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Griffin Ranger #2
The Monster lands
Stranded--alone on an alien world, where the very air is toxic.
Captive--held by terrifying, ruthless creatures who can’t be understood or reasoned with.
Griffin The Monster Lands concludes the story begun in Griffin Crossline Plains, as Ranger Harrell seeks to discover the fate of his missing daughter and the other creatures taken by the greenies.
Harrell White-shoulders and his companions find themselves trapped in a hostile, unfamiliar our own Earth. A world of thin, polluted air, deadly cars, and dangerous, xenophobic natives. Harrell is a prisoner of the greenie’s monstrous allies, where nothing is certain except that nobody leaves there alive.
Investigator Kwap and Tirrsill are left utterly alone, fighting starvation, lethal disease, and the strange land’s terrifying inhabitants. Hunted at every moment by enemies who won’t stop until both of them are dead.
Harrell and his companions struggle to endure captivity -- witnessing unspeakable atrocities, fighting back any way they can -- all the while knowing time is running out for all of them.
Their only hope lies with Kwap and Tirrsill, who not only have to survive in a land determined to kill them, but outwit their enemies and find Harrell and the other griffins before it's too late.
Captive--held by terrifying, ruthless creatures who can’t be understood or reasoned with.
Griffin The Monster Lands concludes the story begun in Griffin Crossline Plains, as Ranger Harrell seeks to discover the fate of his missing daughter and the other creatures taken by the greenies.
Harrell White-shoulders and his companions find themselves trapped in a hostile, unfamiliar our own Earth. A world of thin, polluted air, deadly cars, and dangerous, xenophobic natives. Harrell is a prisoner of the greenie’s monstrous allies, where nothing is certain except that nobody leaves there alive.
Investigator Kwap and Tirrsill are left utterly alone, fighting starvation, lethal disease, and the strange land’s terrifying inhabitants. Hunted at every moment by enemies who won’t stop until both of them are dead.
Harrell and his companions struggle to endure captivity -- witnessing unspeakable atrocities, fighting back any way they can -- all the while knowing time is running out for all of them.
Their only hope lies with Kwap and Tirrsill, who not only have to survive in a land determined to kill them, but outwit their enemies and find Harrell and the other griffins before it's too late.
532 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 13, 2017
About the author
Roz Gibson
17 books19 followersA native of Cleveland, Ohio, Roz Gibson is a graduate of the CalArts character animation school and has worked as an animator, illustrator, comic book artist and writer. Her works include the Jack Salem comics, the Ursa Major award-winning short story The Monkeytown Raid, the Griffin Ranger novels, and numerous other creations. Roz currently lives in the Los Angeles area.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 4, 2018
Well, I was going to give this book only 3 stars, just due to the slow pace which was difficult to get through for about a third or so of the book, but then the end got me and I've got to give it another star. I do love a story that ends well, and it was particularly nice to see such a dark tale end on a hopeful note.
A lot happens in this book, though for the slow parts it was a struggle to get through. But all the characters were well done, and I really liked seeing the bond between Kwap and Tirsill grow as they struggled to stay alive in the monster world together. Harrell and the other captive griffins had a unique, family-like relationship, and their tale was both lovely and very tragic.
The final battle scene lasted a long time, with much discussion between griffins and the "monster" humans, through a translator, which I found interesting. I wonder how people would react in real life if sentient griffins appeared suddenly in our world.
Overall, this tale definitely has some slow parts- beware! But it is a good conclusion to the story, and watching the relationships between characters was both heartwarming and heartbreaking. And the end tied everything up so well, and I'm left thinking about all those species that humans have wiped out, and what we could be doing better. From the eyes of animals, we truly could be monsters.
This was a pretty good story. Definitely read this if you enjoyed the first one!
A lot happens in this book, though for the slow parts it was a struggle to get through. But all the characters were well done, and I really liked seeing the bond between Kwap and Tirsill grow as they struggled to stay alive in the monster world together. Harrell and the other captive griffins had a unique, family-like relationship, and their tale was both lovely and very tragic.
The final battle scene lasted a long time, with much discussion between griffins and the "monster" humans, through a translator, which I found interesting. I wonder how people would react in real life if sentient griffins appeared suddenly in our world.
Overall, this tale definitely has some slow parts- beware! But it is a good conclusion to the story, and watching the relationships between characters was both heartwarming and heartbreaking. And the end tied everything up so well, and I'm left thinking about all those species that humans have wiped out, and what we could be doing better. From the eyes of animals, we truly could be monsters.
This was a pretty good story. Definitely read this if you enjoyed the first one!
March 29, 2023
i listened to the audiobooks of both books in this series. I found the first book in this series to be enjoyable if fairly slow paced. I was a little wary of how long this second book was - but from the very beginning, it was SO engaging, so gripping, that I listened to it every spare moment I had until it was done. I even found myself wanting to listen slower towards the end, as I didn’t want to be finished with it.
The way the griffin and monster worlds clash in this book was so interesting and engaging. The way we learned about the parallel worlds made me want to revisit the griffins’ world. There were some horrifying dark points in the book that made the stakes higher. The characters were really well-written, and I particularly loved Kwap. The ending was beautiful, believable, and felt so right.
So glad I picked up and continued this series - Monster Lands is one of the best books I’ve read in a while.
The way the griffin and monster worlds clash in this book was so interesting and engaging. The way we learned about the parallel worlds made me want to revisit the griffins’ world. There were some horrifying dark points in the book that made the stakes higher. The characters were really well-written, and I particularly loved Kwap. The ending was beautiful, believable, and felt so right.
So glad I picked up and continued this series - Monster Lands is one of the best books I’ve read in a while.
August 21, 2024
This—or, rather, the first book followed by this one, since it's less effective to read out of order—is a great example of effective use of negativity, unlike the disastrous slaughter I lambasted in another review. It's one thing, especially for the PROTAGONIST(S), to be the one(s) dishing out punishment in a more or less one-sided battle, it's another to have an exciting back-and-forth where both sides are doing their literal worst to the other and recoiling in horror in the aftermath. Even (or, ESPECIALLY) A Game of Thrones knows how to strike an engaging balance of despair.
Even though violence isn't really my thing, I like how Gibson handles it! Ranger Harrell (who takes a predictable backseat to Kwap and Tirrsill, as the prisoner vs. the ones who got away) often lashes out in violence at others, but he deeply regrets his actions when it backfires on him, such as —whereas Abby shows absolutely no sign of remorse at being a LITERAL MURDERER, defending it as "it was us or them" when the stakes weren't REMOTELY that drastic.
My docking a star for The Monster Lands is basically the same reason as for Crossline Plains: many spelling errors, most of which could have been easily caught by spellcheck. The ones that get me the most are the names of major/recurring characters(!), though I admit I've been too engrossed in the story to pay attention to grammar errors (if any?). I definitely would bump this up to five stars for the version I sit down and edit, but given it's *557* pages, I doubt that would be something I undertake any time soon (unless asked, haha).
What really got me hooked was the arc about adjustment to the "monster" lands: Kwap and Tirrsill surviving in probably the most hostile environment possible short of actually unbreathable atmosphere (or vacuum) while still being anthropologists about it—their discovery and *academic dissection* of pornography is strangely cute! :D (Also, "Stripes" and the monster he lives with, aww!) I also just really like the parts about learning to communicate with an entirely different lifeform, even though it doesn't go into quite the depth of Arrival, say, and there's just something a bit heartwarming about beings unfamiliar with simple pleasures, like cola, getting to try them for the first time! (But then, I adore Restaurant to Another World and similar books, so...)
Recommended for anyone who loves THICK books, since this certainly is one! In general, I like print more than scrolling e-books, but there were times I wished I had the e-book to read on the go, vs. reading the physical one only at home due to its unwieldiness! Also, the margins feel a bit narrow, with the words going strangely close to the edges of the page, with wide margins in the centers. It feels weird complaining about probably a half-centimetre offset, but it's taken me most of the book to get to the point I'm not thinking about it anymore. Just thought I'd mention.
Now, the issue is, where could the story go from here? I mean, interdimensional travel is a PRETTY big deal and all! Guess I'll just have to get the next book to see!
Even though violence isn't really my thing, I like how Gibson handles it! Ranger Harrell (who takes a predictable backseat to Kwap and Tirrsill, as the prisoner vs. the ones who got away) often lashes out in violence at others, but he deeply regrets his actions when it backfires on him, such as —whereas Abby shows absolutely no sign of remorse at being a LITERAL MURDERER, defending it as "it was us or them" when the stakes weren't REMOTELY that drastic.
My docking a star for The Monster Lands is basically the same reason as for Crossline Plains: many spelling errors, most of which could have been easily caught by spellcheck. The ones that get me the most are the names of major/recurring characters(!), though I admit I've been too engrossed in the story to pay attention to grammar errors (if any?). I definitely would bump this up to five stars for the version I sit down and edit, but given it's *557* pages, I doubt that would be something I undertake any time soon (unless asked, haha).
What really got me hooked was the arc about adjustment to the "monster" lands: Kwap and Tirrsill surviving in probably the most hostile environment possible short of actually unbreathable atmosphere (or vacuum) while still being anthropologists about it—their discovery and *academic dissection* of pornography is strangely cute! :D (Also, "Stripes" and the monster he lives with, aww!) I also just really like the parts about learning to communicate with an entirely different lifeform, even though it doesn't go into quite the depth of Arrival, say, and there's just something a bit heartwarming about beings unfamiliar with simple pleasures, like cola, getting to try them for the first time! (But then, I adore Restaurant to Another World and similar books, so...)
Recommended for anyone who loves THICK books, since this certainly is one! In general, I like print more than scrolling e-books, but there were times I wished I had the e-book to read on the go, vs. reading the physical one only at home due to its unwieldiness! Also, the margins feel a bit narrow, with the words going strangely close to the edges of the page, with wide margins in the centers. It feels weird complaining about probably a half-centimetre offset, but it's taken me most of the book to get to the point I'm not thinking about it anymore. Just thought I'd mention.
Now, the issue is, where could the story go from here? I mean, interdimensional travel is a PRETTY big deal and all! Guess I'll just have to get the next book to see!
September 11, 2021
Absolutely loved this book. Continues right after the abrupt cliff hanger ending of the first one and manages to be even more interesting. The entire book is all about the interactions between two species that basically never knew each other existed, and the way Roz managed to write it all from the perspective of the griffins was extremely well done. The descriptions of all human related things was exactly how I'd expect a species who's never met humans to be like.
Plot developed relatively slowly and through the point of views of several characters, but it was so interesting to me that I wouldn't have minded if it was even slower. I really wanted to learn more about how the griffin world and the human world were connected. It seemed to be based on parallel dimensions and I found it immensely intriguing.
Worth noting though is that, despite the slow plot, there is plenty of action, and that action is very gripping and engaging. And the book really picks up in pace towards the end, so much so that I was glued to my Kindle by the end, completely enthralled in the action and plot, and not wanting to quit or pause my reading until I found out what happened next.
I honestly cannot wait for the 3rd book in the series to come out. This one already had a pretty great ending, and I'm endlessly curious to see where Roz takes the series after this. If you enjoyed the first book and were wondering if you should pick this one up as well - you absolutely should. I cannot recommend it enough!
Plot developed relatively slowly and through the point of views of several characters, but it was so interesting to me that I wouldn't have minded if it was even slower. I really wanted to learn more about how the griffin world and the human world were connected. It seemed to be based on parallel dimensions and I found it immensely intriguing.
Worth noting though is that, despite the slow plot, there is plenty of action, and that action is very gripping and engaging. And the book really picks up in pace towards the end, so much so that I was glued to my Kindle by the end, completely enthralled in the action and plot, and not wanting to quit or pause my reading until I found out what happened next.
I honestly cannot wait for the 3rd book in the series to come out. This one already had a pretty great ending, and I'm endlessly curious to see where Roz takes the series after this. If you enjoyed the first book and were wondering if you should pick this one up as well - you absolutely should. I cannot recommend it enough!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews