Fables vol. 8

Fables: Wolves [vol. 8] by Bill Willingham, et al, 159 pages

After a few volumes focusing on other characters and plotlines, Wolves brings Snow White and Bigby Wolf back to the forefront, with their dual storylines reuniting. That said, it does move the main plot (that of gearing up for the impending fight with the Adversary) forward. Gah, it's so hard to talk about these without spoiling the story! I'll just say that I liked seeing Mowgli and Cinderella show off their unique skills in this volume, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of it in upcoming volumes.

Fables vol. 7

Fables: Arabian Nights (and Days) [vol. 7] by Bill Willingham, et al, 141 pages

In yet another volume that expands on the Fabletown/Farm story we've come to know, Arabian Nights (and Days) brings a delegation of Middle Eastern fables to Fabletown, with all of the cultural and language barriers that could be expected. It's intriguing, particularly throwing a genie into the mix, though not one of my favorite volumes.

Hidden Figures

Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly, 346 pages

Well, most of what this book is about is right there in the absurdly long subtitle, so I won't try to retell the tale too much. What I will say is that this very necessary book deftly illuminates the careers of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn, and Mary Jackson, as well as NASA's countless other black female mathematicians, balancing the math and science with the social and cultural setting in a completely approachable manner. It's a fascinating story that was begging to be told, and I am so glad that Shetterly wrote this book. It's only fault is that it wasn't done years earlier, because this is information that every kid should grow up knowing.

(Side note: there's a heck of a waiting list for this book, thanks to the acclaimed film based on it. Should you want to try a different method of experiencing it, Hidden Figures is available as a downloadable audiobook on Hoopla, where there's no wait whatsoever.)

Fables vol. 6

Fables: Homelands [vol. 6] by Bill Willingham, et al, 190 pages

So the overall premise of Fables is that the fairy tale characters have fled their home worlds and resettled in a small enclave in New York City. This volume returns to the Homelands, with Boy Blue seeking vengeance against the heretofore unidentified Adversary. I've already mentioned how much I like Boy Blue as a character, and this is his story through and through. An excellent volume, that fills in the backstory and sets the stage for the fight to come.

Fables vol. 5

Fables: The Mean Seasons [vol. 5] by Bill Willingham, et al, 166 pages

Coming in on the heels of March of the Wooden Soldiers, The Mean Seasons finds the fables dealing the fallout of a battle in Fabletown, as well as a shift in governance. This shakeup keeps the series rolling along, offering up new challenges for the leading characters and bringing new characters to the forefront. Like many transitional stories, this one is a bit of a letdown from the previous chapter, but it's vital and keeps the story moving.

Lincoln In The Bardo By George Saunders

The American Civil War, presidential politics and Tibetan Buddhism collide in George Saunders auspicious debut novel, "Lincoln In The Bardo."

Saunders, who has spent the last decade establishing himself as an essayist, children’s author and master of short fiction, has now turned his attention to writing his dazzling first long form book. 

Starting in February of 1862 the plot centers around Abraham Lincoln who has his hands full with the Civil War and the death of his son Willie at the age of eleven. The war is not going well and the president is grieving. 

Although this appears to be a lynchpin for an intense tale of agony and loss, it is something completely different, a ghost story. Veering into the supernatural, Saunders savvy storytelling chops provides his audience with a historical contemplation on the adversities of life and death.

Using Tibetan Buddhist thought as a model, Saunders talks to readers by carefully developing the President’s son as a restless spirit, stuck in a purgatory filled with penance and pettiness. Here Willie is forced to use compassion for redemption to peace.

As the plot unfolds Abe Lincoln is mired in fighting to save the Union he swore to uphold while overcoming his grief. In the meantime Willie is forced to confront the war waging for his soul.

One of the first great books of 2017.

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

Because Neil Gaiman has prominently used mythology and folklore as constants in his writings, most notably in "American Gods" and the Sandman comics, it should not come as a surprise that his latest book returns to that realm, specifically Norse Mythology.

Crisp, potent and  filled with adventure "Norse Mythology" gives readers a narrative comprised of Norse all-stars like Odin, Thor and the cunning Loki and their seriously dysfunctional family issues.

The book gets to the point and  gives readers a finely crafted narrative load with angst, tension and drama. Since Norse Gods were not huggers fit comes as no surprise that the book is rife with doses of deception that build to the climax of Ragnarok, an epic battle between gods and giants that signals the end of the world.

In his care this pantheon of Norse gods breathes anew. These egomaniacal divinities are gluttons for power and passions which, when left unchecked (which seems to be always), sparks the actions and reactions that bring about their demise, leaving readers thrilled but exhausted.

Fables vol. 4

Fables: March of the Wooden Soldiers [vol. 4] by Bill Willingham, et al, 231 pages

This volume, which is one of my favorites from the series, starts by providing some backstory for the New York fables, describing the final battle in the Homelands. Without spoiling anything, it sets up the ensuing action in this volume, while adding depth to Boy Blue, a character that had previously been pushed aside in favor of Snow White, Bigby Wolf, Prince Charming, and even the Lilliputians of the Farm. And I LOVE Boy Blue. He's one of my favorite characters in this series, and I love the nuance that Willingham and crew give him here.

Black Dahlia / Written and Illustrated by Rick Geary, 80pp.

I have a vivid memory of being home sick from school and watching the made-for-TV film Who Is the Black Dahlia?  I'd forgotten all the details before picking up Rick Geary's latest, but I remembered the eerie sensation of the story, which relates the grisly murder of Elizabeth Short in postwar LA.  The case is notorious for the hideous nature of the crime and for the fact that it was never solved,  and Geary's graphic novel, part of his Treasury of XXth Century Murder series,brings the story to life ably.  Several of the panels evoke the same chill the movie did.  Satisfying and fun, in the way that true crime is, if we're honest.

Sudden Death

Sudden Death / Alvaro Enrigue, 263 pgs.

This book centers on an epic tennis match between the artist Caravaggio and poet Quevedo.  The crowd includes Mary Magdalene, Galileo and a lot of popes.  In addition to the tennis, there are stories of Anne Boleyn (her hair is used to make the ball for the match), Aztec tennis, and a whole bunch of other stuff I didn't really understand.  This is one of those books that I enjoyed reading but I feel certain that I missed much of the layered meaning and significance.  It is a bit mind blowing.