Each of the following books may be purchased through any large book store or online through www.amazon.com.
REVIEWED: The
Shining GirlsWRITTEN BY: Lauren Beukes
PUBLISHED: June, 2013
A clever and gritty, complex novel of a time-travelling serial killer. Well written all around by author Lauren Beukes. By its very nature, this is the type of book where one must suspend their disbelief, even if some of the more “mundane” happenings still made me wonder “what?” The book is also built around horrific violence against women, although often, the killer, Harper, is also brutalized. Amazing twists and turns throughout, and best to know in advance that this book is non-linear, jumping back and forth between time eras and character viewpoints. I oddly felt a little bored at times, mostly in the relationship building scenes of Kirby and Dan Velasquez, but then it would be nested between badass other scenes, in which I wanted to know more about the tragic evil growing inside Harper. More than that, WHAT WAS THE DEAL WITH THE HOUSE?? More back story or description on that, as the portal that draws in wayward men with sin in their heart and gives them their desires, wrapped in riddles.
Four-and-a-half out of Five stars
https://www.amazon.com/Shining-Girls-Novel-Lauren-Beukes/dp/0316216860
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-shining-girls-lauren-beukes/1113600114?ean=9780316216869#
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16131077-the-shining-girls
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REVIEWED: The
TroopWRITTEN BY: Nick Cutter
PUBLISHED: February, 2014
I had a tough time with this book… technically, it was well written. There are no complaints about the plot or flow; setting, character arc, etc. Loved the premise, but I just disliked the execution. The writing involved scenes of animal cruelty and torture, and also teen torture (self-mutilation) and death… It may be I’m getting more sensitive in my older years, especially have young children *and* being involved in Boy Scouts, but this book made me cringe too often (not in a good way). THE TROOP is like LORD OF THE FLIES, but much, much gorier and traumatic. Talented author though, to be sure!
Three out of Five stars
https://www.amazon.com/Troop-Novel-Nick-Cutter/dp/1501144820
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-troop-nick-cutter/1114818664
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17571466-the-troop
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REVIEWED: Sixteen
Ways To Defend a Walled CityWRITTEN BY: K. J. Parker (AKA: Tom Holt)
PUBLISHED: April, 2019
Love, love, loved this book! Funny, inventive, unique; VERY smart, quirky, fun tale of intrigue and ingenuity during castle siege, written in a snarky and unreliable narrator’s voice. Like a literary GROO.
Added bonus: My 11-year-old son is a tireless reader, burning through multiple books at a time, although unless they are youth books, his higher-level reading titles are recommendations or from prodding by me or his teacher, etc. For the very first time, he saw an “adult” book I was reading, and said, “Dad, I want to read that when you’re done.”
That was this book, so additionally, family bonding over: SIXTEEN WAYS TO DEFEND A WALLED CITY by K. J. Parker (AKA: Tom Holt)
Five (plus more!) out of Five stars
https://www.amazon.com/Sixteen-Ways-Defend-Walled-City/dp/0316270792
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sixteen-ways-to-defend-a-walled-city-k-j-parker/1129617617?ean=9780316270793
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37946419-sixteen-ways-to-defend-a-walled-city
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REVIEWED: Best
Ghost Stories of J. S. LeFanuWRITTEN BY: J. S. LeFanu
PUBLISHED: 1964
Love these stories, to revisit Sheridan LeFanu. Beautifully written, ornate, imaginative, and horrific, all penned over a century ago, and still engrossing today.
Five out of Five stars
https://www.amazon.com/Best-Ghost-Stories-J-LeFanu/dp/0486204154
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/best-ghost-stories-of-j-s-lefanu-j-sheridan-lefanu/1018194078
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17211228-best-ghost-stories-of-j-s-lefanu
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REVIEWED: OrmeshadowWRITTEN BY: Priya Sharma
PUBLISHED: October, 2019
Elegantly-written novella of a young boy’s coming-of-age in the farmland of Ormeshadow, in which a boy deals with cruel family issues while dreaming in the shadow of a folk legend of a dragon sleeping underground. The book is a ”slow burn,” cautiously exploring the introspections and experiences of Gideon Belman. It’s also rather despairing, as he undergoes morose tragedy after morose tragedy… but it’s also very thoughtful, Gothic in its lonely village-like atmosphere. It’s a very literary tale, with no speculative elements aside from the recalling of myth and the dreams, until the ending of the story—and the ending is magnificent. Wraps up nicely, the long, circuitous journey to get there.
Four out of Five stars
https://www.amazon.com/Ormeshadow-Priya-Sharma/dp/1250241448/
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ormeshadow-priya-sharma/1131003017?ean=9781250241443
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44581536-ormeshadow
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REVIEWED: Burning
SkyWRITTEN BY: Weston Ochse
PUBLISHED: September, 2018
A reality-bending novel of military horror from a contemporary master of such genre. BURNING SKY is a mix of action, PTSD, and philosophy, as a group of soldiers try to understand and defeat the mystical god-like daeva (or their human priest counterparts!) while self-containing in an underground cavern. It’s a bizarre roller coaster, to be sure, but well worth the dizzying loops and dives it takes you through, from gun fights to astral projection!
Five out of Five stars
https://www.amazon.com/Burning-Sky-Weston-Ochse/dp/1781085293
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/burning-sky-weston-ochse/1127951404?ean=9781781085929
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38643809-burning-sky
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REVIEWED: To
Be DevouredWRITTEN BY: Sara Tantlinger
PUBLISHED: July, 2019
Dark, dark, so very dark is this novella, TO BE DEVOURED! Anything involving ingestion of terrible things always gives me the willies, which this tale does quite a bit. Poet-author Sara Tantlinger takes risks in pushing boundaries, and it pays off in emotional and frightful plot twists.
Four out of Five stars
https://www.amazon.com/Be-Devoured-Sara-Tantlinger/dp/1989206255/
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/to-be-devoured-sara-tantlinger/1132670487?ean=9781989206256
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45463236-to-be-devoured
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REVIEWED: The
PassageWRITTEN BY: Justin Cronin
PUBLISHED: June, 2010
Epic Vampires vs. Humanity novel I have such mixed feelings on this book… On one hand, it is incredibly well-written, very complex and layered… on the other hand, it’s heavily weighed down by chapters-long descriptions and back story that gets tedious. Additionally, the author spends an immense amount of time building up these elements, only to close them out immediately and move along to something else, which I found frustrating. I’d give this book five stars alone for the author’s technical knowledge and strength in writing prose (which is magnificent)… but the decisions he made in the Arc are subjectively questionable. I also read this without knowing it was Book 1 in a trilogy… I must have gotten a first edition as there was no mention of this story to be continued, so by the ending (OVER 750 PAGES!!!), there was such a throw-up-the-arms cliff hanger, that I nearly threw the book across the room. Overall, just too weighty of a tome to invest my time further into reading Volumes II and III, although I would love for someone to tell me what happens!
Four out of Five stars
https://www.amazon.com/Passage-TV-Tie-Novel-Trilogy/dp/0525618740
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/passage-justin-cronin/1015070765?ean=9780345504975
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6690798-the-passage
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REVIEWED: The
Forever WarWRITTEN BY: Joe Haldeman
PUBLISHED: 1974
Classic Military-Science Fiction novel—one of the genre definers. The novel spans galaxies and centuries as soldiers deal with the unprecedented relationship challenges of waking from hyper-sleep a generation in the future, just to fight a battle, and then returning to hyper-sleep to travel the cosmos in order to fight the next battle (also deals heavily with identity of gender and sexuality).
**Spoiler alert: Touching-sweet ending!
Five out of Five stars
https://www.amazon.com/Forever-War-Joe-Haldeman/dp/0312536631
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/forever-war-joe-haldeman/1100649605?ean=9780312536633
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21611.The_Forever_War
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REVIEWED: Strange
WeatherWRITTEN BY: Joe Hill
PUBLISHED: October, 2017
I didn’t quite like this collection of four novellas as much as I expected to… meaning, there’s nothing wrong with it, but just a sense of personal deflatement from anticipation. The stories were all fine, although none of them overly “thrilled” me.
"Snapshot" = Good premise, just seemed to go on way too long.
"Rain” = Good apocalyptic tale, that served more as a backdrop for a mystery. Hated the decisions the main character did throughout, as well as her dialogue/ inner voice.
"Aloft" = My favorite of the book, mostly because it was the most imaginative.
"Loaded” = non-speculative story about gun violence. A lot of back-and-forth twists, and had the best (most unexpected) ending in the collection.
Four out of Five stars
https://www.amazon.com/Strange-Weather-Four-Short-Novels/dp/0062663127
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/strange-weather-joe-hill/1125531430?ean=9780062663122
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34066621-strange-weather
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REVIEWED: Where
Carrion Gods DanceWRITTEN BY: Brad C. Hodson
PUBLISHED: October, 2019
I’ve enjoyed author Brad C. Hodson’s short fiction for years now, so reading this collection was a pleasant mix of revisiting favorite tales from the past, as well as discovering new gems. Some of my favorites were “Il Donnaiolo”, “Breathe”, “Thousandth Hell”, and “The Other Patrick” (which was very sweet, dark yet satisfying). Great collection overall.
Five out of Five stars
https://www.amazon.com/Where-Carrion-Gods-Dance-Hodson/dp/0578585006
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/where-carrion-gods-dance-brad-c-hodson/1134214133?ean=9780578585000
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48421735-where-carrion-gods-dance?
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