Upcoming Book Reviews

The next review will be the first two books in the "Falls of Redemption" trilogy. 

Followed by all three books of the "Broken Empire" series. 

I plan on reviewing all of the following books as well, but I do not have a particular order as of now. 

Seer of the Lost Sands (Half-Elf Chronicles Book 1) by J.T. Williams, Book Review *Possible SPOILERS*

This was a story that I just discovered about a month ago, and the first book won the very first Golden Beard Award. With that being said, I did not want to wait for the physical book to arrive from Amazon, so I ordered the ebook. I am still on the fence about reading ebooks, but I figured this would be the title to test it out with. So how does the second installment hold up in comparison? Let's find out.

The book takes place five years later but does a good job of getting you up to speed. We also have my favorite character Tulasiro the narwhal (I need to draw a pic before I review book 3!) It is going to be hard to go over some of the story and plot lines without spoiling the book, so I will try not to spoil anything major.

We learn that Kealin has not found his sister since the ending of book one. So, he has been searching for her for the past five years. He gets some clues that usually lead to him traveling around to distant lands and getting into some perilous situations! Unfortunate for me, Kealin has to travel south on his journey and the waters are too warm for Tulasiro, so they part as Kealin advises her to search out the sea god to grant her the ability to traverse in warmer waters (She better!).

On his new journey he meets up with two brothers, Orolo and Brethor (No spoilers on how he meets up with these crazy guys). Our new trio sets sail with a local sailor who pretty much sells them out. This leads to a pretty epic battle that made me imagine Gladiator or Planet Hulk as I was reading this chapter. JT Williams does a great job describing duels or full out battles. In fact, I can read a whole book of non stop battles if he wrote one. I know it sounds crazy but his detail makes it easy to picture the fight scenes in your head as it plays out.

Now this will be a spoiler of sorts, but not in great detail. Williams does something else very well. He introduces characters that you start to like then HE KILLS THEM!!! It is maddening, but it does the job of making you hate the villains and hoping they get their comeuppance. Just as Kealin seems to be out of danger, or on the right track to finding his sister a monkey-wrench always gets thrown in his face. This guy just can't catch a break!

As the rest of the book moves along, it makes me think of an RPG or playing D&D. The pacing is great, the action is great, and the characters are great. Although I feel that the characters were stronger in the first book. As I was reading the book I was thinking that Vals and Kealin's siblings from book one had me more invested in them. Not to take anything from Ororlo or Brethor, but I just did not really care as much for them.

The last three chapters of the book were really strong, however I almost guessed a portion of the ending. I do not want to spoil this at all, but I will say I was not as shocked as I thought I would be. But with that said, it did not ruin or lessen it for me at all.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in fantasy, RPG's, and D&D. Now on to the score. I really enjoyed this book and was having a hard time deciding on the score. I wanted to give it a 5 then thought maybe a 4.5 since I was not as connected to the supporting characters. I was conflicted on how to score it, so I read over the last few chapters to see if I would feel any different about the ending, but I felt pretty much the same. So since I felt the stronger connection to Kealin's siblings, Tulasiro, and Vanku (That guy still creeps me out!) from the first book I had to give the book a 4.5.

Be sure to check out the full series from Amazon. 

You can also head on over to his personal blog site and sign up for his mailing list for a free short story. You can also get his Twitter and Facebook links there as well.  

http://www.authorjtwilliams.com/

M.I.S.T. : Masonic Illuminati Shriner Templars; Season 1 Episode 6

Rocket Raccoon and Groot #10 Review **SPOILERS**

Rocket Raccoon and Groot #10
Writer: Nick Kocher
Artist: Michael Walsh
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: 3.99

Editor's note: All scans were made from the actual comic with my phone. I did not want to wait to redeem my digital code and get the screenshots for this review. I may come back and update the review with better pics. I just wanted to do this review right after reading the issue. 

So we pick up right where issue #9 left off with Chammy asking Rocket for help. Of course Rocket wants to pummel him, but Gwen wants to give us readers a recap. Just a Rocket was about to cave in Chammy's face, Gwen wants him to let Chammy explain what is going on (With a recap for us readers too of course).

 

I love the way that Kocher works in his recaps without slowing the story down, and making it entertaining, 

So we get a really funny page with three dialogue boxes representing Chammy, Gwen, and Rocket. By adding the profile pics with each box it really makes it pop out while reading it. I was actually picturing them going at each other as the scene plays out. It basically tells the story of Chammy's planet being ruled by an evil dictator and then being rescued by Captain Marvel Who then splits so another dictator can rule them even more cruelly than the previous one. 

Chammy tells how he fled and joined up with some small time smugglers and about a job they had delivering a package to a guy named Reeve. It turns out Reeve is our current baddie that has been ripping away peoples memories and leaving a trail of dead bodies (Sounds like a certain Presidential Candidate?!) 

Anyways, it turns out the case had a "recipe" to render Captain Marvel powerless! Chammy read it and destroyed it to save Captain Marvel, but since he actually read the recipe it is tucked away in his memory, so Reeve is after him to get the recipe and kill Captain Marvel. 

Rocket ain't got no time for recaps!

So Rocket wants to warn Carol, but that's a problem because...

...Rocket destroyed both communicators in the past two issues! 

They go to the gas station to use the payphone and get the receptionist from hell!

In all honesty, I loved this guy! I would read a whole issue of him taking calls from super heroes and villains. MAKE IT HAPPEN MARVEL! (Right along with my idea of a Babysitters Club book with Squirrel Girl and Porcupine!) 

They race to the airport when Gwen decides that Reeve is not going to kill Captain Marvel. She confuses the rest of the guys by thinking this since he has the recipe and is off to kill her. She then starts explaining why she thinks so coming from the point of view of the readers. 

Ya gotta admit that her reasoning actually makes since. Why would Marvel let Kocher kill off Carol when she is gonna get her own freaking movie! The guys think Gwen is a psycho hose beast and they get airline tickets to go to help Captain Marvel. While Gwen talks to us readers she gets ditracted when she seed Kitty Pride, and we get what is my favorite part of the book, 

So Kitty thinks Gwen is a loony as she thinks Brian Michael Bendis is really behind this storyline and freaks out since Bendis would have the authority from Marvel to kill off Carol. She runs into the airport to get a ticket and has to get the middle seat in between Rocket and Groot to her dismay. We cut to the Triskelion as Captain Marvel tells the team they did a good job and for Puck to hit the showers since he stinks. Carol pours a glass of non alcoholic vodka and is about to relax when Reeve busts in. She realizes that her powers are gone and is about to fight man to woman, but Reeve keeps talking and issuing comebacks to all of her statements. She calls him out on this and asked if they were gonna fight.   

Oh, they are gonna fight alright, just after he tells her his story! 

Poor Rocket and Gwen are dealing with the receptionist from hell who has daddy issues. Gwen comments that she hopes Reeve is a monologuer... 

...Lucky for us he is!

He goes on about how he was experimented on by the new dictator that took over after she left his planet. He was supposed to be part of an army of "Super Soldiers"and he rebelled against them with his new powers. He punches Carol and is about to kill her when our Heroes arrive to save her. He takes Rocket, Groot, and Gwen with one hit each! 

He then realizes that he wasted too much time with his monologue and goes in for the kill. Things don't look good for Carol (DAMN YOU BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS IT WAS YOU AFTER ALL WASN'T IT?!)

Wait! It's Chammy! And he has the power to turn into water? Water?! Is he a freaking Wonder Twin?! Luckiy fir us he has a pineapple. Yup a freaking pineapple, and he takes out Reeve with a swift pineapple to the jaw! A guy that has been ripping folks in half and one hit killing and KO'ing super heroes and aliens! And I loved it. It fit the whole vibe of the book. Reeve gets hauled off by security guards as the receptionist from hell watches on as Carol thanks Chammy for saving her life. She offers him a place on the team and he turns her down and leaves with his ol' lady Ruth. 

Rocket and Gwen want credit for the victory, but Carolis not having it and just walks away from them. Gwen thinks since the story was all over the place and cooky that Bendis must have really been behind it the whole time and she leaves the book. And that's all folks. 

This book was a blast to read. As usual I have high praise for this new team. The writing is fun to read and never slows down. Kocher did a great job of making these Civil War tie ins NOT CIVIL WAR TIE INS! I do not recall reading a book that accomplished this in past crossovers.  

As usual, the art is gritty and seems simplistic, but when you really take it in it gives you a fell and vibe that fits perfectly with the writing.  If you are not reading this book, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! Get the trades or read it on Marvel Unlimited! If you are on the fence I recommend that you pick it up from issue 8 which is part one of the story line with Gwen.  

This book has the distinction of being only the second Golden Beard Award in my short blogging career. See the first one here: http://datbeardedbastard.blogspot.com/2016/09/half-bloods-rising-half-elf-chronicles.html 

5/5 BEARDS!

Until next time, DatBeardedBastard is out...

M.I.S.T. : Masonic Illuminati Shriner Templars; Season 1 Episode 5

Half-Bloods Rising (Half-Elf Chronicles Book 1) by J.T. Williams, Book Review *NON SPOILERS*

First off, I am a huge (Pun not intended) fan of fantasy novels. Last week I went to my local Half Price Books to grab some Forgotten Realms books that were missing from my collection. Sadly, they did not have the third installment of the Transitions trilogy, and that turned out to be a very good thing. Why would that be good? Because I jumped on to Amazon to get book three when I started browsing other books in the genre and stumbled upon the book that I am reviewing today. 

Before I  purchased this book I was looking at the reviews, and read the sample page. I also contacted the author himself on Facebook and he responded right away. I was impressed to see that he was very responsive to people leaving feedback and answering their questions. I was intrigued to read this story, and was glad to be supporting the work of a self published author. 

I ordered the paperback version since I prefer to have the physical book over the eBook format. I am still on the fence on the whole physical vs eBook format in general, although it is more convenient to have the eBooks on my phone or tablet so I may eventually lean that way. 

Amazon gave me a shipping date of one week, but the book arrived at my door in three days! I was impressed with the quality of the paperback, it was set up and bound similar to a graphic novel. The cover is thin, but durable and the pages were thick, so they do not crease up. That's a big deal for me since I am pretty rough on paperbacks. Enough of that, back to the review.

We start right off with action and we are quickly introduced to two of our main four characters in a way that makes you feel like you have read about them before. It doesn't feel forced or awkward as most books in this genre do. Actually when you read the beginning, it plays out like a movie scene. J.T. Williams does a really good job with his pacing, and you never feel that too much is being crammed in. One thing that bothers be in the genre is when an author takes a really long time explaining the background or the setting for the story. With this story the settings and environment is introduced in a way that flows along. That may sound like it is not that big of a deal, but it really is. I wanted to stop reading Game of Thrones for this reason, and that book is loved by millions. 

I did not want to put this book down. It just flowed smoothly and I like the fact that we focus on our core characters. To me this was the key to the book. We are not bombarded with throwaway or non important characters at all. Without spoiling the story we have our main cast of four "Half-Blood" Elves, Pirate Dwarves, Narwhals (Yes NARWHALS!), a Mermaid, a Demon, a Dragon, and some supernatural characters splashed together in a way that made me think of a cross between an RPG game and a classic 1970s wuxia film.  

I want this to be a spoiler free review for two reasons. I want you to read it for yourself and we need to support independent publishers.  This was a fun read, and it was the first time in a while that I didn't want to put the book down. The ending was intense, and I can't wait to read the second installment. The main question for me at this point is should I get the paperback or just get the eBook and start right away! 

On to the score. I just started this blog a few months ago, and usually review on a beard scale of 1-5. The exceptions were comic book reviews that I graded on a ten point scale since I was sharing those reviews with another site that graded on that scale. With that being said, I have not given out a perfect score on either scale in the short time that this blog existed, until now. 

5/5 Beards

Since this is my first perfect score, it is only fitting that we give the book an award. So I award my first Golden Beard award to Half-Bloods Rising (Half-Elf Chronicles Book 1) by J.T. Williams! 

First Golden Beard Award Winner!

This story did something that no other book as done for me in quite a while. It kept me interested and made me read right on through. Only Stephen King has been able to do that for me, so it is a big deal that a book in the fantasy genre was able to pull of a feat like this for me.  

Below are the covers to books 2 and 3, along with a link to the author's Amazon profile. Head on over to at least check it out and see what he has to offer. The books all have a sample, and if you are a Kindle Unlimited subscriber you can read them for free. I plan on reviewing these books as well as his Saints of Wura series. 

https://www.amazon.com/J.T.-Williams/e/B00MGWXJCQ/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

You can also head on over to his personal blog site and sign up for his mailing list for a free short story. You can also get his Twitter and Facebook links there as well.  

http://www.authorjtwilliams.com/

My attempt at making a caricature of the book cover. I failed to make the head bigger :(

Rocket Raccoon and Groot #9 Review

Rocket Raccoon and Groot #9 

Writer: Nick Kocher

Artist: Michael Walsh

Publisher: Marvel Comics

It's that time of the month again. No, not THAT time! Time for my favorite duo Rocket and Groot in their second Civil War II tie in. Last issue Gwen Pool threw a monkey wrench in our duos plan to capture Chammy, an old bounty that got away from Rocket. 

We start off with Gwen talking to us the readers about what went down in the previous issue. This was great because it fits her character about her breaking that 4th wall since she was once just a comic reader herself, and it keeps you updated without the typical editor text boxes. What I love best about this is that the other characters have no idea who she is talking to. She is already crazy enough as it is, but this makes the other characters think she is just a bit over the top. 

I also love how she always refers to Rocket and Groot as "Squirrel and Tree". It reminds me of the old Bullwinkle cartoons where they are referred to as "Moose and Squirrel". 

So Ms. Marvel tries communicating with Rocket and Groot for help in their battle in the Civil War II "tie in", and they pretend the communicator is busted right before Rocket torches it. Gwen then proposes a truce since Rocket is not in this for the bounty, he wants to get the one guy that got away. 

They arrive at Ruth's house looking for Chammy, and as Gwen is ready to kick the door down we see Rocket go in through the doggy door. That scene is genius! Partly because Rocket hates being treated like a pet, so it's ironic, and it fits the comedic tone of the book. Right down to the point that when Gwen kicks the door in Rocket gets slammed into the wall head first. 

Poor Ruth has no idea what the hell these three are doing in her house and yells for Chammy to come out of the crapper to make them fix the door. The bathroom door is locked, so of course Rocket blasts the whole think to smithereens as they figure out that Chammy split.  

We cut to Chammy as he waits for the smuggler that was supposed to get him off Earth. Chammy feels that something is not right with this guy and he tries texting Gus for help. Poor Gus, we don't see what happened to him after the last issue, but it is implied that he is no longer with us. 

Our "trio?" see the message meant for Gus and Gwen tells us the readers that they are able to see Chammy's message and Rocket tells her to shut up since to him she is just a crazy lady talking to herself. Even Ruth is asking who she is talking to. Gwen starts asking Rocket to triangulate on the signal and zoom in on him, so I am assuming that she watched way too much 24 and Homeland before she got pulled into the comic book world. Rocket is able to lock on to his location just as Chammy pulls out his gun and tries to shoot the smuggler who is from the same species he is, but appears to be badly burned.

This guy is actually a pretty good fighter. From the previous issue I thought he would be one of those villains that relies on just their powers and is not really good at hand to hand combat, but this guy can throw down. He beats up Chammy and knocks his gun away. Chammy stumbles to the gun and the burnt dude told him to shoot him, but instead Chammy was about to shoot himself.  

Just as the gun goes off, the burnt guy pushes the gun away and uses his powers to pull information from Chammy's brain and then pukes. For some reason he throws up when he uses his power, and this makes him want to kill the victims he uses his powers on. That seems to imply that Gus is in fact dead as I assumed. 

Rocket blasts the burnt baddie and then, GWEN KICKS ROCKET IN THE FACE?! WTF?! She declares the truce is over and tries to get Chammy to collect his bounty just as GROOT SMASHES HIS STATION WAGON INTO GWEN! The way this page is laid out with the panels and the action play out just like an action movie scene. Each panel flows perfectly into the next and builds all the way up to the awesome "Smile and wave" panel from Groot. Groot picks up Chammy and then gets cut in two by the burnt bastard! So we have Groot crawling around with his upper body with Rocket and Gwen 

Gwen asks about the bounty on Chammy and the burnt bastard tells her there is no bounty, he set up the fake listing and was going to kill whoever brought him in. Gwen gets discouraged and just wants to bounce since there was no bounty, and as she sees it Chammy is a bad guy being kidnapped by a bad guy, so she doesn't care. Rocket is not about to quit because he is pissed off and blasts off (Pun may be intended...) blasting at the burnt baddie who tosses some explosives at Rocket and tosses him into Gwen. 

Then the burnt dude SETS GROOT ON FIRE?! That bastard!! Ruth shows up with a boat and helps Chammy get away as Rocket puts out the fire on Groot. In the meantime the burnt alien dude got on is ship. 

Chammy tells Ruth how he feels, and she plants a kiss on him. It seems that she is into alien erotica. In actuality, she is just glad to finally know the truth and wants to stay with Chammy. Even if it means she has to leave Earth as well. 

Rocket decides he has had enough and he is not interested in getting Chammy anymore and wants to leave. Just as they are about to get into the station wagon Chammy and Ruth show up and ask them for help as the issue closes. 

So since we had the new creative team not only have I still enjoyed the book, I actually like it more. Don't get me wrong, I am a huge Skottie Young fan and will always be. The reason that I like the book more is that it has a more consistent story line and the flow of the book is done better as well. Even with the Civil War tie in the book is able to avoid it almost entirely. Nick Kocher has done a great job of putting the Civil War portion of the book in just a few panels and keeping it away from Rocket and Groot, allowing this book to shine on it's own. 

As I said last month, I can't wait for the Civil War tie ins to be done with even though it is not interfering with the series. I just think personally that this team can really shine if they did not have to worry about writing in a major crossover into a book that is designed to exist on it's own.  

4/5 Beards