Book Review: UPGRADE SOUL by Ezra Clayton Daniels

UPGRADE SOUL graphic novel by Ezra Clayton Daniels (Lion Forge Press, September 2018) Trade paperback 272 pages.

Synopsis on the Goodreads website . . . . .

For their 45th anniversary, Hank and Molly Nonnar decide to undergo an experimental rejuvenation procedure, but their hopes for youth are dashed when the couple is faced with the results: severely disfigured yet intellectually and physically superior duplicates of themselves. Can the original Hank and Molly coexist in the same world as their clones? 

In Upgrade Soul, McDuffie Award-winning creator Ezra Claytan Daniels asks probing questions about what shapes our identity-Is it the capability of our minds or the physicality of our bodies? Is a newer, better version of yourself still you? This page-turning graphic novel follows the lives of Hank and Molly as they discover the harsh truths.

My FIVE-STAR Review on the Goodreads website . . . . .

Add UPGRADE SOUL to the list of graphic novels to recommend to friends who are skeptical of the ability of comics to tell compelling and complex stories. This is a fine example, and I can't imagine the story having as much power had it been presented as a print novel without the visuals. The illustrations, including the clever use of colors and shading, enhance the story in way that I don't believe could be as effective without it. This novel is a great candidate for a film version or an animated feature.

This was the monthly selection of a book club that I belong to, and I read the graphic novel quickly over two days. UPGRADE SOUL happened to be one of the few choices that generated a lot of thoughtful discussion in the book club, including wandering off into tangents on related subjects like eugenics, cloning, and what defines a person and their soul. 

The story takes place in the 1990's, before the advent of advances in artificial intelligence when experimentation (human or otherwise) was being conducted on the fringes. There are many heart-warming moments, but overall this a sad and tragic storyline. At least it conludes with a ray of hope.

I want to return to this novel at a future date, and read it much slower - - which it truly deserves. I'm sure I will derive even more of significance in doing so and will be adding to this review then.

This one requires a lot of thought and reflection.

Book Review: FLESH OF ALL SORROWS by Jeffrey J. Mariotte

FLESH OF ALL SORROWS by Jeffrey J. Mariotte (Crystal Lake Publishing, August 28, 2026 release date) Kindle Edition, 397 pages. ASIN # B0HBNRY7CZ 

The publisher’s synopsis:

Daniel Mansfield Jr. has spent his life in the shadow of a legend. His father—the celebrated police chief who ended the reign of The Bookbinder, a serial killer who used the flesh of his victims to bind his books—left Daniel a name to live up to and a department to inherit. Now Daniel sits in that same chair, in that same town of Sossaman, Arizona, carrying that same weight.

Then a young woman turns up dead bearing The Bookbinder's unmistakable signature.

The problem is Brian Quintana, the man Daniel's father arrested, has been behind bars for nearly forty years. Which means either an imitator is at work, or Daniel's father put the wrong man away.

As clues pile up and another victim disappears, Daniel must confront the most dangerous question of his career: what if the legacy he has dedicated his life to protecting was built on a lie?

Meanwhile, Johnathan Ottilie is unraveling a secret of his own, one that connects his family directly to The Bookbinder's dark history in ways he never imagined and cannot outrun.

Two families. Two inherited sins. One small Arizona community that will never be the same.

Fast-paced, propulsive, and relentlessly suspenseful, this is a crime thriller for fans of Thomas Harris, Michael Connelly, and Jeffery Deaver, where the hunt for a serial killer forces a son to choose between protecting his father's name and serving the truth that could destroy everything.

The roots of evil run deep. Only blood can tear them out.

MY FOUR-STAR REVIEW on the Goodreads website . . . . .

What makes this book stand out from the pack is what happens beyond the fast-paced police procedural thriller. In addition to a serial killer, there are subplots involving a family legacy, politics, corruption and dissent within a police force, and small town social life.

The story is told in alternating first-person and third-person narration from two main points-of-view. What impressed me the most was the way that two different individuals tried to live up to their family legacy - - - and either succeeded or failed, or managed to do both. One had a famous father; the other an infamous father. 

What impressed me the most was Mariotte's story-telling ability and the way he juggles all these elements and brings them together to form a captivating story. The action scenes are seat-of-your-pants, hold-your-breath until it's over. It's easy to empathize with many of theses characters and also not difficult to understand the less savory ones. That's a great writing skill.

Music of 2026, #21: THE MAHARAJAS

Listen here . . . . . .   THE MAHARAJAS - Just Drink Wine

Music of 2026, #20: DREAMWAVE

 DREAMWAVE - Moon Buggy

DREAMWAVE - Murmurs On the Dunes

Video: LUCKY

 

LUCKY on Apple TV:  If you enjoy crime thrillers, this is the ticket!  I won't spoil it by telling too much. This needs to be experienced.  Outstanding performances from Timothy Olyuphant as a devious and charismatic con-man. Great to see Annette Benning back. She does an amazing job as a ruthless crime boss.  Kudos to Anna Taylor Joy (enormous eyes) and the other actors.  FOUR AND ONE-HALF STARS.

Watch the trailer here . . . . . . . . .

LUCKY - Official Trailer

Music of 2026, #19: THE CORNER LAUGHERS

Click the links below to listen and view . . . . . .

THE CORNER LAUGHERS - Rainbow Cardigan 

THE CORNER LAUGHERS - Dusking

Music of 2026, #18: SPENCER CULLUM

Click the links below to listen and watch . . . . . . . .

Spencer Cullum - ROWAN TREE 

Spencer Cullum - MUSIC ON THE HILL