JULY FEATURE #2: Blood Work – An Original Hollows Graphic Novel by Kim Harrison [ Edited ]

[paulgoatallen]

[dalnewt]

Blood Work is scheduled for release July 12. I love the Rachel Morgan series, and this graphically illustrated prequel is pretty irresistible. See below the overview of the book.

Overview

When Ivy met Rachel, the result wasn’t exactly love at first sight. Sparks flew as the living vampire and the stubborn witch learned what it meant to be partners. Now Kim Harrison, the acclaimed author of Pale Demon and Black Magic Sanction, turns back the clock to tell the tale—in an original full-color graphic novel.

Hot-as-hell, tough-as-nails detective Ivy Tamwood has been demoted from homicide down to lowly street-crime detail. As if rousting trolls and policing pixies instead of catching killers wasn’t bad enough, she’s also been saddled with a newbie partner who’s an earth witch. It’s enough to make any living vampire bare her fangs. But when a coven of murderous witches begins preying on werewolves, Rachel Morgan quickly proves she’s a good witch who knows how to be a badass.

Together, Ivy and Rachel hit the mean streets to deal swift justice to the evil element among Cincinnati’s supernatural set. But there’s more to their partnership than they realize—and more blood and black magic in their future than they bargained for.

(P.S. For some reason this Bookclubs are messing up the typed spacing on posts lately. Every-time I've tried to post something the HTML has been changed and things have been skipped or otherwise screwed up. To get a good post, you have to check it and retype it repeatedly.) 

[Sarah3973]

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paulgoatallen wrote:

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Quite frankly, I am all over this one like white on rice!

ETA:  Darnit!  Only available in hardcover.   I can't buy it if it's not in ebook format.  I made a bet with my husband.  

[pen21]

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Sarah3973 wrote:

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paulgoatallen wrote:

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Quite frankly, I am all over this one like white on rice!

ETA:  Darnit!  Only available in hardcover.   I can't buy it if it's not in ebook format.  I made a bet with my husband.  

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I hear you. I am trying to buy the majority of books on the nook. They are making it difficult for me. How did you get talked into a bet?

[dalnewt]

Maybe Blood Work's not in e-book form because it's a graphic novel. I mean how many graphically illustrated books are converted into e-books?

<Shrugs>I don't buy e-books so I wouldn't know whether graphic books come in e-books. However, I do know that if I bought a graphically illustrated book, I'd want it to be in corporeal form.

[kimba88]

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paulgoatallen wrote:

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Even though i love eBooks, i think i would want this as a book. I have now read books 1 through 9 of the Hollows   I saw other books by Harrison, that appear to have short stories about the Hollows, that include other authors..the reviews were mixed. any thoughts Paul?  

[Sarah3973]

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pen21 wrote:

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Sarah3973 wrote:

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paulgoatallen wrote:

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Quite frankly, I am all over this one like white on rice!

ETA:  Darnit!  Only available in hardcover.   I can't buy it if it's not in ebook format.  I made a bet with my husband.  

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I hear you. I am trying to buy the majority of books on the nook. They are making it difficult for me. How did you get talked into a bet?

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It was a moment of weakness about 5 minutes after I unwrapped the box.    But a bet is a bet so I am out of luck...UNLESS, I can borrow it from someone or the library...but I don't see our local library getting it.

As far as getting it in ebook format versus DTB; that wouldn't bother me at all.  <<<shrugs>>> I prefer the convenience of having magazines on my Nook Color and the images are perfect, so I think a graphic novel would be just fine too.  And being able to zoom in and out on the images would be pretty cool.  Of course, that's just personal preferance and since I haven't downloaded a graphic novel yet, I might be totally wrong about that.

[SciFiCanuck]

I'm not really a fan of graphic novels...but I do love the cover!  That's Ivy right?

[paulgoatallen]

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SciFiCanuck wrote:

I'm not really a fan of graphic novels...but I do love the cover!  That's Ivy right?

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Teresa:

Yes, yes, yes – that is Ivy! I'm not a big graphic novel guy but this one....wow.... a MUST READ if you're a Rachel Morgan fan. I just finished this! My thoughts are below....

Paul

http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/t5/Explorations-The-BN-SciFi-and/Kim-Harrison-s-First-Hollows-Gr...

[dalnewt]

I just ordered

Blood Work. I waited until today to see what the in-store price would be. It's expensive ($23.00 at my local B&N) as compared to the price on-line ($13.52).

I'm glad the novel features both great illustrations and a sharp story. Your blog was very well-timed Paul.

[Sovereign_Queen]

Yet another book I want, but I have a whole stack of books I need to read and haven't....

I need more time in the day.

~Suzi

[pen21]

I got Blood Work delivered. I started the book and finished it the same day. I really liked the graphic format. Blood Work had a good storyline and I liked the setting of Ivy and Rachel first working together. I definitely recommend this book if you like the Hollow series. And Kim Harrison is working on the second graphic novel in this series.

[Zkullis]

I think this is a great series, and I can't wait to get my paws on it!!  

[dalnewt]

I just wanted to add that I love the artwork in this book, especially the panoramic panels, were excellent. And, the coloring was subtle and beautiful.

The story line was good too. And, I liked that the story was told from Ivy's POV. I understand Ivy better after reading this graphic novel. 

This book is worth it just to see artistic versions of Ivy and Rachel.  Personally, I think Ivy a bit Lucy Lu and sometimes Rachel's mouth looks off, but on a whole the renderings of the two characters are excellent. 

[jgmme]

I read all the reviews, Pauls blog and waited as calmly as I could for Blood Work to come out. Being a big Rachel fan I was really looking forward to reading it too. That being said I have to say I really didn't like it to much. I mean it was OK, but overall I was not that impressed. Now please don't break out the pitch forks and torches. Like I said, I love the Hollows, and I really wanted to love this GN, but just couldn't get in to it.

Hoping I don't have to go into witness protection now.

[paulgoatallen]

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jgmme wrote:

I read all the reviews, Pauls blog and waited as calmly as I could for Blood Work to come out. Being a big Rachel fan I was really looking forward to reading it too. That being said I have to say I really didn't like it to much. I mean it was OK, but overall I was not that impressed. Now please don't break out the pitch forks and torches. Like I said, I love the Hollows, and I really wanted to love this GN, but just couldn't get in to it.

Hoping I don't have to go into witness protection now.

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Never pitchforks, Jo – and I completely understand. Graphic novels just aren't for everyone. I looked at this as a short story with illustrations that explored Rachel and Ivy's first meeting and that, for me, was just a great experience. I felt like I had gotten an insight into the two BEFORE the novels... I hear rumors that Kim might be considering a second graphic novel – I'm in!!!!

[dalnewt]

I can count the graphic novels I've bought on one hand. I'm just not attracted to them because the story-lines are usually too simplified. Plus, it seems like a lot of graphic novels are just over simplified versions of an earlier book. This is not the case with this graphic book. The story-line is original, and Ivy's POV is new. Of course the story-line is more streamlined then any book because it has to be. But, the truly excellent visual panels make up for it, IMO.    

There's a directness to seeing something that been visually rendered that cannot be replaced by words no matter how well chosen. In the 'Introduction' Kim explains that her brother was into comics during their youth. She looked over his comics then went back to her usual fare of sci-fi and fantasy. Today she admits that she can't remember hardly anything about those books she read, but she can remember her brother's comics. For most people, something visually rendered is more memorable than words. And, that's the reason I bought this book--to see the characters visually rendered. Twenty years from today I know I probably won't remember the specific story-lines of each Rachel Morgan book, but I will remember this one. 

[jgmme]

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paulgoatallen wrote:

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jgmme wrote:

I read all the reviews, Pauls blog and waited as calmly as I could for Blood Work to come out. Being a big Rachel fan I was really looking forward to reading it too. That being said I have to say I really didn't like it to much. I mean it was OK, but overall I was not that impressed. Now please don't break out the pitch forks and torches. Like I said, I love the Hollows, and I really wanted to love this GN, but just couldn't get in to it.

Hoping I don't have to go into witness protection now.

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Never pitchforks, Jo – and I completely understand. Graphic novels just aren't for everyone. I looked at this as a short story with illustrations that explored Rachel and Ivy's first meeting and that, for me, was just a great experience. I felt like I had gotten an insight into the two BEFORE the novels... I hear rumors that Kim might be considering a second graphic novel – I'm in!!!!

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I think that what killed it for me was that I had a very clear vision of what Rachel and Ivy looked like by the descriptions in the books. After 9 books they were pretty well fixed in my head, and when I started reading the GN, I said "that's not what they look like!!"

After that, it was hard for me to relate these characters to the real Rachel and Ivy that lives in my head. Ok, so I know that sounds crazy, but I can't help it. I have a very clear ideal for what each character looks like AND sounds like. Once it is there, there's no getting rid of it.

In fact the only time any character has changed in my head was with the last Jim Butcher book. I went on line and watched the clips of him reading the 1st few chapters of Ghost Story and really enjoyed it. Then when I got the book, I opened it up, and before I started reading, I heard this in my Head......" The voice of Harry Dresden will now be played by Jim Butcher." and it was.

Ok, its late and I best go now before someone comes by with a straight jacket.

[3monstersmom]

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jgmme wrote:

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I think that what killed it for me was that I had a very clear vision of what Rachel and Ivy looked like by the descriptions in the books. After 9 books they were pretty well fixed in my head, and when I started reading the GN, I said "that's not what they look like!!"

After that, it was hard for me to relate these characters to the real Rachel and Ivy that lives in my head. Ok, so I know that sounds crazy, but I can't help it. I have a very clear ideal for what each character looks like AND sounds like. Once it is there, there's no getting rid of it.

In fact the only time any character has changed in my head was with the last Jim Butcher book. I went on line and watched the clips of him reading the 1st few chapters of Ghost Story and really enjoyed it. Then when I got the book, I opened it up, and before I started reading, I heard this in my Head......" The voice of Harry Dresden will now be played by Jim Butcher." and it was.

Ok, its late and I best go now before someone comes by with a straight jacket.

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I'm the same way.  You get a clear picture of what a character looks like in your head and it just doesn't feel right when you're showed a different image.  Only once has a character been improved for me through a graphic novel and that was Adam from the Mercy Thompson series.  They drew him way better looking than what I had pictured and I had one of those "Oh, now I get it." moments seeing him like that.