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March 21, 2012

Alien in the Family by Gini Koch



Title: Alien in the Family
Author: Gini Koch
Format: book



As if the first two books weren't crazy enough, now Kitty has to deal with marriage and in-laws coming to wreck things for her and Jeff. There is so much going on in this book, I don't even know where to start. There are subplots after subplots smeared all over these pages that it's hard to keep everything straight. 


Let's just start with the simple stuff, then. Well, simple-ish. It's clear that interspecies marriage is next to impossible. Paul, if I remember correctly, is the only main character who's a halfbreed. The fact that so many more want to follow his parents' route is causing political and religious pandemoneum. It's a given that Kitty's and Jeff's marriage will be met with many challenges, from all sides of the playing field. How they manage to deal with each challenge that comes is amazing. Kitty, despite how many times she breaks down crying and has serious insecurity issues, manages to barrel on through them and makes it to the end in one piece. 


The trials she faces shows she'll do whatever she can to be in Jeff's life forever and ever. She displays dedication that any woman could admire. Despite her faults, her weaknesses, she'll push herself to protect her man and the people she loves. And we know that Jeff would do the same, as he's shown in the previous two books. 


But, of course, she can't do it alone. Not always. Kitty's support system really shows as she knocks back challenge after challenge, hand in hand with her best friends and loved ones. James really takes a shining in this book. He shows just why he and Kitty are so inseparable, and why it's a darn good thing he's gay instead of straight and stealing her from Jeff. He's more than just a pretty face, more than just another guy in her life, more than just a friend. The things he does to help her out, especially concerning her wedding, is phenomenal. 


It's moving how much effort he puts into helping her out. Nothing can stop friendship, not even people after their lives. (As per usual.) I would love to have a friend like James in my life. I would want him at my wedding, too. 


Another part of Kitty's support system are the unimaginable Poofs. I'll leave out all the spoiler details on how exactly they're awesome and simply say that I wish my cat was that awesome. My cat can't do what the Poofs can do. My cats are cuter, I'll say that, but in terms of skill and talent, they aren't quite so resourceful, least of all when it comes to alien butt-kicking. Their role in the book are surprising, especially when we wind down to the climax. 


Apart from all that, an interest element that has shown up in this book is the element of chess. The application of the strategical and age-old militant game of war has been put into creative and interesting use. I didn't expect to be drawn into a board game metaphor when I started this book, but I'm not disappointed in its application. 


While we're on the subject of war, we have to talk battle, and when we talk battle, we have to talk music, because Kitty is never without her soundtrack. The use of music has been a complete crack up for me. What I mean is, it's so appropriate and corny at the same time it's hard not to laugh at certain songs that are being used throughout the book (not necessarily just at the battle scenes). You have to know the music to understand why some scenes are so laughable, and put on your geek hat to appreciate why certain songs fit for certain moments. Epic cannot be described by a simple definition; epic is specific for each individual situation. You really have to understand Kitty to understand the epic juxtaposition of music and scene in this book. 


And speaking of epic, I was surprised by how Kitty took part in the "boss battle." We've seen Kitty go toe-to-toe with the major baddie before, because that's just how things are done in the geek world, and this time she shows her skills in a different manner. It's not quirky wit, it's not panic-induced ingenious, it's pure skill. Kitty shows why she's a perfect four step and spent years training in self defense. I hope she shows more displays of skill and wit in the future books as well. 


Now, let's take a moment to point out a few cons to this books. Large and packed with action though it was, I think there was just a little too much going on. As much as I loved the subplots and taking a moment to figure out what the greater plan was, I think there were too many times I had to literally stop and just take a break from this book because it was too chaotic. I know that there's a method to the madness and a reason why so much is going on, but there is such a thing as too much.


Like the comedy. This series lives for the comedy and the moments of complete inappropriate humor in the middle of a serious moment, but there were times when I could have done without the excess giggle and "dur." I have to admit I skimmed more quickly during some of the comedic parts because they seemed to drag on too long. I would have preferred a little more seriousness, or perhaps a condensed version of that same content. 


There was several places throughout the book that could have been condensed or summarized with equal effect on the reader instead of drawing it out line for line between characters. There is a lot of talking going on in this book, more talking than actual narrative going on, and sometimes I thought it could have been the other way around. It's still possible to be comedic without sharing every detail, like the parts where people talk over Kitty when she's trying to make a suggestion and she fails to get their attention. (Though I admit the shirt technique was hilarious.) 


Speaking of characters, there were parts where I thought I lost some of them in the madness of things. Since this book relies a lot on dialogue to get details shared, certain people have to talk. While it shoes the genius of someone's brain, or the lack thereof, I think there was some mixing of roles that made me think "this could have been narrated instead, instead of forcing a certain character to play this particular role in the conversation." Chuckie and Jeff are good examples. During certain conversations, they take on particular roles in contrast to Kitty, and their responses aren't always consistent. Sometimes their actions, not necessarily their words, seem inconsistent as well, more for the comedic effect or just to move along the plot than as genuine responses from the characters themselves. 


There was a lot of fat that could be trimmed from this book and still achieve the overall effect or result that was being aimed for. But even with the fat, this has proved to be a fun and interesting book. Congrats to Kitty for making through it all, and finally getting her man.


Overall: 4.5 out of 5

March 18, 2012

Viewfinder, 2012 - ANiMiX


Title: Target in the Viewfinder
Genre: yaoi
Format: animix
Length: 39 minutes

Let me start off and say this is not an anime. This is an ANiMiX, meaning it's mostly a composition of graphics and pictures with a minimal amount of animation tied in. You get to see certain actions and camera movements, as well as see people talking, but otherwise there isn't much motion being drawn out frame by frame.

Now that I cleared that up, let's get to the review. The clarity of picture is fantastic. The colors aren't overly bright, nor overly dark. There's a nice blend of lighting that keeps true to the noir setting that Ayano Yamane created in the original manga serialization. You won't have to worry about random flowers or bubbles sprouting every five minutes across the screen in this story.

You also don't have to worry too much about the characters staying true to their original design. The ANiMiX does a great job at copying Yamane's style of art throughout the entire piece. There are a few moments when it strays away from her style, and the proportions are a little off, or the lines aren't quite delicate enough where they should be, but for the most part the art is very similar.

Despite only being a composite of image stills, the ANiMiX does a fairly good job of creating a flow that follows the original storyline. While there is some censoring during the raunchy parts between main characters Asami and Takaba, there are plenty of shots of Takaba naked and wearing an expression of pleasure. To those familiar with the manga, this can be considered a let down, especially since some of the "training" Asami puts Takaba through is rather explicit and electrifying. The same can be said when Takaba lands in the hands of Fei Long later down the road.

That being said, this ANiMiX covers the first few books of the series, up to the point where Takaba first encounters Fei Long. It also includes one of the well-loved "extra" stories featured in the series, when Takaba is enjoying New Years with his friends and commences in drunk calling Asami. Though the story runs through a little quickly, with less than 40 minutes to do it, the animation covers a lot of ground. Despite the censoring, the story is followed very closely, which is a plus for those who enjoy a similarity between their manga and anime.

Apart from all that, let me talk a bit about the voice acting. Takaba's VA/seiyuu is close to what I imagined him to sound like when I read the manga. Takaba's character is a young man, and with a handsome face; the type of submissive that you'd expect to have a pretty voice when caught in a fit of passion. Takaba's VA delivers that during the explicit parts of the story, especially when paired with Asami.

On the other hand, I found Asami's VA to be a bit disappointing. He wasn't what I thought the man should have sounded like at all. Though he carries the depth of a man of danger, the general inflection that the VA uses when Asami speaks doesn't quite match his character. I expected something less nasal sounding and more throaty and on the edge of guttural.

Fei Long seemed to be relatively accurate. An effeminate voice for an effeminate man. Honestly, I wasn't too sure what Fei Long would sound like when I read the series, but I don't find his VA a wrong choice. Possibly not the best, but it's not hard to see why that sort of voice was picked for his character. He sounds a bit on the high strung side, prissy, like he's got the stick shoved too far, but considering the characters history, it's not impossible to see the connection.

I think the ANiMiX did a pretty good job representing the series. I'm a larger fan of full animation - i.e. anime - rather than still pictures, but for what it is, and what it isn't, I give the production a thumbs up for staying as true to the original series as possible, by trying to please the audience while still fitting within the media regulations of Japan's media.

Overall: 4 out of 5

March 9, 2012

Mark of the Demon by Diana Rowland


Title: Mark of the Demon
Author: Diana Rowland
Format: book

Mark of the Demon opens up with our main heroine, Kara Gillian, performing her main talent: summoning demons. Right away we see how capable she is at the task, and get a feel for what sort of atmosphere the book is. For those thinking this is more on the Wiccan side, you would be off. If you're thinking religious, that's wrong too. But that's not to say the description of the demons therein aren't too far from classic imagery: leather wings, horns, molten colored skin, et cetera.

But that's not all she can do. Kara is also a detective, and a newbie at that. She hasn't been in the business of investigating violent crimes for long, and it shows in the way she interacts with her coworkers, and vice versa.

Kara doesn't have an especially friendly relationship with the men at the station. She doesn't think too highly of their unanimous port bellies and attitudes, and they all think she doesn't belong. Very few people take her seriously, and don't think she slept her way through the ranks to get where she is now.

But Kara shows attitude of her own that says she can be just like them. She's not wishy-washy, and she has the skills to pull off her job.

The underlying theme that Kara isn't a complete failure pretty much lasts throughout the whole book. It is what drives her into action in the first place (part of the reason, anyway), and what keeps her going when others challenge her knowledge and authority. It's also what leads her to the final battle scene when the mystery is solved and the pieces all come together.

Speaking of pieces, the methodology Kara uses to solve her case is rather unconventional. This isn't necessarily a compliment. It shows that Kara is indeed a novice in her field of work, because the way she collects her evidence is more by luck and happenstance than actual critical thinking. Despite working the field as a policewoman before she got transferred, the only skill she seems to have gained during those times is a social skill to talk with the street thugs and social questionables for help.

Her way of talking isn't the most polite either. Be prepared for frequent drops of the F-bomb throughout the book, not only by Kara but other characters as well. It seems that there is no barrier or limit to how many times cuss words can be put on a single page during a single conversation. The more shocking an event, the more gets dropped.

This startled me. I didn't expect to be faced with that much foul language, least of all by a female character. Not to say that women don't cuss. I'm well aware they do, but in this case it seemed to be used in excess. I don't know if the author was trying to make Kara seem more rough around the edges by having this added quality to her personality, but if that's the case, I think the execution fell short of the goal.

Something else that also fell short, in my opinion, is Ryan. Ryan's character started out strongly, playing the role of a man who's hard to understand and worth all amounts of wariness when discussing delicate topics like demon summoning and anything else not considered "normal." He's the handsome, dangerous type that is supposed to rival Rhyzkahl. But when he finally gets close to Kara and Kara opens up to his advances, the personality that shows through as they interact is sorely disappointing.

It's as if Ryan got swapped with a prepubescent teen. I can understand if the previous image he wore is supposed to be a facade of sorts, but the truth that lies underneath that mask is not what I expected it to be. I don't feel attracted to Ryan's boyish behaviors, or the way Kara responds to them in turn.

Rather than seeming like a pair of adults, somewhere near their thirties, the pair of them seem like a couple of high school kids messing around. Like if Harry Potter suddenly got dropped into the mix. Except Kara is no Hermione, and Ryan is no Harry. Or vice versa. Ryan's intelligence about the situation is lacking, and his assistance even more so. As he starts to serve as a sidekick to the whole investigation, it seems he becomes more of an accessory than asset. I don't think he even serves as a strong enough counterpart as a male to her female.

Likewise, Kara doesn't seem to collect her thoughts in a concise and productive manner that makes me, as a reader, believe she deserves to play the role that she does. I'm not sure what Rhyzkahl sees in her that makes her so special, when she comes off as too mediocre.

I find myself struggling to pinpoint what makes Kara unique. Generally, you/I should be able to name at least one thing that makes a heroine worthy of her title. For Kara... is it her luck? Maybe it's just coincidence. She doesn't seem to do much until the very end when everything comes together and all the wandering around finally pays off.

And, of course, all she has to do is something she should have done in the first place. It would have been easy if only she had done it, but we all know that would just make it too easy. Still, she could have saved herself some hardship, and prevented some deaths if she had done it right the first time around.

(By the way, I think the wrong people died in this book. Maybe I'm just being spiteful, but some of the people who survived this major ordeal should have died instead of those who did.)

I'm not too sure if I'll be reading the next book in this series. I was kinda disappointed with how it turned out. It started out strongly, and had continued to interest me for a while, but up to a certain point I became irritated and confused by the way the characters were going about their business. I know there are some plot holes and character slips where certain people kinda get lost in the background and then suddenly found again. I would have liked a bit more consistency with the events, a bit more intellect from the main people involved in solving the mystery, and stronger connection with the characters as a reader.

The writing itself was okay. It wasn't garish, but it wasn't the smoothest I have ever read. Some dialogues were a little frustrating to get through since there were times when descriptions were lacking or there was too much being said. Sometimes people talked too much, said too much, when instead the information should have been inferred through thought and reader drawn conclusions. There are also times when I have trouble visualizing the scene in front of me, because the characters I'm imagining don't match what's being portrayed in front of me. Perhaps there is a lack of cohesiveness between the reader's imagination and the story being told.

This is my experience with it. It's not a bad book. Could it use a bit of polishing? Certainly. But I don't think this book is horrible. Maybe the sequel is a vast improvement on this first one of the series. I'll probably never know, because I don't plan on making any serious effort to read it. Not now anyway.

Overall: 3 out of 5

March 5, 2012

Alien Tango by Gini Koch


Title: Alien Tango
Author: Gini Koch
Format: book

Now I'm not familiar with formal dances, apart from the fact that I can't do them, but I do know that the tango is very sensual and emotive. It's a dramatic and romantic dance between partners which tells a story between movements.

Alien Tango is very much dramatic and romantic. If there is one thing I've learned, the cover tells all. Well, not all all, but it hints well enough about the major events of the book to tease the reader about what to expect. We see Jeff carrying Kitty, which he happens to do quite a bit of in this sequel. For good reason too. Setting aside the romantic factor for a bit, this book is full of action and mind-blowing terror that's too much for one person to handle.

Kitty has never taken the backseat when it comes to missions, and she definitely shows this all throughout the book. Her ideas never fail to shock and amuse those around her, especially the reader. I've never heard of a marketing major being this creative, but there's a first for everything, and Kitty is definitely unique. She's one part ingenious, one part crazy, one part sympathetic, and one part brassy. Some people might want to keep her on the other side of the planet for safety's and sanity's sake. Others want to keep her at the hip just to make sure she doesn't do anything too insane.

She shows she's one of those infectious characters you kinda wish you never knew, but once you do, you can't forget. I'm sure Jeff and the other boys of Alpha can agree to this to some degree or another. It's not hard to sympathize with them a little when they have to deal with her antics, especially during dire situations.

And how dire the situations get in this book. So much is going on, it seems like there's no stop to it. Lots of books like to steamroll through the action and go ear-bleeding fast towards the end for a definite massive explosion. This series, however, doesn't follow that method. Like general events in life, not everything gets dumped on you at once. Sometimes it does, or it feels that way, but there are lulls every once in a while too.

Kitty and the gang get their wild moments, and their quiet moments, and run through a roller-coaster of events that surprisingly gets a whole lot more accomplished than you realize. Issues that are introduced in the beginning of the book are solved in stages, almost in an unintentional manner. A lot of what Kitty does appears/feels like it's a spur of the moment, and her shotgun method of making decisions often leaves those around her (and the reader) with little preparation for what's to come. There is no time for anticipation or warning, no time to brace yourself for whatever bomb she has to throw next.

This makes for the events that take place so special and thrilling. It doesn't feel premeditated. It's very much "flying by the seat of your pants."

I'm starting to wonder if Koch or Kitty loved going to amusement parks as kids because that's what I feel like I've stepped into when I read this series. I'm sure I'll continue to have fun with this series as I search for the next installment of the series. Now that Kitty and Jeff are on the right track, I'm sure things are bound to get a lot more interesting. As if they weren't interesting enough!

Overall: 5 out of 5