The Spies of Sobeck. Paul Doherty. Headline Publishing Group (2008)

A very engaging mystery story set in Ancient Egypt. Nubia was annexed by Egypt and proved to be a very important source of wealth and manpower as well as a continuing source of trouble and discontent. Pharaoh Queen Hatusu finds that a Nubian cult , the Arites, have re-emerged in some force to create fear and terror as part of their plans to free Nubia and possibly take over Egypt as well. A series of mysterious deaths, including that of loyal Nubian soldier and sworn enemy of the Arites who is found strangled in a locked room, create a destabilising atmosphere of fear and concern in Thebes. Amerotke, Chief Judge of the Hall of Two Truths, is given the task of investigating these deaths and unravelling the conspiracy.

The story is well constructed, the reveals are nicely paced and the plot threads are cleverly woven together, the conclusion is sharp and fitting. The historical details are more than window dressing, the action of the story arises very naturally from the context. The details of Egyptian life, politics and religion are provided with a light hand, the cast move through them as if they belong there rather than being modern actors in period dress. Paul Doherty has a gift for quick and lively character building, the cast is large,varied and individual. They all move through the story with clear intent, the story emerges in an very appealing way from their interactions.

Paul Doherty has a very considerable talent for making a remote context accessible and not loose sight of the structural requirements for a mystery, he makes it look all very easy and it makes for a very pleasurable read.

The New Frontier. Darwyn Cooke (Writer & Artist), Dave Stewart (Colours) DC Comics (2004)

This is surprisingly unconvincing superhero story whose ambitions exceed its capacity. The story is about a period of transition, from the demise of one group of superheros to the eventual emergence of a new group. In post war America the impact of the Cold War and anti-Communist fears leads to a public and political revulsion with superheros and costumed vigilantes. Superman and Wonder Woman become full time government employees, Batman remains a renegade and the members of the Justice Society choose to retire rather than be revealed.

Against the background of increasing paranoia, the emergence of space exploration and the dawning of Civil Rights agitation, the emergence of three new superheros, The Flash, the Martian Manhunter and The Green Lantern, is woven into a bigger plot about The Centre. This plot provides a great enough threat that unity, impossible under any lesser circumstances, is required to combat it.

The art work in this story is wonderful, Darwyn Coke has a fluid style that gives life and vitality to the cast, in particular his female characters are human figures rather than the usual ill proportioned caricatures so common in superhero art. The clouring by Dave Steward is subtle and wonderfully effective.

The critical problem with this story is the writing, there are really goods parts in the mix, there is a lack of credible coherence that dramatically draws all the elements into a satisfying whole. Darwyn Cooke assumes too much knowledge on the readers part about the prior published history and continuity of most of the characters. Other than the Flash, Martian Manhunter and the Green Lantern, the rest of the cast trade far too heavily on assumed knowledge. There is insufficient context provided for them to understand why they are included or to reasonably understand their actions. Characters act because the plot requires that they do not from any individual response to circumstances, in particular there is one major cast member who has a neck snapping transition solely rooted in plot requirements.

Darwyn Cooke's ambition is very much to his credit, he has attempted to create a story that draws a connection to the political and social context and the superheros that would emerge from it. His reach exceeds his grasp and the critical dramatic structure required to support the story is not present and what has been delivered is a book where the parts are greater than the whole.

Star Wars Omnibus. Rise of the Sith. Dark Horse Books (2009)

A good value collection of stories set within the Star Wars continuity. There is no need to have previous knowledge of Star Wars continuity to enjoy these stories, the book opens with a few words of scene setting and then plunges straight into a series of self contained stories that require no extra information to be enjoyed. The stories are all well written, straightforward adventures with hints and allegations lightly strewn among them of a greater context.

The best of the stories is "Prelude to Rebellion", it manages the mix of action and political context most effectively and with Ki-Adi-Mundi, a Jedi Knight, a credible and fallible lead character. The arc of the story is as much a realisation by Ki-Adi-Mundi about what being a father means as it is a nicely woven political and criminal plot. The reveals are nicely paced, the personal elements are effective and avoid false sentimentality.

The final story, "Darth Maul" has the most luscious art of all the stories. The plot is simple, Darth Maul is sent to eliminate potential competition as plans start to come to fruition. The story is about carefully staged action and demonstrations of power and ruthlessness. It achieves all its aims with verve, the cast are nicely executed in every sense.

The book is marred only by the fantastically annoying Yoda and his very stupid speech patterns, he makes the rise of the Sith entirely understandable. Overall this is good fun and great value.

Assault on Precinct 13. Rogue Pictures (2005)

A tense and compact thriller that makes the most of its plot and cast. Sgt. Jake Roenick (Ethan Hawke), who is recovering from an undercover operation that went horribly wrong, is shutting down an old police precinct station house on New Year's Eve, when a bus taking prisoners to jail gets diverted to the station due to a snowstorm. One of the prisoners is Marion Bishop (Laurence Fishburne), a leading gangster who has just killed a police officer. The precinct comes under siege by a group who want to kill Bishop and anyone else who gets in the way. The film makes the most of the elements it has, the restricted space in the precinct, the need for the prisoners and the police to uneasily cooperate against the external attackers, the escalating nature of the siege and the snowstorm itself. The deft screenplay gives prominence to character development of the cast within the precinct and this gives the situation its force and weight.

Ethan Hawke and Laurence Fishburne are introduced in very well set up sequences that provide the essential motivation for their later actions in the film and gives depth to their desperate alliance. The rest of the cast trapped within the precinct, while essentially secondary, are given enough space and development to be engaging and provide some humour. Gabriel Byrne has the thankless task of proving a human face for the forces laying siege to the precinct. He does his best, the problem is that there is simply no dramatic need for him to be distinct, he just needs to be relentless, he does convey that very well.

This unpretentious thriller with tremendous performances from Ethan Hawke and Laurence Fishburne in particular, the whole cast are excellent, achieves it aims with wit and confidence. Well worth seeking out.

Crogan's Vengance. Chris Schweizer. Oni Press (2008)

A most unusual, thoughtful and exciting pirate story. "Catfoot" Crogan becomes a pirate by force of circumstance and finds that he has a talent for it. Divisions within the pirate crew that he is involved in means that he has to escape and then plan his vengeance. The story is artfully constructed, the reveals are very nicely paced, the action is excellent and matched by the smart thinking that is Crogan's greatest strength. The cast are varied and very credible, the situations are enjoyably tense and the resolutions are unexpected and satisfying, the conclusion is natural and effective.

Chris Schweizer has created a pirate story that deftly mixed the harsh details of pirate life, the savage tortures that prisoners could suffer, the delicate democracy that existed on a pirate ship that regulated the relations between captain and crew. The high spirited action that any pirate story should have is present in abundance and it mixes naturally with the details of the political context for piracy in the Caribbean. The black and white art is very loose, the faces are expressive and cartoony, the details are sparse and always pertinent. The action flows with vigour and clarity, the dialogue is crisp and pointed.

This book side steps the cliches of pirate stories while capturing the essential aspects that any pirate story needs to have. A strong plot, a believable cast and superb pacing make this a hugely enjoyable book.

Death of an Expert Witness. P.D.James. Sphere Books (1977)

This low key and very well constructed mystery novel is a contemporary version of the classical locked room mystery. At a somewhat remote state forensic laboratory a deeply unpleasant scientist is found dead, the building was locked and the keys accounted for and a large cast of possible and plausible suspects.Unravelling who the murderer is and how the act was accomplished falls to Commander Adam Dalgliesh. The story unwinds at a very deliberate pace, the investigation is driven by thought and procedure rather than by action. The large cast react to the murder and the investigation in a very natural and credible fashion, the mix of wishing to be involved and to distance themselves from the intrusions of the investigation is well written. The reveals are are carefully paced and the resolution is satisfying and unforced.

Any locked room mystery risks being dominated by the puzzle element pushing the human cast to the sidelines. P.D.James avoids this, the human cast is very much to the forefront with the puzzle and the murder itself taken as an opportunity to examine them closely. The slightly unemotional tone of the writing acts to delay the readers realisation of the depth and ferocity of the emotions that are being detailed. The victim is savagely unpleasant, the rest of the cast are largely unsympathetic, it is a considerable tribute to P.D.James skill that she makes them engaging and renders murder a genuine outrage. This is a crime story that is also a substantial drama without compromising either element, well worth reading.

Orbital Vol. 1. Scars. Sylvian Runberg (Writer), Serge Pelle (Artist), Cinebook (2009)

A very entertaining space opera that sets up a varied and interesting set of possible story threads to follow up in later volumes. While a conference on Earth meets to consider joining an intergalactic alliance, a party opposed to joining attack the conference killing all the attendees including the parents of Caleb and Kristina. Some years later Caleb is a candidate to join the diplomatic agency of the federation and he is paired with Mezoke, Sandjarr, a race that had just finished a devastating war with humanity. Caleb an Mezoke are sent to the Senestam to resolve escalating tension between a human colony and the native Javlods over mining activity. The multiple threads in the story are well introduced and the political and social tensions are nicely revealed, with a well timed cliffhanger closing the volume.

This is very well crafted, classical space opera. A huge context, an intergalactic federation that has been in existence for thousands of years, is carefully balanced against smaller scale political issues that exist on Earth and on Upsall with the Javlod population. There is a suggestion that these local tensions are tied directly to greater political currents within the federation and this gives the mission a nice set of layers to it. The cast are well defined and move with force and purpose. This volume is mostly concerned with set up, it manages to convey the information in a logical way that moves the story forward rather than slowing it down.

The art is slightly subdued, the colouring cool and there are no splash pages, the panels are varied and match the pacing of the story. The physical context for the story are very well done with an effective mix of detail and blur that suggest the alien and the long established at the same time. The cast are very well defined with the body language well expressed. First rate adventure science fiction.