Guest Review: Batman: The Red Death #1

Joshua Williamson (Author) Jason Fabok (Illustrator)
Published September 20, 2017 by DC Comics
22 Pages
Part of Dark Nights: Metal
Amazon Kindle $3.99

My Rating: 

Plot

As the events of DARK NIGHTS: METAL rock the DC Universe, the creatures of the Dark Multiverse stand ready to invade our world! How can even the World’s Greatest Heroes stop a horde of deadly beings that appear to be powerful, nightmare versions of familiar figures?

How I Got This Book

I bought this comic for personal reading

My Review

This was phenomenal. Along with deepening the story, it answered one of the long-standing questions that many DC fans have always had: what if Batman gained access to the Speed Force? In a beautifully drawn and narrated world, it shows how far Batman would be willing to go under the right circumstances, even if it means sacrificing friends and allies. Darker than the typical Batman comic, The Red Death showed fans what it would be like if Batman did what he had to do without restraint. By far one of the best comics I have ever read from the DC comics line. I would have to say that this is definitely one of the best in this series.

So now that I am done fanboy-ing over this comic here is what it is about (more or less). Evil ancient dragon god is trying to destroy/takeover the entire multiverse using Batman as a conduit. Evil ancient dragon god employs multiple “evil” versions of Batman from the “Dark” multiverse to basically beat all the good guys, from the “Light” multiverse, asses. That’s where these comics come into play. The Red Death is a combination of Batman and The Flash, a terrifying amalgamation (although not the most terrifying that they covered in this series). The ending of this comic is terrifying and keeps you on the edge of your seat as you struggle to continue to root for the good guys even in the face of defeat.

Final Thoughts

After reading the entire series, this is easily one of my favorite entries. It had amazing art, amazing narration, and in my opinion, one of the best Batman panels I have ever seen. I would highly recommend the series, even if just these tie ins.

-Malcolm

I'm So Sorry!

Ahhh!!! My laptop has been out of commission for a while now and I just got it back today. I have so many reviews that I need to get typed up. Hopefully you all will be seeing new posts coming soon!!

Review: The Lost Queen by Signe Pike

Published September 4, 2018 by Touchstone

544 Pages

First in a Trilogy

Rating:

Plot

Compared to Outlander and The Mists of Avalon, this thrilling first novel of a debut trilogy reveals the untold story of Languoreth—a forgotten queen of sixth-century Scotland—twin sister of the man who inspired the legend of Merlin. 

I write because I have seen the darkness that will come. Already there are those who seek to tell a new history...

In a land of mountains and mist, tradition and superstition, Languoreth and her brother Lailoken are raised in the Old Way of their ancestors. But in Scotland, a new religion is rising, one that brings disruption, bloodshed, and riot. And even as her family faces the burgeoning forces of Christianity, the Anglo-Saxons, bent on colonization, are encroaching from the east. When conflict brings the hero Emrys Pendragon to her father’s door, Languoreth finds love with one of his warriors. Her deep connection to Maelgwn is forged by enchantment, but she is promised in marriage to Rhydderch, son of a Christian king. As Languoreth is catapulted into a world of violence and political intrigue, she must learn to adapt. Together with her brother—a warrior and druid known to history as Myrddin—Languoreth must assume her duty to fight for the preservation of the Old Way and the survival of her kingdom, or risk the loss of them both forever.

Based on new scholarship, this tale of bravery and conflicted love brings a lost queen back to life—rescuing her from obscurity, and reaffirming her place at the center of one of the most enduring legends of all time.

How I Got This Book

I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My Review

I truly fell in love with Languoreth as a character, only to fall out of love with her in the end. This book begins when she is 10 and continues through time jumps until she is middle-age. While I truly enjoyed this book, and I would recommend it to friends who are fans of historical fiction or King Arthur, I don’t think that I would read it again. It is part of a series, and I am curious where they are going to take the story next. With the way the book ended, I truly believe that there can’t be too much left of Languoreth’s story, but they did introduce characters in the last section that could continue it.

Languoreth starts out as a girl full of hope, even though she knows that her life is set in stone and she can’t be a Wisdom Keeper like her brother. She begins to lose that hope throughout the novel, and by the end she is a woman, married with children, having an affair, and having forgotten everything she knew about the Old Ways. She started strong and ended weak. She wasn’t even my favorite character throughout the novel, that goes to another who is only in it for maybe a third of the novel.

There really isn’t much that I can say about this novel. I read it and finished it about a week ago. Life got in the way of me being able to post my review until now, and honestly this isn’t a book that sticks in my mind, even with the notes that I took as I read it.

Final Thoughts

This is an interesting read, with dynamic characters, a straightforward storyline, action, adventure, romance, and magic. I gave this 3.5 stars only because it wasn’t memorable. It wasn’t a book that I could sit and rattle off the details of it to someone in the hopes that they would fall in love with it and want to read it. This is a novel that I greatly enjoyed, and would recommend, but that I wouldn’t think of first when I was recommending novels. 3.5 is a good rating for a book, so pick it up if you like historical fiction or anything relating to King Arthur.

Review Posting Soon!!

School and my new internship have been kicking my butt lately, but I was finally able to get a book finished (and another half way done) and have a review almost ready to be posted soon! Look for it (hopefully) tomorrow, but if not tomorrow it will be by the end of this week. I am so excited to tell you all about this book!!!