Novels Now

Two Generals by Scott Chantler

Nicola — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 13:02:43 +0000

Two Generals by Scott Chantler
Pages: 243
Ages: Adult (but easily a YA crossover)
First Published: Oct. 26, 2010
Publisher: McClelland & Stewart
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

“I-is that you, Lieutenant?”

Acquired: Received a review copy from Random House Canada.

Reason for Reading: I love reading journals,memoirs and books based on them.

Wow! That one word could some up my complete review. Wow to the story! Wow to the graphics! Wow to the physical book itself!

Let’s start with the book. The top and bottom halves are faux leather-look, the corners are rounded on the board and the pages. The pages are a nice thick quality paper and the book virtually looks like a moleskin journal. It even has an elastic band to hold it together. Beautiful book to behold!

The story is centred on the true life WW II experiences of the author’s grandfather Lew Chantler and his best friend Jack. Little did they know it but they would end up being in the famous attack on the beaches of Normandy and be the Canadian division who recaptured Caen, France and ultimately ended up in the battle at Buron. The book spends plenty of time describing their training in England and life for the soldier not on active duty there before the meat of the story switches over to the Invasion at Normandy and the horrors of war. Examine the horror and tragedy of war the book certainly does while still recognizing the bravery and honour of the men who fought and those who died for their country. Taken up to the leadership level of majors, presidents, kings and those who plan the war, irony can often be found in Chantler’s book. This is also the story of the bond of friendship and how one doesn’t know how strong a friendship is until it is put to the test of a hardship.

The artwork is fantastic. The majority of the work is done in b/w drawing with one colour added and for the majority of the book that colour is khaki, obviously representing the army, but whenever a scene that mentions the upcoming war or its possible dangers a bit of red is added which provides an unsettling contrast. As the scenes become more dangerous the khaki is left behind and red becomes the one colour in each frame, easily representing war. But when it comes to the most barbaric scenes in the middle of battle with limbs flying and death everywhere, the scheme turns to red and a light terracotta colour and these colours clearly represent death and horror.

The author wrote his story using as source material, his grandfather’s journal, letter’s to his wife and letter’s received by him from others. Chantler was also able to track down some remaining survivors/or their families who could help him with other source materials. A brutal yet compelling story of war. One that shows the horrors of war but also shows the bravery of those who fought and the respect we owe them. Scott Chantler has done his late grandfather proud. A compelling piece of Canadian history from the point of view of one Canadian who served his country.

A Sickness in the Family by Denise Fuso

Nicola — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 10:22:51 +0000

A Sickness in the Family by Denise Mina. Art by Antonio Fuso
Vertigo Crime series

Pages: 180
First Published: Oct. 19, 2010
Publisher: Vertigo
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

So she’s finally dead?

Acquired: Received a review copy from Random House Canada.

Reason for Reading: I love that the pure mystery/thriller/crime genre is so much more easily found in the graphic novel format now. I’ll always take a look when I see one and the plot had me on this book.

They could be your typical family: Ted and Biddy Usher, Biddy’s mom Martha, and the three grown children, with the youngest in his last year of his school, William, Amy and Sam. But they are not, typical that is. It is Christmas and in the basement flat they rent out a horrendous murder takes place. Ted quickly makes plans to incorporate that portion back into the house as he’d been wanting to for years. Then family members start to die. One by one. Is it because of the wrath of a witch who was burnt at the stake there in the 1500s? Or has one of the remaining family members decided to get rid of the rest, each of whom has a surprisingly good reason for wanting the others dead?

An incredibly creepy murder mystery. Well-written with a plot that picks up suspense as it goes along and is quite difficult to solve since suspects keep getting killed themselves and the pool of possible suspects to pick from gets smaller and smaller. A delightfully tense and surprise ending with a final shocker on the last page. This is Mina’s first graphic novel. She has previously written mystery novels and one series of comics. I am quite interested in reading something else by this author if this is an example of her technique. The artwork is done in black and white with a lot of shadows which I think is particularly suitable to this story (and others of its sort) as it captures the noir feeling that wold be missing if the gruesome scenes were shown in full colour.

Just the sort of thing I like in a murder mystery, gruesome, creepy and a shocker at the end.

Lola, A Ghost Story by J. Torres

Nicola — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 13:28:54 +0000

Lola, A Ghost Story by J. Torres. Illustrated by Elbert Or

Pages: 102
Ages: 12+
First Published: Jan. 13, 2010
Publisher: Oni Press
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

The Tagalog word for grandmother is “Lola”.

Acquired: Borrowed a copy through Interlibrary Loan.

Reason for Reading: This was a Cybils ‘10 nominee and as a panelist for Graphic Novels was required reading for me. The panelists did not receive a review copy from the publisher and like most other panelists, I, unfortunately, was unable to find a copy before our nominations were due. My copy from Interlibrary Loan request had just now come in.

This is a great ghost story told in the classic tradition and very worthy to be read by all ghost story aficionados. Jesse sees dead people, goblins, demons, monsters, etc. but he’s learned to stop telling anyone since his parents’ and teachers’ reactions have been less than accepting. Now he and his family are traveling “home” to the Philippines; Jesse’s parents immigrated to Canada when he was four and this is his third visit here. He hates it here. They have come for the funeral of his grandmother, “Lola” in Filipino. The culture of his Filipino family is quite hard for Jesse to accept, they are devout Catholics, carrying Rosaries, with beautiful shrines of worship in the house and yet they are steeped in the superstitions of tradition. Lola had the “gift” and he’s heard all the stories of how she’s helped the community and even defeated demons. Jesse fears what it will be like here now that Lola is gone.

A fabulous story with lots of creepy moments. The tension mounts slowly through the story. Things start happening right away and the reader becomes unsettled knowing something is not quite right. Gradually we learn what is going on, and Jesse realizes the truth as well. His cousin easily figures out Jesse’s gift and berates him for hiding it, telling him it is a gift from God and he must use it. He has something he must do before he leaves. Then like any really good ghost story the book ends with a really fantastic heart-pounding shocker of an ending where one can only imagine what comes next. Loved this one!

Luna Park by Kevin Baker

Nicola — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 19:34:34 +0000

Luna Park by Kevin Baker. Art by Danijel Zezelj (Canada) - (US)

Pages: 157
First Published: Nov. 30, 2010
Publisher: Vertigo
Genre: magical realism, crime, historical fiction
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

Every day, he tries to escape the nightmare.

Acquired: Received a review copy from Random House Canada.

Reason for Reading: The Russian historical aspects and the publisher’s summary had me intrigued.

This is a very difficult book to give a summary as nothing is as it seems but let me tell you what appears to be happening as the book starts. Alik Strelnikov is a Russian immigrant who made a deal back in Russia which got him his freedom in America. This ‘freedom’ lead him to working for a second fiddle Russian mob group in Coney Island as an enforcer. Here he lives an existence with his girlfriend in an apartment drinking, listening to old Russian records and shooting heroin to forget what he has become. But he is plagued with dreams, nightmares actually, the same ones over and over, which show him in various situations in different uniforms and he is always afraid. These nightmares will take us back in history to pre-revolutionary Russia, to WWI, to the Chechen Wars and back to 1910s New York.

This is an awesome, gripping story. The reader has no idea of what is really going on for some time. My mind contemplated these dreams as possible flashbacks to past lives, psychic visions of the past, a tortured man turning his real problems into symbolic messages and finally a simpler consideration, the raving dreams of a madman. Why he keeps having the dreams is not so important but the recurring themes that they carry are. With the ultimate one of betrayal being the most affecting on him. Then the book takes an extreme magical or psychedelic turn and one can possibly start to put things together until near the very end when the author hits us with a very subtle reveal we hardly notice it until the final page with it’s shocking end. I actually stared at the last page for some seconds before the reveal sank in. A fabulous end!

The writing and the art combine to make a surreal, strange, semi-conscious type of plot. This is not going to be a book for everyone. Not for the type who like their plots to begin at A and end at Z. The plot is incongruous and where it is going the reader cannot grasp until a certain point 2/3s of the way through. This is not a bad thing though. I found the book utterly captivating to read. It’s one of those few books that stand out alone as an “I’ve never read anything quite like it before!” book. The art is fascinatingly done mostly in a palette of terracottas, greys and purplish blues that turn into lavenders at more lighthearted scenes (not that there are many of those). If you’ve ever seen old Communist posters or postage stamps from the era, the art reminds me of that style at times. Otherwise it matches the mood of the story perfectly.

The Zabime Sisters by Aristophane

Nicola — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 00:26:28 +0000

The Zabime Sisters by Aristophane. Translated from the French & Afterward by Matt Madden

Pages: 85
Ages: 14+
First Published: Oct. 26, 2010
Publisher: First Second
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

What, are you still snoozing?

Acquired: Received a Review Copy from First Second Books.

Reason for Reading: The plot. I enjoy stories of childhood and the setting of Guadeloupe certainly piqued my interest.

This is the story of a day in the life of the three Zabime sisters on the first day of summer vacation. Set on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe it has a unique setting of barefoot children amongst tropical flora and fauna. The girls start their day teasing one another with the most outgoing of the three, M’Rose, pulling a prank that scares the other two. The girls meet up with a couple of boys they know and lounge around taking mangoes from an orchard owned by a mean man. Here the story also divides and starts telling us a little of what has been going on so far in the boys’ day. M’Rose separates from the other two sisters as a fight between the school bully and an unknown boy has been called at the crossroads at noon and the other two girls don’t want to go, but M’Rose is just the type to want to watch a fight. The girls divide into two groups and both end up watching and participating in typical acts of childhood misbehaviour, neither satisfying them in the end.

This is a poignant and candid story of childhood unlike most such stories; it is not nostalgic nor does it leave one with a sense of warmness. The author has captured that grain of malice that is inherently found in children and captures it perfectly throughout the day as it surfaces through normal interaction between children and when they find themselves in distress. While the book explores this meanness, it isn’t a mean story, and likewise, while the story is set in a luscious tropical environment the themes of childhood could take place anywhere, rural or urban. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and found it to be a remarkable tale that will be unforgettable for me. The book is suggested for young adults but I think adults are going to enjoy the book on a different level, already having experienced youth and now seeing this acrimony in their own children and recognising it for the seed that a child grows out of with the proper nurturing.

The art must also be mentioned as it is spectacular. It is done heavily in black ink and very expressive and realistic. Though the book is oversized, I only wish it could have been bigger as some of the panels seem too small to contain this type of art as the thickness of the black brush strokes sometimes lose the detail in other areas as they are squished into a small frame. The true beauty of the art is visible in the larger frames.

Birth of a Killer by Darren Shan

Nicola — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 11:45:11 +0000

Birth of a Killer by Darren Shan
The Saga of Larten Crepsley: Book One

Pages: 253
Ages: 12+
First Published: Oct. 5, 2010 US (Oct. 19, 2010 CAN)
Publisher: Harper Trophy Canada
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

When Larten Crepsley awoke and yawned one grey Tuesday morning, he had no idea that by midday he would have become a killer.

Acquired: Received a review copy from Harper Collins Canada.

Reason for Reading: I love Darren and read each new book as it comes out.

Larten Crepsley is a major character in Shan’s “Cirque Du Freak” series and this book, first in a proposed 4-book series, tells his life story starting briefly with his pre-vampire childhood and continuing on through the years until he becomes a fully blooded vampire and leaves his master to go out in the world by himself.

Since this book happens before the “Cirque Du Freak” series it is not necessary to have read it to understand this book but the joy of meeting familiar faces and learning their past history will be missed if this book is read cold turkey. Larten is an interesting character from the first page and quickly develops the personality traits we are used to seeing in him but now we know where his silent, hardness comes from and the roots of his greatness. Somehow reading the story when you know how the whole story of his life ends in the distant future leaves out some of the tension as we already know the ultimate fate of many characters, including Larten . But there are many questions about Larten’s past that need explaining and his connection with the Cirque Du Freak and Mr. Tall is covered in this volume as is his whole apprenticeship, half-blooding, full blooding and his first trip to the Council to participate in the games as a fresh blood. Lots of excitement, with much action and the introduction of Larten’s role-models shape the beginning of his life and the ending leaves us with a quick glance at the introduction of an old enemy from “Cirque Du Freak” making me eager to pick up Book Two, which will be out in May of this year (2011).

Free Country by Jeremy Duns

Nicola — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 00:30:56 +0000

Free Country by Jeremy Duns

Paul Dark Trilogy, #2

Pages: 324
First Published: Oct. 19 2010
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

“Sir Colin Templeton was the most courageous, patriotic and decent public servant I have had the privilege of knowing.”

Acquired: Received a review copy from Simon & Schuster Canada.

Reason for Reading: Next in the series.

Jeremy Duns follow up to Free Agent is just as brilliant! Double Agent Dark is on a mission to find out who is trying to assassinate him and to keep his cover at the same time. Set in the late 1960s, things turn very nasty when he discovers an international plot involving several countries and finds himself on the run again with no one he can trust.

The book did take me a bit to get into; the year wait between books did affect my memory but brief references and flashbacks to further events surrounding those already having taken place in book one quickly bring details and characters back to mind. Fast-paced with lots of action as one expects from a spy novel. Paul Dark is one determined man with one slight problem, those who get close to him usually end up dead. Paul’s ambiguous, unlikeable character from book one is further developed and we see what makes him tick. And while he is still brutal on the job, it is much easier to like this character now that we have his full background and have been inside his head long enough to feel like we understand him. The book mainly takes place in Italy (Rome, the Vatican and across the countryside) with a short side trip to the island of Sardinia. With amazing twists and reveals coming at you when least expected Free Country will keep you on the edge of your seat. Duns has the gift to find his way around an intense shocker and there is an increased polish to his writing making Free Country an even better read than Free Agent. I can not wait for the last book in the trilogy!

The Boy Who Conquered Everest: The Jordan Romero Story

Nicola — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 12:12:20 +0000

The Boy Who Conquered Everest: The Jordan Romero Story by Katherine Blanc with Jordan Romero

Pages: 72
Ages: 9+
First Published: July 30, 2010
Publisher: Balboa Press
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

Jordan Romero was a regular 9 year old boy.

Acquired: Received a review copy from the book’s publicist.

Reason for Reading: The book sounded inspiring and like something my son would enjoy.

This little book is a treasure and a treat to read! Graphically, the book has been designed in a scrapbook style with each page a pleasing layout of photographs, handwritten and typewritten fonts. The text is minimal at times, presented in chunks at others, and is not a hard read at all but still full of information. This is the story of Jordan Romero, who at 9 years old, wanted to climb the Seven Summits. These are the tallest mountains on each continent, which, of course, includes the tallest mountain in the world, Mount Everest. Jordan’s father and stepmother were amateur mountain climbers, so this goal wasn’t a complete impossibility and with their support and agreement to come along with him his dream became reality. For the next 4 years Jordan trained, gained sponsors and threw fundraisers as he traveled the world completing each summit, until at age 13 he had one left, the tallest, Mount Everest. This climb would make him the youngest person ever to climb the Seven Summits beating the previous holder of the title who completed the climbs at age 17.

An extremely interesting and fascinating story told through text and photographs. Very inspiring and leaves one with a sense of accomplishment and feeling of what one could do oneself. Kids will realize that it is OK to have big dreams and that through hard work one can make dreams, no matter how big or small, come true. A very good, “feel good” story with a positive message for children. The emphasis is on achieving your goals but never does the book lose focus of the hard work and feelings of giving up one must experience to achieve those goals. A good read!

Thunder from the Sea: Adventures on Board the HMS Defender by Jeff Weigel

Nicola — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 12:07:21 +0000

Thunder from the Sea: Adventure on board the HMS Defender by Jeff Weigl

Pages: 47
Ages: 8+
First Published: May 13, 2010
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Rating: 3/5

First sentence:

Gentlemen, this is Jack Hoynton - the new crewman assigned to us.

Acquired: Borrowed a copy through Inter Library Loan.

Reason for Reading: This is a Cybils ‘10 nominee and required reading for me as a graphic novels panelist.

This book is a bit unique in it’s presentation. First, it is oversized like a picture book. Then it tells a fictional tale about life aboard a mid size ship during the Napoleonic Wars. Jack is a 12 yo orphan (mostly) who is sent to work in the navy and this ship’s job is to patrol the waters protecting England from French invasion. They meet up with more than they expected when they come across a hidden French boatyard and are attacked by a French Man-o-War and betrayed by a spy amongst them. While the story is fictional each page has a sidebar with non-fiction information relating to information found on that page. These tidbits of trivia range from definitions of items such as a “frigate” or “bosun” to describing in further detail concepts such as “impressment” or “Beat to Quarters” to more detailed histories of “relations between the Irish and English” or “how the French Army conscription workers”.

The story itself is entertaining and makes wide use of various differing frames from full page to tall thin rectangles to the occasional circle. I found the non-fiction information more entertaining than the story though. But my main problem was that the sidebars consistently interrupted the flow of the story. I recommend reading the story straight through the first time ignoring the sidebars just to be able to enjoy the action-packed story of a boy third class’s life aboard ship and a battle at sea during the Napoleonic Wars. Then go back a second time reading the sidebars either alone or as you re-read the story for the non-fiction historical aspect.

I’m not sure how well this book would do as one kids would choose for themselves, but it would be perfect used in the classroom or homeschool and is certainly a library recommended have.

Another Pan by Daniel & Dina Nayeri

Nicola — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 13:08:46 +0000

Another Pan by Daniel & Dina Nayeri
The Second of Another Series

Pages: 393
Ages: 14+
First Published: Sept. 14, 2010
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

All nights come to an end — that is to say, all nights see the break of day.

Acquired: Received a review copy from Candlewick Press.

Reason for Reading: Next in the series.

I loved this book almost as much as the first in the series! In fact, I think I loved the story even more but I didn’t find it to be the page-turner that Another Faust was. This was more of a slow read, one that kept me interested and I loved falling into the world, but somehow it did have a slow pace. I’m not sure if this is the book’s fault or my own as my mind has been all over the place so close to Christmas. But fast or slow paced who cares? I loved Another Pan!

Professor Darling is a teacher at the Marlowe school. Both his children attend, Wendy and John Darling; this is his first year at the high school. There are a few new Resource Assistants this year and one them is named Peter. Professor Darling’s history class revolves around Ancient Egyptology and a particular set of 5 myths and artifacts in which he alone believes prove that the Egyptian god of the Dead was not Anubis but a female. Peter is at the school looking for bonedust from a certain set of 5 mummies which when ground together will provide the elixir of permanent youth. So far he’s managed to slow the aging process considerably with the dust from one such special mummy. It seems the underworld has attached itself to Marlowe along with a new mousy, plain looking school nurse with a strange eye. Wendy and John join Peter and his crew of Lost Boys (in place all over the world and naturally at Marlowe as well) in entering the underworld and trying to retrieve the mummies and fighting (or tricking) the guardians of each after they hear and study each myth to help them locate the point of entry in Marlowe to the correct place in the underworld.

It is with the nurse that the connection with the previous book comes. Another Faust introduced us to the demon posing as a governess and here she returns before she has had time to fully recuperate in the form of the nurse. This is all covered in the first chapter. But when she returns to the underworld she regains her full power as the Dark Lady. The Dark Lady has taken on many manifestations in the living world, the glamorous governess in Another Faust and the terrible, frightening nanny of Peter’s childhood.

I love how all the elements of the Peter Pan story are brought together here in a completely different fashion. Peter Pan is represented in his true form (from the book) as a nasty, self-centred youth and his sidekick who is in love with him, Tina, will do anything for him even though he does not reciprocate her undying love. Tina, like Tinkerbell (in the book) is jealous of Wendy with a pure hatred. Other elements that find their way into Another Pan but have nothing to do with pirates or crocodiles are the hook and the tick-tock of a watch. Truly, a very original re-imagining of the ingredients that make up Peter Pan that the authors have used in a completely unique way to tell their own story.

As a series, I find this very compelling as it does not follow the same cookie cutter recipe of most series. There is not a continuing plot line with the same characters. In fact, these first two books could be read on their own, apart from a series. What connects them as a series is a villain and a school, which is becoming a character itself. There is also a very brief mention in passing of an event that happened last year at the school involving Christopher Faust and connecting it to the evil within Marlowe.

I’m a fan of this series and can’t wait to see what classic story the brother/sister author team use as the springboard for the next book.