Monday, November 26, 2018

The Power Walking Dead

Rise of the Governor (The Walking Dead #1)Rise of the Governor by Robert Kirkman
Reviewed by Jason Koivu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Realizing there wasn't enough horror in my reading world and being a fan of The Walking Dead tv show, I figured a book based on the backstory of one of the franchise's most notorious characters was a safe bet for some good reading. I was correct!

Rise of the Governor is wall-to-wall anus-puckering tension and heart-thumping action. The author's workman-like prose powers the story forward at an almost non-stop pace (jesus there's a lot of dashes going on here!) from beginning to end.

And what an end! I was legitimately bamboozled by a nice twist the author added. It was necessary to my overall enjoyment. I mean, it would've been a dang good book without it, but with it Rise of the Governor is elevated a notch or two in my overall estimation.

A powerful start to the Governor's saga!

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Superb Steam!

Etiquette & Espionage (Finishing School, #1)Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger
Reviewed by Jason Koivu
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fantastic fun! Packed with Wodehousian humor!

Whip-smart author Gail Carriger kicks off a diabolically clever girl's school espionage series in style!

Whereas Austen prodded the society she was associated with, Etiquette & Espionage pokes fun at the Regency, early Victorian and Industrial Age manners and dress in a way that brands it with a slap on the ass!...a loving one though. It's clear that Carriger has an affinity for the period.

Set in a steampunk world, the book is all gussied up in the sort of lavish detail that evokes a magical world. The addition of supernatural creatures and the fantastical school makes one leap to make Harry Potter parallels, but actually the overall tone of this is more like Jonathan Stroud's wonderful Bartimaeus triology.

Clever, funny, and flat out fun!



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