The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole (2012)

Author: Stephen King | Page Count: 335

"I won't kill him, but you shall be there when he swings, and with my own hand I'll give you the bread to scatter beneath his dead feet."

Stephen King calls it book 4.5 of The Dark Tower series because it's set chronologically between Book IV: Wizard and Glass (1997) and Book V: Wolves of the Calla (2003). He also suggests that you can read it without having read any of the previous works, but I would strongly advise against doing that. It would nullify one of the most dramatic and defining moments in the early books. I feel it's best if you start at the series beginning or not at all.

The Wind Through the Keyhole uses the story within a story (within another story) literary device. The bulk of the book is taken up by gunslinger Roland Deschain telling his ka-tet self-contained stories from his past. The interpolated frame narrative used is so very brief that it draws attention to itself; it serves little purpose other than to enable King to slip the book into the existing continuity without upsetting it further. In doing so, it offered him the perfect opportunity to remedy the dramatic shift the reader experienced between Books IV and V (he had a near death accident in the interim—it clearly influenced the direction the narrative took in Book V), but there's no real attempt to smooth that transition. I'd hoped that distance and hindsight would've offered a renewed perspective.

Ultimately, I think a collection of shorts, removing the unnecessary frame and the three-tiered structure, would've been a better approach. Telling of Roland's youth and expanding upon his relationship with his family and his peers would've been preferable. It could've better explored the reasons for his actions in later books and offered a deeper insight into why he allows himself to be so utterly consumed by his obsessions. It could even have been the beginning of a series of prequels, offering King the opportunity to do the same for the other members of the ka-tet prior to their meeting Roland, enabling him to tell a different kind of story, one removed from the fantasy setting but still a part of it.

To his credit, though, he's crafted a story about storytelling and about the power of the imagination to create horrors or to stave them off. It's the written word but it captures a style of verbal storytelling that's almost dead now, and for a short time it comes alive once more. That kept me reading.

Ironically, the best part of the book is the story most removed from the Dark Tower mythos and its 4000+ pages of fictional but rigidly dogmatic continuity.

The author's addiction to Mid-World makes me suspect this won't be the last time he journeys there. I sincerely hope he makes the next one less awkward, because I'm a sucker for Roland’s way and I'll surely buy into it.

2½ throckets of bumblers out of 5

Avatar: The Last Airbender The Promise Part 2

Author: Gene Luen Yang | Illustrator: Gurihiru | Page Count:76

Who you choose to defend deserves to be defended simply because you chose them.

Aang is working to towards a peaceful resolution to the failure of the Harmony Restoration Movement while Sokka joins Toph in an effort to motivate her students and keep her new school from being usurped; two similar situations that may end up being resolved the same way just on different scales. Zuko takes the opportunity to learn how to be an effective Fire Lord from the only person he knows who has experience and regular citizens prepare for the clash that may be unavoidable as cooler heads may not prevail.

The characters introduced and then ignored in the first volume are now fleshed out and made interesting and my desire for more Toph was given and it is great. Her plot-line provides the most in character growth, humor and the action. The action is scarce in this volume as it is setting up for the concluding 3rd part, but if you actually like these characters then there is plenty going on to make up for it. The art is still crisp and vibrant and seems to be closer to the character models of the show though Zuko still looks off. Maybe it's just me.

More fleshed out characters and some little teases for long time fans are what fill this volume.

4 Immovable hats made of spears out of 5

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence: After the Long Goodbye (2007)

Author: Masaki Yamada | Translators: Yuji Oniki & Carl Gustav Horn
Page Count: 197 

"I'm not all that popular. At the same time, I hardly ever meet someone I like. In that sense, my life is balanced out."

A prequel to the second Ghost in the Shell feature film, Innocence (2004). Unlike most TV and film tie-in novels this one is actually good—damn good. It creates a singular narrative that doesn't rely heavily on the film but remains referential and respectful to it. Knowledge of the characters is obviously necessary to fully appreciate the small intricacies, but the text also manages to stand on its own two feet admirably.

It,s told first person, from the cyborg Batou's perspective  Batou isn't the most intelligent or passionate of individuals, so it may come as a surprise to find that his sensitive side, a secretive part of himself that he reserves for mostly one person in the films, could be so well-developed without compromising the integrity of the character. It gets deep into the mind of the man, the only part of him that's still human, to explore the themes of self that René Descartes popularised. That self-analysis is the novel's greatest strength, and what Ghost in the Shell is perfectly suited to.

If you want an action-packed Section 9 novel you'll be disappointed. After the Long Goodbye is a Batou book from beginning to end. It expands upon the feelings he was left to nurture at the end of the first film, and further develops the philosophical questions that were a large part of the second. It embraces the personal in an impersonal world. It's sci-fi with heart that doesn't shy away from the bigger questions. I only wish it had been longer.

With regards the translation, the prose flows beautifully, never feeling clunky or awkward. It's one of the most successful translations from such a difficult language that I've ever encountered.

Included at the end is a transcript of a short talk between author Yamada and Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence director, Mamoru Oshii. It's fascinating, but, unless you want spoilers, don't read until you've viewed both films.

4 specific brands of dog food out of 5

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century (2009 / 2011 / 2012)

Author: Alan Moore | Illustrator: Kevin O'Neill | Page Count: 240

“Then maybe this magical landscape mirrors the real world.”
“Perhaps that’s why it’s so awful.”

Century is split into three distinct parts, each 80 pages in length.  Whilst each book attempts a self-contained narrative, it makes sense to group them together for review because they’re really three parts of the same story.  It's only a matter of time before they get collected together in a single trade and sold as such.*

The majority of the original League members have been killed off by the ravages of time.  The few that remain have assembled a new collective to tackle new threats, one of which involves sleuthing up a magical cult on the basis of a premonitory dream.  You’ll need to have read The Black Dossier to get the back-story of the new members.  They aren't as alluring or as charismatic as the old team, but each brings something new to the table.

The number of literary references Moore slips into the first two parts threaten to overwhelm the plot.  It was at an acceptable level in Volumes One and Two, and it felt at home as part of the Black Dossier's expositional text sections and documents of people the League were involved with, but he’s arguably gone overboard this time.  If you’re not familiar with the characters he’s referring to, many of whom aren't in the public domain—forcing names to be modified, then  you’ll be wondering who the hell that guy was and why was he there?

Book One takes place in the year 1910.  It sets up the relationships of the new members, explores their validity and questions their necessity in an ever-changing world.  Moore again uses the work to comment on the monstrous deeds that some humans thrive on.  The violence, sexual and otherwise, is something he's explored before.  Expect big ripples in the League’s little pond.  As a standalone it’s less successful than the two that follow.

Book Two skips forward to 1969.  London has embraced psychedelic drugs, and the music culture that sprang up around it.  It's the perfect climate for a magical cult to exist in.  Kevin O'Neill appears to having a blast on art duties.  It takes twice as long to read a League book as any other because your attention is constantly drawn to background information and parodic in-jokes.

Book Three closes the story in 2009.  It was my favourite.  Moore streamlined it beautifully.  Perhaps he'd exhausted his stock of extraneous allusions.  I won't say anything more, but I don’t think any readers that have followed the League's adventures from the outset will be disappointed with the direction taken.

3½ eyeballs in your ankle out of 5

*EDIT: The three parts were collected in 2014 as one edition titled The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume 3: Century with new cover art.

Through the Wire: Lyrics & Illuminations (2009)

Author: Kanye West | Illustrator: Bill Plypton | Page Count: 79

Huh? Y'all eat pieces of shit? What's the basis? 

We ain't going nowhere but got suits and cases.

I picked it up for 99p in clearance because it had Bill Plypton art. I left the store feeling like I’d cheated the owners by paying so little. I think we both got lucky and unlucky that day.

I’d heard the name Kanye West but had no idea what he did or didn’t do. He’s a hip-hop ‘artist,’ apparently. That places him very far from the field I normally graze in. I haven’t heard his music and I have no wish to. His lyrics are abysmal; fourth grade poetry has more meaningful content than this fucking drivel. See above quote for a very fine example of Mr West’s poetical talent.

Each song is briefly annotated with an autobiographical anecdote in what most of us call the English language, which is a mercy.

Celebrated artist Bill Plypton illustrates the lyrics of twelve songs that collectively tell the tale of Kanye’s rise from a college drop-out to a college drop-out that learned how to hold a microphone. Plypton illustrates with his usual distinctive style; the sketchy pencil lines, the crosshatched colouring pencils and the dynamic perspectives are are all here. The illustrations are often blackly humorous, full of religious motifs and political musings.

I console myself with the knowledge that I got some cool Plympton art to admire, and pray it won't be long until my ageing brain forgets the Kanye West portion.

0 points for trying out of 5 for Kanye. | 5 wicked grins out of 5 for Bill.

Star Wars Republic Commando: True Colors (2007)

Author: Karen Traviss | Page Count: 482

We have laws on how we treat animals and semi-sentients. We even have laws protecting plants. But we have absolutely no laws whatsoever governing the welfare of clone troops - human beings. They have no legal status, no rights, no freedoms and no representation.

The Clone Wars are wearing on all involved. Clones are becoming aware of the raw deal they have been given and non-clones wrestle with their moral failings at so easily accepting such an ethically indefensible option as a slave army. The republic commandos of Omega Squad are at the center of this dilemma as their exposure to civilians in previous novels has given them an appreciation for a normal life. They are conflicted as they want normalcy, but doubt if they or any clone would even know what to do with it if they did have any. But plans are in motion to try to make it better as a side mission to capture the main clone geneticist who has fled makes headway to a cure for the clones genetically engineered accelerated aging. As the war comes to a head and doubt is sown as to how the Republic doesn't have everyone's best interest in mind (even it's own), all dramatis personae may have to make hard choices.

The ethical quandary of cloning has now become the main focus with the action becoming secondary, but that is not a bad thing as it is much more engrossing and the characters much more interesting faced with such a problem among others that also involve secrets, espionage and exposed hypocrisy. It's what raises science fiction from average to above-average.

4½ slow cooked grandma stew out of 5

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier (2007)

Author: Alan Moore  |  Illustrator: Kevin O'Neill  |  Page Count: 200

"Um... B-Bread and tits to you, flashing Monsignor.”

The Black Dossier fits chronologically between Volumes Two and Three of the long-running series.  It takes place sixty years after the events of the previous volumes.  If you didn't read the New Traveller's Almanac section at the end of Volume Two you’ll be confused.  I'd recommend doing so before dipping into TBD.

It differs from previous books.  Whereas they were traditional comics, the Dossier, as the title suggests, is a collection of documents relating to the League.  It’s a largely text-based sourcebook with some comic panels throughout.  The comic part tells the story of how certain characters acquire the Dossier, and the text is the actual Dossier that they have in their possession.
The text sections can be further broken down into prose works, letters, magazine articles and even a tiny Tijuana Bible insert.  There's a LOT of reading and not all of it is fun.  There's also a map, a cross section and a guidebook.  A 7” vinyl record of Moore singing was planned but sadly held back from the standard edition.

As usual it squeezes in a plethora of literary references, even more than before: George Orwell, Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, Jonathan Swift, Shakespeare, Homer, Virgil, John Wyndham, Kurt Vonnegut, John Cleland, Ian Fleming, Orson Wellles, John Buchan, Margaret Cavendish, Aleister Crowley, John Dee and many, many more.  I could go on for the entire length of this Nut.  It ceases throwing influences and allusions at the reader just long enough to get some plot in.

O'Neill's art is the best the series has had to date.  It's vibrant and filled with the same level of background details as the prose.

A small part of the book is in 3D.  It includes a pair of 3D glasses for you to pop-out and assemble.  It’s a gimmick that I think is supposed to parody such gimmicks, but it’s asinine and really fucking irritating.  What next?  Scratch and sniff?  I imagine Alan Moore smells of ashtray, cabbage and marmalade.  Perhaps Kevin O'Neill smells of school erasers, Tharg’s sweaty leather and censor’s anger.

3 rocket-ships to another dimension out of 5