Noragami: Stray God, Vol. 19

Adachitoka. Noragami: Stray God, Vol. 19. 2018. 178p. ISBN 978-1-63236-439-5. Available in the Graphic Section of the library.

The trial by pledge requested by Tenjin cost him one of his shinkis, while the Heavens lost one of their treasured shinkis. Noragami, Vol. 18 ends on the cliffhanger of the third part of the trial by pledge, with a head rolling. Noragami, Vol. 19 begins with the revelation that the Heavens lost the third and final part of the trial by pledge, demonstrating that Yato has been deemed not guilty and is therefore to be freed. Yukiné is expulsed from his imprisonment in the box, and the whole group is reunited at Kofuku's place to celebrate.

With Yukiné's death date coming soon, Yato decides he will honor it in style by throwing a flash mob dance, so he gets the whole gang, including Takemikazuchi and his shinki Kiun. But not all things are back to normal. Kazuma, for once, has disappeared and is not attending to Bishamon's recovery. Everyone wonders where he went. And Yukiné himself stings Yato when he is reunited with the Stray and kisses her. Does he love her, or is she messing with her mind, furthering the Crafter's plans for his battle against the gods of Heaven?

The story continues in Noragami, Vol. 20.

Noragami: Stray God, Vol. 18

Adachitoka. Noragami: Stray God, Vol. 18. 2017. 200p. ISBN 978-1-63236-345-9. Available in the Graphic Section of the library.

The war between Bishamon and the Heavens continues from Noragami, Vol. 17. Yato successfully defeated Takemikazuchi, but now faces an even greater threat as the plague spirit of the shinki Shiigun fills the skies with horsemen bent on destroying Bishamon and all those who oppose. Kazuma attempts to intervene to save his goddess' life, but she pushes him away. Flashback episodes explain Kazuma's desire to protect her, but ultimately Bishamon decides to save her shinki from certain death.

Confronting the Crafter, Bishamon lands a deadly blow but is also stricken down and falls back to Earth. Yato strikes at Shiigun, and sunders the Heavens. Arrested, he is summarily judged and found guilty. Yukiné is imprisoned for all eternity in a small cube, and Yato is slated for execution. Tenjin steps in and invokes the trial by pledge, in which each sides wagers three shinkis, and the side that is right sees the defeated side lose their head. Will any shinki volunteer on Yato's behalf?

Meanwhile, Hiyori is the first to find the limp form of Bishamon in the forest, but she is confronted by one of Heaven's enforcers. With lives on the line, the war among the gods is becoming deadlier still ...

20th Century Art, 1980-2000: New Media, New Messages

Gaff, Jackie. 20th Century Art, 1980-2000: New Media, New Messages. 2000. 32p. ISBN 978-0-8368-2853-4. Available at 709.04 GAF on the library shelves.

The 1960s featured decolonization and revolution around the world, and the art of those decades reflected the angst caused by massive social changes. In the 1980s, the evolution of technology sped up, and computers entered the mainstream and became prevalent in offices, homes, and schools. Some artists quickly adapted to this new digital frontier, while others continued to experiment with physical objects and colors.

Art began to incorporate words, to help convey messages and meaning. Space also became integrated into art, incorporating a certain level of emptiness and otherwise wasted space. Abstract colors returned, once again inspired by the awesome displays of nature. Painting became more aggressive, leading many to complain that it was more trash than art. A novel form of art, graffiti, entered consciousness. Slogans and tags became works of art in their own right, and prized graffiti artists became highly sought.

Sculptures evolved into larger pieces in the 80s and 90s, while every day objects considered tacky or in poor taste suddenly found themselves incorporated into major works of art. The mass production of video cameras led to a multiplication of displays that incorporated video in artworks. The democratization of computers and the Internet led to purely digital art, and suddenly allowed for the spreading of art world-wide. 

Broken Throne

Aveyard, Victoria. Broken Throne. Part of the Red Queen series. 2019. 480p. ISBN 9780062423023. Available at FIC AVE on the library shelves.

Broken Throne is a collection of five stories as well as journal entries and maps. These stories span the Red Queen series, providing a glimpse of what happened before Mare Barrow's birth and what followed the conclusion of War Storm. It fills in many of the gaps not discussed in the series, and provides a satisfying conclusion for many of the characters.

In Queen Song, Cal discovers a diary his mother kept. Coriane chronicles growing up from being a minor noble in a distant house to catching the eye of Tiberius and eventually ascending the throne as Queen of Norta. Minor characters such as Julian and Sara make an appearance, and Coriane's love for her son is clear. Elara's duplicity comes through as well as she schemes to take Coriane's place.

In Steel Scars, Farley journeys through the structures of the Scarlet Guard and mounts a secret mission to Norta. There she connects with Red soldiers in the Norta army, and meets Shade, Mare's brother (and future father of her child). Her efforts at organizing the Reds to overthrow Silver authority eventually lead to War Storm and the destruction of Norta as a silver kingdom.

In World Behind, red-blooded captain Ashe runs a keelboat on the mighty river. He picks up a Silver for safe passage, but when she turns out to be Lyrisa, a princess running away from a marriage with a creepy Silver noble, things heat up. Chased by her husband-to-be and his men-at-arms, Ashe and Lyrisa must work together to avoid certain death.

Iron Heart presents the conclusion of Evangeline and Elane's story, from the end of the War to Evangeline's abdication to any claims to the throne of the Kingdom of the Rift, so that she can become a plain citizen of Monfort. The two girls' relationship is fraught with danger as they navigate a new world in which their abilities are praised, but their former birthrights mark them as suspicious. In the end, they successfully escape the emotional reach of their respective parents, and are able to openly live together.

In Fire Light, Mare and Cal are finally reunited following the end of the war in Norta. War Storm had left their relationship on the precipice, but two months out in the wilderness helps Mare realize that she does in fact love Cal, while the former King of Norta has successfully abandoned his heritage and has entered service with Monfort. What began four books ago when Cal first met Mare in the Stilts reaches a satisfying and realistic ending.

Finally, in Fare Well, Maven reflects on his life as he is about to be executed, and the consequences that his execution has on Cal.

Fans of the Red Queen series will appreciate these extra tales and details, which provide one more opportunity to spend time with beloved characters.

Noragami Stray God, Vol. 17

Adachitoka. Noragami: Stray God, Vol. 17. 2016. 200p. ISBN 978-1-63236-301-5 . Available in the Graphic Section of the library.

Following Noragami Stray God, Vol. 16, Bishamon's search for the crafter and her war on the heavens continues as Kazuma seeks to intervene on her behalf and save her from divine punishment. Hiyori joins Kazuma on his quest, hoping to save both Bishamon and Yato. For his part, the stray god struggles in his fight with Takemikazuchi, neither god seeming to win an advantage on the other, but the injuries are piling up. Yukiné tries to save Yato, but the Blessed Vessel cannot convince his master to abandon the fight. As more truths about Yato's youth are revealed, the crafter's plan to release Yato's inner anger and fate come into focus. Can Yato survive the onslaught of the lightning god?

The story continues in Noragami Stray God, Vol. 18.

20th Century Art, 1960-1980: Experiments and New Directions

Gaff, Jackie. 20th Century Art, 1960-1980: Experiments and New Directions. 2000. 32p. ISBN 978-0-8368-2852-6. Available at 709.04 GAF on the library shelves.

The end of the Second World War marked the beginning of the economic recovery from the devastation wrought by the conflict around the world. People's lives in Western Europe and the United States steadily improved during the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s. Economies recovered and then grew. Jobs were plentiful. Population was growing thanks to a baby boom. And in the art world, artists were experimenting with new themes and art forms.

In the 1960s people were on the move, and art reached for the masses with moving sculptures inspired from every day movements from the wind or mechanically delivered. Op Art also suggested a sense of movement, but through optical illusions. Pop Art emerged at the same time, with the goal of using everyday and highly recognizable objects as art, which allowed the artists to shift attention from the work of art itself to the way the artist worked. Art, they suggested, was an idea, and anything could be seen as artistic, even the most mundane objects.

Another trend that developed during the 1960s was Invisible Art, where art was not necessarily present and required the viewer to assume it existed even thought they could not see it, and therefore question reality itself. At the same time, reality itself became a representation in art, where subjects were shown as they truly were, and not as idealized versions of themselves. Art also became more engaged, with frequent mergers between art and performance, as Woodstock would reveal. Revolutions and demonstrations in the 1960s also triggered engaged art, art that carried a message.

Soul Eater, Vol. 2

Ohkubo, Atsushi. Soul Eater, Vol. 2. 2010. 189p. ISBN 978-0-7595-3048-5. Available in the graphic section of the library.

Having failed their first lesson in Soul Eater, Vol. 1, Soul and Maka pursue their remedial studies at the Death Weapon Meister Academy. They are confronted by Dr. Franken Stein, who is able to manipulate the wavelengths emitted by souls to predict their moves and thus modify his attacks in response. Maka and Soul give it all they have, but are unable to defeat Stein. In a desperate bid, Soul lays down his life to save Maka, thereby passing Stein's test and completing this particular lesson.

Shinigami, Death's child, decides to enroll at Death Weapon Meister Academy, and brings his Death Scythes with him. Arriving at the school, he meets Soul and Black*Star. Their interactions devolve and soon the three of them are fighting. On the verge of defeat, Soul breaks Shinigami's symmetry and wins their fight.

At the basilica, Demon Sword wielder Crona slaughters the members of a local gang and consumes their souls. Maka and Soul engage Crona, but he proves surprisingly adept at landing blows. Can Maka and Soul resist Crona's assault and survive one more day?

The remedial assignment continues as Soul and Maka confront Dr. Franken Stein, the man behind Sid-sensei's unfortunate transformation and the strongest meister ever to graduate from Death Weapon Meister Academy. Even without a weapon, his massive soul dwarfs them all-even big shot Black*Star! Can Maka rally her strength to face Stein in battle, or will despair be her downfall?   

The story continues in Soul Eater, Vol. 3.