The Witcher, Vol. 1: House of Glass

Tobin, Paul and Joe Querio. The Witcher, Vol. 1: House of Glass. 2014. 120p.  ISBN 9781616554743.

Geralt the Witcher is traveling when he encounters Jakob, a hunter living on the edge of the Brokilon forest. A welcomed sight after days without human contacts, Geralt and Jakob are both happy for the company. Geralt saves Jakob from a Drowned attack, and the two then spend some time hunting and fishing. Jakob tells Geralt about his wife Marta, who was captured by female vampires and transformed into one of them. Ever since, she's been haunting these woods, and Jakob feels he can't depart and leave her behind. Geralt agrees to enter the forest with him and see if they can find Marta.

Venturing deep in the forest, they are confronted by a Leshen and a grave hag, before stumbling upon a manor house, with Marta standing on the balcony. The manor is not what it seems, and its denizens are under a curse. Geralt and Jakob soon find themselves in danger as they seek to discover what happened to Marta and who is holding the inhabitants back...

Hawkeye: All-New Hawkeye. Vol. 5

Fraction, Matt. Hawkeye: All-New Hawkeye. Vol. 5. 2015. 112p. ISBN 978-0-7851-9403-3.

Clint Barton and Kate Bishop are sent on a mission from S.H.I.E.L.D. They must infiltrate a Hydra base in Antarctica and discover what secret weapon the terrorist group is working on and sabotage it if possible. Both young and old Hawkeye break into the base, only to discover that the secret weapon is in fact three children with mysterious and violent powers. The archers successfully extract the children, only to realize that S.H.I.E.L.D. itself has designs on them.

Stocked with anger at the lack of a future for those children, Kate engineers their escape from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s flying fortress, and they return to New York, hoping to give the children a normal life. Unfortunately, the children have difficulty controlling their powers, and soon Kate discovers that caring for three children with devastating abilities is too much even for her to handle.

Sapiens: A Graphic History, Vol. 1

Harari, Yuval Noah. Sapiens: A Graphic History. Vol 1, the Birth of Humankind. 2020. 248p. ISBN 9780063055087. Available at 599.9 HAR on the library shelves.

Much of what we know about the early humans has been surmised from archeological records and fossilized evidence. The first humans did not leave behind books or movies to explain what they believed, how they lived, or what they feared. We have tantalizing hints based on what has been discovered, but our past remains shrouded in mystery. And much of what we have learned about the ancient humans has now been proven to be wrong. 

In this graphic novel adaptation of his popular book Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, the reader explores the ways in which humans probably evolved. What was once six different species of humans eventually saw the rise of Homo Sapien as the only human species on the planet. Whether through war, diseases, competition, or environmental catastrophe, the other types of humans disappeared over millenia, leaving Sapiens dominant. Despite claims to the contrary, humans have shaped their environment since the dawn of time, building for themselves the Earth we know today. 

Fans of evolution and those wondering where we came from will appreciate this illustrated history of our ancient family, the impacts we have had on the world, and where we may yet be going.

Cardboard

TenNapel, Doug. Cardboard. 2012. 288p. ISBN 978-0-545-41873-7.

Cam lost his mother a few years ago, and ever since it's been him and his father. Mike is a carpenter by trade, but work is hard to come by, and Mike is barely able to keep him and his son fed. Today is Cam's birthday, and Mike can't even afford a present. Then he runs into a strange stand on the side of the road, and he decides to take a look. The salesman offers him the most unique item ever, a cardboard box. There are two rules. Mike must bring back any scrap, and he can't have more. Priced at 78 cents, the box costs the exact change that is in Mike's pocket.

Back at home, Cam is watching Marcus and his friend Pink Eye race their remote-controlled cars. Marcus' parents are wealthy and he has no trouble getting anything he wants. He mocks Cam when Mike comes back with a cardboard box. Cam and Mike ignore him, and soon they decide to build a cardboard boxer. During the night the cardboard becomes alive, and Bill joins their family. Marcus is jealous, and he and Pink Eye use water guns to try to hurt Bill. The cardboard melts, and Cam is crestfallen as Bill slowly drifts towards death. In desperation, Mike builds a cardboard maker with the remaining scraps, and soon he's producing new cardboard and he saves Bill's life.

Marcus is jealous of Cam and his cardboard friend, and he steals the cardboard maker. Soon, he's making himself an army of cardboard monsters, but quickly realize that they have a mind of their own. As their cardboard empire begins to grow, it will be up to Mike, Cam, and Bill to save the world!

Prodigy

Lu, Marie. Prodigy. Book 2 of the Legend series. 2013. 371p. ISBN 9780399256769. Available at FIC LU on the library shelves.

It has been seven days since the end of Legend where June and Day escaped the clutches of the Republic by throwing their lot with the Patriots, a group dedicated to destroying the Republic and its chief, the Elector. Reaching the Colonies, they meet with more Patriots who propose a plan to assassinate the Elector. June would be used as bait, and lure the Elector away from a fake assassination attempt, only to lead him to the real deal. With the head of government dead, the Patriots would seize control of the Republic and end the deadly war with the Colonies.

Day and June begrudgingly agree to once again be separated. While Day remains with the Patriots and trains for the real assassination attempt, June returns to the Republic and is arrested. Following her interrogation by Captain Thomas, her brother's best friend, she meets the young Elector, and realizes that he doesn't have a good grip on the levers of power. The Senate is actively working to undermine him. Meanwhile, Day comes to the conclusion that the Patriots are not financed by the Colonies as he has been led to believe all of these years, but rather by the Republic, who keeps this paramilitary group in its pocket to foment trouble, and now they have been tasked by conspirators to eliminate the Elector and replace him with someone more pliable.

With the wheels already set in motion on the plot to kill the Elector, and with no possibilities of communicating with each other, June and Day must figure a way to stop the Elector's killing to save the Republic from itself...

The story concludes in Champion.

Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets, & Advice for Living Your Best Life

Wong, Ali. Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets, & Advice for Living Your Best Life. 2019. 240p. ISBN 9780525508830.

Having broken through the glass ceiling of the comedy scene, Asian-American comedian Ali Wong writes a series of heartfelt letters to her young daughters. In these letters, she discusses her life, and describes her efforts to become a comedian in a world of white male comedians, a feat that required her to work harder than most to avoid being the token Asian girl on stage. Ali also talks about the trials and tribulations of a life spent on the road, the difficulties of raising two young daughters, the clash of values between her parents' Asian roots and her American life, and falling in love with her husband. 

Ali's advice applies equally well to her daughters and to the rest of the world when she recommends that you have to do the best you can, and reach as far as you can. Fans of Ali's raunchy comedy style and frank language will not be disappointed by this hilarious take on a life well lived. 

Black Butler, Vol. 27

Toboso, Yana. Black Butler, Vol. 27. 2018. 176p. ISBN 9784757557956. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

Following the discovery in Black Butler, Vol. 26 that Ciel Phantomhive is actually the younger twin brother of the real Earl of Phantomhive, Black Butler, Vol 27 plunges in the origin story of the current Earl of Phantomhive and his summoning of Sebastian the butler. When no one came to get them, first Ciel then his younger brother began wandering the estate, finding a scene of carnage. They discovered their murdered parents, before being captured and sold to the highest bitter for a series of satanic and perverted rituals.

During this time, Ciel and his twin kept the hope alive that they would escape and return to the manor, but a month following their abduction they were brought back for the ultimate ritual, a sacrificial death. Ciel was put to the blade, and in that instant his younger brother renounced both God and hope, causing a rift between the world and summoning a devil. The lone survivor Phantomhive struck a bargain with the devil that he would never be lied to, would always be obeyed when commanded to do so, and would protect him from harm until his revenge was complete. In exchange, he promised his soul upon completion of the devil's tasks. Armed with the power of a devil, the new Ciel Phantomhive takes the place of his older brother and sets upon discovering those who did him and his family wrong!

The story continues in Black Butler, Vol. 28.

Locke & Key, Vol. 5: Clockworks

Hill, Joe and Gabriel Rodriguez. Locke & Key, Vol. 5: Clockworks. 2015. 160p. 9781613772270.

The history of the Locke house is revealed as Tyler and Kinsey get their hand on a time traveling key. They discover the origins of the gate in the caves under the sea, and they find out that the keys themselves were crafted out of the metal that the demonic entities transform into when they enter this world. They witness the efforts of Ben Locke to close the gate forever by designing an ingenious systems of locks crafted from the very metal that comes from the other side. Ben Locke's own history is also a tragedy, with his parents hanged for harboring rebels who remain on the property in the caves, and who first discovered the gate. 

They also witness the role their father played in this drama when he and his group of friends opened the gate so that they could experience the last key before the power imbued in them made them forget. It is at this time that the entity that the Locke children knew as Zach Wells came across, and possessed Lucas Caravaggio, also known as Dodge. Two friends were lost that day, and the rest of the group was never the same.

As Tyler and Kinsey travel through time, Bode, who is now possessed by Dodge, continues his search for the Omega key that would allow him to open the gate in the flooded cave below the house, to untold consequences. With time running out, the siblings are a breath away from complete catastrophe.

The Eleventh Plague

Hirsch, Jeff. The Eleventh Plague. 2011. 416 mins. ISBN 9780545353960. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

Following war and the release of a plague that killed over 70% of the American population, civilization ceased to function, and everyone was left to their own devices. Violence, sickness and death undermined what remained of humanity, and the world devolved into slavers, long distance traders, and scavengers. Stephen Quinn III was born into this world, and for the last fifteen years he, his father, mother, and grandfather have traveling up and down the East Coast, trading and scavenging. Stephen lost his mother to childbirth, and he just lost his grandfather to illness. Iron-willed, grandfather always had an answer and knew where to go next. Now, it's just Stephen and his dad.

It's only been a few days since grandfather died, but already Stephen's father is moving away from the ideals that grandfather had instilled in Stephen. When his father decides to play the hero and rescue two captives of slavers, Stephen is dumbfounded but reluctantly goes along, only for everything to go wrong. With his father in a coma, Stephen is captured by a group of villagers who built a haven in the forest. 

As his father lies unconscious in Violet Green's home, Stephen meets her son Jackson, and their daughter Jenny. Jenny is Chinese, and she's the first Chinese person Stephen has ever met. When the United States were attacked by China a few decades ago, the enemy was Chinese. No one know where Jenny came from, but she was adopted by the Greens. Hated by some and sneered at by others, Jenny is a free spirit who longs to explore the world. For his part, Jackson is quiet but loves to play baseball.

Stephen is torn. On the one hand, he loves the idea that this community survived and still holds ideals of family and love. On the other hand, he knows this can't last, and as an outsider everything he does is suspicious. Can Stephen overcome his fight or flight instinct to make himself a home in this new land?

Head Lopper & The Knights of Venora

MacLean, Andrew and Jordie Bellaire. Head Lopper & The Knights of Venora. Vol 3 of the series. 2019. 224p. ISBN 9781534313330. 

Norgal the Head Lopper heads to the walled city of Venoriah, still carrying the head of the witch Agatha. Both of them seek answers of their own to explain what happened to them. On his way there, Norgal rescues the Third Sword from a goblin attack, and discovers that the city itself, built around what many believe is an enormous egg, is under threat of a goblin assault.

In Venoriah, Norgal meets First Sword, the captain of the king's guard, who was bravely injured during his patrol with Third Sword, and he recognizes the man who was there at the time Norgal chopped Agatha's head off. First Sword had fostered a magical stone into Norgal's hand, and ever since the Head Lopper has been plagued with doubts and powerful visions, guided by the goddess Verona herself.

Enemies of the Head Lopper still seek the witch's head, however. Maneuvering in the shadows, a powerful being triggers his agents in the city of Venoriah, and soon the city is confronted by a mob of goblins on the outside and reptilian assassins on the inside. As it descends into chaos, the egg begins to break apart, and its content is shockingly revealed to all. The dangers threatening Norgal and Agatha have never been so deadly!

Slave Ship

Jeter, K. W. Slave Ship. Book 2 of Star Wars: The Bounty Hunter Wars. 1998. 336p. ISBN 9780553578881.

Following the events of The Mandalorian Armor, Boba Fett has escaped Tatooine with one of Jabba the Hutt's dancing girls, and a second class bounty hunter. They rescued and healed him after Fett fell in the sarlacc pit in Return of the Jedi but managed to escape. With everyone still thinking him dead, Fett's first order of business is to switch ship. Slave 1, his custom-built ship, is too well-known throughout the galaxy. He manages to con Bossk, a rival bounty hunter, out of his ship, and commandeers the Hound's Tooth. With three passengers, the ship hurls to space towards a destination only Fett knows.

On board, Neelah, the dancing girl, is trying to regain the memories that have been wiped from her, and she knows that Fett is the key to unlocking what happened to her. Dengar, the other bounty hunter, agrees to fill in some of the events that occurred during the Bounty Hunter's War, so that Neelah can truly appreciate her adversary's tenacity and deadliness.

Told from Fett's current predicament aboard the Hound's Tooth and of the actions that took place in the Bounty Hunter's War, Slave Ship continues the story of Boba Fett and expands on his role as the greatest bounty hunter in the galaxy.

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