Claws and Saucers by David E Goldweber

If you are a Science Fiction, Horror and/or Fantasy movie buff, like me, then this is a must have for you.  I can’t tell you if it has everything but I will say that I was impressed by how many movies are in this book.  I love horror – the worst ones are my favorite.  I want cheesy and I want lots and lots of blood.  I don’t care if the plot makes sense – makes the movie more entertaining in a MST3K sort of way.

I love talking to the characters and questioning their motives. 

This book spells it all out – which are the good ones and which ones you’re gonna love because they are so bad.

This is not a sit and read sort of book.  You peruse like you’re picking up a date in a bar.  You chat up the pages and ask them out.  You explore the movies and, perhaps, come back and make notes.  This is the sort of book that needs to be shared and passed along. 

The only problem I have is that the new stuff won’t appear magically.  I’d love it if the book stayed current but, alas, they don’t.

However, that’s not going to stop me from working my way through this book and some of the worst movie fests my family has ever seen.

The Avalon Chronicles Volume 1: Once in a Blue Moon by Nunzio DeFilippis

Wow – this story just sucked me in and left me wanting. I can’t stand having to wait for the next installment. The worst part is that I am posting this review just as the book is hitting shelves but I read it back in December. It’s going to be a long wait for Volume 2.
Aeslin heard the stories of Avalon as a child. She loved the fantasy until one day her father dies. Fantasy and Avalon are over for her. Years later, she buys a sequal to the book to find it’s a portal between her world and Avalon. Aeslin has a great destiny ahead of her as the Dragon Knight.
There are some twists and turns in this story – some I was expecting, some I was not. I just wish there was more to each novel. Because I have an ARC – I can’t be certain what the book will look like. At the moment it’s a well drawn black and white but I get the impression it will be printed in full color. The drawings are clean so color will only add to the detail. If it stays black and white – it’s still a well put together graphic novel. There are a few characters I had problems determining but part of that has to do with the volume of characters introduced. This is going to be a really fun ride and I can’t wait.

The Last Dragon by Jane Yolen

This graphic novel made me want to sigh, heavily. I can't explain the beauty of this work. Jane Yolen is a master at weaving a story.
Generations after the great Dragon Wars, a new dragon is born. The villagers are no longer able to defeat a dragon. A hero must come save them. What they get is a man pretending to be a hero. Tansy, the healer, has a plan to save the village and make Lancot a hero.
The story is simple but Jane Yolen manages to give it so much depth and life. Rebecca Guay's art compliments it perfectly, giving the reader a full on fairy tale reminiscant of days gone by.
I want to fill this post up with all sorts of descriptions and words but I find they can't express the wonder of this book - you need to go out and get it yourself.
The story will appeal to adult, child, boy or girl. The language is delicate and uncomplicated.

The Book of Dragons by E Nesbit

The first story in this collection answers the question I asked previously about The Book of Beasts by E. Nesbit (it was that story). I couldn't understand why a picture book was included in juvenile reading lists. The reason - the story was originally published as a juvenile story. The Book of Dragons is a great collection of dragon stories. I was even more impressed to find that E Nesbit wrote these stories in 1899. They are timeless tales. The language never felt odd like some stories written in times past.
The dragon stories are varied from tales of St. George to a story of siblings who set off to find the north pole (it felt as if it could be modern day). Any child who loves fantasy stories will enjoy this book.
I am picking up another E Nesbit book and can't wait to share that with you.

Lionel and the Book of Beasts by E Nesbit

E Nesbit's name comes up on a number of must read lists for children. I was a little shocked when the librarian handed me a colorful picture book instead of the novel like juvenile book I had imagined it would be. Nonetheless, the book was on the list and I read it. It was fun. Little Lionel wakes up one morning to find he has been made king - his great great great great great grandfather was the last king and since then the people of his kingdom have been saving up to buy him a real crown. Lionel's grandfather (many greats) had been a wizard and so had a magical library. In that library was the Book of Beasts and whatever page Lionel turned to released the Beast on the page. It was alright until he got to Dragon. Lionel was forced to save his kingdom from his mistake. It's a short happy book with large colorful pictures and well worth it's place on the must read books.