Review: The End of the Fucking World by Charles Forsman

I viewed and reviewed the Netflix/Channel 4 series of the same name back in January of 2018. I really enjoyed that and was super impressed so much that it was based on a graphic novel that I just had to read it.
First off I have to say that I base my reviews on the item/title in question and do not let my opinion(s) of previous work to influence my rating.  I say this because these are two separate animals. The filmed version is very different from the graphic novel it is based on. While this is the basis for the series this felt very plain, and quite honestly this was basic AF. Why do you ask do I say it is basic? Because it transitions from scene to scene very fast with no explanation of why things had changed or why the pair of teens are going in the direction that they are going. The TV series fills a lot of these plot holes and is a much better piece of work than this. I also felt that the art was also basic and plain and seemed similar to Charles Shultz Peanuts if he had drawn Charlie Brown as a runaway teen with issues.

Don't get me wrong I take this for what it is and I did enjoy it but do not feel like so many of my friends on Goodreads that this deserves a 4 or 5-star rating. I rated this only 3 stars for the above-mentioned reasons. After having read this I really do not see there being a continuation of the Netflix series, but they did such a great job of writing it ...it is possible to continue on I guess.
UK and Canada get yours here - TEOTFW

all others - http://www.bookdepository.com/?a_aid=geekpron

Review: Hellboy: Oddest Jobs

I totally thought this was a graphic novel at first, and it was a subtle surprise. I say this as I tend to avoid reading novelized books about comic book characters. Come to find out that this is the 3rd book of a trilogy of books about the title character. The fact that this was a collection of short stories really helped for me to get into and enjoy this book. Had it been one big novel about Hellboy I don't think I would have liked it that much. don't get me wrong I like HB, but like I said I tend to avoid those kinds of books. Of course, I rated each individual short story using a 5 point star system and came to an average overall rating for the collection based on those total sum ratings.

Each story was written by a known author such as Garth Nix, Joe Lansdale, and a few others who I had never heard of but after reading their tales of HB I may have to look them up. The story I enjoyed the most was by an author I had never heard of named Stephen Volk. His short story was called Monster Boy which was about a little boy who seemed to be in the spectrum based on his description who shared a common interest in movie monsters with his grandfather. The story I disliked the most was called Feet of Sciron by Rhys Hughes which featured a very strange character named Foggy Dicks. Apparently Foggy has an ectoplasmic power and he left the BPRD team to pursue a career in porn...yeah you heard me right....porn.

Each and every story could be read out of order, and I'm assuming the same could be said about the previous 2 volumes in this series. So I will have to go ahead and read the previous volumes. I rated this collection of short stories 3 out of 5 stars based on the above calculation. It is a decent collection of stories some of which I really enjoyed and some not so much. The majority I felt were just okay, but overall this book is worth checking out if you are a fan of the Hellboy series.

Review: The Vision Vol. 1 Little Worse Than a Man

The Vision was always one of my favorite Avengers long before the movie adaptation. For some reason, he dropped off the radar for a period of time but has returned and he now has another family??? I will admit I was very eager to read this when I saw it. But this was not what I had hoped for. I was hoping that this would have filled in the gaps as to where he has been and how and when did he get a new family? How were they created? We all know that the Vision is based on Wonderman, but where did the basis of his wife and children come from? This book even had an explanation for the dog, but not the rest of the family. Leaving all of this out and turning this into another murder/ someone knows what you did Pinnochio type story just didn't impress me. I thought this was okay for a debut self-titled series, but it left a lot of stuff in the dark. I rated this 3 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. It's an okay mediocre read if you are looking for more info about this character but will not really answer anything if that makes sense.

 

Review: The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum

This is my first time ever having read this author. I only heard of this author because I recalled something I read about Stephen King and he had mentioned this author. Of course, I had seen a few films based on Ketchum's books. Which were not for the faint-hearted. One thing I learned about this book was that it was based on a real-life murder of a young girl named Sylia Likens. Upon completing this book the author writes his thoughts on this book and he wanted to bring attention to child abuse and how tragic it is. Warning this book is very graphic in detail....even more graphic is what the real girl had gone through.

Jack Ketchum's writing totally sets up the environment like no other author I have read. He really puts you there and you feel like you can really envision the place and people he describes. This adds to the horror of the abuse the girl suffers and as if you were not already sickened by the pure evil of an adult over a child. He also reminds you what it feels like to be a child and to be powerless because adults rule over them. You would never imagine that things of this nature are even possible, but they are and have happened. The author captures the feel of the time period and how a lot of people were not even thinking this can happen. This was definitely a page-turner and one that I couldn't put down. You are in shock and awe most of the time wondering and even when you know how it will turn out you are still caught like a deer in headlights. The scenes were very gruesome in details and how cruel the characters could be when they would torture an innocent girl were beyond shocking. If you cannot easily stomach things of a graphic nature I would avoid reading this or the original case notes. I rated this 4 out of 5 stars based on how well the author has with words and really capturing an event. I intend to read a few of the other books by him in which I have seen films.

Review: Happy! by Grant Morrison

First off I have to say this was on my radar, but it was a very long time before I had the opportunity to read it. I liked reading this author's works, and of course, this seemed interesting enough. My local library did not have any copies of this, and I was not sure I wanted to drop money on this book. I then saw an advertisement for the series on Syfy and knew I had to read this soon.

So I discovered my local library finally got a digital copy of this book and I checked it out. The reviews on this book are varied not many people can agree on whether it's good or bad. I will say that this miniseries about an ex-cop turned hitman in search of his daughter is sorta like a more gruesome and vulgar version of Taken....if it was a Christmas special. Having seen the Syfy series before reading the comic originally was something to get used to. As you would know if you have seen the miniseries it is really drawn and dragged out to make for like 8 episodes. The original book is much shorter and does not have as many scenes. Even characters have somewhat different names and looks. A lot of scene differences between the comic and the miniseries adaptation. Each is there own separate animal and when I did my review of this book upon completion I took that into consideration. Some hated this book and some loved it. I will say that the artwork is gritty and definitely leaves the reader feeling a bit of unease as they read it. 

This does have the gritty feel that Morrison is known for writing in his stories, and for that reason, and considering it is very different from its TV adaptation(which is much milder in comparison) I decided to rate this book 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. If you have not seen the series and have read the book please be mindful that it was tamed down for syndication. 

Review: Sleeping Giants (The Themis Files #1) by Sylvain Neuvel

Okay, so I'm late to the party on this one, and I will admit when this book came out and everyone was talking about it I tried to avoid the hype for fear of being disappointed. But I couldn't resist when this book came on sale for Kindle at a very low price one that I couldn't say no to.

First off this is not the typical science fiction book. Why you ask? Because at least 95% of it is written as a transcript of interviews between some type of government agent and witnesses to the events that unfold in the book. Some people who have read this were critical of this because this writing style leaves very little room to develop characters, but the main point of this book is not the characters. The main point of the book is the event. So if you are a reader who wants character development driven stories this is not the book for you.

What is the event you ask? Giant Robots from Space! Fans of robot mechs and fighting robots rejoice. The book starts out by discovering a hand within an underground cavern and it slowly builds on the story and revealing just what this giant robot looks like and what it is capable of. Now I won't spoil any of the specifics because this was part of what made this story so interesting. The anticipation to see how it all comes together and how the reaction from those who witness it and what they learn along the journey.

I have to admit that I am pretty impressed by the writing of this "high school drop out". Being written the way it is this is a super fast paced read and one that doesn't leave you feeling that there is anything missing. Although I made sure to pace myself and read this at a slow pace so I could enjoy it. I really enjoyed this and will admit it did slow down a bit towards the end, but this has not deterred me from wanting to read more in this series. I will read book 2 in the series eventually, and I know that book 3 is due to release soon.(May 2018) I rated this 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads. I do have to say again that this will not be for everyone. If you get excited about things like Ancient Aliens, and Robotech, or Gundam this will be right up your alley.

 

Review: The End of The Fucking World TV Miniseries (Netflix)

I knew when I saw the title of this miniseries that I would be interested in watching this. Before I even watched the trailer for it.

I started watching the first episode and was hooked. Two teens with bad home lives meet and decide to go on  "Bonnie and Clyde" type road trip. What other reason would you need to watch this? They not only find comfort in each others company but quickly things go bad quickly. I will not give any details as to spoil this, but this has to be one of the best series I have watched in a very long time. After I binge watched all 8 episodes I did some research on this series. It's from the UK's Channel 4 and based on a graphic novel of the same title which I had never heard of until now. I really enjoyed this series and cannot wait to read the graphic novel it is based on. Although the last episode ended on what seemed like a cliffhanger I do not know if that was the end or if another series is due. I'm assuming that this is the whole series in its entirety.