Better.
Reviews and Comments
Mostly reading sci-fi, fantasy, and comics/graphic novels, but occasionally some other stuff too.
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Barbarius finished reading Hulk - Volume 4: Hulk vs. X-Force by Jeph Loeb (Hulk (2008), #14-18)
Barbarius rated Hulk - Volume 3: Hulk No More: 2 stars

Hulk - Volume 3: Hulk No More by Jeph Loeb, Ed McGuinness (Hulk (2008), #10-13)
Barbarius finished reading Hulk - Volume 3: Hulk No More by Jeph Loeb (Hulk (2008), #10-13)
Barbarius commented on Hulk - Volume 3: Hulk No More by Jeph Loeb (Hulk (2008), #10-13)
I have to be honest, for Jeph Loeb I'm pretty underwhelmed... Three volumes in and it's basically a lot of unconnected stories that are just a lot of punching (even for the Hulk).
For example, in this volume we just had three issues of a giant PvP battle, with a different Hulk, (not the one we've been following) with teammates from other multiverses, who were all resurrected and had their memories wiped afterwards, to then learn absolutely nothing at all...
And this is also after the "filler" second volume... What's going on?
I have to be honest, for Jeph Loeb I'm pretty underwhelmed... Three volumes in and it's basically a lot of unconnected stories that are just a lot of punching (even for the Hulk).
For example, in this volume we just had three issues of a giant PvP battle, with a different Hulk, (not the one we've been following) with teammates from other multiverses, who were all resurrected and had their memories wiped afterwards, to then learn absolutely nothing at all...
And this is also after the "filler" second volume... What's going on?
Barbarius rated Hulk - Volume 1: Red Hulk: 3 stars

Hulk - Volume 1: Red Hulk by Jeph Loeb, Ed McGuiness (Hulk (2008), #1-6)
Who is the Red Hulk? There's a new Hulk in town and his colour is red! A murderous rampage brings …
Barbarius rated Hulk - Volume 2: Red & Green: 3 stars

Hulk - Volume 2: Red & Green by Jeph Loeb, Arthur Adams, Frank Cho (Hulk (2008), #7-9)
Barbarius finished reading Hulk - Volume 2: Red & Green by Jeph Loeb (Hulk (2008), #7-9)
Barbarius finished reading Starter Villain by John Scalzi
Barbarius started reading 101 Board Games To Try Before You Die (Of Boredom) by Jarrod Carmichael
Barbarius reviewed Eight Detectives by Alex Pavesi
Very good, but I didn't love the ending.
5 stars
This is a great murder mystery novel. The blurb basically says it all: a retired mathematician defined all the essential parameters of murder mystery novels, described the possible permutations, and then released a collection of seven short stories that demonstrated all the permutations. The story goes through the stories, and describes the permutations along the way.
The book is easy to read, as it's basically a collection of short stories, and it's a great read.
What I don't like about the blurb is that it implies that there's a greater mystery to solve. I don't like this implication, because it's not possible for the reader to solve this greater mystery, because they aren't given all the facts until the revelation at the conclusion. The conclusion is still excellent; it's a lovely part of the story and a good ending, but it's not a mystery you can solve.
This is a great murder mystery novel. The blurb basically says it all: a retired mathematician defined all the essential parameters of murder mystery novels, described the possible permutations, and then released a collection of seven short stories that demonstrated all the permutations. The story goes through the stories, and describes the permutations along the way.
The book is easy to read, as it's basically a collection of short stories, and it's a great read.
What I don't like about the blurb is that it implies that there's a greater mystery to solve. I don't like this implication, because it's not possible for the reader to solve this greater mystery, because they aren't given all the facts until the revelation at the conclusion. The conclusion is still excellent; it's a lovely part of the story and a good ending, but it's not a mystery you can solve.
Barbarius reviewed You Look Like Death by Gerard Way (Tales from the Umbrella Academy, #1)
Scratches the UA comics itch
3 stars
You Look Like Death was a good, but not great story.
It's a six-issue story following Klaus/Séance after he gets kicked out of home by Hargreeves. He goes on a drug bender, talks with dead people, and has somewhat of a redemption arc where he helps people.
It's nice. It was great to get a story fleshing out the comic book world that has somewhat been overshadowed by the TV series in recent years. But it's not as strong as the main stories published so far.
But, still worth reading if you've read the other three already 👍
You Look Like Death was a good, but not great story.
It's a six-issue story following Klaus/Séance after he gets kicked out of home by Hargreeves. He goes on a drug bender, talks with dead people, and has somewhat of a redemption arc where he helps people.
It's nice. It was great to get a story fleshing out the comic book world that has somewhat been overshadowed by the TV series in recent years. But it's not as strong as the main stories published so far.
But, still worth reading if you've read the other three already 👍
Barbarius rated The House in the Cerulean Sea: 5 stars

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
A magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret.
Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he …





