Lenni Reviews: “Daphne Byrne” by Laura Marks & Kelley Jones

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Still mourning the loss of her father, fourteen year old Daphne Byrne doesn’t get along with her rich classmates and sees things others don’t. While her mother continues to see a charlatan medium in a desperate attempt to contact her deceased husband, Daphne’s visions get stronger and even talk back to her.

While the creature design is fantastically horrifying, some of the panels with the human characters are wonky. I get what the shadows are trying to convey in terms of emotion but the end result is blobby and unfinished. Thankfully, this isn’t a lot of the book. The rest of the art is perfect for a Victorian horror. And Daphne’s story is cool but I wanted more. I want to know where her abilities are coming from and the demon world clearly connected to her. I do hope a sequel is in the works for this one. 4 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: “The Prey of Gods” by Nicky Drayden

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Set in a futuristic South Africa where everyone has a personal robot and designer drugs are a frequent past time; we have a seemingly unconnected cast of characters slowly drawn into what could be a cataclysmic series of events.

I really can’t say too much more about the plot without spoiling the experience of how a young man named Muzi, his layabout friend, Elkin, a nail technician named Sydney, a superstar singer named Riya, a politician named Sydney, and a young girl named Nomvula are all connected to the end of the human race. You just need to read this. It’s ruthlessly creative, character-driven, thrilling, and almost perfect except for some aspects of the ending I didn’t like; which I won’t spoil. I loved it and highly recommend it if you’d like some futuristic sci-fi in a unique setting. 5 out of 5 and I hope there is more to come.

Review: Geomag Mechanics Challenge STEM Toy

Produced by Young Jeohn

Geomag’s Mechanics Challenge is a STEM Toy to teach kids physics. It's like building blocks for 7 years and older, except you have moving parts - in this case, a cannon and cannon fodder!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

00:07 - About this toy
00:20 - Unboxing
01:48 - Let's shoot the cannon
02:55 - How do pieces lock together?

04:34 - Game #1 - Shooting stick figures
06:02 - Game #2 - Don't miss the goal post
08:07 - Game #3 - A moving target
11:53 - Conclusion

The pieces use a locking mechanism that feel like a 3D jigsaw puzzle. The one that connect horizontally (sideways) use circular nibs while the ones that connect vertically (above and below) use square nibs.

The cannon uses gravity and a magnetic piece to "shoot" metal ball bearings, but you need to work on your aim. If you get good at it, you might even hit the moving target that's a part of game #3!

More info: https://www.geomagworld.com
(Review unit provided by Geomag)

Lenni Reviews: "The Medium-Sized Book of Zim Scripts: Vol. 1: Pigs ’n’ Waffles" by Rikki Simons, Eric Trueheart & Aaron Alexovich

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* This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a collection of not only scripts but behind the scenes stories. I knew I would love this book from the introduction, which has all the wit and humor once comes to expect from a show like Invader Zim. I'm not even one for digging into the background goings-on of a show I like; tending to just enjoy my chosen media and move on (or watch repeatedly). Despite this, I had a great time with the backstories and inspirations for the plots in the episodes.

This book brings even more fun to the original show and has me wanting to binge the entire thing all over again to see the fruits of such interesting labors. And these side stories are fantastically written. You get the feeling of being there with the emotions expressed and interactions of everybody - especially towards the end with the show's cancellation. It isn't accurate to say I can't know what it would be like to work with these people because this book showed me and I am delighted to have read it. I encourage fans of the show to give this a try.