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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!
There is something so bittersweet about the final book in a series you loved so much. When the final Harry Potter book came out, I was thrilled and heart-broken at the same time! With The Death Cure, James Dashner's final book in the Maze Runner trilogy, I am sad to see the series end, but I started it hopeful the ending would be as I had hoped- finally a little peace for the kids who had been at the mercy of the evil corporation WICKED.
Thomas and his friends survived the Maze (an experiment to judge their responses and hopefully find a cure to the Flare) and the Scorch (the terrifying desert filled with sick crazies). But now that they are back in the hands of WICKED, the company using them as lab rats to find the cure to the Flare, they know nothing good is going to happen to them. Held hostage and isolated for weeks, they finally find a way to escape, but to do so they have to trust Brenda and Jorge- WICKED employees planted in the Scorch to keep an eye on them. But with no other options, they find Brenda and Jorge hate WICKED as much as they do. Unfortunately, the world is a cold, dangerous place for Munies- those immune to the Flare.
Once they manage to escape, they make there way to Denver which has become a walled, protected city free from the sickness. Unfortunately, the safety in Denver is all an illusion. The sickness is slowly starting to take over. When Thomas is contacted by the Right Arm, an organization devoted to take down WICKED, he knows they have to risk their lives and go back to the lab to destroy the evil people who test kids and have no qualms about watching them die. But can Thomas and his friends, the kids who lived through so much, make it through this final trial? Can they get rid of WICKED once and for all? And even if they do, what will be waiting for them on the other side?
Oh Dashner, you rapscallion! You had me hanging through the whole book PRAYING you didn't leave those poor kids in a worse situation (and me totally ticked off) by the end of the story. Thank goodness you took it easy on those kids (and me!). We needed a good ending! This book was a great culmination in the trilogy we spent so much time waiting for (im)patiently and while I am sad to have it end, I am glad it ended the way it did.
This series is phenomenal for any student, but I think it will be particularly successful with male struggling readers. The excitement and commitment to the young characters makes the story more than just plot twists and action. The kids I know who have started this series haven't been able to put it down. In fact, the adults I know who read these books couldn't put them down either! Dashner is an evil genius, but the ending of this series proved he wasn't as evil as I originally thought- he loved his characters as much as I did!
OK, "Zombie Apocalypse meets Catcher in the Rye" may seem like a ridiculous pairing, but in Jonathan Maberry's Rot and Ruin, it just works. This zombie Sci-Fi thriller meets coming-of-age tale is quite simply the best YA zombie story I have ever read! In fact, it might just be one of the best zombie stories, YA or adult fiction, I have ever read!
Benny Imura was just a toddler when his brother, Tom, took him and ran away from their home on the First Night. Benny has never forgiven his brother for running away and not saving his mother from their father who had already become one of the monsters. Even though Tom has since become a bounty hunter who ventures into the Rot and Ruin to kill zombies for money, Benny still thinks Tom is a coward.
Together they live in Mountainside, a small fenced town that works together to survive the zombie apocalypse that started 14 years ago. Benny has just turned 15 and all 15 year olds must find a job or their food rations will be cut in half. Benny and his friend Chong start looking for jobs, but can't find anything that isn't disgusting, terrifying, or simply too much effort than they are willing to give. Chong gets a job as a lookout on the fence tower, but Benny's imperfect eyesight keeps him looking. Finally, without any other options, he must resign himself to apprentice with his brother, and nothing could annoy him more.
When Tom agrees to take Benny into the Ruin and show him what he does, Benny has no idea what he is in for. Benny hates the zoms and has long since idolized the ruthless bounty hunters like Charlie Pink-Eye and Motorcity Hammer. Once in the Ruin, however, he sees Tom's side of the world. While the zoms are certainly to be feared, they aren't to be disrespected. Tom teaches Benny that the zoms were once people, and his job is very different than the other bounty hunters. Instead of bringing back limbless torsos for money like the other hunters, Tom goes on specific missions for family members to give them closure and "quiet" their loved ones. When Benny accompanies him on a quieting, it becomes clear Tom is anything but a coward. When they come upon a group of bounty hunters "having fun" with a bunch of zoms, Benny truly understands Tom's job finally- it isn't about killing monsters, it is about ending someone's suffering.
Things begin to go awry in the superstitious town of Mountainside when the newest Zombie Trading Cards are released. In addition to Benny getting the new hunter card- Tom- he also gets the Lost Girl card. The Lost Girl is a myth of a feral girl who survives in the ruin. She is stunning and Benny instantly feels protective of her. When he begins to investigate the card, however, he finds his brother may be the best source of information about the Lost Girl. Unfortunately, Charlie Pinkeye is also interested, and not for humanitarian reasons. He has much more disturbing reasons for wanting to find the Lost Girl, and when he attacks Benny's friend Nix and her mother, Benny and Tom must go into the Ruin to save Nix before Charlie can put her into the Zombie Games- a twisted gladiator-esque challenge where the hunters pit children against zombies.
This book was simply fantastic. It really showed the superstitious nature of the survivors in the small town. Once they had shielded themselves from the zombies, they weren't willing to even consider what happened outside the fences. Like the other townsfolk, Benny only sees the zombies for what they currently are- flesh munching, mindless monsters. Tom sees what they were- people like you and me. It shows the humanity within a pretty scary genre.
The writing is not too mature or too immature. It would be appropriate for stronger junior high readers all the way through high school readers. There isn't an abundance of violence, even though the story centers around zombies and bounty hunters. This book is a great story for the students who are interested in some action but really like a character driven story, as Benny and Tom are the true focus of this incredible book. All I can say is even if you are not a zombie enthusiast, you should give this book a chance- it will really blow your preconceived notions out of the water!
