Book Review: Dark Avengers - The Patriot List

Under Norman Osborn’s jurisdiction, the Avengers have been secretly re-formed with a cabal of deadly super villains. This is Osborn’s chance to finally put the Green Goblin behind him and become the Iron Patriot the world needs him to be. But villains aren’t easy to wrangle into the place of heroes – doing damage control for his new line-up constantly puts his empire at risk. When S.H.I.E.L.D. loyalists break into Avengers Tower and steal the secret list of replacements for his team of maniacs, the threat to his reign becomes intolerable. Osborn unleashes the worst of the worst to crush those responsible… It’s hard to be a hero!

Book Review: Triptych (A Marvel: Xaxier's Institute novel)

 

Former super-soldier and master thief, Fantomex, stumbles upon one of his clones, Cluster, breaking into museums to steal priceless artifacts. Outwitted and intrigued, Fantomex decides to beat Cluster at whatever game she’s playing. But something is different about these artifacts.  And they aren’t the only ones looking for them… Their other clone, Weapon XIII, is on the hunt too. The cat-and-mouse heists test their burglary skills and push the boundaries of how much they can trust one another. 

Book Review: Outlaw: Relentless

Coming in September from Aconyte Books is Outlaw:Relentless, the latest in the Marvel Heroines novel series, by author Tristan Palmgren. I had the pleasure of reading an advanced digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This adventure is a battle grudge-match between Outlaw (Inez Temple), a mutant with enhanced strength and stamina and armed with six-shooters, and some old enemies from her past.

Book Review: The Serpent and the Dead

 

Coming in September from Aconyte Books is The Serpent and the Dead, the latest in the Marvel: Legends of Asgard series, by author Anna Stephens.  I had the pleasure of reading an advanced digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This adventure is a high-stakes mission for Lady Sif and Brunnhilde the Valkyrie as they must discover why the souls of fallen warriors are not making their way to Valhalla as they should. Soon, these women find themselves in the midst of intense battles with armies of deadly enemies.

Book Review: All Of The Marvels by Douglas Wolk

I had the opportunity to read an early galley of the upcoming book All Of The Marvels by Douglas Wolk. He took on the herculean task of reading more than 27,000 Marvel comics in order to present a "traveller's guide" to those looking to dove into the rich tapestry that is the Marvel narrative. 

 

Being a life-long comic reader myself, one who discovered Marvel in the early 70's, I have my own winding history with their output. However, mine was even spotty - preferring Spider-Man and team titles like the Avengers, the Fantastic Four and the X-Men to others like Thor, Daredevil or Iron Man. Having a Marvel Unlimited subscription has helped me in recent years to correct that, allowing me to devour runs of titles I never picked up back in the day. 

Wolk does a good job in this book giving an overview of certain issues to vist, also hitting some spotlights on specific favorite characters (as much as 320 pages will allow). There is a stronger focus on runs post-2000 as well as the early years from the 1960's. The 70's and 80's get some mention too, while the 90's - a very rough period for comics in general - gets a deserved glossing over. 

One particular thing I really liked is the Appendix which gives a nice overview of the Marvel universe history in just a few pages. I would recommend highly for folks who might only know Marvel from the movies or TV shows to read that first. 

This book is scheduled for an October release. I had already tagged it for my to-order list for the library. I think it contains some solid advice on tackling a deep dive into the Marvel continuity that will benefit my patrons.

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/549063/all-of-the-marvels-by-douglas-wolk/

Book Review: Sweet Dreams - The Story of the New Romantics

Sweet Dreams: The Story of the New Romantics provides an in-depth look at a decade-long period of the music and cultural scenes of Britain. Author Dylan Jones zooms in on the period from 1975 to 1985 and the second invasion of British music. This study goes from the heyday of punk to the peak of new-wave, through the birth of MTV and the culmination of Live-Aid.

Written in a style reminiscent of a documentary script, Jones presents the reader with an eye-witness account of this period by those who were key to it. Through interviews, the reader hears from the likes of David Bowie, Bryan Ferry, Adam Ant, Martin Fry, Malcolm McLaren, Sade, the members of bands like Culture Club, Duran Duran, the Eurythmics, Heaven 17, Spandau Ballet, and so many more.

For someone like me who is a music-nerd that came of age during this particular decade, this book is a fascinating read. Even if you think you know a lot about these artists and their albums, I can guarantee you will find a number of interesting nuggets of trivia within these pages. It might even inspire you to revisit some of your favorite music from this period.

Book Review: The Vinyl Detective - Low Action

This is the fifth and latest book in the Vinyl Detective mystery series. In this one, our record aficionado protagonist and his girlfriend Nevada are hired to find a rare pressing of the first album by the all-female punk rock band Blue Tits. However, that band's former lead singer Helene Hilditch also has been the target of several murder attempts.