The Red Duke Book Review

Title: The Red Duke

Author: C.L. Werner

Publisher: Black Library

Pages: 413

ISBN: 9781849700733

With the last of Earl Gaubert d'Elbiq's sons dead, sent to their deaths by their own father, an already existing blood feud between the d'Elbig's and the du Maisne's comes to an epic climax.

Seeking revenge for the deaths of his sons, Earl Gaubert heeds the words of one of the lowliest peasants in his court, and seeks out a witch named Jacquetta who promises to lead him to the unmarked tomb of the Red Duke. And with the help of  Renar, -- a peasant Necromancer -- instill the powers of the duke into vessel's of Earl Gaubert's choosing.

"Beware you sons of Britonnia! Beware the forces of darkness that lie in wait to tempt and trap even the strongest soul! Beware the sad end of the heroic knight, that defender of chivalry and crown! Beware, you children of Aquitaine, lest your wickedness draw down upon you the foul curse of the Red Duke!" - Jacques the Troubadour

Once known as El Syf ash-shmel, or "the North Sword," by the Arabyans, the Duke of Aquitaine cast fear into the hearts of his enemies, even before his vampiric resurrection as the Red Duke. Entombed after a bloody battle upon the Fields of Ceren, it will take everything within the Lady of the Grail's reach to help to bring the Red Duke's resurrected reign to a final and bloody end.

Werner, a veteran of the halls of the Black Library delivers a bloody brilliant approach to vampires, Warhammer Fantasy style. Now, granted I haven't read too much of Warhammer Fantasy, but what I have read I've liked for the most part. More specifically the vastness of the world building. After finishing The Red Duke, I've come to the conclusion that Werner knows his stuff. I wouldn't be surprised if the man lives and breathes the source material. And this shows more than anything in the thoughtful layout of the novel.

Beginning with each chapter and speckled throughout The Red Duke, are flashbacks to 500 years before the Earl of Aquitaine's entombment, giving the reader the rich history and backstory needed without the endless, mind-numbing, drool-fest infodumps that seem to be so crippling to most speculative fiction novels. Although each flashback isn't as long as the chapters they reside in, Werner finds a way to include just enough information into them without giving the whole story away.

"Everything a man loves dies. Everything he values must turn to dust. It is only the things inside a man that he can keep with him always. Things like loyalty and honour." - The Red Duke

With most shared worlds it is to be expected that there's not much character development to be read and cultivated within the characters that populate the stories. The Red Duke is not one of those novels. Instead, as the backstory of the Duke is unveiled, the reader slowly begins to see not only the title character grow, but also a large handful of the main cast and secondary characters. No doubt it's a refreshing feel.

But not everything is refreshing. As the story unfolds almost poetically in spots, I can't help but think that the plot of the story is kind of overdone and cliched: an evil from centuries past has been resurrected to exact vengeance on the heads of those who most deserve it. Along the way, said ancient evil being manages to somehow amass a large following of supporters and soldiers willing to die with a single command. It's not that it's overly used in fiction, but in movies as well. Although it does manage to work rather well with this story, I would have much preferred it to be more refreshing.

If that doesn't bother readers, though, the ending might. For those that like closure and a succinct tying of loose ends, The Red Duke might disappoint. But, if you're looking for a story that carries well, and is richer than most when it comes to shared world literature, then look no further.

With that being said, I'm giving The Red Duke 7.5 out of 10 TARDISes.

~Rodney

Dead of Night Book Review

Title: Dead of Night

Author: Jonathan Maberry

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Pages: 368

ISBN: 9780312552190

For the last few years I've been hearing nothing but great things about Jonathan Maberry and his works, specifically his Joe Ledger novels (Patient Zero, The Dragon Factory, King of Plagues), and his recent foray into young adult fiction with his Benny Imura novels (Rot & Ruin, Dust & Decay), I was more than eager to jump on the chance to review one of his stand alone novels (thanks to the kind folks at St. Martin's Griffin, and of course Janathan Maberry). Most of the time I like to read shorter fiction of new authors before I dive into some of their bigger bodies of work, but with Dead of Night, I couldn't resist.

Dead of Night tells the story of Stebbins, Pennsylvania, a small town that will soon pack a big bite. When a prison doctor injects a condemned serial killer with a formula designed to keep his consciousness awake while his body rots, it's up to cops Desdamona Fox (Dez to everybody) and her partner JT Hammond to put things right and save their small town. When they're taken in for questioning in regards to the deaths of fellow Stebbins police officers, things take a turn for the worse, and they are forced to fight even harder for their lives, and the lives of the other two thousand people who call Stebbins home.

Maybe it's the fact that I read it during the days leading up to All-Hallow's Eve, or maybe it's the fact that I have a soft, rotten spot in my heart for zombies, I couldn't help but find myself absorbed in the pages of the novel, so engrossed that I finished two-thirds of Dead of Night in one quick sitting. 

With characters as ordinary as you and me; with faults and flaws, and lives lived as ordinary as the lives around us, it wasn't hard for me to find myself quickly becoming attached to the characters. Unlike some zombie novels that focus on the broader scope of a zombie infection-turned-plague, Dead of Night brings the setting down a few notches, and makes it more intimate, while all the more terrifying.

That's not all that Maberry does well with Dead of Night. Jonathan writes with such knowledge and love for zombies, that when I finally came to the scientific reason for the creation of the plague and the process with which it was done, I found myself fascinated. And I'm not normally one for in-depth science explanations!

But not all of the novel was great: at times I was confused as to whether Maberry was trying to be artistic, or more literary than some of his fellow authors. With the beginning of each new part there is an extract of T.S. Elliot's The Hollow Men, a poem which is referenced several times throughout the novel. Because of the purpose of the man-made plague, and reasons I won't get into for worry of spoiling the book, Maberry tries to connect the poem to the situation at hand, but unfortunately it's an attempt that felt too forced for me to try and like.

When I wasn't laughing, I was on the verge of tears; hoping against all hope that there would be a happy ending. This is a book filled with suspense and zombies... lots of zombies. Two things that just happen to mix very well! With interesting characters and an-almost-perfect plot, it's a novel that shouldn't be missed this Halloween season, that's why I'm giving Jonathan Maberry's Dead of Night 8.0 out of 10 TARDISes!

~Rodney

Updates and More: Salvation's Reach. Children of the Sky. Blue Dragon. Kultus. The Night Eternal. Dead of Night.

It's no surprise that Dan Abnett's Gaunt's Ghosts series is a major hit for the Warhammer 40k author. The thirteenth book in the Gaunt's Ghosts series, and the second title in The Victory story arc, Salvation's Reach is long overdue. Because of medical issues that conflicted with Mr. Abnett's writing schedule, Salvation's Reach will finally hit the shelves on October 4th. For those fans out there, here's the newest synopsis below.

 The Ghosts of the Tanith First-And-Only have been away from the front line for too long. Listless, and hungry for action, they are offered a mission that perfectly suits their talents. The objective: the mysterious Savlation's Reach, a remote and impenetrable stronhold concealing secrets that could change the course of the Sabbat Worlds campaign. But the proposed raid is so hazardous, it's regarded as a suicide mission, and the Ghosts may have been in reserve for so long they've lost their edge. Haunted by spectres from the past and stalked by the Archenemy, Colonel-Commissar Gaunt and his Ghosts embark upon what could be their finest hour... or their final mission.

****



What began in 1992 with A Fire Upon the Deep, Vernor Vinge continued it's story with A Deepness in the Sky seven years later. Now, twelve years after the second book in the Zones of Thought series, Children of the Sky is finally seeing the light of day. Here's the synopsis for it:

Ten years have passed on the Tines World, where Ravna Bergnsdot and a number of human children ended up after a disaster that nearly obliterated humankind throughout the galaxy. Ravna and the pack of animals for which the planet is named have survived a war, and Ranva has saved more than one hundred children who were in cold-sleep aboard the vessel that brought them.

While there is peace among the Tines, there are those among them -- and among the humans -- who seek power... and no matter the cost, these malcontents are determined to overturn the fledgling civilization that has taken root since the humans landed.

Children of the Sky hits shelves October 4th.

****

Blue Dragon is the conclusion to Kylie Chan's Dark Heavens trilogy, which started with White Tiger and continued in Red Phoenix. Although I have yet to pick up the second book in the trilogy, I'm excited to see what the third volume brings, and how Mrs. Chan manages to wrap-up the series. Below is the synopsis:

Martial arts, magic, demons and science.

The forces of Hell are poised to strike...

When Emma's relatives come to visit her, they are totally freaked out by what they learn... Emma's beloved, John Chen, is a 3,000-year-old Chinese god. Not only that, John is becoming weaker by the day. Demons pursue him relentlessly, hoping to use Emma and his child, Simone, as bargaining tools against him.

Emma battles to defend Simone as John's energy is drained by the effort of both living in the mortal world and protecing them. While Emma is nagged by doubts about her own nature, she must find the courage to go on...

****

Here's a first for Updates and More: a book featured from Solaris Press!

I've been patiently looking forward to seeing what Kultus is all about. Here's the synopsis for it:

Thaddeus Blaklok -- Mercenary, demonist, bastard and thug-for-hire -- is pressed into retrieving a mysterious key for his clandestine benefactors. Little does he know that other parties seek to secure this artefact for their own nefarious ends and soon he is pursued by brutal cultists, bloodthirsty gangsters, deadly mercenaries and hell spawned monsters, all bent on stopping him by any means necessary.

In a lightning paced quest that takes him across the length and breadth of the steam fuelled city of Manufactory, Blacklok must use his wits and his own demonic powers to keep the key from those who would use it for ill, and open the gates to Hell itself.

Kultus hits shelves on October 25th, just in time to scare the hell out of you for Halloween!

****

Another title that will see publication just in time for Halloween, is The Night Eternal, the third and final book in the Strain Trilogy. Written by the dynamic duo author Chuck Hogan, and filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, I'm hoping for an explosive, dramatic ending. Not only did I love the first two books, but I'm a big fan of del Toro's work. Here's the full synopsis for The Night Eternal, which also hits shelves on October 25th:

It's been two years isnce the vampiric virus was unleashed in The Strain, and the entire world now lies on the brink of annihilation. There is only night as nuclear winter blankets the land, the sun filtering through the poisoned atmosphere for two hours each day -- the perfect environment for the propagation of vampires.

There has been a mass extermination of humans, orchestrated by the Master -- and ancient vampire possessed of unparalleled pwoers -- who selects survivors based on compliance.

The future of humankind lies in the hands of a ragtag band of freedom fighters -- Dr. Eph Goodweather, Dr. Nora Martines, Vasiliy Fet, and Mr. Quinlan. It's their job to rescue Eph's son, Zack, and overturn this devastating new world order. But good and evil are malleable terms now, and the Master is most skilled at preying on the weaknesses of humans.

Now at this critical hour, there is evidence of a traitor in their midst... And only one man holds the naswer to the Master's demise, but is he one who can be trusted with the fate of the world? And who among themwill pay the ultimate sacrifice -- so that others may be saved?

****

And finally, the other title to see publication just in time for Halloween, is Jonathan Mayberry's Dead of Night. It hits bookshelves on the 25th  as well. Here's the synopsis from the back of the Advanced Reader's Copy: 

This is the way the world ends. Not with a bong... but a bite...

A prison doctor injects a condemned serial killer with a formula designed to keep his consciousness awake while his body rots. But before he can be buried the killer wakes up. Hungry. Infected. Contagious. Can two small town cops contain the plague before it spreads beyond all control?


Look for a full review of Dead of Night to be posted before the end of the month!


~Rodney

Book Bombed! The Doctor and the Kid! Darkness Falling! Red Phoenix! The Complete Drive-In!

Thanks to Pyr Publishing, I've just been book bombed! Luckily enough I decided to eat lunch at home today, otherwise I would have been forced to wait for the UPS man to come back around.

Although it's not due to hit shelves until December, I have an ARC (advanced reader copy) of Mike Resnick's newest Weird West Tale, sitting on my bookshelf. I recently mentioned, in August's Updates and More, that the cover for The Doctor and the Kid had been released on the net, and now I'm happy to announce that there's a synopsis for those interested, as well. Here it is:

The time is 1882. With the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral behind him, the consumptive Doc Holliday makes his way to Deadwood, Colorado, with Kate Elder, where he plans to spend the rrest of his life, finally moving into the luxurious facility that specializes in his disease.

But one night he gets a little to drunk and loses everything he has at the gaming table. He realizes he needs to replenish his bankroll, and quickly, so that he can live out his days in comfort under medical care. He considers his options and hits upon the one most likely to produce income in a hurry: he'll use his skill as a shootist and turn bounty hunter.

The biggest reward is for the death of the young, twenty-year-old desperado known as Billy the Kid. With the enlisted aid of both magic (Geronimo) and science (Thomas Edison), Doc goes out after his quarry. He will hunt the Kid down, and either kill him and claim the reward or die in the process and at least end his own suffering.

But as he is soon to find out, nothing is as easy as it looks.

****

I was pleased to recieve an e-mail a few weeks ago from the kind folks at Angry Robot, that stated there were extra review copies of Peter Crowther's Darkness Falling. So, I didn't hesitate to grab a copy. Now I'm looking forward to grabbing enough alone time to devour it and let you all know how great it is! Here's the synopsis:

First the flash. A glare of light, just before dawn, followed by utter darkness. A vast blanketing darkness that covered the whole world.

The the dissapearances. Friends and strangers alike, swallowed by the darkness... and the returned, altered, changed.

For the people of Jesman's Bend, it feels like the end of the world. But this is only the very start.

File Under: Science Fiction [Zombie Apocalypse; Bodysnatchers; They Return]

 

****



Red Phoenix is the sequel to Kylie Chan's White Tiger, and the second book in the Dark Heaven's Trilogy. Halfway through the first book of this series, I have no doubt that Red Phoenix is a read I'm honestly looking forward to. Combining something that I haven't seen in recent past: Chinese Mythology and Urban Fantasy. Here's the Synopsis for Red Phoenix:

Immortals, martial arts, gods, and demons...

The intrigue deepens as the demon threat closes around mortals and gods alike.

When Emma Donahue took the position of nanny to John Chen's daughter Simone, she never expected to be caring for the child of a Chinese god, and she didn't expect that demons would want him dead. Nor has moving from nanny to partner in his heavenly realm made Emma's life any easier. Now a powerful race of demons has been created to hunt her and her family from Hong Kong to Europe. And she and Simone have become targets -- pawns to be used in a deadly celestial power play.

****

Last, but not least for this Book Bomb is the omnibus The Complete Drive-In by Champion Mojo Storyteller Joe R. Lansdale. Several weeks ago, Mr. Lansdale ran a quick contest on his fan page over on Facebook, and lucky me, I was the first to respond with the correct answer. The person who could answer the question correctly won a free, signed book of their choosing by the Champion Mojo Storyteller himself. I chose The Complete Drive-In. Hopefully I'll be able to review it in the next couple of months. Here's the synopsis for those interested:

Friday night at the Orbit Drive-in: a circus of noise, sex, teenage hormones, B-movie blood, and popcorn. On a cool, crisp summer night, with the Texas stars shining down like rattlesnake eyes, movie-goers try to leave, their bodies dissolve into goo. Cowboys are reduced to tears. Lovers quarrel. Bikini clad women let their stomachs' sag, having lost the ambition to hold them in. The world outside the six monstrous screens fade to black while the movie-goers spiral into base humanity, resorting to fighting, murdering, crucifying, and cannibalizing to survive. Part dark comedy part horror show, Lansdale's cult Drive-In books are as shcoking and entertaining today as they were 20 years ago.

~Rodney

Asylum Book Review

Title: Asylum
Author: Mark Allan Gunnells
Publisher: Zombie Feed Press
Pages: 80
ISBN: 9780984553563

Asylum is the newest novella from Mark Allan Gunnells. The story is centered around a group of survivors waiting out a zombie apocalypse in a gay nightclub.

When Curtis is dragged to his first gay nightclub by his close friend Jimmy, he's expecting a night of drinking, dancing and sex, but it'll get worse before the morning comes. It all starts in the parking lot of nightclub Asylum, when Curtis's best friend starts going down on a fellow clubber, and zombies start attacking their car. Retreating into the nightclub, readers are almost immediately introduced to the rest of the survivors including the expected characters, as well as some others: a Vietnam vet bartender, an ostentatious gay couple, a DJ, a male stripper and a drag queen. Are they survivors, or are they zombie food?

Gunnells does a marvelous job with creating characters that could easily carry a three hundred page novel instead of a mere eighty pages. Breathing life into them, Gunnells invokes an immediate understanding in the reader that the majority of the warm bodies in Asylum are zombie munching goodness, which makes the horror more real after reading and creating a bond with the characters. These aren't just stick figures, they've actually got meat on their bones, and it shows in the end.

And all the while Gunnells is making you care for the characters, he's taking the Romero-esque zombies and using them effectively, unlike so many half-written, throw away zombie novels that seem to have littered the shelves of every major bookstore across the country.

Regardless of your sexual orientation this is one hell of a scary novella, because when it comes down to it, death isn't prejudice; it'll take what it can get. And neither should the reader. If sexual preference is the only thing keeping you from picking up Asylum, then your missing out. A damn good story is a damn good story.

And this is a damn good story. That's why I'm giving Asylum 8 out of 10 TARDISes.

With Asylum Gunnells succeeded in drawing me in almost from page one, asking for more regardless of it's page count, and leaving a gap to be filled. There's no doubt in my mind that I'll be picking up more of Gunnells other works in the future. He's definitely a talent to look for in the future.

~Rodney

Monster Hunter Vendetta Book Review

Title: Monster Hunter Vendetta

Author: Larry Correia

Publisher: Baen Publishing

Pages: 612

ISBN: 9781439133910

Monster Hunter Vendetta is the second book in Larry Correia's New York Times Bestselling series (Currently #27 in Mass-Market), which started with Monster Hunter International.

Like I've mentioned before, there's always the expectation for a sequel to be at best, on parr with the first book in a series. With this being the first sequel that Larry's written, I was looking forward to finding out just how well Monster Hunter Vendetta would turn out. Too often authors will hit the big one with their first novel, then turn around, write the second book in the series without really caring, and being unfare to the reader. This is not true for Larry. He's a damn good story teller who knows how to weave every essential elemnt of storytelling together, without sacrificing one thing for another. As I cracked open my copy, I was blown away. Needless to say, there's no dissapointment on my face.

Picking up several months after the events in Monster Hunter International, Monster Hunter Vendetta continues the story of Owen Z. Pitt and his life as an accountant-turned-monster-hunter. After having made The Dread Overlord mad for something Owen didn't due (thanks largely in part to the Feds and a big nuke), Owen is then faced with a bounty on his head, put there by the The Dread Overlord (seriously, how could you ever be happy with a title like that?). Enter the the Church of the Temporary Mortal Condition, I cult spearheaded by a British necromancer who simply goes by the name of the Shadow Man, and wants nothing more than to gain the favor of The Dread Overlord.

Like with most things, the government always has to have it's hands in everything, that's why the MCB (Monster Control Bureau) sends Agent Franks to fill in as Owen's personal bodygaurd. And that's were the story begins.

I love learning about the history of things, and in general, world building, and Correia definitely doesn't dissapoint in that regard.Throughout the book Larry delves further into the backhistory of the rich, vast, complicated and bone numbingly scary world that he's created within the pages of Monster Hunter Vendetta. Along the way we're introduced to gansta gnomes, Owen's rockstar brother, giant Japanese demons, giant zombie elephants, and MHI's newest toy, Leviathan, as well as the answer to one of the biggest mysteries shrouding MHI's history. Needless to say, there isn't single dull moment within the pages of this book. And, finally, one of the biggest jaw dropping surprises that I would have never seen coming in a million years.

Monster Hunter Vendetta was by far more than I could have ever expected, and then some. That's why I'm giving it 9 TARDIS's out of 10. So, if you like zombies, vampires, werewolves, necromancers and scary death cults, and are tired of the same run of the mill cliched tropes that seem to mercilessly litter the shelves of Urban Fantasy section these days, then pick up Monster Hunter Vendetta, and while your at it, why not start from the beginning, and double the fun? Go ahead and grab Monster Hunter International and start from there.

~Rodney