Jonathan Buchanan

A Howling Good Read

Revisado: 08-31-24

Non-spoiler summary: this is a funny, touching, action packed story about space aliens and dogs. Highly recommended (albeit this isn’t a kid friendly book) :)

(possible spoilers past this point, although I’ll try my best to keep them minimal)

I’ve been a fan of Jeremy Robinson since Project Nemesis, although I can’t say I’ve read all his books. I need to get on his Infinite Timeline and Chess books but I have too many books in my queue. The fact that Good Boys turned out to be a gem just puts the pressure to put more Robinson on my list :D

I enjoyed the Polarity characters. They strike me as a mix of Star Trek and Orville: funnier than a Star Trek crew but more serious than the crew from the Orville. You get their bond with each other as early as chapter 1 and we get to learn more through their dialogue and narration about their past, home life, and the customs of their home planet without there being a massive exposition dump. My only real complaint is that there is a big reveal regarding the Polarity that you kinda see coming but even that’s mitigated by the fact that there’s plenty of surprises you don’t.

The Earth characters are relatable and fun. We get a couple on their very first date that have great chemistry, a stoner, a government operative who is made to unhand the main characters (heh), and villains who seem like masterminds but are eventually revealed to be serving/trying to stop an ultimate force. They’re three-dimensional personalities and even the villains have sympathetic motives. To paraphrase my earlier statement, none of the characters are Saturday morning archetypes.

There’s also a golden retriever named Grover. Whatever’s coming to mind when you hear that, you’re (likely) correct :)

The story and lore built behind it is awesome. The structure is such that the action is split up between different characters and places, which works even if it sometimes causes revelations to pop up a few times. Not my favorite but not annoying. The connection between the Polarity, their enemies the Duran, and the creatures on Earth is pretty cool and and throws an wrench that’s both quickly worked out but also weighs on the rest of the book. Finally, something other media can take notes from, the book gives a satisfying ending while setting things up for a sequel (small spoiler: a sequel is coming about two months after this review is posted and the author specifically announced that this was part 1 of a trilogy). It pumps you up to see what the characters have to do and what happened to the world after the book’s events.

If you’ve ever read Jeremy Robinson’s books before, you can guess about the humor. From the tried and true bad language to both Polarity and humans often having no idea what the other is talking about, I laughed my butt off at many points in the book. I adored it because, unless I need to read/watch more sci-fi, I don’t often see characters not understanding references the aliens are making so it was a nice change of pace here. It happens MANY time so some people may get annoyed but I always got a chuckle from them. The king of comedy in this book is Chirk. He has the best dialogue and actions without being a one-note comedy relief, followed closely by the stoner Sean. Some of the best laughs I’ve had come from those two together. The best way I can describe Chirk is that he’s an R-rated Rocket Raccoon (if you love the Guardians of the Galaxy films, I can say with almost certainty that you will love this book).

Of course, I can’t review an audio book without talking about the narrator, Tom Taylorson. I know there’s audio book fans who hate it when narrators use different voices but I like it and Tom does it well here. All his voices fit the characters and he does female voices well. I occasionally forgot that this was a one person show. And let me perfectly clear: if any adaptation of Good Boys doesn’t have Tom Taylor son in the role of Chirk, I pray that it’s because they found someone equally great because it’s hard to think of anyone more perfect. Heck, the acknowledgments even state Jeremy picked Tom as the narrator after hearing him read as Chirk. I don’t know if he’s as funny on the page (although I have no doubt he is) but Tom Taylorson's narration doesn’t hurt.

This is a great book. This mixes mindless summer blockbuster awesomeness with the intelligence of the best literature. The stakes build up to a final showdown, none of the characters are one-note, and it mixes humor and seriousness so you’re on the edge of your seat, then fall back laughing at some of the characters’ antics or dialogue. I cannot recommend this book highly enough, either in print, book, or audio. Jeremy Robinson hit it out of the park and is definitely a good boy.

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A finale and sampler, all in one.

Revisado: 02-10-24

**DEFINITE SPOILERS FOR THIS & PREVIOUS BOOKS**

When I first read Project Legion, my experience with Jeremy Robinson only extended to his novels starring his Goddess of Vengeance, ie. the Nemesis Saga. I’m mostly sure I didn’t even read Island 731 until after this or Project Hyperion. It’s a credit to Jeremy Robinson that someone like me could enjoy this book having just read the Nemesis Saga without reading about the other characters who cross over here.

Once again, Jeremy Robinson delivers a great novel but, more importantly, he ties up the loose threads of the series to send-off his monstrous creation in a way that makes you wish for more but doesn’t leave you disappointed this is the end. The novel dives into the action right away, doing away with the comedic beginning to ease you in the story. Have no fear because this novel delivers the heart and humor alongside the action and suspense just as well as the previous novels.

The character growing is not as prevalent as in earlier novels, but this book DOES reflect on the changes that have happened over the series. It works since the previous novels did such a good job setting them up and allowing this one to be an action packed yet still thoughtful and hilarious ride. There’s still room for growth as Maigo finally feels comfortable in her skin and becomes a leader like her adopted father Jon. We also get some character development for the emotionless giant robot Hyperion (but I won’t say more so there’s something to entice readers ;) ). Other than that, the characters are still who we love and we even get inside the heads of those who until now, we didn’t follow as much (with significant action examination for Watson and Joilet).

The novels balances all that PLUS introducing not only new characters but ALSO new parallel dimensions. To quickly summarize the “Full Nemesis Saga Experience,” Project Legion brings in characters from the following Jeremy Robinson novels:

Island 731
Nazi Hunter - Atlantis (aka I am Cowboy)
Raising the Past
MirrorWorld
The Jack Sigler Thrillers
- Pulse
- Instinct
- Threshold
Human After All (previously Xom-B & Uprising)
The Didymus Contingency
The Last Hunter
SecondWorld
(and, obviously, the previous four Nemesis novels :) )

If that seems daunting, please understand: it helps if you read them all but is absolutely NOT necessary. I haven’t read them yet and still understood the characters and their situations enough. Jeremy Robinson clearly knew that Nemesis is the gateway drug to his work for at least some of his readers (at least for me) and shows enough of these characters to make us love them and (I’m sure Jeremy hopes) make us want to look up these non-Nemesis books. Whether you read the non-Nemesis novels or not, the new characters add to the story with their differences and similarities to the established characters, either being of the same mind or wondering “What the heck’s going on?”

The ending, as I said before, is excellent. I don’t want to spoil too much, about whether it’s happy, sad, or if every character gets what they want or need. All I can really add is that, going 5 for 5, Jeffrey Kafer is once again a supreme narrator. On occasion it’s not immediately clear when he switches to another character in a conversation but 98.5% of the time, it’s clear and he is epic, tender, thoughtful, or hilarious 100% of the time, depending on what the scene calls for.

I wrote this review in anticipation of the new novel Nemesis, an alternate-universe “What-If” concerning Nemesis. I’m of two minds: a tale in an alternate-universe keeps Project Legion as a pure, grand finale but Jeremy Robinson has shown in six novels (counting Island 731) that he can deliver on what his novels promise. Even if there was a direct continuation, Project Legion would still be a great endpoint of a six-book series. It has all the hallmarks that made readers fall in love with Nemesis and the FC-P crew and is a great intro to other stories if you decide you need more Jeremy Robinson on you bookshelf (digital or otherwise). And, who knows, maybe Nemesis will come back someday in a future Jeremy Robinson crossover. With this author, the more out there the concept, the more likely :)

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Setting the stage for some heavy metal

Revisado: 02-10-24

**DEFINITE SPOILERS FOR THIS & PREVIOUS BOOKS**

Even a novel clearly meant to set-up the next book, Jeremy Robinson expands the Nemesis saga in a thoughtful, funny, and action installment and gives this novel its own arc and conclusion. I can think of a few would-be franchises that could’ve taken notes from this.

We learn more about the alien threat that ultimately led to this series’ events and that Earth stands on the precipice of utter destruction. Nemesis becomes a force of good, or at least willing to fight against the ultimate villains without also wiping out humanity in the process.

And a giant robot gets added to the mix. Is there a series that isn’t improved by the addition of a giant robot? (Imagine how hilarious it’d be if Paddington Bear got his marmalade-stained paws on the controls of some giant mech?)

We get to see Maigo become more assertive and take an even more active part in the team. We get to see her as a leader, taking cues from her adoptive father and getting rewarded with a new weapon. It’s also fun & sweet to see more of the sisterly bond with Lilly that was hinted and mentioned in Project 731 as well as just seeing the two play off each other. If Jeremy Robinson ever wrote a spin-off series with just them, I would be on board.

We get to see how Nemesis evolved with having Katsu Endo as her human conscious. It not only keeps the series fresh but also helps showcase the differences between Katsu and Maigo, from their maturity and morality to, ultimately, a good illustration to how better things can be when people aren’t forced into doing something.

Typing that last sentence made me realize that might be the point of the novel. It is revealed that, in an ongoing war between two different offshoots of the same species, humanity’s nature was altered to make it more willing to fight for freedom. It opens a can of worms of whether free choice really exists if the very idea was forced onto humanity and the novel’s answer to it, acceptance but with a hand sign that’s neither Hawaiian nor peaceful, is likely the best answer any media can have and especially fits this series’ tone and viewpoints.

Hyperion is also a fun addition. Emotionless/subdued characters have a long history of adding to the dynamics of a cast of characters with their hearts on their sleeve (see Spock or Data) and Hyperion joining the likes of Jon Hudson and the FC-P doesn’t disappoint. It’s droll delivery against Maigo’s panic is fun and her and Nemesis learning to trust this mechanical thing is a nice touch (all the characters are wary of it but Maigo and Nemesis have a particular reason).

The action is always cool and Jeremy Robinson always seems to find new ways to depict battles, including an awesome drone fight (I’m not doing it justice; trust me, it’s cool). The new monsters are cool and imaginative, and we get a few returning kaiju that’s, while not earth-shaking (pun not intended), still a nice touch at showing the powers of one of the factions in this book.

Jeffrey Kafer excels again narrating the novel. While it’s sometimes hard in multi-character dialogue scenes to know when one character starts and another begins, it’s still mostly clear who’s speaking and he performs the emotions of each character flawlessly. Jeremy Robinson’s writing doesn’t need elevating but Jeffrey does it anyway.

Like I said before, Project Hyperion manages to be a satisfying novel in its own right while making sure the stage is set for the big finale, a rare feat considering how many companies want to get into the big crossover business. Thankfully, Jeremy Robinson knows people only come back if the current story is great. I find it hard (not impossible; everyone has different tastes) to think of no one who wouldn’t want to read the next book after reading this.

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Congratulations, it’s a BFS

Revisado: 02-10-24

**POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR THIS & DEFINITE SPOILERS FOR PREVIOUS BOOKS**

If you thought Nemesis’ death in the previous book meant the end of the series, maybe it was supposed to but lord knows you can’t keep a monster down if you have a story to tell or there’s money to be made. Luckily for this series, it’s either the former or both with a MUCH heavier emphasis on the former.

One important difference is that this serves as a sequel to both the previous Nemesis Saga novels AND Island 731. We see more involvement with the three Island 731 characters (Mark Hawkins, Avril Joliet, and Lilly) as well as the big threat of that novel, the BFS (ultimately renamed to the less crude “Tsuchi”). In addition, we see that there’s an even more shadowy organization than the ones in previous books. Finally, we get to see how Nemesis and Maigo function while away from each other.

I enjoyed Maigo’s addition to the cast of characters and how it affects others, especially the unlikely hero of the series Jon Hudson. We see them grow more attached to each other and their struggle reconciling their past relationship with each other and with Nemesis. The relationship between Maigo and Nemesis takes a new turn as Maigo struggles with her role in Nemesis’ previous rampages yet still cares for the kaiju’s well-being. Coupled with not knowing what she is (accepting she’s not the original Maigo but wondering if she’s a monster even without Nemesis), Maigo’s a great addition to the series.

It's great seeing more of Mark Hawkins after his smaller role in Project Maigo and seeing more how the events of Island 731 affected him. He’s still fundamentally the same but, without the novel outright saying it, seemingly suffers from PTSD over the incident and driven to avenge the friends he lost in the previous book. Avril Joliet is still fun but has a subdued role compared to Mark and adopted daughter Lilly. Lilly, on that note, is a hoot. Stubborn without being annoying or unkind, she’s has great chemistry with most of the characters and is second to only Jon as the character with the best dialogue, spoken or inner. The new villains are fun, having well rounded characteristics without being sympathetic enough you don’t smile when things go wrong for them. There’s not much to say about the returning characters; they continue to grow based on how events change them, never becoming cheap caricatures based on one trait (although Jon still has a delightfully filthy vocabulary).

One thing I really enjoyed about this novel was its exploration of family, especially when it comes from (EXTREMELY) unexpected places. We see how Jon and Mark react to becoming fathers at practically a moment’s notice and how everyone at the FC-P treat Maigo and Lilly as either daughters or nieces. It’s just among the many things that make this series thoughtful and heart-warming. It makes the funny moments feel warmer and raises the stakes of the action scenes since it has the potential of breaking up a family as well as weaken a badass monster fighting team.

Another interesting concept Project 731 explores is what Nemesis is without Maigo’s consciousness fighting to curb her excessive anger/hatred. Even without Maigo reining her in, the novel does a great job showing there’s still a thoughtful soul behind the monster while illustrating just how screwed humanity is with an incomplete Nemesis.

The novel does great in continuing to raise the stakes with not only the Tsuchi making it to the mainland (an understood danger that turned out to only be delayed by the characters’ action in Island 731) but also showing that there were/still events and secrets going on behind the scenes of the previous novels. It merges Jeremy Robinson’s earlier novel Raising the Past into the Nemesis Saga and, like Project Maigo merging in Island 731, Raising the Past fits in with no problem and without needing to have read the earlier novel although it is a good novel if you enjoy the Nemesis saga. (word of caution; reading Project 731 first spoils Raising the Past’s twist).

Once again, Jeffrey Kafer’s narration elevates Jeremy Robinson’s already awesome, elevated writing. Not much to add if you’ve read my earlier reviews, the dude’s makes funny lines funnier and intense scenes more heart-pounding. Not always clear when one character starts and another ends in multi-character scenes but those are very rare. Jeffrey’s on point again in this series.

Project 731 makes the Nemesis Saga 3 for 3 in good storytelling, 4 for 4 counting Island 731 (and 5 for 5 adding Raising the Past). Jeremy Robinson once again expands his universe in fun, creative ways and we get to enjoy the ride. You’ll not be disappointed when it becomes clear not all the threads will be tied up by the last page or when Rick Lewis says “Audible hopes you have enjoyed this program” because Jeremy Robinson is clearly getting ready for something epic.

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Don’t worry, it’s stompy.

Revisado: 02-10-24

**POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR THIS & DEFINITE SPOILERS FOR PREVIOUS BOOKS**

In my review for Project Nemesis, I called it (among other good things) an excellent summer blockbuster. I hesitate to use the same term for Project Maigo, the sequel to Project Nemesis... if only because sequels have a bad reputation, and I don’t want you to think of Project Maigo as anything less than a 2nd masterpiece starring Jeremy Robinson’s contender for America’s Kaiju.

Without repeating a huge chunk of my Project Nemesis review (which I finished writing just minutes ago), this is an engaging story of how a small group of people try and protect the world from kaiju threats. Not “a” kaiju threat, as more kaiju appear courtesy of returning villain Lance Gordon. We see Jon Hudson and his team go against Gordon’s merry band of monstrosities as well as a government bureaucracy that starts growing complacent when a year passes without Nemesis reappearing. Add to that Gordon’s former associate Katsu Endo and his sister offering to work alongside them on behalf of the company partially responsible for Nemesis’ creation and it’s clear the situation escalated. That said, this book doesn’t lose the humor and humanity of the previous book. It’s still more than “monsters make smash” that’ll have you laugh while making you question morality alongside the characters. Basically, it’s a smart story with juvenile humor. An excellent combo.

That said, the humanity of the previous book is still intact. Unlike many sequels, Jon Hudson and Ashley Collins’ relationship hits a few hurdles but they remain a loving couple (I hate it when a sequel breaks a couple up just to put them back together in the sequel). Jon also has to deal with the connection that formed between himself and Nemesis/Maigo in the previous book, including how it looks to his superiors. Katsu is still an enigmatic quality. Even when he’s helping Jon and the FC-P, you never know if or when the other shoe drops, and he or his sister Alessi switch sides. We also the start of a mini-arc for Jon’s co-workers Watson and Cooper that’ll take us through the rest of the series.

We also get new characters Mark Hawkins, Avril Joliet, and Lilly... at least, they’re new if you never read Jeremy Robinson’s Island 731. Jeremy does a good job both introducing and reintroducing them for whoever needs it, despite only playing parts in the beginning and the end. Alessi is basically another Katsu without being a clone, if that makes sense. The novel does a good job introducing small differences for variety.

That leaves, as best as I can without going on forever, the main attractions. Nemesis is, again, a badass awesome yet thoughtful creature. We see more of the struggle between monster and girl who, like Jon, have to try and figure out their connection to him. It’s again a look in a kaiju’s psyche unlike Godzilla or Gamera. While that’s missing from the other five kaiju that appear in this novel, they make up for it by having different personalities and raising the stakes for everyone involved. Even the big bad of this and the last novel, Lance Gordon, is a three-dimensional character. It’s twisted but there is sympathy with him wanting a connection with Nemesis again while still keeping him an antagonist.

An equal part of this book’s success is the writing and world-building. They’re dense enough to paint a picture but quick and flowing enough to move the story quickly enough that it feels like you’re reading an action-packed movie. You can clearly see everything happening in your mind’s eye and you’re on the edge of your seat the whole time. I also give credit for how clearly Jeremy Robinson describes each kaiju. You get a clear idea what every creature looks like even without the illustrations at the end of the ebook (and missing from the audiobook so more kudos to Jeremy). That’s a strength all the books have but I’m noting it here since we have five new ones that still share characteristics with Nemesis.

As before, while it’s occasionally difficult to know when one character starts talking in a two-person conversation, Jeffrey Kafer expertly brings the characters to life. His narration of Jeremy Robinson’s words brings the story to life in a way not even a 1000-person strong film crew could equal.

Project Maigo succeeds where many sequels fall short: it continues the original’s story without undoing and/or repeating elements of it. It is a great read just like Project Nemesis and, really, like most of Jeremy Robinson’s novels. If Project Nemesis shows it’s possible to tell an action-packed, funny, and thoughtful story starring a giant beast, Project Maigo shows, in a talented writer’s hands, it’s not a one-off phenomenon.

Slight spoiler... the magic doesn’t end at two.

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NOT a tropical getaway.

Revisado: 02-10-24

**LIKELY SPOILERS FOR THIS & OTHER BOOKS**

When I first read Project Maigo (Project Nemesis’ first sequel) I did not realize new characters Mark Hawkins, Avril Joliet, and Lilly had appeared in another novel written by Jeremy Robinson. I realized they did when I researched the Nemesis Saga some more and found Island 731 so I read it, between the 3rd and 4th Nemesis novels the first time and between the first 2 when I reread on audio. This was the novel where I knew Jeremy Robinson didn’t need his orange and black Goddess of Vengeance to create a good story.

The premise is simple: characters trying to catalog ocean pollution stumble upon on an island with monsters and fight to survive and escape. What makes THIS unique is just the characters and interactions with each other. They feel like how real people would react, both before and after all hell breaks loose (and boy, IT DOES). The creatures are all unique, as well as where they came from and the question of whether they’re really monsters. The story moves quickly and equally good at the quiet moments as well as the big action scenes which, if you came to this book from the main Nemesis novels, you’ll assume play in your mind like a summer blockbuster on screen (and you’d be right). There’s humor; not quite as prevalent as it is in the Nemesis books but you won’t be disappointed either.

Mark Hawkins is a more serious protagonist than Jon Hudson (something examined for a bit in the sequel Project 731) but he’s still an interesting and unique character. He has tracking skills that’s almost superhuman and his backstory would’ve made for a great novel in its own right but here is just another insane ingredient to a near madcap story. Avril Joilet is a fun character, even though she spends a good amount as a hostage or victim. She’s still a smart character and has enough of both sass and compassion that, in a rare criticism on the Nemesis novels (at least from me), I wish she got more to do. The rest of the characters are fun and believable, including Lilly (I won’t reveal her role in the story for both those coming from the Nemesis novels and in general) and the villains.

Jeremy Robinson vividly paints with words with describing everything, from the island and all the locations as well as all the creatures. They’re extremely inventive creations, terrifying yet awesome. That said, the book makes it clear that they’re only monsters because the main characters are at the wrong end of the food chain and the actions of the villains, a shadowy WWII era research facility. It examines whether the circumstances of birth matter compared to how you act.

For my most recent re-read, I listened to the audiobook for the first time and was introduced to R.C. Bray. He’s a solid narrator, doing what all good narrators do and embody the emotion of the scene and characters. He doesn’t have the same lightness as Jeffrey Kafer in the Nemesis novels but that’s more of what the novels gave the narrators and the differences between their respective lead characters. Island 731 is a heavier-themed novel and R.C. is perfect for it.

Island 731 is different from the Nemesis novels but it still has the same action, characterizations, hopefulness, and all-around imagination of the Nemesis novels. If you’re coming to Island 731 as a prequel* to the Nemesis novels, you’ll realize Jeremy Robinson is not a one-trick pony and is capable of multiple stories in the sci-fi and fantasy genres. If this is your first ever Jeremy Robinson novel, BOY, do I have 5 excellent suggestions as follow-ups. In either case, this is a solid sci-fi adventure and will make you crave more Jeremy Robinson, regardless of who the main characters are.

*I checked; Project Nemesis was published before Island 731. (bit of nit-picking: prequels are only prequels if they came after the original work. The book The Hobbit is a precursor to the book Lord of the Rings since it came first while the Peter Jackson adaptations reverse this since The Hobbit was adapted AFTER the Lord of the Rings was adapted. That’s it for my soapbox :) )

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A monster equal to Godzilla

Revisado: 02-10-24

**POSSIBLE SPOILERS**

I remember when I first discovered Project Nemesis; years ago, I was on a kaiju (giant monster) kick and I wondered “Hm... I wonder if anyone ever tried to tell a giant monster story in novel form?” I searched on Amazon and came across several. I remember THIS catching my attention and I simply decided to take a chance.

As I think you can assume by my rating, I became an instant fan of not only Nemesis, but her creator as well (and I don’t mean Zoomb).

Without giving a full plot synopsis, this story examines humanity’s response to a giant monster arriving in the world. While that sounds done to death, Project Nemesis has several differences. For starters, the human stories (yes, plural) are just as compelling as the title behemoth. They have arcs, wants, characters flaws to overcome, and are interesting enough that you’re not impatiently waiting for the monster to start stomping. One of the things that keeps the book moving is it’s almost juvenile sense of cussing. It’s absolutely low-brow language but definitely realistic to the situation the characters find themselves in and definitely lightens what would otherwise just be doom and action.

The main character, Jon Hudson, has an almost artistic use of foul language that nonetheless doesn’t feel forced and fits with his situation of having to try and stop Nemesis. His partner/love interest Ashley Collins straddles the line between competent and able to trade smart aleck remarks to each other. The supporting heroes, Woodstock, Watson, and Cooper, don’t have a ton to do but are instantly memorable and are each unique additions to the story.

We also get great villains in General Lance Gordon and his assistant Katsu Endo. They have understandable desires without being too sympathetic and basically stand toe-to-toe with the heroes. Ruthless, smart, and have moments of where they’ll make you chuckle too. All the characters have three-dimensional personalities, even the nameless victims who, in a change from most giant monster media that I’m aware of, often get a chapter to themselves before their demise. They’re not always sympathetic, but they well-rounded in the time they have and are certainly more memorable than a lot of victims in other kaiju media.

Which brings us to the star herself: Nemesis. Jeremy Robinson clearly wanted to make an impact with his creation and made something that would clearly stand out even without illustrations (although you get the cover and some art at the end of the ebook). More importantly, though, is she has a soul and is as well developed as the humans she stomps/tries to stomp. We see her thoughts and how she’s understanding what’s going on, giving us her views. Unless I need to watch more kaiju films, I don’t think any other media dives this deep.

That’s not to say this is some stuffy, literary tome; it’s a smart story but it’s also a VERY pulse-pounding summer blockbuster of a book. Your mind will play the events in your mind like a high-budget action flick, and you WILL want to read it to the big finale. That said, it’s smart and there’s a mystery building throughout the novel to, which builds to make for an extremely satisfying climax. You’ll likely be sad once you reach the end, to which I say “Have I got five reason for you to be happy?” There are five sequels (one taking place in an alternate universe) and they’re unlike summer movies in that they’re about as high quality as the original, but that’s for future reviews :)

I’ve read this novel several times, the most recent time being this audiobook edition in anticipation of 2023’s Nemesis, the most recent novel to star the Goddess of Vengeance (Nemesis’ nickname). Jeffrey Kafer is, in a word, awesome as the narrator. First off, he’s straight up perfect as Jon Hudson’s voice but he’s able to embody every other role in the book. It’s occasionally difficult to know when one character ends their dialogue and another starts but 95% of the time, you’re fine. Even then, I can imagine it being hard to make up voices for multiple characters (even Mel Blanc needed electronic help) so I don’t let a few minor moments of confusion take away from a great performance of a great book.

And that’s what that is. Without the miniature sets and dedicated actors in heavy rubber costumes, Jeremy Robinson crafted an excellent story that can stand alongside your favorite Godzilla film. It’s a serious story but it still knows when to cut loose and make you laugh or your pulse pound. I’ve heard rumblings about Project Nemesis being adapted into a TV series. If the series is even half as good as the book is, we’re in a good spot (I say that knowing things DO have to change when adapting books to TV/film). But even if it bombs harder than the military’s attempts to stop Nemesis, this book will still stand as a great Kaiju thriller, a great sci-fi book, and just a great overall story. Buy this NOW, you won’t be sorry.

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Not so fast, little man. The ***** is back.

Revisado: 02-10-24

**LIKELY SPOILERS FOR THIS & OTHER BOOKS**

(* I swear, I believe the word written in stars should NOT be used to denigrate women but only to refer to a woman who can kick butt and take names. For all her nastiness, the villain from the 1995 movie Casper IS a no-nonsense woman I wouldn’t want to mess with and if anyone can claim to kick butt and be no-nonsense, it’s our girl Nemesis *)

What a happy feeling it was seeing that Jeremy Robinson was bringing back the Goddess of Vengeance for another go-around, smashing stuff and not even taking names. It was almost torture waiting for this (ESPECIALLY if you were waiting for the audiobook as there were delays outside Jeremy’s control) but just knowing the best contender for the title America’s Kaiju was coming back made me excited in many ways. Unlike so many other remakes and alternate universe retellings, Nemesis’ return doesn’t disappoint.

Instead of Jon Hudson (although he and several other characters from previous novels get mentioned), we follow Agent “Spider” Graham of Nemesis Special Operations or NSO, an organization that finds the guilty and feeds them to Nemesis before she can stomp the world looking for them. The story follows Graham, a man who’s repressed his feelings due to his job start to open up again as he follows the trail of a cult who worships Nemesis and wants to follow in her example using their own criteria (spoiler: this has the potential to destroy the world).

Fans of the previous Nemesis novels can already tell things went sideways somewhere and this novel does a decent job alluding to where the divergence occurred while keeping some mystery. We know even Nemesis’ creation is different because of the presence of a certain character and a change in their circumstances.

Jeremy Robinson called this novel grittier than his previous Nemesis novels and I can see it. Jon Hudson’s power play at the end of Project Nemesis is the norm in this novel and we see how it affects the veteran Graham versus his rookie partner. However, the book knows that a sense of humor is one of the several things that set Nemesis apart from other giant kaiju media and Graham’s potty mouth is one of several things Jon Hudson would be proud of. There’s a motorcycle chase in the last third that’s pure, action-fueled, comedy gold. On that note, like the previous novels, this book plays like a summer blockbuster and you can almost hear the too-loud sound effects and see the stunts with visual effects in your mind’s eye. It does SLIGHTLY rehash some overall plot threads from Project Nemesis but is still its own story, with plenty of surprises and unique spins.

Of course, also the same as previous novels, the humans are just as compelling as the title character herself. Graham is the crusty old codger the blurb promises him to be but with him narrating, we get to see inside his head as he examines his life and his work while seeing his changes as a person. His partner Tilly is also fun, trading snark with Graham on the same level as Jon and Ashley Collins in the previous novels while having a different type of relationship. Claire Blackwater, the leader of the biker gang Nemesisters, is a fun love interest and arguably the most badass character in the novel (well, as far as the humans go) and Jennifer ‘Chipmunk’ Fisher, aka “Munk”, is what I suspect an audience surrogate for Jeremy Robinson’s fans while still being a well-rounded character, ie fun and slightly insane. The rest of the cast is great, especially one particular human character who returns from the previous novels. That character is changed but they still feel like the character from before and is how’d you’d expect them to be in this alternate universe (no, I’m not spoiling who it is :) ).

I will spoil that, while Nemesis is still the baddest creature in the story (in both senses of the word), we don’t get a look inside her head like in the previous novels. It’s not a huge loss since we have new characters and new versions of old characters to meet but there is a slight loss that we don’t see inside Nemesis’ mind like before. It’s definitely acute since there’s a big change in her back story, although I can’t be too harsh if Jeremy Robinson is planning on revealing more in any potential sequels. All in all, she’s still a satisfying threat AND hero.

As for how badly you need to have read the previous Nemesis novels? Badly. Those are excellent novels, well-written and...

Oh, you mean to be able to understand this one? My mistake :) It’s not necessary at all. Any past info you need, it gets repeated here. There’s one character who’s name is revealed near the beginning that’s played as a shock but is only a shock if you know the original novels’ backstories. However, that’s the extent of that. In fact, it almost helps if you HAVEN’T read the previous novels already. The previous novels dive into Nemesis’ backstory and reveal things that couldn’t have happened the same way they did in this novel, leaving more questions for long-time fans. In other words, Jeremy Robinson did the near impossible and wrote a follow-up that’s great for everyone but friendlier to newcomers than previously-obtained fans (and, even as one of those fans, I appreciate the audacity in that :D ).

(Seriously though, I’m likely not the best judge of how standalone it is because I HAVE read the previous novels, in fact re-read them in anticipation for THIS book. I still think it works as a standalone but my apologies if I’m wrong).

I’ve listened to R.C. Bray before on the excellent Island 731 audiobook (I need to read more Robinson novels :) ). I knew his less humorous reading was due to the less humorous writing but I still was worried if he could handle the humor of a Nemesis novel. Well, this novel proved he certainly can and does. R.C. is perfect as all the characters but perfectly captures Graham’s world weariness, no bullshit attitude, and snark that, as implied before, can go toe-to-toe with Jeffrey Kafer’s Jon Hudson on snark and “colorful metaphors” (#LLAP). Not much else to say except, if you’re not sure if you want to get into audiobooks, THIS is probably a good first step.

All-in-all, this novel continues Jeremy Robinson’s track record with his black and orange monstrosity and even manages it without the human characters that made the original series so special. I had my doubts he could do it again, but he’s proven me wrong and my only hope now is that THIS is just the opening salvo to a new Nemesis series. The Goddess of Vengeance needs continual sacrifices.

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An awesome look at an awesome man.

Revisado: 11-24-23

I was in the mood to listen to the autobiography of a great man, a leader in his field, as I love seeing where such people came from and what made them what they were.

Unfortunately, The Autobiography of Jean-Luc Picard wasn't available in audio. That's alright though, because Patrick Stewart's biography was even better :)

(In all seriousness, The Autobiography of Jean-Luc Picard is a great book. Fingers crossed if the publisher ever gets Patrick Stewart to do an audio version :) )

I'm not one for biographies except for ones about a person I REALLY like. Patrick Stewart fit that bill so I bought this to learn more about the man in the red uniform.

It's at times heart-breaking, then heart-warming, with an excellent amount of humor. We see Patrick grow up in a poor, less than happy home, with an abusive father. We follow along his journey to be a working actor, almost alongside him through every up and down, until his writing this book. Through it all, Patrick is humble and admits his mistakes, having an air of someone who found what he wanted because of everything he's been through.

There's a chapter about his getting on Star Trek and good amount of Trek trivia sprinkled about but don't get this because you're hoping this is ALL Star Trek (funnily, he admits he didn't even pay the original show much mind until he got the TNG offer). Marvel fans get even less trivia (although we get a tidbit about his meeting Hugh Jackman). Trust me, this book soars BECAUSE it's not just sci-fi nerd trivia. This is Patrick Stewart's story and it's as engrossing as anything with Jean-Luc Picard or Professor X.

If anything, it's Shakespeare nerds that'll get a kick out of this book. We get to hear about the Royal Shakespeare Company, plus learn about some plays that the average person might not know much about. The book even ends with a short Shakespeare performance (not counting a preview of the audio version of his Christmas Carol one man show). Fans of older British films and shows will definitely appreciate name drops of future celebrities when they were young up and comers like Patrick (Brian Blessed jumped out particularly), plus moments where he got to work and meet his idols (he was a fan of David Warner and enjoyed when he guest-starred in TNG).

Of course, since I'm writing this on Audible, I got to hear this story from the man himself. While I would've loved to hear this from his younger voice, his voice still carries a presence and felt like a well-spoken grandpa telling his story to his family. I read one review that said he performed this with no emotion and I have to ask "Did we listen to the same book?" I can feel him cherishing and mourning these memories. If you expect him to cry at some points, I feel time has healed most of the wounds enough and, despite what I said about him being a grandpa, this is still a product that's to be sold so people can experience this book while listening as opposed to seeing words on a page or screen.

All in all, I recommend this to anyone. It's not just for fans of Star Trek, X-Men/Marvel, Shakespeare, the art of acting, or even the man himself. This is just a great story of how a little Yorkshire kid fought and achieved his dream of becoming an actor, and then some. It's a great story even for those who can't tell a Star Trek from a Star Wars (there IS a difference, but that's a discussion for another time and place).

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Not the best version but still has show’s spirit

Revisado: 01-25-23

I absolutely LOVE the musical The Prom. While I love Wicked and Hairspray more, The Prom is a close third, telling a serious & heartfelt story while having fun and having great songs and music. I fell in love listening to the cast album, then I fell in love again seeing the tour and, while I don’t agree with every change made, I can recommend getting Netflix for a month to enjoy a 95% true adaptation. I was intrigued when I heard about this novelization because, other than loving The Prom, I didn’t hear about a lot of musicals adapted into novels (Dear Evan Hansen and Annie being the only other ones I can think of) so I had plenty of reason to give this a purchase.

The Prom is the story of, among other things (that’ll be important later), Emma Nolan wanting to take her girlfriend Alyssa Greene to the prom. The problem is that they live in a homophobic town, Alyssa hasn’t come out yet, and the PTA threatens to cancel Prom over Emma taking a girl. Oh, and the person leading the PTA and the crusade for a heteronormative prom is Alyssa’s mom. Saundra Mitchell, knowing she has more time in her novel than Bob Martin, Chad Beguelin, and Matthew Sklar had with a stage musical, does a very good job expanding Emma and Alyssa’s story. Having both girls narrating, she shows what happened before the musical to set up how they meet and showing what’s either revealed in exposition or implication.

It does make significant changes that still fit in the spirit of the musical. The most significant is Alyssa taking more of a role to help Emma, setting up the community meeting to discuss Emma taking a girl to prom and has a more active role in the climax (no spoilers ;) ). Another significant change is, because Alyssa narrates half the story, the story going more in depth into her mother’s mindset and helps flesh out her motivations so it’s a little easier to understand what she does at the story’s mid-point. We also get more of Emma’s Nan, a sweet caring woman who came in when Emma needed her and is probably the one thing the novel (and movie) had that I wish the stage show did.

As I said, everything is in the spirit of the musical. It’s serious but has fun as well. Emma and Alyssa have more chances to show off their wit to make up for the fact the novel can’t include the music. Even with the changes, things still progress mostly like the show. There are moments where the songs’ lyrics are reused as dialogue or narration without being out of place that I thought were a nice touch. There were a few times, mostly early in the book, where it winked at the fact that it was adapted from a musical that made me chuckle. Most importantly, the story in general gave me the same warm feeling I got from both the stage show and movie. If that’s not the mark of a good adaptation, I don’t know what is.

That said, this is far from perfect for two very big reasons, reasons I think fans of the musical can surmise by the lack of mention in my review so far...

A lack of Dee Dee Allen and Barry Glickman.

Yeah, in the stage and film versions, the story was ALSO about a bunch of narcissistic Broadway actors who look for a cause to fight for to improve their public image. This sets them up to meet Emma and have their own character development alongside her and Alyssa.

They’re not completely written out and still play major parts. However, the setup for their involvement is only an interview with them at the start of the novel and the news their musical tanked then they’re gone for almost half of the book. Again, the expansion of Emma and Alyssa’s stories works great in novel form. My question is “Why not expand Dee Dee & Barry’s stories as well?” It wouldn’t be so bad if they’re only a background presence throughout the novel but they still come to the same conclusion (being selfless just for the heck of it and because they care about Emma) and the novel wants us to care as much as Emma and Alyssa’s conclusion without the earlier set-up. Novels can be grandiose and big so I felt a novelization could’ve expanded Dee Dee & Barry’s stories alongside Emma & Alyssa’s. Dee Dee has little contact with Emma & Alyssa that she could've almost have been cut out.

I’ll give some credit; the reveal to Emma and Alyssa about Principal Hawkins and Dee Dee’s romance is cute. Also, there were two more Broadway actors who joined Dee Dee & Barry (Angie Dickinson & Trent Oliver) who are completely cut from the novel but their parts are combined well with Dee Dee (making a reference to the song “Zazz” in place of Angie) and Barry (the star of TV’s ‘Talk to the Hand’ and the one who talks to the kids later in the story). In addition, they’re still the same characters as the other versions, with Barry still bonding with Emma and being a replacement father.

As you can guess, I experienced this in its audiobook format and can say it was great. I always applaud when an audiobook to an established franchise brings back actors/actresses to narrate them and The Prom didn’t disappoint with the return of original Broadway cast members Caitlin Kinnunen (Emma) and Isabelle McCalla (Alyssa) narrating their respective characters’ chapters. Beth Leavel (Dee Dee) is also involved with the interviews (with an interviewer played by Tara Sands) that start and end the story and Josh Lamon (the absent from the novel Sheldon Saperstein) interviews the creative team to end the book itself.

Caitlin & Isabelle are both excellent narrators. They don't make huge changes with their voices for different characters and it’s sometimes hard to make out who’s who when their narrating for their own character talking with the other main character (ie, Emma with Alyssa or vice versa), but they are still great narrators. They nail everyone’s emotions, ESPECIALLY their original characters when they talk about their love for their girlfriend and their fears about going through their day or how certain revelations could make a major change in their life. MAYBE other actresses could’ve done just as good a job but Caitlin & Isabelle know their characters and the story very well and I can’t imagine anyone else narrating the story as well... although I don’t doubt Jo Ellen Pellman (film Emma) & Ariana DeBose (film Alyssa) also doing a great job at it.

One other thing I HAVE to talk about; the music. Other than Star Wars audiobooks, every audiobook I’ve listened to seems to compose new music for their intro and outro. I’m sure it’s cheaper than licensing music but it made the fan in me soar hearing The Prom’s overture open and close the book. However, that was NOTHING compared to the fact a portion of a song is ACTUALLY SUNG in the audiobook. At the risk of spoiling what song and when, it actually fits the story in a diegetic sense (ie, it’s a song to both the characters and the audience) and extends the song’s power by showing how it affected Emma & Alyssa’s classmates in addition to queer teens outside the town. All in all, I was not expecting ANY music from the show so what’s here was a pleasant surprise.

EDIT (2/6/2023): I realized I made an error: the song is not actually the song that happens at that point in the musical. That said, it's repurposed for the moment and worked so well... well, I didn't realize the switch. I just wanted to speak up in case anyone noticed and thought I was trying to trick people.

All in all, I have to recommend this to fans of the show/movie/cast album and anyone who likes a feel-good teen romance. While losing a good portion of the story is not a good thing, there’s too much still in here and expanded on to trash completely. Just know that it’s not a perfect adaptation but, like the show & movie, by the end you’ll feel warm inside (sorry for spoilers :) ) and be glad you read/listened to it. You’ll feel so good you’ll probably (and I apologize but if the audiobook can include one of the show’s songs, why can’t my review :D)...

“You’ll say cue the drums
And take to the floor
That's what the floor's for
It's time to dance.”

PS: Seriously, the film’s worth a month’s subscription to Netflix :)

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