Author: danecobain

Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson, Dev Pramanik and Alex Guimaraes – Dune: House Atreides: Volume Two [REVIEW]

Title: Dune: House Atreides: Volume Two

Author: Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson, Dev Pramanik and Alex Guimaraes

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 116

Rating: 4/5

Here we have the second of three Dune graphic novels that are based upon the first of the books in the prequel trilogy that Herbert and Anderson worked on. I enjoyed it even more than the first one, probably because things start coming to a head in this one. We see the birth of Lady Jessica, the death of Duke Paulus Atreides and the beginnings of the revolution on Ix, ending with a particularly poignant scene that sets up the next collection.

Learn more about Dune: House Atreides: Volume Two.

 


Ruth Plumly Thompson – Pirates in Oz [REVIEW]

Title: Pirates in Oz

Author: Ruth Plumly Thompson

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 228

Rating: 3/5

Okay, so we’re up to the 25th book in the Oz series by this point, and while the formula is kind of tired by this point, it still somehow works.

So what do we have? Well, we have the Gnome King Ruggedo getting up to his usual mischief, even though he starts the book by not being able to talk. We also have a child from the United States of America who makes his way to Oz in an unusual way, as well as guest appearances from a bunch of the usual suspects.

We also have the usual set of puns and japes, none of which stands out but all of which are worth a little smile, even if it’s only at how bad they are. Still, I find that Thompson is better at doing those kind of gags than L. Frank Baum ever was, and while her plotting and execution is at about the same level, that’s not really saying too much.

All in all, it’s just some more of the same old same old, but repackaged with a new title and new cover. But given that I’ve got this far in the series, I’m used to that and I’ve come to expect it.

Learn more about Pirates in Oz.