Chosen (graphic novel) by Mark Millar and Peter Gross

An interesting read with a twist at the end

Published in 2005 by Dark Horse Books

Written by Mark Millar.
Illustrated by Peter Gross
72 pages.

I will not include any spoilers here - suffice it to say that a 12 year old starts to exhibit powers that Jesus once exhibited - healings, etc. The artwork highlights the drabness and ordinary, humble origins of this boy and hints that others have been waiting for these powers to surface.

The ending has a good plot twist - good enough that I read it 3 times to make sure I got it right.

The end of this edition has a "DVD extras" discussion between author and artist full of the little clues they had put in along the way and their motivations for making this graphic novel. It's a welcome addition.

Good work on this one. I give it 5 stars out of 5 and it can be found on Amazon.com here: Chosen by Mark Millar and Peter Gross.

Reviewed on March 16, 2007.

The Pale Horseman (The Saxon Chronicles Series #2) by Bernard Cornwell

Slow start, sizzling end

Published by HarperCollins in 2006
384 pages

First and foremost - Boo to the publishers of The Pale Horseman for not clearly labeling that this paperback book is part of a trilogy. Sure, it's clear if you carefully look at the extremely long list of Cornwell's books inside the front cover, but I was holding my 15 month old while using my Christmas gift card and I really did not have the luxury of perusing through every page in the book store!

On to the book -

Despite not having read the first book, Cornwell does an admirable job of catching the reader up to where the action is in book two. However, he then goes meandering a bit. The story sort of sidles along until the Danes invade again and then it's a real action story. Cornwell's battle descriptions are top-notch. Perhaps only topped by Pressfield's Gates of Fire - but not by much.

The Pale Horseman is saddled with one of the most worthless maps I've ever seen in a book. Most of the cities, towns and forts Cornwell mentions are not on the map - perhaps he assumes a strong familiarity with English geography, but that is a rather big assumption for a book sold in the United States. Still, the book is quite enjoyable. I'll be looking for the sequel.

I give this one 4 stars.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: The Pale Horseman.

Reviewed on January 21, 2007.

Indianapolis Then and Now (Then & Now Series) by Nelson Price

Fascinating

Originally published in 2004 by Pavilion Books.

144 pages.

Indianapolis Then and Now is part of a series that looks at cities all over the country. While this book would most likely be of limited interest to non-Hoosiers, I found this book to be riveting. I've lived in Indy for almost all of my adult life and I often visited the city as a child.

The format of the book is side by side photos of an Indianapolis address in the past (from 60 - 150 years ago) and a current photo of the same building. Sometimes the same buildings and landmarks are still in places, other times there are whole new buildings and landscapes.

Part of Indy's canal walk (photo by DWD)

Most striking are the changes in the area around Indy's much lauded canal walk, White River State Park and IUPUI. I was also surprised that the Indianapolis Star building is actually quite old - two beautiful buildings with character were merged into one building and then covered with one of the most boring brick facades I have ever seen on any building anywhere. Too bad.

Strongly recommended for residents of Indianapolis as a unique gift.

I rate this book 5 stars out of 5.

Thsi book can be found on Amazon.com here: Indianapolis: Then and Now.

Reviewed on January 6, 2008.

Biggest Brother: The Life Of Major Dick Winters, The Man Who Led The Band of Brothers by Larry Alexander

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Published by NAL Hardcover in 2005
320 pages

An enjoyable memoir of Dick Winters' life, mostly focusing on his time in the military. Dick Winters is one of the main focuses of the splendid HBO biographical mini-series Band of Brothers and the Stephen Ambrose book by the same name. Throughout, Winters gives open and honest assessments of fellow officers and soldiers, and training levels of replacements soldiers and Korean War soldiers.

Dick Winters (1918-2011)

I have not yet read Stephen Ambrose's book Band of Brothers, but am a giant fan of the mini-series. Dick Winters re-tells this story with the focus on his own experiences. The Nixon-Winters and Stobel-Winters relationships are explored a bit more in-depth than are presented in the TV program.

The pacing of the non-military aspects of his life is generally very good, with the exception of one page early that goes into too much detail about his family background. This reflects the fact that the author is also a Pennsylvanian who is from the same area that Winters grew up in. Those family connections mean something to locals, but I skimmed it and hoped that the rest of the book wasn't going to be like that one. It was not and the rest of the book was really quite good.

A must for World War II devotees and recommended reading for fans of Band of Brothers.

I rate this biography 5 stars out of 5.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: Biggest Brother: The Life of Major Dick Winters, The Man Who Led the Band of Brothers.

Reviewed on January 6, 2008.

Mysteries of the Ancient World by National Geographic Society

Okay, but a bit disappointing

Published in 1979 by National Geographic

So, why am I disappointed?

I was hoping for an theme-based work that looked at different mysterious objects, behaviors and cultures of the ancient world across the world and made comparisons and connections between them.

Instead, Mysteries of the Ancient World is a series of unrelated articles that have the look and feel of the National Geographic style. Don't get me wrong - I like the National Geographic style but the book as a whole lacks flow and feels more like a copy of the magazine than a special book. It is not an integrated work and leaves out plenty of big mysteries (Great Zimbabwe, Nazca Lines, Petra, the Olmecs) in favor of smaller mysteries such as the Etruscans and Catal Huyuk.

Topics include:

-The Etruscans
-Ice age cave paintings
-Stonehenge and related Megaliths
-Minoan civilization
-Mycenaean civilization
-Catal Huyuk and Jericho
-Easter Island and the South Pacific Ocean
-Ancient Egypt
-Ancient India

I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: Mysteries of the Ancient World.

Reviewed January 8, 2008

Great Maps of the Civil War: Pivotal Battles and Campaigns Featuring 32 Removable Maps (Museum in a Book) by William J. Miller

A beautiful book. Recommended for map lovers and hard-core Civil War buffs.

Published by Rutledge Hill Press (Thomas Nelson) in 2004.

48 pages 

Thomas Nelson's Rutledge Hill Press publishing division has created a lovely book that tells a simple narrative of the Civil War focusing on the importance of maps in the war and the men who made them.

The cover of the book is designed to look like a leather bound canvas portfolio, much like a mapmaker's sketchbook of the era. The text of the book is beautifully printed on high quality paper. I appreciated the fact that the publishers included lots of pictures of everyday soldiers - not just the same old posed shots of the generals and politicians.

Lincoln and McClellan after Antietam

There are 32 removable maps included as well. The removable maps are stored in between the pages. The publisher has printed on only one side of the thick paper pages and then glued the blank sides together on the edges to make an envelope of sorts between the pages. The maps are securely stored so there is no chance of accidentally losing a map.

I would not recommend this book as an introduction to the topic of the Civil War since it does precious little to introduce the issues that caused the war or Reconstruction. However, it is an attractive volume that would be welcome in the collection of any Civil War buff.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: Great Maps of the Civil War.

I rate this book 5 stars out of 5.

Reviewed on January 10, 2008.

Life in a Nutshell: A Nutty Look at Life, Marriage, TV, and Dogs by Dick Wolfsie

Pleasant musings from the mind of Wolfsie

Published in 2001 by Guilde Press of Indiana.
189 pages.

Dick Wolfsie is a local TV morning show personality in Indianapolis. He specializes in finding the offbeat and showing it to everyone with a camera and an interview. He used to share this responsibility with his lovable dog Barney, a runaway beagle that he found one day. Unfortunately, Barney is no longer with us.

Dick Wolfsie's writings are mostly light-hearted humourous musings about life. Many are re-prints from a column he writes.

While I rarely laughed out loud at his commentary, I did find it amusing and enjoyed myself. Recomended for that middle-aged dad that's hard to buy for.

I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Reviewed on January 17, 2008.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: Life in a Nutshell.