Is it strange to request a book based on a comic that I've never read? I've also never seen any Judge Dredd movies. But I am aware of the concept and as a science fiction story I was very interested in reading this. The idea of a 'judge' with telepathic abilities is really intriguing to me.

Judge Anderson: Year One is actually three novellas in one book (<em>Heartbreaker</em>, <em>The Abyss</em>, and <em>A Dream of the Nevertime</em>).

I enjoyed <em>Heartbreaker</em> the most of these three. As an introduction to this character of Judge Anderson, this was a great way to learn about her abilities and personality. The story was generally fine (a little more on the stories in a moment) and had plenty of action to keep the reader entertained.

<em>The Abyss</em> also had plenty of action but I started to get confused as to her status as Judge.

The last of these really did nothing for me. By this time I felt I understood the character as well as I was going to. I was really hoping for more of the character.

Which leads back to my thoughts on the stories.... Overall this was fine, but not in any way spectacular. This read like comic books/graphic novels without the art. They were full of adventure, but slow on character development. Characters develop in comics, but at a very slow pace and they tend to assume the reader already knows a fair amount about them. I was definitely hoping that since this was a novel (actually a collection of novellas) that we'd get more character-driven stories - dive into who this is - but we don't.

It wasn't a bad read, but I was definitely hoping for more.

Looking for a good book? <em>Judge Anderson: Year One</em> by Alec Worley reads like a comic book without the art. It's full of action, but not much more. A good airplane read.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

It wasn't quite what I expected, but the story of Judge Anderson was compelling and well executed.

A real page-turner that encapsulates everything I love about the 2000AD universe. Brutal, gritty and thrilling, these three novellas give us an insight into Anderson's first year as a judge, something the films could never portray.

wasnt really sure what to expect from this book.. I had a hard time getting into the story, I am not sure if that was just because it was so different from what I thought (like graphic novel not short stories) or if it was something else (to be fair to the book I had a lot going on distracting me at home & work). I think it was well written, just not what I was needing to read at that particular time.

Maybe too much time in Mega-city for a single dose?

Alec Worley’s collection of three novellas covers Judge Anderson’s first year on the job. Unfortunately for Worley, the book also reads like his first year on the job. Anderson is constantly told she is exceptional, some kind of psychic genius, but she only ever shows the reader how incompetent she is. She complains about the corruption within the Justice Department, how she doesn’t like to use deadly force (why did she become a Judge in the first place?) and is constantly going off on missions half-cocked. There is very little character development over the course of the three stories and the ‘action sequences’ (aka 90% of the book) are far too long. Judge Anderson: Year One is a tedious read that will leave even the most hardcore fans fatigued.

I didn't find any eight-page bonus, fourth story at the end of my e-arc, but by the end of three lengthy novellas I'd had enough. For one thing, there's very little progression in Cass's character - even in the third one she's wittering on about the Mega City being a bad thing, and her job being a bit dodgy for the same reason. You'd hope by then that either the character or the author would have realised being a permanent pacifist wasn't getting anyone anywhere. (And while we're on about how counter all her training she forever is on these pages, I lost track of the times she left a bit of vital kit behind, or dropped her gun, or tripped up. Stop making her so utterly fallible!)

Before then we have an adventure where a killer is targeting people in an exclusive dating environment, and one where "Raid"-style she has to survive a hostage siege. The third story seems the most satisfying, especially when the first doesn't do much as regards taking it away from the comic-bound drama and offer anything stupendously different, big-budget or cinematic, but at the same time you're bereft of any character of the City itself, which is a loss. Certainly it wasn't my MC1, but then this wasn't my Judge Anderson. It was reasonably diverting, but not a patch on the better comics.

An amazing series of tales that will have the reader begging for more.

I'll admit straight off the bat that I've never read the Judge Dredd comics or graphic novels, and I had a very tenuous understanding of who Anderson was prior to beginning this. The vast majority of my knowledge of the characters, setting and landscape of the Dredd Universe came from the 2012 Dredd movie starring Karl Urban, which I hugely enjoyed. I especially liked Olivia Thirlby's role as the rookie Judge Anderson - a young telepathic Judge (AKA futuristic police officer) who was naive and nervous but ultimately powerful and determined.

So I was pretty excited to read this collection of 3 novellas - Heartbreaker, The Abyss, and A Dream of the Nevertime. Alec Worley's introduction had me swooning with anticipation. He writes about his understanding of Anderson with such a sense of reverence bordering on hero(ine) worship that I was immediately excited to get to know her better. She seemed like everything I want in a female character:

"Anderson is driven to redeem the city by something more than a sense of duty. She wants to prove not only that good exists (despite the odds), but also that the people are worth fighting for - and she does so not because the law says she must but because she wants to."

And on top of this, Worley seemed to have the very best of intentions when it came to Anderson's representation:

"Above all I wanted to treat Anderson like a human being rather than a sexy cartoon. My Anderson farts. She stinks of sweat. She doesn't have time to shave her legs. She cracks jokes about being on her period. And no more of those daft kick-boxing moves she did in some of the comics just to show off those shapely legs. This bitch mixes it up like Gina Carano in the movie <i>Haywire</i>: chokeholds, thumbs in eye sockets, broken teeth, violence at its most ugly and magnetic."

Does this not sound EXCELLENT, so far?

I left the introduction truly excited to learn more about this fantastic character. Unfortunately, I did not get what I wanted.

The stories in this collection are very, very, action/crime/thriller orientated. Imagine a very violent, new-case-every-week detective show, and you're on the right page. There are a lot of fight scenes, and true to his word, Worley makes sure that we're up to our necks in forceful and unpleasant violence and profanities. This in itself is not an issue, as Anderson is shown to navigate this wholly disgusting city and its inhabitants with confidence and proficiency. Of course, she makes mistakes, and tries to fix them, and we hope that she will succeed, and in this way we get some glimpses of her psyche.

However, I was not convinced that Worley showed me everything he aimed for when writing this. I was left impressed with Anderson's intelligence, competency, compassion, and strength, but by the end of it I didn't really feel like I knew her any better. There were a few brief glimpses of personality, but all the introspection in the novellas were based around the present situation - Anderson thinks about what she should do next, how she can stay alive, guilt or sadness over a character that just bit the dust. I didn't really learn anything about her past, her character, her relationships, or who she is outside of her career as a Judge in Megacity One. I didn't come to love the character as I had wanted to, because of the ceaseless focus on action action action.

Unfortunately, after I slogged my way through the first two stories - 'Heartbreaker' and 'The Abyss', I couldn't bring myself to go on with the final instalment, 'A Dream of the Nevertime.' It's entirely possible that ADotN could be very, very good, with lots of character study and growth. After skimming through the first 20 or so pages, though, I was not convinced and regretfully, will be giving up.

I feel like these stories could have made good comics, or even a few episodes of a TV adaptation. The action wasn't bad, it just wasn't what I wanted. Plus, I'm not a big Judge Dredd fan, If you are into Dredd, or if you're into fast paced detective stories you will probably love this collection.

[Excerpt from my full review] An intriguing, nuanced viewpoint of a pretty black and white world, viewing the Judges from the perspective of the general population as well as one of their own. Anderson represents – and searches for – a point of hope in the darkness.

My, my! What an exhilarating ride!

I’ll be honest here. The only reason I requested a copy of “Judge Anderson: Year One” from Netgalley was the story’s connection to the legendary Judge Dredd. I am not too acquainted with Mega City One or the Justice Department, but was enough of a fan to want to read a spin off.

And so it was that I started reading the book with no expectations.

I’m glad I did that, for my enjoyment of the book increased manifold as I delved deeper into the story.

Rookie Cassandra Anderson battle with her own mind is the overarching theme of the novel. The story is split into three sub-stories. The first involves the hunt for a psychic killer, the second sees Cassandra trapped in a psych block and trying to defuse a terrorist threat. The third, and meatier, story tells us how Cassandra must dig deep into her own subconscious and defeat someone who’s threatening the very existence of Mega City One.

For the uninitiated, Judge Cassandra Anderson is a rookie in Psi-Div (I presume it stands for Psionics Division). Psi-Judges are mental adepts, and can reach into people’s mind and sometimes even shape their thoughts or nudge them towards a certain course of action.

Anderson is a feisty young woman who is widely considered a prodigy and so, gets a lot of leeway from her superiors (mostly). This makes her impetuous, unpredictable and, more importantly, wildly successful.

It’s a true hallmark of a story well told that the style of prose doesn’t register once through its 400-page length. Alec Worley was masterful in his execution of his vision for this book.

Now, I’ve read my fair share of books, and this one easily is among the few that are the literary equivalents of an action movie. As the action unfolded, black text on white paper, it simultaneously unfurled in gorgeous cinematic detail inside my head.

As I read, I could easily conjure up the gritty, grimy cacophony of Mega City One and the sand blasted wasteland that is the Cursed Earth.

I could easily picture the different judges barked out the dialogue, or apprehending criminals. I could picture every smug expression, every inflection of every voice.

This is a brilliantly told story and for that, I give it a perfectly well-deserved 5/5.

Judging (no pun intended) by the cover I thought this was a graphic novel so was a little surprised when it was a novel. At first, when you're used to seeing the Judges adventures in beautifully realised comics, it's hard to adjust but when you give it a chance the stories engage the reader. Judge Andersons early days a vividly brought to life by someone who obviously loves the character.

bookshelves: netgalley

Coyer Summer Reading List


This prose novel is for those familiar with the Judge Dredd Universe and Judge Anderson. This book has three short stories set in the Mega City and are all tied to needing Psychic skills to be solved.

The first story has to do with a murderer infiltrating a dating company,the second has to do with Anderson fighting her way out of a mental institution, these two where my favorite. The only problem I had with these stories is I missed the humor that is usually in Anderson stories. I know this is her in the formative yeas of her career but I missed it anyway. An ok read.

Following the same format as the wonderful Judge Dredd: Year One series of novellas, this story focuses on Judge Anderson's first year as a full-eagle Judge. Previous stories seen in 2000AD have showcased Anderson as a cadet, demonstrating her growth and development throughout the Academy, whereas here we see a more mature version of the character, two years before her first encounter with Judge Death - which was also her first appearance in the magazine back in Prog 150.

Alec Worley manages to accurately capture Anderson's persona through the prose format, distinguishing her from the gruff street Judges by making her more emotionally receptive to the plights of the common citizen - a trait that Alan Grant also explored in Anderson's solo series. Worley also makes a concerted effort to portray Cassandra as a expert in hand-to-hand combat, referencing her many years of training in the Academy of Law. Her wry sense of humour is also present, further distancing her from the likes of Dredd and Hershey. While she bears some uncertainty in her decisions and her role within the Justice department, Worley focuses more on empowering the character as a determined detective, willing to risk everything in the pursuit of Justice.

Worley excels in communicating the Psi experience to readers, particularly with the opening chapter which tells the story of a murder from the point-of-view of the victim as Anderson posthumously searches his memories. It's an effective narrative technique and one of many that Worley uses to let the reader feel the "curse" of being a psychic. It's much more engaging in prose than on a comic panel, and it results in a much stronger connection with the central protagonist as a result. With a psychic serial-killer as the core antagonist, Worley has plenty of opportunities to showcase Anderson's skill with a psi-blast, as well as a daystick. Some of the psychic battles seen in "Heartbreaker" are beautifully realised in the mind's eye of the reader, thanks to the descriptive prose that Worley provides. It is these sequences that make this novella stand out from the crowd, adding a extra shot of hard sci-fi into proceedings!

The main plot of "Heartbreaker" revolves around a psychic serial-killer with a penchant for wreaking vengeance on those looking for love. Worley infuses a Silence of the Lambs atmosphere to proceedings as the rookie female cop goes up against a deranged killer. It's an effective tone and one that drives the narrative into some dark places. I love how Worley pits the two Psi's against each other, battling it out in an elaborate chess game with the citizens as pawns. The concept of the Meet Market is inspired as well, blending dating websites like Match.com with auction sites like eBay to create a literal "meat market", not unlike the ones farmers attend to get prime livestock. It's yet another example of Judge Dredd's keen satirical sense of humour, exaggerating aspects of modern life to the extreme.

Fuelled by some impressive action set-pieces, "Heartbreaker" is a pulse-pounding adventure that does justice to the character of Psi-Judge Anderson. Alec Worley maintains tension throughout the tale, alongside some vivid descriptions of the psychic mindscape. It's definitely the best representation of psychic powers I've ever read. There is an additional romantic subplot for Anderson that doesn't quite ring true. While it does showcase the character's humanity and neatly foreshadows the events in "Shamballa", it feels like an unnecessary complication to the story, even if it does provide a dual meaning for the novella's title. Overall, this is an electrifying read from start to finish, and a refreshing alternative to the Judge Dredd: Year One series. With her empathetic inner voice, Anderson suits the prose format far better than Dredd does, allowing for internal moral quandaries and an in-depth exploration of the character. I am really enjoying these 2000AD novellas from Abaddon Books and am glad that they are continuing to produce more titles going forward.

I didn't actually read this one. It was listed on graphic novels, but it was just a normal novel.

I honestly didn't know what to expect at all when I first started this book. Suffice to say, I was incredibly surprised to find myself sucked fast and deep into the story - deep into the world of the Judges and the megacities they manage through their strict sense of order, deep into a world of numerous complexities and contradictions, and ironically enough, deep into a mind of the psi-judge at the center of the three epic tales that make up this book.

I cannot remember the last time science fiction has gripped me so thoroughly, and I hope that Worley uses the written word to take me back there relatively soon.

Color me surprised, I guess....considering this was in the comic/graphic novel section of netgalley I expected...well, a graphic novel. The story wasn't bad, but I'd hoped for more.