MY FAVORITE BAND DOES NOT EXIST

When I first read the description for Robert T. Jeschonek's print novel My Favorite Band Does Not Exist, I was fairly certain that the author wrote the book specifically to get a good review from me and me alone. The story deals with rock bands, metafiction, and the internet, and as anyone who has ever met me can attest, these are three things about which I am quite passionate. But as it turns out, Jeschonek (can I just call you "Rob?" Is that cool?) has actually written a fairly accessible urban fantasy novel for young adults — one that just-so-happens to feature some wacky high concepts that help it along the way.

Synposis(es?)

My Favorite Band Does Not Exist actually consists of several different stories that are ultimately the same. We're first introduced to teenage boy named Idea Deity, who has created a fictional band on the internet called Youforia. This includes tour dates, band member bios, song lyrics, etc. — to the point that the "band" starts developing a rabid cult following, thanks to all the hype and mystery that surrounds them. In addition to this wildly clever Internet start-up, Idea also suffers from a chronic illness known as Deity Syndrome, a psychological condition that has him convinced that he is actually a character in a novel, and that he's going to die in Chapter 64. Along the way, Idea meets a girl with a face tattooed on the back of her head who helps him on his journey.

Meanwhile, Reacher Mirage is the lead singer and genius behind a band called...Youforia. Reacher is mildly obsessive-compulsive, and chronically unsure of himself, so much so that he will not allow the band to release music, or play any concerts, until he himself is "certain" they are ready. Needless to say, he is none too pleased to find out that there is an "official" Youforia website that includes actual song lyrics and biographical information about the members of the band. Reacher — with the help of his girlfriend, who also a tattoo of a face on the back of her head — is determined to find the creator of his band's website.

Reacher and Idea have other things in common besides female accompaniment with tattoos of faces on the backs of their heads. They have both been reading a fantasy novel called Fireskull's Revenant — and since our dual protagonists are reading the book, that means we get to read the book as well. While the inclusion of chapters from Fireskull's Revenant — presented like old, worn pages of an actual different book, complete with a different font and byline — was interesting, it often felt intrusive, as it continued to pull me away from the stories of Reacher and Idea. (or so I thought...[!]) In the end, once I fully understood its role in the story, I was pleased with it; it served its purpose well, even if the leap from rock-and-roll/internet/metafiction to Lord of the Rings-esque battle scenes was jarring.

Admittedly, some readers may have difficulty getting into the weird world of the book. Others might find themselves feeling apprehensive towards characters with names "Idea Deity," or his parents, "Vengeful Deity" and "Loving Deity." This naming convention actually helps to establishes the mood of the story — there's depth, yes, but at the same time, it maintains a tongue-and-cheek quality. Jeschonek is clearly channeling Thomas Pynchon with the naming of his characters, and as a Pynchon fan, I appreciate this.

This tongue-in-cheek quality should add to the appeal of readers who might find metafictional conceits and story-within-a-story fiction to be somewhat daunting. While it gives you as a reader a great deal to think about, it's not necessarily challenging. Jeschonek approaches these high concepts in a simple, comprehensible manner (a skill that one assumes he developed writing licensed novels for Star Trek and Doctor Who) I think this makes the book especially valuable for its target young adult audience, as it could serve as a gateway for readers into Vonnegut, Pynchon, Dick, Ballard, etc. In fact, one of my only complaints about the book is that Jeschonek occasionally allows himself to get too didactic, pointing out things to the reader that should be fairly obvious, especially when characters notice the parallels between their stories. It's a prime example of "Show, Don't Tell," but it might be useful for some readers who are not as accustomed to this kind of storytelling.

Rating

Story/ies — 6.4

While I did enjoy the overall story immensely, as well as the strange tales of Reacher and Idea, I didn't expect the LOTR magical medieval fantasy sequences to take up quite as much of the book as they did. Although it is billed as "Young Adult Urban Fantasy," the plot synopsis on the jacket led me to assume that the metafiction/reality-bending aspects were what made it "fantasy" (in the same way that Kurt Vonnegut is "science fiction"), rather than, ya know, guys with flaming skulls and leathery wings battling amorphous knights.

Style - 8.5

Robert T. Jeschonek is clearly a writer with a lot of big ideas and talent, and the way that this novel is told is especially commendable. It shifts across multiple narratives, and ultimately weaves them all together in a wild and original amalgamation. Even though the fantasy chapters of Fireskull's Revenant weren't my favorite, I truly enjoyed the way that the "novel" was presented within the greater context of the actual novel, and was impressed by the way it tied Reacher's and Idea's stories together.

General - 7

Overall, My Favorite Band Does Not Exist is a wacky and enjoyable trip (if not a little esoteric), full of intriguing, imaginative concepts that keep a reader hooked. I read the first hundred pages in a few short sittings, but as the ominous Chapter 64 approached, I couldn't stop reading, and ended up blowing through the 2/3 of the book in one night while I waited for my apple-mango-black-bean chili to cook down (it was delicious). While some of the fantasy/genre tropes of the story seemed out-of-place against the rock-and-roll/internet/metafictional world established at the beginning, I can't fault Jeschonek for his ambition in bringing it all together.

Overall - 7.3

My Favorite Band Does Not Exist is available in hardcover on July 11, 2011.

Gunnerkrigg Court (Tom Siddell) & Dr. McNinja (Christopher Hastings)

I felt bad for missing last week, so I decided to make up for it by giving you TWO reviews today! Happy Birthday to you. I know you can hardly contain your excitement, but please do try.

Synopsis

As I'm sure most of you are aware at this point, in addition to book reviews I also write/enjoy poetry and comic books. Over the course of the last year or so, the Daily Genoshan has included a handful of poetic and comic reviews to satisfy this part of my brain. However, it hadn't until now occurred to me that, since this is an online book review, I should include online media in my realm of possibly reviewed items. From now on I'm going to make a conscious effort to include online books/comics whenever I come across anything that I think is worth mentioning. And it just so happens that I have something worth mentioning right now! Would you look at that, what're the odds?

First up, we've got Tom Siddell, a writer/artist from the UK, whose webcomic Gunnerkrigg Court, has been getting a ton of praise lately. YALSA (the Young Adult Library Services Association) just named it one of their 2010 Great Graphic Novels for Teens, and I was lucky enough to stumble upon the first hardcover volume recently, so I thought I'd take a look. Wow. I didn't realize it was a web comic until after I finished that first volume, but I was sooooooo pumped when I found out. I immediately went online to catch up with the series (Siddell posts new pages every Monday, Wednesday and Friday). I continue to be impressed.

Gunnerkrigg Court follows young Antimony Carver as she tries to cope with the death of her mother and disappearance of her father. She moves to a new school—but can you really call it a school? It's more like a massive scientific complex—and quickly becomes best friends with Kat, whose parents teach at the school... and used to know Antimony's mother and father! It kinda has this Harry Potter feel to it, but it's also got science and robots and isn't as plot-driven. What really makes Gunnerkrigg Court work, though, is that Siddell is incredibly patient, and doesn't show his hand early. Most of the issues revolve around Antimony going through her everyday life in this extraordinary place, only gradually learning more about its mysterious past. This allows him to be funny and down to earth while patiently releasing information on the larger story that's now beginning to show itself (the webcomic is on chapter 25 now, but readers can start from the first page by clicking here. It might have a stronger draw for younger audiences, but I'm in my twenties and I still check back every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for new pages. It's a fantastic book.

I've only been reading Gunnerkrigg Court about a month or so, but this next webcomic I've been addicted to for over a year and a half now. I got hooked at San Diego Comic-Con 2008 when a friend of mine asked me to pick him up a t-shirt and a signed poster. Just like Siddell, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday Christopher Hastings updates The Adventures of Dr. McNinja by posting a new page. Thank God, too, because at this point I don't know what I would do if he decided to stop. He's a hilarious writer, and the art has been getting continually better since the very first arc.

A little backstory: Dr. McNinja is a doctor, and a ninja; his receptionist is a gorilla named Judy; he has a twelve-year-old sidekick named Gordito (and Gordito has a bad ass mustache and rides a velociraptor, btw); sometimes the good doctor cures children afflicted with Paul Bunyan's disease, sometimes he chases King Radical on an evil unicorn posing as a motorcycle, and sometimes he punches Dracula in the face. EVERY PAGE IS EPIC! I really can't even tell you how great Dr. McNinja is, you kinda have to experience it for yourself. I know that's a cop out for someone who writes book reviews, but it's just too amazing for words. I'll work on inventing the words that can ably describe the incredibleness while you start reading.

Rating

Gunnerkrigg Court
by Tom Siddell

The Adventures of Dr. McNinja
by Christopher Hastings

No ratings. Both of these webcomics are ongoing, and while I assume they will continue their awesomeness into the far future, maybe they'll start sucking the day before I'm about to become unimaginably famous for writing such precisely correct numerical ratings with my reviews. Probably not, though. Just read and report back anyway. Keep reading, Genoshans!

Lost Girls (Alan Moore & Melinda Gebbie)

***WARNING: EXPLICIT CONTENT! DO NOT CONTINUE IF YOU ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 18!***

Before anything else, I have to warn you that this book, Lost Girls, is porn. I had heard rumors to that effect, but didn't know of anyone who had actually read the thing, so I didn't know if it was artsy, almost porn, or legit, hardcore porn. When I saw it in a huge, leather-bound version at Borders the other day—with a nice "For Adults Only" sticker on it, btw—I decided to see if it was really all that scandalous. It is.

Synopsis

Set just before the outbreak of World War I, Lost Girls tells the story of three women who meet in an Austrian hotel and quickly become close friends. These three women, however, are not just ordinary people, but Alice, Dorothy, and Wendy, from Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and Peter Pan, respectively. Another unique quality that these three women share is that they each had luridly sexual childhoods, committed unspeakable acts of depravity, and have never shared their secrets with anyone—until now. Alice details her misspent youth as a virtual concubine to the "Red Queen," an abusive woman with an insatiable sexual appetite; Dorothy tells a story that involves becoming rather intimate with three farm hands and a "wizard" of a man; Wendy confesses to having been sexually involved with a charming young street urchin named Peter and his "lost boys" one summer when she was sixteen. Startled by the bizarre similarities between their childhoods, the women continue to grow closer together, until they ultimately become lovers themselves.


So yeah, it's pretty much just porn. Alan Moore made an interesting comment regarding Lost Girls that I had discovered before purchasing the book, and which made me curious as to the artistic elements vs. its pornographic nature:

If we’d have come out and said, 'well, this is a work of art,' they would have probably all said, 'no it's not, it's pornography.' So because we're saying, 'this is pornography,' they're saying, 'no it's not, it's art,' and people don't realise quite what they've said.

"They," naturally, are anyone who might be a critic of the book. As it turns out, he was right. Since he preemptively labeled it "pornography," it hasn't received nearly as much criticism as would be expected. Nevertheless, that doesn't change the fact that, indeed, Lost Girls is one big, fat, comic book porn.

I don't like Alan Moore very much. I didn't enjoy Watchmen or The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and as much I loved the film version of V for Vendetta, I couldn't even get through the first few issues of the comic book. Lost Girls is a little better. Moore and Gebbie—who are married now, btw, as a result of working on porn together for 16 years (yeah, that'll do it)—do a really good job of separating the characters and their stories stylistically. Alice's stories look completely different than Dorothy's stories, which look nothing like Wendy's stories, which have little in common with the smaller stories told through a book they read together, which don't look anything like the regular style of the main narrative. Lost Girls is also very mathematically meticulous, and is broken into three books of ten chapters each, with each chapter consisting of 8 pages. I also have to admit, begrudgingly, that the way Moore retells each of the girls' stories is rather ingenious. Apparently his idea for The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, which brings together characters from several different novels to fight crime and solve mysteries, was born out of the sexual dalliances of Lost Girls. Enough of this artistic mumbo-jumbo, though.

At this point, I'm sure half of you are saying, "Oh my god, this is absolutely disgusting," and the other half are saying, "I get it, it's porn, but is it good porn?" Interestingly enough, both of these comments can be addressed pretty much simultaneously. Yes, it is disgusting, it's an absurdly depraved book containing several absolutely unspeakable sexual acts which I hope to God have never actually been committed by anyone over the course of human history. That being said, it's also a comic book, so it's not nearly as disgusting as watching things that are half as bad in a John Waters movie or a real porn. Yeah, it's gross, but it's clearly not real. My biggest problem with Lost Girls, though, was that after a while it got boring. It's just the same thing over and over again. People having sex, telling stories about having sex, having more sex, watching other people having sex, etc. ad infinitum. This book is gigantic, and every single page depicts someone having sex. Although, when I think about it, I guess that's kinda the point...

Rating

Lost Girls
by Alan Moore & Melinda Gebbie

Similar to poetry, I'm not going to give a numerical rating to pornography. Poetry and porn have a lot in common, actually: both are highly subjective; both can be intensely personal; both tend to induce phrases like "Oh yes, this is exactly what I've been looking for" or "why would anyone ever publish this garbage?" If you're into comic book porn, then read Lost Girls, because I can't imagine that there's a book out there with more sex page-for-page than this (and no, you can't borrow my copy, that's gross). You can get it in stores for $45 now, or on Amazon for cheaper, which is a deal considering until recently it was extremely rare and cost well over $100. However, if you're squeamish, sexually inhibited, uninterested in porn and/or comic books, prefer movies, never want to think of your favorite literary characters doing explicit things to eachother, don't enjoy lesbians, or are under the age of eighteen, this book is not for you. I must say, though, this is definitely my favorite Alan Moore comic. Does that say more about me, or him?

Either way, keep reading, Genoshans!

Peter & Max (Bill Willingham)

I've had a hectic week, but it involved lots of flying, so I was luckily able to finish a book in time for today's review anyway. If you're not familiar with Bill Willingham, that's understandable, since Peter & Max is his first actual novel. He's probably most famous as being the writer/creator of the multiple-award-winning Fables, which I would say is one of the greatest comic book series of all time (and is allegedly being turned into a TV show by ABC eventually? maybe? so they say?). Fables is based around the idea that the characters in fairy tales are real, and are forced to move to our world after an evil emperor invades their Homelands. They try to live their lives in peace among us mundane humans—or "mundys"—but due to their near-immortality and magical nature, find it hard to fit in, and so set up their own secret neighborhood in New York City: Fabletown. Peter & Max takes place in the Fables universe, but introduces many new characters and doesn't require the reader to be familiar with the comics.

Synopsis

The story opens in the present, when a man named Peter and his paraplegic wife, Bo, receive news that Peter's brother Max has resurfaced. Peter is shaken by this, but is determined to hunt his brother down, despite the warnings from Bo and the Fabletown officials who first pass along the news. Flashback a few centuries to one of the old Fable Homelands: Max and Peter Piper are two young brothers traveling with their mother and father as part of a family minstrel act. On their way to a large festival, the family stops to spend a night with their friends the Peeps at their country estate. After an evening of feasting and beautiful music, the two families settle in for the night. While everyone else is asleep, Johannes Piper passes down his most prized possession, a flute named Frost, to his younger son, Peter. Peter doesn't understand why Max shouldn't be the one inheriting the heirloom, but Johannes explains that Peter is the better musician, and therefore would make better use of this magical instrument.

The next morning, Max awakes to find two startling sights. The first is the presence of a column of invading soldiers claiming the estate for their emperor. As terrible as this is, however, the second is much worse to Max. While huddled together with the Pipers, the Peeps, and the Peeps' servants in the great hall of the estate, Max notices that Peter is holding Frost. Thinking it stolen, Max tries to retrieve what he thinks is still Johannes' flute, citing his maturity and seniority as oldest brother. When Peter claims that Frost was actually given to him, Max flies into a jealous rage. His tantrum is cut short, though. The adults plan an escape from the estate to a nearby city that they believe can withstand the siege of the invaders. Max sees this as his opportunity to get even with his brother, and as the group sets off into the haunted depths of the Black Forest, he comes up with a plan of his own.

That's only about the first quarter of the book. The narrative goes back and forth between the Piper brothers' past and Peter's present as he sets off to find and kill Max. Willingham uses the tricky dual narrative structure very well, and keeps the foreshadowing simple. Questions are raised early on in the present timeline that are gradually answered in the past timeline, but never in such a way as to make you think the writer is trying too hard to be clever. The reader knows from very early on that Peter and Bo are married, that Bo was somehow crippled, and that Max is some kind of extremely powerful evil sorcerer, as well as some other bits of pertinent information. The rest of the book becomes about discovering how those events and others came to pass, and witnessing the final confrontation between the two brothers.

I was pleasantly surprised by Peter & Max. The very first chapter breaks the "show, don't tell" rule fairly often, so I was initially worried that the rest of the book would continue the same way. I guess it was necessary to explain how the Fables universe works, but I thought that it could have been explained more subtly. As the story progresses, however, it definitely picks up a lot. Having read all of the Fables comics, I can't really know if this is true, but I'm pretty sure that the novel stands on its own really well. Willingham works in the real stories behind the nursery rhymes and fairy tales that made Peter Piper and Bo Peep famous—something that he's exceptionally talented at, having the last eight years of writing Fables as practice. The story isn't overly complicated, but fun to follow along. You can tell that Willingham has the entire history and universe of Peter & Max worked out behind the scenes, but he doesn't write in more than is necessary to tell this story. On the whole it's rather accessible. It's also got some nice illustrations by comic book artist Steve Leialoha to reinforce the already visual writing. If you're into comic books, fantasy, fairy tales, or simple stories you can probably finish in an afternoon, I suggest picking this one up. It just came out a couple weeks ago, so it should be pretty easy to find, either at comic book shops or bookstores.

Rating

Peter & Max: A Fables Novel
by Bill Willingham

Story—7.7
Although it takes place in the Fables universe, this is a self-contained story. Willingham does a great job writing a compelling book set apart from the comic series in a way that makes it interesting for fans and newcomers alike.

Style—7
It's a great book, and, as I said, fans of Fables will probably like it just as much as the people who've never read a comic book in their life, but I'm not going to pat him on the back for doing the same thing in a different format. Congrats on the first novel, but next time try something new.

General—8
It's a quick, fun read. I really had a good time with it. Even if you're not someone who's likely to stop into a comic shop, if you enjoy books like Wicked or Ella Enchanted, anything with that kind of "fairy tale reimagining" style, you'll probably enjoy this, too.

Overall—7.57



What are you reading? What have you heard about recently that you'd like to see reviewed? Drop a comment and let me know what's going on in your literary world!

Keep reading, Genoshans!

Bone (Jeff Smith)

Wow, where do I even start with this one?

Synopsis

I guess the best way to go with this is to just let you know: Bone is incredible. It may not be the best comic series of all time, it probably isn't even my favorite, but I have to admit that Jeff Smith must have done something to make God very happy, because the dude has a ton of talent. Bone is the story of three cousins—Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and Smiley Bone— who get run out of Boneville by a lynch mob after Phoney manages to anger the entire town. Lost and wandering around the desert, the three are separated when they get caught in a swarm of locusts. Desperately searching for food, water, and each other, all of the Bones manage to find themselves in an enchanting valley filled with talking animals, mysterious dragons, and cow races. They quickly get back together, but only just before they find themselves involved in an ancient war between the Lord of Locusts and the dragons and humans determined to protect their world from being completely destroyed.


But all that is just plot. Bone is a terrific, terrific story, especially when you read Bone: The Complete Cartoon Epic in One Volume (1,332 pages for only $39.95!!!). But the true beauty of this comic is in the art and the characters. Jeff Smith really shows off his range in this book. He'll sometimes transition from a cartoony, almost comic-stripesque scene into a sprawling two-page splash that stops the reader right in their tracks. And he does it smoothly. This seamlessness carries over into characters, too. The three Bone cousins complement each other so well that it's often difficult to figure out which one is your favorite. Fone Bone is generous and brave; Phoney Bone is greedy but cunning; Smiley Bone is a huge goofball who just wants everyone to have a good time. Throw in a pair of blundering rat creatures, a cow-racing grandma and her beautiful granddaughter, and a grumpy innkeeper who used to be a great warrior, and you've got a mix that produces some of the best written scenes I've ever come across. Not only that, but it's extremely accessible. Smith never writes down to the reader. There are plenty of goofy moments that I would've loved when I was a kid (and, admittedly, still do), but it's so long and epic that I can't help but be impressed by its complexity. There were a few times past the 1,000-page mark that I thought it dragged on a little longer than it needed to, but considering that it was originally 55 separate comic book issues, I'm honestly surprised I never thought so sooner. Seriously, folks, at $39.95 you really can't go wrong. It's almost definitely the best bargain in comics, and it's worth the time and money. I would highly recommend checking this one out.

Rating

Bone: The Complete Cartoon Epic in One Volume
by Jeff Smith


Story—8
This isn't a groundbreaking literary masterpiece, but when something is written so well, so consistently, over the course of such a long story, it's hard not to admire it.

Style—7.83
It's clear he was influenced by a unique group of writers ranging from Charles Schulz to J.R.R. Tolkien (clear because that's what his Wikipedia page says). He uses these influences well, combining a masterful epic scope with a decent amount of absurdity.

General—9
This book is fun, accessible, and compelling. I'm not sure what else you need.

Overall—8.28



Keep reading, Genoshans!

The Tales of Beedle the Bard (J. K. Rowling)

Sorry for the delay, but I'm trying to get through another book and it's taking forever, so I read this fun little Harry Potter spin-off last night so that I could get a review out. And I'm glad I did. I really enjoyed the book and the way it's presented, renewing my interest in Rowling post-Deathly Hallows.

Actually, a few months before this book came out, a version of the individual stories it includes were put online for all to read/share, and since I'm a huge Harry Potter fan, I couldn't help but take a look. So for the most part I had already read the book. I believe that at the time an original, handwritten manuscript was being auctioned off for charity, and the interest was so high as to what was contained in the manuscript that The Tales were leaked online, and then officially released to the public.

Synopsis

The Tales of Beedle the Bard is a fairy tale collection "translated from the Ancient Runes by Hermione Granger" with a "commentary by Albus Dumbledore," so even though four of the five tales have no direct correlation to Harry Potter himself (the final story of the book is actually taken from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows), through references to events in Harry Potter's life and allusions to other familiar wizarding books and terms, Rowling keeps everything nicely connected. The "commentary" is an addition from the online version that I read originally, so it was a pleasant surprise to see new content. If you've read Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander or Quidditch Through the Ages by Kennilworthy Whisp, two other books Rowling has written as companions to the larger series, you'll be familiar with the overall tone and style.

The stories themselves are straight up fairy tales, which is an innovative way to introduce new stories into this well-established world. They deal with classic fairy tale themes like poverty, pride, greed, royalty, justice, and the rewarding of wisdom and kindness. They may not all contain groundbreaking insights for hardcore fans of the series, but they certainly feel like stories that wizarding parents might tell to their young children before bed (and the commentaries for each story actually do expand upon some of the characters and events from the main books). On top of this genuine fairy tale quality, Rowling very deftly maneuvers her writing so as not to include words like "muggle" in the tales, saving that and other exclusively HP-related terms for the commentaries. So even though they contain magical situations and characters, Beedle's stories have their own voice, distinct from the modern wizarding voice of Dumbledore that most readers are probably familiar with by now.

Rating

The Tales of Beedle the Bard
by J. K. Rowling

Story—7.5
The stories are cute and fun, but also have clear-cut morals and memorable characters, so they stick with you for a while. It's a very enjoyable read.

Style—8
The added commentaries by Albus Dumbledore do a lot to make the book more interesting as a whole. Some of his notes refer to later notes, and others to memorable HP moments, which really brings up the quality.

General—8.3
I wouldn't necessarily recommend The Tales to anyone who isn't a fan of Harry and his world, because they probably won't get as much from it, but it's possible that some readers would still find the individual stories intriguing. If you enjoy the main series, though, I'd say it's safe to bet that you'll have a great time with this one.

Overall—7.9

I would say that the rating would drop a point, maybe even a point and a half, if you haven't read any of the Harry Potter books, but not much lower than that. The commentaries wouldn't be as interesting, but the actual tales are still great and can hold their own against any fairy tales.

Keep reading, Genoshans!