My Monthly Anticipation | May 2021

Posted on by Lashaan Balasingam @ Roars and Echoes

Hello ladies & gentlemen,

Who doesn’t love the anticipation of new releases and things that they plan on doing? Every month there seems to be something new and exciting ready to hit the market for our consumption.

Being ready to embrace them with open arms is all we can really do.

To showcase this, I’ll be sharing my top 3 for each category of things that I look forward to this month right here, right now!

TO BE READ.

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Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells;
Release Date: April 27th 2021.

Murderbot gets entangled in a murder mystery and luckily for us fans, there are more of its adventures to come after this sixth entry!

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Chaos by Iris Johansen;
Release Date: September 1st 2020.

I finally cracked open this thriller that I’ve been dragging around for far too long!

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The Broken God by Gareth Hanrahan;
Release Date: May 20th 2016.

I’ll be diving into this 3rd entry later this month. I was caught off guard when the second book suddenly changed the main cast but now I’m ready for that kind of twist!

BOOK RELEASES.

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Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir;
Release Date: May 4th 2021.

I never read anything by Andy but saw the movie adaptation of The Martian. Maybe this latest book will make me want to read his stuff? To be determined.

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The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne;
Release Date: May 6th 2021.

I’m already in the middle of this one so I can’t wait to share my thoughts on it this month.

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The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman;
Release date: May 25th 2021.

This one sounds like so much fun. I’m going in with some expectations and I hope this new-to-me author will impress me.

COMIC BOOK RELEASES.

Issue #1 of Heroes Reborn comes out on May 5th 2021 over at Marvel.

While I’m not particularly excited about it, it might be a fun what-if story to indulge. I mean a story where the Avengers don’t exist? One can only wonder how anyone will now stop villains from ruling the world.

Issue #1 of The Good Asian comes out on May 5th 2021 over at Image Comics.

Writer Pornsak Pichetshote and artist Alexandre Tefenkgi join forces to deliver a Chinatown noir that sounds truly engaging!

Issue #1 of Wonder Girl comes out on May 18th 2021 over at DC Comics.

Picking up where the Future State: Wonder Woman story left off, we’re introduced to Yara Flor, a Wonder Girl that we’ve never gotten before. And Joëlle Jones to write and draw this too? Promising!

TV SHOW RELEASES.

The first episode of season 1 premieres on Netflix on May 7th 2021.

I’m thinking of trying the short comic book series by Mark Millar before the show comes out and if I hear enough good things about it, I’ll give this one a shot.

The first episode of season 4 premieres on Netflix on May 13th 2021.

Fans of the animated Castlevania series, rejoice! Another season is just around the corner.

The first episode of season 1 premieres on Hulu on May 21st 2021.

While Disney and Marvel continue to deliver their MCU spin-off shows (WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, etc.), they also got this weird and quirky show for fans to indulge. Reminds me a lot of Robot Chicken (which I never watched or got interested in). I don’t know if I want to try to understand this show though…

MOVIE RELEASES.

Out on May 21st 2021 on Netflix.

Director Zack Snyder returns with a non-director’s-cut-needed zombie apocalypse movie in the same vein as his Dawn of the Dead movie.

Out on May 28th 2021.

The not-really-needed sequel to the fantastic horror thriller is finally coming out after countless delays due to the pandemic! Who’s excited?!

Out on May 28th 2021 on Disney+.

This is a highly ambitious take on Cruella but Emma Stone looks staggering in this role. The tone and direction reminds of me of some kind of Harley Quinn’esque movie and, if done right, I’m down to give it a chance!

PERSONAL LIFE.

I’m quite happy with how I handled my month of April but I know it’s going to be a challenge to do just as good, if not better. I always conceived May as the month just before Summer begins (which is true anyways) and it’s usually the most appropriate time to organize myself if I’m to be ready to take on the unexpected (or expected). I don’t want to get carried away by a routine I get too comfortable with and want to make sure that I push myself to get more done than what my mind thinks is enough. I also want to try and keep my reading habits stable and maybe squeeze in more reading time, especially now that I got my groove back and am loving the pace I get through my books. Here’s hoping May will be a fantastic month for everyone, including myself!

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Thank you all for checking out my monthly anticipation post!

Now tell me what you’re looking forward to this month! Any new releases? Anything exciting you plan on doing?

Yours truly,

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Published by Lashaan Balasingam @ Roars and Echoes

Reader. Reviewer. Researcher. Criminology Ph.D. Candidate. Montreal, Quebec (Canada). Want to know more? Connect with him!

38 thoughts on “My Monthly Anticipation | May 2021”

  1. I just heard about Andy Weir having a new book, but I’m not sure if I will pick it up. The Martian is one of my favorite scifi books ever, I didn’t shut up about it for years after reading it. The movie was alright, but I enjoyed it more in written form, but maybe it’s just because I knew all the twists beforehand. Then a lot of people said his follow up book didn’t quite live up to the same standard, so I kind of skipped it. I’ll wait on reviews for Hail Mary to decide.
    Personally, I’m very much looking forward to Jupiter’s Legacy, even though I didn’t read it. Millar comics are often too violent for me, which I’m not sure the show will be too. The trailer seemed fine, but that could have been some class A trickery, because they didn’t want an R rated trailer.
    A very well known German actor (Matthias Schweighöfer) is in Army of the Dead, so I’m super curious about his role. I know they kept him German, because that man cannot hide his accent haha but it’s still odd to me to see him in such a huge Hollywood production. Then again, him and his girlfriend are also in the prequel movie “Army of Thieves” that is supposed to release in the next years. He must have not made a terrible impression.

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    1. That’s quite awesome! I didn’t get around to checking out his book before it was turned into a movie and just contented myself with the movie which was pretty decent in itself. Ohhhhh yes! I remember Artemis. I often heard people complain about the protagonist’s voice and whatnot. I too had to skip because of the reception from other readers. I’ve heard a lot of positive thoughts for Hail Mary though but I’ll let fans explore it first and maybe I’ll finally cave in and check it out afterward hahah

      I’ve read a couple of his superhero comics and can definitely see the appeal in his style of storytelling, but he is still quite legendary among comic book writers, especially with everything he’s achieved. I just never heard of Jupiter’s Legacy until Netflix dropped the trailer hahaha I’m curious for the comics and will definitely wait to see what people think of the show before ever giving it a try hahaha

      Hahaha I love how much support and passion you have for German actors/shows! Did you see the recent trailer for 1899 from the creators of Dark??? Can’t wait to see a proper trailer for it hahahah I read up on that prequel and am impressed that it was greenlit so fast. Hopefully, Army of the Dead will still be quite decent so that the prequel doesn’t suffer from it! 😛

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      1. That’s fair about Hail Mary and Jupiter’s Legacy. I think I won’t wait as long when it comes to the latter, but just binge it tomorrow haha I currently don’t have much better to do.

        Oh, yes!!! I gotta represent my mother tongue, Lashaan. Who else will??? I’m very curious about 1899, because that show has a top notch international cast. I’m worried they won’t be able to recreate the magic of Dark though. That was truly a piece of television art.

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  2. I didn’t know about ‘”The Good Asian” from Image, that looks/sounds intriguing! I’m not a huge fan of Zombie movies (but a BIG fan of the Resident Evil games…hm?) but obviously will give Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead a go since I did like his Dawn of the Dead remake.

    Going to watch season 4 of Castlevania, but to be honest…I wasn’t all that enthralled with season 3, I found my interest waning by the end!

    Surprised you’ve never checked out Robot Chicken, it’s often quite hilarious…that MODOK series looks very much in that mould – bummer is we don’t get Hulu in the U.K. so hopefully someone picks it up…I’m not hopeful though since no-one has done that with Animaniacs darn it!!!

    I might have to check out Andy Weir’s new book, I read the Martian, it’s pretty good but not essential if you’ve seen the film (I saw that first) as it’s incredibly faithful and there’s not much else about it.

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    1. Same here for The Good Asian. It being under Image Comics also gives me hope that it’ll be quite decent.

      I’m surprised to hear you’re not a huge zombie movie fan hahah Even odder to hear that RE works perfectly for you though hahaha I can’t say I’m big on zombie stuff but can definitely have fun with them when done right.

      I was surprised by the season 4 reveal out of the blue hahah Maybe things will pick up for you this time around.

      I think I was just too young when I first heard of Robot Chicken and wasn’t appealed by the animation design back then. I was a huge fan of Animaniacs though!!! I do find the new animation design for it not too much to taste but that’s really just my personal taste hahah

      Ohhh, I didn’t know that you read The Martian! But if you found that the book didn’t have anything more to add to the movie then I’ll probably not rush to read it for now too.

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  9. I look forward to hear, how you get on with Hail Mary. Mostly, I enjoyed the Martian, which was even quite funny in places, but I haven’t picked up his later books. More Murderbot! Very productive author – let’s hope it doesn’t affect the quality. Generally, I rarely follow a series to the bitter end. I always think they tend to go downhill or there is just too much repetition.

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    1. I haven’t any of his books myself but saw the movie adaptation of The Martian and it seems like the comedy elements were indeed kept in the movie hahah I agree about Murderbot. There’s already confirmation of 3 more books in that series to come. Hopefully, Martha Wells has a lot of original ideas for us.

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  11. The Good Asian looks intriguing!
    Millar’s Jupiter series was okay, though it’s your regular Millar 😉 I haven’t read the prequel, maybe it’s better. I’d say I liked Superior more, not to mention Civil War 😀 But since Civil War has been butchered by Disney/MCU and Netflix seems to have a much better track record with fidelity to dark/brutal comic books in their adaptations, Jupiter’s Legacy might be pretty good.
    Good luck with May!

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    1. I’ve read a couple stories by Mark Millar and I can definitely understand what you mean by “regular Millar”. Had to laugh at your jab at Civil War there. The movie could never reproduce the comic, especially considering their limited access to all the Marvel heroes implicated hahaha And yes, Netflix does indeed practice butchering source materials like Warner Bros does, for example, hahaha I’ll try the comic book out this month and see how people receive the show as it comes out. Good luck with May too, Ola! 😀

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  12. Army of the Dead??!! I didn’t know about that ZOMBIE movie!! I’m SO watching it!! I’m hopping back to the zombies once I’m done catching up on Daredevil and the Punisher.

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  13. I had no idea that the fourth season of Castlevania was coming out so soon? I thought I’d have to wait at least another year for it. This is definitely a pleasant surprise so thank you for letting me know about it. I’m really optimistic about Jupiter’s Legacy and I hope it’s as good as the trailer looks.
    I always feel like I should read an Andy Weir novel since they’re so highly regarded, but I also feel like his books are ones that I’ll either love or hate. I hope the Christopher Buehlman novel lives up to expectations. It looks like an epic read for sure.
    Hope you have a lovely month. 😀

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    1. Glad to inform you of its imminent release! I was surprised by how early this seemed too hahah I’m cautious about Jupiter’s Legacy but I’ll remain optimistic, especially if it sticks to the source material to assure some kind of cohesion.
      I don’t know anything about Weir’s writing style myself but people adored The Martian and praise for Hail Mary is quite constant across readers so far, so many I’ll finally crack and try one of his books out in the near future hahah
      Agreed! I hope Buehlman will impress me and join my list of awesome authors to follow going further! 😛
      Have a fantastic month of May, Lois! 😀

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  15. I’m curious to read your thoughts on Iris Johansen’s book. I’ve seen her name so many times but never read any of her work. I’ve yet to see The Martian movie but I absolutely loved the book. So far that’s all I’ve read from Weir, but it does have me very willing to try more. Real glad to hear you’re back in a comfortable groove that can still challenge you, and I hope you’re able to keep that going. I don’t really have any specific goals this month, which perhaps isn’t a good thing. 🙂 I’m looking to refind my groove. Haven’t practiced guitar for several days now, so I think I’ll do that today. As for books, I just picked up the library edition of Critical Role’s Vox Machina Origins comic series. I don’t play D&D anymore but love watching the Critical Role folks play, and it amazes to me to see a group that started playing for fun now have a Dark Horse comic as well as their streamed games. Cool stuff. Have a great month, Lashaan!

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    1. Same as you, I’ve seen her name everywhere but I never tried her books out. This will probably let me know if her books are for me or not.
      Oh, that’s interesting. His second book, Artemis, wasn’t unanimously loved, but I’ve been hearing only great things about Hail Mary though! The Martian movie adaptation was pretty good and fun if you ever thought of giving it a try.
      Considering what you’ve been going through with your eye, I think it’s safe to say that you shouldn’t beat yourself up if you haven’t found a groove yet for the upcoming months. Take it easy, my friend!
      I’ve heard of the Vox Machina stuff but never knew what it was actually about. Hope you have a blast with it. I’ve always wondered what it was like to play D&D but never got the chance or found an opportunity for it. With the right people, I can only imagine how fun that is.
      Have a fantastic month of May, Todd! 😀

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  16. Cruella… Hmmm… I have mixed feelings. When I saw the thumbnail, I, too thought of Harley Quinn. I have a feeling that this movie will be a disappointment but both Emmas will be amazing.

    It seems that whenever I feel like I’m getting a hold of things (routine), things switch up and I have to gasp for air a bit before the waters calm down again… But I’m glad that you’re looking forward to the stability of summer months.

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    1. It sort of makes me think of how Angelina Jolie’s Maleficent movies were received. Sure, she looks amazing in that role, but I think the story will flop, and I think that’s the fate Cruella will have too, unless they got something good on the story side of things!

      I don’t know or even think that summer will truly be calm and amazing though. I’m taking it one day at a time, for now, hahaha I do hope you find your own groove soon. It sounds like you’ve been going through a lot of mysterious things lately. Stay safe, my friend.

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  17. Emma Stone really looks like she’s going to kill it in her Cruella role. I hope the movie ends up being just as good as the trailer makes it out to be. 🙂
    Added The Blacktongue Thief and the first Murderbot book to my TBR list. They both sound like fun reads!

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