Tales of the Cherokee 1 & 2 Adapted and Illustrated by Gene Gonzales Published by Mandalay Books, P.O. Box 4761 Johnson City, TN. 37602 United States I have to say Wow! I have to say Great! I have to say once again that Crees should be doing this. Tales of the Cherokee is an amazing style of comic book that revives and revitalizes Cherokee legends. People who attended a comic convention in Pittsburgh felt the same way. They would buy one and then come back for more copies for their bro, sis, cousin, niece or other relatives. That is a true sign that this is a fantastic product when you don’t even want to share the copy you have.
The comic books themselves are 26 pages of stories. The first issue has a short form version of the editorial I did last year on the Origin of Strawberries. As with all the stories, it is concise and beautifully illustrated. The comics are in black and white but as I say it is beautifully done and the Native story themes are true to their origins. Congrats to Mandalay Books on a job well done.
It’ll be the best $4.50 you ever spent on yourself or your kids.
A Tale of Two Shamans Written and Illustrated by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas Co-published by Theytus Books Ltd. and Haida Gwaii Museum at Qay’llnagaay I’ve always been impressed with Theytus Books and this latest co-venture isn’t bad. A Tale of Two Shamans is an illustrated legend that’s nicely done. These types of books show yet another way that Cree culture could go mainstream because this book certainly will appeal to all. It is culturally relevant and gives you an idea of Haida life before the coming of the European explorers.
Pyramids By Terry Pratchett Published by Corgi Books Yet another Discworld novel. I love this series without question. The sense of humour is out of this world in this fantasy. The storyline focuses on the son of a king in an Egyptian-style country, who sends his heir to study in a foreign land. The school but has the best educational record available, but it just happens to be a school for assassins. One of the many ed. Notes at the bottom of the page reads, “It was said that life was cheap in Ankn-Morpork. This was, of course, completely wrong. Life was very expensive; you could get death for free.” The failures at this school don’t survive, but by luck the prince manages to graduate. During his graduation party he finds out he’s the new king. His dad, being a king and god of his country, tried to fly. Dad asks Death why he couldn’t fly and Death tells him the part of him that was divine flew; unfortunately the human part was too heavy to follow.
As you can see it’s a sort of dark humour, an aspect of Pratchett’s books that I always find compelling. There are 25 books in the Discworld series by Pratchet and I’ve read all but one. That tells you how enjoyable they are and how good his writing is. He has an uncanny ability to create a nonsensical world that will captivate you. The logical pattern of illogic will overwhelm you in moments. This is a book that to me is nothing but fun when I want something that I can lose myself in.
Top 10 Fiction Bestsellers 1- THE SUMMONS, by John Grisham. (Doubleday, $27.95.) A law professor who has been called home to Mississippi by his father, a dying judge, discovers more than $3 million in cash in the old man’s study.
2- UP COUNTRY, by Nelson DeMille. (Warner, $26.95.) A Vietnam veteran investigates the mysterious death of an Army lieutenant three decades earlier.
3- JOURNEY THROUGH HEARTSONGS, written and illustrated by Mattie J. T. Stepanek. (VSP Books, $14.95.) A collection of poems by an 11-year-old boy.
4- THE DIARY OF ELLEN RIMBAUER, edited by Joyce Reardon. (Hyperion, $22.95.) The fictional journal of the wife of a Seattle industrialist; a companion volume to the mini-series “Stephen King’s Rose Red.” 5- TISHOMINGO BLUES, by Elmore Leonard. (Morrow, $25.95.) In Tunica, Miss., a high diver runs afoul of the Dixie Mafia and its Civil War re-enactors.
6- THE CORRECTIONS, by Jonathan Franzen. (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $26.) A multigenerational saga in which a mother tries to bring her dysfunctional family together for a final Christmas at home.
7- BASKET CASE, by Carl Hiaasen. (Knopf, $25.95.) An obituary writer in South Florida examines the strange circumstances surrounding the death of a rock star.
8- THE MILLIONAIRES, by Brad Meltzer. (Warner, $25.95.) Things go awry when two brothers who work at an exclusive bank try to pull off a foolproof crime.
9- THREE WEEKS IN PARIS, by Barbara Taylor Bradford. (Doubleday, $24.95.) Four women, once good friends, reunite years after they parted as enemies.
10- SKIPPING CHRISTMAS, by John Grisham. (Doubleday, $19.95.) A husband and wife discover that their decision to forgo Christmas comes with consequences.
