David Lim

I loved the Famous Five books when I was a kid. I don't recall much about them anymore though. In this one, Uncle Quentin surprised the Five by taking them on a holiday trip to Scotland - and they still managed to get into adventure.

I'd recommend this series for kids who love adventure stories coupled with mystery and detective elements. It's like a younger version of the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew.

An enjoyable read for fans of the Magic: the Gathering Ravnica block setting. It brings together the various characters introduced in the first two books and culminates in an interesting finale, finally explaining the real villains and the real threat that is looming over the plane.

This volume builds up on Souma's competitive and never-give-in nature as he butts head with a famed Totsuki alumni. This volume is also Megumi's volume as it's her turn to be in the limelight, showing that she's not just worthy of being of Totsuki student, but she's also a great chef if she can build up her confidence.

The band of resistance cooks are on their way across Hokkaido, and the Azami administration are pulling out all stops in their bid to get rid of them. The training Erina provided bore fruit as Souma and his group all survive the first two trials. The third trial begins with a huge twist as the Council of Ten Masters get involved.

The beginning of the next arc and things start off pleasant. The scope of the world expands a bit and we find out more about demon lords - scheming demon lords. Apparently, a group of them were behind Gelmud and the Orc Lord. It's actually a bit more than what the anime showed, so that's nice.

The Autumn Election preliminaries has begun! This volume contains the most new dishes presented by far, as we get to see the specialties for characters previously introduced, including Souma's dorm mates. More supporting characters appear, and we finally know the name of Nakiri Erina's aide.

Even as Rimuru explores his newfound ability to mimic a human, events do not let up. I noticed one part where the anime had cut - a couple of panels of Rimuru exploring the abilities he had gained thus far, including the new ones obtained from Ifrit and Shizue.

The ogres show up and things got tense for a while, but it ultimately ended up being favourable for the slime, as expected. The “upgraded” ogres looked better in the anime, especially the males, although Shion sometimes (it feels somewhat inconsistent) looks better in the manga (proportion-wise, not so exaggerated, you know what I mean).

And news of the orcs are building up towards something, as the lizardmen and dryads enter the picture as well. Gabiru looks a lot better in the manga too, but that goofiness is either pure annoyance or pure comedy, depending on one's taste I suppose.

This volume continues with the pleasant developments, barring a particularly tense moment with the followers of another demon lord, watching Milim getting integrated into the group is fun. Also, humans are back in the picture, with Shizu's old gang back in town, this time with their guild master in tow. Together with another group humans, Rimuru hatches a plan for better relations with human kingdoms. Lastly, with the way it ended, things are going to take a turn for the worse soon, as Clayman starts another plot in motion.

Hmm... the Charybdis arc was a bit unerwhelming compared to the manga, but I did like the fact that there's a lot of little details in this arc that was missing in the anime. For example, the anime chose to show Phobio finding Charybdis, which wasn't really important, instead of showing a bit more of the aftermath, where the gang is now alerted to the fact that there could be more than one group pulling the strings behind the recent incidents.

And Rimuru goes from conspiracy to diplomacy. More worldbuilding at this point (or rather, Tempest-building), as we see the effects of the aftermath of the Forbio/Phobio incident and Charybdis. Tempest is shaping up to be notable power in the region. Lots of lighthearted moments in this volume, which is also one of the things I find endearing about this series in the anime as well as manga. Nine volumes in and truly, there's really not that much missing from the anime.

Not too sure what to make of it yet. I felt like I was dumped into the middle of a long-running series. I don't think starting off with a train chase action scene is a good way to open a comic; that's more of a movie opening. Also, the fact that the two protagonists can still directly talk to each other is just weird (one of them was inside the train).

Anyway, aside from what's revealed in the story synopsis, the first issue reveals a stalking murderer, a mysterious benefactor, and a rather unhealthy level of trust and naivete for two people that's been supposedly on the run for... a while (a month? a year? the synopsis and the story seems to conflict with each other). But there's just enough to want to see what's going to happen next.

Lastly, I'm not liking the art style (there's much less detail than what I was expecting looking at the art on the cover).

Might be somewhat of a classic horror story by this point, but it must have been a pretty freakish idea back then. The narration is from the point of view of a ex-soldier who was unfortunately afflicted with leprosy. He unwittingly agreed to a scientist friend's suggestion on how to prevent discovery by others before his affliction became visible. Somewhat predictably, his friend turned out to have ulterior motives.

Definitely mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, this book is less serious and less real compared to Ghosts of Ascalon. On the other hand, this book is more fun and definitely adds to the anticipation for the release of Guild Wars 2.

If you're a GW player, you'll find loads to love in this book. Lots of hints of what's to come. The whole thing reads like a GW play session, going out with regular guildies and taken on quests and missions.

If you're not, I suspect you'll find lots in this book that feels corny and eye-brow-raising. It almost feels cartoony. I think J. Robert King did that deliberately.

The banter and interaction between the party of heroes range from ridiculous to somewhat-inspiring. Ridiculous in a corny sense. There's actually very few lengthy narratives; all the major fights tend to get wrapped up pretty quickly - somewhat belief-defying considering how their foes are supposed to be really powerful. But then again, stretching out those “missions” would thicken the book considerably. Still, the finale fight was quite satisfying and nicely sets up the background on why the Edge of Destiny split up.

Overall, it was a really fun read. Can't wait for Guild Wars 2.

The writing style of this book is not really very good but the story itself is interesting. At the time the book came out, there is still a lack of deep lore regarding the world of Magic: the Gathering so this author pulls through and managed to realise an entire city. At times, it does try a little too hard to tie the magic back to the game system and comes across as unrealistic. If you're a fan of the game, this book is a good read.

When I saw the good reviews this book got, I figured I'll give it a try, since I don't read much non-fantasy books. I'm glad to say that I did. Superb read.

The story is set in a dystopian future, where a girl was thrown into an annual competition, for her very life - the titular Hunger Games. The game reminded me of the reality TV series Survivor - a more brutal version. I loved the way the story flowed, and the first-person perspective was excellent. You simply can't help rooting for the protagonist, a girl trying to survive so she can return home.

I'm already starting the second book, and searching for the third. I'm thinking of getting the author's earlier books as well.

I'm only reading this because I got it from Humble Bundle and it was nominated for the Nebula Award - honestly, I don't see why it was. The odd thing about all the positive reviews and recommendations was the praise for the setting - steampunk, zombies, action, thriller, and horror. I personally feel that it was wasted potential.

The main gripe I have with the whole setting is how it felt like it was moulded to fit the story the author was trying to tell - rather than telling a story within the setting.

How did the zombies come about? Some unexplained gas conveniently coming from underground. Why can't Briar follow her son through the sewers? Because an earthquake just so happens to knock only the sewers down. So how did she get past the wall? Just so happens that steam-powered airships had been invented. But how'd she get down from the airship? Just so happens that somehow people manage to construct a towering tube to suck air down to the ground that you can apparently just slide down in. Funny why the first airship won't just anchor to the tall tower that everyone later did. Why didn't she and her son move to the east? Why didn't the authorities investigate this strange gas phenomenon and the plight of Seattle's population? Just so happens that the Civil War went on longer than expected. Why would airships even want to enter zombie ground zero? Just so happens that the gas is extremely profitable as a drug that doesn't feature much. Why would people even want to live in there? Just because - even though life was dangerous, sucks, and a normal life can be had just by crawling out some sewers lots of people seem to know about.

I was expecting an apocalyptic steampunk but it turns out that the zombie part is very localised. And it's a very normal setting, but with some convenient historical tweaks and convenient (and somewhat typical - except maybe Daisy) steampunk technology thrown in. “Convenient” is the keyword here - anything that deviates from normal is just there as a plot tool.

But complaints about the setting aside, the story of a mother going after a foolish son is a compelling one. It has a good pace and all the action scenes were pretty well done - almost like an action adventure movie in the sense that things just happen to the protagonists and they get swept along.

I didn't empathise with the mother and son though. Not enough characterisation I guess. I get why a mother wants to go after the son, and while it is sort of explained, I just don't feel that the mother's desperately looking for her son. Some of the secondary characters were actually more interesting (like Angeline), but not much more so. I ended up not really caring much about the characters.

On the whole, I wouldn't quite recommend this book to anyone, except as a casual read. It's not a bad read at all, but just nothing that stands out enough as recommendation material. It's a pity for the setting as I felt like there could have been more exposition on how the world was different.

I finally got around to capping the Wheel of Time series. Book 12 (or book 1, by Brandon Sanderson) is an awesome ride. It invokes a sense of nostalgia of all that was, and a great reminder of all that I loved about the series. What's even more commendable is that throughout the book, there are well-placed hints, reminders, and recaps of things that had happened before. I think that's a great touch.

So did the tone change? Of course it did, but I don't think that's a bad thing. For one, the pacing finally shifted out of the first gear. I've read only some of Sanderson's novels, but those that I've read, I loved them. And it's the same here. I find myself enjoying the prose and the pacing. Gone are Jordan's long-winded (but I kinda liked them, mind you) descriptions of trivial things. Events and arcs are finally moving along their intended path and you can feel the tension that the Last Battle is really looming closer.

It's hard to summarise what happens in this book as there are so many plot lines. I would say that this book is primarily centered around Rand and Egwene, separately of course. We see Rand as he continues his downward spiral into a self-induced nightmare and he struggled to come to terms with being the person meant to be both the saviour and destroyer of the world. The conclusion of this arc was immensely satisfying, as you read and felt the horror of what he's becoming, and then, a revelation - to which I found myself completely in agreement. And probably like Rand, that it was so simple, so obvious, that it was really quite tragically sad and humorous at the same time that it took so long. Loved the wrap-up to that arc, in case it wasn't obvious yet.

Rand's teenage crush, Egwene, blossomed into the role that she was meant to be, taking hold of the reins of power, and really taking charge. Her chapters, especially the latter half of the book, were all completely impressive, both her as a character, as well as the events surrounding her. Some events just seemed so convenient, yet, this book is about the Wheel weaving as it wills, so yea, it's sort of a given! The biggest twist in the entire book, or possibly the entire series, also happens in one of Egwene's later chapters - and it was a huge reveal and plot twist - the sort that just gives you goosebumps as you go, “of course, it all makes sense now!”

Of course, we also see Perrin and Mat. Perrin's arc feels like it's in wrap-up mode after his rescue of Faile, as he disappears halfway through the book. I guess we'll have to see what's in store for him in the next book. Mat is also on his way to the next big plot arc, after his separation with Tuon (and the Seanchan has a big presence in this book too). Mat feels... different. I guess each of the characters have a slightly different feel to them, which is a given, since it's a different author, but Mat felt the most different - not a whole lot, but subtly noticeable. His internal monologue reads the same, yet he feels a little less roguish, less scoundrel-ly. Not sure how to describe it; it's just feels a little off from what I remembered.

But that's all I would mention. It's a great read and a very fitting continuation of the series. Attempting to summarise what happens is just doing a disservice to the story. I'm looking forward to reading the penultimate.

Souma takes a rest as day 2 of the battle begins. Central's team fielded their top tree, vs two former council members and a stalker. You can almost guess how this will go.

One of the more iconic of sports manga. It's the first series where I actually both read the manga and watched the anime. It has flawed protagonists, growing up pains, colourful characters, and beautiful meaningful relationships, all neatly wrapped around the context of college basketball.

One of the more iconic of sports manga. It's the first series where I actually both read the manga and watched the anime. It has flawed protagonists, growing up pains, colourful characters, and beautiful meaningful relationships, all neatly wrapped around the context of college basketball.

Volume 14 nicely wraps up the Melk Stardust arc. It's another of the “training” ingredients, but this one is kind of unique in that Toriko and Komatsu were not actually capturing the ingredient together. Komatsu's side was actually the more interesting of the two, and he gets better development here. And as a side note, the series got its third female character.

Well, I guess the power curve just went up. We see everyone is a leveled-up situation but we're also shown a whole new world of “noir cuisiners” and a shocking reveal.

And with the Polaris fight with Eizan concluded, the real “war” begins, with the circle of students around Souma forming a “resistance” group. Nakiri Erina finds herself drawn in, and in opposition to her father. Both father and daughter got a shock of their life regarding who Souma really is.

One of the more iconic of sports manga. It's the first series where I actually both read the manga and watched the anime. It has flawed protagonists, growing up pains, colourful characters, and beautiful meaningful relationships, all neatly wrapped around the context of college basketball.

One of the more iconic of sports manga. It's the first series where I actually both read the manga and watched the anime. It has flawed protagonists, growing up pains, colourful characters, and beautiful meaningful relationships, all neatly wrapped around the context of college basketball.