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Showing posts from July, 2014

The City & The City by China Mieville

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Summary from Goodreads : When a murdered woman is found in the city of Beszel, somewhere at the edge of Europe, it looks to be a routine case for Inspector Tyador Borlú of the Extreme Crime Squad. To investigate, Borlú must travel from the decaying Beszel to its equal, rival, and intimate neighbor, the vibrant city of Ul Qoma. But this is a border crossing like no other, a journey as psychic as it is physical, a seeing of the unseen. With Ul Qoman detective Qussim Dhatt, Borlú is enmeshed in a sordid underworld of nationalists intent on destroying their neighboring city, and unificationists who dream of dissolving the two into one. As the detectives uncover the dead woman’s secrets, they begin to suspect a truth that could cost them more than their lives. What stands against them are murderous powers in Beszel and in Ul Qoma: and, most terrifying of all, that which lies between these two cities. From among the books I have read so far, this year, The City and The City will be amon

Saga Vol 1. by Brian K. Vaugh and Fiona Staples

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Summary from Goodreads : When two soldiers from opposite sides of a never-ending galactic war fall in love, they risk everything to bring a fragile new life into a dangerous old universe.  From New York Times bestselling writer Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina) and critically acclaimed artist Fiona Staples (Mystery Society, North 40), Saga is the sweeping tale of one young family fighting to find their place in the worlds. Fantasy and science fiction are wed like never before in this sexy, subversive drama for adults.  This specially priced volume collects the first six issues of the smash-hit series The Onion A.V. Club calls "the emotional epic Hollywood wishes it could make." This graphic novel is surrounded by a ton of hype. Largely positive ones. They say it's a mash-up of Lord of the Rings and Star Wars. Two things that make my nerd bells go on high alert. Was it worthy of the hype though? The Fantasy and Sci-Fi genres are so diverse and abun

Required Reading: July 2013

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June Required Reading Report 1. The City and the City by China Mieville - (4/5 stars)  The  kind of world Mieville presented, is very unconventional and highly imaginative and just brilliant. It's nothing like I've ever read before. 2. Saga Volume 1 by Brian k. Vaughn and Fiona Staples - (4/5 stars) Gorgeous illustrations and superb world-building. The hype around it is well justified. 3. Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman - (5/5 stars) No one can re-create fairy tales, stock fantasy characters and stories like Neil Gaiman. Nobody. July Required Reading 1. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens - This is my first time reading some Charlie D., and I have some reservations, just like with most classics. And the first chapter was kind of tough. But I did okay with Virgie W., last May. Maybe it won't be so hard. We could all be homies after this, Charlie D., Virgie W., and I. And because I feel like I am going to make a slow (but hopefully, sure) progress i