Month: September 2017

Trigger Warning: Dawn of Chrysalis involves violence, gore, and hints of rape. If you have had any experiences with these subjects or would overall prefer to avoid them, proceed with caution. Also be advised that trafficking—albeit alien trafficking rather than human trafficking—plays a minor role attached to the conquest/colonization elements. Readers continue at your own discretion.

Spoiler Alert: Dawn of Chrysalis is the sequel to The Origin of F.O.R.C.E., and so there will be spoilers for the first book discussed in this review. Proceed with caution if you do not wish for the first book to be spoiled for you.

Today I’m revisiting the work of Sam B. Miller II to review Dawn of Chrysalis, the second novel in The Origin of F.O.R.C.E. series. I thought that the first book was really good; the second is even greater. I’ve always had a mix of fascination for and aversion to the idea that intelligent life has visited our planet, and Miller confuses these feelings even more.

The Chrysallamans have never met their match, not physically, not technologically, and definitely not mentally. That is, they hadn’t been evenly matched, not until they encountered 21^st-century Earthlings. Genetically modified with “unique” DNA, these humans aren’t like the ones the Chrysallamans encountered in the 1940s, and they don’t take the invasion lying down.

Dawn of Chrysalis picks up where the first book left off. The Chrysallaman military has been defeated; Whatsit and the human members of F.O.R.C.E. are creating a plan to assimilate peaceful Chrysallaman colonists into Earth’s population while also confronting the Emperor for his aggressive ways. Thanks to technological advances and the help of some cooperative Chrysallaman scientists, F.O.R.C.E. seems almost ready to make the trip to Chrysalis. There’s just one problem: a new enemy has forced the Emperor to flee to Earth, and he’s expecting a warm and protective welcome from his subjects. Readers and the characters begin to wonder: what caused the Emperor to leave Chrysalis, and what has F.O.R.C.E. gotten itself into this time?

With a new enemy for Chrysallamans and humans beyond our solar system and the reemergence of an old enemy on the home front, General Blunt, Whatsit, and the rest of F.O.R.C.E. have their work cut out for them. They now must protect Earth, innocent Chrysallamans, and themselves from multiple threats about whom they hardly have any information. With humor and a splash of romance, Miller takes readers on an adventure through space, death, and, detrimentally, scientific trial and error. Will F.O.R.C.E. be able to save Earth from this new threat? Will they discover and snuff out the enemies hiding among them before it’s too late? And what will greet F.O.R.C.E. when they reach Chrysalis?

In my review of The Origin of F.O.R.C.E., I stated that I am not a fan of human-alien first-encounter stories. Usually the invasion aspect turns me off. However, I make an exception for Miller’s work. Dawn of Chrysalis, much like the first book, adds much more depth to these first encounters than the clear-cut good guy/bad guy dynamic of the typical alien invasion. Readers quickly learn that not all Chrysallamans are bad and not all humans are good. Miller even turns the tables on the Chrysallamans, causing them to fall victim not only to the human rebels but to invaders of their own. The humor of this twist alone was enough to pull me through the entire 358 pages; people tend to forget how easily conquerors can be conquered and how there will always be someone more advanced than you in one way or another.

The novel’s length can be off-putting but, once again, it’s a quick read once you get started. The writing is simple but engaging, and Miller explains the scientific aspects in a way which allows even those without interest in such matters to understand the principles behind the technology F.O.R.C.E. develops. The first few chapters are a bit slower than the others; Miller reserves quite a bit of exposition for restating many facts, such as plot elements and character development, from the first book. While this catch-up could help new readers or be a refresher for current fans, I found the repetition rather tedious.

At least two of the stereotyped characters from the first book become better-rounded, with one even becoming more likeable. My favorite character remains Whatsit. After all, he’s an alien who’s both a lover and a fighter, having the empathy of a human and the shrewd battle skills of a Chrysallaman. Still, the McPherson/Heinbaum dynamic almost steals the rug from under Whatsit’s feet. The men remain opposites but have come to a better understanding and, arguably, have become best friends. No one can harm one—physically or emotionally—without retaliation from the other. This close bond combined with the humor of their back-and-forth makes McPherson and Heinbaum tied for my second favorite character, narrowly being beaten out by Whatsit.

A new, diverse cast of characters takes the stage as well. We meet the Asiddians, a race of bird-like warrior aliens bent on domination and power, a threat even to the vicious Chrysallamans. Miller also introduces Chrysallaman civilians, most notably scientists Dr. Jamins GooYee and JnnWall MerrCrr as well as Chellsee Brookkss, the Emperor’s enslaved concubine with a fondness for Whatsit. More human characters come into play as well but, to avoid spoilers, I will leave the statement at that.

Miller fills Dawn of Chrysalis with multiple forks in the road. Two in particular caught me by surprise but, in hindsight, make perfect sense for the plot, which is the sign of a good plot twist. He also maintained my interest by exploring the differences among humans, Chrysallamans, and Asiddians, which leads to many amusing linguistic misinterpretations.

I found multiple proofreading errors throughout the book, particularly missing punctuation. The errors seem more prominent than in the first novel but they did not detract from my overall reading experience, and so I would not discourage anyone from Miller’s writing because of them.

This book does not follow the same format as the first book, covering a smaller time span in more detail with fewer jumps. Nevertheless, Dawn of Chrysalis keeps the same level of intrigue, originality, and creative energy that I have come to expect from Miller. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this story and highly recommend the series to fans of new takes on old-style science fiction. I can’t wait to get my hands on the third book and see what’s next for F.O.R.C.E. and the Chrysallamans.

To order Dawn of Chrysalis, follow this link to Amazon. For more information on the author and The Origin of F.O.R.C.E. series, visit the series Facebook page, follow @SamBMillerII on Twitter, or look the books up on Goodreads.

Know of a book I should read and review? Want your work reviewed on this blog? E-mail me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com or message me on Fiverr.

 

Because I apparently don’t already have enough to do, I submitted two more book reviews to the OnlineBookClub.org, which were published within the past week. I can’t copy the reviews here for exclusivity reasons, but I will provided a couple sentences for each book to give you an idea about what they are as well as the links to OBC reviews. Today’s OBC reviews are for Edge of Infinity by Larry Don Garcia and Who Told You That You Were Naked? by William E. Combs.

Edge of Infinity is a first-encounter story unlike most science fiction novels. Unlike The Origin of F.O.R.C.E., which I reviewed on this blog, Edge of Infinity places the first official encounter between humans and aliens not in the past but centuries in the future. Not only does the “first encounter” not take place until the year 8515, but the typical invasion has been replaced by an invitation to join an intergalactic organization called the Order of the Enlightened. But what does membership mean for Earth? And what further alien encounters will the Order cause?

Who Told You That You Were Naked?: A Refreshing Reexamination of the Garden of Eden is, as the title states, a new look at the age-old tale of Adam and Eve’s fall from Grace and expulsion from the Garden of Eden. A book full of textual analysis and personal anecdotes, Combs’s work will appeal to Christians and those who have an intellectual curiosity for religion.

One of the books is highly cerebral and the other is highly religious, so not every reader will take to Edge of Infinity and Who Told You That Your Were Naked. Still, I suggest giving each a look if you’re curious about theories of our origins and possible interpretations of religious texts.

If you haven’t done so already, I also suggested signing up for the OnlineBookClub.org, either as a reader/reviewer or as a writer looking to have your works reviewed (you can’t review but you can still read the books in the latter case).

 

Trigger Warning: The graphic novel reviewed here contains depictions of violence, drug abuse, abusive relationships, references to rape, and the looming threat of neo-Nazism. If you have had any experience with these issues or otherwise wish to avoid such content, proceed with caution.

Today I’m reviewing another illustrated work. Unlike The Blue Unicorn’s Journey to Osm, this book is a graphic novel composed of four comic books. The subject matter is very adult and perfectly fits the tastes of readers who enjoy post-apocalyptic stories. Namely, this review will focus on Toxic Romance: A Post-Apocalyptic Love Story, written and illustrated by Benjamin Parkour and inked by War.

2099 CE, Post-Apocalyptic Manhattan. Marcus has lived a rough life filled with toxic romances and comedy. He pops handful after handful of painkillers to dull the misery, but he doesn’t need your pity. What he needs—what he thinks he needs—is Faith, the girl he saved and lost all those years ago in high school. Little does he know, their reunion will bring back more than just bittersweet memories.

Marcus soon finds himself on a mission to save the young woman he loves from her forced marriage, her abusive husband, and her husband’s menacing allies, all of whom are bent on creating a genetically-superior race of humans beginning with Faith. He must team up with the Pit Bull of Manhattan, sharpen his fighting skills, and gather all the anger and blind courage in him to make it past the slew of neo-Nazis separating him from his toxic romance. But can he do it? Can Marcus save Faith? Will they escape alive? Most importantly, will Faith let herself be rescued?

Romance, action, the revival of the Nazis, and a morally-questionable Urban Messiah abound in this gripping graphic novel. No more than fourteen pages each, these comic books pack many punches in a very short span. Accompanying the brief, crisp text are gorgeous illustrations worthy of any big-scale comic book franchise.

Parkour’s work reminds me quite a bit of the Original Sins comic book series featuring the notorious John Constantine, which is my all-time favorite comic book (frankly, the only comic book series I wanted to read up until this point). Marcus is a no-bullshit drug addict with a vigilante sense of justice, the sort of character any Constantine fan would appreciate. The moral makeup of the graphic novel is not cut-and-dry, either; while Marcus and his anti-Nazi ally seem to clearly be in the right, there are no pure heroes here, only antiheroes.

Fast-paced with a compelling plot, Toxic Romance makes for a very quick read that leaves you wanting more. Parkour creates a seamless transition between past and present, although the action scenes sometimes become so jumbled that I lost track of who is saying what. Parkour releases most of the background for Marcus and Faith through dialogue, although I never felt as though exposition slowed down the story. The writer manages to slip details about the characters’ past into their conversations in natural ways, from catching up on missed time to sarcastic remarks, which is a very difficult feat for even the most seasoned veteran. Parkour put a lot of thought and creative energy not only into this world but the characters as well, and that is one of the main reasons I was so enamored with these comic books.

Parkour also takes the reader on a rather dizzying whirlwind of events. The action scenes are so frequent and quick that I became a bit disoriented. Most of the time, this effect works in Parkour’s favor. After all, the comic books center on a post-apocalyptic world in which demented viewpoints, violence, and unexpected twists can take both the characters and the reader by surprise; it only makes sense that the reader be left as confused and frustrated as Marcus. Still, the disorientation occasionally forced me to re-read pages in order to ensure that I knew exactly what was going on.

For the most part, the illustrations and text are skillfully balanced and complement each other nicely. However, I ran into an issue with a few of the darker-colored illustrations which grew annoying after the first couple encounters. Some of the darker illustrations bleed over the text, causing some letters and even whole worlds to be all but invisible to the reader. If I stopped and focused, I would be able to make out the covered words. Nevertheless, doing so slowed down my reading a little and, as I am prone to migraine attacks and eyestrain, started to give me headaches. I love the illustrations, mind you, but I think that Parkour and the rest of the team should go back and fix those areas so that all the text can easily be read.

I also noticed a few proofreading errors such as misspellings, as I have frequently seen with small-scale publications lately. They do not detract from the overall quality of the graphic novel and do not occur often, but they are still present.

As far as comic books and short graphic novels go, Toxic Romance by Benjamin Parkour is top-notch, especially for a small-scale publication. While it is very violent and heavy on drug addiction and physical/sexual abuse, Parkour handles these subjects in a way which did not make me uncomfortable. They are crucial to the story line and character development and, although openly depicted, are not overly-explicit. I also find the neo-Nazi and Eugenics angle to be very appropriate for the current political climate in the United States (although I’m certain my conservative readers will disagree, which they are welcome to so long as they remain civil and polite). For me, socio-political commentary always enhances the value of a book, and I think that Parkour uses it very aptly in his work.

Aside from Original Sins and a graphic novelization of Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonflight, I have never been one for comic books or graphic novels. With Toxic Romance, however, I am eager to see where the story goes and hope that Parkour and his team will continue to release issues about Marcus, Faith, and the fight against Neo-Nazism in a post-apocalyptic world.

If you would like to learn more about Parkour and his work, you can follow this link to his website. The website also has free PDF copies of each comic book in Toxic Romance, so please take the time to read them and leave your thoughts on the graphic novel in the comments below.

Do you know any books I should read? Would you like your work reviewed on this blog? Contact me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com or look me up on Fiverr.