Superman: Red Son (graphic novel) by Mark Millar

Very, very, very good

Published by D.C. Comics in 2004
160 pages

First things first.

I am not a gigantic comics fan. I've never been to a comic book shop. I know the big names. Basically, if they had a live action TV show, I know them.

So, my opinion is not as well-informed as that of some.

But, I know what I like and I thought this was some grade-A, high test sci-fi with a good deal of political science thrown in.

Superman has always been of limited interest to some because he is an all-powerful good guy. He can't be hurt (technically, I know he can but who has Kryptonite sitting around?). He has the tools to deal with any situation. He has a healthy psyche. He is a good guy to have on your side but not particularly interesting.

But, let's take away his All-American freedom-loving politics and partner him with a truly soul-crushing totalitarian regime - the Soviet Union. Stalin backed by Superman's talents is a truly scary thought. Soviet theory becomes reality. A true dictatorship of the proletariat becomes possible since Superman hears and sees nearly everything.

With that you have enough to make this history teacher happy. Add to it the Lex Luthor (USA)/Superman (USSR) Cold War, a reference to Plato's Republic, a Soviet Batman (loved him! Loved the hat!), Wonder Woman, Area 51 and Nixon winning the 1960 Presidential election instead of JFK and you've got a great read!

Some may quibble with details, but when you get down to it, aren't the comics supposed to entertain and take you to another world for a little while? Mission accomplished.

Bravo.

I rate this graphic novel 5 stars out of 5.

This graphic novel can be found on Amazon.com here: Superman: Red Son.

Reviewed on March 26, 2007.

Great Tales from English History: Cheddar Man to the Peasants' Revolt by Robert Lacey

Thoroughly enjoyable

Published by Whole Story Audio Books
Narrated by the author, Robert Lacey
Duration: 5 hours, 45 minutes.

Robert Lacey has done something that many writers have failed to do (unfortunately) - he has written history in a fun, accessible, easy to grasp manner. After all, as Lacey points out in his introduction, the "history" and "story" come from the same Latin root word. Essentially, history should be the simple story of how things happened, to the best of the teller's knowledge.

Lacey's power as a storyteller is highlighted here in spades. He narrates his audiobook as well so there is the added bonus of hearing the author add nuance to the reading - essentially reading it the way he meant it to be heard.

The stories are short and entertaining. Only a couple of times in 5 hours and 45 minutes of listening did I find my attention wandering. This is a terrifically fun experience for any history lover. Full of interesting tidbits but not lacking in the larger themes or commentaries.

I am going to look for volumes 2 & 3 and hopefully he has written or is writing his volumes on Scotland and Ireland as well.

Bravo!

I give this one an enthusiastic 5 stars out of 5.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: Great Tales from English History. (Note: I was unable to find the audiobook on Amazon, but I did find multiple version and combinations of these stories. The link goes to a 3 volume book collection.)

Reviewed on March 25, 2007.

High Profile (Jesse Stone) (Sunny Randall) by Robert B. Parker

The Jesse Stone novels continue a rally for the legion of Parker fans - score this one a double.

Published in 2007 by Putnam
304 pages

To use a baseball analogy (Robert B. Parker fans would surely approve...), this one keeps the current rally of good Parker books going.

If you are unsure what I am referring to then you must not get much of the baseball comments that Stone and Spenser use. Anyway, a rally is a run of good offensive plays when your team is down a few runs. Ideally, those offensive plays would be smashed out of the park home runs. However, in a pinch, a base hit beats a strike out.

Robert B. Parker
(1932-2010)

Now, notice that I did not label this one a great book. This is not a home run. It's more of a double. It is a good book but not Parker's best. It's not even the best Jesse Stone novel. The mystery is not terribly complicated (I think I could have solved this one) but I enjoyed this quick read. In a lot of ways the mystery is secondary to Jesse's turbulent personal life (the enticement of Sunny Randall is complicated by issues with his ex-wife) - for me that is not a plus. Not that I'm not interested but I like the ratio of mystery to personal struggles to lean a bit more heavy on the mystery side.

So, I give this one a grade of B- (4 stars out of 5).

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: High Profile.

Reviewed on March 21, 2007.

Updated December 24, 2024.

If I Were You (audiobook) by L. Ron Hubbard

Two great stories

Published in 2008 by Galaxy Audio
Multicast performance with music and sound effects
Duration: approximately 2 hours.

The audiobook If I Were You is actually two very entertaining short stories written by L. Ron Hubbard when he first began his writing career writing for class pulp fiction magazines. The stories are performed by multiple actors and include music and sound effects to help the story move along.

The first story ("If I Were You") has a celebrity voice, Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart Simpson for the last 23 years. She portrays Little Tom Little, a little person in a traveling circus who, despite his great success, wants to be big more than anything else. A mysterious circus magician (who really dislikes Tom) leaves Little Tom Little his magic books when he dies with instructions for Tom to look for a certain spell - a spell that allows someone to change bodies with another person. Tom finds the spell, follows the instructions and begins to understand that this blessing may well have been a curse from his old enemy.

 

The second story ("The Last Drop") is the more fun of the two. It involves a bartender who is sent a secret ingredient from his brother in Borneo. The ingredient causes people to shrink or to grow, depending on the amount they consume. The characters don't realize this before they consume it as part of an experimental new drink at the bar, though!

I rate this audiobook 5 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: If I Were You by L. Ron Hubbard.

Reviewed on January 1, 2012.

The Reversal (Harry Bosch #16 and Mickey Haller #4 ) by Michael Connelly

Not the best Harry Bosch (or Mickey Haller) book but solid enough

Published in 2010 by Little, Brown and Company
389 pages

Bosch and Haller are half brothers, as has already come out if you follow the series. Bosch has become a bit more domesticated, now that he is a full time dad and has a niece and a brother and an ex-sister-in-law and I am not sure if I like it. I like the brooding intensity of the earlier installments of the  Bosch series.

Not that The Reversal does not have its creepy moments, its dramatic moments and action. It has all of that, but it just didn't feel like a Bosch book - and that was all because of the inclusion of Haller and the fact that it was a hybrid book.

In The Reversal defense attorney Mickey Haller has been asked to step in as a special prosecutor in a 24 year old case involving a child murder. The case was resolved 24 years ago but a DNA test has cast doubt on the verdict and a court has ordered the conviction to be reversed. The prosecutor has chosen Haller to re-try the case and Haller has picked his ex-wife to help and Bosch to be his investigator.

I rate this book 4 stars out of 5.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: The Reversal by Michael Connelly.

Reviewed on January 1, 2012.

Batman: The Complete Knightfall Saga (audiobook)

Very entertaining

Published by Hachette Audio in 2005
Multicast performance
Duration: 3 hours, 12 minutes.

Fast-paced, loud, chaotic, sometimes confusing. Sounds like a typical night with Batman. Also, it describes the Batman: The Complete Knightfall Saga audiobook.

This project was completed as a full-fledged production, just like an old-time radio show rather than having one reader cover all of the characters. I am an occasional Batman reader but a regular listener to audiobooks and I found this one to be outstanding.

I am not totally enamored - the ending was too "Leave It To Beaver", the Joker degenerated from credible threat to goofy annoyance as the story went along and Avenging Angel Azrael was more hilarious than scary on the first CD (he constantly yelled out the beginnings of a speech about transgressors, punishment, etc. He did it so many times that it became slapstick).

However, I'm going to grade it on a Batman curve. Was it better than the movies? All but the Nicholson "Batman" and "Batman Begins series". I looked forward to hearing more of it during my commute (unlike Clooney's Batman - I watch just to see if they are as bad as I remember - and invariably they are worse!)

Others who have reviewed this one have complained about the use of sound effects to describe the battle scenes. I liked it - it reminded me of the sound effects as described in a comic - Thwap! Pow! The audiobook covered it in a similar manner to keep the pace going.

Kerry Shale did a tremendous job as the voice of Joker, especially in the opening scenes at Arkham Asylum.

Despite its flaws, I give this one a grade of A-. 5 stars out of 5.

This audiobook can be found on Amazon.com here: Batman: The Complete Knghtfall Saga. 

Reviewed on March 16, 2007.

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.