The Monster in the Hollows (Andrew Peterson)

Shortly after book two . . .

Having escaped Kimera last time, the Wingfeathers cross the Dark Sea of Darkness to take haven in the Green Hollows, a land safe from the Fangs of Dang. There, the kids enroll in school and try to adjust to a new and peaceful life. But trouble seems to follow them wherever they go . . . there is a monster in the Hollows, and it will stop at nothing to destroy them.

The last book was suspenseful throughout; here, we get a breather for most of the book until the tension ramped up towards the end. Overall, it was excellent. There were a few plots points that were rushed, but the twists and backstory were both surprising and welcome. Another winner.

Rating: A

Batman, Volume 3: Death of the Family

He's back. After a year away from Gotham, The Joker has returned with a vengeance—and he is after Batman's 'family' (Alfred, Robin, Nightwing, etc.). The Clown Prince of Crime seems even more deranged than usual, determined to destroy everything the Dark Knight holds dear . . . will he succeed?

This was a good story, but it caught me off-guard; I thought this volume would conclude the Owls story line from last time. Instead, apparently that arc was done (for now) and the series shifted gears. That surprise aside, this was an intriguing (and occasionally gross) psychological tale about these archrivals, with a few twists to boot. 

Rating: A-

Batman, Volume 2: The City of Owls

Continuing from volume one . . .

The Court of Owls—the fabled secret society said to have ruled Gotham for decades—is real. Their assassins, called Talons, are everywhere. And their target is Bruce Wayne. Owls can feed on bats . . . but this is no ordinary creature of the night. Does Batman have what it takes?

This second volume continues the excellent story, with more enjoyable twists along the way. Collecting six issues, the first four were outstanding, with five and six being side stories that seemed like filler (unless they will play a role in the conclusion of the arc). But overall, highly recommended.

Rating: A

Batman, Volume 1: The Court of Owls

The Court of Owls is a well-known children's poem and old wives' tale in Gotham. The rhyme suggests that the real rulers of the city are these members of a secret organization . . . but Gotham is Batman's city. Or is it?

I quite enjoyed this mystery/adventure; it has familiar elements to Batman stories but intriguing twists as well. The story was great; the art was decent. I look forward to the next volume.

Rating: A

The Tell-Tale Heart and Other Writing (Edgar Allan Poe)

Edgar Allan Poe is a renowned American author, perhaps best known for The Raven poem and tales of the macabre (though he also did detective and other types of stories). The Tell-Tale Heart collects and presents a portion of his works:

- 16 short stories (including classics like The Fall of the House of Usher, The Cask of Amontillado, and The Murders in the Rue Morgue)

- 1 full-length novel (The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym)

- 15 poems (including, of course, The Raven)

I read half (everything but the full-length novel).

Poe is an excellent writer; his prose is beautiful. I had a hard time following his meaning in some works. His subject, at least in this selection, seemed repetitive: premature burial was often on his mind, as was mourning, illness, and death. He also wrote several works related to adventures on tumultuous seas (which I didn't realize) and a few detective stories. Overall, this is a nice collection and features tales/poems that should be known to most Americans. 

Rating: B

My Little Scythe

Today's review is of the 2017 release, My Little Scythe. For 1-6 players, it takes 60 minutes.

Overview

In My Little Scythe, your goal is to earn trophies! There are eight possible categories; the first player to earn four trophies wins.

You control two animal miniatures. Each turn, you choose one available action (it cannot be your action from the previous turn): 

- move: independently move your two figures 1-2 tiles on the map.

-- if you enter a space with a gem or apple, it becomes yours (but limits your movement). 

-- if you end on a space with a scroll, you can 'explore', drawing an exploration card and choosing an option on it.

-- if you enter a space occupied by an opponent, a pie fight ensues! Deduct your friendship score by one (you started it!). Using your pie meter, secretly choose how many pies you commit to the fight, and supplement it with a pie card if able. Higher pie score wins! Both sides deduct their pie meter by how many they chose respectively, the loser teleports back to their starting square, and the winner keeps all the apples/gems on the hex.

- seek: roll dice and place gems/apples in the corresponding regions rolled. If you place an item on a hex occupied by an opponent, you gain friendship!

- make: turn in your gems/apples to draw magic cards, upgrades, or increase your pie level.

game in progress; image from here

You gain trophies in eight different ways, which include:

- reaching a friendship score of eight, 

- reaching a pie level of eight,

- completing two exploration cards, 

- having two upgrades, 

- having three magic cards, 

- other things I forget.

Review

I enjoyed this light-hearted take on the much more serious Scythe game. It is competitive, but also "compelled cooperative" in the sense that you need to help others to advance your own scores. That was a cool concept. And I quite enjoyed the 'friendship score,' a variant of which I may mandate in my own household ("want screen time, kids? You need to do 5 nice things for each other to be eligible"). It makes me want to try the grown-up Scythe game.

Rating: B+

Changed into His Likeness (J. Gary Millar)

Jesus Christ saves us from our sins—but he doesn't leave us there. In  many and varied ways, the Bible speaks* of our need, ability (through Christ), and mechanisms God uses, to transform our lives. In Changed into His Likeness, J. Gary Millar surveys the Scriptures and historical theology to develop a robust biblical theology of personal transformation. He argues that the Bible articulates the following theology in this area:

1. Humans are created in the image of God as complex, relational beings. As a result of the fall, every part of us is damaged; and, as a result, failure and frustration are our universal experience.
2. God's long-term, covenantal commitment to change and restore every part of our being is unwavering, but in the Old Testament this transformation remains a future prospect.
3. With the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, change becomes a reality for those who are united to Christ by faith, as as the Spirit does his work. Through the gospel, the Spirit brings us to life through faith (making us 'positionally holy'), awakening a new desire for him and knowledge of him, and then continues his work of remaking us in the image of Christ throughout our lives.
4. Through our personal meditation on the Bible (guided by our conscience, which is being restored), hearing the Word preached, seeing it illustrated in the sacraments and lived out in the context of the church, and being driven back to the gospel through the fullness of our lived experience (including suffering), God advances his work in us.
5. This process is often painful, always gradual and is immeasurably rich, as we live a life of continuing repentance and faith (or mortification and vivification).
6. This process of transformation continues in every Christian as we press on, until we go to be with Christ or he returns in glory. Then we will be like him.

We could perhaps summarize the summary: "we are created by God, are much-loved children of God and are being transformed to enjoy life with him for ever." And "the way to be transformed, then, is to meditate on the word, respond to it in repentance and faith, and to keep going to the end," recognizing that to do so, we need both God (Philippians 2:13, John 15:5) and each other (Ephesians 4:11-16): "the church is the context in which (and a means by which) God transforms us." 

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This is a great book. Millar does a good job surveying and summarizing both the Scriptures and thinkers throughout the ages. As there are different facets to change, sometimes it felt (necessarily) repetitive or overlapping, but such is needed to fully flesh out the nuances. As with the only other book I've read in this series so far, this is a winner.

Rating: A

*see Romans 8:28-29, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Colossians 3:1-10, Philippians 2:12-13, and Philippians 1:6 among others