Divergent (Divergent, #1)

author: Veronica Roth

name: Wayne

average rating: 4.40

book published: 2011

rating: 4

read at: 2013/05/30

date added: 2013/05/30

shelves: young-adult

review:

In a dystopian future (a more than common theme in YA lit these days), humans are divided into factions based on dominant personality traits: Abnegation (selfless), Candor (honest), Dauntless (brave), Amity (peaceful) and Erudite (intelligent). If you are not able to make it in a faction, you become factionless (a sort of poor class). If, for some reason, you have multiple dominant traits, you are considered to be Divergent, and likely to be hunted. At the point when you turn 16, you take a test to help you determine which trait you likely have, then you get to choose the faction you will join.



Our heroine, Beatrice, has to make a choice. Choosing a life in Abnegation means staying with her family, but living a life that doesn't ring true. Choosing a different faction means turning her back on her family with the likelihood of never seeing them again. The factions are fiercely loyal to themselves and stay apart from each other. Beatrice makes a choice that will test her to the breaking point. She will make friends and enemies and uncover a deadly plot along the way.



As far as YA dystopian goes, this was better than most. The factions is a good idea that works for the most part. There is the inevitable teenage angsty romance, and it gets tiring, but it's not as bad as others I could name (Twilight, I'm looking at you). Also, Beatrice is the master of her own destiny. She bravely makes her own decisions and stands up to her fears. She is not dependent on others for her strength, so that makes her a better female character than in some YA fiction (aka Twilight).



This is part of a series (trilogy?) and the second book is out. The book doesn't exactly end on a cliffhanger, but there are plot points left open for further books. I liked it. Emma Galvin's narration wss good on the audiobook version I listened to.





via Wayne's bookshelf: read http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/616147572?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss

Wonderland Volume 2

author: Raven Gregory

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.43

book published: 2013

rating: 3

read at: 2013/05/29

date added: 2013/05/29

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

An interesting, albeit dark and gothic, take on the Alice In Wonderland story. Filled with strange and sometimes gruesome images, it is definitely not for children.



This is volume 2, and there are references back to the first volume as well as other volumes. Not having read prior volumes, I admit to being a bit lost, but I was still able to follow what was going on. The story takes place in 2 realities. Our present day finds Alice's daughter and granddaughter trying to recover from a family tragedy. Meanwhile, in Wonderland, the Red Queen is on the run and trying to find the Temple of Purity with her son, the Red King. Plenty of peril and treachery abound in both storylines. In the modern day storyline, a drug called Dream and a strange nightclub threaten Violet, Alice's granddaughter. In Wonderland, the Black Queen's army stands poised to destroy the Red Queen and her son. In both stories, the sacrificial love of a mother stands out.



There are 5 chapters, or issues, included. Also included is a cover gallery with a lot of the cover variants done for many of the comic conventions. Also included is the first issue of Madness of Wonderland, a 4 part mini-series.



The art falls into the pin-up good girl style. It is on the risque side, and may be offensive to some readers. All of the characters are overly beautiful and a little unreal looking. But the art is good, with lots of panel details. Thicker outlines are used to give the art a storybook illustration appeal. The story, as stated, is dark, but that fits with the madness of Wonderland, so it works especially well.





via Wayne's bookshelf: read http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/606069746?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss

The Uninvited

author: Liz Jensen

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.47

book published: 2012

rating: 4

read at: 2013/05/28

date added: 2013/05/28

shelves:

review:

Hesketh Lock is employed as a sort of corporate troubleshooter. His Asperger's makes him good at recognizing patterns that others can't seem to see. He is sent to Taiwan to investigate sabotage at ta lumber company by a corporate whistle blower. The man he interrogates makes reference to child gods. Shortly after Hesketh leaves Taiwan, the man dies horrifically. At the same time, there are growing reports of children attacking adults in vicious ways all around the world.



Hesketh is an engaging and memorable character, with his Venn diagrams, obsession with numbers and physical and mental origami. His emotional distance from the people around him can be grating and uncomfortable to those people. At the same time, he has an almost childlike attachment to some of the people in his life. This alien detachment and childlike attachment, along with the surreal events happening around him, make for a fascinating read.



The story has horrific elements, but feels like something from television shows like Fringe or X-Files. By the end of the book, all answers are not arrived at, and you will be left with questions. This might bother some, but I preferred the open-ended nature of the book and I look forward to reading more by Liz Jensen.





via Wayne's bookshelf: read http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/556614512?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss

Comeback TP

author: Ed Brisson

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.26

book published: 2013

rating: 3

read at: 2013/05/27

date added: 2013/05/27

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

In the trade paperback Comeback, time travel is possible through a company called Reconnect. They offer the wealthy a second chance by travelling into the near past to rescue people from certain death. The near past and present seem to be a limitation, or maybe Reconnect is concerned with creating time paradoxes.



Matt and Seth are two agents of Reconnect who travel back, rescue victims, and place cadavers in place of the victims. When the FBI starts investigating, the 2 agents find themselves trapped in the past and hunted by the FBI and employees of Reconnect who may have some dirty secrets to hide. It seems that Reconnect has blood on their hands and will do anything to keep their secrets hidden.



The art style is a rougher look, and I liked it, but I did keep confusing 2 key characters because of the style. They look somewhat similar and the book introduces past and future versions of some of the characters. The graphic novel includes lots of extras like alternate covers, and much of the steps in the process of creating a graphic novel. Also included are the elevator pitch for the book, which I found interesting as a summary. It's a well-written, gritty noir story with plenty of the usual head-scratching that time travel stories put me through.





via Wayne's bookshelf: read http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/617783634?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss

Only God: Change Your Story, Change the World: Change Your Story, Change the World

author: Dwight Mason

name: Wayne

average rating: 4.17

book published: 2013

rating: 4

read at: 2013/05/26

date added: 2013/05/26

shelves: non-fiction

review:

An inspirational and encouraging book that will inspire you to examine your story and see how God can work in your life. Filled with examples from the Bible and other sources, it also includes Dwight Mason's inspiring story and how he became pastor of his church in Ohio.



Every chapter is filled with anecdotes and ends with distinct and easy action steps. The book's progression is from finding faith in God to embracing change, sharing your story, helping your children and ending well. Dwight tells of starting life with a leg brace and a stutter and overcoming it to become an athlete and a public speaker.



Practical and inspiring.





via Wayne's bookshelf: read http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/556616110?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss

Future Games

author: Paula Guran

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.43

book published: 2013

rating: 4

read at: 2013/05/22

date added: 2013/05/22

shelves:

review:

Editor Paula Guran has put together a really great anthology of sf stories involving a variety sports and games in Future Games. From a sport involving planets colliding to a story about the children of enemies playing football, the stories span the familiar to the unfamiliar.



There are a wide variety of authors included in the collection with stories going back as far as 1965. Included is the original novella for 'Ender's Game' by Orson Scott Card as well as stories by Cory Doctorow, George R. R. Martin and Scott Westerfield, among others. There are encounters with alien beings, reality television events and sports played on strange terrain.



An editor of an anthology has the job of deciding what to include and exclude in a collection like this, and usually I walk away liking most of the stories. In this case, I can't think of one I didn't enjoy in this collection. There are a couple standout favorites, but the collection stands quite nicely in it's complete form. All the stories seemed to focus on what it means to be human and compete, whether your opponent is an alien lifeform, or your own mind. I'm glad I picked this one up.





via Wayne's bookshelf: read http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/445564131?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss

Great Pacific Volume 1: Trashed!

author: Joe Harris

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.54

book published: 2013

rating: 4

read at: 2013/05/21

date added: 2013/05/21

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

A rich young oil-heir, a mutant octopus and a new country founded on a man-made floating garbage heap are all featured in Great Pacific Volume 1: Trashed, which collects the first 6 comics in the series.



Chas Worthington has it all and is known as a frivolous young man. After his father dies, he is in line to inherit the oil company his family owns, but Chas has other plans. It seems he feels responsible for the mess we've created and decides to found a new country on a floating heap of garbage out in the Pacific. Taking along his best friend, he is quickly pursued by those he left behind. He also runs into mutant animals, pirates and soviet nukes.



All in all a fun ride. An interesting sci-fi premise with a feeling of the great punk comics of the 1980s. Gorgeous art by Martin Morazzo has a real Moebius feel to it, and Joe Harris has written a story with humor, adventure and a great 'stick-it-to-the-man' feel to it. There is so much happening in these 6 issues, and I can't wait to see what they do next.





via Wayne's bookshelf: read http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/606058312?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss