Mini Book Reviews: The Red Pyramid – The Graphic Novel / LEGO Ninjago – Character Encyclopedia / Doctor Who Character Encyclopedia / The Brilliant Book Of Doctor Who 2012

I have an entire shelf of media tie in books, and during hurricane irma – when our internet was out for a while – I decided a lot of them were shirt/quick enough reads that I could get through some of them – to help out my pitifully lagging Goodreads goal.

So, here’s four mini reviews.

I know this is a little late – but hey, I’m back to doing book reviews!

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The Red Pyramid: The Graphic Novel

by Rick Riordan, Orpheus Collar

Official Synopsis:

Since their mother’s death, Sadie and Carter have become near-strangers. While Sadie has lived with her grandparents in London, Carter has traveled the world with their father, the famed Egyptologist Dr. Julius Kane.
One night, Dr. Kane brings the siblings to the British Museum, where he hopes to set things right for his family. Instead, he unleashes the Egyptian god Set, who banishes him to oblivion and forces the children to flee for their lives.Soon, Sadie and Carter discover that all the gods of Egypt are waking, and that Set now has his sights on them. To stop him, the duo embarks on a dangerous journey across the globe, one that brings Carter and Sadie ever closer to the truth about their family and its connection to a secret order that has existed since the time of the pharaohs.

The heart-stopping action and magic explode off the page in The Red Pyramid, The Graphic Novel, based on the worldwise best-selling novel by Rick Riordan.

Hardcover, 192 pages

Published October 2nd 2012 by Disney-Hyperion

Star Rating:

4 Stars

Review:

 I read The Red Pyramid WAY BACK in like, the sixth grade when it first came out. I was going through Percy Jackson withdrawal after binging the series.

And I loved it!

So I picked up the graphic novel second hand.

I LOVED the artwork in this. And the bulk of the story is here, so its a good refresher to continue the series without rereading the actual book, but the book loses a lot in the transition. So while I enjoyed this graphic novel, I recommend reading the full novel first.

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LEGO Ninjago: Character Encyclopedia

by DK Publishing, Claire Sipi

Official Synopsis:

This book is a comprehensive guide to every LEGO Ninjago minifigure, vehicle, and location released to date. Divided into chapters for each series, the first part of the book examines the 2011 Ninja and their locations, weapons, and dragons. Next discovered are the Ninja’s enemies, the evil Skeleton Army, and their vehicles. The second part of the book covers the 2012 sets, introducing the newest Ninja minifigures and locations, and their Serpentine enemies. Ninja Files in this section relate to the most recent set that the minifigure has appeared in, although he or she may have featured in more than one set. The final part of the book has a comprehensive list of all the Ninjago minifigures and sets for all fact-loving LEGO fans!

Hardcover, First, 176 pages

Published October 29th 2012 by DK (first published October 1st 2012)

Star Rating:

3 Stars

Review:

 I was REALLY into Ninjago a few years ago, as I watched it with my friends from camp. Around that time, I received this is a Reddit gift exchange, but I never read through it.

I figured with the Ninjago more coming out soon (as of the time I’m writing this its September 21st), it might serve as a good refresher of the characters.

Its cute – especially if your into the show, but its really general, and written in a kind of dumbed down way I didn’t love. Then again, its intended for 8-year-olds, and I’m 2 weeks shy of 18, so I won’t be too harsh on it.

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Doctor Who Character Encyclopedia

by Jason Loborik, Annabel Gibson, Morey Laing

Official Synopsis:

Meet all the most important characters from the entire history of Doctor Who, including every Doctor and companion. Packed with fascinating facts and statistics for characters from the Abzorbaloff to the Zygons, and with large cut-out poses and stunning stills from the program, this is the ultimate compendium of Doctor Who characters.

Hardcover, 203 pages

Published April 2nd 2013 by DK Children (first published April 1st 2013)

Star Rating:

5 Stars

Review:

 I’ve had this for a while, and I’m going through Doctor Who withdrawal (I need Jodie Foster’s season to start!), so I thought it was a good a time as any to read through this. It has new-Who and classic Who companions and monsters, and is a GREAT reminder of who even more minor characters are. I loved how it was done.

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The Brilliant Book Of Doctor Who 2012

by Clayton Hickman, Mark Gatiss, Steven Moffat, Gareth Roberts, Tom MacRae, Steve Thompson, Matthew Graham, Neil Gaiman

Official Synopsis:

The indispensable official guide to Series 6 of Doctor Who!

Hardcover, 160 pages

Published October 13th 2011 by BBC Books

Star Rating:

5 Stars

Review:

After reading the character encyclopedia, it seemed like a good time to read this. I found this in a clearance bin at the Miami Book Fair last year, and I’m super glad I got it, as its filled with references and behind the scenes for each episode of season six – which is one of the best, though more confusing, seasons of Doctor Who. I’m tempted to buy more of the Brilliant Books for the other seasons…

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Have you read any of these?

Do you agree with my thoughts? Disagree?

Are you planning on reading any of these books?

 

Let me know what you think!