Reviews Week 11
March 14th- 20th
Book 29: The Last Unicorn
By Peter S. Beagle
Read March 13th- 14th
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This book was phenomenal. I have heard a lot of great things about it over the years but I did not ever expect it to be this great. I adored every minute of this book. It makes me wish that I had picked it up before now but man, am I glad that I did now. A great example of modern fantasy at its finest, a classic in its own right, and an amazing book to read. I recommend this book highly.
Book 30: Groo: Fray of the Gods
By Sergio Aragonés, Mark Evanier, Tom Luth, and Stan Sakai
Read March 15th
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This was another great addition to the Groo books that I have read. I loved the look at mythology throughout this book. It reminded me somewhat of Terry Pratchett's Small Gods book, which is a favorite of mine. This was clever and had me laughing out loud a lot. I love Groo as a character and how much he messes up everything for everyone around him. And he never even realizes it and that adds to the humor. Also, Rufferto's side comments are always the best. Love the art style as usual.
Book 31: Groo: Play of the Gods
By Sergio Aragonés
Read March 15th
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I adore Groo's story in this graphic novel and really enjoyed reading it again. Groo is hilarious and I'm glad that I read this after reading Fray of the Gods this time around. Brings even more context to the story. I read this for the first time in 2017 and I will place my original review below that I did for a website that I was reviewing for at the time.
2017 Review:
A Short Synopsis
The Groo graphic novels/ comics have been around for decades and I remember when I first heard about them when I was a kid. This is my first venture into his tales and I can honestly say that I'm surprised by how much I really enjoyed this simple little graphic novel. This follows along with Groo, a very idiotic barbarian that literally ruins everything around him by just being there. His ultimate mission in this tale is for the search of the best cheese dip in the world. Hilarity follows him in every movement as he ultimately changes the course of everyone's lives around him. Groo's dog, Rufferto follows him around as he adventures throughout this book and interjects little side comments throughout. He reminded me of Garfield in his way of making fun of the actions of Groo, similarly to how Garfield makes fun of Jon. It was quite funny to read.
Writing Style
Throughout the whole piece, we see not only the adventure of Groo but also the reactions of the Gods watching everything going on below them. The queen of the land is trying to spread out into other lands surrounding their own and spread the word of their one god to these lands. Each of the Gods blames Diothos for the fact that he is the only one that they are trying to worship and anyone believing in anyone else is getting hurt for it. As a famous sailor leads them to the land that he discovered each person has their own plan. The sailor wants to get gold for himself and leave the others. The priests want to spread the word of their god no matter what the cost, even if they have to hurt people (this actually becomes a funny joke throughout). Groo is tricked into coming for the best cheese dip and no one really wants him to come along.
What I really liked about the style of writing was the switch back and forth between the gods and the humans that they are arguing about. It was an interesting and rewarding choice in creation because this just added to the humor.
The Art, Lettering, and Coloring
The art style is wonderful to look at. It still has this old type of style with bright popping color for each of the characters. Each character stands out with their own specific styles that fit their characteristics. One of the best scenes is when the citizens of the new land start thinking up new gods. There are really ridiculous ones such as The God of Repetition (who then repeats everything he says multiple times throughout), The God of Spelling Things Backwards, and my favorite: The God of Procrastination. Each of these gods looks different from each other and many have a look that matches what they are gods of. The more gods added to this scene looked great together.
The lettering really is nothing too spectacular but it goes along perfectly with the style of the drawings and the coloring. All of the dialogue stands out great against what is happening in the images. They look great together.
Final Thoughts
This is the graphic novel that I wanted and needed to read at the end of the year. I loved the humor and the style of each panel. Groo was a character that grew on me almost instantly. The poor guy keeps messing up everything for many of the people around him and many will run away to avoid him. He doesn't even seem to realize or care and I found him enduring. The only downside that I really found in this piece was how slow it was at the beginning. It took me quite some time to actually get into this but once I did I was hooked. The art style and writing style make for a great experience. I cannot wait to read more of Groo's tales from the past and any more that will come out.
Book 32: Spear
By Nicola Griffith
Read March 16th
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This started out slow for me but once I actually got into the book, it was very good. Stories about King Arthur have always intrigued me and when I read the description for this one it became one of my most anticipated books of the year. I'm so glad to say that I enjoyed this retelling a lot.
The prose was lyrical and absolutely beautiful in every way. I loved the character of Peretur and her journey throughout the book to become part of Artos's court.
I liked the different look at the "Merlin" character in this story and how he was different than any other depiction that I have seen done before. In truth, most of these characters were different than expected which I loved. Especially, the relationship between the Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot characters in the story. Gotta say that it was a great surprise that I have been wanting in an Arthurian retelling forever.
Also, the ending was great. I liked where Griffith took this and how it diverges from what you think would actually happen. My only complaint is that I wanted more from this world and I hope that we will get more eventually.
I highly recommend this queer retelling of the Arthurian legend. It was beautiful in every way. I'm going to have to order a copy of it for my collection, especially after hearing about the illustrations that are going to be in the finished copy. Please if you pick this up read the author's note. I loved hearing about the research that went into her writing this book and where Peretur came from.
*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC of this wonderful novella. All opinions are my own.
Book 33: The Black Cauldron
By Lloyd Alexander
Read March 17th
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It was great to see Taran grow throughout the book and really get into the leadership role. He learns so much over the course of this book and I look forward to seeing where he will go in the next three books.
“Child, child, do you not see? For each of us comes a time when we must be more than what we are.”
Oh, and the scenes with the three enchantresses were great. They were so much fun and brought a great eerie feel to the book at times too. I love how Alexander brings humorous elements into his fantasy and also creepiness. I look forward to reading more from him in this series and also the other books he has written.
That ending was absolutely perfect and I won't spoil it here. And I don't care at all that I figured out what was going to happen pretty early on. It was still great. Loved the narration in the audiobook again. James Langton does an incredible job.
"It is easy to judge evil unmixed," replied Gwydion. "But, alas, in most of us good and bad are closely woven as the threads on a loom; greater wisdom than mine is needed for the judging.”
There are so many great lines from this book, some I have quoted throughout this review. They really made me think when I heard them and they stood out a lot. I'm so happy that I loved this book so much and that I get to gush about it now.
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