SCARLET By Brian Michael Bendis & Alex Maleev

SCARLET BY BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS & ALEX MALEEV
Category: Graphic Novel, fiction, crime

Doing some laundry I started reading the graphic novel Scarlet by Bendis and Maleev. Once I started, it was impossible to stop. Our protagonist is something of a vigilante, and you’ll either be questioning her sanity or cheering her on by the end. When a corrupt cop shatters Scarlet’s life for personal gain, she wasn't supposed to survive it. She definitely wasn't supposed to turn that vengeance into something tangible. The artwork was impressive, grey and red played a prominent role to set a gritty, tarnished feel to the story. Another thing I really enjoyed was the fact that Scarlet, while a lead female in a graphic novel, was not sexualized in the way that most women are. She is a realistic and emphatic being. I’m looking forward to additions to this series, since things are left off seemingly on the cusp of something larger than Scarlet herself. This quick paced story was enjoyable from start to finish, a must read for long time graphic novel lovers or first timers.

ROT AND RUIN By Jonathan Maberry

Category: Horror/Science Fiction/Young Adult

               Benny Imura needs to find a job. He’s not your typical adolescent though, since 14 years ago on First Night a plague swept the nation leaving 6 billion zombies in its wake. This leaves Benny with a handful of available jobs in the small town he calls home. Should he be a fence checker? Lure away the zoms from the entrance to town to let cargo wagons pass? The beginning of this book was quite humorous, following Benny’s reluctant journey into responsibility. All his attempts to find jobs are half-hearted until his best friend Chong gets a job he enjoys, sitting atop a tower watching for zoms. Benny’s older brother and only relative is the infamous Tom Imura, known throughout the zombie wastelands (aka the Rot and Ruin) as a fierce and deadly “closure specialist”. Benny doesn't get the appeal and has never respected Tom since he stole into the night with Benny as a child on First Night and didn't rescue their mother or father. It’s an eye-opening experience into what a band of people would do to make themselves feel secure amid the collapse of their entire known world. But everything Benny  knows about people and circumstances in the community and beyond is not what is actually happening. Rot and Ruin is a coming of age story with the same themes as any other, but with a few twists that leave the reader questioning their own capacity to assume and judge. After Benny’s initial job hunt he takes an apprenticeship with his brother Tom, and they go into the Rot and Ruin to do a closure job. It’s on this journey that Benny begins to understand his brother, the truths about other bounty hunters, and the frightening reality that every one of those zombies was a person with a story just like Benny. Overall I really enjoyed this book, it kept me entertained and filled my head with dreams of samurai swords and fresh-eating zombies. Did I mention that? Tom Imura just happens to be trained in the art of samurai fighting. Immediately after reading this book I reached for it’s sequel, Dust & Decay.

Welcome to the Brew City Book Blog!!

Today I bring you an interactive forum for readers to come
together to appreciate and discuss books. Books to be included will be from a
variety of genres  for readers teen and
older. Genres typical will be science-fiction, horror, romance, fantasy,
mystery, comedy and non-fiction. The wide scope of books is to generate
interest within what readers typically go for and some new material you may not
have considered before.


Ideally there will be one or more book reviews/recommendations
per week and a monthly book club that includes a discussion. Specific requests
for recommendations from readers will be on-going.