Bookcover Spotlight #174

Comic of the Week #39

Comic of the Week has been on a long hiatus but I wanted to bring it back since I've been reading graphic novels and comics again. Every week I'm going to showcase a comic or GN cover- could be old, could be new- and share a few thoughts on why I think it's special. Do you like what I picked out? Let me know in the comments, and as always, if you have a favorite cover or piece of comic art, let me know! 

This week is Red Sonja #12.    

An Unwanted Guest

An Unwanted Guest was a pleasant surprise and an awesome mystery set in a luxurious country inn in the Catskills. Ten guests come together for a weekend but are snowed in by a terrible storm, and deaths occur- and because there is no cell phone coverage, there is no way to get help. The guests, as well as the inn's owner and his son, are cut off- and a killer is among them. I'm always a fan of a locked room type thriller, and this one totally delivered. How likely is it in this day and age that people would be totally cut off like this? Well, it's pretty unlikely I suppose, but it works somehow, given the circumstances. And usually a story like this is set in an earlier time period, before cell phones and all that, so I give the author props for making it work in a modern context.

This was a fast read, and part of the reason for that is the constantly shifting POV's. That might not sound great if you're a reader who hates multiple viewpoints, but here I thought it worked. We get everyone's perspective, and while there's a good chance that at least one of the POV's is a killer, I thought the author did a great job keeping me guessing. It all made sense in the end, and I did not see the killer coming. I've seen a few reviews that expressed disappointment with the ending, but I thought it totally worked. And as hard as it can be to get to know characters when you're constantly switching POV's, I did feel like I got a pretty good handle on most of the guests. I may not have known who did it, but I had a pretty good idea who didn't, based on the writing.

The inn itself is amazing- can I go there? - with sitting rooms and a cozy library, fireplaces in the rooms, a grand staircase- and the place just oozes quaint atmosphere. The guests include a couple looking for a naughty weekend, an engaged couple, an older couple looking to perhaps repair their marriage, and a couple of single friends, as well as an author writing a book and an attorney. None of them have met, and over the course of a harrowing weekend they will learn more about each other- and themselves- than they ever wanted to know. I like how effortlessly Shari Lapena gets us inside their heads, and makes each character compelling. The POV's sometimes change multiple times in a chapter, but don't let that throw you- it just flows effortlessly.

The inn and the storm are almost characters as well, since they very much influence the turn of events. The author throws in enough red herrings and misdirection to keep readers on their toes, without overdoing it. And I felt like the characters mostly worked and were convincing- the only one I was a little iffy on was a journalist with PTSD. I thought the PTSD was handled well, I just didn't get Riley's character overall. Otherwise I was absorbed in the characters and their ruminations as they struggled with what was happening around them.

There's a surprise too at the end that I loved. Not only did I not see the killer coming but this surprise was an ironic little twist that totally made me smile. Can't say much other than that but the phrase what goes around comes around came to mind. This is one of the more enjoyable thrillers I've read of late and I highly recommend it for a fast- paced, entertaining murder mystery. 

The Gods of a Game of Thrones

The world of a Game of Thrones is not the kind of world where the gods step in and save the day, or dictate to humanity, like in some high fantasy settings. In fact the gods of this world seem pretty aloof, for the most part- the Faith of the Seven, the red god R'hllor, or the old gods of the north. However, as with magic and mystical creatures, we see an upsurge in supernatural activity as the books move along- it's acknowledged that the birth of Dany's dragons has reawakened magic to some degree. Does this apply to the gods as well?

Spoilers for the books and the show.

Let's look at the old gods of the north. For much of the story we're told that the men of the north, including the wildlings, hold to the old gods- the spirits of tree and stream, of earth and sky. However in A Dance with Dragons we learn that the weirwood trees are inhabited by the spirits of departed greenseers- those rare skinchangers who can see through the weirwood faces and also through ravens. So are there "old gods" as we think of gods, or are the gods of the north just Children of the Forest living on in their sacred trees?

To be honest I was a little disconcerted by this. The Starks hold to the old gods, the traditions of the north, as do many other houses, and they seem to have a mystical bond with their direwolves as well. It just seems weird to think that the north worships dead, precognitive elves rather than a deity or deities- and they don't have a clue. Imagine the consternation if they find out!

"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies," said Jojen. "The man who never reads lives only one. The singers of the forest had no books. No ink, no parchment, no written language. Instead they had the trees, and the weirwoods above all. When they died, they went into the wood, into leaf and limb and root, and the trees remembered. All their songs and spells, their histories and prayers, everything they knew about this world. Maesters will tell you that the weirwoods are sacred to the old gods. The singers believe they are the old gods. When singers die they become part of that godhood." 

R'hllor is a different thing entirely. The red god of the priestess Melisandre, we don't learn much about this faith other than its affinity for fire until, again, in A Dance with Dragons we see their temples and learn that Benerro, the high priest in Volantis, is opportunistically siding with Daenerys in her crusade against slavery. And we meet another priest, Moqorro, who uses sorcery or some kind of power to survive and "heal" Victarion Greyjoy. Is R'hllor a god in the usual sense, or a fire being of some sort that uses the mortals who worship it for its own purposes?

The Seven of Westeros are a little more abstract, or aloof. We don't get any sense that they are interfering in affairs- greenseers can apparently act to some extent through their trees or ravens, R'hlor's priests are causing all kinds of mischief, but septons of the Seven do not seem to be manifesting any powers. The Faith militant does take power in Kings Landing, but that's clearly ambitious people at work, not divine intervention. At least that we know of. So this does seem to be more of a case of fantasy gods being kept at arms length, not impacting the story in a serious way.

The Many Faced God in Braavos, or the Drowned God of the Greyjoys, are similar. The Faceless Men talk about serving the Many Faced God, but from all accounts they are running a well-oiled death cult - there is no indication the Many Faced God is actually doing anything. And the Drowned God certainly doesn't seem to be doing much, although one could argue the point since Aeron "Damphair" Greyjoy sometimes hears things in the waves, and the men they drown are brought back to life. But I just think Aeron's crazy and the rescuscitation is a rather unorthodox (and unrealistic) case of CPR.

One interesting wrinkle is the theory that the Drowned God is not a god at all, but a monster from the depths that will rise when Euron Greyjoy makes a blood sacrifice. This is the eldritch apocalypse theory by Poor Quentyn and it's very compelling. Aeron may indeed see his "god" arise, although it's not a god he's expecting to see!

So... what do you think? Are the "gods" real? Or are they just aloof and unknowable and maybe certain creatures are using religion for their own ends? And what do you think of the eldritch apocalypse theory?

Can't Wait Wednesday #41 / Midweek Stuff

 So here's a midweek round up of what I'm reading watching, etc. Plus Can't Wait Wednesday, hosted by Wishful endings. So sit back, raise a cuppa, and see what's new! And share what you're up to.  

This week my Can't Wait pick is the upcoming Murderbot novel. There's no cover yet so I'm using one of the novellas (which is itself due out today) as a placeholder.

What I'm Reading

Listening

Top Ten Authors I'd Like To Meet

  

 Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week a new Top Ten list will be posted. Everyone is welcome to join. Link back to The Broke and the Bookish so everyone can check out other bloggers' lists. It's a fun way to get to know fellow bloggers.

This week is Top Ten Authors I'd Like To Meet. To be honest, I don't have a lot- I mean I'm not big on autographs, although to sit and have a conversation with certain authors- absolutely. So this list was a little tough at first. I'm kinda tweaking it to reflect authors I've met as well as some I'd like to chat with. Cool? Let's go!       



George RR Martin I met at a signing in Ann Arbor.  



I'd commiserate with Liane about the way she skewers suburban life. 

 

Can we talk about the Wayfarer crew???  

Kathleen Baldwin was nice enough to send me an ARC of Refuge for Masterminds, the third book in the School for Unusual Girls series. She's super nice and posts interesting tidbits on Twitter as she researches her books. 



I could talk Murderbot with Martha Wells, but also Emilie and the Hollow World.  

I'd love to talk all things Rockton with Kelley Armstrong.  



If I met Laura Burns and Melinda Metz I could bug them about returning to the Sanctuary Bay universe- I need that sequel!! 



Lauren Oliver- I think Replica was underrated and I'd love to see more of Haven.  

Ann Kidd Taylor learned a lot about sharks during the course of writing her book, and I'd love to talk conservation.  



I met Jessica Brockmole at a signing shortly after Letters from Skye was released- you can see my interview w/ her here. 

Tuesday Tagline #111

You have a secret. You think it's safe. But what if someone is... watching you?