Batgirl: Batgirl of Burnside

This is not the Batgirl storyline that DC chose to move forward with, opting instead to do a reboot under the New 52 imprint. That makes me a little sad because I found this story very engaging and much less male gaze-y than the the New 52 Batgirl.

Barbara Gordon is ready to start her life anew in Burnside, Gotham's trendy district. She's got new friends, new gear, and new optimism but also new problems like a hacker stealing people's personal data for blackmail, a pair of punk rock psycho motorcycle girls, and a celebrity imposter plastering a blinged-out Batgirl all over social media.

This is a totally different take on the character from The Darkest Reflection. The art style is poppier with less emphasis on realism and it feels geared towards a slightly younger audience as well. That's either going to be a bug or a feature for you depending on preference. It does not have that gritty, Dark Knight feel but lighter tone doesn't mean lesser. Frankly, I really enjoyed reading it and I look forward to collecting the rest of the issues by this team.

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Assassin's Quest by Robin Hobb

It feels really good to be able to get through two or three books at once again. Near the end of this month, Spring semester starts and I know I won't have time again until it's over so I'm trying to get in as many as I can. Thus we come to the conclusion of the Farseer trilogy. Having escaped death's clutches once more, FitzChivalry Farseer is a wreck of both body and mind. He slowly and reluctantly pieces himself together to discover that Regal has declared himself king and abandoned the coastal duchies to the Red Ships in favor of moving the keep to the soft, inner lands of his birth. Fitz knows no other desire but to assassinate Regal in retribution but the king is protected by his coterie of Skilled men who would love nothing more than to drain the strength from Fitz. Thwarted at the last by Verity's Skilled command, Fitz journeys instead past the Mountain kingdom where the deposed Queen Kettricken has fled with The Fool, jester to Verity's father,...

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The Outsourcerer's Apprentice by Tom Holt

I don't know if I would call this a sequel but it is set in the same universe as Doughnut and When It's A Jar so it's definitely related. Benny just wanted to take a break from studying for exams by escaping into YouSpace for a while. Unfortunately, he has lost his doughnut and is trapped as Prince Florizel in a world that is falling apart. The Wizard who controls everything has been outsourcing all the magical labor for his own ends to different dimensions which has begun a ripple effect towards destabilizing the entire plane. Now, Florizel and his reluctant subjects Buttercup, a Red-Riding-Hood sick to death of having to kill talking wolves everyday, and Turquine, a knight suddenly curious about the increase in dragons and what that means for his union, must confront the Outsourcerer once and for all. Tom Holt is probably the next spiritual successor to Terry Pratchett in terms of humor. This series blends quantum mechanics, macroeconomics, and fantasy ...

The Literary Lucy

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