Book Review of Peter & Max by King Bigby:

“In short, though I could discuss this books for hours I only wish for those of you that haven’t read it to go out and buy it to see for yourselves the magic behind Bill Willinghams prose, Peter & Max is a tale from Willinghams ongoing Fables graphic novel series. Though you do not need to be familiar with the series to read P&M, it will make the story mean that much more to you once you have read through Volumes 1-12. In regards to P&M, it is a wonderful story about love, music, revenge, and of course sibling rivalry that spans out through the ages and across worlds. With illustrations by Steve Leialoha, P&M comes to life with scenes from the individual chapters themselves. The story begins and already you will feel the rush of excitement and anticipation for what is to come, the deadly and vengeful climax that will drop you on you head, spin you around then kick you in the chest and right as think the story is over, WIllingham rips you back into his world full of myth, wonder, love, and epic story telling that can only be found in the Fables universe. If you’re heart is not pulsating by the last few chapters, you cannot be human, but then again perhaps you are a fable and in which case you already know the ending to this story. Enjoy everyone, this is a marvelous work of prose written by a man who has truly master the art of fiction and continuos to do so to this day! ” Nick Kimball, October 14th, 2009

5 out of 5 stars

The Elegance of the Hedgehog is a novel of ideas, perhaps reminiscent of Milan Kundera, and while it may have some flaws, I had to give it five stars because, simply, this book was my best friend while I was reading it. If you feel depressed, meaningless, cynical, bored, angry… this is the ANTI -”self-help” cheerleaders’ book. Rather, it delves into the minds of two hyper-intelligent people who are baffled and lonely because they live amongst stupidity (it includes a hilarious yet disturbing scene with a psychiatrist humiliated by a 12-year-old). The main narrator is the aging, plain concierge of a posh apartment building in Paris who is locked away in her brilliant mind, never letting on (until near the end) that she is smarter than all the rich pedants she waits on. The other narrator is a sharp, perceptive twelve-year-old who lives in one of the posh apartments and doesn’t let on how bright she is because she refuses to be pigeonholed in the role of “gifted.” The arrival to the building of a kindred spirit to both (a tasteful, sensitive Japanese man) brings them out of the cells in their brains, into the role of empathy. What is their ultimate hope, by the end? The hope is not original – it seems all critical thinkers end up with this: Beauty (moments of it in life that escape many people’s attention) and, with that, Art, are the only saving graces for critical thinkers who must dwell in a small-minded, short-sighted society. There is also much commentary on philosophy (the concierge reads Husserl), the frivolity of so much academia, Dutch still lifes, class hierarchies, guilt and death.

-Sookie Toddray

Now,  let’s get things straight here. The Frost Haired Vixen is never going to give James Joyce a run for his money. But it’s a hell of a lot more fun than, say, James Patterson. Or at least I think so. Maybe it’s not great literature. Maybe it doesn’t have a great deal of metaphor or deeper meaning or redeeming value. But what it does have is this-

1)      Lasers

2)      Killer Robots

3)      Nympho elves

4)      The word ‘Vixen’ in the title

5)      Sexy chicks

6)      Sexy chicks with huge boobs

7)      Sexy chicks with huge boobs and little clothing

8)      Oh yeah, it has some social satire in there in-between the killer robots and the sexy big busted chicks.

9)      Did you see the part about the killer robots? They have lasers!

The Frost Haired Vixen is a fun, futuristic read, and it’s pretty damn funny to boot. John Zakour won me over just by passing a law in his book that Christmas, Hanukah, and Kwanzaa no longer exist and that everyone must celebrate Holiday. This book is a fresh look at two genres that have been done nearly to death- the private eye mystery and the futuristic sci-fi novel. Toss in the fact that it’s Christmas . . . er, Holiday themed and not sentimental or sappy and you have a winner. Ariel Red

Foundling by D.M. Cornish

“Simply remarkable. An achievement of the highest standards, D.M. Cornish has captured the inventiveness and imagination in his Half-Continent world just the same as Tolkien unveiled Middle-Earth. Cornish has the ability to create a cast of characters so unforgettable that you feel a sense of companionship even as the reader. Each character is crafted with such great detail and high esteem, Cornish has mastered the Art of characterization in a fantasy setting of his own. It was refreshing to meet a cast of characters that did not come from our world and, by chance, stumble upon a great world. No. In the world of Half-Continent which took Cornish fifteen years of his life to map out, illustrate, and be put into historical context, has rightful earned a place beside some of the greatest settings in Young Adult and even Post YA Science fiction. Praise for D.M. Cornish and his world of Wicked Heroes, Cunning Villains, and Vile monsters!” King Bigby