Although this was an interesting idea, as a book, it wasn’t really for me. Set on world that’s doomed to perish because of an asteroid, Xel, the main character is destined to save it. Unfortunately there is also insta-love, and too little description for me to be able to follow all the different species of characters in the story. Basically, it wasn’t for me.
2/5 Stars 117 pages Published January 21st 2012
The beginning of the story starts with a mass gathering of scientists. In the next fifty years, asteroid “Black Rock” is going to come and mess up their entire planet’s orbit by coming too close, dooming their home. They’ve been working on a solution, a way to teleport to a safe location, but nothing has really become of it because they would have to move their entire population. After ten years, they’re running out of options. So they’ve come up with a new idea, taking the world’s most intelligent people and children, giving them special schooling so they may go on to save their people. And Xel is one of those children.
Was he a child or was he a teen? Was he fully grown? These are some of the questions I have. How did he change his relationships with the other characters in the story so fast? Why were the children basically test dummies? There are just so many things I didn’t really understand, and I couldn’t really stay invested in the book.
I think that although I thought the book was confusing, not everyone will think that. It does have a great and unique scifi base to build off of. If you think you would enjoy it, check it out!
Thanks for reading. Hope you’re doing well and there’s no asteroids headed for our own planet!
A very short novella, the first book in The Mara Files is set in a prison filled with a mismatched crowd of people and humanoids. Told in the third person viewpoint, we meet a very interesting woman with a robotic arm named Mara, who’s in her forties, and has been wrongly imprisoned for six years. And today’s the day that she gets out of solitary confinement. Who would have guessed that was the wrong move.
4/5 Stars 60 pages Published March 31st 2021 by Leo Flynn
A warrior and a war hero, Mara is someone that everyone knows about, at least in the prison. But soon after being put into a group cell, she makes friends with her roommates, and learns that they have an escape plan. All too quickly the plan is put into action, and they’re on their way. With a beautiful cover and a very intriguing synopsis, this book is a whirlwind of action, and I enjoyed reading it. I’m interested in seeing what happens in the next installment, because it was very clear to me that this was just the beginning. I think this book would be perfect for someone looking for a short escape, but with a very interesting story. The only problem I had with it was that I had the feeling like I was missing something, but that wasn’t a big deal, and it was so short that it didn’t stop me from enjoying it. Check it out if you get the chance!
Thanks for reading! Hope you’re doing well, and staying sane in your solitary confinement!
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What a way to begin a book. A space ship full of people crashes into an eerie red ocean on an alien planet, and though the wildlife doesn’t look too friendly from appearance alone, they actually come up to help them to the surface so that they don’t drown. Lost without their ship and equipment, they are very surprised to learn that the aliens on the surface are actually human. How could that be? I couldn’t wait to find out.
5/5 Stars 94 pages Published January 20th 2021 by Europe Comics
The deeper I got into this book, the more intrigued and confused I was, but in a good way. I think that’s just how the characters felt. After discovering that the people living on the island are human, they’re desperate to get information from them, but they almost seem to be in a trance. They eat, sleep, procreate, and work, and those are the only things that they care about, and care to think about. But it goes deeper than that. They talk about The Great One, that they’re doing their living and work for. And when the group of astronauts find a way into a underground green paradise, the society of people living down there are doing the exact same thing. What is going on here?
I found this book really fun to read, and I couldn’t wait to see what the mystery actually was. I did find the writing a little hard to read, but I think that’s just because I’m not great at reading handwriting style text. I did think the art fit the story perfectly though, and was very beautiful. I definitely recommend checking this book out if you’re into scifi graphic novels! I would love to have a copy for my bookshelf.
Not really sure what I was getting myself into, Planet Paradise is a really cute graphic novel, for what the story really is. I loved the art, and really disliked everyone but the main character, but I think that’s the point. Short and sweet, I really enjoyed this book.
4/5 Stars 128 pages Published November 17th 2020 by Image Comics
Following a person on their way to Planet Paradise with a whole slew of tourists who have also been put to sleep in chambers on a rocket, something goes wrong and it crashes down to a planet inhabited by vicious dinosaurs. They’re forced to fend for themselves and not only save their own life, but also those left alive, including a very unfriendly ship captain. But things aren’t what they seem once everything seems back on it’s way up for our hero.
There isn’t really much to say about this book, it was a nice and chill read despite the story content. I really feel for the main character, and I hope that their vacation goes better for them, as well as the rest of their life. If you’d like something short and unique to fill the gap in your reading list, than you should definitely think about checking this book out.
If you’d like to grab a copy, you can do so here, through my Amazon Associates link.
Thanks for reading! Hope you’re doing well and staying safe.
Hey everyone! I’m posting a bonus today, because I like to break up the cover reveals on my blog so there’s a little variety, you know? So here we go! My favourite books I read last month.
First off, Leonardo 2 by Stephane Levallois.
Planet Earth, engaged in an intergalactic conflict, owes its salvation to the clone of Leonardo da Vinci and to the rebirth of his genius. Author Stéphane Levallois has created the fantastic universes of many of the big Hollywood blockbusters (Alien, King Kong (Skull Island), Harry Potter and many others). The result of two years of elaboration and work, this space opera exemplifies his talent in two areas that he masters to perfection: the universe of science fiction and art. To build his story and compose his boards, Levallois draws from the painted and drawn work of the Renaissance master, selecting a large number of drawings and paintings by Leonardo to represent the characters, vessels or even the architectures in his story. The grand scale result is stupefying as Leonardo’s everlasting visions are successfully projected into a stunning futuristic setting.
Second is The Cup and the Prince (Kingdom of Curses and Shadows #1) by Day Leitao.
One prince wants her out. Another wants her as a pawn. Someone wants her dead.
Zora wants to win the cup and tell them all to screw themselves.
Yes, 17-year-old Zora cheated her way into the Royal Games, but it was for a very good reason. Her ex-boyfriend thought she couldn’t attain glory on her own. Just because she was a girl. And he was the real cheater. So she took his place.
Now she’s competing for the legendary Blood Cup, representing the Dark Valley. It’s her chance to prove her worth and bring glory for her people. If she wins, of course.
But winning is far from easy. The younger prince thinks she’s a fragile damsel who doesn’t belong in the competition. Determined to eliminate her at all costs, he’s stacking the challenges against her. Zora hates him, hates him, hates him, and will do anything to prove him wrong.
The older prince is helping her, but the cost is getting Zora entangled in dangerous flirting games. Flirting, the last thing she wanted. And then there’s someone trying to kill her.
Third is The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (The Hunger Games #0) by Suzanne Collins.
It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capital, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.
The odds are against him. He’s been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined — every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute… and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.
The fourth book is Girl Minus X by Anne Stone.
Fifteen-year-old Dany is trying to survive with her little sister, Mac, in a world collapsing under the weight of a slow, creeping virus that erodes memory. As their identities slip away from them, the late-stage infected are quarantined by the Ministry of Disease Control in prison-hospices, military camps where some of Dany’s family have already been taken.
When a new and more virulent strain of the disease emerges and Dany begins to experience symptoms, the sisters are cast into crisis. As they try to escape the city together with Dany’s best friend, Eva, and history teacher, Mr. Faraday, Dany comes to see the ways in which her own fear has carried her trauma with her. As her past erodes, Dany’s present flickers into full fluorescence.
Elegant and thoughtful, Girl Minus X is a novel in which a young girl navigates her trauma in a world that can’t help but forget.
And the last one is Echoes of War (Echoes Trilogy #1) by Cheryl Campbell.
Decades of war started by a genocidal faction of aliens threatens the existence of any human or alien resisting their rule on Earth. Dani survives by scavenging enough supplies to live another day while avoiding the local military and human-hunting Wardens. But then she learns that she is part of the nearly immortal alien race of Echoes—not the human she’s always thought herself to be—and suddenly nothing in her life seems certain.
Following her discovery of her alien roots, Dani risks her well-being to save a boy from becoming a slave—a move that only serves to make her already-tenuous existence on the fringes of society in Maine even more unstable, and which forces her to revisit events and people from past lives she can’t remember. Dani believes the only way to defeat the Wardens and end their dominance is to unite the Commonwealth’s military and civilians, and she becomes resolved to play her part in this battle. Her attempts to change the bleak future facing the humans and Echoes living on Earth suffering under the Wardens will lead her to clash with a tyrant determined to kill her and all humankind—a confrontation that even her near-immortal heritage may not be able to help her survive.
Thanks for reading! Have you checked out or want to check out any of these books yet? Lets talk about them!
I’m going to be honest, I wasn’t really sure what I was getting myself into with this book, and even though I had read the description, It really didn’t prepare me for what really happened. In this graphic novel is a collection of breathtaking works of art, and they are woven into an equally breathtaking story. I never thought scifi could blend so seamlessly with this style of art, and really Leonardo Da Vinci in general, but here I am, blown away and in awe of this book. I really enjoyed it, if you haven’t gotten the message yet.
5/5 Stars 96 pages Published October 15th 2020 by NBM Publishing
In the future, Earth has been ravaged. The only people left are aboard The Renaissance, a ship circling the planet. But they’re not safe yet. An intergalactic ship has been tormenting the survivors with threats of war and destruction, and they’re going to keep their promise. And the only hope that humanity has, is that by cloning Leonardo Da Vinci, they wish to tap into his genius and allow him to create weapons of mass destruction. However, things don’t go exactly how they could have hoped.
With a beautiful art style unlike any of the other graphic novels I’ve read I think ever, this is a book that would really stand out on my shelf. Not only because of the art, but also the story. Woven together are pieces of their present day Leonardo 2 putting his master plan into place, and snippets of the original Leonardo’s life. He’s haunted by his past mistakes, and hopes to correct them in this new life he’s been given. And I think that’s exactly what he does.
Overall, I don’t think I’m going to forget this graphic novel for a really long time. I want to re read it, and hold it in my hands, and that’s why I hope I can buy it sometime in the future. I would love to let my friends and family borrow it. I want everyone to know about it. And that’s really just that. I couldn’t get enough of it, and I can’t recommend it enough. Definitely check it out if you see it around, I think you’ll learn some new facts about Leonardo Da Vinci, just like I did.
If you’d like to grab a copy, you can do so here, through my Amazon Associates link.
And if you’d like to keep up with the creator, you can on Instagram, here.
Thanks for reading! Hope you’re doing well and staying safe.
Are you looking for an epic and action packed graphic novel full of mystery and also has characters that speak sign language? Then this is the one you’ll want to check out next. I’ve never read a comic with sign language in it, and now that I have, I don’t know why more don’t have it in their stories. I really enjoyed this. I think the art is beautiful and fits really perfectly, too.
4/5 Stars 160 pages Published October 6th 2020 by Image Comics
The beginning of the story is kind of a prequel to the rest of it, showing Surka, an impressive and ruthless female warlord who’s determined to make the people she dislikes pay for what they’ve done. She fights her way out of an underground prison, letting out the rest of the prisoners in the process, and causing a massive riot on the planet once they’re out. She’s willing to take down everyone and everything in her path to get to what she wants: a baby. But things don’t always work out how she wants them to.
Turns out, that baby is her daughter. Seventeen years later we see Tilde as a teenager, grown and in the military. It breaks her sick grandmothers heart to see her like that. But there’s a story in there, and she doesn’t expect any of it. After finding out her grandmother isn’t really her grandmother, she’s very confused, and the location she’s in goes into lockdown as she’s been labeled a security threat.
Her boss thinks that she can’t be trusted, as she’s part of Surka, someone they wanted gone long ago. He tells her the story of how Tartarus, a mining planet circling the planet Styxx came to be, and that through war and destruction, the Djinn have created insane tech weapons. He wants her to kill herself, but Tilde has other plans. And that’s when the real adventure begins.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book, even though my laptop kept dying while I was really starting to get into it, and I had to keep stopping and taking a break. I’m glad I got a chance to read it, and I think that anyone who likes scifi comics full of action and excitement will love this book as much as I did.
If you’d like a copy, you can grab one here through my Amazon Associates link!
And if you’d like to follow the creators on Twitter, you can do so here!
5/5 Stars 120 pages Published January 21st 2020 by Image Comics
Another almost guaranteed amazing read, Sea of Stars is a beautiful and haunting series following a young boy named Kadyn as he survives in space. His dad is looking for him, trying to stay positive, and it’s all he can do to keep up his motivation. Full of vibrant colours and strange creatures, this book sucked me in from the very beginning and I can’t wait to see what happens in the next volume.
This book really stood out to me because I love scifi and things about space. I don’t know what it is, it’s just so interesting and scary at the same time and I can’t get enough of it. This book isn’t an exception to that. The first comic I’ve read all year, I can’t wait to see what else is to come. I love that the colours, the art, and the story just run so well together, I just couldn’t get enough.
Photo by Harrison Haines on Pexels.com
Heading back from a job, a father and son run into a little problem. That little probably is actually a huge problem, a space monster destroys their ship and separates the two, sending them off in two different directions, and telling very different stories. The book itself is split into two sides because of it. I loved every page, and I want to get myself a physical copy for my bookshelf.
So if you like space, creatures you’ve never seen before, a broken family that’s desperate to find each other, and just science fiction in general, I know you’re going to love this. Check it out if you get a chance!
Human is so much more than just a super interesting looking cover and a nice red aesthetic. It’s the story of power, spiraling out of control. Of an ancient Earth, still living and healing long after people have deemed it uninhabitable. Human might be one of my favourite graphic novel’s that I’ve read lately, and I think it would make a really nice addition to anyone’s bookshelf, but specifically mine.
5/5 Stars 138 pages Published October 16th 2019 by Europe Comics
Something from space not only breaks apart, but crashes to an Earth, filled with dinosaurs and apes. Turns out, it’s not just space junk, but it’s an actual robot. It’s eager to explore, but it doesn’t know why it’s here or what it’s supposed to be doing, which is a problem. Especially when it’s a hostile environment. But when it’s attacked, another smaller robot flies down and defends it. The two stick together until they find two more robots, and then a ship containing an actual human being.
This is peculiar, because not only is Earth missing it’s humans, but the man in the ship is still alive. And he’s missing his wife. This is when we learn that not only are they scientists, but his wife was going to be the womb of the new human race. Not completely sure how that would work out down the line, but at least they tried, right?
Photo by Adi kavazovic on Pexels.com
Overall, this story was exciting, haunting, cute and extremely gory at times, if you can say cute and gory in the same breath. I loved every minute of it, and like I said, I think it might just be one of my new favourite graphic novels. Scary and cute is the best mix, especially with a little science fiction and horror thrown in. I definitely recommend checking this book out, even if you’re not the biggest fan of any of those things, because I feel like reading this would change your mind.
What do you think of all these novella’s and prequel’s I’ve been reading lately? I think its been a nice change of pace from full length novels. Anyways, today I’m reviewing The Eslites, a prequel novella to The Eslites Chronicles series, and let me tell you, it was the perfect start. Though I’ve never heard of this series, I was really intrigued by the description of the book, and I’m really glad I got the chance to check it out.
5/5 Stars 20 pages Published January 1st 2013
Of course by now you probably know that I love anything with aliens in it. And let me tell you, this book is no exception. The story follows a young teenage girl named Miranda, in the first person viewpoint. Her boyfriend Bryce won’t let her leave, but it’s not like she has a choice. Resistance means death, and even her parents basically just tell her to be strong and hopefully she won’t be chosen.
In this version of Earth, a dying alien race has chosen humans to incubate their offspring, or at least donate their eggs and sperm to help create more of them. After all, they have no females left in their race, and they’re running out of choices. Every male and female human between the ages of 14 and 25 must go for testing, and if they’re chosen, are forced to stay in a medical center and donate themselves to the greater good of these aliens. Apparently, most girls don’t make it home.
Though I wasn’t really sure what I was getting into with this book, it was a quick read, I finished it in under an hour, and surprisingly I was sucked in immediately. I can’t wait to see what happens in the first full length novel of the series, and I know that I need to get it into my life. If you’re into books that are about aliens and humans interacting, with a little bit of dystopia mixed in, you’re going to love this. I thought it did remind me a bit of The Hunger Games, but not the games themselves, just the part when they’re chosen and forcefully removed from their families. I think this is the perfect read for someone who wants something quick and addicting.
radioactive book reviews 