Marvel Action: Spider-Man #4 Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

With the first three issues of Marvel Action: Spider-Man bringing together our three main heroes and slowly introducing them to each other the book feels like it’s finally found its groove, with a much more relaxed and naturally paced story this issue.

The main story focuses on Peter Parker as he comes to terms with having two new friends who are themselves spider-themed heroes. Whilst Peter seems happy to no longer be a lone hero, he feels reluctant to share his web shooter technology with the others, feeling that if he gives them webbing he will lose something that makes him unique.

It’s an interesting thought, that Spider-Man, a character that we are all used to seeing as not only incredibly brave, but also incredibly giving, would be reluctant to share his toys with other heroes. But then this is a Spider-Man who is literally still a kid at this point. He has all of the insecurities and self esteem issues that all teenagers have, and these are definitely playing into how he is internalising this issue. This is one of the best things about doing a series that goes back, that makes Peter a high schooler once again, as it allows us to explore personal and moral dilemmas that the regular, adult, Peter Parker wouldn’t be dealing with.

Issue four also introduces us to the ever wonderful J Jonah Jameson for the first time, bringing Peter’s grumpy, scenery-chomping editor into this new universe. He is, as always, over the top, full of himself, and absolutely loathes Spider-Man, even if Spider-Man saves him from a costumed villain. Whilst the new Marvel Action series are good ways at bringing new and interesting takes to existing characters I’m glad that Jameson is still the grumpy old pain that fans know and love.

The most exciting thing about this issue, however, is the set up for the next big villain to appear. When Jameson began looking for a way to bring down Spider-Man I thought that this would be the introduction of Scorpion, a character that Jameson had a hand in creating back in the regular 616 universe, but Erik Burnham managed to subvert my expectations by having Jameson contact Kraven the Hunter instead. Kraven has always been a favourite villain of mine, so getting to see him go up against not just one, but three spider-themed heroes in coming issues is definitely an exciting prospect.

The artwork throughout is gorgeous, as always, and Christopher Jones brings a wonderful sense of dynamic action to the fight scenes, filling them with movement: not an easy job for static panels. He also manages to make Spider-Man look great even when doing the most mundane things. He hangs from webs in interesting ways, crawls down walls in unusual positions, and even manages to make climbing in a window look good.

The writing and art on Marvel Action: Spider-Man work brilliantly together, and are crafting a wonderful, entertaining new Spider-Man universe that’s a genuine pleasure to read every issue.


Buy Amy A Coffee
Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Tumblr

Connect with Amy on LinkedIn

The Forgotten Girl – Book Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

'Harvey Anderson is a twenty-six-year-old street performer from New Jersey. He enjoys his peaceful life, but everything is turned upside down when he is abducted and beaten by a group of nondescript thugs. Working fora sinister man known as "the spider," these goons have spent nine years searching for Harvey's girlfriend, Sally Starling. Now they think they know where she lives. And who she loves. There's only one problem: Sally is gone and Harvey has no memory of her. Which makes no sense to him, until the spider explains that Sally has the unique ability to selectively erase a person's memories. An ability she has used to delete herself from Harvey's mind. But emotion runs deeper than memory, and Harvey realises that he still feels something for Sally. And so - with the spider threatening - he goes looking for a girl he loves but can't remember...and encounters a danger that reaches beyond anything he could ever imagine. Political corruption and manipulation. A serial killer's dark secrets. An appetite for absolute, terrible power...For Harvey Anderson, finding the forgotten girl comes at quite a cost.'

The Forgotten Girl isn’t by any means a slow book. It begins by plunging the readers straight into the action of the central mystery as the book’s protagonist, Harvey, is kidnapped and tortured for information about a girl that he has no memory of. It’s a stunning start that drops you into the middle of the same confusing situation that Harvey is in, giving you little information and expecting you to keep up.

This becomes one of the main thrusts of the book, as both the reader and Harvey must work to gain the information that everyone else seems to have about the mysterious Sally Starling, the girl that has erased herself from Harvey’s mind.

Over the course of the book Harvey begins to find pieces of this puzzle, through his own detective work, and through conversations with people who knew him and Sally, and we begin to get a sense of the woman that Sally was, the effect that she had on Harvey’s life, and what her being missing really means to him.

Without going into huge details about the plot, as it’s really one that you should come to relatively unspoiled, Harvey’s story eventually shifts from a mystery thriller into a chase story filled with suspense, revenge, and violence.

The Forgotten Girl has more layers to it than you’d first think, slowly revealing more about its world and characters as the narrative unfolds, opening up a world of psychic powers, conspiracies, and evil masterminds, yet also managing to to stay grounded and personal, tying it all back to Harvey and his experiences.

Filled with interesting characters, and sub-plots that weave throughout the narrative to make some surprising appearances and twists that you won’t see coming, The Forgotten Girl is a wonderful journey. Packed with emotion, mystery, and pain, it’s a story about human strength. The strength to survive, the strength to achieve power, and the strength it takes to put everything on the line to save the one that you love.

Buy Now On Amazon

Buy Amy A Coffee
Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Tumblr

Connect with Amy on LinkedIn

Snakeskins – Book Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

‘Caitlin Hext’s first shedding ceremony is imminent, but she’s far from prepared to produce a Snakeskin clone. When her Skin fails to turn to dust as expected, she must decide whether she wishes the newcomer alive or dead. Worse still, it transpires that the Hext family may be of central importance to the survival of Charmers, a group of people with the inexplicable power to produce duplicates every seven years and, in the process, rejuvenate. In parallel with reporter Gerry Chafik and government aide Russell Handler, Caitlin must prevent the Great British Prosperity Party from establishing a corrupt new world order.’

Snakeskins tells three intertwining stories within a version of Britain where the country has closed itself off to the outside world, and where society is run and shaped by an elite few. Whilst this scenario may seem very, very familiar and has obvious connotations to what the country is going through at the moment, Snakeskins adds a sci-fi twist to the tale.

The world of Snakeskins differs from our own due to The Fall: an event that caused a branching history. A phenomena that resulted in a small group of people, called Charmers, gaining the ability to ‘shed’ every seven years, to create a duplicate of themselves that would allow them to rejuvenate. Whilst these copies, Snakeskins as they become known, usually only last a few moments we discover over the course of the book that this is not always the case.

One of the main characters, Caitlin Hext, is drawn into a dark world of corrupt government and secret history when her Snakeskin doesn’t fade away. At the same time a journalist, Gerry Chafik, begins to look deeper into Charmer society, whilst a low level government aide called Russell Handler is recruited to investigate a possible conspiracy.

The three stories in Snakeskins are all incredibly well told, and could easily be the sole focus of the book, yet by combining all three of them into one bigger, more diverse narrative Tim Major not only tells very personal, human stories, but crafts a deeper world. This is a United Kingdom that is somewhat recognisable, yet has taken its own path, and for the most part feels like something from the past, rather than being set a year from now.

Whilst the world of Snakeskins is incredibly interesting, and there’s still enough left untold here that Major could easily write more books within this universe to expand upon these concepts, it’s the personal stories that really make the book stand out.

Russell’s journey over the course of the story is an enjoyable one, as he goes from a timid personal assistant to a government minister, to discovering that he has depths of bravery that he didn’t know existed. However, he never feels too brave, managing to avoid falling into the category of ‘hero’. He is more like a man who was doing what he was doing from a sense of duty and honour, despite being terrified the whole time. He manages to remain grounded and real throughout.

The strongest character, however, is Caitlin. For Caitlin her first shedding ceremony isn’t just a milestone into becoming a Charmer, but acts as a gateway into her adulthood. Her shedding is the second one we see in the book, but it has an impact because of how emotional and heartfelt a moment it is. We ignore the spectacle of the Snakeskin coming into being and focus on the emotion it holds for Caitlin. Despite how big her story gets, and how it will go on to shape the world, we never leave this emotional journey, we follow the effects that her shedding has upon her, how coming to accept her Snakeskin changes her as a person, and how she grows and matures from this. Snakeskins might be a great sci-fi story with a conspiracy mystery at its heart, but it’s also an amazing coming of age story about a wonderfully written young woman.

Snakeskins has so much more in it than you might first imagine. It’s packed full of slowly revealed alternate history, it has mystery that unfolds at a great pace, and characters who aren’t superheroes but real people with believable motivations and personal stories. I read Snakeskins in one day because I couldn’t put it down, but the story, the world, and those who inhabit it will stay with me much, much longer.

Buy Now On Amazon

Buy Amy A Coffee
Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Tumblr

Connect with Amy on LinkedIn

Ferals: The Crow Talker - Book Review

'In a city ravaged by crime and corruption, 13-year-old orphan Caw’s only friends are the murder of crows he has lived with since his parents flung him from their house aged only five. Caw lives in a treehouse in an abandoned city park, surviving on scraps of food and only communicating with his three crows. But a jailbreak at the prison forces him into contact with other humans – particularly a girl called Lydia, who is attacked by the escaped prisoners and is saved by Caw.

'Caw realises that these escaped prisoners have more in common with him than he’d like… they too are FERALS – humans able to communicate with and control an animal species. And they want to bring their evil Feral master, The Spinning Man, back from the Land of the Dead. Only by joining forces with other good Ferals hiding throughout the city can Caw stand a chance of defeating them.'

Ferals is a young adult fantasy series that I completely missed when it first came out, but I am very glad that I have since discovered. Set in a world where certain humans, Ferals, have the ability to communicate with and control animals, we enter a dark world of crime, mystery, and the supernatural.

The main character, Caw, is a young man living on the streets of Blackstone City, a place that feels very similar to the dark and depressing surroundings of Gotham City, or New York as depicted in gritty 70's and 80's movies. Caw has been alone for eight years, living with the crows. Able to understand them and work alongside them, he is always accompanied by his three companions, Glum, Screech, and the white crow Milky.

When Caw witnesses a prison break his world turns upside down. He becomes drawn into a secret world that he had no idea existed, one that not only holds the secrets to his past, but threatens the handful of friends he makes along the way.

The world of Ferals is surprisingly well crafted, and we make the same journey as Caw as he slowly learns more about not only his powers, but the history of the Ferals and of Blackstone City. He, and the reader, don't get told everything up front, nor do we get the answer to every question, but we learn enough to not only understand how the rules of this universe work, but also the danger that our heroes face. Despite not meeting the main villain until the final handful of pages, we learn so much about him, and what he did in the past, that once we do we have a good handle on how much of a threat he is, and what it means for this world.

It's not just the world of Ferals that's well crafted, however, the characters are also brilliantly written. We learn a lot about Caw over the course of the book, and get a really good sense of the kind of person he is, but even the smaller characters are incredibly well realised. The other Ferals in the book, some of which fought against the evil forces in the past, each have their own distinct personalities and sense of style, even those that we only get to see for a handful of pages.

Jacob Grey has managed to craft every aspect of the book so well that feels like a living breathing world, full of characters that have deep and rich backstories and their own motivations, no matter how little we see of them. As the first part of a trilogy the book does an amazing job at establishing the world and the players, and left me hungry not only to see where the story goes, but wanting to find out more about the history, the Ferals, and to meet more exciting characters.

Buy Now On Amazon

Buy Amy A Coffee
Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Tumblr

Connect with Amy on LinkedIn

Execution Force - Book Review

'Darkness is rising on Achyllus Prime. Severin Drask, sorcerer lord of the Crimson Slaughter Chaos Space Marines, works to harness the power of the Temple of Shades and unleash a tide of daemons upon the Imperium. All that stands against him is an Execution Force of the Officio Assassinorum, four Imperial Assassins – Vindicare, Callidus, Eversor and Culexus –who must set aside their distrust and fight as one if they are to kill Drask and thwart his evil plan.

'A fractious alliance of Imperial Assassins is only called upon in the rarest and most dire of circumstances. When the forces of Chaos threaten to tear a hole in the galaxy, only an elite Execution Force can prevent it. This is the first time you get a look into the heads of the four assassins and see all of their exotic technological spy gear in action.'

Set within the dark future of the Warhammer 40,000 universe Execution Force follows four of the deadly Imperial Assassins as they are sent to a world ravaged by the forces of Chaos, in order to prevent a powerful sorcerer from opening a tear in reality that will allow a Chaos fleet to invade Imperial space.

The set up for the book is great, and it sounds really entertaining, however, there are a few issues that do end up having a negative effect upon the story. The first is that the book is based upon the Execution Force board game. The game dictates the story somewhat, that one of each of the four assassin temples will be sent out as a team against a Chaos sorcerer, and whilst this might make a great game it doesn't really work all that well within the realms of the books story.

The Imperium is facing a huge threat here, with hundreds of thousands, possibly even millions of Chaos warriors and daemons ready to invade Imperial space if Drask succeeds in his mission. This is not really the kind of situation where just four assassins would be sent. There are no Imperial Guard, or Space Marines sent to stop this threat, and this feels incredibly strange. It wouldn't have taken much to combat this incongruity by having combat taking place elsewhere on the planet whilst the assassins go behind enemy lines, or simply saying that other Imperial forces are on the way, but wont make it in time, hence the need for the assassins.

The second issue I found with the book, which may go some way to explaining why more couldn't have been included to solve my first issue, is that the book is very small, topping at just 128 pages. This page length means that the action flows incredibly quickly, yet also means that there is little room for world building and character development.

As such, the four assassins feel like almost faceless caricatures rather than fully formed people, and we feel very little connection to them. Now I know this is a Warhammer 40,000 book, and that invariably some of the 'good guys' will die, as is the nature of a setting where there is only war, but the best books that deal with this universe always allow you to get to know your characters a little before they die, giving you a connection to them that makes their loss hit all the harder. As it is, there's no sense of sadness or disappointment whenever one of the assassins falls in battle.

Despite these issues the book itself is pretty entertaining, and can easily be read in a single sitting thanks to the short page count and the fast pace. It's not a book that will stick out in my memory for a long time after reading it, but it kept me entertained whilst reading it.

Buy Now On Amazon

Buy Amy A Coffee
Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Tumblr

Connect with Amy on LinkedIn

Animorphs: The Visitor - Book Review

'Morphing is certainly more fun than Sega -- you can soar as an eagle and walk as a cat. But being an ANIMORPH is by no means just fun and games. Rachel knew better than anyone. One of her best friends, Melissa, is acting very strange. And it looks like Melissa's dad, who is also the school's Assistant Principal, may be connected to evil aliens. Rachel can't tell Melissa what the ANIMORPHS have learned, but Melissa doesn't seem interested in talking to Rachel these days anyway. Could Melissa be one of "them?"

'With the help of Jake, Cassie, Tobias and Marco, Rachel plans to enter her friend's house as a cat, intent on unlocking the secrets from within. If only Rachel could keep her mind off mice...'

In this, the second volume of the Animorphs series our heroes face the result of having failed to stop the Yeerks from using their Yeerk Pool, and that they were unable to save any of the captured humans being used as controllers. Faced with the fact that they have little to no information about the Yeerks and their plans they hatch a plot to infiltrate the home of their vice principal Chapman, in order to gather intelligence.

The Visitor shifts it's narrative, placing Rachel in the lead role this time. At first it was something of a surprise that the books would be changing the narrator, but after a short while it began to make perfect sense. The series has five heroes, so why not make the most of that and allow them to take turns in the lead role. Not only does it mean that we get to spend a greater amount of time getting to know each of the Animorphs, getting to see how each of them thinks and what drives them, but it also means that the story is able to stay fresher over the course of it's run.

Rachel appears to be somewhat of a better hero than Jake did in the first book, not questioning if she should be fighting the Yeerks, but simply accepting that she is one of the few people with the power and means to be able to do something to stop them. This might be because it's later in the story, or it could be because of the difference in their personalities, but at this point it does seem to make her a better hero than her cousin.

We also learn more about what drives Rachel over the course of this book, as she discovers how her friend Melissa is suffering because of the Yeerks, not because she herself has been taken as an unwilling host to the aliens, but because both of her parents have been, and how the changes in their attitudes have affected her. Cold and distant, Melissa believes that her parents don't love her anymore. It's a surprisingly upsetting moment, and one that it would have been easy to miss in the grand scheme of the alien invasion, but this is what Rachel notices, what drives her on to fight. The Yeerks are destroying families.

Despite being a very personal and emotional story The Invasion also manages to pack in drama, as Rachel is captured whilst in a cat morph and taken to Visser Three, the Andalite Controller running the invasion of Earth.

The scenes where Rachel is brought before the deadly enemy are actually surprisingly tense, and whilst you know there's no way that she will be killed off, especially so early in the series, it does prove to be a scary moment. Will she do something to tip the Yeerks off that they're dealing with humans rather than Andalites, or will she be stuck in her morph? Thankfully, the other heroes are there to free her, with explosive results.

A great improvement on the first volume, one that manages to be both a smaller and more personal story, yet pack in bigger and more dramatic action, The Invasion is a clear indicator that Animorphs has a lot of depths that it can draw upon to make a sprawling, epic saga.

Buy Now On Amazon

Buy Amy A Coffee
Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Tumblr

Connect with Amy on LinkedIn

Marvel Action: Spider-Man #3 Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

‘Peter Parker has signed up for an internship at The Daily Bugle, with the hopes that he’ll get the chance to interview Tony Stark in person – the perfect opportunity to pick the brains of another super hero. But he has a lot of competition, like Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy. After Peter finds out that Miles has spider-powers too, they begin working together to handle the escalating mutant animal problem – in secret from Gwen. But Gwen has a secret or two up her own sleeve, and she’s not about to be left out…’

It’s been an enjoyable slow build-up in Marvel Action: Spider-Man, of the series slowly introducing the three spider-heroes to each other and letting them discover that they’re not the only heroes like themselves, rather than just throwing the three of them together in the very first issue. Like all good team-ups, it’s better when we get to know the characters a little first, and get to see them gradually brought into the same story, rather than some kind of unexpected event that happens to them all at the same time.

Gwen probably has the best introduction of the three characters, and this issue is really her first chance to shine in the series so far. Having been built up over the first two issues as a strong-willed young woman who isn’t afraid to go after what she wants yet remains somewhat in the background in her civilian persona, it’s nice to see her step out as a hero for the first time. Especially as she proves that she is just as capable as her male counterparts.

This issue also sees the introduction of The Lizard to the series, something that I had suspected was coming since we saw Dr Connors in the first issue, and the enemies they team were facing were mutant animals. Despite it not being a surprise to find Connors behind everything that’s been going on it was still great to see the Marvel Action version of the character, and his design looked very good. Sticking close to the classic Lizard design artist Fico Ossio added spines and spikes to the character, a choice that made him different enough from previous versions, and lent him a deadly edge.

Despite not getting to beat the bad guy and bring him to justice the new trio worked really well together, and we got to see how each character differs and has their own strengths. Their shared love of science and using their practical abilities to solve the problems of the mutant animals only went on to highlight how similar they all are, and how good a team they can make. That being said, I do hope that their apparent need to try and out-quip each other gets something of a tone down in future issues.

The final page reveal – that Tony Stark had planned for the three of them to end up working together, so that they would discover that they are all spider-powered heroes –  was a neat touch. It showed that the kids weren’t crazy in their idea to talk to Stark, and that he does have a good grasp on being a hero and knowing what they need, in this case each other.

With the team now together I’m excited to see where the series goes from here, to see if they continue to work well together or end up in conflict, and what new takes on bad guys the series will give us.


Buy Amy A Coffee
Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Tumblr

Connect with Amy on LinkedIn

Goosebumps: Horrors of the Witch House #1 Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

Goosebumps has always been a great series for getting kids into reading. It was a series that was very accessible, even to a kid like me who struggled with reading and writing, and it sparked an interest into horror, the bizarre, and strange fiction. As such, I was really glad to see that the series has made the leap into comics, allowing it to capture the imaginations of a whole new host of readers.

Goosebumps: Horrors of the Witch House #1 is a fairly standard set up issue, one that lays the groundwork for the main characters and the world. The story begins by introducing the readers to the ‘old Whaley House’, a run down building in an unnamed small town. Left empty for decades and in sore need of work to repair it, the new buyer, tech millionaire Veruca Curry, discovers that the people of the town think that the house is haunted.

Over the course of the issue we see various townsfolk, both adult and children, gossiping about the house, and giving various theories as to why the house is ‘evil’, including a curse, it being the former home of a witch, and even a UFO in the basement.

We are also introduced to the protagonists: there’s the shy Rosie, the sporty and outgoing Becca, and cool kid Carlos. Despite starting the issue in different social circles the three of them end up drawn together when they hear strange noises coming from the Whaley House, spurring on an investigation that reveals Veruca may have mysterious powers of her own.

There’s not a whole lot that happens in this first issue, but it does establish the world and characters well, and gives both the three kids and Veruca their own space to stand out and establish their personality traits.

The art and colours by Chris Fenglio and Valentina Pinto respectively, are simple, yet have a great deal of charm, with the book often feeling more like a Saturday morning cartoon in sense of style than a comic book. Scenes are very clean and clear, yet also have a great amount of detail within them; enough that if you wanted to you could sift through the background, picking out things that you might have missed.

A good start to the series, Goosebumps: Horrors of the Witch House #1 sets out well and creates a solid start to the story. Hopefully now that the world and characters are set up we will get more story progression in the next issue.


Buy Amy A Coffee
Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Tumblr

Connect with Amy on LinkedIn

Marvel Action Avengers #4 Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

Marvel Action Avengers #4 is a strange comic. In the previous issue we saw the Avengers take down the monstrous Fing Fang Foom, as well as freeing Tony Stark from mind control, but discovered that the villain Count Nefaria had used this distraction to steal the Ruby Egress. This issue begins with Thor and Captain Marvel trapped in some strange dimension, looking for Doctor Strange.

At first I thought that this was a separate mission that the two of them were on that would somehow tie into the main story, yet as the issue progressed it was revealed that Count Nefaria had trapped the two of them there when he infiltrated Avengers Tower; something that we had not seen. The rest of the Avengers had even laid a trap for Nefaria thanks to information given to them by Doctor Strange – another thing that we had not seen. There was such a big jump in the narrative structure that I had to go back and check that I had not accidentally skipped an issue.

If Matthew K. Mannings wanted to skip certain aspects of the story, to jump forward in time in order to keep things interesting that’s fine, but it does feel like some very important story points have been missed out. A simple solution would be to show a couple of panels of flashbacks, but that doesn’t happen here. Instead the story choices left me feeling confused and somewhat lost. As a result, I found it very hard to stay in the story.

Jon Sommariva provided the art for the issue, and it all looks great throughout, with some fun and dynamic action sequences, and some interesting designs to new enemies and even a fancy new stealth suit for Iron Man. There are some nice contrasts between the other world and the real world thanks to colour palettes that are unique to each, with reds and oranges for the strange dimension where Thor and Captain Marvel find themselves, and blues and other cooler tones dominating the real world.

Overall Marvel Action Avengers #4 is a decent enough single issue, filled with action that moves the plot forward. However, taken as a part of the whole story it feels completely out of place, like there are huge amounts of the story missing.


Buy Amy A Coffee
Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Tumblr

Connect with Amy on LinkedIn

Animorphs: The Invasion - Book Review

'Sometimes weird things happen to people. Ask Jake. He may tell you about the night he and his friends saw the strange light in the sky. He may even tell you about what happened when they realized the "light" was only a plane -- from another planet. Here's where Jake's story gets a little weird. It's where they're told that the human race is under attack -- and given the chance to fight back.

'Now Jake, Rachel, Cassie, Tobias, and Marco have the power to morph into any animal they choose. And they must use that power to outsmart an evil that is greater than anything the world has ever seen...'

I remember watching the Animorphs television series when it first aired in the UK, and loved the series very quickly. I'd never, however, read the books that the show was based upon, despite hearing repeatedly that the series was amazing. Thankfully, my husband has the entire series, so I'm finally getting down to reading them, and will be reviewing each book as I go.

'The Invasion' is the first book in the Animorphs series, and introduces a lot of elements to the readers very quickly. Within the first few dozen pages we're introduced to our five main characters, Jake, Marco, Tobias, Rachel, and Cassie, a group of teens in small town America. Not only that, but we discover that the Earth is playing host to an alien invasion, get introduced to four different alien races, and our heroes get the ability to transform into animals.

Whilst things do slow down a little after this action packed start the book keeps a steady pace throughout, and packs in a lot of character moments and plot into it's relatively short page count.

'The Invasion' is a bold book, not only does it have to lay the foundation for this galaxy spanning alien war that has found it's way to our planet, but also needs to quickly establish the rules of the universe. Thanks to some last minute explanations from the Andalite prince Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul the Animorphs learn that they can acquire the DNA from any animal that they touch, and can then transform into a copy of it.

Over the course of the book we follow our heroes as they test these claims, acquiring their first morphs and testing their abilities. What's most interesting is how each of the characters reacts to gaining these powers. Tobias seems to take to it naturally, and loves becoming a hawk, spending as much time as he can in it's body. Cassie, the daughter of a vet and a natural animal lover, seems to find the beauty and wonder in being an Animorph. Yet Marco seems to want to do everything in his power to not only avoid the war with the Yeerks but also doesn't want to transform at all.

We also learn that there is a limit to how long the Animorphs can stay transformed, just two hours, and get to see first hand the dangers of them staying too long, as in the final pages we discover that Tobias has become trapped in a Hawk body. Something that is sure to not only make things more difficult for our heroes, but highlights how dangerous their task is.

The Invasion does a good job at hammering home just how dire the situation is for our heroes, and the rest of the world, as we make an early visit to one of the locations that the Yeerks use as one of their regenerative pools, and see the scope, scale, and horror of what they are doing. It clearly shows that whilst this might be a children's series, the stakes are high, and the dangers that the Animorphs face is very, very real.

A wonderful introduction to the series, one that sets the groundwork for a story that will span multiple volumes and capture the imaginations of people all over the world. K.A. Applegate is clearly a writer that works well in long, sprawling fiction, and Animorphs is her longest series, and it's obvious that a large part of that success is thanks to the strong beginning established here.

Buy Now On Amazon

Buy Amy A Coffee
Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Tumblr

Connect with Amy on LinkedIn

Transphobic Teacher Reinstated Following Dismissal

Lee Livengood, assistant principal at Liberty High School in West Virginia, has won an appeal to be reinstated following his dismissal for harassing a transgender student.

Last year Livengood was fired from his position after he followed transgender student Michael Critchfield into the male bathroom facilities and verbally harassed him. According to Critchfield, Livengood challenged him as to why he was using the male facilities, then demanded that he use a urinal to 'prove' he was male.

When Critchfield attempted to leave the bathroom Livengood blocked his way out ans asked him what he thought would happen if another student thought that he was trying to check him out in the bathroom. When he finally agreed to allow Critchfield to leave he told him, 'I'm not going to lie. You freak me out.'

Livengood was initially suspended, and following the end of his probationary contract was told that his contract would not be extended, effectively terminating his employment at Liberty High School.

Last month the school superintendent Mark Manchin said that it was not unusual for teachers to have their contracts terminated following their probationary period. 'There's no other reason other than the fact that we just desire not to have him continue as an employee of the Harrison County Board of Education.'

Despite this, the same board that agreed to end his contract have now voted to reinstate him to his former position. As of yet the only statement released as to the reason for his reinstatement is that it 'was difficult and followed a lot of discussion'.


Buy Amy A Coffee
Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Tumblr

Connect with Amy on LinkedIn