Muscle Memory Book Review

Title: Muscle Memory
Author: Steve Lowe
Publisher: Eraserhead Press
Pages: 76
ISBN: 9781936383016

In short fiction, it takes a lot to find the right words, or for that matter the proper way to convey a story. Limitations help to prove the authors abilities, and quite honestly, short fiction is the determining factor for me when it comes to a new author. If they can successfully pull of a short story, novella, or novelette and leave me wandering, or thinking hard after finishing it, then they get my stamp of approval. And more times than not, I end up going back that authors stuff, in every capacity available.

Steve Lowe is now one of those authors. From the get-go, reading the synopsis for the novella, it just sounded awesome. In a world where it seems tropes are the common thing; overdone and horribly at that, it's nice to see an author able to take an old favorite and breath new life into it. Steve does this brilliantly in Muscle Memory, with the Ol' Switcheroo. Think Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Freaky Friday; Like Father, Like Son, and Vice-Versa, and then take those and flip 'em on their heads. Throw in a dash of government conspiracy, aliens, male breast feeding, and a talking sheep, and you've got Muscle Memory. 

Here's the blurb from the back of the book:

Billy Gillespie wakes up one morning to discover his junk is gone. In its place is his wife's junk. Billy is now Tina, and Tina is dead. That's because Billy's dead. His lifeless body is still in bed and empty beer bottles and a container of antifreeze litter the kitchen counter. Over the next 24 hours, Billy and an odd assortment of neighbors, all experiencing their own bouts of body switcheroo, try to figure out what happened and why. Can they do it before the Feds find Billy's body? Was it aliens that caused this, or God, or the government? And did Edgar Winter really sleep with his sheep? Pro football Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw has those answers in a story that asks, What Would Kirk Cameron Do? 

When he's not pulling on your heartstrings, he's making you laugh your ass off. And he does a remarkable job of both with believable characters, and a populated town that took me back in time to my hometown; very recognizable people that just added a whole other layer of down-right hilarity to the mix.

Muscle Memory was well paced; I ended up reading it in just over an hour, and let me tell you, that was an hour well spent. The plot is interesting, the characters are hilarious, and the ending, well, the ending blew me out of the freaking water. Never would I have seen it coming. Through all of the seriousness and funny that covered the pages, what hit me the hardest out of it all was the ending. Very powerful stuff.

Two things should be mentioned: First, Muscle Memory is part of Eraserhead Press's New Bizarro Author Series; one of a handful of shorter Bizarro pieces by new Bizarro authors looking to be read. Two: All throughout the month of Febraury, Steve will be donating all of the money made through sales of Muscle Memory and his other book Wolves Dressed as Men, to a local Foster Care program which he and his wife are a part of. For more details, visit his site/blog www.steve-lowe.com.

Reading Muscle Memory was an experienced for me, and if Steve's other future works are as powerful as this little Bizarro piece was, then I'm definitely looking forward to whatever he manages to write up next. The man can write short fiction, which is why I'm giving Muscle Memory 9.0 out of 10 TARDIS's.

Although I received Muscle Memory as a review PDF, you can rest assured that I'll be picking up a couple of copies of both of Steve's books, not only because it's for a good cause, but because he's one hell of a writer. So if you've got a big heart like me, why not pick up a few copies of both? With Valentine's Day just around the corner, you could always get one for the lover in your life who happens to have a messed up sense of humor!

~Rodney

King Maker Book Review

Title: King Maker (Book 1): The Knights of Breton Court

Author: Maurice Broaddus

Publisher: Angry Robot

Pages: 400

ISBN: 9780857660527

The legend of King Arthur tells of humanity’s universal desire to see a hero rise, deliver the people from their helpless existence and create a “Camelot”, where all are safe, were the possibilities are endless, and where everyone matters and makes a difference. It also tells how all such utopias are short-lived, must fall, and that chaos must return while the ordinary people wait for the cycle to begin again. (Anyone who flags this as a possible spoiler has much bigger problems culturally than my over-share review.)

The story of hope combined with inevitable tragedy make the King Arthur Legend one of the Greatest Stories Ever Told. As such, it has endured more than its fair share of variations and interpretations on stage, literature, television and movies—a few good and mediocre, and most of them incredibly bad.

The invisible baggage attached to King Maker Book One by Maurice Broaddus cannot be ignored. It’s impossible to approach a new version of the timeless tale without asking, “Do we really need this version?” I’m pleased to report that Maurice Broaddus provides many compelling answers to this question, answers which led me to conclude with a resounding yes.

Broaddus sets his tale among the very real rundown slums of west-side Indianapolis. The homeless huddle under streets that Hoosier natives can point to on a map, but would rarely drive through by choice after dark. While reading this book, I’ve stumbled upon mixed online comments regarding this choice—why not New York or Los Angeles or some other, more recognizable ghetto? I applaud the decision, and not just because I recognize the area he writes about (and clearly, so does he). By refusing to relocate his tale, he reminds the reader that poverty knows no geography. The poor are as equally trapped in Los Angeles as Pittsburgh. To massacre Shakespeare: A gang shooting in any other city would be as dangerous.

With every sentence, Broaddus traps the reader in the slums with his characters. He paints a bleak picture of warring gang members born without a chance, stuck in a school system that’s given up on them. We see kids raised by drug dealers and hookers whose only options are to escape through drugs or to “rise up” through the gang system, only to discover, too late, the lies inherent in those promises.

This is the world of King James White. We begin with the betrayal and fall of his father. Frm there, we’re quickly introduced to the gang and residents of Breton Court and their rival, the crew at the Phoenix apartments. We meet their leaders, Night and Dred, their lieutenants, and the various peddlers, pushers and police caught in the middle. By the time King answers his call to destiny and assembles his posse of “knights” at the modern “round table” (an all-night greasy diner), you can think of few places in greater need of a hero than the modern-day slums of Indianapolis.

The strengths of the novel put a spotlight on what many will consider its weaknesses. King Maker tells a sweeping tale with no less than 20 important characters. In hot, tragic splashes of episodic vignettes, we meet them all, we learn their story. We visit long enough to understand their motivation; we experience their pain and entrapment. In many cases, we learn their fate, and then we move on.

Readers who prefer a more intimate tale, who expect to spend time with our hero King as he broods, ponders and finally accepts his destiny, may be frustrated with this “hit and run” approach. I had my favorite characters: the homeless Merle, King, his girl Lady G. the oddly delightful bigoted police officer Lee and his black partner, the eternally patient and understanding detective Octavia.

Other readers will find much to love and may prefer the company of the ogre twins Machaela and Marshall, or the mysterious and lethal Omarosa, or others, but the result is the same. Your favorites are sharing screen time (page time?) with a large ensemble. Even King occupies less than a quarter of the novel.

I must also admit some frustration with the contrivance of renaming the classic heroes with recognizable variations. Did Guinevere have to be named Lady G, Merlin the Magician “Merle”, along with the similarly dubbed Luther, Lott, and Wayne? But to Broaddus’ credit, he owns the contrivance, and over time, makes the reader see these characters as individuals beyond their archtypes.

This is a world where gangsters kill and mutilate at the first hint of a neighborhood snitch. Where bumbling flunkies meet merciless death in graphic and bloody ways that may traumatize witnesses—that would be the reader. This is a world where the downtrodden pedestrian ducks gunfire on a daily basis, and runs the other way to avoid witnessing an assault.When King and his crew confront the trolls, demons, and dragons, you can absolutely believe an apartment building can be assaulted in broad daylight by a horde of supernatural beasts, and that no one is going to question or even notice the more fantastic elements.

Though not everything works exactly as you might expect, King Maker is a triumph. The book works much better than any jaded reader who has “seen it all before” should have any reason to expect. So while I started Book 1 with doubts, I find myself anxiously awaiting the release of Book 2, and give Book 1 a score of 9 out of 10 TARDISes.

–R.J.

The Fallen Blade Book Review

Title: The Fallen Blade
Author: Jon Courtenay Grimwood
Publisher: Orbit
Pages:
ISBN:

When my review copy for The Fallen Blade landed in my mailbox some time ago, I was reluctant to look at it, let alone pick it up and read it. "Why?" you might ask. Well, simply put, when boiled down it involves vampires and werewolves. And I'll be the first to admit: I'm sick of both. But, as time wore on, and my pile of books to review dwindled, I slowly came around to the idea of picking up The Fallen Blade. And when I finally did, I was glad for it in more than one way.

The Fallen Blade is the first book in a projected fantasy trilogy by author Jon Courtenay Grimwood.

Fifteenth century Venice. In it, Grimwood crafts a brilliant political landscape, populating the pages with the kind of people in higher authority that will make your skin crawl. Throw in a little romance, a dash of swordplay, a riff on one of Shakespeare's most beloved plays that encompasses the first half of the novel, as well as a Venetian secret organization known as the Assassinani, a boy named Tycho whose plagued with vampyric tendancies and a past that's older than he looks, and a prince that heads a force of werewolves, and you've got one hell of a book. And Grimwood does a marvelous and imaginative job of blending these elements together into a solid story.

After digging in to The Fallen Blade I quickly began hoping that it would break the stereotype of the tween-sparkly vampires that have been forced into the entertainment world of today, and I was pleasantly surprised that Grimwood not only broke it, but shattered it. With this novel, Grimwood has managed to bring the myth of the vampire back to the forefront of the fantasy genre while sticking to the ancient lore of the creatures.

I loved the Shakespeare riff that Grimwood plays off of in the first half of the novel, which I won't identify because of spoilers. Although almost instantly recognizable, the first time I caught hints of it, I was unsure, until I read further. Grimwood does a wonderful job of taking Shakespeare's play and using it to his own advantage, while still building a believable alternate Venice around the story. There's so much more I could say about what I loved in The Fallen Blade, but for the sake of accidentally putting any spoilers up, I'll stop here.

I much as I like the ideas in The Fallen Blade, there were a few issues that bothered me as I read, such as: the pace and the switching of character point of view. Now, I can understand the use of this technique, and am rather fond of it myself, but there were parts where the scene and character would switch and made it feel as if things had been left out; not fully explained. The pace itself was also rather interesting: I felt as though Tycho's training by Atilo seemed to be mismatched in that a lot of time was spent on specific things, while other aspects were completely ignored, or only mentioned in passing.

There's a lot going for Grimwood's The Fallen Blade: a tight plot, interesting characters, politics, secret organizations and a world set in fifteenth century Venice that'll keep you turning the pages into the wee hours of the morning. That's why I'm giving it 8.0 out of 10 TARDIS's. I'm definitely looking forward to the sequel.

~Rodney

Putting the (s) back into Sci-Fi Guy(s)

In the first post of 2011 I wrote that I would be adding guest bloggers to the site as the year progressed. I'm happy to announce the newest addition to the Sci-Fi Guys family, is RJ Sullivan, author of the novel Haunting Blue. After much discussion, RJ will be offering a monthly review.

For the month of January RJ will be reviewing Maurice Broaddus's King Maker.

Look for it within the next few days.

~Rodney

Descendant Book Review

Title: Descendant

Author: Bob Freeman

Publisher: Belfire Press

Pages: 334

ISBN: 9781926912004

Move over Scully and Mulder, there's a new duo in town!

For Selina Wolfe and Martin Crowe kicking beastie, demon, werewolf and zombie ass isn't just part of their job description, but a way of life for the two agents who work for a covert branch of the FBI: the Paranormal Operations Division.

Within the first hundred pages of Descendant, Freeman sets about weaving an intricate web of interconnecting stories, building and expanding on the history of his mythos. Throughout this first part of the novel, each story focuses on a single character, introducing and expanding upon their background, building up to the second part of Descendant, which ties all of the aforementioned characters together into one solid story.

Somewhere in the Mississenewa State Forest, a group of high school students release Hell on Earth, starting with a series of murders that shake the community of Mississenewa to its core. When Wolfe and Crowe are called in to investigate these horrible and sometimes grizzly deaths, they quickly realize that it's more than just your typical group of teens dabbling in black magic and satanic rituals. And what stalks the Hoosier Heartland is far worse than anything the teenagers could ever conjure up. It all leads to an ending of apocalyptic proportions; a no-holds-barr smackdown that will leave you wanting more.

Descendant reminded me vaguely of the X-Files, but honestly, Wolfe and Crowe are much more badass than Mulder or Scully ever could be. Namely because of the situations the two agents find themselves in.

From cover to cover, Descendant is packed full of interesting tid-bits of knowledge, all of which end up finding their way into the story. Between ancient bloodlines, unholy alliances and magical orders of great power, Freeman's knowledge of dark magic and its history shows throughout every page.

Besides the story Freeman has written, one of the things I found interesting was the fact that Freeman did all of the artwork for Descendant, and man is it some awesome stuff! From the cover of the book, to the portraits gracing the title pages for the two separate parts, the art definitely stands out and adds another layer to the story.

Although I enjoyed losing myself within the pages of Descendant, there were times where I found myself being pulled from Wolfe and Crowe's world. Primarily because of a handful of words that seemed to find their way upon the pages multiple times in one chapter. Although I enjoyed the word choices in the beginning, by the end I was more than ready to read the last page just so I wouldn't have to read those same words again and again.

Word choice aside, Descendant was one hell of a ride. The familiar world that Wolfe and Crowe populate is as familiar as ours, but yet minutely different to the point of being unsure. Just in case, I'm not going to be looking in any dark corners any time soon! Descendant has earned 7.5 TARDIS' out of 10. I'm looking forward to the sequel. If it's anything like Descendant, it will be worth the wait!

If you're looking for a novel that involves magic, the paranormal and a duo way more badass than Mulder or Scully, and you don't mind supporting the small press, then pick up a copy of Descendant.


~Rodney

The Buntline Special Book Review

Title: The Buntline Special
Author: Mike Resnick
Publisher: Pyr Publishing
Pages: 321
ISBN: 9781616142490

The Buntline Special is the first book in a (hopefully) new series by world-renowned Science Fiction author Mike Resnick.

As 2011 kicks off and The Year of Steam begins, I figured why not start it with a book that I've been wanting to read for a while? Thanks to Pyr Publishing, I'm able to review this unique title. Not only did Pyr send me a copy of Buntline Special, but three other steampunk books that I can't wait to sink my teeth in to.

The Buntline Special is one of those books that's, to be perfectly blunt: beautiful. Not only in the cover design, but also in it's concept. It's set in a Tombstone where horseless stagecoaches carry passengers to-and-from; electric lights illuminate the city's streets; bionic and cyborg women tend to men's needs at Big Nose Kate's bordello; and the law (and Doc Holliday) are donned in extremely hard brass plate body armor and gattling styled handguns. It's a wild west where magic can transform a man into a giant bat, and bring a gunfighter back from the dead for one last shootout.

The year is 1881. The United States Government is expanding westward, sending Thomas Ava Edison to Tuscon, Arizona. Along with Ned Buntline, Cyborg Edison is charged with combating the deadly magic of Indian Chief and Medicine Man Geronimo. To protect them, the U.S. Government orders the Earp brothers -- Wyatt, Virgil and Morgan -- to guard them. But the Earp's enterouge increases as Wyatt calls in a few favors from his close friends Bat Masterson and the infamous and notorious Doc Holliday.

But Geronimo's not the Earp's only worries. Along the way the five men will face The Clanton's, and their hired gun: The Thing That Was Once Johnny Ringo, culminating and ending soon after the shoot out at the O.K. Corral.

I grew up on westerns, whether it be reading them or watching them on television with my father. One of my favorite western movies of all times, is Tombstone with Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer and Sam Elliot. The shoot out at the O.K. Corral has always fascinated me in some capacity as well, so naturally, this was an obvious pick for me when I first saw it on the shelf.

There are so many things that I thought were astounding with this book: the weaving of the steampunk elements into the tapestry of the old west, and the history of not only the shoot out of the O.K. Corral, but also the history of the territory, and most importantly the city itself: Tuscon, Arizona. And I particularly loved the twist on Johnny Ringo: a philosophical, well educated shootist turned zombie, and a borderline vampyric Bat Masterson.

As much as I liked The Buntline Special, there were several things that immediately screamed at me upon finishing the book. The language was too contemporary, and the plot holes where large enough that a tank could have been driven through them. And the ending felt like it was slapped on only for future sequel possibilities. The steampunk is definitely there, and it's enough to give this weird western novel a twist, but unfortunately that's it.

Overall, The Buntline Special was a good read; one that I enjoyed, and I know I'll be coming back to, especially if there are future sequels. If you are looking for heavy hitting literature with a steampunk twist, you might want to pass on this one, but if you are looking for one hell of a time, this is your ticket! I'm giving The Buntline Special 7.5 Goggles out of 10.


~Rodney

2011: Steam

(AKA: What are you lookin' at punk!?)

2010 was a rather miasma of a mess here on Sci-Fi Guys, with still trying to figure out how to pace everything, and finding time to actually read and write the reviews for the titles I had chosen. These things are my fault, and for them, I apologize. 2011, with any luck, will turn out to be quite the opposite of 2010.

Sci-Fi Guys is going to be changing a bit here in the new year. I've decided to work with a theme for the site this year. And the theme is: Steampunk!

All throughout 2011, I'll be doing reviews for steampunk fiction, while still reviewing the same types of titles that I reviewed in 2010. I'm not sure how the ratio will work out, but I'm hoping for around an equal amount for both types of reviews.

I'm also going to be focusing more on guest blogs as well. I've got a few ideas floating around that still haven't been put to paper, but look for these as well, as 2011 progresses.

I'm really excited for 2011 here on Sci-Fi Guys Book Review, and I hope you'll keep coming back through out the year to see what we've done next.

Until then, Happy New Year!

~Rodney

Guest Blog: We love it! We can't use it! What is it?

It was a long, strange journey from my final draft of Haunting Blue, my first novel, to its eventual publication through Damnation Books. Nothing proved stranger than the series of rejection letters and emails the book collected during the hectic three years my then-agent (she’s such a sweet woman) sent it off to pretty much every major publisher on the planet, and seeing the various “reasons” for its rejection. What follows is a fictionalized conversation with a character representing all these various publishers.

Pub: Haunting Blue is well-written, tightly plotted, and I couldn’t put it down until I finished. We love it!

Me: So you’re going to publish it?

Pub: We don’t love it THAT much!

Me: Oh, sorry for being presumptuous.

Pub: I love the book, I just don’t love it…for our readers! You understand me?

Me: Yes. Uh….no.

Pub: For us to use it, you’d have to change it.

Me: What parts?

Pub: Well…all of it. We wanted an edgy thriller for young adults.

Me: I can edit the adult language if that’s the….

Pub: No, we can do that. The biggest problem is that it gets too exciting at the end.

Me: I was going for mundane, but I got a bit carried away.

Pub: Look, kid, books with strong female protagonists are flying off the shelves, but then your punk girl’s not girly enough. The tweens won’t relate to her.

Me: You want me to make Blue a girly rebel punk?

Pub: And what’s with all this arguing with the parent? What teenager can relate to that?

Me: When you’re right, you’re right.

Pub: And if you alienate teenagers, who’s going to read it? Our marketing clearly shows that adults won’t read books about teenagers.

Me: What about Carrie and Christine?

Pub: Are you comparing yourself to Stephen King?

Me: I’m sure it would be career suicide to compare myself to Stephen King.

Pub: Besides, this is a supernatural thriller, but all this “stuff” happens before it gets supernatural.

Me: it’s a slow burn. Like Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes. The town itself is kind of a character.

Pub: So this is like Ray Bradbury?

Me: I’m sure it would be career suicide to compare myself to Ray Bradbury.

Pub: And what the hell is up with your structure? You swap back and forth between first person and third person. That’s going to confuse the reader!

Me: William Faulkner did it in As I Lay Dying.

Pub: Who? Listen, is this Bill Fauker or Folker or whoever a current bestseller?

Me: I defer to your expertise.

Pub: I was so excited when this hit my desk.  Teenage girl! Monster! Like Stephanie Meyer with a ghost instead of a vampire! Now she knows how to write bestsellers!  Why’d you make that face, kid? Don’t you like Stephanie Meyer?

Me: It would be career suicide to compare myself to Stephanie Meyer, but for a vastly different reason than the other two.

Pub: Look, you’ve written a young adult too dark for tweens, but not dark enough for  horrorreaders, a chick lit novel not particularly girly and a southern gothic that takes place in the Midwest. Who the hell cares about Indiana, anyway? What exactly is this thing you’ve written?

Me: It’s a damn good story, sir. I’m sure we’ll find a terrific home for it elsewhere.

And eventually, my agent punted it back to my control with her regrets, and I found a terrific home for it through Damnation Books. Please enjoy this edgy urban punk chick-lit Midwestern gothic Hardy Boys for Big Kids ghost story novel, also known as Haunting Blue.

R.J. Sullivan and his family live in Heartland Crossing, Indiana, south of Indianapolis. He’s published short fiction in Midnight Graffiti and Strange Weird and Wonderful eZines. He’s composed dozens of articles for local magazines and newspapers, and “ghost” writes newsletter content for several companies. Join the R.J. Sullivan fan community at www.rjsullivanfiction.com 

Haunting Blue Book Review

Title: Haunting Blue

Author: R.J. Sullivan

Publisher: Damnation Press

Pages: 300

ISBN: 9781615722747

Haunting Blue is the debut novel from author R.J. Sullivan, published by Damnation Press.

Where to begin with this novel?

It was so much more than I expected, in so many ways.

Haunting Blue is the story of Fiona, a goth chick from Indianapolis, who is forced to move to a small town in the northern part of Indiana, when her mother takes a new job. From the very beginning of the novel, the reader begins to learn about Fiona, and her life, as the newest chapter in her life unfolds. Immediately she's thrown into small town drama, that's right: high school. She quickly realizes what it's all about, making friends and enemies as she goes. Including Chip, a geek/nerd/dork who loves all things computer related. The two soon strike a friendship, until it turns in to something more serious. As the story progresses Chip explains to Fiona -- who Chip nicknames Blue (the name stuck) -- that there's buried treasure at the local theme park, and he wants her to help him.

While Blue's story is unfolding, Sullivan does a remarkable job with flashbacks, taking the reader all the way back to 1973, to when the buried treasure had been stolen, and the group of men involved with the armed robbery.

I found the storytelling in Huanting Blue to be surreal at times, and often frustrating, and here's why: with a title like Haunting Blue, I kept finding myself wondering when the haunting part was going to occur. It wasn't until the very last second, and the most unpredictable moment that it happened. It kept me on the edge of my seat, from there on out, until the last sentence was read.

I'd like to say that I knew what I was in for when I first picked up Haunting Blue. At times I thought I was reading a coming of age story, or a romance. At other times it felt like a thriller, or maybe it was a ghost story after all.... I'm still unsure.

If you're looking for a good read, pick up a copy for yourself or a loved one. That way you can argue with them after you've both finished it.

Because Haunting Blue kept me guessing on the edge of my seat, it's earned 8.5 out of 10 TARDIS's.


~Rodney

A Very Black Christmas.

Christmas came early this year, in several forms including two boxes of review copies from Black Library Publishers, who specialize in Warhammer Fantasy fiction, as well as Warhammer 40k (40,000).

Look for several new reviews of some of the pictured titles above in the next several weeks. Until then: Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!

~Rodney

Shotgun Sorceress Book Review

Title: Shotgun Sorceress
Author: Lucy A. Snyder
Publisher: Random House
Pages: 330
ISBN: 9780345512109

Shotgun Sorceress is the second book in Lucy A. Snyder's Spellbent Trilogy published by Random House.

Very few sequels ever, in my opinion, manage to be as good as the first book in a series, but Lucy A. Snyder's Shotgun Sorceress easily earns it's place as the second book in the projected three book series, dealing with her protagonist Jesse Shimmer's newly founded abilities, her familiar Pal.


Shotgun Sorceress picks up only hours after Spellbent, and carries the torch of full-throttle amazingness found at the end of the first book, to all out increasingly strangeness within the first one hundred pages of the second, including one of the best opening scenes to grab my attention in a long time.

After returning from her boyfriend, Cooper Marron's version of hell, and defeating a powerful magic wielder, she's left with powerful magic that she can't seem to get rid of. With her giant half-spider/half-ferret familiar, her boyfriend Cooper, and Cooper's brother The Warlock, the four set out on an adventure to a little town in Texas. A town isolated in more ways than one. With her father's help, Jesse must find a way back to the real world, out of the clutches of a gorgeous and powerful witch, and find her brother.

Shotgun Sorceress is a marvelous sequel, continuing the breakneck pace begun in Spellbent, and reassuring the reader that this series isn't your average Urban Fantasy. That's why I'm giving Shotgun Sorceress 8.5 out of 10 TARDIS's.


If you're looking for a good Urban Fantasy series that's not your typical run-of-the-mill, then pick up a copy of Spellbent, and while you're at it, pick up a copy of Shotgun Sorceress, you won't be disappointed.

~Rodney

Apex Day 2010.

Saturday, December the 11th was Apex Day.

For those of you who don't know, Apex is a Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Publisher, based out of Kentucky, and owned by the awesome Jason Sizemore. Some of Apex's authors include: Alethea Kontis, Lavie Tidhar, Fran Friel, Maurice Broaddus, Jerry Gordon, R, Thomas Riley, Wrath James White, and Gary A. Braunbeck. They also produce Apex Magazine, (Issue 19 for December, 2010 just came out).



To Each Their Darkness

December the 11th was also the release date for Gary A. Braunbeck's non-fiction book: To Each Their Darkness, a reworking of an earlier account on writing that had been published several years ago, called Fear in a Handful of Dust: Horror as a Way of Life. Braunbeck has stated many times in the past, and in the introduction of To Each Their Darkness, that at the time of writing Fear in a Handful of Dust, he hadn't lived enough in order to pull off the things that he wanted to convey. And that's why To Each Their Darkness was written.

Although I plan on doing a full review for To Each Their Darkness for the blog sometime in the future, the best way I can explain To Each Their Darkness, is this: take Stephen King's On Writing and amplify it by 12.

Yeah, it's that good...

Saturday was an early day for me, having to get up and meet the rest of the IHW (Indiana Horror Writers) so that we could carpool to Lexington, Kentucky. On the way down, I inquired as to where Apex Day was going to be held, to which I was told: Joseph Beth Booksellers. I had never heard of the bookstore, but was excited to find out that it was a two story bookstore, filled to the roof with books of all kinds. As soon as I walked into the store, I was blown away. The Architecture of the place was absolutely gorgeous!

They even had an escalator!

Overall, my first impression of Joseph Beth Books was one of awe. However, on closer inspection of their books, I found just about every Lansdale book that I didn't want to have to order from my local B&N (that means a lot). But, because of finances, I had to talk myself out of picking them up, much to my chagrin. And when I looked lost and (I'll admit it, still awestruck with the place) confused, a nice sales-boy stopped to help me find my place before the IHW would have to send a search party to find me.


Chatting with the guy (unfortunately, his name escapes me as of the moment, I'm sorry) I was surprised to find that he knew, and had read almost as many horror books as me, including Jack Ketchum, Richard Laymon, Brian Keene, John Skip, Joe Hill, and even, yes, you guessed it... Joe R. Lansdale!

I digress... Back to Apex Day.



Gary reading from To Each Their Darkness, Apex Day 2010.

 Coming in late, we (the IHW) found some seats and sunk into them to absorb the second and third readings that Gary was giving from To Each Their Darkness. Afterwards there were giveaways... lots and lots of giveaways. In fact, everyone who came in before and during the reading ended up landing a book. However, only the first ten or so actually landed a book either by, or with Gary in it. Those who received a Braunbeck prize, also received a burnt copy of a short film called One of Those Faces, which was based on Gary's short story "Rami Temporalis." I happened to walk away with a copy of Future Net (look for a future review of this book as well), and a copy of One of Those Faces.

Future Net and a DVD copy of One of Those Faces

After Gary's reading it was time to buy books and get things signed, and time to just chill out and talk with people. Outside of the Apex authors in attendance, there were several other authors there as well, including: Michael West, RJ Sullivan, Stephen Zimmer, Michele Lee, Debbie Kuhn, Lucy A. Snyder, and Nicole Cushing.

After my explorations of the store, I returned to find that I had more books than what I had originally intended to pick up, which shouldn't have been a surprise, considering it happens to me every time. There were several titles I had been looking for, that I knew would be my only chance to pick up for a while, most notably Braunbeck's In the Midnight Museum (Tansmaniac Publications), and Lucy A. Snyder's Sparks and Shadows (HW Press).



From left to right: The Exodus Gate, To Each Their Darkness,
Sparks and Shadows, and In the Midnight Museum.

 I also managed to pick up To Each Their Darkness by Gary, and the first book in Stephen Zimmer's Epic Urban Fantasy series: The Exodus Gate (Seventh Star Press). I also received a bunch of promotional items for The Exodus Gate, including a couple of cover flats and two bookmarks, thanks to Stephen who was kind enough to give them to me.

December 11th, 2010 is one of those days I won't soon forget. Call it an early Christmas... Okay, one of many. Look for reviews for these titles to pop up within the coming months. And if you can't wait for the reviews, might I suggest going out and picking up a copy of one, or all of these titles for yourself, or maybe add them to your Christmas List... it's never too late for Santa!

~Rodney

Huffer Book Review

Title: Huffer

Author: Michael J. Hultquist

Publisher: Gravside Tales

Pages: 320

ISBN: 9780980133875

Huffer by Michael J. Hultquist is the newest book from Graveside Tales Publishing. What if you had the ability to see "evil" people, and had the power to do something about it? When a mysterious figure dressed in a hawaiian shirt appears to Gus Gerring after a stint of huffing paint in the middle of a cornfield, "Satan" as Gus refers to him, begins to show him things about people that no one would ever want to know about another person.

When the girl he loves doesn't return the affection,Gus spirals further into depression and begins huffing even more. But that's just the beginning. Soon, his world begins spiraling out of control: his mother and her boyfriend who are hiding a secret about his dead father, an uncle who has a particular affection for having his way with prostitutes and then offing them, a dream of the love of his life, and the local police who are after Gus for the winning Lotto numbers, and a man who wants to use Gus's special abilities to his advantage.

Gus quickly realizes that he can't control everything, even with Satan's help.

Huffer is an ambitious novel with some rather wonderful characters, such as the aforementioned Uncle Ham who has a taste for the macabre, -- having his way with prostitutes and then killing them -- and the mysterious figure which Gus refers to as "Satan": the indentity behind the visions that propels Gus's life into a Dive-Bomb.

Hultquist seems to have a firm grasp on the location in which the novel is set (always a good thing for an author), often times describing scenery with an outsiders eye effectively, drawing the reader in and keeping them there.

Characters and settings aside, nothing defines a novel more than the ending. And unfortunately Huffer suffers from a sloppy ending. As I read and grew closer and closer to the ending, I was expecting a climactic event that would leave me dumbstruck, and tie up all of the loose ends that were left hanging. However it didn't. In fact, I felt like I was reading an Indie Film: written with a sloppy, loose ending, intentionally written for the purpose of making the writer look smart; making the audience think for themselves, wondering what happens next.

For me, the mark of a great story teller is the ability to effectively be able to tell a story that leaves the reader still thinking about the events of the story longer after the books been put down, rather than dwelling on one or two major flaws that stand out like a sore thumb. For me, the ending was a sore thumb.

Just because the ending wasn't my cup of tea, it doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy reading Huffer, that's why I'm giving it 6.5 TARDIS's out of 10.


One last note: with Christmas fast approaching, I'd like to point out that right now Graveside Tales has a sale on for those with a Kindle and are interested in picking up a digital copy of Huffer, that the publisher currently has Kindle Editions of their books for only $2.99, so if you've got the pocket change to spare, download it and read it for yourself.

~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

The Fall Book Review

Title: The Fall

Author(s): Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan

Publisher: HarperCollins

Pages: 308

ISBN: 9780061558221

The Fall is the much anticipated sequel to Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan's new vampire trilogy which began with The Strain.

The Fall begins only hours after the events of The Strain: with the fall of New York City. Now it's up for grabs, and fighting for it's control are the Old and New World Vampires. As war breaks out across New York, two small band of survivors, one including Eph Goodweather and Holocaust survivor-turned-vampire-hunter Abraham Setrakian, and the other, a group of gangbangers-turned-vampire-hunters are caught in the middle of the war. And with newly acquired knowledge of how the parasite works, Abraham must race to stop them. All the while as Eph fights to save the world, he also has to contend with his dead ex-wife, who's only purpose is to find and feed on their son, Zach.

As with most sequels, there's always the expectation for it to be better than the first; to surpass the first book in the series if only by a small margin. Unfortunately these hopes were dashed for me as I settled in to read The Fall. The first issue I had with it was the size. Unlike The Strain which was considerably larger in volume, The Fall is a sleek little novel. Granted, size doesn't matter, but I was expecting more. I loved the direction that del Toro and Hogan took the story in, but felt that it dragged out and bogged down with parts that didn't really seem necessary to the plot at hand, including several new point-of-views that served no purpose to the story.

However, I loved the fact that the story delved further into the back history of Abraham Setrakian's life. I also enjoyed and the concept of the two sides: Old and New World Vampires, fighting to stop The Master's deadly plot to essentially erradicate the human race. del Toro and Hogan up the thrills with several new game-changing introductions to the story that most readers won't see coming. Including a few jaw-dropping moments for myself.

Overall, The Fall was an alright read. Although it left much to be admired, it was an interesting read that left me at times on the edge of my seat, while also dropping surprises I'd never see coming. That's why I'm rating The Fall 7.5 TARDIS's out of 10. As negative as I've been, I can't wait to see what det Toro and Hogan due with book three, The Night Eternal which releases one year from now.

If you've already invested your time in The Strain and just haven't picked up The Fall yet, I'd recommend picking it up the next chance you get.

~Rodney

A Gathering of Crows Book Review

Title: A Gathering of Crows

Author: Brian Keene

Publisher: Dorchester Publishing

Pages: 300

ISBN: 9780843960921

This review has been a long time coming. I've actually read the book more than once in the past several months, since it's July 27th release date, but have found it hard to come to realize that this is the final Brian Keene novel to be released through Dorchester Publishing.

It's no secret that Keene is no longer on their list of current authors writing for them. He even made the announcement on his blog a while back. But, I thought it best to wait until things had been sorted out to write this review, that way I could inform everyone who still doesn't know, about Keene's departure. And so now that you know, without any further excuses, here's my review for Brian Keene's A Gathering of Crows:

Set in a not so unusual location: Brinkley Springs, West Virginia, a podunk town hit hard by the recent economy. But unlike most towns of it's kind, the citizens of Brinkley Springs are being hunted down, gutted, getting their souls sucked out of their skulls, and all around mutilated by a shape-shifting murder of crows. Although that would be a killer plot for any novel (if executed properly), Keene ups the anti, throwing one of his most popular characters to date into the thick of things: Levi Stolzfus, an Amish powwow weilding magus, and all around badass.

When I first heard that Levi would be a major character in A Gathering of Crows, I couldn't help but get excited. Introduced in Ghost Walk, -- the sequel to Keene's Dark Hollow -- Levi quickly became one of my favorite characters to come from Keene.

The first third of the novel takes a while to get in to, but from there on out, it picks up the pace and keeps hitting harder with every turn of the page. Including in the last third of the book: a major nod and further explanations into Keene's mythos, mainly with The Thirteen, as well as The Old Ones, and a bit of a history lesson with the lost colony of Roanoke -- which Keene deftly ties into the story -- leaving just enough unanswered for the reader to want to know more. Add in killer dialogue throughout, red-shirts that are as real as you and me, and you've got one hell of a novel.

A Gathering of Crows has hands-down become one of my favorite novels to come from Keene in recent years, easily making it in the top five mass market paperback titles. There's not much more I can say without being truly biased, and splattering spoilers all over this review, so I'll just keep it short and simple: Run to your local bookstore before Leisure pulls it, and buy a copy. Hell, buy several copies and give them to your friends. And while your at it, go ahead and pick up any other Keene books you don't have, because the way it's sounding now, there's not much time left to do so.

I'm giving A Gathering of Crows 8.5 TARDIS's out of 10.

Just go pick the book up.

Seriously.

~Rodney

Crystal Rain Book Review

Title: Crystal Rain

Author: Tobias S. Buckell

Publisher: Tor

Pages: 358

ISBN: 9780765350909

Crystal Rain is the 2006 debut novel from Caribbean born author Tobias S. Buckell.

On a world not so unlike our own, strange winds begin to blow: the loathsome Azteca have stormed the Wicked High Mountains, and begun a march across Nanagada, sacrificing man, woman and child to their cruel, bloodthirsty gods as they go. Their intended target: Capitol City.

After having washed ashore 27 years earlier, John deBrun remembers nothing of his past, but as the winds of war begin to steadily blow, he's forced to remember just who he really is. deBrun -- a self made fisherman -- finds himself caught up in a fight that he doesn't really want to be a part of, until his town is invaded and sacked, and his wife and son have disappeared. Left with nothing, deBrun is forced to do the one thing he thought he'd never be forced to do again: fight. Saved by a man named Oaxyctl, the two travel as forerunners to Capitol City, where there they sound the warning against the invading Azteca.

But as the annual Carnival begins, a mystical figure arrives, questioning locals as to the where-abouts of John deBrun. The man known as Pepper has his own secret agenda, and as the story unravels, not only is the vail of Pepper's history lifted, but also deBrun's, as the two are forced to work together to save Capitol City. With only an ancient map to go by, and a name: Ma Wi Jung, deBrun leads a crew of men to the north, where they hope to find something that can save Capitol City from falling to the approaching Azteca attack.

Crystal Rain is something of a wet dream for both science fiction and fantasy lovers alike. The way Buckell deftly intertwines and blends the two genres together is breathtaking. Add in a heaping dose of the Caribbean, with a pinch of of seige warfare, and you've got the perfect main course.

Buckell does a fine job with keeping each chapter as short as possible, without sacrificing quaility. In most places it reads like a thriller should, and keeps info dumps to a minimum, instead placing small bits of information into strategic points of the story that do nothing but good for it. With well thought out characters and an ending that blew me away, I'm looking forward to spending more time in this unique universe that Buckell has done a superb job with introducing in Crystal Rain. That's why I'm giving it 8.5 out of 10 TARDIS's.

If you've got the spare pocket change and are looking for a good read that does a superb job of blending two major genres of the literature world together, then give Crystal Rain a chance. I promise you'll like it.

~Rodney

The Accidental Sorcerer Book Review

Title: The Accidental Sorcerer
Author: K.E. Mills
Publisher: Orbit
Pages: 530
ISBN: 9780316035422

The Accidental Sorcerer is the first book in the Rogue Agent Series, written by K.E. Mills and published by Orbit Publishing.
When I first picked up The Accidental Sorcerer and began to read, I quickly realized that it read much like a mature knock-off of Harry Potter. Which, the more I continued to read, the more I wanted it to be. Sadly, it only lasted for the first one hundred or so pages. It then quickly turns into something completely different than what I thought it would. To say that this book kept me surprised until the end would be an understatement.

The Accidental Sorcerer is the story of Gerald Dunwoody, and his transformation from Third Grade Wizard to King Lionel of New Ottosland's new Court Wizard. It all starts with a bang, after Gerald blows up a factory trying to save it, working as a Third Grade Wizard inspector -- a job usually held by a Second Grade Wizard at the very least -- for one of the most famous wand makers in the country.

Out of a job, and a stain on the Ministry's reputation, Third Grade Wizard Dunwoody is distraught, until his close friend Monk Markham recommends he look in the newspaper for potential employees. To his surprise, Gerald finds an add: New Ottosland is looking for a new Court Wizard. Hired on the spot, Gerald moves into his new position as Court Wizard, and struggles to keep it together as things begin to spiral out of control all around him.

Will this new position make, or break Gerald Dunwoody? With an interesting choice of characters, K.E. Mills -- a pen name for author Karen Miller -- fills the pages of The Accidental Sorcerer with some of the most memorable characters that I've read in the last several years. Between Monk Markham, one of the most brilliant minds working for the Ministry, and one of Dunwoody's best friends; Reg, a talking bird and one of Gerald's closest friends who eximplifies the Transformer's motto: "more than meets the eye," there's enough humor to make the reader smile, even in the last half of the book.

With all writers, they have their strong points, and the weak ones. As I read I couldn't help but fall in love with the characters of The Accidental Sorcerer, but as I read on, deeper and deeper into the novel, I couldn't help but ask questions concerning the government of New Ottosland and the running of it. For me, Mills fails at developing the kingdom of New Ottosland, instead sacrificing it for further development of the characters.

At 530 pages, The Accidental Sorcerer is by no means a brick of a book, but neither is it your typical 80,000 word, 320 page novel. Mills is bordering on what I consider to be the "King Syndrome": aptly named after horror author Stephen King, who takes freakin' forever to get anywhere with his books. I think a large portion of this book could have been boiled down, or all together cut out to make a more solid and well rounded novel. I'm necessarily recommending cutting it down to 320 pages, but instead bringing it down to the 450 page range, would have helped the books in some serious ways.

In the end, I throughly enjoyed reading The Accidental Sorcerer. Mills has done what many authors out there today can't necessarily do: make me invest in the characters, and want to know what happens next. Besides a weaker ending than what I would have liked, I can't wait to see where Mills takes the reader next with the second book of the Rogue Agent Trilogy, that's why I'm giving The Accidental Sorcerer 7.5 out of 10 TARDIS's.

If you enjoy character development, without the technical infodumps and overly long explanations for everything, I would highly encourage you to pick up The Accidental Sorcerer the next time you hit your local bookstore.

~Rodney

Skull Full of Kisses Book Review

Title: Skull Full of Kisses
Author: Michael West
Publisher: Graveside Tales
Pages: 212
ISBN: 8790980133882

Lately I've been finding myself reading more and more short stories, and enjoying them more than the typical novel. There's been a few collections that have stunned me in the past, but every collection pails in comparison to Michael West's Skull Full of Kisses. There's only two words that come to mind when I think about this marvelous collection, and those are: disturbingly brilliant!

Every story contained in this small, but remarkable collection not only makes a person think, but plants that thoughtful seed in the readers mind. And with each passing story that's read, that seed begins to grow, until finally you've reached the end, and left with a stunningly beautiful and haunting apparition that will follow you long after you've read the last word.

Although the collection is short, it's solid, compact, and written with a passion that's hard to find. Every story reads like polished gold. "Jiki" -- the opening story -- deals with Koji Ogawa, the newest member of the Yakuza who comes face-to-face with something more sinister than the mobster could ever dream of. Then there's "Einstein's Slingshot," which reminded me of a love child between Jurassic Park, The Mist, and The Outer Limits. There's also "To Know How to See," a sci-fi/horror hybrid that will leave you questioning the true identity of everyone around you; and then there's one of my personal favorites: "Sanctuary," which deals with travelers seeking for refuge from a Himalayan snow storm, but find something more when they hole up with a group of monks. And finally, to round out the collection, is "Goodnight," a heart-string plucking tale of a grandfather recounting a real-life bedtime story to his grandson.

I've read this collection five times in the last three months, and each time I've finished the book I've found myself stunned at what an amazing collection Skull Full of Kisses really is.West knows and loves his genre, and shows and shares it, with a remarkable ability to craft tales, and flesh out characters that feel alive. That's why I'm giving Skull Full of Kisses an 8.5 out of 10.

If you're looking for something that will seriously mess with your head long after you've put it down, I would highly suggest picking up a copy of Michael West's Skull Full of Kisses.

Monster Hunter Alpha Cover Revealed

A couple of days ago, author Larry Correia revealed the cover for the newest novel in his very popular Monster Hunter International series: Monster Hunter Alpha.

Not only is it kick-ass, but it's also sexy. Here's the synopsis for Monster Hunter Alpha:

Earl Harbinger may be the leader of Monster Hunter International, but he’s also got a secret. Nearly a century ago, Earl was cursed to be werewolf.  When Earl receives word that one of his oldest foes, a legendarily vicious werewolf that worked for the KGB, has mysteriously appeared in the remote woods of Michigan, he decides to take care of some unfinished business. But another force is working to bring about the creation of a whole new species of werewolf. When darkness falls, the final hunt begins, and the only thing standing in their way is a handful of locals, a lot of firepower, and Earl Harbinger’s stubborn refusal to roll over and play dead.


After reading that blurb I was super excited. More of Earl's backstory = awesome. But what really had me dancing up and down like a school girl is this: Monster Hunter Alpha will clock in somewhere around 832 pages... yeah, a door-stopper. Sexy! As per-usual with a Larry Correia release, I can safely say that there will be several sleepless nights for a while after procuring my copy of Monster Hunter Alpha, especially at 832 pages.


Look for it to hit shelves sometime in the beginning of August, 2011.


~Rodney