Grimm, Volume One: The Coins of Zakynthos

Title: Grimm, Volume One: The Coins of Zakynthos

Author: Jim Kouf [IMDb][Grimm Wiki] & David Greenwalt [IMDb][Grimm Wiki] (Plot); Marc Gaffen [IMDb][Grimm Wiki] & Kyle McVey [IMDb][Grimm Wiki][Twitter](Script); José Malaga [Glass House Graphics][LinkedIn](Art); Thiago Dal Bello [Glass House Graphics] (Colors); Marshall Dillon [Website][Google+] (Letters)

Publisher: DYNAMITE

Series: Grimm, Volume 1 (Consisting of Issues 0-5)

ISBN: 9781606904503

Length: 112 (Includes Cover Gallery)

Obtained: Library copy

Why this book?:

I requested the library purchase it as soon as I saw it was coming out.  I just love Grimm.

Comments:

The Coins of Zakynthos have been rediscovered and gathered by Nick and his mom, Kelly.  Kelly goes to destroy them, but not all goes as planned.  It starts from the TV show, but apparently goes beyond that (though I don't remember all the details from the show...my memory doesn't work that way).  It took me a bit to get used to the constant recaps, since this is actually 6 separate issues put together (and I'm new to this - comic books and bound volumes, etc.).  But once I had I was quickly involved in the story.  Some things I found interesting:

The gore in the comic seemed much more shocking than any of the gore I saw on the show.  I don't know if it was the format or some other factor that created that impression.

Monroe looked like Monroe.  Kelly and Hank mostly looked like Kelly and Hank (with occasional exceptions).  But Nick hardly seemed to resemble Nick from the show at all, IMO.

Anyway, I've already requested the second Grimm, Volume 2: Bloodlines (containing issues 6-12).  I look forward to that.  And in the meantime, the 3rd novel, The Killing Time by Tim Waggoner just came in for me and season 4 of Grimm begins Oct. 24th!!!  So I'm all set.

The Chopping Block

Title: The Chopping Block

Author: John Passarella [Website][Twitter][Facebook]

Publisher: Titan Books

Series: Grimm, Bk 2

ISBN: 9781781166567

Length: 315 pages

Obtained: Library copy

Why this book?:

As soon as I saw this was coming out, I put in a purchase request at the library.  I love the show Grimm; I simply couldn't pass this up.

Comments:

This came out incredibly soon after Bk 1.  And yet I felt that many of the complaints from the first book were addressed in this one.

Before you start reading there is a "Historian's Note" stating that this book would fall between the episodes "The Walking Dead" and "Goodnight, Sweet Grimm," while the timeline in regards to The Icy Touch was blurry. 

To me the characters in this book felt more authentic.  I didn't suddenly feel distaste towards characters I had previously liked.

While the story/crime was totally sick and gruesome, I was definitely engaged.  Your everyday average human is turning up in dumping grounds, wesen are eating them in an ancient tradition, and there is a tight deadline with friends and innocents lives on the line.

In other words, while I enjoyed the first book as a fan, this book was a definite step up.  I look forward to reading future Grimm books and discovering what else is in store for Nick, his friends, and Portland.

The Icy Touch

Title: The Icy Touch

Author: John Shirley [Website][Internet Speculative Fiction Database]

Publisher: Titan Books

Series: Grimm, Bk 1

ISBN: 9781781166543

Length: 312 pages

Obtained: Library copy

Why this book?:

As soon as I saw this was coming out, I put in a purchase request at the library.  I love the show Grimm, I simply couldn't pass this up.

Comments:

I haven't often read books based of of TV series (like one time with Monk in fact), so it's new.  I was a little thrown at first, because the book does not start at the beginning.  But I got over that.

Another thing that took some adjusting was the personalities.  I guess seeing and interpreting an actor's expressions and body language is different than reading their inner thoughts.  Because I had certain impressions about those characters that didn't quite align with what I was reading.  One character difference that stood out to me was Hank.  In the book, he was a bit whiny with the whole we should expose the Wesen to law enforcement thing.  He just doesn't come across that way on the show.  But there were other character things that I just can't think of off the top of my head.

Beyond that, visiting Nick, Monroe, Hank, Renard, Rosalie, Juliette, and Wu all in my beloved book format was way cool.  The historical flashbacks to Nick's ancestors were interesting, gave information that might have otherwise been info-dumping, and gave some new tidbits that Nick wouldn't necessarily have found in the trailer.

If you've never seen the show, you can still enjoy the story.  But you'll have missed a great deal of the background on the characters.  (Really, to get the best of the characters - watch the show.)

Overall, despite some disappointment, I still enjoyed the book and am glad I read it.  I look forward to reading book 2, The Chopping Block by John Passarella, due out February 2014.