The last few novels in this series were the proverbial slow burns and light on action. Not this one. Dealing with fossils and dinosaur artifacts, and The last few novels in this series were the proverbial slow burns and light on action. Not this one. Dealing with fossils and dinosaur artifacts, and the legitimate and illegitimate activity surrounding them, bullets were soon flying thick and fast. There was so much gunplay I might have been forgiven for thinking I had a screenplay for Yellowstone in hand. A few more bodies and we’d have had the final scene in Hamlet with corpses strewn across the stage. Bringing in the themes of violent death and the “night of the gun” and lethal betrayal made this book completely different from others I’ve read in the series and provided for some profound reflection on life and death and good and evil. 4 stars....more
**spoiler alert** This novel is like a movie where all the fast-paced action takes place in the final 20 minutes. Up till then you are immersed in the**spoiler alert** This novel is like a movie where all the fast-paced action takes place in the final 20 minutes. Up till then you are immersed in the mystery of the whodunnit and in the beautiful complexities of Navajo folklore and mythology. It’s a slow burn.
The story is written in the old Gothic style which makes it fascinating enough. You can see time and time again where Stoker the vampyre before Stoker
The story is written in the old Gothic style which makes it fascinating enough. You can see time and time again where Stoker would have gathered inspiration. I think of the Horror of Hampstead Heath in particular (26 years before Stoker wrote Dracula). The book is a worthwhile read because it retains that Gothic creepiness in its pages.
I read mystery novels because the genre is an international phenomenon and I can learn about other countries and cultures by getting into them. In thiI read mystery novels because the genre is an international phenomenon and I can learn about other countries and cultures by getting into them. In this case, about NM and AZ and the ways of the Navajo people via the characters of the key tribal police officers Lt. Leaphorn and Chee & Manuelito (a young married couple).
My romcomers would call this murder mystery a slow burn. The first body doesn’t show up till halfway through. The book is a wide river that takes its time moving through the landscape of the plot. Maybe it’s for you, maybe it isn’t. The writing is solid and the narrator is excellent. And I got what I came for - a window into the contemporary Navajo world.
I use this book. I supplement their suggested exercises with others I’ve found work for me and I supplement their dietary advice in the same way. I’m I use this book. I supplement their suggested exercises with others I’ve found work for me and I supplement their dietary advice in the same way. I’m eating close to a high protein keto diet and I exercise every major body part - shoulders, back, legs, biceps, triceps, abs/core. I also box and use a treadmill.
As always, people differ when it comes to how effective they feel this book is. Well, it’s been very effective for me over the past decade and after the 12 month stint the rise in body strength and fitness has always been distinctive. In August I’ll take a week off then start the program all over again.
Red Sonja fights the greatest evils and sometimes dies defeating and destroying them. But a number of them return to t**spoiler alert** reincarnation
Red Sonja fights the greatest evils and sometimes dies defeating and destroying them. But a number of them return to the world of the living and so does Sonja, reborn as a girl to grow to womanhood and battle those forces of wickedness over and over again....more
⚔️ I believe this was about two hundred pages containing perhaps seven or eight different stories with **spoiler alert** the saga goes on without end
⚔️ I believe this was about two hundred pages containing perhaps seven or eight different stories with different writers, artists, colorists, etc. Some stories had conclusions and some did not.
I was surprised to see Sonja with a male lover for whom she bared all. Mind you, he was a god. Yet, like all her boyfriends, he was slain nevertheless, though not by her.
The art varies though overall I’d say the reader receives a good graphics book illustration vibe. And the full page animation is typically a cut above the regular storyline art.
One monster slain is replaced by another. One evil king or queen laid low is followed by others just as evil. One wicked empire falls and another rises. And our sword lady must defeat them all.
Sonja is like Charlize Theron in action or Scarlet Johansson. She’s smart, tough, has her streaks of compassSalt, Haywire, Atomic Blonde, Black Canary
Sonja is like Charlize Theron in action or Scarlet Johansson. She’s smart, tough, has her streaks of compassion, is beautiful, dominant, sensual and powerful. All this is not always brought into the mix. The artist here, Homs, creates a more complete Sonja than I’ve seen thus far. And his art is definitely top shelf - smooth, detailed and dynamic. The coloring is wonderful though kudos for that belong to the colorist, not Homs.
I appreciated that in this issue Sonja did not only fight with sword, knife and spear but with her body - that is, she employed true wrestling and martial arts moves employed by law enforcement and the military. In one fight, she deals with a monster by trapping it - and ending it - with a head scissors.
If there were romcoms on Sonja I might read them to relax with. I don’t think there are and it’s obvious one of the draws to graphic books is, well, graphics. Reviewers, male and female, regularly comment on the quality of the drawings. So, I don’t know if Sonja would do as well without them.
She’s definitely popular because there appears to be no end to the series available about our strong, beautiful ginger. I’ll read a few more and call her my book gf. Ha ha ⚔️ ...more
In the storyline, Sonja is presented as a fierce warrior who is constantly slaying as well as ruminating about the dystWarrior, Contemplative, Beauty
In the storyline, Sonja is presented as a fierce warrior who is constantly slaying as well as ruminating about the dystopian aspect of life.
In the full page art presented in each volume, as well as the reams of cover art, and cosplay pictography, we see Sonja as a beautiful, dominant, and warmblooded woman warrior.
It’s an interesting dichotomy that nevertheless all ties together for the astute reader.
This was the final volume of a four book series. However there are many more series out there with different editors and writers and artists. I had no idea ⚔️ ...more
I wasn’t sure what sort of lover Sonja would accept. Well, it’s a bro. And it’s different to have a few love scenes in a story giveSonja finds a lover
I wasn’t sure what sort of lover Sonja would accept. Well, it’s a bro. And it’s different to have a few love scenes in a story given over to war, scheming and betrayal, with Sonja fighting to save her destitute people in the midst of it all.
3.75
OTHER REVIEWS
"This book continues to be one of the most exciting ongoing series currently on the market." - MONKEYS FIGHTING ROBOTS
"Russell's storytelling has me eager to see each new chapter and Bob Q's duration on the book is always welcome with a solid grasp on how to present this world in tone and style." - THE FANDOM POST
"Red Sonja continues its strong run with another beautifully illustrated issue centered around the difficult choices that must be made in times of war.” - COMIC WATCH...more
What takes things a little deeper than what you might imagine in this genre is the social and political commentary the autdeep thoughts within a story
What takes things a little deeper than what you might imagine in this genre is the social and political commentary the author brings about through discussions among the characters. There is always a philosopher in there somewhere.
There are actually several extra stories added in and I liked one that was about a Halloween style night where the ghosts and the dead really did come out. The art was very good and there seemed to be more of the Sonja I’ve known and loved in terms of her personality and spirit.
This sequel is written as well as And Quiet Flows the Don. The author still has to struggle with Communist censorship. You see how he must laud the ReThis sequel is written as well as And Quiet Flows the Don. The author still has to struggle with Communist censorship. You see how he must laud the Revolutionary Movement of the early 20th century whenever he brings it into the story. Nevertheless there is still far more good than not. Rich, nuanced and complex writing....more
Good writing yet not. It’s obvious he’s writing with the Communist censors in mind. Like Shostakovich the composer, he had no choice but to pay lip seGood writing yet not. It’s obvious he’s writing with the Communist censors in mind. Like Shostakovich the composer, he had no choice but to pay lip service to the new czars that ran the Soviet state. Such a good author as he pens this story of the Russian people. It’s too bad he couldn’t have been completely free to write exactly as he wished. I don’t believe he had that freedom.
The sequel is The Don Flows Home to the Sea....more
It's gritty, high-quality writing - pithy, lean and tough, approaching McCarthy, but not as poetic or as philosophical as his; appGUNSIGHTS audiobook
It's gritty, high-quality writing - pithy, lean and tough, approaching McCarthy, but not as poetic or as philosophical as his; approaching McMurtry, but not as epic, sweeping or tragic as his. You could put the story up with 3:10 to Yuma or The Magnificent Seven, except the author does not romanticize the Old West one bit, no more than McCarthy or McMurtry do. A great narrator.
Another excellent western novel from Elmore Leonard and, like Last Stand at Saber River, far from cliché. An alternative title could have been, The HaAnother excellent western novel from Elmore Leonard and, like Last Stand at Saber River, far from cliché. An alternative title could have been, The Hard West Education of Kirby Frye, US Marshal - the young man, bullied and abused, has to learn to stand firm against a local rancher and his desperadoes and see justice done. Richard Poe does an excellent job of reading the story. The book can run a bit slow from time to time, but the trade-off is that there is plenty of substance to the tale. 3.75.
Leonard also wrote the better known western Hombre and created the character of modern day US Marshal Raylan Givens. A popular TV series was created on Givens about ten years back. I’ve seen it and it’s excellent - the Fast Hand of the Law in Kentucky....more
First published 1959. And you can tell because it’s not so slicked down. Lots of layers, lots of complexity, not just black and white, lots of gray. BFirst published 1959. And you can tell because it’s not so slicked down. Lots of layers, lots of complexity, not just black and white, lots of gray. But ultimately, though some roles have been reversed, the sun comes up bright and clear in the morning.
3.75
Read by Richard Poe who I’ve listened to before. Very good.
**spoiler alert** There is a novel entitled Little Big Man where the autobiography of a man’s life parallels the 20-25 years of the post Civil War Wes**spoiler alert** There is a novel entitled Little Big Man where the autobiography of a man’s life parallels the 20-25 years of the post Civil War West. He is raised by Lakota, seesaws back and forth between the settlers’ world and the Native American World, befriends Wild Bill Hickok, serves under Custer, and survives the Little Big Horn.
In this novel, a man whose family has survived slavery must flee for his life, enlists with the Buffalo Soldiers and battles Apache, deserts and winds up in Deadwood, South Dakota, befriends Wild Bill Hickok and is there when Hickok is slain, eventually meets Bass Reeves and Hanging Judge Parker, becomes a Deputy US Marshal, and all the while is still being hunted by a crazed white settler who blames him for things he never did.
A page turner and extremely well-written, the book is by turns sweet (when romance fills the pages) and tragic when gunplay and wicked designs take over.
Because it’s written in dialect, at first it reminded me of Huck Finn. But as the storyline developed, the influence of Cormac McCarthy and Larry McMurtry became obvious, in a strong, rough way, but also in a good way.
An exceptional work that only needed a longer epilogue....more