Simply put, I’m jealous I didn’t write this book. I absolutely love it, and it’s one of my new favorites. Adventurous cosmic horror full of its own loSimply put, I’m jealous I didn’t write this book. I absolutely love it, and it’s one of my new favorites. Adventurous cosmic horror full of its own lore and unique characters, a tale both brutal and hysterical. Matthew Davis has created a wonderfully insane Mythos all his own. I highly recommend for fans of everything from Charles Stross and Brian Lumley, to Simon R. Green and Neil Gaiman....more
A stunning Lovecraft homage set in an apocalyptic future. Phipps hits all the right notes in this action-packed adventure filled with references to thA stunning Lovecraft homage set in an apocalyptic future. Phipps hits all the right notes in this action-packed adventure filled with references to the Cthulhu Mythos. Wonderfully familiar yet definitely told in his own voice, I highly recommend for fans of Pete Rawlik and Brian Lumley....more
An absolutely stunning tale of Sci-Fi Horror, spanning generations with a rich ensemble cast of characters. Disturbing and intriguing, Kahle builds a An absolutely stunning tale of Sci-Fi Horror, spanning generations with a rich ensemble cast of characters. Disturbing and intriguing, Kahle builds a full world that you want to explore, even with all the horrors. Recommend for fans of Brian Lumley and James Rollins....more
A monster hunt that is filled with blood-soaked action and brutal adventure, this is a blockbuster of a novel. Guns and gore, creatures and chaos, thiA monster hunt that is filled with blood-soaked action and brutal adventure, this is a blockbuster of a novel. Guns and gore, creatures and chaos, this story is an absolute blast. If you were looking for a book that somehow straddled the line between James Rollins and Edward Lee, this is probably as close as you’re going to get....more
I’ve heard of China Mieville for years and I’ve always wanted to check out his books. Some proclaim him as the king of the New Weird, while other say I’ve heard of China Mieville for years and I’ve always wanted to check out his books. Some proclaim him as the king of the New Weird, while other say he’s nothing like that at all. I finally had a change to read The Kraken, a strange, epic piece of urban fantasy. For some reason it took me a long time to get through this book, and not because I didn’t like it. There was a lot to absorb here, ideas and characters, a brand new mythology that Mieville had created. It was all brilliant.
Billy Harrow, our central character, works at a small museum where he cares for a preserved squid specimen. When it goes missing, the theft seems impossible. That is until Billy discovers the mystical underground of the city, one of Londonmancer, squid cults, memory angels, and thugs manifested as tattoos on people’s backs. Pulled in and on the run, he has to find out who stole the Kraken before an apocalypse destroys everything. But which apocalypse? No one is sure, and the Metro Cult Squad aren’t helping maters as they pursue him for questioning along with everyone else, everyone sure Billy knows something.
So many bizarre and outré concepts are presented in this novel, the fantasy aspect of London takes on a life of its own. There is a unique and vivid mythology here, just as real as anything adopted by Neil Gaiman, and it feels just as terrifying. Just as real. Billy has no real answers much of the time, but simply has to accept this new mad reality. The story is mysterious, adventurous, and while not what I would consider “Weird” by the definition of most of the Weird Fiction I consume, unbelievably weird. Highly Recommended. ...more
Some people are purists when it comes to Lovecraft. I’m not one of them. I love all the crazy additions to the Cthulhu Mythos, love all the extra sideSome people are purists when it comes to Lovecraft. I’m not one of them. I love all the crazy additions to the Cthulhu Mythos, love all the extra side stories, the new characters and monsters, backstories to Outer Gods, children that suddenly popped up, all of it. (C’mon, I have a giant stuffed Cthulhu.) So when I read THE WEIRD COMPANY, I pretty much had a grin on my face the entire time.
Imagine “Extraordinary League Of Gentlemen,” but for the Mythos gang. That’s basically what you’ve got going on here. Through a series of journal entries and letters, characters we’ve come to know through Lovecraft’s work are reassembled. Not only do we discover what has occurred after their own particular tales were told, but in some cases, what happened before. It’s a fascinating story, these players all coming together in the now government controlled city of Innsmouth, especially as you come to realize who some of them are. Secrets are revealed, and from there the team is off to Antarctica, The Mountains Of Madness awoken in earlier events by a clueless Miskatonic University team. More revelations and more individuals get involved. The fate of the world is at stake, and it’s up to The Weird Company (not heroes but monsters) to save it: a witch, a changeling, a mad scientist, and a poet trapped in the form of a beast.
Rawlik’s book is not only brilliant, but it’s loads of fun. It name-drops characters, has others interact like you always hoped they would, takes surprise turns, stays wonderfully atmospheric, yet can gets downright bloody. Some people might balk at what he’s done with some of the charters (I can think of one in particular), but you can tell this was a labor of love. The book is a big fun, horrific, eldritch adventure, and fans of the Mythos should go along. ...more
I had the opportunity to read an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of THE BLOOD OF OTHERS by C.L. Stegall. Simply put, I consumed the entire novel in one sitI had the opportunity to read an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of THE BLOOD OF OTHERS by C.L. Stegall. Simply put, I consumed the entire novel in one sitting, it was that gripping. While some might raise an eyebrow at another title in this particular sub-genre, these Vampires don't lurk or swoon... they strike.
There's a rich lore woven throughout the story, chapters flipping back and forth between the present dangers and flashbacks to the past. We are treated to the tale of how young Paris (a chosen name) rose from runaway child to her position among the High Guard in the secret Vampire society. Fortunately, Stegall has created a mythos that is more inspired by films like "Underworld" and "Blade" than by any sparkling teen romance. That's not to say there isn't an element of romance contained in the story, only that it comes with equally healthy doses of action, mystery, and horror.
The character development unfolds in a wonderful fashion, and it's fascinating to see how Stegall allowed the main protagonist to grow over her Vampire years. The details of the Vampire society are intricate and unique, and more than once I found myself chuckling at the ways he portrayed some of the complex relationships. The action/adventure aspect of the book is essential to the tale, and every fight scene was brilliantly scripted. Perhaps the only issue I had with the novel was the abundance of supporting characters, of which I occasionally got confused on.
THE BLOOD OF OTHERS is an excellent dark fantasy, adventure-horror novel, with an exceptional female lead. It's dark, sexy, violent, and most of all, engrossing. Highly recommended. ...more
A terribly fun book, if you like your fun bloody. With a basic premise that a Vampire wakes up sometime after the Zombie Apocalypse has occurred and rA terribly fun book, if you like your fun bloody. With a basic premise that a Vampire wakes up sometime after the Zombie Apocalypse has occurred and realizes that he has to protect his food source from the shambling undead, things go off in a bizarre tangent from there. The hysterical word-play by Wendig is countered perfectly with his scenes of high-level gore.
Our main protagonist, Coburn, is the very definition of "misanthropic," prone to inappropriate comments and bursts of ultra-violence for fun. He is an anti-hero in every sense of the word, to the point he's named the dog he's carrying about "Creampuff" because it might prove a distracting snack later. His herd of humans are a mis-matched bunch, different from the usual band you'd expect in this type of book. Part of that is due to the plot, but mostly I assume it's because Wendig is insane.
Perhaps the only thing keeping this book from getting a 5 star rating was the portrayal of the teenage girl Kayla. As the secondary main protagonist, I found her characterization conflicting between child and adult - and not in the way a teen would be. She'd rebel with her cigarettes and swearing one minute, but be grossed out by the hint of a sexual act the next? While I found her endearing, I also found her personality just didn't sit right with me.
Regardless, this book is a dark treat. Never to the point of cartoonish, it's more like a psychotic amusement park ride full of hysterical twists that leave everybody maimed. I'd easily recommend this for fans of Tim Dorsey, Christopher Moore, and/or Charles Stross....more
Hovering around a 3.5, I decided to round up for this one. Why? Because at its core, Shepard's first novel is brilliant. Drawing influences from all mHovering around a 3.5, I decided to round up for this one. Why? Because at its core, Shepard's first novel is brilliant. Drawing influences from all manner of SciFi traditions and archetypes, Cassandra "Sandy" Kresnov is wonderfully three-dimensional. Unfortunately, the world she inhabits left me baffled far too often.
I felt this was very much a character-driven tale, with the main protagonist and many of the supporting cast well defined and well written. Due to the nature of this type of sub-genre, however, it seemed that quite a good deal got bogged down in the world-building stages. I'm still not entirely sure how that world operates. While I'll be the first to applaud Shepard for creating a political system in the far flung future, it would help if he explained it better. I can only hope he downplays the socio-political thriller angle in favor of the mystery aspect in the sequel. I feel his wonderful characters would be better suited for such a tale.
Somewhere between space opera, hard scifi, and starship military, you'll find "Crossover." It's an awkward position, but a good read....more
Once again, Farnsworth has poured about half a dozen genres into a blender and concocted us an amazing novel. A true heir to "Adventurous Horror" in tOnce again, Farnsworth has poured about half a dozen genres into a blender and concocted us an amazing novel. A true heir to "Adventurous Horror" in the tradition of Brian Lumley, this third offering places him among authors as diverse as Richard Kadrey, Charles Stross and Simon R. Green. Far more gritty and complex than your standard Paranormal Fantasy, with copious amounts of violence, sex and mystery tossed in for flavor. Absolutely stunning.
Perhaps one of my favorite things about Farnsworth's books is the way he opens each chapter with a short prologue. Either a bit of hidden history or a secret government briefing, so many wonderful tidbits, in-jokes, and reference are found in these that I've surely missed some. Here we find everything from a site near the Whately's farm (as seen in Lovecraft's "The Dunwich Horror") to a list of murder sites that includes Camp Crystal Lake, NJ. (Home of Jason Voorhees from "Friday The 13th"). It's these type of genre 'easter eggs' that make the mythology presented by Farnsworth not only fascinated but terribly fun.
This book was slightly different from the previous two, the political angle used more strongly as our protagonist is on the road with the President during his re-election campaign. And while we may have lost some of the dark magic to that plot device, we have been given a truly wonderful villain in return. "The Boogeyman is, essentially, the patron saint of serial killers." If you don't think that line is badass, this book probably isn't for you.
As long as Farnsworth keeps delivering these dark, genre-spanning tales of a vampire bound to the Oval Office, I'll happily continue to devour them....more
Baker has taken a unique direction with his post-apocalyptic zombie novel, into the realms of "Incidental Horror." It's a sub-genre that is difficult Baker has taken a unique direction with his post-apocalyptic zombie novel, into the realms of "Incidental Horror." It's a sub-genre that is difficult to navigate, but is pulled off here with superb results. Simply put - the end of the world came, but nobody bothered to inform an Arctic oil rig.
The creatures, who Baker has reinvented for his novel, do eventually show up, but a good deal of this book revolves around other horrors. Our dozen or so skeleton crew die from freezing temperatures, explosions, murder, and disease. Of course, the madness and cannibalism doesn't help. It's especially gratifying to watch them plan something then watch it all fall apart. Things rarely go right the first time in reality.
The characters are somewhat stock, but not necessarily in a bad way. I found the main protagonist, Jane, a bit hard to wrap my head around at time, however. She seemed unduly layered for this type of tale, but never really to the point it became irritating.
I suppose this novel could actually be placed next to any thriller by Lincoln Child or James Rollins. It just so happens that zombie-like creatures have ravaged the outside world, making everything even more dangerous. It happens. I enjoyed the tale immensely will definitely be on the lookout for more by Baker....more
I really wanted to love this book. Everything about it made me think that I should love it, but... I just didn't it. It wasn't "bad," per say, just "nI really wanted to love this book. Everything about it made me think that I should love it, but... I just didn't it. It wasn't "bad," per say, just "not great." It opens on a military mission, but given that this universe is so drastically different from our own, it took quite a while for me to figure out exactly what was going on. Even then, things were never explained too terribly well.
The characters had a certain "larger-than-life" quality to them that you find in comic books sometimes. That's not necessarily a bad thing, it just didn't work here. I never connected to them, their flaws too perfectly in step with their archetypes. Characters drive a tale, breathe life into the world-building. And I never really figured out the world that was built here.
I find the loosely connected theme in this series to be utterly brilliant. Instead of necessarily focusing on the characters, each book in the Hidden I find the loosely connected theme in this series to be utterly brilliant. Instead of necessarily focusing on the characters, each book in the Hidden Cities set of novels deals with the secret, magic aspects of a particular city. With our first foray, authors Golden and Lebbon take us into the underground sprawls of London and the centuries of history that are buried there.
There's an obvious homage to "Oliver Twist" to be found here in this book, and sometimes I felt the details of thieving took too high a priority over the mythology of London. I would have liked less about the gang of children calling themselves 'The United Kingdom,' and far more about The Blackwood Club and The Hour Of Screams. In many ways, I believe this book could have been an additional 100 pages.
Now, that's not to say I didn't enjoy it. I found the characters wonderfully three-dimensional and realistic. The teenagers were portrayed as REAL teenagers, not as small adults or slightly larger toddlers. You cared about them, their situations, and relationships. And while I saw the climax coming, it was no less intense. In fact, I found the conclusion wonderfully done in a manner that was almost poetic.
I have no doubt I will read the other books in this Hidden Cities series, not only because it's a fascinating concept, but because Golden and Lebbon create vivid characters. I think any fans of honest, uncluttered Urban Fantasy would enjoy this particular novel. I think even more YA fantasy fans would as well....more
Simply put, I love this guy's work. Less "bromantic" than Clive Cussler and more accessible than Micheal Crichton, both of whom I do enjoy, his tales Simply put, I love this guy's work. Less "bromantic" than Clive Cussler and more accessible than Micheal Crichton, both of whom I do enjoy, his tales are just fun, adventurous, and often educational. I wanted to read the Sigma Force books in order, so it took me a while until I could track down the first in the series - and I wasn't disappointed.
With any literature of this type, you have to be able to muster up a certain suspension of belief. Sigma Force, in itself, is a wild concept - scientist soldiers running around acquiring deadly tech for DARPA. We're not even going to get into the near meta-physics that pop up in every book. The thing is... none of that matters. You don't read these books looking for an accurate portrayal of our impact in socio-economic politics - you read these books for sexy spies, crazy weapons, secret societies, and stuff blowing up! And oh, oh does Rollins give it to us.
So yes, I'm hooked. Painter Crowe and the whole crew are awesome. I think I'm on the 4th book now. And seriously... Gray Pierce would beat "The DaVinci Code's" Robert Langdon into a stain with one fist....more
Finally, a quality paranormal fantasy series that ISN'T geared towards children nor attempting to be pretentious literature. I read all three "SandmanFinally, a quality paranormal fantasy series that ISN'T geared towards children nor attempting to be pretentious literature. I read all three "Sandman Slim" novels currently available back-to-back, and by the time I was done, I was desperate to go on a drunken rampage with Stark. These books are gritty, violent, sexy and absurd - and James Stark (aka Sandman Slim) would mug a sobbing Harry Dresden in a back alley for cigarette money.
How utterly insane is the universe created by Kadrey? You have a functioning alcoholic who clawed his way out of hell after eleven years, who hangs out at the world's only "punk tiki bar" for the tamales and is best friends with a 200 year old French alchemist/thief. And this is only a fraction of the first quarter of the first book. The city of Los Angeles is just as much a character in these books as any human, demon, angel, or other humanoid, and Kadrey explored it in a perfect fashion.
The first book is a bit chaotic, setting up the general mythos. I found the second book to be better as far as plot and character development went. The third may or may not have been a conclusion, but neatly tied up many loose ends. Unfortunately, it seemed a bit rushed at a few spots.
Overall, I found this series to be an excellent departure from the safe, PG-13 rating that Urban Fantasy & Horror have been receiving recently in books and other forms of media. They make no claims at being "High Art," and that's another reason they resonate so deeply. The almost Lovecraftian-levels of cosmic insanity batter our protagonist and his crew around, and most of time they're out of cigarettes, on fire, and wishing for a drink. Sure Stark is angsty, but he kinda has a right to be.
Ultimately, as with certain other authors currently writing excellent Paranormal Fantasy like Christopher Farnsworth, SM Peters and Tony Richards, I'm just filled with jealousy that I didn't come up with some of this madness myself....more
I had no idea this was a piece published by Harlequin Teen - I probably won't have snagged it if I had realized that. However, after reading this wondI had no idea this was a piece published by Harlequin Teen - I probably won't have snagged it if I had realized that. However, after reading this wonderfully upbeat steampunk novella, I still can't believe it was published by Harlequin. Besides the fact that there is virtually zero romance in it, it actually contained an entertaining plot, vivid characters and an excellent message for young people that was dealt without a heavy-handed manner. I would highly recommend this for young fans of Cassandra Clare and Rick Riordan. ...more
What can I say about this book, the work of a friend and fellow author? I read the original years ago, and I was honored with opportunity to provide tWhat can I say about this book, the work of a friend and fellow author? I read the original years ago, and I was honored with opportunity to provide the blurb for the 10th anniversary cover. This is one of the most bizarre, hilarious, disturbed, adventurous and touching novels I've ever had the pleasure to consume - and I say that without hyperbole. I read it again last night, in one sitting, and found myself laughing-out-loud half a dozen times, tearing up twice, and grossed out more times than can be remembered. But what are you going to find in the book?
Imagine Carl Hiaasen fueled by whiskey-violence and on an S&M bender. Imagine Clive Cussler growing up full of paranoia and pulp magazines. Imagine a hystertically depraved take on everything you know and may hold dear - a clone of Marilyn Monroe and Elvis's dead twin raised as an assassin, a botched Antichrist, government spooks with snackfood names, Nazi pseudo-science brought to life, and a hidden history with an 80 year old JFK flinging poo.
"Made In The USA" is Christopher Moore, Stephen King, and Robert Ludlum all thrown into a blender and then poured back out onto the page for our twisted entertainment. It's a celebration of the American spirit, of individuality and simple freedoms. It's also a collection of scatological jokes, T&A scenes and gratuitous bloodshed. I guess that's American, too.
No, the book not for everyone. But for those who the book is intended, they will spread it everywhere...
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