This is my second installment of mini reviews and how fitting I am reviewing another Lady Mechanika!
Lady Mechanika Vol. 2 by Joe Benitez
This is the second installment of Lady Mechanika I have read and it is by far my favorite so far. Focusing on ancient civilizations, this story had an Indiana Jone-like feel to it and perhaps that contributed to my enjoyment. I have a bit of a fascination with the ‘classics’ field ever since my roommate in college majored in that. Seeing all of those civilizations and finding out about their culture has always interested me.
The second installment entails the kidnapping of a girl whose parents Lady Mechanika was unable to save. She is thrown headfirst into the archaeological dig, and trouble, of the girl’s family. Needing to fight unforeseen foes and save a whole city from destruction, the action one expects from this series does not disappoint.
As always, I enjoy Lady Mechanika and this time was no exception. However, I felt like I could identify with her more in this story as one of her main motivations is her guilt and promise to Winnifred. Her more vulnerable side shows and this helps me feel more connected to her.
All in all I really enjoyed this fast and exciting read. I am still, as ever, loving the drawing style and especially the steam punk aspect. Am I wrong for wanting to see some diversity in body types though? I do have to mention that please buy this as a physical copy. Reading it on the kindle was extremely challenging as the text was not aligned and it was difficult to figure out who was saying what. The cumbersome text bubbles directly on the drawings was eliminated, but the text proved no more discernable. So do yourself a favor and eliminate this mistake of mine by picking up a physical copy and you should be good to go!
Disclaimer: I received this comic in exchange for an honest review from Edelweiss.
Final Girls by Mira Grant
This novella is lyrical, creepy, and complex. The whole story revolves around a virtual reality technology which, combined with Dr. Webb’s methodology, can fix your trauma and repair relationships. It asks important questions, especially now, about ethics and what can happen when technology gets into the wrong hands.
The first thing that struck me about this story, was the lyrical wording. It was a pleasure to read just from that perspective. Combined with the beautiful writing, the plot, for a short story, is intriguing and brings up questions that we are, or should be, asking. What does the future ethics of virtual reality look like? This story takes these questions, spins a fascinating two level plot, and writes it in gorgeous language. Did I also mention the cast of all incredibly awesome female characters?
I really enjoyed this novella, even though horror is not a genre I normally pick up. However, I am so glad I did. This makes for a very interesting, short, read and I would encourage anyone who enjoys horror, is interested in psychology and ethics, or virtual reality to pick this up.
Disclaimer: I received this book in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley.
The Last Machine in the Solar System by Matthew Isaac Sobin
This novella reminded me of Frankenstein in the sense that Jonathan is The Last Machine in the Solar System and this writing presents his ruminations on his demise and humanity. He is the last of his kind and of humanity and much of the novella is analyzing why humanity could not save itself and his birth. To be honest the beginning of the novella intrigued me more and it was when I found the character most compelling. While he has a very clinical voice, despite the presence of his emotions, the beginning felt more personal. Whereas the beginning was about his experiences, the latter half of the novella was about his opinions why humanity could not save itself. It paints a somewhat pessimistic view of humanity, and seems to ask its readers, at the end, how can we avoid our doom?
However much I enjoyed his, Gulliver Travels-esque commentary on humanity and the Mars colony, I could not really connect to him. He kept saying he had more emotional functionality than other stereotypical robots, but it never really was revealed, to me, during the text. The most I could connect was when he talked about how he wanted to savor reading since the books available to him was finite. Overall it was a good and short read, but I just wanted more from the main character.
Disclaimer: I received this novella in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley.
Let’s Discuss: What story would you rather be in? a) an enhanced robot b) a participant in Virtual Reality Therapy or c) the last of your kind?
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