Book Review - The Liar's Key (Best of '15)

Book - The Liar's Key 
Writer - Mark Lawrence    
Series - The Red Queens War #2    
Published By - Ace/Voyager

[ This hopefully, is a part of a series of reviews I am going to do over the upcoming months reviewing some of the best fiction, music and animes of 2015]

Writing is a medium of art that is so much unique in my opinion specially for one reason, it provides such a big room for growth and improvement. Writing gives the authors a chance to stretch their imagination and we all know that there is no limit to it if tapped in through the right channel. In this second book of his second series Mark Lawrence shows us not only how good his imagination is but also shows us that he can take us into it through very enjoyable means too. While we get to enjoy his awesome characters with excellent dialogue play from the first book within a richly imagined and exciting world, he also introduces some more new ones and takes world building to a  whole new level with the unorthodox style of slowly letting the surroundings and factions unfold, which just lets the readers savor the taste better.

March 2016 New Comics To Watch For

March has been a busy month for me so far, so had less tie for finding out the good stuff. But here is the list of new ongoing comics to look forward to this month.

MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS #1
Written by KYLE HIGGINS
Art by HENDRY PRASETYA
Based on the long-running Power Rangers franchise, five teens from Angel Grove High are granted superpowers and giant robot dinosaur Zords to defend Earth against the alien villain Rita Repulsa. When Repulsa creates an evil Green Power Ranger by brainwashing recent transfer student Tommy, the team is able to free him from her grasp and get him on their side. But with remnants of Repulsa’s control still stirring in the back of Tommy’s mind, he must confront the fact he may be more of a danger to his new team than a help. This is “Green Ranger: Year One.”

VAMPIRELLA #1
Written by KATE LETH
Art by EMAN CASALLOS
Vampirella takes Hollywood in this new adventure of the classic demon-hunting, monster-slaying, thrill-seeking vampire queen. When her stately manor is attacked, she begins to unravel a plot as old as the silver screen, discovering what monsters really lurk in the shadows of the City of Angels. Writer Kate Leth (Adventure Time, Edward Scissorhands) says, "Can Vampirella be both a cult icon on the rise and take down an empire of ghouls and ghosts? Signs point to: Hell, yes!"


 

CIRCUIT-BREAKER #1
Written by KEVIN MCCARTHY
Art and cover by KYLE BAKER
When the heroic robots that saved Japan during World War IV are outlawed, they turn against mankind, waging a campaign of terror across the last city on Earth. Their creator builds one more soldier—disguised as his teenaged granddaughter—and tasks her with dismantling the marauding mechanical militia. But as she begins to question her programming, will she be the last hope for humanity, or the final nail in our coffin?

 

THE DISCIPLINE #1
Written by PETER MILLIGAN
Art and cover by LEANDRO FERNANDEZ
Between fighting her sister and hating her husband, Melissa still finds time to fall in lust with a stranger who's an awful lot more than he seems. What appears to be a simple seduction is revealed as something much darker and more dangerous. This controversial and erotically-charged tale of sex, death, and metamorphosis begins with an explosion of carnality and weirdness.  



LEGENDS OF TOMORROW #1
Written by Keith Giffen, Len Wein, Gerry Conway, Aaron Lopresti
Art by Bilquis Evely, Matt Banning, Trevor Scott, Yildiray Cinar, Rob Hunter, Eduardo Pansica, Aaron Lopresti
It’s four powerhouse tales in one colossal comic, as some of comics’ most legendary talents launch new tales of Firestorm, Metamorpho, Metal Men and Sugar and Spike—that’s right, Sugar and Spike!

INTERNATIONAL IRON MAN #1
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Art and cover by ALEX MALEEV
Who is Tony Stark, really? Since learning that he was adopted as a baby, this question has cast a shadow over Stark's life. Now, it is time to uncover what his legacy truly is, a journey that will carry Tony into new directions as a man and as a super hero. Alongside his strange new quasi-ally Doctor Doom, Iron Man will discover new things about the Marvel Universe he didn't know existed before! A character deconstruction from Bendis and Maleev along the lines of their award-winning DAREDEVIL run!

HYPERION #1
Written by CHUCK WENDIG
Art by NIK VIRELLA
HYPERION IS BACK!
Or is he? The high-powered hero is hiding in plain sight, driving a truck across the U.S. to learn about the country he has adopted. Along the way, he picks up a lone runaway named Doll, who has more baggage than he anticipated. Doll is in danger, chased by a pack of freaks and lunatics known as THE CARNIES. Will Hyperion reveal himself to save her? Maybe! Will he use a tractor trailer as a baseball bat? Probably!

BLACK WIDOW #1
Written by CHRIS SAMNEE & MARK WAID
Art and cover by CHRIS SAMNEE
The Eisner Award-winning team of Mark Waid and Chris Samnee are taking Black Widow on the lam! Natasha has spent years gathering secrets, and when some of the darkest ones begin mysteriously going public, no one is safe. With her betrayed former confederates at S.H.I.E.L.D. on her heels and a lifetime of training and ingenuity at her disposal, Natasha's out for answers in a knock-down-drag-out tale of action and espionage! Hidden enemies, old friends and unusual allies collide, and all eyes are on Black Widow. The chase is on!

MOCKINGBIRD #1
Written by CHELSEA CAIN
Art by KATE NIEMCZYK
Bobbi Morse is Mockingbird, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s most versatile, most in-demand agent!
But a string of missions gone wrong indicate that something strange is lurking within S.H.I.E.L.D.'s own medical and recovery network. How far will Mockingbird have to go in order to solve this puzzle box and get to the truth? Bestselling author Chelsea Cain teams with newcomer Kate Niemczyk.
    

Mini-Comic-Review - Spider-Man #1

Name - Spider-Man #1
Published by - Marvel
Writer - Brian Michael Bendis
Artist - Sara Pichelli, Gaetano Carlucci

There is not much to say about Miles Morales' official relaunch as a part of the marvel universe after Secret wars. Except the fact that he is as cool and fresh as ever, having the same interesting cast of characters and the same teenage superhero issues of trying to juggle life and heroics and making quite a mess of it.

So, in the Marvel universe Secret Wars has come to pass, the universe is reborn and Miles gets the title of the adjective less Spider-man. But in a manner of speaking nothing has actually changed much as Miles is his same old-self and have mostly the same supporting cast, while we do get to see some  appearances from the marvel universe characters. 

The storytelling is as smooth as ever with crisp and fine looking drawing which gives main characters both unique personalities and charisma. And it also seems we will get to explore the relationship between the two spider-man personas.

The downside of the issue is that the story seems a bit to slow for my tastes; to me the issue could have been a bit more new reader friendly with a bit more background info; and the inclusion of Mile into the same universe instead of having his own universe still feels like a idea that could backfire at any moment.

This promising start gets 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Promising Sci-fi, horror & Fantasy - February 2016

Due to my current state of being so busy with my job and playing Dota 2 I tried to keep this list as short as possible cause too many books is just impossible for me to even contemplate reading. But as a matter of fat this month has been very good with so many promising releases.

'Graft' by Matt Hill
It’s Under the Skin meets The Handmaid’s Tale meets The Fifth Element… with extra limbs.
Manchester, 2025. Local mechanic Sol steals old vehicles to meet the demand for spares. But when Sol’s partner impulsively jacks a luxury model, Sol finds himself caught up in a nightmarish trans-dimensional human trafficking conspiracy.
Hidden in the stolen car is a voiceless, three-armed woman called Y. She’s had her memory removed and undertaken a harrowing journey into a world she only vaguely recognises. And someone waiting in the UK expects her delivery at all costs.
Now Sol and Y are on the run from both Y’s traffickers and the organisation’s faithful products. With the help of a dangerous triggerman and Sol’s ex, they must uncover the true, terrifying extent of the trafficking operation, or it’s all over.
Not that there was much hope to start with.
A novel about the horror of exploitation and the weight of love, Graft imagines a country in which too many people are only worth what’s on their price tag.

[The setting and plot seems quite interesting, and from Angry Robots to boot, hopefully this would be as unto read as I think it should be.] 

'Curse of The Wulfen' by David Annandale
The Space Wolves' greatest secret is revealed! The mysterious 13th Company emerge from the warp, and the future of the Chapter is imperilled. Can the sons of Fenris survive the revelation of the Wulfen?
The Wulfen of the 13th Company have not been seen since the days Leman Russ sailed the Sea of Stars at the head of his Legion. Now, amid daemon incursions of alarming size, they return to the Space Wolves to fight by their side. As Logan Grimnar’s Great Companies scour the stars to rally their returning ancestors, ever more battle-brothers begin to fall prey to mysterious changes. Is the Wulfen’s reappearance really a blessing of Russ, or will the dark omens that plague Harald Deathwolf spell doom for the warriors of Fenris?
This is the biggest, most galaxy-changing event the Warhammer 40,000 universe has seen for years. The truth about the Wulfen is out, and things for the Space Wolves will never be the same again. Will they be hunted as heretics or hailed as heroes? You're gonna have to read it to find out, and the twists and turns will leave you truly gobsmacked.

[New black library book by one of my favorite authors, need I say more. Btw, you can also check out my 'first interview of him'  , 2nd interview as well as reviews of his works - 'Yarrick: Chains of Golgotha', 'Yarrick: A Plague of Saints', 'Yarrick: The Gallows Saint', 'Yarrick: Imperial Creed' on this blog.]

'Chains of The Heretic' by Jeff Salyards
Men are more easily broken than myths.
Emperor Cynead has usurped command of the Memoridons—Tower-controlled memory witches—and consolidated his reign over the Syldoonian Empire. After escaping the capital city of Sunwrack, Captain Braylar Killcoin and his Jackal company evade pursuit across Urglovia, tasked with reaching deposed emperor Thumarr and helping him recapture the throne. Braylar’s sister, Soffjian, rejoins the Jackals and reveals that Commander Darzaak promised her freedom if she agreed to aid them in breaking Cynead’s grip on the other Memoridons and ousting him.
Imperial forces attempt to intercept Braylar’s company before they can reach Thumarr. The Jackals fight through Cynead’s battalions but find themselves trapped along the Godveil. Outmaneuvered and outnumbered, Braylar gambles on some obscure passages that Arki has translated and uses his cursed flail, Bloodsounder, to part the Godveil, leading the Jackals to the other side. There, they encounter the ruins of human civilization, but they also learn that the Deserters who abandoned humanity a millennium ago and created the Veil in their wake are still very much alive. But are they gods? Demons? Monsters?
What Braylar, Soffjian, Arki, and the Jackals discover beyond the Godveil will shake an empire, reshape a map, and irrevocably alter the course of history. 

[A highly rated series, I am meaning to read this for so long, and this is the last book in the series so the timing is perfect too.]

'A Song For No Man's Land' by Andy Remic
He signed up to fight with visions of honour and glory, of fighting for king and country, of making his family proud at long last.
But on a battlefield during the Great War, Robert Jones is shot, and wonders how it all went so very wrong, and how things could possibly get any worse.
He'll soon find out. When the attacking enemy starts to shapeshift into a nightmarish demonic force, Jones finds himself fighting an impossible war against an enemy that shouldn't exist.
Andy Remic's A Song for No Man's Land is the first in an ongoing series. 

[Another one of the tor releases, and the premise seems quite promising]

'The Emperor Expects' by Gav Thorpe
The Imperial Navy cuts through the chaos on Terra and strikes back against the ork invaders, in a daring plan that could turn the tide of war against the greenskins.
As ork ships lay waste to world after world, heading inexorably towards Terra, Imperial citizens despair. The High Lords become desperate to prove that victory is possible, no matter the cost. A massive Navy fleet is assembled – their mission to make a definitive strike against the orks at Port Sanctus, an area of enemy-held space. But when the Imperial armada arrives, they find themselves outclassed and outmanoeuvred – can human courage and faith possibly prevail against such terrible odds?
It's the first attempt by the Imperium to make a definitive strike against the orks, and it creates a novel full of naval action, coupled with Inquisitorial action as a cadre of agents arrive on Terra to bring the High Lords into line… 

[The first book was quite good (review here), I am currently reading the second one, the third might be good to.]

'The Ballad of Black Tom' by Victor Lavalle
People move to New York looking for magic and nothing will convince them it isn't there.
Charles Thomas Tester hustles to put food on the table, keep the roof over his father's head, from Harlem to Flushing Meadows to Red Hook. He knows what magic a suit can cast, the invisibility a guitar case can provide, and the curse written on his skin that attracts the eye of wealthy white folks and their cops. But when he delivers an occult tome to a reclusive sorceress in the heart of Queens, Tom opens a door to a deeper realm of magic, and earns the attention of things best left sleeping.
A storm that might swallow the world is building in Brooklyn. Will Black Tom live to see it break? 

[Writing on Lovecraftian  influences, always something to beintriguedby, then it is a short read to boot, count me in.]

'A Gathering of Shadows' by V. E. Schwab  
Four months have passed since the shadow stone fell into Kell’s possession. Four months since his path crossed with Delilah Bard. Four months since Rhy was wounded and the Dane twins fell, and the stone was cast with Holland’s dying body through the rift, and into Black London.
In many ways, things have almost returned to normal, though Rhy is more sober, and Kell is now plagued by his guilt. Restless, and having given up smuggling, Kell is visited by dreams of ominous magical events, waking only to think of Lila, who disappeared from the docks like she always meant to do. As Red London finalizes preparations for the Element Games—an extravagant international competition of magic, meant to entertain and keep healthy the ties between neighboring countries—a certain pirate ship draws closer, carrying old friends back into port.
But while Red London is caught up in the pageantry and thrills of the Games, another London is coming back to life, and those who were thought to be forever gone have returned. After all, a shadow that was gone in the night reappears in the morning, and so it seems Black London has risen again—meaning that another London must fall. 

[I still haven't read the first book of the series or any books by V. E, Schwab for that matter, but this series have very high praise on the internet. Hope to join on he fun soon.} 

February 2016 New PC Games To Watch For

Well, this feature is being posted a bit late this month. My excuse is that the games had been so good this year that it is quite difficult to decide which are the cream of the crop. But, oh well, here goes nothing -

XCOM 2
XCOM 2 is a turn-based tactics video game developed by Firaxis Games and published by 2K Games for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux. XCOM 2 is the sequel to 2012's reboot of the series, XCOM: Enemy Unknown. Taking place 20 years after the events of Enemy Unknown, it follows the continuity that XCOM, a military organization trying to fight off an alien invasion, has lost the war, and is now a resistance force against their occupation of Earth.
It was released February 5, 2016.

Dying Light: The Following
Dying Light: The Following is a standalone expansion for the open-world first person survival horror game Dying Light. The expansion introduces new characters, a new story campaign, new weapons and gameplay mechanics.
The game was developed by Techland, published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, and was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on February 9, 2016.

Firewatch
Firewatch follows the story of a volunteer fire lookout in the aftermath of the Yellowstone fires of 1988.
Firewatch is a first person adventure video game developed by Campo Santo and published by Panic for Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, and PlayStation 4. It was the debut video game by both companies.

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 is a fighting game developed by CyberConnect2 and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam as part of the Naruto: Ultimate Ninja series, based on the manga Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto. It is the sequel to Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3, and is the first Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm installment built for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It covers the final arcs of the Naruto storyline, therefore making it the last installment in the series.
It was released on February 5, 2016.

Unravel
Unravel is a puzzle platform video game developed by Coldwood Interactive and published by Electronic Arts. The game centres on Yarny, a small anthropomorphic creature made of yarn whom the player navigates through the environment, utilizing the unraveling yarn which makes up Yarny to solve puzzles, avoid dangerous creatures, and traverse obstacles.
It was released in February 2016 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows.

Street Fighter V
Street Fighter V is a fighting video game published by Capcom, who co-developed the game with Dimps. It is the fifth main numbered entry in the Street Fighter series.
The game was released in February 16, 2016 for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 4 with a later release on Linux, and will feature cross-platform play between the Windows and PlayStation 4 versions.

Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc  is a murder mystery visual novel adventure game developed and published by Spike Chunsoft and the first game in the Danganronpa series.
The game was released on Steam in February 18, 2016.

Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2
Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 is a third-person shooter and tower defense video game developed by PopCap Games and published by Electronic Arts. It is the sequel to Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare.
It was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on February 25, 2016.

Disgaea PC
Disgaea is a Strategy RPG, where you train your characters to level 9999 and deal damage by the millions in the wacky Netherworld that is Disgaea. Help Laharl become the Overlord by fighting complex battles that not only include spells and weapons, but also the unique Geo Panel and Lift & Throw systems.
A version of Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, including the added content in Afternoon of Darkness, was released for Microsoft Windows via Steam on February 24, 2016, retitled as Disgaea PC.

Superhot
Superhot is an independently developed first-person shooter (FPS) video game, created by Superhot Team. Though the game follows traditional FPS gameplay mechanics, with the player attempting to take out enemy targets using guns and other weapons, time within the game only progresses when the player moves; this creates the opportunity for the player to assess their situation and respond appropriately, making the gameplay similar to strategy-based games. The game is presented in a minimalist art style, with enemies in red in contrast to white and grey backgrounds.
The full game was released for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux on 25 February 2016, with an Xbox One version anticipated in March 2016.

[ So everyone can totally see why February is the month of promising games this year where it was quite hard for me to pick the top of the releasing games. I am specially interested in 'XCOM2', 'Street Fighter V' and 'Disgaea PC' among these.]

Short Story Review - Breaking Water

Short Story - Breaking Water
Writer - Indrapramit Das
Published By - Tor Books

Since a few years, one of my secret ambition has been writing a zombie apocalypse novel taking place on the Southeast-Asia region. I have always dreamed about what would happen in such a post-apocalyptic situation, whats with the huge number of population living in this area and the lack of weapons and other means of survival for the living. 

Mini-Comic-Review - Uncanny X-Men #2

Name - Uncanny X-Men #2
Published by - Marvel
Writer - Cullen Bunn
Artist - Greg Land, Jay Leisten

Ah, the second issue of a new series. Burdened with the responsibility of taking the positives and discarding the negatives which is always a tough job for the writers. This issue had a mixed bag in this regard.

The main plot-line is really lacking as it is hard to be interested in the story other than having interest in the diverse cast of the protagonists. The villains, Dark Riders seem so unmatched in their potential against the giants in the team that the fact that they keep defeating the heroes seem really unlikely. On the other hand the introduction of Mystique into the mix with the already fascinating cast of characters does add much hope for the future. In terms of characterization once again the main entertaining facet of the story is the banter between Monet and Sabretooth; while the promise of interesting development in case of Magneto and Psylocke does seem an enticing possibility for the future.

The art seems a bit disjointed and out-of-place at times, also the facial expressions might seem a bit repetitive as a whole. But the action sequences are done with exquisite detail and the overall style is quite crisp and smooth.

Once again the hope of things to come in the future is the only thing that will make me read this series in the future issues. 

But this one only gets 2 out of 5 stars.