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THE FAITH OF BEASTS - James S.A. Corey

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The frightening species, Carryx, built an inter-galactic empire through domination and war. Acquired species must either prove themselves useful in combat, to take over more species, or be resigned to being slaughtered. Humans are currently on the block, with some humans having been captured Dafyd Alkhor is the highest ranking human in the Carryx captivity. Other humans don't think too much of him. Some, in fact, fear him as an advocate for the Carryx, as he seemingly works tirelessly to get humanity ensconced in the Carryx military. But Dafyd is more than he appears. Along with human slaves being brought to the Carryx home world, some of the Swarm - a military arm of one of the Carryx's fiercest enemies - are also smuggled in. The goal is to help them find a way to bring the Carryx down by studying them in their natural state. One of the problems with this, though, is that the longer the Swarm spend among humans, the more they forget that they are a weapon. With humans as slav...
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JOE THE PIRATE - graphic novel

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 One of the things that draws me to a graphic novel like this is the opportunity to not only be entertained, but to be educated as well. I like the idea of a graphic novel biography, and someone with as interesting a life as Marion Barbara Carstairs could be a really great read.  Born in 1900 in London, Marion Barbara "Joe" Carstairs was, from an early age, addicted to getting an  adrenaline rush. During the First World War she drove an ambulance and after the war she took to piloting speedboats, fought with crocodiles, and even flew an airplane through a hurricane. Joe was also addicted to sex. Unabashedly a lesbian, Joe typically wore masculine clothes, kept her hair cut short, and was tattooed like a sailor. Although the term wasn't used in the 1920's, 'Joe' was proudly non-binary. She had her regular lovers but was also rumored to have women as famous as Marlene Dietrich and Tallulah Bankhead as partners. Joe lived on the edge, pushing boundaries and not c...
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STYX - Bavo Dhooge

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Detective Raphael Styx of Ostend, Belgium, is on the hunt for a notorious serial killer known as "The Stuffer" because he fills his victims full of sand and then poses them as 'art' in public places. Styx is a bit late in life, his marriage is on the rocks, his hip hurts him all the time, and, yeah, he's a bit corrupt to boot. But even with ties to the Belgian underworld, Styx doesn't have any leads.  If he wants to solve this before the ambitious new guy, Detective Delacroix, makes the case, he'll need to think outside the box a bit. Detective Styx is just about to nab the notorious killer through a chance encounter when he is killed by a gunshot to the chest. But Styx is too stubborn to let something as simple as death stop him from catching a murderer - his own murderer! Styx recognizes his now unique opportunity to move around in the dark alleys and slums as he blends in with the criminal element. But his undead, zombie self has other issues that will ...
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VELVETEEN VS THE CONSEQUENCES OF HER ACTIONS - Seanan McGuire

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Velveteen is a superhero with a chip on her shoulder. Raised in the Super Patriots, Inc. since being discovered to have super abilities as a child, Velveteen was one of the early superhumans to leave the corporate atmosphere for independence. This didn't sit well in the world of corporate greed, of course, and she marked as a villain by the corporate desk jockeys (though she managed to become the official superhero for the state of Oregon).  More recently, Velveteen and her friends defeated  the Super Patriots, Inc., though to do so, Velveteen had to make a bargain with Santa Claus and now she has to pay the price for his aid (the consequences of her actions). While the world rebuilds and reinvents itself after the loss of one of the biggest superhero organizations, Velveteen must spend a specific amount of time in the Seasonal Lands. Velveteen spends time in Winter, Spring, and Fall, solving unique problems in each season, drawing on her power of animating inanimate objects. ...
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THE TUMBLING GIRL - Bridget Walsh

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It is 1876 in London and Minnie Ward - a scriptwriter at the Variety Palace Music Hall - discovers her best friend, Rose, dead.  Knowing Rose as she did, Minnie refuses to believe that her friend took her own life and decides she needs to look into the circumstances around her death. To that end, Minnie gets help from former police officer-turned private detective, Albert Easterbrook. Easterbrook is pretty busy - he's trying to catch the notorious Hairpin Killer - someone who continues to  eluded the police - but for Minnie, Albert takes on the assignment. Together, the two of them discover some of the worst places and people of London, and bodies begin to pile up around them.The next could be their own if they aren't careful. I am a sucker for historical fiction of this period and I'll pick up any book that takes place theaters or music halls, and features people in the entertainment industry. The Tumbling Girl would seem to be just the sort of book that I'd enjoy. An...
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PETER PAN IN WONDERLAND - Jeni Conrad

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 With high school graduation just around the corner, Peter is eager to move on with the next chapter in his life and maybe learn more about himself and his adoptive family. But while at the amusement park, Wonderland, Peter has an encounter with his fencing rival, Jillian Hook. The two get into a scrabble and fall through a funhouse mirror and into a strange world.  Peter is off, looking for his sister, Alice, but talking cats and pirate ships in the sky will thwart his search. I was drawn to this book because a) I'm a sucker for anything in the Alice in Wonderland world, and b) the concept here is really kind of brilliant. [And c) that's a pretty awesome cover.] Tossing Peter Pan into Alice's world (and presumably the next book will have Alice in Peter's world?) seems like such an obvious mash-up I don't know why it hasn't been done sooner. That said, I did have a slight problem with the character of Peter here.  He's not quite the Peter Pan we know from th...
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THE SHADOW PLANET - graphic novel

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The crew of the rocketship Vidar head to a desolate world in search of a missing patrol ship and discover a threat that could mean the end of all humanity. That's a short summation but it's a short book. The Shadow Planet is originally a French graphic novel that has been translated and reissued in the US by Image Comics. Author Giovanni Barbieri, who is also a screenwriter, notes that the idea for this book was originally planned as a 'B' movie and I think that's really evident - the 'B'-movie, sci-fi/horror vibes are strong. Think Alien as if made by Roger Corman. The story is ... well, it suffices. There's nothing new here and really no surprises.  That's part of the B movie vibe - you know what's coming, the thrill is in the 'when' and 'how.' That doesn't translate so well in a graphic novel. For the story, this gets only a rating of '2'. What saves this book is the artwork. Gianluca Pagliarani is the talent beh...
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