Beelzebub's library

Authority is less engaging than Annihilation, but it has a better story.             Annihilation has a simple concept that provokes the imagination. Authority, perhaps by virtue of being a sequel, has the obligation of having a harder to explain the premise.             John Rodriguez, or Control, is the new director of Southern Reach, the organization which is in charge of monitoring and explaining Area X. The organization has decayed significantly since Area X popped into existence, setting the stage for an interesting setting along with posing some very cogent questions in this day and age. How do you solve a problem that no seems to care about? Should you even try?             Like Annihilation, this book brings up questions about climate change and humanity vs Nature and our own role in society and the role of...

“Leap days” by Ian Bennett and “Anya’s Ghost” by Vera Brosgol Since these two graphic novels are somewhat similar and neither is particularly long, I figured reviewing them together would make sense. Both take place in high school and they are both coming of age stories. They also both involve a high schooler befriending a supernatural force who allows them to cheat in school. LEAP DAYS We’ll start with Leap Days since it’s the relatively less emotionally charged of the two.             I was surprised by this book. When it opens, it’s pretty grim. Being more realistic, it depicts the crushing boredom of school and the frustration of a sense that you are wasting your time and not really learning anything. The protagonist’s name is Jake and he drifts through the day, unknown by everyone and uninterested in everything. The only thing that snaps him out of the malaise aside from eventually getting to go home and go to sl...