Review – Blackfish City by Sam J. Miller

Blackfish City
By: Sam J. Miller
Release Date: April 17, 2018
Publisher: Ecco
Rating:


Blackfish City is a dystopian science fiction novel from Sam J. Miller whose novel The Art of Starving won the Andre Norton Award. The story takes place on an earth drowned by the sea. Climate change has shrunk livable land, countries have fallen, and refugees migrate to places like Qaanaaq – a floating city near a geothermal vent close to Greenland. But as much as Qaanaaq is a savior for the displaced, it has its own problems. Steeped in corruption and with no housing or work for incoming refugees from “drowned cities,” disease is rampant. A disease referred to as ‘the breaks’ spreads among the people while outside the city a mysterious woman riding an orca and with a polar bear companion can be seen, a woman steeped in mystery and rumor.

#Throwback Thursday Review: Buso Renkin Vol. 1 by Watsuki Nobuhiro

Buso Renkin, Vol. 1
By: Watsuki Nobuhiro
Release Date: August 1, 2006 (English); 2004 (Original Japanese)
Publisher: VIZ Media: Shonen Jump
Series: Buso Renkin #1
Rating:


If there is one genre of manga and anime I love above all else it’s shonen. Recently, I began Buso Renkin, Vol. 1 by Watsuki Nobuhiro, a series I know through the anime but have never read.

#MangaMonday Review – Dragon Ball: That Time I Got Reincarnated as Yamcha by Dragongarow Lee

Dragon Ball: That Time I Got Reincarnated as Yamcha
By: Dragongarow Lee
Illustrator: Dragongarow Lee
Release Date: November 6, 2018
Publisher: VIZ Media: Shonen Jump
Rating:


Every once in a while something magical happens. Sometimes we’re blessed with fanfiction that gets sanctioned by the series. Sometimes, we get manga like this. Dragon Ball: The Time I Got Reincarnated as Yamcha is by Dragongarow Lee, a fan artist who is well known in the community.

#MangaMonday Review – All-Rounder Meguru, Vol. 1 by Hiroki Endo

All-Rounder Meguru
By: Hiroki Endo
Illustrator: Hiroki Endo (artist); Daniel Park (lettering)
Translator: Adam Hirsch
Release Date: March 7, 2017
Publisher: Kodansha Comics
Series: All-Rounder Meguru #1
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


One of the genres of manga that quickly became an unexpected favorite was sports manga. I’d not heard of All-Rounder Meguru Vol. 1 by Hiroki Endo before so, obviously, I read it immediately upon receiving a copy.

Review – The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

The Prince and the Dressmaker
By: Jen Wang
Illustrator: Jen Wang
Release Date: February 13, 2018
Publisher: First Second
Rating:


The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang is an utterly magnificent story of acceptance, following your heart, and chasing your dreams. It is the story of a young prince, Sebastian, and a young woman, Frances, who wants to become a fashion designer and dressmaker. After seeing a dress Frances made, Sebastian hires her as his seamstress. But Sebastian’s secret and Frances’ dreams seem to go hand in hand.

Review – Standard Hollywood Depravity by Adam Christopher

Standard Hollywood Depravity
By: Adam Christopher
Release Date: March 7, 2017
Publisher: Tor.com
Series: Ray Electromatic #1.5
Rating:


I can finally say I’ve finished the Ray Electromatic series. Standard Hollywood Depravity by Adam Christopher is a novella set between the first and second books in the series. It’s a short, fun mystery that can be easily read as a standalone story if you haven’t read the first novel in the series Made to Kill.

Review – Before She Sleeps by Binah Shah

Before She Sleeps
By: Binah Shah
Release Date: August 7, 2018
Publisher: Delphinium
Rating:


Before She Sleeps by Binah Shah is a book is a dystopian novel set in a post-apocalyptic society where decreased fertility and disease have led to the human race declining, women being forced into marriages with multiple husbands. The story follows several women who resist this society and its rules. They do this in a very direct way – they are all part of an underground resistance – but also in their own smaller, personal ways. This is very much a story of autonomy and regaining autonomy.

Review – Occultic;Nine Vol. 1 by Chiyomaru Shikura

Occultic;Nine Vol. 1
By: Chiyomaru Shikura
Illustrator: pako
Translator: Adam Lensenmayer
Release Date: December 3, 2016 (ebook J-Novel Club edition); July 3, 2017 (printed Seven Seas edition); August 22, 2014 (original edition)
Publisher: J-Novel Club; Seven Seas
Series: Occultic;Nine
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


The light novel Occultic;Nine Vol. 1 by Chiyomaru Shikura is a story about the occult, urban legends, and belief versus science and cold facts. Half a dozen very different people’s lives begin to intertwine in different, unexpected ways. All the while, there is a question that begs to be answered – is the occult real, and can science prove its existence?

Review – Cutie Honey: The Classic Collection by Go Nagai

Cutie Honey: The Classic Collection
By: Go Nagai
Illustrator: Go Nagai (Illustrator); Bambi Eloriaga-Amago & Roland Amago (Lettering and Retouch)
Translator: Zack Davisson
Release Date: August 28, 2018 (English)
Publisher: Seven Seas
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


I have long loved classic manga and anime. When a new edition of an older manga comes out you can bet that I am first in line for a copy. Obviously, I jumped on the chance to read Cutie Honey: The Classic Collection by Go Nagai. Cutie Honey is a lot of things. In one sense it’s a magical girl manga. In another it’s a sci-fi manga. It’s a mystery story. There’s violence, nudity, and sexual themes. And I loved every second of it.