Time Police - Volume 2: Trapped!

 I had to literally force myself to read this book all the way through to the end.  The first volume in this series (Time Police Vol. 1 - Vanished) was not the best of books, and the fact that this type of book is far from my normal read did not help matters.  I knew nothing about the author, Warren Norwood, when I picked up these two books at a book swap, but his bio in the book indicates he grew up reading Tom Swift books - thus, as a series-book collector myself, I thought this might mean the story would be enjoyable.  Well, sadly, the first book was overly convoluted, highly repetitive, and not that interesting at all, despite its time-travel premise.  Since I had the second book on my shelf, I figured I might as well read it and get it out of the way, so I could move on to much better things.

 

Trapped! (with the explanation point, mind you) takes place a year or so after the events in the first book.  Jackson Dubchek had walked away from the whole time-travel business, not wanting to be involved in whatever it is the Time Police are doing and having no interest in aiding the Mnemosynes in their quest to preserve what they believed to be the real history of the world.  As can be expected, all of that time manipulation brings Jackson back into the thick of things, as his brother's wife has somehow disappeared, and no one remembers her at all - it's like she never existed!  Jackson's own memories of Ann are slowly fading, and with his brother going out of his mind with grief, Jackson knows he must do something.  As such, he winds up with the Mnemosynes again, and before they agree to help him, he must do some things for him, which includes going back in time to the 1940s to determine if the whispers about a second World War and the atrocities committed by the German people are true stories or just fairy tales created by someone's imagination.

 

This time around, there is no real characterization at all (except for the addition of Suzanne Brelmer's mother, who has apparently become addicted to pain drugs in order to relief the horrific pain she endures on a daily basis - a pain that neither her daughter, nor her husband - a high official in the ranks of the Time Police, who also happens to be Suzanne's superior!).  The story just jumps from one point in time to another, with only a flimsy plot thread holding them all together - Jackson's search for some clue about what happened to his sister-in-law, all while trying to evade the soldiers from the Time Police who want to capture him, or even worse:  kill him.  I will say, though, I do like that we get more of the costumer from the Time Police in this one - an unusual ally of Jackson and Suzanne. Paress Linnet is probably the shining star of this book, for me anyway, and I would absolutely love to have seen more of her.  Sadly, she is only used as a plot device, to whisk Jackson to safety when he is nearly captured by the Time Police, and later, providing Jackson and Suzanne with the necessary clothing and money for them to use when they travel back in time.

 

The time loop connected to Wheeling, West Virginia and a certain junk yard owned by two stereotypical redneck hillbillies rears its ugly ahead again in this book, not just once, but twice.  Poor Jackson finds himself thrown into that same location he was thrown into in the last book, only this time, instead of facing down the two rednecks at gunpoint, he inadvertently winds up in the back of their pick up truck and takes an unexpected trip to a local watering hole, where he faces a Time Police officer in the bathroom and steals a car in order to find his way back to the junk yard so he can charge up his machine and get the heck out of dodge!  These side trips feel unnecessary and more like padding to lengthen the story out - there is no real point to them at all.

 

Jackson's trip to the concentration camps of Nazi Germany and Suzanne's trip to Woodstock in the hopes of finding drugs that can help her mother cope with the pain she is living with could have been built up much more than what they were - neither trip seems to have any lasting impact on the characters (other than introducing another time traveler who throws a wrench into Jackson and Suzanne's "will they or won't they?" relationship).  Again, some missed chances here to really flesh out the characters and let the readers see how these trips are impacting their lives.  Instead, they just jump from one time to another, with no time for reflection or even a chance to breathe.

 

This book ends on a cliffhanger, leaving poor Jackson stranded in the past with no time machine to take him home or anywhere else.  A third book was published, so I'm assuming Norwood figured out some way to rescue his character from being stranded (which, coincidentally enough, is the title to the third book); but, I will never know, as I have no intention of picking up the third book.  A fourth book was solicited, but it was never actually published, from what I could find. This series, for me, is lacking in any clear direction, and seems like nothing more than an opportunity for the author to throw his characters around in time in the hopes the readers will love all the back and forth.  The cover, once again with art provided by the Youll brothers, is less appealing than the first book.  The scene is something that does not even appear in the book, and the visual for the time machine is not at all what is described in the story.  Whether that is the publisher's fault for not providing the artist with clear parameters, or if it was simply the artist painting his own artistic vision for what he (they?) thought the future should look like - who knows...

 

This book was published in January 1989, just two months after the first one.  I would not recommend these books, even to those who like time-travel or general sci-fi adventure stories, unless you like stories that are overly convoluted, repetitious, and lacking in any in-depth characterization - in that case, these books are for you.

 

RATING:  5 Roman daggers of timeless design out of 10 for at least attempting to write a tale of time paradoxes and the dangers of messing with time. 

Time Police - Volume 1: Vanished

This is not a normal type of read for me, but I picked up the first two books in this series for free at a book swap last year while I was attending a book camp (yes, that's a real thing - it was a lot of fun, enjoying a retreat with other book lovers like myself!).  Since I do love time travel stories (Doctor Who, Dark Shadows, etc.), I thought I'd give these a try.  There is a third (and final) book in this series, but that was not there, so I don't have it.  The tagline on the front cover - "He had to enter the past to save the future!" - is a great hook, especially for fans of time travel, such as me.  Of course, anyone who has watched Back to the Future, The Butterfly Effect, or other time travel films will know that one has to be very careful when one meddles with time - so I was very curious to see just how this book would play out...

 

Vanished is the first volume in this "Time Police" series, written by Warren Norwood. Oddly enough, the organization that is the title of the series are not the protagonists - in fact, they turn out to be the bad guys (or at least, they are doing things that some might not think of as "good").  The protagonist is a simple librarian by the name of Jackson Dubchek, who hails from the Midwest and who agrees to help the Time Police with a special project, all because a beautiful woman asked him to.  I mean, isn't that the way it always goes - a beautiful woman somehow entices a man to do something, and the man ultimately winds up in deep trouble.  Well, in this case, it's no different.  The year is 2249, and time travel is common place for the government of the Second Republic.  Dubchek is honored to be selected to go back in time to help with a mission - back to the year 2183.  But, as he is ready to use his interpreting skills, the ambassador next to him is shot and killed, chaos explodes, and suddenly Dubchek is being hunted by both the police of that time period and the very same Time Police that brought him back in time.  What is going on?  How did he wind up in this position, and how is going to get back to his own time?  Enter the Mnemosynes, an organization dedicated to preserving history - the REAL history, not the one being changed and created by the Time Police in order to gain control over all life on Earth.  Wait, what?

 

From the first explosive page and the murder of an ambassador in the past (our future maybe, but it is Dubchek's past!), the book is non-stop action, non-stop time travel, and non-stop confusion.  Norwood definitely keeps his readers on their toes, as they try to follow Dubchek from one time to another and back again before bouncing around the time stream in an effort to uncover the truth about what is going on.  Along with Suzanne Brelmer, the daughter of a high ranking officer within the Time Police and an employee with her own agenda, Duibchek uncovers a huge conspiracy that reveals some of what the agency is doing - displacing people in time in order to wipe them from the minds of people in the present; tweaking points in history to change historical alliances and the outcome of wars in order to "guide" history to a point where they can control it all; and wiping certain people out of the timeline altogether, as they have done with some of their own agents who knew too much about what the agency is really doing.  Ultimately, Dubchek and Suzanne learn the real reason why the Time Police is trying to hard to displace Dubchek - because intel from the future has revealed he will become the biggest threat to the Time Police and their power-hungry goals!

 

The story is extremely convoluted, and unless you are a huge fan of time travel and familiar with stories like this, it may become too confusing at points, making it difficult to follow.  While I enjoyed the actual time travel elements themselves, I grew a it weary of the repeated "let's throw him into a different time, put him in immediate danger, and have him jump back home" trope that happened over and over and over again.  There was no variation, other than setting and time.  Plus, the fact that everyone Dubchek tried to save in each of his trips back and forth in time resulted in that person dying, which left me very disappointed.  What is the point, if everyone he tries to save dies?  And while the ending could have basically ended the series, had there been no more books, it still felt somewhat anticlimactic.  I expected more out of the "hero" of the story - perhaps the fact that I'm not a huge sci-fi fan may taint my opinion of the book somewhat.  Hopefully the second book in the series will be an improvement over this one.

 

Warren Norwood (1945 - 2005) was not only a science-fiction author, but also a teacher and musician, as well as a veteran of the Vietnam War.  He wrote two series other than this one, The Double-Spiral War series (consisting of three books) and The Windhover Tapes (consisting of four books).  In researching Norwood online, I discovered he had a fourth, unedited manuscript for this Time Police series titled Refugee, that is currently in the Special Collections at the University of North Texas. Thus, it was clear he had intended to tell more stories of Jackson Dubchek.  And I did smile at the fact that his author bio at the front of the book indicated he grew up reading Tom Swift books!  A fellow lover of children's series books!

 

One interesting thing I did take note of in this first book is the reference to a "painting by Dell Harris III, a picture of an alien creature..." (p. 24).  That name seemed familiar to me, so a quick look online revealed the fact that Dell Harris is, indeed, an award-winning artist, whose sci-fi illustrations appeared in Amazing and Analog magazines, as well as on the cover of any number of science-fiction novels in the 1980.  It makes one wonder if Norwood did not purposefully choose that name as a way to honor the artist.

 

And speaking of art, the cover to this book was provided by twin brothers, Stephen and Paul Youll, who collaborated on a number of commissions in the late 1980s.  When Stephen moved from England to the United States in 1989, their partnership ended - but the two continued to do their own individual art for various publishers in both England and the U.S.  This book was published in November 1988, which would have been during the height of the brothers' collaboration.

 

RATING:  6 rows of stacked high junk cars out of 10 for introducing readers to a reluctant hero having no idea what he's doing as he bounces around through time! 

Holiday Heroine - Book Six of the Heroine Complex

Well, six years ago I picked up the first book in this series, thinking it was just a one-off book - but I liked the premise and the cover, so I bought it, I read it, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Then a second book came out, and I was over the moon.  And then a third.  And a fourth.  And a fifth!  And now I have read the sixth book in the series, but am saddened over the fact that this is the final book in the "Heroine" series by Sarah Kuhn.  I have grown to love these characters - Bea Tanaka, her sister Evie Tanaka, and their "sister" (friend) Aveda Jupiter - as well as all of the assorted supporting characters, love interests, frenemies, and family members.  Kuhn truly did create a huge family over the course of these six books, and it's a shame to have to say goodbye (although, admittedly, there is one thing about the series I won't miss - more on that later....)

Holiday Heroine is the final journey of Bea Tanaka (and no, before you get worried, that is not referring to a death by any means!).  Bea was first introduced simply as Evie's younger sister, who Evie basically had to raise after their mother died and their father took off.  Bea was viewed as a bit of a trouble maker, and it was Evie's job to take care of her and see to it that Bea stayed out of trouble.  In Heroine's Journey, the third book in this series, Bea's powers were tested by a malevolent force, and she nearly turned completely to the "dark side," all with the idea that she was going to be reunited with her mother.  Now, here we are three books later, and Bea has grown up - and in this book, she is determined to prove to everyone - her sister, her co-workers, and her boyfriend (Sam) that she truly is grown up and can keep her powers under control.

But the real question is - can she?

Kuhn provides readers with a holiday-centric story as Bea is prepared to celebrate the Christmas holidays in the middle of summer with her family - Evie and Aveda are coming for a visit, along with Nate and .. uhm ... Sam - which could be kind of awkward, since Bea and Sam sort of broke up.  The only problem is, Bea doesn't remember the break up.  She also doesn't remember spending the afternoon at her office in Maui completing reports.  Nor does she remember cleaning up her tiny apartment in Hawaii and charging her phone.  Either Bea is having black-outs, or something crazy is going on.  When she comes across a picture of her and Pika with ice cream - something that wasn't going to happen until Friday - does it dawn on Bea what is really going on.  Bea Tanaka is time-traveling!

With all of the other crazy things that have happened in this series - demons, other dimensions, ghosts, vampires, and such - why should time travel be so out of the ordinary?  Bea is both excited and frightened at the prospect of traveling through time.  And just like all of the movies she has seen, she must avoid doing anything that could potentially alter the timeline.  This is what she tells herself to excuse the fact that she doesn't say anything to Team Evie/Aveda about the time-traveling.  Instead, she decides to show everyone just how grown up she is and figure it out herself.  If only she could figure out how to control when it happens and to what time she goes.  But things go crazy (as if they weren't crazy enough!) when she wakes up and discovers that Sam is no longer in the timeline - it's as if he never existed at all!  So, she does what any normal person does and goes back to try to correct that mistake.  But in so doing, she erases her sister from the timeline!

And if all of these things weren't bad enough, Nate's evil mom, Shasta, is back on the scene, working overtime to convince Bea that she must sacrifice Evie's soon-to-be-born baby in order to save all of humanity!

There are plenty of twists and turns, and lots and LOTS of angst (a lot of which would probably have been completely unnecessary had Bea simply told Evie, Aveda, Nate, Scott, and the rest of the team what was going on from the very beginning!) - but there are also plenty of fun scenes wit the time-traveling element.  We get to see more of Sam's family.  We get to see Nate and Evie as doting parents.  We get to see a wild beach battle against a gigantic sea monster.  We even get a talking chicken!  (Yeah, trust me, it's a bit weird at first, but you just go with it....)

The one thing I could have done without in this book (and this has been actually building in the last couple of books) is the whole "white people are stereotyping and discriminating against people of color, and therefore white people are bad" sentiments scattered throughout the story.  Yes, I'm not oblivious to the fact that there are still people out there who discriminate, and yes, I do understand that racism can have an impact on people in different ways.  But when I'm reading fictional stories for enjoyment, I don't need those kind of things shoved down my throat when they add nothing crucial to the story.  The first three books in this series barely touched on those issues - they focused on the characters, their coming to terms with their powers and their family around them, and their battles against the demons coming through from the other dimension.  I thought that was the focus of this series.  But starting with Haunted Heroine, moreso in Hollywood Heroine, and now much more in Holiday Heroine, it's almost as if Kuhn feels it necessary to push this sentiment into the story, despite it lacking any substantive purpose for the story.

But I was able to look beyond that to the story as a whole, which I enjoyed overall.  Evie, Aveda, and now Bea have all managed to find their balance (and their husbands/boyfriends), and I can see them having their happily ever afters.  I'll miss these characters, but it's satisfying to know that their family has finally been firmly established, and whatever happens in their futures, they will face them as more than a team - but as a family!

RATING:  8 canoes toppling to the ground out of 10 for bringing the story of this terrific trio of super-powered ladies to a satisfying and happy conclusion!

Donna Noble: Kidnapped (From the Worlds of Doctor Who)

As those who know me already know, Donna Noble, as played by the superbly talented Catherine Tate, is my absolute favorite companion that has ever graced the world of Doctor Who.  From her introduction in "The Runaway Bride" Christmas special some years ago, to her full season of episodes, to her return in the last two David Tenant specials, to the numerous books and audio books, and now in the upcoming mini-series of episodes once again starring David Tenant, I have loved this character without end!  A few years ago, Big Finish Productions, who has been producing Doctor Who audio books for many years now, as well as Dark Shadows audio stories continuing and building upon the original series, put out a five-disc special audio series starring none other than Donna Noble herself!  I immediately bought the box set, but unfortunately, as my car CD player had quit working by then, I did not have the opportunity to listen to it.  Well, a recent vacation with a rental car gave me plenty of driving time within which to listen to the CDs, and I can say the story (and hearing Catherine Tate's voice once again!) was well worth the wait!

Donna Noble: Kidnapped is a four-part story that is made up of four short stories with an over-arching tale of alien invasion.  While each of the four tales is written by a different author, the characterization remains consistent throughout all of them.  Catherine Tate, of course, reprises her role as Donna Noble, while Jacqueline King once again plays Donna's mother.  Dan Starkey, who is a long time Doctor Who actor who has played numerous roles over the years, takes on a couple of characters in the stories.  Wrapping up the main cast is Niky Wardley as Donna's best mate, Natalie, and Isla Blair as a speed dating organizer named Marge.  Most of the other characters are specific to each of the four tales, and at the very end, there is a special appearance by David Tennant as the 10th Doctor!

 

The story takes place shortly after the two-part "Silence in the Library" and "Forest of the Dead" episodes in series four, in which Donna finds herself in an alternate reality where she is married and has two children.  Coming back to this reality has left Donna a bit rattled, as she still remembers her husband and children and must deal with the loss of them as mere memories for a reality that no longer exists.  These four short audio tales touch upon that loss and further Donna's relationship with her overly-controlling mother (although, admittedly, we see a side of Sylvia Noble that we haven't seen before, which may alter the view of those who find the character not likable at all!).  They work seamlessly into the "between episodes" of the fourth series, and it's loads of fun to see Donna take all that she has learned while traveling with the Doctor and basically ask herself, "What Would the Doctor Do?"

The first story, "Out of this World," sets the stage for the whole adventure.  Donna reluctantly joins her friend Natalie for a night of speed dating - in which the two meet a mysterious young man who takes a rather healthy interest in Donna.  She wonders if perhaps he was sent by the Doctor, but it quickly becomes clear that aliens are involved, and when she, Natalie, and a couple of others are beamed aboard a spaceship, Donna is shocked to find herself face-to-face with the TARDIS!

"Spinvasion" continues the adventures of the Doctor ... er, I mean Donna (who is now passing herself off as "The Doctor") her companion (a/k/a best friend) Nat.  Donna manages to get her and Nat away from the alien spaceship, but they crash onto a planet that is being invaded - willingly!  A marketing team has convinced the citizens of the planet that they actually want to to be invaded, and Donna knows that she must free these people - after all, it's what the Doctor would do!

The next tale, "The Sorcerer of Albion," find Donna and Nat trying desperately to get back home - and they manage to get to Earth, only a few centuries too early.  It's the Middle Ages, and an aging sorcerer mistakes Donna for an incarnation of Merlin - and he captures her, doing everything in his power to steal her "magic" so he can defeat the monsters that are attacking his realm.  But Donna and Nat quickly come to question who is the real monster here?

The adventures of Donna and Nat conclude with "The Chiswick Cuckoos," as the troublemaking twosome manage to get home - only to discover that an alien plot has already hatched, and Donna is smack dab at the center of it!  There's only one person who can save Earth, and Donna and Nat are the only two who can free the Doctor so he can put an end to the machinations of ... well, no, that would be telling!  Let's just say in this four-part story, you can't really be sure that anyone is who they say they are...

So much adventures, so much danger, so much alien action, and so much fun - we definitely need more adventures of Donna Noble!  Are you paying attention, Big Finish?  MORE DONNA NOBLE!  After all, she's so much more than just a temp from Chiswick!

RATING:  10 mail flyers advertising speed dating out of 10 for giving fans a much needed fix of Donna Noble - but definitely leaving us all wanting for more!

The Nice House on the Lake - A DC Comics Black Label Maxi-Series

Ten people are invited to a beautiful lake house for a vacation.  The house is isolated, alone overlooking a quiet lake with a magnificent view of mountains and woods all around.  The ten people know each other somewhat (some better than others), but they all have one person in common.  Walter.  An enigmatic man with glasses, who in one way or another has touched each of these people's life and loved them in a way no one else has.  Walter.  A man of mystery who they can't help but love and for whom they are willing to do pretty much anything.  Including walk away from their life for a vacation that he promises will be one they will never forget.  And he's right.  NOW, doesn't that sound like the perfect description of a horror film?  That's what I thought, and that's why I picked up the series.  A 12-issue comic book series published under DC's "Black Label" imprint, likely because of the darker nature of the story.  But it turns out this tale was much more than horror.  Oh, sure, it definitely had the horror elements; but it also had elements of mystery ... elements of suspense and humor ... and elements of science fiction that came as an unexpected surprise.

The Nice House on the Lake is everything you want to read in a great story, but nothing at all what you would expect from the opening issues.  Writer James Tynion IV and artist Alvaro Martinez Bueno, who created the concept and brought it to life on the comic page, have a true masterpiece on their hands here.  I can't even begin to tell you how drawn in I was with the characters, with the story, with the twists and turns, with the cliffhangers, and ... well, you get the idea.  I am familiar with Tynion's work from DC's Justice League Dark series not so long ago, and I loved his writing on that series.  Obviously, Tynion is skilled at writing dark stories.  I am not familiar at all with Bueno's work, but his art clearly fits for this series.

As I indicated, The Nice House on the Lake tells the story of ten very different individuals - Norah Jakobs (the writer); Ryan Cane (the artist); Sarah Radnitz (the consultant); Naya Radia (the doctor); Molly Reynolds (the accountant); Veronica Wright (the scientist); Sam Nguyen (the reporter); Arturo Perez (the acupuncturist); Rick MacEwan (the pianist); and David Daye (the comedian).  Ten very different people with very different backgrounds, both culturally and professionally.  But all ten of them know Walter, and through Walter, they have connections - some slight, but some much stronger and deeper.  Walter invites all ten of them up to that very nice house on the lake for a vacation get-away, and while at first, it seems like a week of fun and games, it quickly turns to terror when they suddenly start seeing messages and reports on social media of the world beyond that lake facing utter destruction - fire raining from the sky, people literally melting in the streets, destruction happening all around the world, and friends, family, and loved ones dying in such horrible ways - all just beyond the reach of these ten people (well, eleven, counting Walter - but he doesn't really count).

And when Norah gets angry enough at Walter for trying to calm them all and encouraging them to be grateful that they were spared the destruction of the world out there, she grabs a fire poker and slams it right through Walter's head!  The only problem is, it doesn't kill him; rather, it reveals to the ten unsuspecting guests that Walter is not at all who they though him to be.  In fact, Walter doesn't appear to be human at all!  And with that concluding shock of the first issue, readers are left to wonder just what is really going on at the nice house on the lake?  Is this some kind of nightmare they will wake up from?  Is it actually some supernatural force that has taken control of them?  Is it some governmental experiment gone wrong?  Is it an alien experiment gone wrong?  Or, is it something that none of them can begin to comprehend?

Tynion slowly builds the story throughout the 12-issue series, with each of the cast revealing how they met Walter, how they engaged with Walter, and how they were ultimately pulled to the lake house.  Their memories of Walter provides background on why Walter specifically chose these ten individuals to survive the destruction that was to come - but there are also the memories that Walter took from them, and continues to take from them whenever they get too close to the truth.  Like when they discover the weird statues scattered on the grounds that surround the house ... and when they find the strange house made of black glass with no doors or windows ... and when they accidentally uncover the fact that they can hurt themselves (or each other) and heal as if they were never hurt at all!  With each issue, with each new discovery, the suspense builds, the terror builds, and their distrust of Walter builds.  Until they find a way to open a door into that strange building - and their friend Reggie bounds out, grateful they finally found the way to let him out of that place!

But, with Reggie there, that makes eleven people at the nice house on the lake - and according to Walter, there can only be ten ...

Some of the characters you will like ... some of them you will dislike ... some of them you won't really get to know as much as others ... some of them you will root for ... some of them you will realize are not who you think they are ... but one things is sure, you will definitely want to make it to the twelfth issue, because there are some major surprises in store about Walter, about the cast of characters, and about the entire situation that is happening to them and the world.  Because this is definitely not over, and sadly, one of them won't make it out of this alive.

 

This series will definitely make you think, and it will definitely make you question - if you had the opportunity to live out your life in the perfect paradise while the rest of the world (and humanity!) perishes, would you?

RATING:  9 copies of Action Comics No. 1 out of 10 for a truly unique apocalyptic tale of tragedy, friendship, survival, betrayal, and love.

The Sinister Mystery of the Mesmerizing Girl - the Third Extraordinary Adventure of the Athena Club

And another one bites the dust, as the saying goes (sigh).  I absolutely HATE beginning one of these posts that way, but unfortunately, it's a fact.  When I picked up the first Extraordinary Adventure of the Athena Club novel, I had high hopes.  An intriguing new series about the daughters of Dr. Jeckyll, Mr. Hide, Frankenstein, Dr. Rappaccini, Dr. Moreau, Van Helsing, and more - solving mysteries that could very well affect not only their 19th century England, but the entire world!  And the writing - wow!  I was utterly loving the style of Theodora Goss, and her interjecting of the characters' voices as they "talk" with Catherine as she "writes" each novel.  It was fun, it was adventurous, and it was filled with mystery, action, danger, suspense, romance, and just about everything else you would want in a great read.  And the second book not only held up against the first, but surpassed it.  So, when it finally came time to read this third book, you can imagine my utter disappointment when I read the tag at the top of the front cover:

"Ends on a high note." 

Seriously?  I quickly turned it over and saw the description, which started with "Mary Jeckyll and the Athena Club race to save Alice - and foil a plot to unseat the Queen - in the electrifying conclusion to the trilogy..."  Well, that pretty much clinched the fact that this was yet another three-book series, and the characters I have grown to love and enjoy will no longer grace any more pages of story after this.  I was so disappointed, I almost put the book down and did not want to read it, as once it was read, there would be no going back.  But I had to know.  The last book ended with poor Alice (the Athena Club's kitchen maid, who the women had just discovered could be someone else entirely!) being kidnapped by a woman claiming to be her mother, and so it only stands to reason this book would pick up on that.  

The Sinister Mystery of the Mesmerizing Girl opens with the origin of Ayesha - those who read the previous book may remember that she is currently the head of the Alchemical Society.  Of course, six pages into that origin, and the members of the Athena Club interrupt poor Catherine as she is trying to write the story and question why she would bore readers with the story of Ayesha, when the book was supposed to be about them, not the Egyptian princess!  And that right there is one of the things I so love about this series - the characters themselves constantly break into the story to add commentary or question Catherine's "telling" of the story, or just to promote the previous books (of course, that is mostly Catherine doing that, since, after all, she is the "author" of these stories!).  So, Catherine gives in and reverts to the Athena Club, where Mary, Diana, and Justine are returning home from Budapest.  Meanwhile, Catherine and Beatrice has remained behind, staying with Count Dracula, to fulfill their obligation to the traveling side-show.  Soon enough, though, the young women are reunited and begin their search for the missing Alice - AND Sherlock Holmes, who has also missing - AS WELL AS poor Dr. Watson, who hasn't been seen or heard from in over a week!  The Athena Club certainly has its hands full - guess it's a good thing their membership keeps expanding.

Meanwhile, Alice discovers that her mother has kidnapped her for a very specific purpose - it seems she is in league with Moriarty, who is forming a new society intent on taking over first England, and then the world.  But when Margaret Trelawny shows up, things start to change.  Alice, who they continually refer to as "Lydia" (which appears to be her given name), is suddenly given freedom throughout the house where they have been holding her captive, and she is made privy to the plans of what is to take place (even though she doesn't understand all of it - something about performing a ceremony that requires a sacrifice in order to bring back an Egyptian goddess).  Alice is smart though, having learned a thing or two while a servant in the Athena Club's house (especially from Mary Jeckyll, who Alice thinks is very smart, and she's always asking herself, "What would Mary do in this situation?"), and so she stays silent, pretends to go along with the plans, and soon discovers that the sacrifice for the ceremony is actually Sherlock Holmes!

Although the story is 430 pages in length, there is never a lull in the action.  From the train ride home to the search through London to the combing of opium dens in the worst part of town to being captured by Moriarty to the horrifying ceremony in the museum (during which a number of people die!) to a dangerous adventure in Cornwall to the very act of saving the Queen of England and facing down the wrath of an all-powerful goddess come back to life - it's literally non-stop for the Athena Club!  But their brains, their wit, their quick-thinking, and their never-give-up attitude leads Mary, Diana, Justine, Catherine, Beatrice, and Lucinda on a life-threatening, exciting adventure that definitely wraps this series up with a big bang!  And along for the ride are Sherlock and Watson, as well as those little scamps, the Baker Street Irregulars, Mycroft Holmes, and a few other familiar faces.  

Theodora Goss certainly has proven herself a wonderful writer with these three books, and it's truly a shame that we won't be getting any more adventures of the Athena Club.  Amazing stories, creatively wonderful characters, and so much potential for a million more tales of mysteries of the unknown - but alas, they shall forever remain a mystery, since this, as they say, is THE END.

RATING:  10 bags of lemon and pear drops, humbugs, licorice, and other assorted candies out of 10 for sharing with the world these monstrous tales of not-so-monstrous, unconventional women who prove that even the most unlikely of heroes can save the world!

Tom Swift Inventors' Academy, Book 8 - Depth Perception

Well, it seems this month is the month of endings.  The last book in the League of Secret Heroes series - the last book in the Blackwater saga - and now the last book in the most recent Tom Swift series (Tom Swift VI, I believe ... the original series, the "Jr" series, the Wanderer series, the Archway series, the Young Inventor series, and now the Inventors' Academy series).  I always seem to put off reading the last book in a series because I know that once I read it, that is it - the end.  No more stories with characters that I have grown to love (or merely like, as the case may be).  But putting it off indefinitely won't change the fact that sooner or later I have to pick it up and read it.  And so it goes with this final Tom Swift, Inventors' Academy book.

To date, I have pretty much enjoyed the series, even though Tom is a lot younger than any of the previous series.  But Depth Perception is probably my least favorite of the series.  Previous books had at least some level of mystery mixed in with the technological aspects of the story, but this book seems more about the technology and less about any real mystery.  There is a background mystery of sorts surrounding an armored trunk that was stolen years ago and driven into a quarry that has now been turned into a lake - the truck lies at the bottom of the lake, but a legend claims the money that was in the truck was never recovered, and the thieves never made it out to tell where the money went.  However, very little time is spent on that mystery.  The focus of the book seems to be more about the submersible that Tom and his friend Noah have created and their excitement about testing it out over Spring Break when a group of students from Swift Academy is taken to a local park to show off their latest inventions for keeping the environment clean.  Of course, that also happens to be the same park where the lake now is that holds the sunken armored truck.

While it is definitely nice to see Tom Swift focused on the technology and inventions (which has been a staple of Tom Swift since the first iteration way back in the early 1900s, unlike the recent television show that seemed to forget what Tom Swift was truly about), I much prefer when there is a mystery mixed in with the tech.  Tom Swift, Sr. plays a larger role in this story, as does Mr. Swift's friend, J.J. Jefferson, who is a famous engineering genius.  It's rather cute to see how Tom and Noah are so star-struck around Mr. Jefferson (no, not THAT Mr. Jefferson - he's a dry-cleaning tychoon, not an engineering genius!), and it reminds readers that no matter how smart Tom, Noah, and their friends may be, they are still young men and women, barely in their teens, who are easily awestruck by their so-called idols in the tech world.

There is a sort-of mystery surrounding Mr. Jefferson and what he is really doing at Lake Carlopa, but even that is minor and very quickly resolved.  In fact [AND THERE ARE SPOILERS AHEAD, SO IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED ABOUT THE END OF THIS BOOK, READ NO FURTHER!!!], there are actually no bad guys whatsoever in this story and no crimes are committed.  The ideas that Tom and Noah get in their head about the boat of scuba divers anchored in the lake next to the small island there is completely off-base, and it turns out that the sinking of their sub reveals just how wrong they were about what is going on at the lake.

It's truly a shame this series didn't make it past eight books (although that is two books more than the last series in the early 2000s).  While this book may not have been the best in the series, it was still a good read, and the ghostwriter(s) have managed to develop some very fleshed out characters in Tom, Noah, Sam, and Amy.  It has been a lot of fun reading their adventures, following their camaraderie, and rooting them as they ferreted out the villains and solved the mysteries.  Perhaps at some point, Simon & Schuster will give Tom Swift another try, and when they do, I'll be here, ready and waiting.

 

RATING:  7 bag of Boldero Bandit's money out of 10 for keeping the series lighthearted and fun and giving readers a Tom Swift that they could really enjoy.

The Prescient Wisdom of Nancy Drew

The word "prescient" is defined at www.dictionary.com as "having knowledge of things or events before they exist or happen; having foresight."  Thus, the title of this book leads one to assume that the book will be about the uncanny ability of that famous teen girl detective to anticipate things and figure things out before they actually are revealed.  I mean, after all, the name "Nancy Drew" in the title of the book is the sole reason I bought the book.  As an avid collector of Nancy Drew (among other children's mystery series), if her name pops up in a title of a book, I'm pretty apt to buy it.  This was no exception.  But I will honestly say, nothing - and I do mean NOTHING - could have possibly prepared me for the story I was going to read!

The Prescient Wisdom of Nancy Drew is probably - no, is DEFINITELY - the oddest, weirdest, strangest, most unusual book I have ever read.  In fact, all of those words combined really do not do this book justice.  Now, don't get me wrong.  Just because this book is so ... unique, shall I say ... it does not make it a bad book.  Far from it.  If you can get past the opening chapters, which are rather dense and leave the reader with a bit of uncertainty as to the direction of the book, then you will find yourself in for one heck of a wild ride!  This book has everything from aliens to talking dogs to invisible coyotes to giant boys to glowing orbs of light to all-powerful stones ... well, you get the idea.  And to think, it all starts with a little dog being sent up inside a rocket from Russia....

Set in the final months of 1957, the story opens in Russia where a young dog by the name of Laika is getting ready to be launched into space on a rocket by the name of Sputnik II.  The scientist who has been working with the dog, one Sergei Berezin, had recently come to have his daughter in his custody after the young girl's mother died and she had nowhere else to go.  Unsure what to do with her, he allowed her to stay in his apartment home, and for a brief while, she was able to share the apartment with Laika.  But her father warned her not to become attached.  So, when he took the dog away so it could be sent up into space, to orbit around the Earth, his daughter, Kisa, found herself missing the dog.  But that's okay, because she has found a stone down by the river that talks to her.  Now, you may be asking yourself at this point - what in the world does this have to do with Nancy Drew???  Well, be warned - the author, Rhyscary Wade, specifically indicates in the synopsis on the back of the book that you won't find out until the very end where Nancy Drew comes into the story!  And he's not kidding!

Well, some unexpected events transpire that lead Sergei, Kisa, and her school teacher, Pytor Glinka, to be kidnapped, reunited, and taken - well, let's just say they get taken.  Meanwhile, half a world away, in an airport in the United States, a family waits for the plane that will take them on the first leg of their journey to London.  Lars Angstrom is a university profession with a penchant for getting himself into trouble with his female students.  By now, his wife has become used to their suddenly being forced to move away when he gets fired from one university after another.  His three daughters - Stormy, Bubbles, and Molly (self-given nicknames, not their real names, by the way) - just go with the flow.  Bubbles is oblivious to her rather suddenly enlarged endowments; Molly is rough and tough, but she is learning as she gets older how to use her feminine wiles; and Stormy - well, Stormy is frustrated that she looks younger than her two sisters, even though she is the oldest!  What none of them realize is that one of the other passengers is on a very deadly mission to assassinate Lars!  Nor that the doctor on board, who looks way too young to be a doctor, has seen things that no human should ever see.  Nor that another passenger was sent on the plane to watch out for something.  Nor that Lars has a very special stone in his pocket that has the same wonderful properties as Kisa's stone...

So, what do you think happens when the plane, mid-flight, is suddenly surrounded by orbs of light that circle the plane, attach to the plane, fly in front of and behind the plane?  And worse, what happens when passengers start to disappear?  Or, at least, they seem to ... because Molly and Bubbles can still see everyone, but no one can see them, and apparently, the passengers and crew can't seem to see each other.  And where in the world did Stormy and the doctor go?  And how in the world is this flight connected to the Russian scientist, his little daughter, and the dog that presumably died in Sputnik II?  So many questions!  Yet, Wade does indeed answer them, although not necessarily in the expected or usual way!  The story will startle you, surprise you, and have you laughing out loud - and before the end, you will find yourself caring for the characters, even if you don't want to.  There are some deaths in the book, some changes in relationships, some new beginnings, some endings, and a fun-filled romp through *******land (yeah, you didn't really think I was going to spoil THAT one, did you?).  All I can really say about this book is - expect the unexpected!!!

Now, if you are thinking that there is absolutely no mention of Nancy Drew until that very last page, let me set your mind at rest.  Wade isn't that cruel.  There are three references within the story itself:

"Though genial, bright, and friendly, at heart Bubbles was a serious pensive girl who always had her nose in a book, even if that book was the latest in a series of young adult mysteries.  Nancy Drew had had her way with all the Angstrom girls, and Bubbles was no exception" (p. 68).

"Seven years of Nancy Drew had taught her loads about interrogation" (p. 106).

"Then, though he knew it was ridiculous, he looked under the seat, where he found Nancy Drew's Clue of the Velvet Mask, but nothing in the way of blonde teenagers" (p. 139).

While these three quotes may not seem much in and of themselves, trust me - they make perfect sense in the context of the story.  And as for that ending?  Well, Wade certainly was telling the truth, as the last line of the book is the entire reason for the title.  But don't cheat and ruin it for yourself - making your way through the story is the whole fun of it all!

I didn't really know what to think when I bought the book (as I bought it simply because it had Nancy Drew in the title), and my head is still spinning somewhat from everything I read - but I would certainly recommend it for some great, out-of-this-world kind of fun you won't read anywhere else.  (Although, this book is apparently book 6 of Wade's UFO Sex Comedy series of books, so perhaps if you read some of the other books, you might find more of this kind of fun - who knows?)

RATING:  10 wild goose chases out of 10 for being the most unusual, unique, crazy, out-of-this-world book that I have ever and probably will ever read in my life!

Hollywood Heroine - Book Five of the Heroine Complex

The superhero duo of the century return in their fifth adventure, as author Sarah Kuhn brings fans the latest tale of the mighty Aveda Jupiter and Evie Tanaka - along with their rag-tag team of spouses, sisters, friends, and assistants!  I never imagined when I picked up and read the first book, Heroine Complex, that this would become an ongoing series, let alone that I would get so caught up in these characters that I would anxiously wait for each book to come out (and before you ask, yes, I've already checked, and there is a sixth book on the schedule!).  And one of the things that I have been enjoying about the series is that the books rotate the main character - first it was Evie, then Aveda, then Bea - then it returned to Evie, and with this book, Aveda, and the next book will once again spotlight Bea.  This provides Kuhn with the opportunity to not only spotlight different characters in the "family," but it also gives her the opportunity to present each book with a different style and feel.  And this latest entry in the series is no different.

Hollywood Heroine finds Aveda and Evie heading to Hollywood to watch the development and filming of the new television series based on their adventures as the superheros of San Francisco!  And when they meet the actresses who will be portraying them, they are surprised to discover just how much alike the women are to themselves.  The director, though, is a whole 'nother story!  The man has his own strange visions for the show, including the idea of having a vampire written into the story (which, as readers who have been following the series, have never been in any of the dynamic duo's adventures).  Aveda and Evie are put off by the man's attitude and his revision to their adventures - and when the man portraying the vampire takes his method acting a bit too far and actually bites the actress portraying Aveda Jupiter ... well, there's no hesitation that the real Aveda Jupiter is going to jump in and save the day!  Only - no one asked her to, and no one wanted her to, and her actions result in Aveda and Evie being thrown off the set and barred from watching future filming!  Something is definitely not right here, but is it supernatural in nature or just the way of Hollywood film makers?

Aveda is determined to get to the bottom of it, but also finds herself dealing with a plethora of other problems as well.  Scott (her scrumptious husband) has come out to Los Angeles with them to look into starting a surf club for teens there locally.  It is  dream come true for him, and Aveda wants nothing more than for her husband to follow his dreams. But does that dream also have to include the Magnificent Mercedes f/k/a Mercedes McClain?  Mercedes was a friend of Aveda's when she first began doing the hero thing - but it turned into a competition, and Mercedes had no problem taking credit for Aveda's heroics, stealing the limelight while trying to remind Aveda on a daily basis the only reason she got as far as she did was because of her race!  Now, years later, Mercedes has made a name for herself as Los Angeles' local hero, and she seems to have set her sights on Scott.  And if that weren't enough, Pippa, the Jupiter/Tanaka team's latest assistant, seems to be having issues with her best friend Shelby ghosting her (which is probably easy to do, since Shelby is an actual ghost!), and Aveda feels she has to help her by involving her in this latest adventure.  And there's also the odd issue of her mother sending her pictures of oranges, then containers, and then the weird phone calls to check in (which her mother never does).  With so much going on, so many problems to solve, Aveda Jupiter is pushing herself to the very edge...

Which is exactly what someone is wanting to happen!

Yes, if Aveda Jupiter and Evie Tanaka are involved, you know the adventure is going to involve supernatural hi-jinks of some kind. Is it still that demon Shasta, bound and determined to get Evie's baby?  Or is it real vampires that have invaded Hollywood?  Or is it something else entirely?  Whatever it is, Aveda is on the case - but she's concerned that Evie does not seem overly interested in investigating; rather, she's more interested in taking in the sights and checking out the local food fare!  After all, this trip to Hollywood was supposed to be a vacation.  Is Evie slowly pulling away from the team, now that she is having a baby?  Will she and Nate move away and give up the hero job altogether?  Bea already moved to Hawaii, and Lucy and Rose had moved out of the headquarters, so was her team/family slowly falling apart, leaving Aveda all alone?  Was this what her future held?   Kuhn puts poor Aveda through the ringer as not only must she deal with the very real threat of the vampires in the city, but she must also figure out how not to push her husband away, deal with Evie's pregnancy and desire to step away from the heroing, her sister's absence, her weapons and tactical expert no longer on site and readily available, and her new assistant's self-esteem issues.  Oh, and what happens when Aveda realizes that she is .... nah, I can't say that, it would give away a huge part of the story!

This one has it all!  Secret underground tunnels, searches for the elusive tome, vampire bats, steamy dreams, huge supernatural battles, internal conflict, relationship problems, and a new, energetic assistant who is such a bundle of energy, for me, she personally stole a lot of the limelight away from Aveda - I absolutely LOVE Pippa and hope that Kuhn will eventually give her a book of her own (hint! hint!).  But on top of this, it also has something that feels very much like a soap box and less like a true story element - yes, I'm aware discrimination still occurs, particularly in Hollywood and more particularly when it comes to women of color.  And while that element certainly plays a part of this story, there are times where it feels less like the story and more like the author simply ranting about it, which became distracting after a while.  There were times where it flowed naturally into the story, and there were times where it simply read like a rant aimed at the readers.

But, aside from that, Kuhn does provide an amazingly fun story to read, and I still find myself thoroughly engaged with each of the characters.  Looking forward to the trip to Hawaii in the next book so we can see Bea shine!

RATING:  8 cheeseburger potstickers out of 10 for some fabulous Hollywood supernatural mayhem and the guts to even mention a weremervampire!!!

Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious - All Flesh is Grass

I thoroughly enjoyed the first "Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious" novel, so I came into this second novel with high hopes.  The first book has such a strong feel of an episode of the TV show, I could actually 'watch' it in my mind as I was reading the book.  I mean, any time BBC and its various writers bring together more than just two Doctors for a special story, it's bound to be good.  Right?  I mean, here we have the Eighth Doctor (Paul McGann), the Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston, my favorite!), and the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant), coming together - the Tenth Doctor to stop the Kotturuh, and the Eighth and Ninth Doctors to stop the Tenth Doctor from genocide.  And the Eighth Doctor has brought along the Daleks, the sworn enemy of the Doctor, and the Ninth Doctor has brought a horde of vampires.  Who is actually fighting on the right side here?   Such a great premise, such a great build up in the last book....and such a huge let-down with this second part.

All Flesh is Grass, written by Uma McCormack, lacks almost everything the previous book had that made it such a great Doctor Who story.  While the story picks up right where the previous "Time Lord Victorious" book left off, it's as different as night is from day.  First, and probably foremost, is the fact that the author does not have a grasp on the personalities for the various Doctors.  One of the things about Doctor Who that has made it fascinating, for me at least, is that each incarnation of the Doctor has a very different, very distinct personality that sets him (or her, as the case may now be) from every other version.  The Ninth Doctor was serious; the Tenth Doctor was adventurous; the Eleventh Doctor was fun; the Twelfth Doctor was grave; the Thirteenth Doctor is surprising; and so on.  But in this book, none of the Doctors have their personality.  Rather, they read very stiff and dry.  As I read their dialogue, I don't hear any of their voices like I did in the previous book.  It's just dialogue that, quite frankly, any character could have said and it would have had the same impact.  There was nothing that made any of them feel like the Doctor.

And this whole idea that the Tenth Doctor would purposefully set out to wipe out an entire species?  I'm sorry, but that does not at all fit with the Tenth Doctor's characterization.  The Ninth Doctor?  Maybe.  The Eighth Doctor?  Probably not.  In fact, I don't know of ANY Doctor that would set out to wipe out a species, except maybe the War Doctor (John Hurt).  So, the entire premise just did not work.  The Doctor ALWAYS finds a way around it.  I was so put off by the characterization, that I had to push myself to get through the book and finish it, which rarely happens to me when I'm reading.  Honestly, I got more enjoyment out of he Daleks and the vampires than I did out of the Doctors.  And there were no companions in this story (unless you count Brian, the Ood, but he had his own agenda - and, quite frankly, he was more interesting to read than any of the Doctors - I found myself wanting to see where his story was going to take him).  Maybe that's why the Doctors' characterization was so off?  I think it was Donna who told the Doctor at the end of her first story (the Christmas special) that he needed to find himself someone, that he needed someone to keep him grounded.  And I think this book is a perfect example of just how right she was!

And speaking of Donna...

Probably the best thing about this book was on page 72, when the Eighth Doctor gets aboard the ship the Tenth Doctor had commandeered.  When Eight comments about a ship like that never appealing to him, Ten responds with: "Well, it's come in handy ... Took me a while to name it but I've settled on HMS Donna because, well, there's no arguing with it." Not only does my all-time favorite companion get a mention and a ship named after her, but she's the one character that McCormack actually got right!  Because, let's face it, there really was no arguing with Donna Noble - you always knew she would win in the end!  So, with this, the book had at least one redeeming quality.

As for the story itself - McCormack jumped back and forth among the Doctors and various characters so often, that it became somewhat hard to follow the story.  Just when you start getting into one part of the adventure, the story jumps to another scene - then to another - then back to the first - then to the third - then to the second - then to the third again - then back to the first - and so on, and so on.  It felt very jumbled, and sadly, did not flow smoothly as you are reading it.  And when the three Doctors finally meet, and you think this is going to lead up to a big battle, nope - they get separated, and we start jumping around again.  The writing lacked the cohesion and flow necessary to make it a good read, and felt more like the author simply was throwing one action sequence after another at the reader in the hopes the reader will ignore the lack of proper characterization and transitions.

At least this is the final "Time Lord Victorious" novel, so if there are any Doctor Who books in the future that I buy (depending on who the companions are), I hope they find better authors to handle them!

RATING:  4 slowly dying spider plants out of 10 for bringing three Doctors together in a story that at least gives a nod to Donna Noble - the best companion of all time!

European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman - the Second Extraordinary Adventure of the Athena Club

What better way to start off the new year that reuniting with the daughters of Frankenstein, Dr. Jeckyll, Mr. Hyde, Dr. Moreau, and Dr. Rappaccini?  Especially when their second adventure as members of The Athena Club takes over 700 pages to tell the full story!  EGADS!  When I first sat down to start reading this book, I did not realize it was pretty much going to take me the entire month of January to read it - but with work responsibilities, my birthday, David's birthday, and a horrible bout with the stomach flu, what might have normally only taken a week to read ended up taking literally an entire month.  But that's not a bad thing - spending time with Mary, Diana, Justine, Catherine, and Beatrice is always guaranteed to be fun, and these exceptional ladies did not disappoint!

European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman is Theodora Goss's second foray into this fictional world where the female creations of these mad scientists have come together to battle the forces of their fathers' evil society of scientists and, along the way, form a familial bond stronger than any bloodline could ever be.  While the first book was a set up for the series, bringing the young women together, introducing each of them to the readers and giving us background as to who and why they are - with that established, Goss has the freedom in the second book to expand the world, giving the story and more soap opera feel - which is meant to be a compliment!  Because now not only do we have a new escapade for the Athena Club to jump into (rescuing the daughter of Van Helsing, who has been locked away in a psychiatric ward for reasons unknown), but we get more involvement from the supporting cast (in one instance, it is in the most surprising and unexpected way) and subplots are introduced that will clearly lead into future stories.

Due to the length of the book, it is broken up into two parts - Book One provides the tale of how the girls get from London to Vienna as they begin their search for Lucinda Van Helsing after Mary gets a telegram from Ms. Van Helsing informing her that Mary's former governess and teacher, one Miss Wilhelmena Murray, had recommended she reach out to Mary for help.  Book Two offers up the conclusion to this particular story, as the girls head from Vienna to Budapest, where they must not only face off against Van Helsing and his blood-thirsty army, but they must convince the Alchemical Society to put a stop to all of the experiments that have created women such as they.

And that is not the only division in this book.  Goss also breaks the team apart for separate missions in this story.  As Mary and Justine head off for Vienna (along with Diana, who, unbeknownst to them, has stowed away for the trip) to meet up with Irene Adler Norton, who, at the bequest of Sherlock Holmes, will help the women locate Ms. Van Helsing, Catherine and Beatrice go undercover of sorts to learn just what Dr. Seward is up to at the asylum with the intent of joining Mary and the others later.  The book alternates narratives, following Mary, Justine and Diana for a bit, then going back and relating the events that have transpired simultaneously with Catherine, Beatrice, and the young maid, Alice (who goes from a small supporting character to a much more integral part of the tale!).  Ultimately, what Catherine and Beatrice discover reveals a much deadlier plot than any of them had envisioned, and under the guise of joining the circus in which Catherine once performed, they head for Vienna to meet up with their fellow Athena Club members to stop Van Helsing, Seward, and their devious plans for the world!

There's plenty of adventure, danger, trickery, blackmailing, betrayal, surprises, secrets, and suspense to keep the reader turning page after page after page for all 700+ pages of this story!  There's never a dull moment, as the Athena Club (and the reader!) learn more about Lucinda Van Helsing and who, and what!, she is, and Mary, Justine, and the others discover that there were more secrets in their own past that, when revealed, cause some drastic changes to who and what they thought they already knew about themselves.  Marry and Diana come face-to-face with their father!  Justine comes face-to-face with the monster who was determined to make her his bride!  Beatrice comes face-to-face with love once again, a love that she knows can never be! And Catherine comes face-to-face with the man she thought she would never see again - the man who claimed to love her, but left her to the mercy of a mad scientist on an island of deadly creations!  And in this second book, the Athena Club is introduced to two new potential members - a young woman whose life depends on drinking the blood of living beings and a young girl who can, quite literally, make herself disappear!  A vampire and the invisible woman - yet two more "creatures" of the horror stories of literature have joined the ensemble to keep things interesting (as if they weren't interesting enough!?).

 

From the streets of Vienna to the dark, foreboding castle of Mr. Hyde ... from the cottage of a 300-year old vampire and her faithful lover to the hidden weapons room of Irene Adler Norton's fine home ... from a monastery training a vampire army to the Academy of Sciences where a final deadly battle is waiting to happen.  The Athena Club truly travels the European countryside in this grand adventure, and Goss provides readers with a beautiful description of the countryside, the grandeur of the cities, and the Gothic darkness of the cold, stone castle that makes the reader feel as if he or she were there right along with Mary and the gang.

Oh, and did I mention the subplot involving Sherlock Holmes' disappearance?  And Irene Adler Norton's own secret mission?  And the domineering woman who has taken a sudden - and deadly! - interest in young, sweet Alice?  Well, stay tuned, as there will certainly be more about those things in books yet to come!

I am so glad that I decided to dive into this series, as it is proving to be a spectacularly fun read, and I absolutely enjoy the interruptions by the characters throughout the story as Mary, Diana, Justine, Beatrice, Alice, Mrs. Pool, and even Catherine herself (who is allegedly writing the tale) interpose their thoughts and opinions about the events and the way Catherine is telling them.  It adds a certain reality to a thoroughly unrealistic story and further expands on the characters in a three-dimensional way that normal story-telling techniques could not accomplish.   And I laughed at the constant reference to the first book in this series and its availability for purchase by readers of this book (albeit at the cost that would have been appropriate at the time this story is allegedly taking place).  It was reminiscent of the old Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books that always referenced the previous mystery at the beginning of each book.

Definitely this is a series that I would HIGHLY recommend, no matter what genre of story you may normally enjoy.  Theodora Goss knows how to write an engaging, suspenseful tale that will keep your attention from beginning to end!

RATING:  10 rolls with butter and jam out of 10 for holding nothing back and not being afraid to tell a superbly written tale in a most unique way (and not worrying about how many pages it took to tell it!)

Tom Swift Inventors' Academy, Book 6 - Augmented Reality

Technological whiz-kids meet reality television in the latest Tom Swift adventure.  Sure, this latest incarnation of Tom Swift may not be on part with the original series from the early 20th century, or even the second series of the '50s and on, but I do have to say, the stories are rather fun in their own way.  And with the series set in a school of advanced young minds who are always creating new inventions or coming up with ways to improve on existing ones, there is definitely plenty of material for stories. Now, with the seventh book already published and the eighth book solicited, this series has already outlasted the last one - now I'm holding my breath to see if it outlasts the prior two series before that (which had 13 and 11, respectively).

 

Now, back to this series and book six - Augmented Reality.  With technology advancing as quickly as it does these days, this series has to stay on top of the ball with keeping up with the current trends and tech.  This sixth book deals with an app created by Tom's friend Noah, which allows his fellow students to collect cartoonish food by using their cell phones and hoping to collect enough as a group to feed the hungry giant reptilian monster and satisfy it before it attacks the school (virtually, of course - not in the real world!).  It seems like a fun and inventive way to get the students at Swift Academy to work together for a common goal, and the principal couldn't be more thrilled.  Of course, part of that may have to do with the fact that a television crew has caught wind of this invention and would like to film an episode of their reality TV show at the school!

The mystery this time centers around the fact that all of the students are getting into arguments, accusing one another of backstabbing, lying, and outright sabotaging their reputation and their skills - and it seems the only one benefiting from all of the drama is the reality show crew!  Tom begins to have his suspicions, but when he is shown footage of Noah - his best friend! - criticizing him and calling him out for being the son of the man who owns the school, Tom forgets about his suspicions and makes his own thoughts known about Noah and his projects.  The next thing you know, these best friends are at odds with one another just like everyone else at the school.  And when Swift Enterprises' new P.R.woman convinces the students to share with her their personal ideas and sketchbooks/notebooks for their projects so that they can be animated for the upcoming reality show, things only go downhill from there.

Although the resolution of the mystery comes as no big surprise, the fun comes in watching Tom, Noah, Sam, and Amy work their way through all of the drama to not only figure out what is going on, but who is causing it and how to stop it.  Plus, for this book anyway, it was nice to see the behind-the-scenes of reality show filming. I've always said that there is no "reality" in reality television, and while this book is a work of fiction, I have no doubt there is a lot of truth to the idea that these reality shows everyone watches are edited in such a way so as to convince viewers that there is considerably more drama going on that what really is!  And kudos to whomever came up with the name for this book - Augmented Reality.  The title not only refers to Noah's app, which creates faux food items for people to collect in the real world and feed them to a faux monster to stop him from destroying the school; but, it also refers to the television crew and the reality show being filmed, since it is supposed to be filming the reality at the school, but by the director's actions and the editing of the footage, it "augmented" the reality of what was truly going on at Swift Academy!

Thus far, this series has produced some very fast-paced stories - and with 150 pages or less in each book, it's no wonder the writer has to keep it moving quickly to reach resolution.  While the Nancy Drew Diaries series has expanded the length of their stories, both the Hardy Boys Adventures and the Tom Swift Investors' Academy seem to keep their books on the shorter side.  I'd love to see these series expand their page count as well, to allow the author to start to really develop the main characters more, so that we know more about Tom and his father's home life; Noah's, Sam's, and Amy's home lives (as we have pretty much seen next to nothing of them outside of the school setting), as well as more about Swift Enterprises.  While we have been fortunate thus far with this latest Tom Swift series with some pretty good stories, I just think some more depth to the characters, setting, and stories could result in more readers - and, of course, some marketing would help, too!  (I mean, let's face it - this series had absolutely no marketing whatsoever when it first hit the shelves, so I'm actually surprised that it has managed to hold on this long!  Perhaps with the upcoming TV show on the CW, we might see some marketing....)

RATING:  9 cartoon pork chops out of 10 for providing some proof that "reality" television is not actually "reality" after all - it is merely an "augmented" version of reality!

Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious - The Knight, The Fool, and The Dead

While I normally do not get any Doctor Who books that don't feature a companion I like - such as Donna Noble, Rory Williams, Bill Potts - but with this new "Time Lord Victorious" multi-media cross-over story, I had to pick up the two novels that are part of the cross-over.  I've read the comic issues, and we have a couple of the Doctor Who Magazine issues that have short comic tales connected to the overall story.  And now that I have read the first of the two novels, a lot of what happened in those comic stories makes much more sense.

The Knight, The Fool, and the Dead is the first of the two novels.  Written by Steve Cole, the story follows the Tenth Doctor no long after his "Waters of Mars" adventure (the third special following the third series of the new Doctor Who show).  Cole does not shy away from the Tenth Doctor's dilemma following what happened in that TV special.  He saved a group of scientists who were meant to die on Mars - only to have the captain from that group kill herself at the end to prevent time from changing.  He had already faced the reality of Davros' observation of how he was so adverse to weapons of any kind, yet he managed to fashion himself an army of companions who would be his weapons for him.  Plus, how many warnings did he get that his time was coming to an end?  He survived the Time War, he defeated the Daleks' plan to wipe out reality, and he had to wipe the memories of one of his beloved companions.  This book is a prime example of why Donna made the Doctor promise her he would find someone (after "The Runaway Bride" Christmas special), because he should never travel alone.  Cole shares the story of what happens when the Doctor travels alone...

The Kotturuh are creatures that are spreading judgment throughout the universe.  When they arrive on a planet, it is to pass sentence on the life form there and to provide a limitation on the lifespan of those living on the planet.  For some, it is hundreds of year.  For others, it is only a few years, a few months, or in some cases, a few days.  No one has opposed them, although there is one who seeks to make a profit from these death sentences.  And there is one ... the last of his kind ... who has traveled back in time to the Dark Ages to explore ... but who realizes that by putting a stop to the Kotturuh in this far past, he could potentially save millions upon millions of lives in the future.  The question isn't whether he can do it or not - he's the Doctor, so of course he CAN do it.  The real question is - should he do it?

It starts out innocently enough.  The Doctor is witness to the fate the Kotturuh have passed upon the people of Andalia.  He witnesses an Ood attack a young girl, Estinee, who is wearing an armor of sorts that could protect people from the effects of the Kotturuh.  And he does what the Doctor always does - he sets out to protect the innocent.  Or so he thinks.  For not everything is what it seems with Estinee, nor is everything what it seems with the Ood (whose name, oddly enough, is "Brian").  As the Doctor and Brian soar through space to find and rescue Estinee, the Doctor discovers he has the opportunity to put a stop to the Kotturuh - to turn their own curse upon them.  But even Estinee questions the idea of extinguishing a race, no matter how awful they may be.  But who can stop the Doctor when he has his mind set on something?  Well, only the Doctor can, of course!

Cole's tale is a dark one, no doubt, but it is spattered with interludes featuring the First Doctor with Ian and Barbara, the Ninth Doctor with Rose, and the Eighth Doctor.  As hinted at by the previous comic stories by Titan and the Doctor Who Magazine, the "Time Lord Victorious" is a story that spans all of the Doctors' lifetimes, and this book solidifies that.  And if your were expecting a nice, tidy resolution at the end of this book, well think again - Cole leaves us with a huge cliffhanger that rivals any cliffhanger the television show has ever had.  As I said above, this story shows us what happens when the Doctor does not have a companion to keep him in check - to remind him of what it means to be human - to remind him of what it's like for those who can't regenerate, for those who only have one life to live.  I think we all know that the Doctor could very easily be victorious in anything he chooses to do, but now we see what could potentially happen when a Time Lord is victorious!

The Doctors are converging and the story is building to a climax .... can't wait to see what happens next in All Flesh is Grass.

RATING:  10 original bulky Lifesuits out of 10 for taking the Doctor down a whole new path and giving fans a chance to see a totally different side to the Time Lord!