Review: Transformers Armada vol 1

I’m not going to go into a history of the comic company Dreamwave, but suffice it to say this comic – which came out at the same time as the Transformers cartoon of the same name – was the book I was more excited about at the time when Dreamwave held the license to make these comics. I had read the first two issues of this book before dropping it (along with any individual comic collecting) but it’s one I’ve been anxious to revisit, knowing my library had the collected volumes. There are many concerns I had when reading the book, ones that I’ll pass along in this review as well; things like the general entertainment value, the ability for non-fans to understand what’s going on, and what interest a well-versed fan might have in reading it.

Armada (at least in comic form) has one of the strongest openings of any Transformers story; yes the war rages on Cybertron between Autobot and Decepticon but in the middle is a “third” race of Transformers called Minicons. This is a smaller robot sect who up till now have been mostly the equivalent of civilian casualties in the war. But something is about to change all that – Megatron has discovered they can use the Minicons by attaching them to a larger Transformers body to give them an extra power boost. Now it’s all about the Decepticons trying to force the Minicons into servitude, and the Autobots trying to save them (as well as convince them to help their side of the war).

The minicons, however, would rather not be involved at all. They escape from Cybertron, but when their ship crash lands on – you guessed it – Earth, you know the war is not far behind. The Cybertron section of this book is actually the stronger story. Once the Minicons get to Earth, a cast of pre-teen children become involved in a rather contrived way, helping the Minicons (who then adapt their transformations into things like skateboards) escape from the Decepticons (who of course arrive before the Autobots). The minicons are well developed characters, much more so than any other Autobot or Decepticon (save Optimus and Megatron) in this story.

There were two things that stuck out in particular for me in Armada.

First, there’s the plight of the Minicons. You can see what slavery is like for some of them, and how the others (who have been freed) shy away from helping the Autobots for fear of becoming slaves again. This is a downtrodden group, on the run and only wanting to be left alone. My second point comes along those same lines; because the Minicons are so small (about the size of your average human in robot form) and the story is told mostly from their perspective – the battles between Autobot and Decepticon are HUGE. These robots tower over the Minicons, and the perspectives used through most of the series let’s the reader see these battles through their eyes.

Speaking of the art, it’s just gorgeous. That’s one of the things I remembered from my early impressions of this series, and it was true here as well. I’m not sure if James Riaz went on to do any other Transformers work, but he does a heck of a job here. At the same time, I wouldn’t call this essential reading for Transformers fans. It’s not the greatest story I’ve ever read – it’s definitely a satisfying take on the “origin” especially for this particular series, and because of that it’s very newcomer friendly. I think there are a number of things a long time fan can take away from this series as well. But it’s not a “classic”, and anyone over the age of 11 is bound to be annoyed by some of the antics of the kids who are introduced about half-way through. Still in all, I’m not unhappy to say I’ve read this volume – I just don’t know if I’ll seek out the next two in the series (which is the complete comic run).

Are YA Authors the New Innovators?

I've never been a huge YA reader. I loved Harry Potter, yet I've always has a bit of a prejudice against YA fiction because I preferred a book that didn't feel as if it was holding back on content to appeal to a certain age group. But it's clear the success of Harry Potter has brought about more YA fiction than every before. And who can blame the authors? Clearly there's a huge cross-over audience for really good YA fiction.

And lately, I've been getting a lot of titles that have me rethinking my original biases. Most of the books are by authors I've never read before, though some old favorites are showing up to take advantage of the trend (De Lint is actually an old-hand at this-- I just thought his looked really cool); and I'm really intrigued by what I'm seeing. It's not that the ideas are wholly new and unique to YA fiction. But there seems to be a real effort in delivering well crafted stories that appeal to a broad range of ages. Could it be that YA fiction is where it's at these days?

Here's a small sampling of what I've gotten recently. What do you think? Innovative or not? Or am I just seeing a trend where none exists?


Mercury Falls by Robert Kroese


Years of covering the antics of End Times cults for The Banner, a religious news magazine, have left Christine Temetri not only jaded but seriously questioning her career choice. That is, until she meets Mercury, an anti-establishment angel who's frittering his time away whipping up batches of Rice Krispy Treats and perfecting his ping-pong backhand instead of doing his job: helping to orchestrate Armageddon. With the end near and angels and demons debating the finer political points of the Apocalypse, Christine and Mercury accidentally foil an attempt to assassinate one Karl Grissom, a thirty-seven-year-old film school dropout about to make his big break as the Antichrist. Now, to save the world, she must negotiate the byzantine bureaucracies of Heaven and Hell and convince the apathetic Mercury to take a stand, all the while putting up with the obnoxious mouth-breathing Antichrist.

The Painted Boy Charles De Lint

Jay Li should be in Chicago, finishing high school and working at his family's restaurant. Instead, as a born member of the Yellow Dragon Clan—part human, part dragon, like his grandmother—he is on a quest even he does not understand. His journey takes him to Santo del Vado Viejo in the Arizona desert, a town overrun by gangs, haunted by members of other animal clans, perfumed by delicious food, and set to the beat of Malo Malo, a barrio rock band whose female lead guitarist captures Jay's heart. He must face a series of dangerous, otherworldly—and very human—challenges to become the man, and dragon, he is meant to be. This is Charles de Lint at his best!


Trance by Linda Gerber


Ashlyn Greenfield has always known when bad things are going to happen. Each time that familiar tingling at the back of her neck begins, she knows what's to come a trance. She's pulled in, blindsided, an unwilling witness to a horrible upcoming event. But she's never been able to stop it not even when the vision was of her mother's fatal car accident. When soulful Jake enters Ashlyn's life, she begins having trances about another car accident. And as her trances escalate, one thing becomes clear: it's up to her to save Jake from near-certain death.

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

Mackie Doyle is not one of us. Though he lives in the small town of Gentry, he comes from a world of tunnels and black murky water, a world of living dead girls ruled by a little tattooed princess. He is a Replacement left in the crib of a human baby sixteen years ago. Now, because of fatal allergies to iron, blood, and consecrated ground, Mackie is fighting to survive in the human world.

Mackie would give anything to live among us, to practice on his bass or spend time with his crush, Tate. But when Tate's baby sister goes missing, Mackie is drawn irrevocably into the underworld of Gentry, known as Mayhem. He must face the dark creatures of the Slag Heaps and find his rightful place, in our world, or theirs.

Edward Scissorhands meets The Catcher in the Rye in this wildly imaginative and frighteningly beautiful horror novel about an unusual boy and his search for a place to belong.

Elder Signs Press Kindle Giveaway!

Just in case you didn't see the contest featured on my left sidebar-- I need to draw your attention to a Kindle 3G giveaway over at Elder Signs Press. Sign me up! Click on the link to check it out.

Winner contest : the most creative desktop wallpaper

Asslammmualaikum dan Salam 1 Malaysia,guy's minta maaf kerana lambat umumkan pemenang bagi contest the most creative desktop wallpaper yang telah berlangsung dari 12.10.10 sehingga 19.10.10. 

baca selanjutnya

Short Story Giveaway!

You're lucky I'm a believer in paying it forward because I almost decided to keep my copy of "Steampunk'd." In fact, I may be having second thoughts right now....

Okay. Before I change my mind.

Courtesy of Penguin Books I am able to offer copies of two great sets of short stories to one lucky winner.


The Dragon and the Stars
An all-new anthology of Chinese culture-inspired science fiction 

This unique collection of science fiction tales demonstrates the diversity of the Chinese experience around the world, merging China's rich heritage with new traditions, offering North American readers an opportunity to discover these exciting writers.

The Dragon and the Stars is the first collection of science fiction and fantasy stories written by ethnic Chinese living outside of China. It features new fiction from Chinese writers in Canada, the United States, the Philippines, Singapore and Hong Kong.





Steampunk'd
Steampunk can be defined as a subgenre of science fiction that is typically set in an anachronistic Victorian or quasi-Victorian setting, where steam power is prevalent. Consider the slogan: What the past would look like if the future had come along earlier. The stories in this all-original anthology explore alternate timelines and have been set all over the world, running the gamut from science fiction to mystery to horror to a melding of these genres.

Rabe and Greenberg oversee this collection of 14 original stories of what might have been if steam tech took different paths in the Victorian era. Includes tales by Jody Lynn Nye, Stephen D. Sullivan, Paul Genesse, Marc Tassin, and others. Original.


Just add your information to the form below to enter (all information is guaranteed confidential and will be discarded once contest ends) and I will randomly pick one winner by Wednesday November 10th. No multiple entries please-- all multiple entries will be discarded. Open everywhere.

Good luck!


**Contest Closed**

Winner!

I have randomly selected the winner of my Ann Aguirre giveaway and the winner is...


Misha Mathew; India


Congrats Misha! The books are on their way...

Review: Troubled Waters by Sharon Shinn

Zoe’s entire world becomes unhinged when her father passes away from a long illness. Her father had been an advisor to the king before being banished for reasons unknown to Zoe some 10 years prior, and they had lived in anonymity in a remote village ever since. But upon his death an agent of the king, named Darien Serlast, comes looking for Zoe – with plans to make her the king’s fifth wife.

In her grief she accompanies him to the city, but takes the first opportunity to make her escape and live amongst the unwanted of the city, starting a life of herself – one she never had while taking care of her father. She makes friends and get’s a job, but slowly begins to realize there’s something different about her. She can dive underwater for unending amounts of time and never need to breathe. She can hear the pulse in everyone and know who is related to whom. Those powers signify her status as a Prime, the leader of one of the elements and head of a powerful family. She now finds herself in a position of being thrust into the role, learning about the family she never knew and now an advisor to the king herself – full of treachery and intrigues.

The king wants to sign a treaty with a nearby nation, but do all his advisors agree with that decision? And what of the kings three daughters, each by a different mother – and none yet named heir. Someone wants to ensure one of them is never selected, and Zoe finds herself right in the middle.

Troubled Waters is a fantasy novel in a new universe by Sharon Shinn. That’s not to say that this novel couldn’t be a part of the Twelve Houses universe (it could easily be another continent on that same world), but there is no connection between this and any other work of hers that I’ve read. There’s no word on if this is the first novel in a new series, or if it is stand alone – but it reads as a complete novel with no lingering plots.

I discovered Sharon Shinn years ago, picking up Archangel because it looked intriguing. It remains one of my favorite novels ever, and I go out of my way to read anything by Shinn as time allows. She has a style of writing that appeals to me, instantly engaging with the ability to describe even mundane activities and make them interesting. All of her characters come alive, these are fully realized people with complex personalities… and there’s no shortage of characters in Troubled Waters, so that’s saying a lot. Shinn’s world-building is has also long been a strong suit of hers, and this “just on the cusp of Industrialization era” based fantasy world could almost have been called Steampunk – but even without that label it’s an interesting place to visit. From the ornate castle of the king to the little shops, the open marketplace with blind oracles and temples where you can receive the blessings of the elements, as well as the river which comes from the high mountains and flows through canals in the city where the homeless live out their lives.

This is not an action packed fantasy adventure novel. It was about 150 pages before Zoe even discovered she had any powers. There are only three “action” type moments in the entire book – and none of them are the kinds of things you’d find in a fantasy blockbuster. This is not that type of book, and if that’s what you’re looking for, it’s best to look elsewhere (Shinn’s wonderful Twelve Houses books are more action packed). That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy Troubled Waters – it’s just best to be prepared for what kind of book it is. This is mostly about court intrigues and the mystery of who is trying to kill the princess, not to mention Zoe learning the secrets about why her father was exiled. It has a dash of romance, just like all of Shinn’s books – not a “romance” novel, but it’s one of the stronger elements of the story. I was a little disappointed with the ending, it seemed a little off in that Zoe is told a bunch of things that have happened in her absence when she could just as easily have been there in person to see them for herself – but considering I stayed up well past my bedtime to finish reading it is a testament to how much I was enjoying reading this book. If you’re a fan of Sharon Shinn, definitely give it a read – if you’re new to this author, this is a nice stand-alone book (which could be used by the author as the beginning of a new series) that gives the reader a good feel for what you can expect from any of Shinn’s books (strong characters and exquisite world building). It’s not my favorite Shinn novel, but it’s by no means bad – another solid work from an author who consistently puts out excellent books.