Into Boneville

A few weeks ago I mentioned that I read Out of Boneville, the first book in the Bone series by Jeff Smith. I had picked up the book on a whim and had been fascinated by the first chapter in this graphic novel series. Shortly afterwards I picked up the second book The Great Cow Race and was brought deeper into the story. So after picking up books Three and Four on Tuesday at the library (and polishing them off in short order), I knew I had to go back last night and borrow the rest of the series. Once we got home I promptly sat down and read the last five books (5-9). I was up well past midnight, but it was worth it.

As I mentioned before, the Bone series follows the adventures of the Bone cousins after they are kicked out of Boneville and find themselves in a strange valley. The cousins, Fone, Phoney, and Smiley are as different as night and day. Fone is the main character of the story and is of the noble hero mindset. He's extremely loyal, intelligent, and caring. He's the heart and soul of the books. Phoney is the con artist. He's the reason they got kicked out of Boneville. His constant get-rich-quick schemes often lead the boys into more trouble or fuel the fire of whatever drama is going on. Smiley is the simpleton who seems to go along with either cousin. The cousins end up befriending Thorn and her tough-as-nails Grandma who end up being far more than we expect. They also encounter a friendly flea who helps them out, a tough and loyal villager who's sweet on Grandma, a red dragon who always seems to aid them at the right time, and a slew of other unique characters.

The story follows the group of heroes as they fight against the Rat Creatures who terrorize them, a gigantic mountain lion who can't decide his allegiance, and The Lord of the Locusts, an ancient evil that will destroy the valley and everyone in it. During the series we encounter ancient religions, a crazy hooded figure who'll stop at nothing to kill Thorn and kidnap Phoney, and enough magic and mischief to keep us entertained. Add onto that the constant schemes and dilemmas that the Bone cousins create or deal with and you have a pretty action packed series.


The series is located in the children's book sections of many bookstores. It was in the young adult graphic novels section of the library but I've also seen it in the adult graphic novel section of bookstores. One bookstore had it located in all three places. The series can be read by children but I actually think that adults might get more out of it. There is a lot going on in this series. In many ways it reminded me of the Lord of the Rings series. No matter what, it's a series I recommend. Quick reads, unique and interesting characters, lots of action, and some great humor and emotion. I was completely enthralled.

Since I Found Serenity

I'm not a huge fan of TV shows, although I do have certain ones that I watch, if they are on and I happen to have the TV on. I don't normally seek out shows and I so far have not found a reality show that I can even stand watching. If the television is on in our house it is normally tuned to either Discover, History, Comedy Central, or ESPN. (sports I've found are great background noise for writing).

With that said there is one show that I never seem to get tired of watching. Now I'm not a fanatical Browncoat like many people out there. (SciFi fans out there will get that reference instantly) But I have to admit that Joss Whedon's Firefly was one of the best written shows out there. Jeff and I sat down last night and watched the pilot again. (we have the DVDs) It had been a bit since I'd seen it but I'm reminded of how good that show was. For those of you who don't know, Firefly was a short lived series by Joss Whedon that combined elements of a Western with Outer Space. And it was amazingly good. It was funny, it was touching, it was exciting, and oh yeah, it was canceled half way through it's first season. Fox's reason seems to be that it was too expensive. And I have to admit that the sets were huge. They had to build an entire spaceship, plus all the land based settings.

The show focuses on the crew of Serenity, a Firefly class spaceship, that works at whatever odd jobs are available for a ship living on the fringes of society. Some of the jobs are legal, most aren't. These are thieves and scavengers and rebels. The land based worlds are a mix of huge Alliance (the ruling power) cities and frontier planets barely starting out. The premise may seem hokey to those who have never seen it but Whedon pulls it off by creating incredibly likable characters. And making it funny.

Mal, the captain of the ship, is loyal to his crew, sarcastic in the extreme, and a bit of a prankster. He'll shoot you if you betray him or his crew, but he'll do anything to keep his ship flying. Wash, his pilot, is a goofball. He plays with toys, invents mantras, and is constantly telling jokes, when not performing dangerous manuvers to get them out of scrapes. Wash is married to Zoe, the ships second in command. She served with Mal in the wars and is fiercely loyal to him. Kaylee is the ships engineer who is constantly upbeat, and nice to absolutely everyone. Jayne is the muscle on the ship. Always ready to shoot someone and constantly at odds with Mal about why he can't. To round out the group, there is Simon a doctor trying to protect his sister River, a crazy but brilliant girl the Alliance is chasing. Book, a preacher and often the only voice of reason, and Inara a courtesan (read high class prostitute) who travels with the groups to add respectability.

It may seem convoluted but the show is just spot on. The banter between crew members is fast and funny. There seemed to be actual chemistry between the crew. The jokes are hilarious, the plots are action-packed, and everyone on the ship is likable. You can catch the show on the SciFi channel (or SyFy as it is being called now) but your best bet is to rent the DVDs and start with the pilot. I guarantee you'll be hooked. One of the most well-written shows every made.