BookishDramas

  Primordia 1 - In Search of the Lost World 👆 From the Back Cover Ben Cartwright, former soldier, home to mourn the loss of his father stumbles upon cryptic letters from the past between the author, Arthur Conan Doyle and his great, great grandfather who vanished while exploring the Amazon jungle in 1908. Amazingly, these letters lead Ben to believe that his ancestor’s expedition was the basis for Doyle’s fantastical tale of a lost world inhabited by long extinct creatures. As Ben digs some more he finds clues to the whereabouts of a lost notebook that might contain a map to a place that is home to creatures that would rewrite everything known about history, biology and evolution. But other parties now know about the notebook, and will do anything to obtain it. For Ben and his friends, it becomes a race against time and against ruthless rivals. In the remotest corners of Venezuela, along winding river trails known only to lost tribes, and through near impenetrable jungle, Ben and ...

EXTANT by Michael McBride From the Back Cover ONE OF HISTORY'S GREATEST MYSTERIES. In 524 BCE, Cambyses II, King of Persia, dispatched his forces to the Siwa Oasis to destroy the Oracle of Amun, whose priests refused to legitimize his claim to Egypt. According to historical records, 50,000 soldiers marched into the desert from Luxor and vanished into a sandstorm. NEVER TO BE SEEN AGAIN. Hoping to discover the lost army’s fate, a team of scientists utilizes satellite archeology to locate ancient ruins hidden beneath the dunes. Subsequent excavation reveals a temple devoted to Sekhmet, warrior goddess of destruction. Hidden within it are chambers filled with bones. THEY NEVER STOOD A CHANCE. The scientists quickly realize that they’re not alone. Something is hunting them inside the buried tomb, a creature that has evolved to live in complete darkness, an extant species that will stop at nothing to make sure that no one ever learns of its existence, because in the end… NATURE ALWAYS F...

An auspicious start as this is the first book that I am reviewing on NetGalley after procrastinating for nearly a month. A 178 year old blockbuster Alexander Dumas classic full length novel converted to manga format seemed incredible and when I saw this available here in NetGalley, I just had to have a peek. Not just a peek, have had a full read and am thankful to NetGalley for making this book available for review.  The Count of Monte Cristo has been one of my favorite classics and I have had the privilege of reading it in many formats, the classic novel, short condensed edition, comics, illustrated editions, meant for adults, teens and schools. Even then I was not very confident that the book would come out well as a manga.  The book was quite a revelation with crisp artwork and well edited to include all major key points of the book.  An elaborate revenge drama, the story at many levels is a bit dated but nothing can jade the elaborate set pieces and the way the story ...

    *** Stars out of 5 In case you decide not to go ahead with reading this review or go ahead to read it after seeing the above rating, please share your comments. Humor me, hate me, lambast me but do share your comments.   Merci beaucoup THE DARK by Jeremy Robinson Miah Gray is a twenty-seven-year-old, former Army soldier living in rural New Hampshire with his sister, mother, and her boyfriend. He is plagued by PTSD, finding solace, but not redemption, with the aid of prescribed cannabis. All he wants to do is get high, relax with a good sandwich, and watch a meteor shower with his neighborhood crush--Jen. A brilliant flash of light fills the sky, leaving Miah changed, and an Old Norse death rune etched onto his forehead. He fears he has been marked for death until the neighborhood's parents start disappearing, and he's left behind. Leading Jen and a ragtag group of parentless kids, Miah hunts for answers and for their parents, while trying to keep his sister safe. He c...