*Book source ~ A review copy was provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Dr. Dan Miller is a plant biologist working for a company trying to accelerate plant growth in an effort to relieve world hunger. However, when a demonstration for the press results in unintended and unexpected consequences, the city of L.A. goes up in flames. It’s up to Dan to find a solution before the whole world burns.

This story appealed to me because I’ve been hearing about GMO foods for awhile now. I like the spin this novel takes on what could happen, but then I like apocalyptic-type books. Watching L.A. go up in flames and the possible emergency response is definitely interesting and the story held my attention. Dan is a small cog in a big machine, but people are counting on him and he has to step up. He does a good job holding it together for a peon suddenly in the spotlight. The illustrations are fantastic and the information at the end helpful. All-in-all an entertaining graphic novel.

*Book source ~ A review copy was provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

For ten long years Ben Prescott has been a monster who hunts monsters. Turned into a vampire on Christmas Eve and left to figure things out on his own he killed the one person he loved, Simone Laurent. Now, he hunts those who prey on the innocent. But he’s about to make a terrible mistake and his eternal soul rests in the balance. When he’s visited by three supernatural beings, he needs to not just listen, but really hear what they are saying and change his path or he’ll be hitching a ride on the Hellbound train. Maybe he won’t care about his own destiny, but what about Simone’s?

A heart-wrenching Christmas story where, instead of three ghosts, Ben has three supernatural beings visit him to try and get him to see that he’s headed straight for Hell, no hand basket in sight. A demon, a ghost and a shifter (sounds like the beginning of a bad joke) do their best with the hour they have with him, but Ben is such a hard case. In fact, I wanted to beat his head in a bit just because he was being so willfully blind. How much more proof did he need by the time the shifter showed up anyway? Yeesh! Anyway, other than that, this may be a short read, but it’s got a lot of emotion packed into it. If you like your Christmas stories with some paranormal goodness (especially when it’s a retelling) then I recommend picking this one up.

*Book source ~ A review copy was provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Star Trek Enterprise has a crazy man on board. He manages to escape to the planet below, but this isn’t any old planet and Captain James T. Kirk and crew are about to find out how different and mind-boggling it truly is.

Fans of the original Star Trek show most likely count The City on the Edge of Forever as one of their favorites. I know it’s in my Top Ten, maybe even in my Top Five. I’ve never actually sat down and catalogued them. Written by Harlan Ellison, it was one of the best episodes of the series in terms of story and acting. However, this graphic novel is a bit different than what aired. It’s still an excellent story, but I think I prefer the plot tweak the show had over this one.

The illustrations are wonderful. I would definitely seek out more stories illustrated by J.K. Woodward. Having seen the show first and now reading the novel, I’m having a hard time deciding if the story told in the novel is sufficient to get the point across. There do seem to be a few gaps, but the story is sufficient to get the point across. And the ending is as heart-rending as on the show.

I can’t remember if this quote was in the show, but it’s in the novel and I have to include it.

“No woman was ever loved as much, Jim. Because no woman was ever offered the universe for love.” ~ Spock