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The responsibility of being the last man on earth must be a burden like no other; for Yorick, it appears to be just another day, as long as you don't consider the fact that he is being hunted by multiple groups of women for very different reasons. In the second volume of Y: The Last Man, Cycles, Brian K. Vaughan flexes his muscles in the story of Yorick, the last remaining man on earth.
Yorick and Agent 355 found Dr. Mann, the woman looking to cure the plague, but they didn't save her research. When her lab and all her research is burned, they decide to head across the country to her secondary lab in California. Unfortunately, there is a whole country full of women who would be very interested to learn about the last man on earth between them and California. They are able to bargain their way onto a train headed West, but they should have expected the trip couldn't be that easy. When they end up in a small, idyllic town, they can't believe how well these women are living. What they don't know is that the whole town is hiding a very big secret.
This volume does a great job of giving you glimpses into Yorick, Dr. Mann, and Agent 355, and because of that, you become heavily invested in the story after these issues. The first book was fun and exciting, but this is where you get hooked. The story line is complex and there are characters who will blow you mind. The reintroduction of Yorick's sister Hero is the most pivotal point for me. I just can't wrap my head around her and everything she is doing. And yet, why not? The world as they knew it is over. Why not capitalize on the new face of the planet?
One of the most interesting sides of this part of the story is how different groups of women cope with the death of all the men. Some are falling apart, but some are actually better off, and that is a hard thing to wrap your head around! I loved how much it made me think and process that fact. Of course we would all grieve the loss of our husbands, fathers, sons, and friends, but who would survive best? And how would the world change without them? It is a heady batch of questions, but you will keep asking yourself these and many more as you continue with this fabulous series!
Some ladies might think a world without men would be far more peaceful, but there would be huge changes to the structure of the world without men, and the continuation of the species would be the last thing on everyone's mind. In the first volume of Y: The Last Man, Unmanned, by Brian K. Vaughan, the world loses every male mammal... except two.
Yorick has a smoking hot girlfriend who is currently traipsing around the Outback, but he fully intends on proposing to her. Meanwhile, his mother is trying to hold her own in Congress, and his sister, Hero, is living up to her name as an EMT. Everything seems normal. Normal, until everything isn't. All of a sudden, every man and male mammal in the world dies. Women around the globe watch their fathers, sons, husband, friends, coworkers, etc. drop dead in front of their eyes. Everyone, that is, except Yorick. A borderline agoraphobic, Yorick doesn't really leave his apartment. He offered to train a service monkey to help handicapped people, but so far the only thing he has accomplished is ducking when Ampersand flings his poo at Yorick's head.
Yorick is a goofball, and certainly not anyone's idea of the epitome of the last man on earth, but he is all the human race has left. With all the men gone, the women have had to step in, but none can agree on how to run things. The Amazons believe the plague was the world's savior, and try to eliminate all chances of a baby boy ever being born. The few remaining members of Congress are trying to hold things together, but the wives of prominent Republicans don't agree with how they "took over the government." Meanwhile, there are millions of bodies of men just rotting in offices and apartments that have to be incinerated. The world has gone to hell in a handbag, and Yorick is the last hope for mankind?!
First of all, I have read this series before. It was quite some time ago, and I loved it so much, I certainly did not take my time to savor it. After having finished all of Vaughan's Saga so far, I needed more of his genius, so I decided to reread this series, and I am so glad I did. It really is brilliant. First of all, Yorick is awesome. He is a total screw-up, but you won't be able to resist his delightful, scampish charm! Seriously. Yorick is absurd and fabulous all in one, and I just LOVE him SO much! So, the idea that this knucklehead is the last man on earth makes this series even more spectacular.
Add to that the great illustrations (not as stunning as Saga, but pretty darned good) and an incredible story line, and you have yourself one winning graphic novel series here. My only regret for purchasing these is that I couldn't control myself and wait for the hardcovers, because I imagine I will be rereading this series frequently. This volume is the basic backstory leading up to the death of all men, and the beginning of Yorick's travels. It will give you a good snapshot of the world without men, but it doesn't get to the heart of the story... for that you need Volume 2!!
Percy Carey lived a life that felt like the average life of a gang-banger, and then also seemed utterly spectacular. In Sentences: The Life of MF Grimm, he tells his story, including his rise from the streets and his fall from grace.
Percy got his first taste of attention from his time on Sesame Street, but it wasn't until he decided to be the baddest emcee that he had a true dream. Yes, he grew up on the streets, but they weren't the kind of streets you hear about. He had an amazing, strong, butt-kicking mother who would do anything to protect her children. He had a good stepfather, and lived in a neighborhood where the mantra "It takes a Village" is more like a lifestyle. But there was another element to his life and world that couldn't be ignored: the gangs.
Percy was a smart guy, and even though it set him apart, he loved to read and write. When he declared his intention to emcee, he knew it would lead him places, included the ultimate battle. Whether living on the east or the west coast, his life was tumultuous, dangerous, and exciting. And for a smart man like Percy, that excitement was what he was ultimately looking for. Unfortunately, it had consequences he could never escape; far deeper than prison or parole, he suffered a fate he could never have imagined.
Here is the important thing about this story. It isn't just a glorification of life on the streets. Money, fame, girls, objects, drugs, lifestyle. All those are there, but there is more. That life can't live forever. It burns out quick, and Percy learned that lesson the hard way. After the shooting left him paralyzed, he even found he had no place int he legitimate world. He tried, he really did, but he had no skills. The legit world didn't want him. So he went back to the world he knew: drugs, the streets, and a crew to watch your back.
I liked this story so much because I was constantly surprised. I went into it expecting a story of a kid on the streets who wanted to be Dre or Snoop, but instead ended up in a wheel chair. And yes, this story is that, but it is also so much more. This story is full of paradoxes and confusion as to how Percy got here, but more importantly, it is a story of how our surroundings shape us. If this kid had been born someplace else, he could have become a lawyer or a politician as opposed to learning about law in jail in order to get his sentence reduced. It takes a village, but that village can also define us, and I hope this story is a lesson to its readers of how to break out of that definition. This isn't a pretty story all tied up in bows, but it is a gritty, dark, fabulous story of a man who had to fall before he could pick himself up.
When two worlds are at war for as long as Landfall and Wreath have been fighting, the wounds are almost impossible to heal. They fester and rot until everyone involved has suffered in some inconceivable way. In Brian K Vaughan's third volume of Saga, the two star-crossed lovers find themselves hurtling through the stars to find a safe place for to raise their child.
Alana and Marko weren't sure where in the world it was safe to take Hazel, but they thought the man who was responsible for her even existing might be the place to start. D. Oswart Heist was an author who wrote the very book that made them think they could act on the chemistry between them. When they arrive, they are half surprised and half not, to find Heist drunk, disheveled, and blathering like an idiot. His planet of Quietus is even less warm and inviting, but they have no choice but to explore every option to keep Hazel safe.
On Quietus they learn a lot about themselves. With Marko's mother still grieving the loss of his father and Izabel, their ghostly appendage, taking care of Hazel, they get to know Heist, the tortured literary genius with more darkness inside him than hope these days. Meanwhile, The Will is still hunting them, and the story of their marriage and their baby is still feared to be the catalyst for a revolution in a world where no one wants this war to continue. Hazel is a symbol of everything Wreath and Landfall have failed to do for the people of the universe, and too many people want that symbol gone.
There is just something about this story that sucks me in with each volume. I recommended this series to a student recently, one who isn't an avid reader, and he was so into the story, he stayed up all night to read the first volume and couldn't wait to tell me about it. That is what I call one seriously awesome story! While Alana and Marko and the others are an interesting story arc, the other stories, like the Will and the two journalists, are just as interesting. I think each new story arc is so awesome, it could be its own complete series! But how they all tie in together and twist and turn is addictive. So give this series a shot if you haven't already. You won't be sorry! (unless you are dying for volume 4 like me!)
The world we live in is only a speck of dust compared to the universe. Imagine all that could be out there. Including a planet that is just a giant egg ready to hatch. In Brian K. Vaughan's second volume of Saga, Alana and Marko are still trying to find a way to keep Hazel safe.
Alana and Marko might have escaped a spider-woman, found a spaceship made of a tree, and bound their daughter to the upper torso of a little girl ghost to save Marko, but nothing prepared them for what was walking onto their new ship... Marko's parents. When they banish Izabel to the closest planet, Marko insists on going to save the ghost girl. His mother goes with him, not only to make sure he stays safe, but also to harangue him for getting mixed up with a Landfall girl. Meanwhile, Alana and Marko's father are left on the ship to... bond? Hard to do when she makes the ship wrap him up in vines and hang him from the ceiling!
Meanwhile, The Will is getting over the death of the woman he loved and is caught up with saving a little girl from the brothels. Meanwhile, Prince Robot IV is determined to find Marko and Alana before his wife has their child, and he has a plan of exactly where they are going to go. What none of them know is that everything they think they know is wildly and completely wrong. And all of them are thrust into this world because of one little girl. Hazel.
It's official. Brian K. Vaughan is a master. A complete and utter master. And the art by Fiona Staples? A. Maze. Ing. It is so beautiful and so unique, its hard to pry yourself away from the images to keep going with the story, but then again, the story is so awesome, it is hard to keep yourself from flying through the thing without hesitating to enjoy it! Such a conundrum!
I really loved the addition of Marko's parents, too. His mother was tough as nails (any idea why he is so smitten with Alana?!). But his father was the one who really got me. He was a man who was instantly in love with his new granddaughter and still had a dark secret he was hiding. I loved how protective he was of both new additions to his family, and he made this story just that much more special.
But still, the best of all was the world building. This saga (pun intended) never ceases to amaze me with its different planets and worlds out there. They are weird, creepy, bizarre, and so exciting to see! I almost hope the group keeps traveling because I want to see more, more, more!
Star-crossed lovers are a tale as old as time and a tale we can't get enough of. Whether they be from two feuding families in Verona or two warring planets (well, a planet and a moon, actually), when two souls from the corners of the universe are fighting to be together, we pray for a happy ending. In Saga by Brian K. Vaughan, being hunted by mercenaries might prevent any sort of happy ending.
Hazel was born on Cleave, but her parents were from some place far away. Alana is a soldier from the planet Landfall and Marko is a solder from Landfall's moon, Wreath. Wreath and Landfall have been at war for so long, they had to take the war out of their backyards in order to save the rest of their civilizations. Alana and Marko were never supposed to meet, let alone have a child together, but when she broke him out of prison, they became the most hunted couple in the galaxy and Hazel, their child, was the most coveted target.
Alana and Marko just want to be left alone with their baby, but they represent something the powers that be can't stand for, a unity among the races. When the Robot Prince is sent to find them, two mercenaries are offered a king's ransom to kill them and capture the baby, and a war rages around them, all seems hopeless to Alana and Marko. But somehow, by the grace of the inexplicable, they live each night to see the light of a new day. Unfortunately, it is not without consequences.
Oh, wow! Just Wow! I loved Vaughn's Y: The Last Man series, but I worried I might not like this one. Wrong. Dead wrong. From the magnificent world building, to the incredible characters, to the story that doesn't let you down for a single breath, this was an absolutely incredible graphic novel. Volume 1 is the first six issues, so I have quickly ordered the next two volumes, because I just can't get enough of this story!
Naughty Bits: OK, we all know it is tough to find a series in this genre without the naughty bits for younger readers, and this is no different. There are only a couple of moments, like the brothel The Will goes to or the Robot Prince's moment with his wife, but this is relatively tame for the genre. I recommended it for a student who read Watchman because I figured if they could handle that rape scene, this nudity and sex would be milder. Still, it is something to keep in mind, perhaps to ask parents first if they object if your student is younger.
Saga is a great start to what I can only assume will be a wonderful series, and I am excited to dig into the next two volumes. Alana and Marko are my new favorite characters. She is tough as nails, and his devotion to his family (including giving up the sword that will protect them because now that he has a daughter, he doesn't want to take part in the killing of people) is inspiring. While you might not like them, the supporting characters, whether they be mercenary, robot, or ghost, are just as intriguing. This is an amazing new world and you won't be able to get enough of it... LIKE ME!
More and more, the graphic novel is receiving the praise and respect it so deserves. From the time when comics were "just for kids" to now, when a timeless manual like Sun Tzu's Art of War can be adapted into a graphic story that follows its namesake's principles through a gritty dystopian future. Kelly Roman and Michael DeWeese do Sun Tzu justice with this exceptional homage.
Kelly Roman was punished, but nothing could punish him like his own conscience did. Once released from prison, he discovered his brother, an employee of Sun Tzu, was murdered. For Shane, there is nothing more important than finding the person behind Shane's death. As he starts to dig, however, he finds the darker and more disturbing world that hides behind the surface of the global economy. No longer about just money and ethics, the obsession with power has led men to do or create things that can never be undone. The face of society has changed through the decisions of man, and one lone person will get to the root of the deepest evil, all in the name of revenge.
I don't want to get too deep into the story behind Sun Tzu's original book because it is just too special, unique, and ground-breaking to steal that opportunity for discovery from you. The story itself could stand alone without Sun Tzu, but throughout the unfolding of the story, you will have little snippets of Sun Tzu's philosophy. Those snippets fold beautifully into the story, guiding you through the key purposes without just reiterating what was already written. Instead, it becomes an interpretation or reimagining. And it is truly something impressive to behold. I had never read Sun Tzu's Art of War from cover to cover in one fell swoop, but I was fairly familiar with it, and this was quite the interpretation and use of those ideas and philosophies. I was pretty surprised with how impressed I was, and I encouraged my husband to read it, who hadn't read the original, and he was equally as impressed. Therefore, this is a great book for anyone who is either well-versed or unfamiliar with the original. It will still have an amazing impact on any reader.
The story is, of course, incredibly violent and graphic. There were times where I was actually taken aback by the violence, but I felt it was all necessary for this particular story; nothing was gratuitous. This does, however, make the book better for older readers who can handle a good amount of violence. I would certainly recommend this story for any reader, especially a gamer, who struggles to find a story that keeps them going from cover to cover. This story with its incredible two-colored illustrations and terrifyingly capturing story will grab hold of those readers in particular. So if you have a bunch of boys who claim to never have found a book they cared about, try this one out- I think they will have a tough time putting it down!
I had the honor of seeing David Levithan at Oblong Books in Rhinebeck, NY this week. In fact, I survived nearly poking a hole in my gas tank, a very frustrated bout of roadside sobbing, and some ill wishes toward a local farm that left a veritable boulder in the middle of the road and was driving a tractor on the other side, causing me to ride over the boulder, in order to get to Oblong that night to see Libba Bray, Michael Northrop, David Levithan and E. Archer. While I was there, I had such a great time listening to these four YA authors, I picked up some of their books I hadn't read yet, including Levithan's Lover's Dictionary. I am so glad I survived such nonsense and got there. It was an amazing night and so far the books I snagged ROCK!"balk, v.I was the one who said we should live together. And even as I was doing it, I knew this would mean I would be the one to blame if it all went wrong. Then I consoled myself with this: if it all went wrong, the last thing I'd care about was who was to blame for moving in together.""macabre, adj.If you ever need proof that I love you, the fact that I allowed you to dress me up as a dead baby Jesus for Halloween should do it. Although, I suppose it would be even better proof if it hadn't been Halloween."Lover's Dictionary is a strange book. It isn't your traditional novel by any means. In fact, it is arranged much like a dictionary with words A-Z listed at the top of the page. Then after the word and part of speech is a short story, reflection, or thought based off that word. All the "entries" center around the anonymous narrator's relationship. The beauty of this story is how honest, real, and amazing the relationship is. This isn't your average "romance" novel. This is a relationship in every real meaning of the term. It chronicles their meeting, their first few dates, realizing they love one another, moving in together, infidelity, and grief. The insecurities found in any relationship are described in such a real way it made me laugh, cry, and miss my fiance. This book is hard to describe because the impact it will have on you is so unexpected and heartwarming, you can't categorize it.As I was reading this book, I knew exactly what I was going to do with it. I have a student who will be a senior and plans to take the SATs again. She has trouble with new vocabulary out of context, but it is hard to find a bunch of SAT vocabulary in one place. She is also very romantic and would love this story. I plan to take this book, have her read 3-4 entries a night, make a vocab card for the words, and then write her own entries for the words. I have a great feeling this will be a huge hit on so many different levels! I can't wait!There is some references to intimacy in the book, but it isn't anything graphic. I think the relationship is clearly a mature relationship, but since this is actually adult fiction, that is understood. Therefore, I would only use this book with 11th and 12th grade students who were mature enough for the content (although the content is relatively tame). I just can't wait to share this book with everyone I can get to read it. It was so beautiful and sad at the same time. It was like Levithan looked right into all our relationships and splattered them on the pages! You won't be able to put this story down!
Melissa De La Cruz's new series was written as adult fiction, but it is a great way to get fans of the Blue Blood's series to start reading more advanced books. Witches of East End is the first book in the Beauchamp series. While it is a separate series from the Blue Bloods, a few of our friendly vampires and their human companions make an appearance in this story. I really like the connection to the former series, especially since you don't have to know about the Blue Bloods... you will just enjoy the connection if you have read the former series.
Joanna and her daughters, Ingrid and Freya, are witches. Unfortunately, they are restricted witches. After Salem, the Council has had them on restriction; now they not allowed to perform magic. Joanna is a conjurer, and she can bring people back from the dead. Ingrid can predict the future and her charms can help a variety of issues. Freya is a potion maker working as a bartender; her specialty is romance and relationships. They live in the sleepy town of North Hampton as average women, but their true nature lies right beneath the surface. Slowly they become more and more bold with their magic, tired of the Council's restrictions.
For a while, the magic works fine. The townsfolk know the Beauchamps are different, but they don't question how different until things start going wrong. When a young girl goes missing, Freya and her potions are blamed. When the mayor hangs himself with a knot eerily similar to one of Ingrid's charms, his wife blames Ingrid. And when a friend Joanna saved from the afterlife comes back strange and different, it is clear Joanna may have done something wrong in saving him. These instances combined with mysterious illnesses in town and a deadly substance poisoning the water just offshore make the people of North Hampton turn to the witches with fingers pointed. Now the women must get to the bottom of the mysterious evil that is haunting their sleepy home... before something like Salem happens again.
This was a really great new start for De La Cruz. The book was written for adult audiences, but it is written in much of the same language as the author's YA series. There are a few intimate scenes that some might be concerned about giving to a younger student, but there are only a couple, and they are relatively mild. For an adult book, they are completely tame, but it might be a tad more intimate than some would feel comfortable giving to a young adult. I would have no qualms about giving this book to anyone in upper high school. Besides the occasional intimate scene, the language and content is very approachable for a younger reader.
The beauty of this story is not only the fact that it can appeal to a wide range of readers, but its complex story telling. While it seems to be a simple story about witches, there is so much more tied into it. Norse mythology makes an appearance, along with Norse God Odin, his wife Frigg, and their sons, Balder and Loki. The connection is surprising, but done with style and grace. This story has a multiple levels that will keep the readers enticed and never bored. There is too much going on to put the book down! My favorite part is that all these worlds, the worlds of witches, Gods, vampires, and much more, all come together just outside our own world of realization. All this time, just under our noses, are these amazing, and sometimes scary, creatures and beings! This was an amazing start to a new series, and I can't wait for the next installment.
