle ended and takes the story to new depths. Thankfully, these are just the right length for middle grade readers, though adults will probably enjoy Lovecraft Middle School just as much, especially H.P. Lovecraft fans. Kids should have some parental guidance, but this book was not nearly as scary or creepy as Professor Gargoyle. The Slither Sisters is even better than its predecessor, but readers will want to read Professor Gargoyle first in order to get a foundation of characters and plot.

Lovecraft Middle School website
The Slither Sisters
Buy Tales from Lovecraft Middle School #2: The Slither Sisters from Amazon
Download Tales from Lovecraft Middle School #2: The Slither Sisters for your Kindle
I received a copy from the publisher to write this honest review.

 

Shadow Ops: Control Point by Myke Cole

Premise: Oscar Britton is an Army Lieutenant who is good at his job and is deeply ingrained in the military mindset, even when it means working alongside the Supernatural Operations Corps, a unit created to use the newly-forming magic in individuals known as Latents. These much-feared people use their magical abilities under control of the governments of the world to hunt down others with similar or outlawed forms of magic. But when Britton manifests a rare magical ability of his own, he finds himself on the run and hunted by the SOC.

Prohibited magic users, also known as Probes, are thought to be exterminated because of their danger. After being captured, Britton wonders about the rumors of exceptions being made for Latents with rare magic to be sent to reeducation and training camps. Britton is going to learn all about his abilities and the shadow world surrounding them. He is well-equipped to handle tough situations with his military background, but his understanding of everything is about to change.

Themes: Politics play a huge part in Control Point, especially being in a military setting and with world governments interacting and locking down on magic control. We learn there are even more politics at play when it comes to the shadow world. Our governments attempt to make claims on the shadow world, but the natives there might have something to say about it. And even in the shadow world, tribes of the locals war with each other. Corruption of governments controlling magic by limiting the rights of its own citizens who become Latent makes for politics at their worst.

Faith becomes a theme as religious characters like Therese use their faith to ground them, but also as characters question their faith as they come to grips with these people with magic abilities. Oscar Britton’s faith is shaken as he is ordered to shoot on high school students and as he comes to grips with corruption wielding powerful weapons at the expense of civil liberties.

Pros: The magic system of Control Point is thought out well and it is packed full of action. The elemental combined with physical and going from our dimension to another dimension is done pretty seamlessly, especially as the conflicts of the two realms intersect and play off each other. The politics of both worlds smash into each other and throw the characters into conflict that makes the best of the magic, especially showing how both sides differ in their use of the magic. There are intense action scenes with creative uses of the different forms of magic, and above all the author makes the best of his military background by showcasing it in the setting.

Cons: This is tough because there were times I loved the protagonist and times I hated him. Oscar is good at his job as a military officer and once he has guidance he learns to control his powers quickly, though for someone in the military he seemed quick to disobey orders. I’m not in the military so I don’t know the rules on chain of command and obeying orders, but I know insubordination is a big no-no. Worse than that, I had a problem with Therese. She is portrayed as a religious healer, though she is as foul-mouthed as a sailor, as is most everyone else, and too easily goes from her healing role to performing the outlawed act of Rending, the opposite of healing. Basically, the world is cool, the execution is slick, but there are some character problems. Flawed characters does not mean characters who go against their own moral or belief structures.

Recommendations: Shadow Ops: Control Point is a wonderful debut from Myke Cole. Though it has some character problems that need some tweaking, the setting and plot are very solid. The author’s military background really shines as he constructs a world of armies using magic. I was reminded of the issues of X-Men where the governments lock down on the mutants, but in Control Point we get magic mixed with military from someone with some real-world experience on the subject. Myke Cole is a stand out new voice in the realm of military fantasy. I can’t wait to get my hands on the second book in the Shadow Ops series to see what Oscar Britton and the rest of the Latents do next.

Myke Cole’s website
Shadow Ops: Control Point on Goodreads
Buy Shadow Ops: Control Point on Amazon
Download Shadow Ops: Control Point for your Kindle