Glinda Says: » Review Corner

It’s 10 minutes past the apocalypse. Do you know where your children are?

glinda — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:53:12 +0000

I started reading apocalyptic fiction at a very young age. I have to admit that it had its effect on me: I like to be prepared. Add in some real life experience with blizzards and power outages. The result: a tendency to stockpile certain things.

Now, don’t get me wrong – I don’t buy things that I won’t use in the normal course of events. I wouldn’t buy a generator, for example. Eventually, the things I buy do get used. I mean, I have almost used up all the stuff I stockpiled for Y2K.

But all those things I keep on hand—the food, water, flashlight batteries, etc—well, I keep all of them at home. After all, that’s where I am going to need them, right?

Wrong. ASHFALL blew all that out of the water.

In ASHFALL, 15 year old Alex is left at home alone in Iowa while his parents visiting family in Illinois. The supervolcano underneath Yellowstone Park blows; Alex’s home is destroyed. And that’s just chapter one!

This wonderful book, the first in a planned trilogy, follows Alex’s struggle to not only survive but to try to find his family.

These characters are incredibly well-written. As the mother of two sons, I can tell you that Alex is a very believable character with a lot of nuance. Yes, Alex has some serious martial arts skills. Alex has a good heart. But Alex is also inexperienced and makes some really dumb decisions. As a mother reading this book, I could totally buy Alex as a real kid with all those mixed qualities – that he could be that difficult, that kind, that fierce, and, sometimes, that naive….

Darla also is an incredible character. She has great survival skills. I loved the fact that she was actually better at a lot of things than Alex was. She also tended to be more practical than Alex and, in many ways was a much more suspicious character, fiercely protective. And in the world after Ashfall, that just may be a very good thing.

As a mother, I would be incredibly proud of both of them.

This really isn’t a book just for boys nor is it a just for girls book. The fact is, Alex and Darla were both strong characters that any reader, boys or girls, men or women, could identify with.

There were a lot of things about this book that disturbed me and that I haven’t been able to get out of my mind since I read it. This is not one of those post-apocalyptic books where the main characters seem to magically find everything they need in an abandoned convenience store. There are real problems in the world of Ashfall and the characters must solve problems, endure real hardships and make hard choices.

Animals do not fare well in this book. (Indeed, they don’t in most apocalyptic fiction.) And the government? Well, you need to read that one for yourself, okay?

There are a lot of unanswered questions, too, that I am eagerly looking forward to hearing more about in the sequel.

I started to tell my youngest son about the book. He happens to live in New Mexico. He listened, then said to me, “Yeah, there’s one of those underneath Albuquerque.”

Talk about hitting where you live…. I think I am going to be hoping for apocalypse by zombie instead….

You can read more about author Mike Mullin and ASHFALL at his author website. Check out some of the great interviews and an awesome fan-created book trailer while you are there!

The sequel to ASHFALL, ASHEN WINTER, will be out in October, 2012.

Disclaimer: I won a ARC of this book in a charity auction, but my review is based on reading the Kindle edition which I purchased.

Broken – A review

glinda — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 05:02:18 +0000

Every so often, if you’re lucky, you come across a book that reminds you of everything you love about reading science fiction—and why you started reading it in the first place. Broken is one of those books.

It has all these delicious elements: A dystopian world set in the future. A superhero who has lost her powers. A scared young man who can see the future. The future of mankind at stake….

But don’t let the description fool you. This is not your typical stereotypical superhero story. This is an amazing book and an exceptionally fun read that I found almost impossible to put down. Susan Jane Bigelow is an extremely gifted writer who knows how to tell a story. She avoids the pitfalls of tedious world-building and long descriptive paragraphs that just drip with voice. Instead, she allows the reader to organically experience the world she has built for us through the story itself and the actions of the characters.

The characters themselves are interesting, fully fleshed out and beautifully written. They felt like real people, people you want to care about. Bigelow skillfully plays with stereotypes and expectations in a way that adds depth and dimension to the characters.

The story is cohesive and tightly written without feeling “plotted.” Bigelow does a great job of keeping you guessing. I can usually tell right where a storyline is going, but this was suspenseful throughout. The author also has a delightful sense of humor that occasionally she allows to peek through.

While this one is definitely a fun read, the book also was thought provoking and deals with some serious themes: the concept of names and labels, identity, self, responsibility and courage. It was difficult to let go of the characters and the events of the book, even after I finished reading.

In short: I laughed; I cried. I finished the book and wanted to immediately hit the go-to-beginning button on my Kindle and read it all over again.

I took a sneak peak at the author’s blog, where she hinted that there was a sequel in the works. It will definitely be on my to-be-read list.

I found it difficult to believe that this was Susan Jane Bigelow’s first novel. She is definitely a writer to watch in the future. I am definitely looking forward to reading more of her work.

Brokenwill be released on January 25, 2011. It is only avalable in a digital form.

Disclaimer: An ARC of this book was provided by the publisher, Candlemark & Gleam, who had no idea that I would fall completely in love with the book!

The Patron Saint of Plagues – A review

glinda — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 20:34:14 +0000

As a long time fan of authors like Robin Cook and Michael Crichton, I LOVE medical thrillers. The more viruses, bacteria, plagues, and epidemics, the better, at least as far as I am concerned. Just mention etiological agents and I get really interested. So, I started reading The Patron Saint of Plagues with a lot of excitement and was more than prepared to like it.

Unfortunately, I was tremendously disappointed in this book.

First, I might argue that this book was mischaracterized by calling it science fiction – realistically it was more of a combination speculative fiction/mystery. It was set 50 years or so in the future. The author did a poor job of world-building here and I spent the first half of the book asking myself why it was set in that time.

The characters suffer from the same lack of development as the world-building does. The characters are unbelievable and barely fleshed out. They are also constantly contradicting themselves for reasons which are never explained.

The protagonist, Dr. Henry David Stark is a perfect example. At various times in the book, he is referred to by three or four different names. Also for no apparent reason, he sometimes (and only sometimes) speaks a pidgin English that no one else in the book (including his family) speaks. This is never explained.

What the reader gets out of this are plastic, predictable characters doing predictable things leading to a predictable ending. The only surprises were the parts that didn’t make sense.

I found this book poorly edited – and by this I don’t mean spelling and grammar errors. Those things were fine. I mean the guidance an editor SHOULD give a writer. Little things like telling him when the story doesn’t make sense. Or when a scene should be cut. Or when the dialogue isn’t working. Or that the story isn’t flowing. Or that he has thrown information out there and never followed through with it.

The description for this book said that author Barth Anderson has won awards for his short fiction work. Since this was his first novel, he may not have been ready for long form writing. Although, honestly, the reviews for his second novel, The Magician and the Fool, were not much better. I think one that of the reviewers for that novel summed it up best by saying, “Barth Anderson may be a skilled writer, but he is a terrible storyteller.” Unfortunately, I have to agree.

This book is available in a Kindle edition.

Three Days to Dead: A Review

glinda — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 01:36:28 +0000

Three Days to Dead

It was one of those strange things: I saw this ad for Kelly Meding’s Three Days to Dead and I swear my spidey-sense started tingling. I just knew that this book was going to be great and that she was going to be an author who was really going to go places. Then I read the first chapter online and was really hooked. Waiting the three months until the book actually came out was agonizing!

But, boy, was I right! Three Days to Dead is one of those rare debut novels where the author’s tremendous talent shines through from the very beginning. In this novel, you find everything that a reader looks for in an urban fantasy. Great characters? Check. Excellent story telling? Check. Superior world-building? Check. Non-stop action? Check.

Triad Hunter Evangeline “Evy” Stone wakes up in someone else’s body. She has no idea how she got there. And she only has three days to find out before she dies. Again. So begins this riveting tale of conspiracy and betrayal where the balance of power depends on Evy’s ability to remember how she died and discover how she was resurrected.

Personally, I love the storytelling device of one character in another person’s body. Combined with the Evangeline’s memory loss, it allows for interesting reading. Things that might normally be viewed as insignificant take on a sense of urgency and importance as we try to understand Evy’s character, the people around her and the events that happened to her. And author Kelly Meding does a fantastic job of making us care about both Evangeline and Chalice.

The supporting cast of characters is first rate and includes every time of beastie you would want in an urban fantasy, including trolls, gremlins, fairies, vampires and goblins. Kelly’s writing style is a joy to read and if you like urban fantasy that is smart, funny, thrilling and fast-paced, I highly recommend this novel.

A big plus for me were the two short stories set in the Dreg City world that were posted on Suvudu’s website just before the release of the novel. The Hoarders offered a great opportunity to get to know Evy “in her own skin,” as it were, before we meet her in Chalice’s body. The second story, Pride Before Fall, really helped to establish the politics of the world Evy lives (and died) in. Reading these stories before I read Three Days to Dead was extremely helpful. Kelly Meding has also written a missing scene from 3D2D that you can find here on her website.

The sequel, As Lie the Dead, is due out in the summer of 2010. Three Days to Dead is also available in a Kindle edition.

You can learn more about Kelly Meding (and her cat) at her blog: http://chaostitan.blogspot.com/ and her website: http://kellymeding.com/. You can also follow her on Twitter and on Facebook.

Day by Day Armageddon: A Review

glinda — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 04:06:43 +0000

J.L. Bourne’s Day by Day Armageddon is a interesting book that tells the story of the zombie apocalypse from the point of view of a military officer who is struggling to survive it. The novel originally began as a series of blog entries by the author that gained quite an audience on the web. The book was then self published and eventually picked up by Pocket Books.

The reactions to the book are certainly polarized; people either love it or hate it. There are certain criticisms that seem to come up repeatedly regarding this book. Among them are:

People compare it to World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks: I can’t tell you how many times I have read, “I read World War Z and liked it, so I thought I’d read this one….” In this case, this is a recipe for disappointment. I think that Max Brooks’ book is absolutely brilliant, and it is certainly at the top of my zombie reading list, but the book is really atypical for the genre. Just because a person likes one doesn’t mean that they will necessarily like the other. DBDA should not be criticized for NOT being like World War Z.

People say it lacks character development: The criticism that there is no character development is also somewhat unwarranted. Because the main character’s nature is not really effusive (he’s a military man, remember?), much of what is written in the book is about events, rather than feelings. Often, the feelings about the events are not stated directly and generally do need to be inferred. Other times, the feelings are very direct and evocative, such as when the main character wonders if his parents have survived or if he could manage to get to their home to check on them. Throughout the book, the characters do act in ways that are consistent with their nature.

I think that part of the difficulty in perceiving the development stems from both the lack of a baseline and the limitations of the journal format. In the book, the narrator starts keeping the journal right as the zombie outbreak begins. We have very little material written before the outbreak which means we have little information with which to judge any level of character growth.

People say it has an extremely boring plot: I personally find criticism that the plot of this book is boring to be somewhat amusing. Rather than having a frantic paced activity level, the author (very effectively, in my opinion) uses inactivity to good effect to create tension. By using prolonged waiting to get the reader to almost a fever pitch, it heightens the suspense. Because of that, there are parts in this book that are so suspenseful, they are scary.

The journal format itself is, as others have noted, both problematic and limited and may help foster the idea of a slow moving plot. Most zombie movies and books are usually told in the present tense. A journal would of necessity be written after the events in question have already happened. A certain immediacy is lost because of this. And since DBDA is predominantly a survival story, the author is more concerned with telling a story about survival than he is with telling a story about zombies. Typically in a zombie book, there are lots of scenes of people getting eaten by zombies, and like the films, much of the emphasis is on blood and gore. In this book, the author seems to pay more attention to describing the MREs, guns and ammo than he does the zombies.

People say it is too full of typos and grammar errors: There are definitely two schools of thought on this one. Some people think that the grammar errors are deliberate; others think that they are examples of extremely poor writing/proofing/editing. I myself am torn on this one. The author’s website and Twitter entries are generally grammatically correct. However, the book contains numerous instances of poor punctuation and spelling (such as ”putting on the breaks” instead of “putting on the brakes”). I have never in my life been so tempted to take a red pen to a book and would have loved to introduce the author to the proper use of the comma and the semicolon. And I read the book on a Kindle!

If these errors are deliberate, it would be extremely helpful for the author to note that in a forward to a future edition.

People say the ending is horrible: I have to agree that I do not like the ending to the book at all. Without spoiling the ending, all I can say is that it ends too abruptly and that it could have been handled in a much better way.

Despite the some of the issues with the book, this is an interesting and compelling read that is enjoyable. If you are a true fan of the zombie genre, this book is too important to miss. A sequel, Day By Day Armageddon: Beyond Exile, is currently in the works and is due to be released in July of 2010.

You can learn more about the series at the author’s website, http://jlbourne.com/. You can also follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jlbourne.

The Demon Hunters: A Review

glinda — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 13:22:44 +0000

The Demon Hunters

This is the second volume in Linda Welch’s Whisperings series. And, believe it or not, as good as Along Came a Demon was, this sequel is even better.

In The Demon Hunters, Tiff Banks has made some major changes in her life, including starting a new detective agency with her partner, Royal. But as Tiff tries to move her life forward in a new direction, things don’t exactly go as planned. When money becomes an issue, she is reduced to rescuing a kidnapped kitty for the reward–with the help of her faithful Scottie, MacKlutzy, of course. And she discovers that she may not have as much choice as she would like in choosing which jobs to take, or how to handle them once she’s gotten them.

As the book unfolds, a lot more is revealed about Tiff’s past and how she uses her gift. The book also introduces the demons known as the “Dark Cousins,” an interesting group that I hope we learn a lot more about in future volumes in the series. And, of course, her roommates Jack and Mel are irrepressible.

Author Linda Welch is always a talented, thoughtful writer and does a great job with the writing of humor–the kidnapped kitty section is hilarious. Most impressive is the skillful recreation of a period journal that provides a vital clue to solving the mystery. It is so well written and feels totally authentic. Like the first book, this one is a suspenseful, fast paced, fun read that I highly recommend.

Like the first volume, the book is available for the Kindle at a very reasonable price.

At the end of the book is a preview of the first chapter of the next book in the series, Demon on a Distant Shore. That volume promises to give some insight into the background of at least one of Tiff’s ghostly roommates.

You can learn more about the author, Linda Welch, on her blog where she posts updates on the Whisperings series. You can also follow her updates on Twitter. There is also a fan page on Facebook for Whisperings here.

Along Came a Demon: A review

glinda — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 04:52:47 +0000

I accidentally found a sample chapter of this book by Linda Welch on the Internet. Just a couple of paragraphs in, I was so hooked, I picked up my Kindle and downloaded it. Yeah, it’s that good.

The protagonist, Tiff, is a character who is easy to relate to. She has a job that doesn’t allow her to be herself. She has roommates who complicate her life. She has bad taste in men. But her job is pretending to be a psychic because she can see and hear the spirits of those who have died violently. Her roommates happen to be dead. And her taste in men? Well, you’d better read that for yourself.

This is a fun paranormal mystery that really keeps the suspense level high; I had no clue where the story was going. Besides being well plotted, the dialog in this book is delightful and feels very real. My only complaint is that the book was too short! I sat down to read and was done before I knew it. My only consolation is that this is the first in a new series. The first chapter from the sequel, The Demon Hunters, is at the end of this book and looks just as interesting. I am certainly looking forward to following this series.

You can learn more about the author, Linda Welch, on her blog where she post updates on the Whisperings series. You can also follow her updates on Twitter. There is also a fan page on Facebook for Whisperings here.

Heat Wave by Richard Castle – A review

glinda — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 16:55:13 +0000

Heat Wave

This book is a tie-in to the ABC television series Castle. The supposed “author” of this book is the lead character in the series, a writer. Interestingly, the book itself is playing a role in this season’s episodes.

First, let me start by saying that I am a HUGE fan of the TV series. I think that it is one of the smartest show to come out on television over the past couple of seasons. And as a tie-in for the series, it works quite well on a lot of levels.

Anyone who has watched the series will recognize the characters in the novel as based on the series regulars. There are situations and lines of dialogue in the book that are verbatim from the show–deliberately, I presume, as the lines feel like an “inside joke” for the benefit of fans of the show. The characters (especially protagonist Nikki Heat) are sexier than their TV counterparts and really feel like characters Castle might have written.

I really thought that the plot of the mystery in the novel could have been better. On the series, the police cases are generally tightly written. In the book, the case is not as well focused. The end feels rushed and the finer points are not clearly explained. There were also areas where abreviations and acronyms were used that, to me at least, the meaning wasn’t obvious. Most of these seemed to pertain to New York City.

The grammar and writing style were also not at a level that most would expect from Richard Castle. Castle’s character has been established on the series as being an excellent writer with a keen command of language usage and grammar. The novel has some grammar errors (a few that are glaring) and the writing style is not what I’d expect from a character that is supposed to be a seasoned professional writer.

I had heard a rumor that this book was actually written by the show’s writers, who were in a rush trying to get the writing done for both the book and season two of the series. If true, this may explain some of the book’s shortcomings.

If you are a diehard fan of the Castle TV series, you will probably find this book enjoyable, especially as it ties in to the storyline in season two. If you have never watched the show and are instead looking for a good mystery to read, this probably is not the book for you. You can read samples from the novel on ABC’s website.

Heat Wave is available in an edition for the Kindle. An audio book is also available at a very reasonable price, although it is not narrated by Nathan Fillion, who plays the author on the series.

UPDATE: The paperback will be available on July 27, 2010.

Peace Love and Murder by Nancy Holzner- A Review

glinda — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 04:48:14 +0000

Peace, Love and Murder

As a long time fan of mysteries, there are a few things that are important to me when I read one. First, I want original characters that I can care about who are also realistic and believable. I want a storyline that is keeps both the action and the suspense going. I don’t want to be distracted by needless details, but I also don’t want to know “whodunit” halfway through the book. I most certainly want to enjoy the journey. Peace, Love, and Murder delivers on all counts.

The story elements are original and intriguing, combining hippies, communes, cab drivers and murder. This unlikely combination sets the stage for a delightful mystery. It is an enjoyable story with interesting characters that are neither stereotypic nor predictable. The storyline keeps both the action and the suspense going, and it held my interest all the way through.

Ms. Holzner writes with an exceptionally clear voice and in a style that is a delight to read. The main character’s background gives the novel an interesting twist. I found myself wanting to know more about these characters (especially Bo and Trudy), and am looking forward to the sequel.

This is not yet available as a Kindle or eBook version and no word yet on when or if it will be available in those formats.

The author is also coming out with the first book in an urban fantasy series, Deadtown, at the end of this year. If Peace, Love and Murder is any indication of her fiction writing talent, Deadtown should be a most enjoyable read, one I am looking forward to.

You can read more about Nancy Holzner on her blog. There, she provides some interesting tips and insights into her own writing process.

Disclaimer: An advance reading copy of this book was provided by the author. My opinions are strictly my own and not influenced by being provided a copy of the book.