The Scattered and the Dead (Book 1.5): Post Apocalyptic Fiction by Tim McBain and L.T. Vargus5/16/2016 This is the third book in The Scattered and the Dead series. I enjoyed this one as much as the last two. It advances the story lines of several characters. It follows Fiona, Lorriane, Ray and Marissa. There are very brief sections with Baghead and Decker. Ray, Lorriane, Baghead and Decker are all characters from previous books.
As with previous books, the story is told through journal entries. The time line is fluid. One section may take place before the event while others take place weeks or months after the event. As you come to know the characters, it is not hard to follow. Book 0.5 and Book 1.5 are much shorter compared to Book 1. They are not bridge books by any means. Each book is a contribution to the series, just as much as the larger Book 1. As I mentioned in earlier reviews, the universe is unique in a way I have yet to be able to define. The Scattered and the Dead universe is more real. Possibly because it is told from many points view, possibly because the characters are from such different backgrounds and personalities. I highly recommend The Scattered and the Dead series. If you have not started it yet, now is the perfect time.
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I have read several books on different aspects of the Nuremberg Trials. Each one covered a different aspect or group involved. The Nuremberg Trials: The Nazis brought to justice by Alexander Macdonald was an excellent overview. The book did a wonderful job of explaining how revolutionary the trials themselves were. Genocide was a new word. Although it had happened before in history, the perpetrators had never been held accountable.
Macdonald introduces the personalities on both sides of the dock. He introduces the individual Nazis and what they were charged with. He also introduces the lawyers and judges. The book then leads the reader through the trials itself and the reactions of the defendants and others in the courtroom to the evidence. The book ends with the sentencing and continues onto the similar trials in the Pacific. The lasting effects of the trials are still with us. Nuremberg was important for many reasons and Macdonald does touch on them all. If you are unfamiliar with Nuremberg, this book is a wonderful introduction. If you have already have studied Nuremberg, Macdonald’s book is a terrific way to pull all the pieces together. A copy of this title was provided by Netgalley in exchange for a fair review. I have read L.T. Vargus and Tim McBain’s The Scattered and The Dead book which was amazing. When the author’s offered me a copy of Casting Shadows Everywhere in exchange for an honest review, I jumped at it. Casting Shadows Everywhere is not set in an apocalyptic world with zombies. It is set in a much scarier place with much scarier monsters. It is set in our world and with real people in real situations.
The story follows the life of Jake suffering through the typical pangs of being fifteen. He is not part of the popular crowd or the jock crowd. He is part of the background. He goes through life trying not to make waves but honestly trying to more humane to other people than they are to him. He does not like confrontation or fights. Jake’s older cousin Nick offers to take Jake under his wing and help toughen him up. Jake wants to build up his confidence and learn how to handle bullies. He commits to working with Nick by agreeing to do anything Nick tells him, in return Nick will guide him in becoming a man and not a pushover. Jake is in control of his destiny. He has to choose how far down a very dark path he is willing to follow Nick. He also has to choose whether to step off the path and make his own. He is a fifteen year old boy, surrounded by bullies, the dangerous people his cousin associates with, and having his first relationship with a girl. Jake uses his journal to not only record what has happened but to also process his thought and make his decisions. Not having been a fifteen year old boy in my lifetime, I cannot attest to the authenticity of the young male teen experience but I can tell you the authors made Jake very real to me. I cared whether he made good decisions and I feared for him as the slope became slipperier. I recommend Casting Shadows Everyone as an excellent book about the decisions we make and how our decisions make us. Katherine of Aragon, The True Queen
A Novel by Alison Weir Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Ballantine Books General Fiction (Adult) Pub Date 31 May 2016 I am familiar with Alison Weir’s work, both fiction and non-fiction. I have also read several biographies of Katherine of Aragon as well as books that cover the reign of Henry VIII. Yet I was surprised. It is refreshing to find new information in a subject I thought I knew so well. So hats off to Ms. Weir for the surprise concerning Arthur, Prince of Wales. Once I finish writing this review, I am off to find more information. Having read Ms. Weir’s fiction and nonfiction books, I have to say I prefer her nonfiction. This novel is a good example of why. In the nonfiction books, Ms. Weir’s exhaustive research produces a feeling like total immersion for the reader. You get lost in the detail. You can see and feel and touch what Ms. Weir is describing. I have not found that in her fiction writing. It is comparatively flat. I just did not get lost in the story. This is still an enjoyable book. Anyone who enjoys historical fiction or Tudor related books, will enjoy this novel. I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review. Note: If you have not read the first two books of the trilogy, The Passage and The Twelve, fire your book advisor and get it on it. Now!
The City of Mirrors is the concluding book of Justin Cronin’s Passage Trilogy. What a trilogy it has been. The first book, The Passage, was released in 2010. My 16 yr old son and I devoured it and fought for possession of the copy from the library. We both finished it in wonder. As in “wonder what is going to happen next” as well as wonder as in awestruck. The Twelve was released in 2012 and it was well worth the two year wait. Again my son and I enjoyed it immensely and were eager for the next book. Finally (no disrespect to Mr. Cronin intended) in 2016 The City of Mirrors is releasing in June. By some wonderful twist of fate, I scored an Advance Review Copy through NetGalley. My review is spoiler free. While my son was in Houston at the 4C’s conference, I was sending him pictures of the cover of the book and basically squealing in text message as I dove in. If you read the first two books, you know that there are very few times or places where the characters are safe. But a few of those safe moments do exist and they give the reader an opportunity to breathe. The City of Mirrors, not so much. It is constant tension and fear. It is standing on the railroad tracks at night blindfolded. You can hear the train, you know it is coming but you cannot not see it. That is what the plot of this book was like. I knew it was going to be intense but even very intense is an understatement. The City of Mirrors picks up approximately twenty years after the end of The Twelve. Time and events have changed everyone, not necessarily for the better. There is a complacency among many people with only a very few who witnessed the events of the first two books being more on guard. I found that within a few chapters I was not sure who I could trust anymore from the original set of characters. It was unsettling to not trust characters I had cheered for through two books but something was just off. The reader as well as a few characters could feel something was approaching. When I hit the point where I was forgetting to breathe, I would take a break and pick the book back up again. I wanted to devour it in one setting but the lack of breathing destroyed that plan. I persisted, a few chapters at a time, and was rewarded by being able to absorb what I was reading better. I will be rereading City of Mirrors multiple times as I have the first two from the trilogy. Mr. Cronin’s prose is beautiful. Unfortunately I am not allowed to include any quotes due to Netgalley rules. Trust me on this one. His descriptions are lush and full. The atmosphere he creates is palpable. The characters are more complex than before. The best part, the most amazing part, is how well The City of Mirrors concludes the trilogy. It all fits together perfectly. There are no loose ends, no parts that feel like it was pushed to fit into something from the first book. It is as though the trilogy is one seamless book, written in one sitting. The story flows perfectly from the first to the last book. Many times series can lose their magic or the reader’s attention. It is difficult to sustain such a high quality of writing over several books instead of one stand alone. But Mr. Cronin has done just that. The magic spell he first cast over my son and I six years ago, with a girl named Amy and her story, continued to enchant till the very end. I enjoyed Zombie Attack! Rise of the Horde. The characters were varied and well developed. The action was fast paced. The adversaries were diverse in this universe. Yes, there were zombies. But the human monsters had a larger collection of motivations than usual. Besides survival and greed, there were a few that I had not expected and worked very well in the story. At some point, I will pick up the next in the series because I am interested to see what happens to the characters next. The book ended with not just a cliffhanger but a mystery too. If you love zombies, check this one out. You will not be disappointed.
Sherry and I participated in Goodreads 2016 TBR Twins Challenge. We chose to read Feed (Newsflesh Book 1) by Mira Grant. It was a very good choice.
When Sherry was about one third of the way through the book, she shared with me, “it's an interesting concept of how the whole thing came to be and about blogging. I kind of like the blogging aspect as now in 2016 you don't see much bloggers. It is like they say, mostly teenagers blogging about their depress/antsy life. I used to do that all during high school. I thought the blogging aspect was cool. It is a more rounded view of what is happening. Not just one person or one organization. What I really like is that it is a zombie apocalypse where civilization has not totally fallen. There is still a government. Still communication. Still the trappings of a normality. Yet there is this constant threat. If you replace "zombie" with "terrorist", it lends itself to a very good conversation. I grew up during the cold war. While we lived everyday normal lives, there was a threat constantly hanging over our heads but not visible. This book reminds me of that type of threat that is there but not there. I When Sherry finished the book, her summary was, “I LOVE IT!!!!! I can't wait for book #2. I don't want to spoil it for you but sad ending. I also think it's awesome that society did not fall. In movies you always see humanity fallen, people just savage and live off the grid. I like that it is still organized and civilized. Once I finished I decided I would give it 5 out of 5 stars. Again the main selling point for me was the uniqueness of a not completely fallen civilization. The ending was sad but left room for so much more to happen. I liked seeing Shawn grow from idiot brother to a fully realized character. As you can tell both Sherry and I were captivated by a semi-apocalypse. Most post apocalypse books I have encountered are somewhat of a scorched earth, nothing left, no civilization, no infrastructure, no communications. It was so refreshing to read a book that still has government and lights and communication. It sets a totally different feel for the book. As I referenced above, the concept of safe areas where no one is truly safe is probably the most horribly aspect of the book. Sherry and I would both highly recommend it. I also picked up the Audible version of Feed and found it to be wonderful. The narrators, Paula Christensen and Jesse Bernstein did a fantastic job. The production values were perfect. 5 of 5 stars. I recently reviewed Audible version of The Scattered and the Dead, Book 0.5. As I said in my review of it, I totally got lost in a new universe.
The Scattered and the Dead 0.5 follows only one person Decker. His story begins twenty-one days before and continues until 57 days after. I think, but am not positive that the before/after dividing line is the night Decker sees “brightest light flashed in the window. It was like a gigantic flashbulb went off in the sky, so brief that I almost thought I might have imagine it somehow.” The Scattered and the Dead Book 1 is a much larger cast and time period. The easiest way to illustrate this is to list the character’s names and where their stories start in Book 1: Rex 68 days before Baghead 9 yrs, 126 days after Mitch 43 days before Travis 44 days after Erin 29 days after Teddy 69 days after Ray 3 days before Lorraine 3 days before As you can tell by the listing above, the book is not linear. It tells different people's stories with very different starting points. For example, Baghead’s story begins over 9 years after the event while Mitch’s story begins 43 days before. This was the hardest part of the book for me, the chronology. I think in the final version it might not be a bad idea, at least for readers like me, to include a straight timeline with a notation for where each person’s start begins. It would make it easier to visualize what part of the universe they are existing in. If I had any artistic ability (I cannot even draw stick figures), I would make an example. My inability to keep the chronology straight was a very minor downside for me. The story was wonderful. There were characters like Erin and Mitch that I connected with. And then there were characters like Teddy that made me want to jump into the book and warn the other characters to avoid him at all costs. The ages of the characters vary also from children to middle age. The situations that characters exist in are not static. Some characters are perpetually moving, either for foraging or for reasons that hopefully Book 2 will explain. Some are hunkered down and just trying to survive for as long as they can. The undead are not the worst monsters in this book. I think the authors do a great job of painting the human monsters in vivid colors. In fact, I can readily visualize some of those human monsters living here in the United States, now, without the apocalypse to create them. As I said in my review of the first book, the authors have created a post apocalyptic universe that feels different than many of the other I have read (and I have read many). I was hoping to be able to pinpoint this difference after reading Book 1. Unfortunately I cannot. I think it will take Book2 and however many the authors want to write before I can say definitively what makes this universe different. If you like the post apocalyptic genre, this is a great series. Even if you are not a zombie fan, you will still like this series. The zombies are only one part of what drives this book. The Audible version of Book 0.5 was fabulous and I am eagerly awaiting the Audible release of Book 1, hopefully with the same narrator. Looking forward to the next book, as soon as possible (hint to authors). 5 of 5 stars. The Hatching
A Novel Ezekiel Boone Atria Books Pub Date: Jul 5 2016 I was intrigued by the description, "The world is on the brink of an apocalyptic disaster. An ancient species, long dormant, is now very much awake." The ancient species referred to are spiders. Personally I do not have acrophobia. I think tarantulas are cool. I prefer not to be bit by a spider or walk through one of their webs but they are not the stuff of my nightmares. I was expecting a horror novels with spiders. What I got was spiders as the horror, which I guess they are if you do not like spiders. The premise involves a new species (or possibly more than one species) of spiders appearing all over the world within a few days. The first ones are in Peru and hitch a ride to the United States on a private jet. At the same time, they pour out of a mine in China in such quantity that the Chinese government drops a nuclear bomb on the area. Some of the Chinese spiders hitch a ride on a container ship and crash into Los Angeles. Most of these spiders are eating all warm blooded creatures in their path, leaving only bones behind. They are appearing is such quantities that they are described as waves of black masses overtaking everything. The human characters in this book are less interesting than the spiders. The FBI agent, President, White House Chief of Staff and NIH arachnologist (studying the uses of spider venom in medicine) made no connection to me as the readers. They had few redeeming characteristics. The FBI agent was the most sympathetic but barely. The spiders appear and the main characters try to survive and find a solution to stopping the spider apocalypse. I found myself cheering for the spiders, which I do not think it what the author intended. I love horror. I love the apocalypse genre. I love original stories, which admittedly this was. But it just really did not do it for me. The ending of The Hatching leads me to believe it will be the first in a series. I will skip the rest of the series. I received an advanced review copy of The Hatching from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The Wicked Boy
The Mystery of a Victorian Child Murderer by Kate Summerscale PENGUIN GROUP The Penguin Press Penguin Press Pub Date 12 Jul 2016 I received The Wicked Boy as an advance review copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The book will be released in July. Put it on your "to read" list now. The Wicked Boy is a non-fiction look at what happened on July 8, 1895, in East London. Robert Coombes, age 13, and his brother Nathaniel, age 12, left the house to go watch a cricket game. They also left the body of their mother, dead, in her room. One of the boys killed her. They may have conspired to plan her death. The reason may have been her mistreatment of them or the elder brothers need for money to run away and have adventures. There are many "may" statements in the first half of this book. The first half of the book deals with the murder, the trial and the attitude of the boys during all of those events. What is so striking and still resonating through my mind, is the boys' attitudes and lives before the end of the trial and after. If, as soon by their later lives, the murder was an aberration, a one time event, what led to the murders? It really is a fascinating book. Ms. Summerscale did an unbelievable amount of research to detail the lives of all involved. The epilogue contains one of those very rare moments of serendipity that researchers rarely have. For Ms. Summerscale and the reader, it was a satisfying conclusion to the question of the wickedness of Robert Coombes. Sawbones
by Melissa Lenhardt Redhook Books Women's Fiction, General Fiction (Adult) Pub Date 29 Mar 2016 Advanced review copy courtesy of Netgalley Sawbones was an enjoyable mix of historical fiction, western and romance. Personally I am not a big fan of romance but the romance storyline was in sync with the rest of the story and it worked well. The author states in her afterward that Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove was an inspiration. Her writing has that same feel. Descriptive and lyrical, the story follows a woman physician, Catherine Bennett, in 1871. To say it was rare for a woman to be in that role at that time in history would be an understatement. Catherine must flee New York City when accused of a crime she did not commit. She and her lifelong servant end up in Texas. Texas in the 1870’s is a very dangerous place. While the majority of the men were off fighting the civil war, the Native Americans reclaimed some of their lost territory. Sherman and Sheridan are dispatched to Texas to solve the “Indian Problem”. Catherine finds herself right in the middle of Comanche territory, struggling to maintain her alias but unable to resist using her skills as a doctor. The story is very fast past containing fictional characters like Catherine and real people like Sherman and Sheridan. Sawbones is a quick and enjoyable read. If you would like to read more about this period of history I strongly suggest S. C. Gwynne’s Empire of the Summer Moon. It looks like there is a sequel to Sawbones coming. I am looking forward to reading it also. I received an advanced copy of Sawbones from NetGalley in return for a fair review. The premise behind After the Cure by Deidre Gould is refreshing. It is not the same old same old zombie apocalypse tale. It is very unique in that it presents a society actively and successfully rebuilding. Eight years after the December Plague that cause most people to sudden attack and eat other people, society is slowly pulling itself together again. The reason it can rebuild is because a cure was discovered. It saved people and made them human again. What it did not do was remove the memory of the terrible acts they had committed under the influence of the plague.
The world is divided into Cured (were zombies but were given the cure), Immune (who somehow managed never to be infected) and Zombies that still roam outside the secure areas. The Cured still bear the physical and mental scars of their infection. A high rate of Cured individuals choose to commit suicide rather than live with the memories. There is subtle tension between the Cured and the Immune, not an outright prejudice but the Immune are better off financially. It is in this time and place that the individuals deemed to be responsible for the outbreak of the plague are being brought to trial. The doctor who is accused of engineering the plague and his assistant are being held for trial. Both must be evaluated for competency to stand trial. The defense lawyer is a Cured individual. The psychologist deciding on the prisoners mental state is an Immune. There is nothing straight forward or predictable about this book. While it did not have the urgency of attention for me as some other books, I continually come back to it because I wanted to know. What really happened? Who was really responsible? I liked the two main characters. The supporting characters each brought another piece of the world into view. As you met these characters and learned their story, you had a better understanding of the universe they existed in. I would suggest this book for apocalypse fans. I would especially suggest it for those who want a different perspective such as "what if there was a zombie apocalypse and then it stopped?" After the Cure is the first book in a five book series. I will probably get around to the other four as time and budget allow. I rate After the Cure 4 out of 5 stars with a bonus for being such an original idea. When the Sky Fell Apart by Caroline Lea was a fascinating look into a little known chapter of World War II history. The Channel Islands, owned by England but located very close to the French coast, were to be the launching pad for Hitler's invasion of England. Instead the Islands and their inhabitants endured years of occupation and deprivation.
Ms. Leas does such a wonderful job of creating not only the atmosphere of the time and place but the culture as well. For example, early in the book a resident of the Islands is explaining to an English immigrant the relationship between Island and Country. The character Edith explains, "It's like this you see: when William of Normandy took England for his own, we were part of Normandy. Part of the conquering army, if you like. Which means that we don't belong too England - England belongs to us. Our oldest possession, she is." Just that quote explains the complicated relationship between England and the Islands. England thinks they own the Islands and the Islands let them think that and continue to do whatever they want. That independent spirit is a strong theme in the book.England abandoned the Islands supposedly to protect the civilian population. To the Islanders, England abandon them. They knew they would have to survive on their own without any help from anyone. The characters in the book all reflect that theme. The Islanders dig in their heels and work to survive. The German occupiers try to control a population defines passive-aggressive. The long Englishman in the book is precariously balanced between fear of the Germans sending him to a camp in Germany and trying to help the population who general distrust outsiders. There are good Islanders as well as bad ones. Also good Germans as well as the brutal Nazis. And there are many in between. Part of the charm of this book is that it was not predictable, did not end as I thought and managed to break my heart several times. If you have seen the BBC production of "Islands at War", be aware that is a very different picture than When the Sky Fell Apart. The book is probably a more accurate picture of how the civilians suffered during the occupation but did not break. I reccomend When the Sky Fell Apart with 4 out of 5 Stars. Thank you to NetGalley for a copy in exchange for a fair review. Rated 5 of 5 stars
“A re-imagining of Jane Eyre as a gutsy, heroic serial killer, from the author whose work The New York Times described as “riveting” and The Wall Street Journal called “thrilling.” Description on NetGalley site I was intrigued by Jane Eyre as a serial killer. I love Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre and the thought of her being a serial killer was too hard to pass on. Lyndsay Faye does an excellent job of bridging the gap between Bronte’s prose style and a little less formal style. It was a very approachable text and drew me right in. If the reader had not read Jane Eyre already, they will still enjoy Jane Steele. Ms. Faye uses quotations from Jane Eyre sprinkled throughout the text. The quotes mirror what is occurring in Jane Steele’s own story. For someone who has read and loved Jane Eyre, the quotes are like magic touchstones tying the two works together. It is hard to discuss the plot without giving any spoilers. Let me say that Jane is an amazing character. She is no one’s victim and fully cognizant of her misdeeds and her motivations. I found that I liked her quite a bit. The other main character à la Mr. Rochester is complex and is slowly revealed through the course of the story. There were many unique and distinctly not British characters in this book. They were fascinating. I will be looking into a few of the books the author recommends to learn more. The story moves along at a good pace, slower in some parts and faster in others. It works well. I did not become bored or distracted while reading it. The story had my full attention. Finally one sentence the author wrote in her afterward resonates very strongly with me and I think it is a fitting ending for a review of the book. “I hope the epitaph of the human race when the world ends will be: Here perished a species which lived to tell stories.” This book was provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. Advise and Consent
Written by: Allen Drury Narrated by: Allan Robertson Length: 33 hrs and 17 mins Series: Advise and Consent, Book 1 Unabridged Audiobook Release Date:05-13-15 Publisher: ListenUp Audiobooks When I was a teen in the 1970’s, and reading everything I could get my hands on, my mother suggested Advise and Consent by Allan Drury. I did not pick it up until I was 53 years old and my mother had been gone twenty-seven years. Mom, you were right. It is a fantastic book and well worth reading over and over. The audiobook, narrated by Allan Robertson, is over 33 hours long. I was very impressed by the end of the first hour. Allan Robertson does a fantastic job narrating this book. His cast of characters range from the President to Senators from multiple states and regions to women. It was easy to hear which character was speaking. Mr. Robertson gave them individual, recognizable and authentic voices. No easy task with a book that involves so many characters. The book itself, written in 1959, is a political thriller. It is also a very accurate look at how things get done in Washington behind the scene. The author gets it right how most of the work is done in committee and caucus meetings. Before the bill ever hits the full Senate, it has already gone through countless hours of negotiation. While this may sound boring, Drury makes it suspenseful and exciting. The main plot of the story is the Senate deciding whether or not to confirm the President’s candidate for Secretary of State. Of all the cabinet positions, Secretary of State is the most visible and career enhancing. Several main characters are opposed to the nominee from the beginning, either through personal conflicts or ideological ones. When allegations arise that the nominee has communist sympathies (remember this is 1959 and there was still a very real Cold War with the USSR), the majority party is faced with the choice of doing what their party leader, the President, wants or doing what they feel is right for the country. Backroom deals and blackmail soon become the currency of securing the needed votes. It is still very relevant to the reader in 2016. The USSR may be gone into the history books, but the threats, perceived or real, to our country still exist. The writing is excellent. One of my favorite quotes so far is, "who will do what and why, all the web of interlocking interests and desires and ambitions and arrangements that always lies behind the simple ultimate, final statement, 'The Senate voted today-." I love this one because it is so true. By the time the news reports what the Senate voted on, so much has happened to create those words. Another great quote is when the President is thinking about his mistake in supporting a Senator who is dishonest and power hungry. The President thinks, “He suspects he has created a baby Moloch who will continue to demand sacrifices.” I highly recommend Advise and Consent. The audio version with the narrator’s excellent job on creating the characters is perfect. I just purchased the second book (Kindle and audio versions) in the series. Story (Plot) 5 Performance 5 Production Quality 5 Attention Holding 5 I received Advise and Consent provided from Audiobook Jukebox in exchange for a fair review. I requested a review copy of Life After the Undead by Pembroke Sinclair because I have a love for post apocalyptic literature. I think it comes from growing up during the cold war and practicing the bomb drills at school. Life After the Undead is an apocalypse brought about by, you guessed it, zombies.
Zombies are really a hot market right now. One of my son’s friends is taking a zombies in film class to fulfill an degree requirement. A whole class on zombie films, like I said they are a hot item. By virtue of so many mediums (books, films, comics and probably performance art) mining the topic, it is getting somewhat stale. The great zombie creations are fewer and fewer. Life After the Undead has potential but it is not one of the great ones. Too much of the plot was been there and read that. The main character Krista is a teenager who deals with mean girls at school and parents who do not approve of her fascination with serial killers. When the event happens, her life changes very quickly. This is where I had problems with the book. Krista is somewhat developed but the secondary characters are not. The first set of mean girls at the very beginning have almost exact twins later in the book. Her safe haven turns out to be working as a servant for one of the powerful families that control the state of Florida. But we never find out how they got control or why people would put up with virtual slavery. The creepiest character is not the zombies but Krista’s second cousin, Liet. He is much older than her and seems to be grooming her for his own sick reasons. He flashes between psycho, pervert and big brother often and with very little explanation. He was not real to me. He was a cardboard cutout of a villain. Even though there are aspects of the book I did not like, listed above, there is great potential here. The author has started creating a good universe that more can be done with. Krista is certainly a workable character. Allow her to mature and grow. Please, please allow her to be strong on her own and not need a man to rescue her (pet peeve). I am sure from the ending of the book that there is a sequel coming. I hope the author does continue writing in this universe and does allow her characters to grow. I think other than the pervy Liet, this would be a great series for a older teen/young adult who likes zombies. I rate it 3 of 5 stars. I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. Project Wormhole is the first book in a new series by Ken Preston, author of the Joe Coffin series. While Joe Coffin is aimed at an adult audience, Project Wormhole's target audience is middle school to young adult. It does not have any sex but it does have violence. Some of the scenes are tense so if you have a younger child or one who does not like scary scenes, read the book yourself first.
The premise of the book is that a top secret experiment goes horribly wrong. An unnatural storm hits the Birmingham, England. The storm brings lightning, thunder, torrential rain and dinosaurs. Yes dinosaurs. The project creates a wormhole that throws the past, the long past, into the present with disastrous results. The main characters of the book are three young students. Daniel, who recently lost his mother, is running away from the research base where he father is working on top secret project at a secure military base. Will and Lee are students on a class trip to a museum. Lee is an American, recently moved to England. Will is a bullied and afraid of his own shadow. After the storm passes, the three children find each other and struggle to understand what has happened. The story has some interesting and unexpected twist and turns. The dinosaurs are worked into the story in a very creative fashion. Some of the monsters are human with their own drive to survive at the cost of other's lives. This book should appeal to middle school students and older. Many students will identify with one of the three main characters. If you have a reluctant reader, Project Wormhole may interest them enough that they are willing to give it a try. I received a free copy from the author in exchange for a fair review. I had not heard of Bohemian Gospel before I selected it from the Book of the Month club. It has been sitting on my desk for about two weeks. I began it this morning and finished it this evening. It was the perfect book to read during a blizzard. It kept me engaged and curious.
I can only imagine the amount of research the author conducted on the time period and the very complicated politics in addition to the Church. I am not an expert in any of those areas but I can tell you without a doubt she created a very real atmosphere. The places and characters who inhabited them seemed very real. Mouse, the main character, was a very unusual female for the time period. Her back story explains how she came to be better educated then most women at the time. Its not her education that struck me as much as her spirit. She was trying to live a life of her own choosing, and while it did not always work out, she still continued to try. Although I have read a lot of historical fiction from this time period, I had not read any from this area. It was all new and very enjoyable. I would recommend Bohemian Gospel to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. The Nazi Hunters by Andrew Nagorski will be released in May. I had the opportunity, through NetGalley, to read an advance copy. It was fascinating and disturbing. Two themes run through the book, understanding and justice. The need to understand why people acted in the way they did and then refused to take responsibility for their actions. The need for justice as opposed to revenge. One of the Nazi Hunters profiled in the book, Serge Klarsfelds, stated, “Justice, in its essence, is not effective: it cannot resuscitate people who were killed. So it’s symbolic.”
The Nuremberg Trials focused the world on the war crimes committed by the Nazi regime. The big trial was originally slated to have twelve defendants but one eluded capture. Adolf Eichmann was responsible for the deportation of the Jewish populations. It was in 1960 that Eichmann was finally captured in a secret operation by the Israeli Mossad. One of the Mossad agents who helped capture Eichmann is quoted as saying “What makes such a creature, created in the likeness of man, into a monster?” The author explains how political theorist Hannah Arendt objected to labeling Eichmann a monster. As the author stated, “He committed ‘monstrous acts in the name of a monstrous system, but labeling him a monster lets too many others off the hook and ignores how easily tyrannical regimes can enlist average citizens in their criminal behavior.” Once the trials were over, the world moved on to the quickly escalating Cold War. The number of guilty parties brought to trial was very small. For the most part, they were the leaders. The lower level functionaries, brutal camp guards and others whose savagery was documented were left to leave their lives in peace. It was due to the relentless hard work of the individuals who were committed to bringing the Nazi’s to justice for all the victims who could not seek it for themselves. The author does an excellent job of detailing each hunter's personal reason for pursuing this difficult path. The intensive investigations required to track down each criminal was also detailed. So much of this book is relevant to our world today. The author, discussing Sinclair Lewis’s 1935 novel It Can’t Happen Here, stated “the greatest danger facing mankind is not represented by monsters but by those who blindly obey their monstrous orders.” This is exactly what we are facing with terrorism. I received a free copy of The Nazi Hunters from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. Dirty Deeds by Armand Rosamilia came to my attention through the Kindle Scout program. I voted for the book to be published by Amazon. It was chosen and so I got a free advance copy. There are two problems with Dirty Deeds. First it has such an abrupt cliffhanger I almost broke my neck. Second and more importantly, I do not have the sequel and I need to know what happens now. This minute! Mr. Rosamilia I hope you have the sequel ready to publish soon because Dirty Deeds was incredible.
The main character, whose real name is still unknown, is great. He is totally believable. He is flawed both physically and emotionally. The more I got to know about him as the book progressed, the more invested in his fate I became. Great job from the opening line of hooking the reader. Why would you care about a character who tells you in the first paragraph he kills children for money? Trust me, you will care about him. And you will root for him. The action was a good combination of suspense shot through with frenzied action and relieved by wonderful humor.. The side characters were well developed also. I will be on the look out for the sequel. I rate Dirty Deeds a shiny five stars. Loup-Garou: The Beast of Harmony Falls (The Ian McDermott, Ph.D., Paranormal Investigator Series Book 1)
Red Tide: The Flavel House Horror / Vampires of the Morgue (The Ian McDermott, Ph.D., Paranormal Investigator Series Book 2) The Ian McDermott Series, Books 1 and 2, were not bad but they were not great either. The concept, a cryptozoologist investigating unsolvable crimes, has potential. In the first book, Ian is looking into the case of missing hikers near Harmony Falls. He makes friends with the local sheriff and his deputy. Ian is a poor soul. He lost his wife and daughter in a car accident several years before and now lives in a camper and various liquor bottles. Working with the Harmony Falls police rekindles his love of investigations and he finds a purpose in life again. In the second book, Ian goes directly from Harmony Falls to Astoria, Oregon to help another police department with a series of grisly slayings. He meets a local writer of horror stories who has quite a few secrets. Again Ian the driving force in the investigations and attempting to solve the crimes. As I said, the concept, especially the future laid out at the end of book 2 has a lot of potential. There is a serious problem with the books in the way the dialogue is written. It is awkward and clunky. There is not a natural flow to it. All the characters always identify who they are speaking to by name, every time they speak to them. It gets tedious. I would suggest Mr. Aslin look at the conversations in the Adrian’s Undead series. They flow naturally and do not seem forced. I know conversation is a very hard thing to write but it really does need to be worked on in these two books. I purchased both books because the descriptions intrigued me. I read the mixed bag of reviews on Amazon but still decided to try them. I would give the first two books of the series a solid three stars but am not sure whether I will continue with it when the next book is published. Monsterland by Michael Phillip Cash was an enjoyable read. It is the story of an amusement park. It is not so much Walt Disney World as it is Jurassic Park. No dinosaurs though, just vampires, werewolves and zombies. The back story how how the three species of legend come to public attention is well done.
The main character is a teen boy dealing with the wreckage in the wake of his parent's divorce. Moving from upscale LA to middle of nowhere, losing the financial support of his inattentive father and his mother's remarriage have given Wyatt a larger than normal dose of teenage angst. The girl, Jade, he likes is the football hero's girl. Wyatt's best friends are on the far end of the socially acceptable scale. Wyatt plods through each day with his irritating little brother Josh nipping at his heels adding another layer of misery to his life. Shortly before the simultaneous world wide openings of all the Monsterland Parks, Wyatt's luck changes. He uses his own money to buy food for a seemingly homeless man at the fast food restaurant he works for. The man is not homeless, just eccentric and the owner of all the Monsterland Parks. Wyatt is given four VIP tickets for the opening while Jade,her boyfriend and two other friends are given regular tickets. Wyatt, his brother, two best friends and the President of the United States are all headed for the opening night of Monsterland. An amusement park that features real werewolves, vampires and zombies. What can possibly go wrong? The book is really an enjoyable read. Wyatt is a likable kid. The vampires, werewolves and zombie are real, not guys in masks as in Scooby Doo. There is a nice build up to the action. Once the action does start, it does not stop. For anyone who grew up reading Famous Monsters Magazines or the like, Monsterland will be childhood dreams come true, including the running and screaming. I received a free copy of Monsterland from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. Very few series can keep my attention past a second book. Hell Freezes Over is the fourth Quincy Harker and I cannot wait for number five. The mystery is this book is much harder to solve and has a much higher body count. It also has a possible peak at a future revelation about Harker's guardian angel. I cannot wait to see where that leads. Harker continues to be his same nasty self, even in his sleep. His dreams could provide more than ample material for another whole horror series. But we also see a very different side of Harker. His tenderness and caring for children, although he fights it tooth and nail, shows that he is at heart a good person, or whatever it is he is. I cannot wait until this is an audio book narrated by James Foster. This is a great series and has not shown any sign of slowing down.
The third installment in the Quincy Harker, Demon Hunter series, Hell on Hells, is just as strong as the previous two. Harker and Detective Flynn have had changes in their relationship. Although they are starting to work together, Quincy in no way softens up. His language and attitude both remain foul. The adversary in this book is Renfield. Not that Renfield. This is one of his successors. When you are Count Dracula, you do not have to remember servants names. You just call them all by their predecessors name. Makes life easier. Unfortunately one of the previous Renfield was disturbed, more than bug eating disturbed and has come back to seek revenge on the Count, or as Harker calls his, Uncle Luke. This story like the others has great action and pacing. It also advances the characters and helps the reader understand how they arrived where they are. The only way this book could have been any better is if it had been an audio book read by James Foster.
A famous author made me afraid of normal items: Clowns, balloons, elderly people in RVs. Now his son has taken my real fear of fire and thrown gasoline on it. Joe Hill has written The Fireman and I cannot wait to get my hands on. I was fortunate enough to have access to an advanced sample through NetGalley. I loved it. I really cared about the main character, Harper. I finished the sample and my first thought was, "I hope Harper is ok." I will have to wait till the book is published to find out.
The fireman of the title is such a mystery. I still haven't figured out who or what he is. He could be a savior or a madman and he is borderline creepy at times. I still want to finish the book to find out his mystery. I love apocalypse literature. In fact, The Stand is my favorite book. The fireman is such a fresh approach. Apocalypse by fire? Been done with nuclear war. Apocalypse by disease? Done many times. How about apocalypse by viral fire? That is new. I really cannot wait until the book is released so I can find out what happens with these characters I am invested in. I would just like to state that writing a review of only a portion of a book is tougher than I thought it would be. |
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