These Books Among Us

Young adult literature has seen a recent influx of the superhero. Already within the realm of heroes such as Katniss, Harry Potter, and many seemingly normal children, these superheroes are shown as more than just ordinary students or children. They are more than just the “chosen one.” They are different. Outsiders. But that being said, though they do have extraordinary powers, many of them are relatable to kids now. They are orphans, adopted, from non “nuclear” families, something that is much more prevalent in today’s society. But this is not shown as a bad thing. These heroes are more than just super, they are people who come from different backgrounds and want to make a difference in the world. Books like this, as well as being an introduction into nerd culture as shown in last week’s post, show kids that it is okay to be different and to use their talents to help the world become a better place. Now I know that a few of these books have yet to come out, so I cannot say wh...

It’s pretty obvious that nerd culture has become cool, possibly for the first time. Now in style are the glasses, the board games, the fashion, and the comics, but how did this come about? Well, first of all, the emergence of the internet (and iPhones) allowed for the nerd to raise to a place of power in society. People, in their strive for power, will look to these people for fashion (for who knows what reason) to be more like them. Thus, the nerd culture is here and is, hopefully, here to stay. Being from a family that emphasizes the nerdy (love you Dad) I can completely get behind this trend. Comic books are resurfacing, cool story lines and characters are getting revamped. Movies and television shows are being made and (most) made well. But what’s better than that, is this trend is seeping into young adult and children’s literature. Not only does this allow for children and young adults to be introduced to these awesome storylines, they are being shown people from...

Annihilation: Conquest Book One Kieth Giffen (272 pages) My Rating: 3.5 Stars Date Read: 5 January 2017 Synopsis: The next sci-fi epic blasts-off here! In the grim aftermath of the Annihilation War, a devastated universe struggles to rebuild. Gripped by fear and paranoia, civilizations have collapsed and entire worlds are now smoking ruins. What is next for the battle weary heroes known as Nova, Peter Quill and Quasar? What are Ronan's plans for the once-mighty Kree Empire? Which cosmic characters of the past are about to return? Who is the new hero approaching on the horizon? And what is the new threat that no one suspects? Collecting: Annihilation: Conquest Prologue, Annihilation: Conquest: Quasar 1-4, Annihilation: Conquest: Starlord 1-4, Annihilation Saga My Review These guys can't catch a break, can they? So, plot summary: Sentinals are destroying the Kree empire. Starlord (aka Peter Quill), Heather (aka Moondragon, Drax's daughter) and Quasar (aka Ph...

Annihilation Book Three by Keith Giffen (304 pages) Date Read: 27  December 2016 My Rating: 4 Stars Synopsis: The epic collection of the cosmic event concludes! One empire has fallen. Two heroes are dead. It all comes together here! Individually, the Silver Surfer, Super-Skrull, Ronan and Nova have faced down the Annihilation Wave...and lost! Now, they must unite those who remain or die by Annihilus' hand! The Annihilation has only begun! Plus: Get caught up on all of the players in the Annihilation event - Annihilus, Nova, Ronan, the Silver Surfer, the Super-Skrull, Thanos and more - courtesy of the Xandarian Worldmind files of the Nova Corps! Collecting: A nnihilation 1-6, Annihilation: Heralds of Galactus 1-2, Annihilation: The Nova Corps Files My Review Again, this review will probably be quite short because I have already stated a lot of my thoughts on these characters. I really enjoyed what they did what this series. The story line was well thought out, thou...

Annihilation Book One by Dan Abnett (256 pages) Date Read: 27 December 2016 My Rating: 4.5 Stars Synopsis: The Annihilation Wave has come! Annihilus, lord of the Negative Zone, has declared war! Hordes of loyal soldiers swarm from the center of the universe, and only a handful of heroes can resist destruction! As the Xandarian Nova Corps meets its doom, only Richard Rider - the man called Nova - survives. Drax the Destroyer returns from exile on Earth to mentor Nova - but wait until you see his dangerous new persona! Guest-starring Quasar, Ronan the Accuser, the Super-Skrull and Thanos! Collecting: Annihilation Prologue, Annihilation: Nova 1-4 My Review: So this was my first time being introduced to some of these characters, others, such as Drax, Ronan, Thanos and Gamora I was a bit more familiar with, but only their basic story lines from Guardians of the Galaxy. My dad gave me these three books to borrow and read because I had told him I wanted to read more graphic ...