Buy this Star Wars Book in paper or elec­tronic copy* Andrew: Orig­i­nally pub­lished at: http://www.rancorslovetoread.com/2008/12/andrews-review-of-courtship-of-princess.html 3/5 Rancors – Dave Wolverton’s The Courtship of Princess Leiawas one of the first books published by Bantam Spectra after the resounding success of Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn Trilogy in the early 1990’s. As such, it has the exciting, adventurous, and sometimes plain wacky feeling that a lot of the early books had (especially before the advent of the prequel films and the onslaught of stories about Jedi, Sith, and clone troopers). It is an enjoyable romp of a story with some very puzzling characterizations. The setting is four years after the Battle of Endor in Return of the Jedi. Princess Leia and Han Solo have been involved over this period but are still not in a fully committed relationship. Han has spent the prior five months commanding a task force hunting Warlord Zsinj and his Super Star Destroyer Iron Fist: the tale of his search is ably documented by Aaron Allston in the fifth through seventh novels of the superb X-wing series. Leia has been attempting to kickstart diplomatic relations between the New Republic and the secretive Hapan Cluster, an alliance of sixty-three wealthy and…

Article first published as Graphic Novel Review: Escape to Gold Mountain : A Graphic History of the Chinese in North America by David H.T. Wong on Blogcritics. About: Escape to Gold Mountain : A Graphic History of the Chinese in North America by David H.T. Wong is a graphic novel telling the story of the Chinese immigration to the United States and Canada. Mr. Wong is an Asia Canadian activist and an architect in Vancouver. 256 pages Publisher: Arsenal Pulp Press Language: English ISBN-10: 1551524767 My rating for Escape to Gold Mountain – 4 Buy this graphic novel from Amazon.com Thoughts: The graphic novel Escape to Gold Mountain : A Graphic History of the Chinese in North America by David H.T. Wong (website) is laden with dishonor and misery as is the history of Chinese immigration to North America. The Chinese encountered lynches, subjugation racial, cultural and legal discrimination from both countries. I do remember learning in school (but mainly on my own) about Chinese railroad workers in the United States. I did not realize how badly they were treated after they finished working and that the same thing happened in Canada. The graphic novel shows very clearly how badly these workers were mistreated as well as…

Article first published as Graphic Novel Review: The Art of War from SmarterComics: How to be Successful in Any Competition by Sun Tzu, Illustrated by Shane Chester on Blogcritics. About: The Art of War from SmarterComics: How to be Successful in Any Competition by Sun Tzu, illustrated by Shane Chester is a graphic novel of the famous book. Many think that this famous book is only about war, but truth be told, its lessons could be applied to management and management styles. 80 pages Publisher: Writers Of The Round Table Press; 2nd Edition edition Language: English ISBN-10: 1610660102 My rating for The Art of War from SmarterComics –4 Buy this graphic novel today Thoughts: The Art of War from SmarterComics: How to be Successful in Any Competition by Sun Tzu, illustrated by Shane Chester depicts Sun Tzu’s masterpiece by highlighting the main teachings of the classic guide. The artist portrays Sun Tzu as he guides the reader through the pages and applies the principles of the Art of War to modern life and management issues. While some folks have issues with this book (see the comments section of my post), I feel that the teachings are timeless. The situations in…

Article first published as Book Review: The United States Constitution: A Round Table Comic Graphic Adaptation Nadja Baer (Adapter) and Nathan Lueth (Illustrator) on Blogcritics. About: The United States Constitution: A Round Table Comic Graphic Adaptation Nadja Baer (Adapter), Thomas Jefferson (Author), John Adams (Author), Thomas Paine (Author), James Madison (Author) and Nathan Lueth (Illustrator) is an adaptation of the supreme law of the land in these United States. Dr. Katie Monnin, assistant professor of literacy at the University of North Florida, produced a curriculum guide (target towards 8th grade level) to supplement the comic book which is available free of charge at http://maupinhouse.com/constitutioncurriculum 80 pages Publisher: Writers Of The Round Table Press (April 16, 2012) Language: English ISBN-10: 1610660250 Buy this Comic Graphic Adaptation in paper or in elec­tronic format. Thoughts: Right off the bat I liked that the author included the Founding Fathers in the title of this comic graphic adaptation. The United States Constitution: A Round Table Comic Graphic Adaptation by Nadja Baer (Adapter | website | Twitter), Thomas Jefferson (Author), John Adams (Author), Thomas Paine (Author), James Madison (Author) and Nathan Lueth (Illustrator | website | Twitter) takes the US Constitution and, using the original text, presents it in an easy to understand graphical format. This is a short book…

Article first published as Graphic Novel Review: Petrograd by Philip Gelatt (art by Tyler Crook) on Blogcritics. About: Petrograd by Philip Gelatt (art by Tyler Crook) is a graphic novel about an assassination. The graphic novels tells about an international conspiracy behind the murder of Gregorii Rasputin. 264 pages Publisher: Oni Press ISBN: 1934964441 My rating for Petrograd – 5 Get a great price on this book through the Man of la Book Affil­i­ate Account More books by Philip Gelatt More books by Tyler Crook Thoughts: The graphic novel Petrograd by Philip Gelatt (art by Tyler Crook) is more of a historical thriller than anything else. The death of Gregorii Rasputin has generated much controversy at the time and many more conspiracy theories which are always fun and supply fodder for authors. The story, while fictional, seems realistic enough to have actually happen (almost). Somehow Mr. Crook took the blighted atmosphere which authors try very hard to create and drew it. While I’m sure that many creative licenses were taken, as they are in every historical novel, I still enjoyed the story immensely. But don’t let the words “graphic novel” fool you. Petrograd takes historical facts (as seen by Americans) and re-tells the story in the format of an…

The Coldest City by Antony Johnston (art by Sam Hart) is a graphic novel taking place during the Cold War in Berlin, Germany, following an MI6 agent

Kingdom Come by Mark Waid and Alex Ross was the mega comic book event of the 1990’s. The story is complex, multiple layers upon layers opened to interpretation

About: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller is a graphic novel originally published in 1986. The graphic novel, written and drawn by Miller, was originally released in a four-issue limited series called Batman: The Dark Knight. 224 pages Publisher: DC Comics; 10 Anv edition ISBN: 1563893428 My rating for The Dark Knight Returns – 5 Buy & Save on The Dark Knight Returns through the ManOfLa­Book affil­i­ate account on: Ama­zon | Book Depos­i­tory US | Book Depos­i­tory UK More books by Frank Miller Thoughts: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller, a best seller and rightly so, is a story of ideologies and how they skew people’s perceptions of what is right and what is wrong. With those ideologies and perceptions comes the sense of justice and punishment no matter how they might not fit the crime. However, for me, the major point of the book was how we decide what our role in society will be. The book is a scathing commentary on the political system at large. How boobs elected into office are being handled behind the scenes, wielding unimaginable power (nuclear warheads and Superman in this case) and how the idiotic talking heads on TV shape public…

Then terror strikes in Empire City, The Fixer and Stack go on a rage fueled mission after those responsible.

The Picket Line reviews Among the Dead Cities by A.C. Grayling “Grayling meticulously describes how the policy of destroying cities developed and what goals it was meant to serve” Man of la Book reviews Citizen Soldiers by Stephen Ambrose “a fas­ci­nat­ing book about the Euro­pean the­ater in World War II, as told by the men on the front lines” Life As I Know It pontificates about re-reading The Dark Tower series by Stephen King “Because each book was better than the last” Man of la Book reviews A Death in Vienna by Daniel Silva “The plot is full of twists and turns, a won­der­ful cast of char­ac­ters ” Wifely Steps reviews The Dolce Vita Diaries by Cathy Rogers, Jason Gibb “I think we’ve all had that desire to just jump out of our day jobs and pursue a passion, an interest, a wish we know would just make our lives more exciting and meaningful if it came into fruition.” Addicted to Media reviews The Dragon Book, edited by Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois “This is a magical collection of stories and one that I am glad to have on my bookshelf.” Frontier Psychiatrist reviews Eaarth; Making A Life on a…