This cover sold me, appealing to my love of post-apocalyptic stories. Day One, by Nate Kenyon, begins with a man’s nightmare of losing his son to some unstoppable force, which summarizes the book’s theme well. I need to care about my main character and relate to their desires, and Kenyon’s John Hawke does both very […]
Book Review: VIA DOLOROSA by Ronald Malfi
December 4, 2013 by 1 Comment
Via Dolorosa by Ronald Malfi PAINTER, SOLDIER, HUSBAND, GHOST Lieutenant Nick D’Nofrio is back from the war, but he is not home. The dead are on the other side of the world, but they haunt him daily. He tries to be a husband to his new wife, Emma, but he can’t connect with other people. […]
Book Review: THIS RIVER AWAKENS by Steven Erikson
November 27, 2013 by Leave a Comment
It’s 1971. Owen Brand and his family move to the riverside town of Middlecross in an attempt to escape poverty. For the twelve-year-old, it’s the chance for a new life and an end to his family’s isolation. Owen falls in with a gang of three local boys and forms a strong bond with Jennifer, the […]
Audiobook Review: 11/22/63 by Stephen King, Narrated by Craig Wasson
November 22, 2013 by 5 Comments
Like many authors, Stephen King has his hits and misses. This one started off strong, but then had a kind of bloated middle. I wasn’t sure I’d finish, and thought I’d have been okay not to, but I am so glad I did. I can’t remember the last book that made me cry. The ending, […]
Book Review: THE GARDEN OF STONES by Mark T. Barnes
November 18, 2013 by Leave a Comment
The typical Chinese garden is designed to reflect the world in miniature whilst providing an idealized view of it as one passes through – it can be both ornate and sprawling. The Japanese rock garden on the other hand is an overly stylized representation that focuses on a minimalist approach to the story it tells […]
Book Review: ODD MEN OUT by Matt Betts
November 11, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Odd Men Out, by Matt Betts, is a different kind of book than I’m used to, but it worked for me, taking over a reading queue that was getting out of hand. I credit TV shows like Jericho and Revolution for enticing me to like Civil War type dystopias, where factions within the country are […]
Book Review: STEELHEART by Brandon Sanderson
November 8, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Set in a dystopian future where superhumans (called Epics) rule over ordinary mortals, STEELHEART, by Brandon Sanderson, follows a rebel group known as The Reckoners as they struggle to bring the Epics down. The novel moves quickly, emphasizing action, and Sanderson exhibits real mastery in bringing the world, his characters, and their tech and gadgetry to […]
Book Review: ANNO DRACULA: JOHNNY ALUCARD by Kim Newman
October 30, 2013 by 2 Comments
Kim Newman’s latest novel, Anno Dracula: Johnny Alucard(Titan Books) is, in my view, the first essential vampire book of the decade. It combines rollercoaster action with satire, mordant wit and scares aplenty. This fourth volume in the author’s cult, Anno Dracula series sees an undead waif called Ion Popescu on the run from communist Romania’s […]
Book Review: APOCALYPTIC MONTESSA AND NUCLEAR LULU by Mercedes Yardley
October 25, 2013 by 1 Comment
Apocalyptic Montessa and Nuclear Lulu: A Tale of Atomic Love By Mercedes M. Yardley Her mama always said she was special. His daddy called him a demon. But even monsters can fall in love. Montessa Tovar is walking home alone when she is abducted by Lu, a serial killer with unusual talents and a grudge […]
Book Review: ALIF THE UNSEEN by G. Willow Wilson
October 23, 2013 by Leave a Comment
If there is a better book than Alif The Unseen by G. Willow Wilson that showcases the nebulous nature of genre definitions and the trend towards the mélange of tropes so prevalent these days in genre fiction, then I can’t think of it. Mixing fantasy, mythology, cyberpunk and techno-thriller devices, Wilson has sculpted a world […]
