Shards of Honor Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: Lois McMaster Bujold
Publisher: Baen Books
Genre: Space Opera, Science Fiction
Series: Vorkosigan Saga Book One (Publishing Order)
Pages: 320

Cordelia Naismith is Captain of a Beta Colony Astronomical exploration on the newly discovered planet of Escobar. During there exploration her crew is attacked by Lord Aral Vorkosigan the Butcher of Komarr, who has recently been betrayed by his own crew and left for dead. Cordelia and Aral marooned together with another injured Betan, must travel to a hidden Barrayaran cache and only then can they begin to reestablish order in their lives.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Manga Review

by The Wanderer  

Author: Hayao Miyazaki
Illustrator: Hayao Miyazaki
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC Deluxe edition
Genre: Manga, Science Fiction

Series: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
Length: 1,104

After the Seven Days of Fire industrial society has been destroyed, but humanity survives. Most of the Earth is uninhabitable being covered by the Sea of Corruption, a forest that emits toxic miasmas and contains giant insects that can spread the forest over what little land that is left for humans to use. 

Centuries later, Nausicaä, a Princess of the Valley of the Wind, is set to inherit her father's kingdom. As a vassal state of the Torumekian Empire she is summoned to go to war against the Dorok's. The Torumekian's fear the Dorok's have found a God Warrior, one of the advanced technological creations believed responsible for the Seven Days of Fire, and that they intend to use it destroy the world again.

Evil for Evil Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: K.J. Parker
Publisher: Orbit
Genre: Epic Fantasy, Steampunk
Series: Engineer Trilogy Book Two
Pages: 704

(Contains spoilers for Devices and Desires below).

Ziani Vaatzes continues to plan on seeing his daughter and wife one day, and so far the loss of thousands of innocent lives in a war he helped fan the flames for isn't stopping him. 

After rushing into war with the Mezentine Empire to save the love of his life, Duke Valens and Civitas Vadanis are in trouble. With Ziani, Veatriz, and Orsea in tow, Valens must now plan to save his own lands from an imminent invasion by a technologically superior enemy.

Devices and Desires Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: K.J. Parker
Publisher: Orbit
Genre: Epic Fantasy, Steampunk
Series: Engineer Trilogy Book One
Pages: 672

The Mezentine Empire is the most powerful empire in the known world, and the key to its success has been its advanced technological innovations, which are designed to the strictest of specifications. Violating these specifications is a death sentence, and a death sentence is what Ziani Vaatzes, a Mezentine factory manager, receives when he tries to build a toy for his young daughter that doesn't follow specification. 

Driven by the desire to reunite with his wife and daughter, Ziani begins to draw up his revenge, a revenge that will require the blood of thousands of innocents if it is at all to succeed.

The Heart of What Was Lost Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: Tad Williams
Publisher: DAW Books
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Series:  A Novel of Osten Ard
Pages: 210

The Heart of What Was Lost (Osten Ard)

(Contains spoilers for Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn).

With the Hayholt saved, and the Storm King defeated, and Queen Utuk-ku in a coma like state, the Norns retreat to Nakkiga, their final stronghold in the mountains. Duke Isgrimnur and an army of Rimmersman begin to pursue the Norns and annihilate them so they may never attack the land of mortals again.

Sign of the Unicorn Book Review

by The Wanderer 

Author: Roger Zelazny
Publisher: Avon
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Series: Chronicles of Amber Book Three
Pages: 186

Buy on Amazon!

(Spoilers for the first two Chronicles of Amber are below).

Eric has died, and the Jewel of Judgment is now Corwin's. As regent of Amber, it appears Corwin has succeeded in finally achieving his goal, but shortly after Caine is murdered and Corwin's framed for the deed. In an effort to find out who framed him, Corwin decides it's time to find out what happened to his brother Brand, whether he's alive or dead.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Film Review

by The World Weary

Director: Gareth Edwards
Cast: Felicity Jones, Ben Mendelsohn, Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk
Series: Star Wars Anthology
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Length: 133 Minutes 

Aren't You a Little Bit Weak for a Star Wars Movie? 

This review features minor spoilers for the film in a clearly marked section.

This will be how it is for a long, long time, in this here galaxy. A Star Wars episode one year, a spin-off the next. Rinse and repeat. Initially, as a fan, its hard to suppress that rush you feel when you hear or read the words "new" and "star" and "wars" in the same paragraph.

Age of Myth Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: Michael J. Sullivan
Publisher: Del Rey
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Series: Legends of the First Empire Book One
Pages: 432

Buy on Amazon!

The Fhrey are Gods of the world they live in, but when a human named Raithe kills one of them, the Fhrey's power is called into question. As human settlements now face the wrath of the people they've called Gods, a chieftain's wife, Persephone, seeks help wherever she can find it, even if it means working with the bizarre seer, Suri.

Sleeping Giants Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: Sylvain Neuvel
Publisher: Del Rey
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Themis Files Book One
Pages: 320

Buy on Amazon!

Super INTJ

The arm of a giant robot is discovered deep underground. Radio carbon dating puts it over 5,000 years old. An expedition is soon underway to find the remaining parts and put together the giant robot. And to figure out how it got there.

The Magicians Season One Review

by The Wanderer

Series: The Magicians
Channel: SyFy
Genre: Adult Fantasy
Season: 1
Episodes: 13

Buy on Amazon!

A Book Readers Review

A tv book adaptation is something that always comes as a bittersweet moment for me. It's exciting to see a visual take on something you've loved reading, it's scary knowing that the vast majority of these adaptations won't even come close to catching the magic of its source material. Oftentimes at best they become guilty pleasures, an experience of fandom, fandom that clouds judgment.

Captain America: Civil War Film Review

Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Cast: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Sebastian Stan, Chadwick Boseman, Scarlett Johansson
Series: Marvel Cinematic Universe
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Length: 147 Minutes

Wait... This Again?!

"Didn't I already go through this shit?!"

Much to my annoyance, this is becoming somewhat of a tagline for the past few months of my life. I'd hoped going to the theater to see Captain America: Civil War would change things, even if only for a little while, and I'd get to see what Rotten Tomatoes assured me was the smash hit superhero film of the century.

GUESS WHAT?!

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace Film Review

by The World Weary

Director: Sidney J. Furie
Cast: Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder, Mark Pillow
Series: Superman
MPAA Rating: PG
Length: 90 Minutes

 

Nuclear Powered Bitchslap

(Spoilers for the previous three Superman films are below).

After the flop that was Superman III, Christopher Reeve felt the series was becoming too campy and chose to shy away from doing another sequel. However, after being given the power to help shape the story, he quickly changed his mind. With Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal, Reeve developed a story fit for a Man of Steel adventure as well as something that would appeal to the fans. Unfortunately, the studio didn’t have the same reverence for the film and barely supported it throughout filming and post. The result is a unfinished, unsatisfying mess of a film.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Film Review

by The Wanderer

Director: Timur Bekmambetov
Cast: Benjamin Walker, Dominic Cooper, Anthony Mackie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead
MPAA Rating: R
Length: 105 Minutes

It’s hard not to laugh at the title of this film.  The idea of the 16th President of the United States battling vampires; the American Civil War being symbolically turned into a battle by humans trying to save themselves from an undead doomsday; these are the two primary creative rewrites of American history that this film has to offer audiences.

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider Film Review

by The World Weary

Director: Simon West

Cast: Angelina Jolie, Jon Voigt, Iain Glen, Daniel Craig

Series: Lara Croft: Tomb Raider

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Length: 100 Minutes

Lamea Croft

As the fires of the Tomb Raider franchise burned brightest, and the frenzy for all things Lara reached a Beatlemania high, some Hollywood bigwigs in a burst of creative brilliance found something that people liked that they could turn to profit. Throw in a blossoming, beautiful American actress and a pair of shiny pistols and the Tomb Raider train was ready for it’s big screen premiere.

Insidious: Chapter 2 Film Review

by The World Weary

Director: James Wan

Cast: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins, Lin Shaye, Angus Sampson, Leigh Whannell, Steve Coulter

Series: Insidious

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Length: 105 Minutes

 

Dark Vader 

 

(This review features heavy spoilers for Insidious).

As far as supernatural horror goes, most recent entries in the genre have been easily forgettable. Even 2011’s Insidious was somewhat disappointing, despite having a solid opening act and brilliant sound. Until The Conjuring, horror fans were best off watching old classics like The Shining and The Exorcist. With such a powerful and positive response to The Conjuring, James Wan alleged that he was taking things he learned from that experience and applying them to his follow up to Insidious. Sadly, it seems he was just blowing smoke, as Insidious: Chapter 2 is a mostly stale exercise in conventional PG-13 horror.

Cowboys and Aliens Film Review

by The Wanderer

Director: Jon Favreau

Cast: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Adam Beach, Paul Dano, Noah Ringer

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Length: 118 minutes

Buy on Amazon!

Cowboys and Aliens feels like a worlds collide type of film.  The western meets science fiction, Indiana Jones meets James Bond, and cowboys battle aliens – this film has the potential to be seriously entertaining, and at times it is just that, but its attempts to make a more serious character driven movie fall flat.

All things considered, Cowboys and Aliens is well acted (by most of the cast), it has a good amount of action film related humor and one-liners, and its action scenes will keep you on the edge of your seat.  This is a film with a mostly great cast, a great premise, and a great mash-up of genres that had all the marks for being a success, but unfortunately it falls well short of the mark.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation Film Review

by The World Weary

Director: John M. Chu
Cast: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, D.J. Cotrona, Byung-hun Lee, Adrianne Palicki, Ray Park
Series: G.I. Joe
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Length: 110 Minutes

Buy on Amazon!

Retaliation Against Intelligence

(This review contains spoilers for G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra).

After the success of 2009’s G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, it was announced that another Joe movie would be coming out in 2011. However, the film was pushed back and now in 2013 the silver screens of America are tainted with this thoughtless action romp.

Tomb Raider Issue #2: The Four Guardians: Over the Edge! Comic Review

by The World Weary

Authors: Gail Simone

Illustrators:Nicholas Daniel Selma

Publisher: Dark Horse Books

Genre: Video Game Comic

Series: Tomb Raider Season of the Witch

Buy on Amazon!

Jumping the Shark

This article features spoilers for Tomb Raider: Season of the Witch.

After the first issue of this new Tomb Raider comic series, I felt pretty apprehensive about Lara’s future adventures. For the most part the comic was pretty uneven and featured some horribly weak characterization, as well as the dreaded “Horror Mouth”. The conclusion of the issue gave me quite a shock though, and for that reason alone, I held out hope that this new issue would really kick off the series. However, like the children say, “You can’t always get what you want.”

Tomb Raider Issue #1: Season of the Witch: Survivor’s Guilt! Comic Review

by The World Weary

Authors: Gail Simone

Illustrators:Nicholas Daniel Selma

Publisher: Dark Horse Books

Genre: Video Game Comic

Series: Tomb Raider Season of the Witch

Buy on Amazon!


Rocky Start

This article features spoilers for Tomb Raider (2013) and Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition.

It has been a long time since I’ve read a Lara Croft comic. I remember the first one I ever bought. I was in an airport in Germany at the time, and while I was waiting for my flight I found a little newsstand with some comics off to the side. I quickly browsed through, not expecting to find much, until my eye caught the (then) famous Tomb Raider logo. Having been studying German, I bought the comic and read it over and over on the plane ride to London, trying to make sense of a whole new set of words that I had just barely begun to scratch the surface of. Self-imposed German lesson aside, I was genuinely excited to be reading about the world’s #1 video game heroine. It was the summer of 2000, and Lara Croft was at the top of her game. The Playstation and PC series of games were HUGE, and everything from feature length films, to action figures and comics, were all planned for the titular Raider. Over a decade later, Lara has come back to the forefront of gaming in a big way.

2013’s Tomb Raider, the second reboot of the franchise to date, was a massive critical and commercial success, and what better way to follow a massive success than to get the marketing train rolling again? Action figures, comics, books, they all made a comeback. Obviously though, these new things had to tie in with the new Lara. She wasn’t a femme fatale, ass kicker anymore, but rather a balanced and studious young woman who happened to get caught in a crossfire of mysticism and barbarism that changed her forever.

Max Payne 3: The Complete Series Comic Book Review

by The World Weary

Authors: Dan Hauser and Sam Lake

Illustrators: Fernando Blanco

Publisher: Titan Books

Genre: Video Game Comics

Series: Max Payne

Buy on Amazon!

A Healthy Outlook on Life

This article features minor spoilers for Max Payne, Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne, and Max Payne 3.

Ever since the first Max Payne game, fans have clamored for a comic following everyone’s favorite alcoholic, pill popping badass. Seeing as the first two games’ cutscenes were done in a comic panel style, it only seemed appropriate. Time went on, and nothing came of it, and after Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne, it seemed like fans would be stuck without what they wanted. Then, Rockstar Games, who had purchased the rights to the franchise from Finnish developer Remedy, announced Max Payne 3, and as a part of their marketing leading up to the game they would release three official comics written by resident genius Dan Houser, and Max’s original scribe, Sam Lake.