MANGA REVIEW: Blades of the Guardians Vol. 1

 

BLADES OF THE GUARDIANS Vol. 1
by Xu Xianzhe
Available March 3

Youxia were folk heroes in ancient Chinese literature, something akin to a knight-errant in Western stories. One such character, Dao Ma, sits at the center of the intense new Chinese series Blades of the Guardians. A little bit spaghetti Western, a little bit Kurosawa classic, and a lot of action, this first volume drags you right in and never lets go.

Dao Ma has only two concerns: bring in his bounty and protect his young charge Qi. While the stories he moves through in this early volume are human and heart-rending, that is his place in them. He's dangerous and driven, but he has to be. Because while the manga's first arc deals primarily with human bounties, everything after starts to get downright paranormal.

Blades of the Guardians lays its groundwork on historical action before introducing the malevolent beings known as rakshasa. Xianzhe's art is perfect for the tense, gritty story the comic tells. If you aren't good with gore, be warned: Dao Ma thinks nothing of sending limbs flying when he's in combat. But if you (like me) are a fan of intense stories with equally visceral art, this is one to pick up.

Normally I'm leery of "for fans of" taglines since they can get reductive for the sake of name-checking a bigger hit. But calling this a must-read for fans of The Mandalorian is spot-on, and not just because it stars a wandering fighter with a kid. The action, the slow reveal that Dao Ma has a massive looming past, and that dedication to exploring the world of the common people in the midst of grander historical events are all present. It's all the things that tie together Westerns and samurai films. If you're a fan of either or both, you will be a fan of this.

TEA PAIRING: Spice Chai Mélange
Maybe it's the desert. Maybe it's just how intense the story is against a backdrop of supernatural beasts... actually, no, it's the desert for sure. This caffeine-free chai blend is a strong and spicy one, perfect for tea drinkers who want something with a kick. Use my code KARA15 for 15% off this and other teas from Chapters Tea & Co.!

MANGA REVIEW: Lonely Deaths Lie Thick as Snow Vol. 1

LONELY DEATHS LIE THICK AS SNOW Vol. 1
by Hajime Inoryu, illustrated by Shota Ito
Available March 3

Detective Jin Saeki believed he was investigating a run-of-the-mill burglary until he found the pile of bodies. The true crime on the table is anything but ordinary: child neglect and abuse, and possibly worse. And the person likely behind it all is currently on the run.

As Saeki digs deeper, he meets a survivor of this strange living situation. The stories she tells of her life with her new "father" and "siblings" don't match with the grisly scene the detective uncovered, pointing instead to a caring (if misguided) mentor who wanted to help his nineteen young charges. But things get even more complicated when Saeki identifies another resident of the home: someone he knows all too well.

While I'm unfamiliar with Inoryu and Ito's other manga, My Dearest Self With Malice Aforethought, I can tell just from this first volume why this duo is so celebrated. When it's not hinting at horrific crimes, the art is gentle and contemplative. The story is complex and thrilling—but most of all, it's frighteningly realistic. In this early volume, there's no way of knowing who's telling the truth, or their truth. If you're looking for a cut-and-dried crime drama with an obvious, on-the-nose baddie, this is not for you. But if you love to dive into the complexities of the human psyche and what trauma can do to a person, regardless of age, you will want to give this one a go.

TEA PAIRING: Poet's Study
A dark and moody story like this deserves a dark and moody drink. Poet's Study is one of my favorite Earl Greys, and it's a great match for snowy landscapes (in reality or in your reading). Use my code KARA15 for 15% off this and other teas from Chapters Tea & Co.!

BOOK REVIEW: The Spider Strikes

 

THE SPIDER STRIKES
by Michael P. Spradlin
Available now

Michael P. Spradlin's The Web of the Spider series does something frankly very difficult: it explains the leadup to the atrocities of World War II on a level that young readers can comprehend. Which is not to say that younger readers aren't as intelligent; rather, it's a matter of outlining what life looks like in those intervening years. We learn the horrific number of lives lost in school, but these stories put readers in the shoes of a boy who is watching the Nazi mindset seep slowly into his everyday life, chipping away bits of normality at a time.

This third book, like the other two, is a relatively short but impactful read. Series narrator Joshua, a Jewish boy whose reporter father continues to encourage critical thinking as the world burns around them, brings his friends Rolf and Ansel on his family's summer trip to Austria. But this isn't like most years. The hatred of Jewish people has spread, to the point that they can't even get seen in stores. And as the boys prepare for a camping trip in the Alps, they discover that Rolf's brother Romer and more of the Hitler Youth have followed them.

The books in The Web of the Spider fluctuate between boyish excitement and true peril, and The Spider Strikes is no exception. The boys may be able to thwart their bullies with a series of clever traps, but the reality of the situation sinks in when true danger strikes for one of the trio. It's a bittersweet read: moments of victory, sanity, and even fun in the face of peril, followed swiftly by the sad truth that their lives will never be the same.

These books read best as a series, since Joshua's story is an ongoing saga. But it also matters to see how the world changes bit by bit: how, from book to book, the boys find their situation growing more dangerous like a lobster in a slowly heating pot. This book in particular also addresses the difficulty of extreme politics cutting through families, and what watching one loved one hurt another can do to us. Some answers are easy, but others are not, and these books don't shy away from that truth.

For the purposes of educational reading—either in a classroom or with family—this book also comes with a timeline of the events leading up to World War II, allowing young readers to match Joshua's story up to real life events. These books continue to be excellent reads for young readers, and important books for family discussion.

TEA PAIRING: Cozy Apple Spice
In one of the book's calmer and happier moments, the friends share a campfire dinner of freshly caught fish with a dessert of apples and cinnamon. This limited-edition Cozy Apple Spice feels like a good match for that calm before the storm. Use my code KARA15 for 15% off this and more teas from Chapters Tea & Co.!

MANGA REVIEW: GALAXIAS Vol. 1

GALAXIAS Volume 1
by Ao Hatesaka
Available Now

Geo dreams of adventure, but her father is intent on keeping her exactly where she is. The tales of Yuri Holst, the world's most legendary explorer, keep Geo dreaming. And her dreams get bigger and stranger when she meets an amnesiac who's also on the hunt for the legend.

In the world of GALAXIAS, some humans have draconic genes. These are usually indicated by a big ol' tail and a superpower. Nereid (as Geo names him) is one of these dragonfolk as well, which is fortunate when someone comes to town hunting Geo. Why? Because it turns out there are a few things her dad didn't tell her about why he didn't want her to travel.

As chapter 1 of GALAXIAS closes, the two new friends set off on their joint mission to find Yuri Holst. This first volume contains the first five chapters, meaning we get a very small amount of setup: a conflict, a location or two outside Geo's hometown, and some characterization. But even in that small space, you get a good feel for what this series will be. It's already an exciting ride, with lots of promise as the world around Geo slowly builds itself out.

I'm not familiar with Ao Hatesaka beyond this work, but I love the art. The characters are unique and expressive, with a wide variety of designs and little to no Same-Face Syndrome. The landscapes are also gorgeous, so I'm excited to see different geographies explored in later volumes.

Fans of One Piece and Gachiakuta in particular will warm to this story for its mix of action and exploration. These early chapters tease a lot of lore and worldbuilding to come, and I'm excited to see if (and how) it pays off.

TEA PAIRING: Strawberry Farms
I adore Geo for her childlike wonder and desire to explore, and this bright berry and hibiscus blend feels like the perfect fit for her. Use my code KARA15 for 15% off this and other teas from Chapters Tea & Co.!

BOOK REVIEW: Humans from Earth!!

HUMANS FROM EARTH!!
edited by Chuck McKenzie
Available Now

A popular thought experiment has been the idea that humans are the true monsters of the science fiction world. The concept has spilled out into flash fiction online, in both humorous and surprisingly dire ways. A new anthology goes all the way with this concept, collecting sci-fi and horror stories in which humans are the bad guys.

All told, there are 18 stand-alone stories in Humans from Earth!!, covering a range of themes — and a range of quality. Nothing in this volume is outright a Bad Read; every author has strong prose and characterization and creates something technically better than average. The variation arises in how each writer approaches the theme set forth. There is, as one might expect, a lot of sameyness across many stories: straightforward sci-fi that leans on humanity's predisposition for colonization or ripped-from-the-headlines metaphor. Isolated, these stories would be strong; together between the same covers, they begin to feel less effective.

It's the stories that take the time to flip the brief on its head that really shine through. Stories that interrogate humanity's darker corners and angles rather than simply depicting it, that think beyond the obvious inverted invasion narrative suggested by the title. While initially seeming to fall into the same trap outlined above, Liam Hogan's "The Fallen God" is almost darkly comical, casting a spacewrecked human as the oblivious instigator of an alien holy war. Martin Livings's "The Boy in the Box" is a sort of subverted cosmic horror, pitting a race of brilliant thoughtforms against a seven-year-old boy. John Peel's "The Vorpal Blade" trades in hard sci-fi for an Alice in Wonderland reimagining in which Alice and the Queen go on a grisly Jabberwock hunt. And in Zac Ashford's "The Kids Are (Not) All Right," a teacher must choose between saving the life of a young alien and rescuing his marriage and career.

These four aren't the only good stories in the volume (again, there isn't a truly bad story in the bunch), but they are the ones that get the most imaginative with the theme. Again, all of these would be strong stories on their own, and editor Chuck McKenzie has done a good job keeping the more similar stories spread out from each other. But I would love to have seen a higher concentration of the more inventive concepts, perhaps saving the best two of the more standard approaches as an opener and finisher. It's not an uplifting anthology by any means: the clue is in the title. But the best of the bunch opt out of being dire for direness's sake, instead exploring why we are the way we are and how these traits turn sour when we encounter the unknown.

TEA PAIRING: Spice Chai Mélange
This sci-fi-inspired rooibos chai pairs well with the far-flung worlds of this anthology, from abandoned experimental spaceships to worlds inhabited by fuzzy crab creatures. Use my code KARA15 for 15% off this and more teas from Chapters Tea & Co.!

MANGA REVIEW: Love at First Memory, Vol. 1

LOVE AT FIRST MEMORY, Vol. 1
by Narumi Hasegaki
Available now

There was an era of absolutely unhinged shoujo manga, and I'm sad to say we're largely past it — save perhaps for adaptations of older titles, like this season's Hana-Kimi. As unrealistic and off the wall as they are, and as much as it changes your brain chemistry just to get in the right mode to watch or read, it's kind of delightful in a weird way.

Well, Love at First Memory came out in the last handful of years, and it's bordering on that level of unhinged. In other words, we are so back.

The heroine of the piece is Mia Takanashi, an heiress who had just decided who to marry when she got hit by a car in a freak accident and lost her memory. Now there are four handsome men all claiming that she chose them, and she doesn't know who any of them is! They all have their charms, merits, and flaws. Unfortunately, this is the world of the upper class and big business, so Mia is missing all the context she needed to pick her perfect match.

Oh, and one of these suitors might be a con artist taking advantage of the situation... but he also might be the most interesting of the four.

This first volume of Love at First Memory harkens back to the shoujo manga of the 90s and 00s, with over-the-top circumstances and wild stakes. Hasegaki's art is adorable, with each of Mia's four suitors stylistically different enough to evoke their own brand of charm. If you need grounded, realistic shoujo, this isn't for you. If you like your love stories absolutely unhinged, you must start reading.

TEA PAIRING: A Date with Mr. Darcy
My absolute favorite blend from the Chapters catalog, originally released as a limited-edition Valentine's Day tea. It's a sweet and strong floral Earl Grey that goes perfectly with stories of fictional crushes... whichever one happens to be yours. Use my code KARA15 for 15% off this and more teas from Chapters Tea & Co.!