Monday, June 29, 2015

Clockwork Angels

Clockwork Angels: A Penny Dreadful Review

          A benevolent dictator called The Watchmaker rules over the land of Albion with his destiny calculators. A young man named Owen Hardy is tossed on the waves of fate, the tempest around him pulling him in strange directions.
          Clockwork Angels, a comic written by Kevin J. Anderson, based on a story and lyrics by Neal Peart, is an adventure on every page. The hero's path is odd, unexpected, and harrowing. The adventure-seeking Steampunk will not be disappointed.
          Yet there is a dreamy quality to it all, including the tragic scenes of violence between The Watchmaker and his nemesis The Anarchist. The art by Nick Robles is warm, impressionistic. Almost every panel could be taken out of context and put on a gallery wall.
          I enjoyed Clockwork Angels quite a lot. I award it four gears out of five. I suggest a visit to your nearest comic store immediately in order to obtain a copy.

Your Correspondent from the Bookstore,
Penny J. Merriweather


Monday, June 22, 2015

Warrior Stone: Underland

Warrior Stone: Underland: A Penny Dreadful Review

            All alternative dimensions in this day and age feature zeppelins. This science fiction truism includes the sepia-toned Underland of R. B. Harkess’s Warrior Stone: Underland.
            Resigned to her ordinariness, modern schoolgirl Claire Stone accidentally drops into a parallel world that appreciates what she can do. Late getting home one day, Claire crosses paths with the mercurial Warrior Evie Jones and saves her from a giant blob monster. Recognizing talent, Evie pulls some strings and inducts Claire into a parallel dimension as one of the warriors that tracks down and eliminates the blob monsters, known as morphs, before they can wreck havoc in Underland and our own world. The sepia-toned Underland is a fantastic and rather Steam or Dieselpunkish place peopled with strange creatures and magic. R. B. Harkess is good at conveying the sense of déjà vu that comes with an alternate reality so close to our own.
Claire Stone is clever, perceptive, resourceful, and knows when to keep her mouth shut. She is quieter than the typical heroine, and I find that makes her more real. She could be the school kid taking the city bus right next to you.
            In places it reminds me of Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere, and in other places it reminds me of the movie Starship Troopers (in the military feel of the warriors and the extremely vibrant amounts of goo that result from the extermination of a morph). It turns out to be a combination that tells a very interesting story.
            I must confess that this book was not exactly my cup of tea. Perhaps Underland was too gritty for my taste, perhaps I felt there wasn’t enough Steam in the Punk, or perhaps I was simply in the wrong mindset to read this book. Still, it would be an excellent choice of literary companion for someone else. I award Warrior Stone: Underland three gears out of five. It is a solid adventure with interesting characters. This might be your new favorite series. Give it a try.


Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather

Monday, June 15, 2015

The Cold Hell

The Cold Hell: A Penny Dreadful Review

          A brutal taster of a series that sounds fascinating, “The Cold Hell” is a short story by Augusto Chiarle published by DieGo Comics Publishing. Thanks to Kickstarter, the Shadow of Mars saga is set for publication. In fact, as I write this, the first book, Clockwork, should be available. I know I would love to find a copy.
          Mr. Chiarle drops us into the middle of a Polish winter with an engineer who loves his family. Inevitably, something horrific happens. It is an intoxicating taste of a fascinating world. Due to a Martian invasion, the power structure of the world is not as we know it. There's a portion of that in this story, but I would love to know more.
          This story does exactly what it intends: it makes the reader hungry for more of this world. Four gears all around. I highly recommend examining this saga from DieGo Comics Publishing.

Your Correspondent from the Bookstore,
Penny J. Merriweather


Monday, June 8, 2015

Great Britain's Great War

Great Britain’s Great War: A Penny Dreadful Review

Jeremy Paxman begins with the tale of an Uncle Charlie killed in action at Gallipoli, one of thousands of tales from one hundred years ago. He makes the sweeping events of the Great War that changed the face of the modern age personal, a collection of letters and medals contained in an heirloom cigar box. He keeps his narrative at this personal level even as he investigates the actions of lords and kings.
If you've ever questioned why and how the entire world could go to war, Great Britain's Great War will answer. Here you will find what people felt and believed.
The Great War is often given as the end of the era commonly associated with Steampunk. It was the magnum opus of steam technology and the death of much of the innocence that characterizes the Victorian and Edwardian ages. The optimism of Steampunk does not carry into the jaded twenties and thirties, and diesel replaces steam. How did it end? An educated Steampunk should know.
Jeremy Paxman, in plain English, explains what happened and why, who did what and caused what. This is a shining, helpful, easily absorbed history text which I highly recommend. Five gears of five for Great Britain's Great War. It is an essential part of any Steampunk library.

Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather

Monday, June 1, 2015

Steampunk Red Riding Hood

Steampunk Red Riding Hood: A Penny Dreadful Review

            The worst wolves are often human. In Rod Espinosa’s Steampunk Red Riding Hood, he keeps you guessing. If you are looking for a straight re-telling of “Red Riding Hood” with some Steampunk decoration, this isn’t what you want. Mr. Espinosa uses the familiar tale as a jumping off point and presents something new and fun.
            Little Red and her grandmother protect villages from a pack of anthropomorphic talking wolves. There are some really cool fight scenes, and I love Grandmother’s house, which is less of a cabin in the woods and more of a tank/caravan armed with sonic bombs. Upon returning to her home, Little Red encounters the real wolf: her brutish, abusive father. I won’t say anything more about the plot, or I’ll spoil it.
            I love this little comic. It doesn’t go where the reader expects, and I quite enjoy the fantasy world Rod Espinosa created here. I give it four and a half gears out of five. I demand a sequel!

Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather