Whats everyone reading?

[Hawkmumbler]

High Society, the second Cerebus book, by Dave Sim is IMHO a huge step up from the first volume. Being, as it is, one long story arc rather than a series of small events tentativly linked together.

I like how the whole rise of fall of the Earth-Pig PM started with a nod to the Palnu story in the first phonebook. I assume Church and State will continue to build on this even though the conclusion to High Society felt like a solid way to cap off Cerebus's forray into politics. I asdume we aren't supposed to know who the writer is throughout this book? Intruiging...

Anyway, I found a good copy on Church and State going online so i'll buy that on wednesday. Despite it's obvious flaws that have been discoused plenty of times i'm rather enjoying it.

[Link Prime]

Got to agree with theblazeuk in his recommendation of Joe Hills' Heart Shaped Box......A very atmospheric 'chiller / horror' and astonishingly good for a 1st Novel....

His most recent novel NOS4A2 is a supernatural / horror tale about a Nosferatu 'type' and is very reminiscent of Stephen Kings' work...( Not surprising considering that King is his dad ) ...Great characterisation and vivid descriptions...Highly Recommended...

Also an extremely good graphic novel series is Locke and Key written by Mr Hill....I was recommended this by a couple of forum members, and would say that it's one of the best series I've read in a long time. Also Highly Recommended. ( and the series of 6 in TPB finishes in November so if you like it, you can get them all ).

Cheers

Hear Hear.

All of Locke & Key is currently on digital sale; https://www.comixology.eu/Locke-Key-Vol-1-Welcome-To-Lovecraft/digital-comic/18409

I cannot praise this series highly enough.

I'd also heartily recommend NOS4A2 spin-off Wraith: Welcome to Christmasland https://www.comixology.eu/The-Wraith-Welcome-To-Christmasland-1-of-7/digital-comic/50832

[Mardroid]

Prose novels: Fevre Dream by George R R. Martin.

Steamboats and [spoiler]vampires[/spoiler] in the old west. Pretty good so far. The style of narration is very different from the Song of Ice and Fire books. This is a good thing. (I don't mean that as a criticism of those books. It's just nice to see versatility in an author in different books.)

Comic Collections:
Nemesis the Warlock: Deviant Edition.

I wasn't reading 2000AD when these first came out, so this is my first experience witht he character, aside from the first story which appears on this site. I wasn't all that fussed to get the collections to be honest. The premise didn't really grab me that much. But as it's classed as classic 2000 AD by many of you, when I saw the digital edition going for a tenner in a recent sale, I thought I'd give it a go.

It's... not bad, but not great so far. I haven't got that far though, to be fair. I find the colour style a bit garish. I can see why many remark that the colour doesn't add anything to the original, and I'm a person who usually prefers colour in comics! But I don't dislike it overall, it does the job. i do like the humour in these early strips, I will say.

Some of it's a bit fuzzy on my Kindle X HD 8.9 but that is cured by.... not zooming in so much.

ABC Warriors: Mek Files 1
I picked his up in the recent digital sale too. i would have liked to get the hardback really but looking at the difference in price, I decided to go this route.

This isn't my first foray into early ABC Warriors stuff as I've borrowed early books from the library, so I had a good idea as to what I was getting. And it's good. I prefer it much more to Nemesis, so far, but we'll see. I think there may be stuff at the end I haven't yet read.

Those colour spreads though... if I thought Nemesis colouring a bit garish, this is VERY garish. Oh dear. I'm glad they produced it though since that's how it appears in the original comics. Not my cup of tea at all, but it doesn't spoil this excellent edition.

I recently picked the last Locke and Key collection in a ComiXologysale too. (Incidentally, when you get ad's for this stuff I've found it pays to follow the link to the website. Don't buy it through the app as they still charge the non discounted pice. BUT you can still download it on the ComiXology app, afterwards, which is nice.)

I've yet to read this, but I'm hopeful. One of the best series I've read in a good while.

[Colin YNWA]

Nemesis the Warlock: Deviant Edition.

It's... not bad, but not great so far.

Burn the heretic!

[Professor Bear]

The Forest of Hands and Teeth - my first foray into reading YA literature (by which I mean the poorly-written post-Twilight shit that wouldn't cut it as something for sale to adults, crafted with little thought beyond a movie adaptation and which plagues the bookshelves of stores with a pox-like persistence), and it is pretty bad, its one genuinely good conceit likely being accidental, in that the main character comes off as such a complete arsehole, self-absorbed and concerned with her own wants that you forget that this book is aimed at 13 year-olds and that this is possibly a good approximation of how such a mind works.  What could have been an interesting take on the zombiepocalypse genre - by mashing it with melodramatic medieval village-based bodice-ripping - turns it into a turgid emo whine-off, and for an adult reader that's a bit of an obstacle as empathy is required for much of the situations that present themselves, otherwise you begin to notice that much of the character tension could be resolved by a slap in the teeth that is never given.  Not very good.

[Skullmo]

Currently reading the past 2 years of 2000ad. I cherry picked the stories I love (ABC Warriors, Stront, Wagner Dredd) but just have not had time to keep up with the rest. Just read Zombo (it really grew on me), Stickleback (great), Sinister Dexter (great) and many others. I have to say the Prog is pretty excellent.

[Dandontdare]

Just finished I kill Giants by Joe Kelly & Ken Nimura -  a really interesting tale of a troubled school girl and the fantasy world she creates to cope. If you liked The Underwater Welder, this has got a very similar vibe.

[Link Prime]

Currently reading the past 2 years of 2000ad.

Probably via the original artwork, you feckin hog!

[Skullmo]

Currently reading the past 2 years of 2000ad.

Probably via the original artwork, you feckin hog!

[Theblazeuk]

Trees by Warren Ellis

Enjoyably weird idea done with the usual panache and some stylistic artwork. Would fit in a prog if it wasn't a bit too decompressed with its (excellent) world building

[Mardroid]

Having bought Locke and Key: Alpha and Omega, I reread all the earlier Locke and Key volumes and then read A and O very quickly. Yes, that's very good.

Must read that Rico Dredd tale The Third Law. Very good. I like the fact that we see more complex motivations to Rico's decisions rather than just "he went bad". I'm a little shocked that his viewpoint made a lot of sense, not that I entirely agree with him.

I've often been a bit disappointed that he had such a small reception in the original tale (one 5-6 page episode) before being [spoiler]quickly disposed of.[/spoiler] I believe there are further tales in the comics which delve deeper which I've yet to read though.

I'm currently reading Road Rage which incorporates a comic adaptation of Stephen King and Moe Hills'
Throttle and Richard Matheson's classic Duel. It's dragging a bit so far but I've only read one issue in the volume.

From reading Pat Mills's Blog I found out that the first volume of Requiem Vampire Knight was available on Comixology for £2.49! Downloaded! I've yet to read, but the premise is .... interesting and disturbing. And the art looks luscious, so far.

[The Adventurer]

Currently getting back into reading novels again. The itch tends to come and go. Right now I'm reading On Basilisk Station (Honor Harrington Book 1) by David Weber. Mostly because it was free (along with a whole bunch of other Baen ebooks on Amazon) but also because I wanted a bit of military sci-fi.

It's a bit schlocky shit, but it's managing to keep my interest. Which is odd because there is a distinct lack of action, and it's not got the most well developed cast. The lead character isn't even super interesting. Yet I'm still plugging away at it, faster then I expected.


I've also got John Scalzi's Fuzzy Nation waiting for my next book.  Scalzi's always worth reading.

[Fungus]

Some 1977 'Action' comics, picked up at the recent Con. Hm...
As posted, felt they would be entertaining. Thing is, they're REALLY dense and as you might expect the plotting isn't really aimed at the 100-year-old me. So sped-read them after the first issue.

What I may do is pull them them out when I want to sniff the early progs but avoid sun-damage on the actual progs 

Also, realised too late that by buying 1977 I wouldn't see what was banned in 1976. I can only imagine...

[Zarjazzer]

Lobster Johnson the Burning Hand and Atomic Robo tpb both very good indeed-Johnson is certainly the darker one but Atomic Robo faces a lovecraftian horror, time travel and er Carl Sagan. Marvellous.

[von Boom]

Currently getting back into reading novels again. The itch tends to come and go. Right now I'm reading On Basilisk Station (Honor Harrington Book 1) by David Weber. Mostly because it was free (along with a whole bunch of other Baen ebooks on Amazon) but also because I wanted a bit of military sci-fi.

It's a bit schlocky shit, but it's managing to keep my interest. Which is odd because there is a distinct lack of action, and it's not got the most well developed cast. The lead character isn't even super interesting. Yet I'm still plugging away at it, faster then I expected.


I've also got John Scalzi's Fuzzy Nation waiting for my next book.  Scalzi's always worth reading.

On Basilisk Station is a bit rough. The next book, The Honor of the Queen is better. In fact many people recommend skipping OBS and going straight to Honor of the Queen.