Bibliophilia: Lazarus – Greg Rucka

Lazarus 01, Family – Greg Rucka

Lazarus 02, Lift – Greg Rucka

Lazarus 03, Conclave – Greg Rucka

I’ve mentioned it before in several reviews of his work, but I am a huge Greg Rucka fan. Not just because he writes great stories, but because his stories feature fantastic female leads.

In an all too real feeling future, where nation states have collapsed, several incredibly wealthy families have carved out their own territories and are in a state of low level war with one another. A small percentage of the population serve these families - scientists, military, etc. - and are known as serfs. Everyone else is charmingly referred to as waste.

Each family has a lazarus, a genetically enhanced human who can’t be killed, who serves as a spy / assassin / protector. The main character here is Forever Carlyle, and she navigates her way through political machinations, both external and internal.

(The one point I quibbled about is why just one? Given that they have clawed their way to power because of their control of advanced genetics and other scientific fields, why stop at just one lazarus? Why not a whole army?)

Despite that one point, top notch.

Bibliophilia: Stumptown 1 by Greg Rucka

Stumptown 1: The Case of the Girl Who Took Her Shampoo (but Forgot Her Mini) – Greg Rucka

If there is an award for a male writing great female characters, Rucka deserves to win it. Once again, a capable, likable, screwed up gal - in other words, an actually believable character real people can identify with.

Bibliophilia: Batwoman: Elegy by Greg Rucka

Batwoman: Elegy – Greg Rucka

I’m a fan of Greg Rucka partly because, like Joss Whedon, he creates great female characters. When so many female characters in books and movies are either garnish that look nice or whiny victims, he creates female characters that are smart, capable, multi-faceted, and frankly, believable. His interpretation of Batwoman here is just such an example. Instead of merely treating her as tits with legs in a tight outfit, she is shown to be a complex and intriguing character. So you have great writing and then ... combine that with the stellar artwork of J. H. Williams ... and you have a definite winner.

Bibliophilia: Whiteout – Greg Rucka

Whiteout #1 – Greg Rucka

Whiteout #2, Melt – Greg Rucka

I like his female characters a lot: strong, resourceful, flawed. Humans in other words. 

Set in Antarctica, which makes for a really compelling back drop to the stories. The environment is as much a villain as the human villains. Neat to read of the artists techniques to render a world that is largely white. Would definitely like to see more of these.