The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities SPOILERS

 

The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities is out now. While Rick Riordan is no stranger to short story collections, this time it includes the other authors from his Presents line of books. Ten different writers grace the 464 pages of this book. Myths from all over the world and most of the continents are represented. At first glance, it’s a bold experiment.

 

Rick Riordan perfected his style in his earlier Percy Jackson books. There’s a spunky hero, usually a bit sarcastic, who feels out of place among their school and family. At times, it follows the Joseph Campbell’s Hero Journey with reluctance at their calling. Along the way, the reader is either introduced or reacquainted with classic mythology. His Presents line replicates this success by finding other authors that have a similar style to write about the mythology from their specific upbringing instead of having a white guy write about Anansi. At the bookstore, Riordan’s series are available as a set with all Book Ones together. There is also a set of all Book Ones from the Presents line. Those sets can feel intimidating, but this book serves the same purpose in one volume. It makes a lot more sense for one book to introduce a variety of heroes for the reader to pursue afterwards.

 

Telling a short story is a skill. All these authors have published full-length books so it’s clear some forgot how to write a shorter tale or never had it. These weaker stories have pacing problems, depending too much on telling instead of showing. However, they’re very few. The majority of stories have a natural starting place and a believable flow, making one eager to start the next one.

 

One of the stand-out “Calamities” is Kwame Mbalia’s tale about the Gum Baby. She’s a modern retelling of the “tar baby” from the Uncle Remus stories and such a delight that Tristan Strong’s absence wasn’t felt until that last line. I’d still love an adaptation of the Strong series just to see how they would work in the jokes about "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah". Another favorite is by Tehlor Kay Meija. I admit that I’m a sucker for Chupacabra stories. They’ve been spotted in my county before.  Doesn't Bruto look adorable on the cover above? Also, Rebecca Roanhorse’s story was very memorable complete with science leading to the villain being vanquished.

 

New readers won’t be lost joining in on these heroes’ journeys already in progress. Current readers will love the continuation and hints towards the next book in that series. The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities is a fantastic collection of stories from myths across the globe. Every protagonist commands our attention and encouragement. Go check it out at your favorite local bookseller, online store or library!

 

6/8

 

P.S. If you’re an email subscriber for Disney Books, their current email has a deal to download the first Tristan Strong book for just 99 cents!

Lost Legends: The Rise of Flynn Rider Review SPOILERS!

 

 

 

Lost Legends: The Rise of Flynn Rider by Jen Calonita comes out today at your local bookstore or online in eBook form. The gorgeous cover depicts twelve-year-old Rider, having found his look complete with vest and satchel. It’s a juvenile book aimed towards ages 9-12. Not that suggested ages have stopped a lot of us before. How does this book rate?

 

As the reader gets to know this younger Eugene, before he changed his name, his tale comes off similar to Clint Barton. Eugene and Arnie are just two orphan boys sticking by each other no matter what, but an uncertain future awaits them. They can’t stay at the boys’ home forever. A circus provides an enticing opportunity for making money and traveling the world. If you know Barton from 616, you know it doesn’t work out quite that way. This reader was also reminded of last year’s origin book, Poe Dameron: Free Fall by Alex Segura where Dameron also joined up with a group of criminals at a young age and regretted it.

 

In life, people make mistakes, but it remains frustrating even as adults. Of course, it would be important to stress how people make mistakes that need to be fixed especially as part of growing up. Having books where our heroes make mistakes could be like an older Blue’s Clues where instead of finding clues, you’re yelling at your protagonist that they’re making the wrong choices. There are also good lessons about people growing apart as they grow up and talking about your problems. Sometimes, our mistakes even lead to other opportunities.

 

The beginning of Lost Legends comes from Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure where the animated series revealed that Eugene was none other Horace, the lost infant prince of the Dark Kingdom. In the prologue, readers are reminded how King Edmund was unable to save his kingdom, having to send his son away. It would be a sweeter scene if Eugene’s mother had a name other than “wife”. While the series never named her, couldn’t Disney have come up with one for the book? It just feels misogynistic and out of place in the Tangled universe.

 

Multiple cameos pop up in the book, including Maximus’ first encounter with Eugene. Most characters come from Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventures, including Pascal’s mom and Cassandra. Eugene’s friend, Arnie, changes his name to Lance Strongbow and was in several episodes. While fans of Tangled and all its extras will love the care that has been taken to work in all these elements, the question becomes what will someone think who’s only seen the film? Will they be curious about all these characters they don’t know? Or will they feel like they’re missing out? Even for fans of the series, there are a lot of unanswered questions. How come Eugene didn’t go straight and become an adventurer? Why did Lance go to prison? When and how did Eugene meet up with the Baron again? Will all these and more be answered in further books?

 

Despite all these flaws, Calonita makes the most with what she’s given. Eugene is as lovable as ever. It is great finding out more about the characters and surroundings. The best part is her pacing. Calonita knows just how to keep the excitement going. Even still moments are full of complications. It’s a cute book that’s worth a read if you’re already a fan.

 

6/10

 

Thank you to Net Galley and Disney Press for the advance copy!

Gamora & Nebula: Sisters in Arms REVIEW SPOILERS

Gamora & Nebula: Sisters in Arms by Mackenzi Lee released today. It’s been more than a year since we last saw Nebula and Gamora in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Nebula was attending Tony Stark’s funeral while the Gamora bought back from 2014 had taken off for who knows where. Under the current Marvel schedule, we won’t know what becomes of them for another year or two. However, we can still learn more about their youth as sisters and this book is an excellent window into that time.

 

Nebula has spent her whole life desperate for the approval of her father. It’s an innate need to be loved by family. However, her only family, her adopted father is also Thanos whose very name demands fear and respect across the galaxy. As his daughter, she gets the same, but it doesn’t matter to her. She must have been young when Thanos adopted another daughter, Gamora. She quickly became his favorite and Thanos did nothing to hide it, showering her with the affection Nebula craved.

 

Gamora had her family and home world slaughtered by Thanos and his minions. She knows firsthand what happens to those who didn’t even anger him. Her motivation to please him is about survival. Nebula should be her sister, but they’re treated more as game pieces to pit against each other. If the choice is between Nebula or doing what Thanos wants, how can she choose against self-preservation?

 

Thanos isn’t the only one to treat living beings as playthings. A deal with the Grandmaster brings Gamora and Nebula to Torndune, a mining planet where everyone and everything is abused in one way or another. It’s a perfect way to illustrate how people can be seen as masses to be manipulated instead of living beings and all for someone else’s profit. The people of Torndune suffer and die in jobs forced on them while gas-lighted to feel grateful for a job and whatever’s provided to the planet. Parallels can be found to even our galaxy and planet. Are we just playing the part expected of us like Nebula? Do we feel like we have no choice like Gamora or the people of Torndune? Why is it that Young Adult fiction is so vilified, but providing some of the best social commentary in modern literature?

 

Bullying doesn’t just have to be parents, tyrants, corporations or the government. It can also be religion. The Universal Church of Truth appears in Lee’s novel. The church hasn’t been in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For one thing, it’s main god is Adam Warlock, possibly created at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy, Volume 2. However, the comics continuity works in this case, furthering the argument against blindly following leaders who will never love you back like Nebula and Thanos or just following orders to have a life like Gamora and Thanos.

 

Gamora & Nebula: Sisters in Arms by Mackenzi Lee is a wonderful novel that’s not only full of existential quandaries, but unpredictable twists and turns. The action almost never stopped. Lee writes science fiction and all its rules so well that one hopes for a Star Wars book at some point. The only complaint would be the scenes on Sakaar are transcribed from security footage so they’re in script format unlike the rest of the book and the change in format was jarring. Otherwise, this is a great book available where you purchase books online or in person.   

9 out of 10

*Thank you to Netgalley and Disney for the ARC!

 

Star Wars The High Republic: Into the Dark REVIEW SPOILERS

 

Star Wars The High Republic: Into the Dark by Claudia Gray is the latest of the High Republic storyline. Every few weeks since January 5^th has seen new material released about the High Republic, a time a few centuries before Anakin Skywalker is even born. The Outer Rim doesn’t want to join the Republic. The Expansion Region remains a dangerous place and everything in between tends to be worse. Each novel build on the one before it so if it feels like you’re missing something, that’s why. How does Into the Dark measure up?

All of the authors picked for this project have prior Star Wars experience. Gray has written several novels, including Lost Stars which proved that Star Wars could have a Young Adult Romance. If only the characters had been seen again. Alas, the romance is set to a bare minimum here although it’s nice that Leox Gyasi is Asexual. Gray does excel at people discovering their lives might not be what they thought they were. Perhaps that’s an overarching theme of Star Wars in general, from Luke Skywalker to Din Djarin. The inner angst and turmoil is exquisite especially when it comes to the Force and how Jedi are trained. Most fandom knowledge comes from Luke or Kanan Jarrus, training from limited knowledge. This book and others give firsthand insight into the training before Palpatine can corrupt it.

Into the Dark is one of the fastest paced Star Wars novels. Every five to ten pages is a new twist. The turns are great, but at times, it suffers from too many character perspectives. It’s hard to keep track of everyone even though Gray does try to give each a distinctive voice. On first reading, the excitement and eagerness overpowered reading it carefully and two characters had been confused as one character called different names at different times. The second reading revealed the mistake and others made in that first reading. The published version probably makes all of this easier by having the proper format to chapters and Point of View changes while the Advanced Reader Copy contained the book in one large file.

The main character, Reath, is the typical teenage male, even with a lightsaber. Way more interesting is Leox Gyasi, who is sure to become a fan favorite. Gray always reveals who she bases characters on, and Gyasi was inspired by young Matthew McConaughey. Imagine him in Sahara, but more allergic to clothing. Along with the secretly sweet disposition, Gyasi speaks in a manner that could confuse even Gatalentans. ‘That sounds like Master Yoda on spice,’ complains another character in their head, which has to be one of the funniest lines ever written in a Star Wars book. He also smells like spice for a very good reason. In this earlier time, it seems that spice is more like marijuana than the harder versions that appear later.

There are far too many fandom questions to list them all. The Star Wars universe feels like it was composed of contemporary literature before a sudden discovery of a treasure trove of 19^th century manuscripts. Now fans get to study how their beloved universe came to be. Also planned for the High Republic line along with the books are comics and at least one television series. Hopefully, some of Gray’s characters will appear especially Gyasi. Star Wars High Republic: Into the Dark is an enjoyable read that whets the appetite for the other related material.

8 out of 10

Buy your copy TODAY at any bookstore or here:

https://books.disney.com/book/into-the-dark/

Wonder Woman 1984 FILM REVIEW

 

Wonder Woman 1984 was an eagerly anticipated release. The sequel was first scheduled for release in November 2019. It also comes at a tumultuous time for DC’s Expanded Universe. Aside from the underperforming Birds of Prey, WW ’84 was the first of those films to come out since Shazam! in spring 2019; almost an entire lifetime ago in Covid time. On top of that, the film was a sacrificial lamb of sorts to test out their new plan of releasing films in the theatre and their streaming platform, HBO Max. Was it worth it? Did the film benefit from those extra months in post-production?

Patty Jenkins returns as director as well as working on the story and screenplay with Geoff Johns and David Callaham. None of them were credited with the story or screenplay for the first film. Considering both films bragged about the number of women involved with the production, it’s amazing they couldn’t come up another female writer anywhere in Hollywood. This film is less disjointed than the last one. The final battle doesn’t feel like a sudden chore that has to be done for a superhero film. WW84 is much more ambitious. While the commercials advertise two villains, the real villain is less able to spot and far more sinister; greed especially greed fueled by capitalism. Perhaps they were two ambitious. Brief flashes of Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal) suffering racism and lightening his hair to blend in hint at what could have been a deeper sympathetic story. Barbara Ann Minerva (Kristen Wiig) suffers even more from missed opportunities.

Minerva is a standard trope in this film; “From Nobody to Nightmare” as TvTropes calls it. She’s an over-achieving lonely scientist who just wants a friend. Of course, anyone would want to emulate Diana (Gal Gadot). She appears to be perfect; the total opposite of Minerva even while claiming otherwise. However, many viewers, even those not familiar with Minerva’s relationship with Etta Candy (Lucy Davis) in the comics, thought they saw more between Minerva and Diana, a palpable chemistry. In the source material, Diana is a confirmed bisexual with at least one girlfriend. The films appear less true to her roots. While it’s fun to see Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) again and it does provide motivation for Diana’s most selfish desire, it also feels like the biggest No homo moment since Star Wars: The Force Awakens introduced a random ex-girlfriend for Poe Dameron.

WW84 ignores some glaring consent issues in bringing Trevor back. Instead of a magical new body or reanimated corpse, Trevor’s soul is using the body of someone else without their consent. Thus, that person has no say in how Trevor is using their body, including sex with Diana. The issue has been laughed off by some, including Jenkins, as the lovable body swap trope from the 1980s. Not everything from the ‘80s is still lovable or should be bought back. Modern audiences more attuned to the rape aspect of non-consensual body swap are a big reason that Lady Loki was changed from using Sif’s body to changing her own male body into a female form. How can DC be that clueless?

The ‘80s was picked for its link to greed and consumer consumption. This makes sense. However, most of the audience has been spoiled by Stranger Things, the Netflix series excels at making the story feel like it’s fully in the ‘80s at all times, including lingo, music and pop culture references. WW84 can feel more like a middle schooler’s history project at times, guessing at what that decade was like. The '80s aren’t fully integrated into the story and characters as it is with Stranger Things.

Despite all of this, the charges of racism and the computer effects that look like 2004, WW84 is quite fun. It’s not as fun as Birds of Prey, but it works for an afternoon. It’s definitely a throwback to decades ago when Wonder Woman ruled the television screen. It even features a couple of appearances by that Wonder Woman, Lynda Carter, as Asteria, another Amazonian. Hopefully, she’ll become a major character in the rumored Themyscira HBO Max series or Wonder Woman 3 already confirmed as people debate whether this one was even worth it. The film is worth it even though the tone is too retro for modern audiences.

7 out of 10

The Raybearer REVIEW SPOILERS

 

The Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko is a book that deserves more attention. There are times when people proclaim that Young Adult novels are dead or even worse, superfluous. The worst written of the genre can leave a bad taste in the mouth and brain while inspiring dozens of imitators. Then, there are times when when the book you're reading is nothing less than magic itself; a spell that makes one nothing else than being immersed in the story while also not wanting it to end. Ifueko's tale is such a book. 

Jordan Ifueko has crafted a world in The Raybearer no less thought out or conceived than Tolkien or Martin. There are over twelve realms. Each has its own language, culture, geography and motives. Many online have analyzed them trying to find which countries Ifueko borrowed from as though they assumed her work to be like the Black Panther film; lovingly borrowing from all of Africa. Her own biography mentions her collection of Black Panther Funko Pops. However, the Nigerian-American uses an entire lifetime of influences in her work as well as her historical research into pre-colonial West Africa. When Fatima on Goodreads asked, "Is Kirah's religion (People of the Wing) based on Islam? That's where my thoughts went when the book said she wears a prayer scarf over her hair", Ifueko responded, "No, not at all, actually! People of the Wing, along with their head coverings, are loosely inspired by a sect of Christianity that I grew up with as a kid. Many in this sub-sect believed in covering their heads with prayer shawls (due to some verses commanding that they do so in the New Testament). As a fun side fact, Kirah's struggles with her family's gender roles are directly based on my own struggles with the conservative Evangelical sect I grew up in. All of the religions in RAYBEARER, however, are mostly fictional, with occasional inspirations from my life experiences."

The most incredible world building on this planet would be worth nothing if the characters were boring or unlikable. The Raybearer excels at its characters as well. The main protagonist is Tarisai. As with the best title characters, she has been raised apart; starved of affection and knowledge about herself. Her quest will take the length of the book and, like the rest of us, still not be fully done. Kirah, mentioned above, becomes one of her closest confidantes. It's also refreshing to have her natural hair described in all its various braids and forms until it's as free as she has become. Although super-powered, Tarisai escapes the Mary Sue trope by making mistakes and subverting the "liking" requirement. How can you know who to trust if people liking you turns out to be one of your superpowers? How far does people liking you really get you in politics and centuries old feuds? This isn't a superficial book. The environment might be rooted in the past yet many of the debates are grounded in today. Can females be accepted alongside men as rulers? How far should a ruler go in the name of peace? Can a world truly be united if they're forced to let go of what makes them unique? 

Tarisai is supposed to kill Ekundayo, the future prince coddled from birth. He suffers from the same power of everyone liking him so even if they go against his wishes, he's not told why. Dayo doesn't travel and meets few others unless they're destined to be on his council. Unlike other fictional royalty, he's not commanded to excel in everything. His birth, powers and an heir are all that's required of him. The rest will be accomplished by his council. Ignorance makes it easier for Dayo not to question things, but he still finds a way. It's intriguing to think what might happen with his character in the future. Also, he's Asexual. Yay, representation! Plus, take that YA gods who demand a love triangle in every series.

The Raybearer is divided into four parts, similar to a run in a comic book series featuring a specific plot. Ifueko's love of comics is evident. Each part not only adds to the reader's knowledge, but also the momentum until the fourth part demands full attention and bated breath at what could happen next. It feels like anything could happen and it usually does; not just creating more conflict but more puzzle pieces about what's going on except the puzzle is about a thousand pieces. It is a relief that the book ends on a satisfied note. However, the pain of reaching that last page still demands searching for a sequel release date: sometime this year. 

Have you read The Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko? If not, you've missed out on one of the best books of 2020. It's definitely one of 2020's redeeming factors. Already, the temptation to start it all over again calls to me. There should be visual adaptations, maybe even a graphic novel. It can be found at any bookstore along with many libraries and Hoopla!

9.5 out of 10

Read more about Jordan Ifueko at We Need Diverse Books 

Q&A With Jordan Ifueko, Raybearer (diversebooks.org)