Books and Things

The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame

2012-03-10T13:39:00.001Z

Title: The Wind in the Willows
Author: Kenneth Grahame
Genre: Fantasy
Published: 1908
Formats: Hardback/Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Project Gutenberg (Free Ebook)
Amazon
The Book Depository
Amazon UK

"The Wind in the Willows" by Kenneth Grahame is one of these stories that I had previously never got around to reading. In addition, I also seemed to have missed watching any of the various TV shows created around the story as well. Therefore, when I signed up to Year of the Fantasy Classic Challenge I decided that I would finally read this classic and actually find out what it really was about.

The story follows the various meandering and pleasant adventures of several anthropomorphized animals such as the Mole, Water Rat, Toad and Badger. The adventures are mainly set in an idyllic English countryside and range from an innocent trip down the river in a row boat to the fears of being lost in the woods on a snowy night. I found the whole thing to basically be a celebration of the simple life of the country that could be lived by well to do bachelors in the late 19th and early 20th century.

Now, I am going to be honest and say that this book isn't fast paced, action packed or full of exciting thrills although there are still elements of each within the novel which I found contrasted well with the more leisurely sections. The books main feature though is its rather enjoyable cozy charm as the reader follows the camaraderie of the characters and their fundamental acceptance of each other. It doesn't delve into any heavy good vs. evil moments, it more highlights some of the profound moments that can be had by simple characters just trying to live their lives.

I found all four of the main characters to be quite interesting individuals with a basic jovial nature and whilst they have been anthropomorphised they did seem to retain some of their intrinsic animal characteristics. The supporting characters however did seem a little bit weaker and a little bit more generic at times but this didn't really detract from the overall story as the antics of the main characters created some really amusing moments, especially those centred on the Toad.

The novel itself is defined as a children's book and there are some lessons for children that have been integrated into the novel, from the issues of being self-centred as seen by the actions of the Toad, to the danger of wondering off alone as shown by the Mole getting lost in the woods. However, I did I find that the writing itself is actually quite complex for a children's book which could cause some children a bit of trouble. Adults however will find the vocabulary to be rich and varied with an easy to follow sentence structure. I would say that this is probably more a book for an adult to read to a child than for them to read themselves.

There were a couple of minor issues I had with the novel, the first of which was that some the chapters seemed to go off on a tangent from the overall story being told. This just meant that the novel at times could feel like a collection of short stories rather than a single piece of fiction. The second issue is that whilst the novel did contain some interesting lessons for children, some aspects weren't something that a parent would necessarily want a child to learn and think was okay. For example there is a part when the main four beat other characters with sticks, and then there is Toad who blatantly keeps breaking the law and then escapes from prison without any real punishment but a telling off by his friends. It didn't really bother me as an adult reader and I would probably read it to my own children but I suspect some parents may not feel the same.

Overall this was quite a heart-warming and cozy novel about friendship and loyalty that really helps to remove the reader from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. I believe that this novel really works well as calming bedtime read that should appeal to both adults and children. Personally, I am glad that I finally read this book and look forward to reading it to my children once they are old enough to really understand its vocabulary and message.

Challenges Book Counts Towards:
Speculative Fiction Challenge
Year of the Fantasy Classic Challenge

Star Trek Enterprise: The Expanse - J.M. Dillard

2012-03-07T12:02:00.001Z

Title: The Expanse
Author: J.M. Dillard
Genre: Sci-Fi
Published: 2002
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
The Book Depository
Kobo
Amazon UK

"The Expanse" by J.M. Dillard is the latest book in my Star Trek Reading Challenge and it is a novelization of two Star Trek Enterprise episodes; namely the Season 2 Finale and the Season 3 premier. There was one little quirk regarding this novelization though in that it actually included various scenes that were deleted from the episodes prior to them airing which were quite interesting to read.

The story deals with an attack on Earth by a previously unknown alien species (or actually 5 separate species that evolved on one planet) known as the Xindi. After this attack leaves millions dead, the Enteprise is recalled to Earth where the crew witness the devastation for themselves. However, thanks to information gained from a time traveller, the Enterprise is dispatched on a mission into the Delphic Expanse to try and locate the Xindi homeworld to ensure there are no further attacks.

The book follows the script of the two episodes fairly well, covering the various events exactly as was seen on screen although the reader does get to obtain a little bit more understanding of what may be going on within the character's heads and the various motivations. I particularly thought this was so in regards to T'Pol's decision to disobey the Vulcan High Command and Tucker's attempts to deal with the loss of his sister.

My biggest issue with the novel though is that it just covers the two episodes that were used to set up a major story arc that ran across the entire third series. Therefore, there is no satisfying conclusion to this novel which basically just sets up the major plot line and various goals yet doesn't actually see them through to completion. To be honest, if I hadn't been the fan of the series and therefore knew how it all ends up I would probably have been deeply disappointed.

If you ignore this aspect however, there is no doubt that this is a well written and nicely paced book. The story itself was enjoyable enough already, but the little additions made by Dillard to the story have definitely added to it. It is without doubt the best of the novelizations I have read so far within the Enterprise collection.

In conclusion, this is an enjoyable book that provides a little bit more insight into the characters beyond what a reader may have observed from the TV screen. To be honest though I am not sure if it adds enough to really make it a must buy for a fan of the show and the lack of a proper conclusion probably would irritate someone who had not actually already seen the series. I would probably just advise people to watch all of season 3 instead and only buy the book if you are a completionist.

Challenges Book Counts Towards:
Ebook Reading Challenge (The Eclectic Bookshelf)
Ebook Reading Challenge (Workaday Reads)
Sci-Fi Reader Challenge

On Dark Shores: The Lady (On Dark Shores Book 1) - J.A. Clement

2012-03-03T17:04:00.000Z

Title: On Dark Shores: The Lady (On Dark Shores Book 1)
Author: J.A. Clement
Genre: Fantasy
Published: 2011
Formats: Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Smashwords
Kobo
Amazon UK

"On Dark Shores: The Lady" by J.A. Clement is a relatively short fantasy novel that forms the first part in her "On Dark Shores" series of novels. The story is mainly based around the town of Scarlock which is controlled by a tyrannical money lender named Copeland. In the town lives Nereia, a young woman who has become a thief after her family died and Copeland gave her a choice to either steal or become a prostitute. When Copeland threatens Nereia's younger sister, she realises that she needs to do something now before it is too late. And so, a dangerous and rather violent adventure results as Nereia and her sister attempt to escape from Scarlock and the control of Copeland.

The first comment I need to make is that whilst this is a reasonably enjoyable novel, it really didn't feel very satisfying as an individual story. The ending was a little bit sudden and the whole book just came across as being a vehicle to introduce the reader to a large cast of characters and an overarching plot. If the next book was already available to read then it maybe wouldn't have been so bad, but as it currently isn't, I feel like I have read the first few chapters in a novel and then just had to stop.

However, the heart of the story being told is actually pretty solid and there does seem to be a lot of interesting and engaging plot lines that are intermingled quite nicely with each other. I will admit however that some of the sub-plots did leave me quite confused and in particular I still don't really understand what was going on in the first chapter. Luckily there was enough in the core of the story to keep me reading and I am just hoping that some of the more mysterious sections will be explained in the future books.

In regards to the characters, there is quite a variety of them and I did enjoy the way in which the author swapped between them which enabled me to experience the events from various different points of view. However, the usual issue I see with short novels or novellas is glaringly obvious in that none of the characters seem to have been developed to their full potential. There are some superb building blocks there for future development in the coming novels and I think that Nereia has all the hallmarks of what could be a great heroine but at the moment it just feels like we are just getting a sneak peek.

A little niggle I did have with the characters was in relation to section of the story where one of the characters seems to descend into a form of madness. The issue I had with this was that it came across as just being a cheap way for a character to act in a way that they normally wouldn't have done. I had been appreciating how the main characters and secondary characters were being used up to that point and just felt a little bit let down by this.

Overall, this was a rather interesting fantasy novel although it was a little bit flawed by seemingly be used more as a set up for future books than as a story in its own right. Personally, I was able to look past that though due to the interesting and varied characters and the promise of what looks like a rather enjoyable and complex overall plot. I really am looking forward to see how everything is going to fits together in the end and this alone will probably make sure I pick up the sequel when it is released.

Challenges Book Counts Towards:
Ebook Reading Challenge (The Eclectic Bookshelf)
Ebook Reading Challenge (Workaday Reads)
Free Reads Challenge
Speculative Fiction Challenge

The Last Unicorn - Peter S. Beagle

2012-02-29T12:04:00.000Z

Title: The Last Unicorn
Author: Peter S. Beagle
Genre: Fantasy
Published: 1968
Formats: Hardback/Paperback

Available at:
Amazon
The Book Depository
Kobo
Amazon UK

I have seen the "The Last Unicorn" animated film many times over my life, mainly due to my younger sister having a slight obsession with it. However, when I joined up to the Year of the Fantasy Classic Challenge I decided that maybe now was the time for me to read the book that inspired the movie. I had hoped to unearth some deeper information on the characters and other things. What I discovered however was that the film is actually a very good adaptation of the book and there was very little extra I really gained from reading it.

For those of you that don't know the story, it follows a unicorn that embarks on a quest to try and find out what has happened to the rest of her species. During this quest she joins up with two companions; the wizard Schmendrick and a woman named Molly Grue. Together they continue onwards so that they can face the Red Bull who is supposedly the very reason that the unicorn's kinfolk have disappeared.

I have to admit that I didn't really find the plot itself to be anything remarkable and I did find myself struggling to keep on reading at times. Perhaps the problem was that I already knew most of the plot from watching the film but whatever the reason, I just felt like something was missing. However, what Beagle has done is inject some emotion and humour into the telling of the story which managed keep me reading even with the weak plot. The way in which he would switch the narrative from being one of comic parody to one of profound thought was actually quite interesting to behold.

The characters themselves were a little bit flat at times with very little development which was probably due to the short length of the novel. In regards to the Unicorn herself, I actually found her to be quite unlikeable, due to the fact that Beagle has done quite a good job in making her come across as being unhuman. However, despite all of this I did find that the various supporting characters were still reasonably interesting and in particular the relationship between Schmendrick and Molly Grue was quite enjoyable to follow as it developed from jealousy to friendship.

One other comment I really need to make is that if like me you don't really have time for flowery language, poetic paragraphs and surreal descriptions then you may have some issues with this book. Beagle has captured an almost whimsical and dreamy fairy tale feel to the novel due to his use of the English language which will probably delight those who enjoy literary exposition, but I just found it all rather distracting.

In summary, I have to admit that I don't really understand why so many people seem to make a big fuss about this book. It was enjoyable enough but I honestly don't see how someone could say it ranks alongside the works of Tolkien etc. Maybe I am some sort of heathen when it comes to understanding "good" books but this novel just didn't really grab me. Perhaps if I was someone who enjoyed understanding and delving into the use of language in a book, I would have a different option. However, I prefer to let the plot be the tool that engages me with a book and I think the plot itself is probably the weakest part of this novel.

Challenges Book Counts Towards:
Speculative Fiction Challenge
Year of the Fantasy Classic Challenge

Fezariu's Epiphany (Elenchera Chronicles Book 1) - David M. Brown

2012-02-25T08:16:00.000Z

Title: Fezariu's Epiphany (Elenchera Chronicles Book 1)
Author: David M. Brown
Genre: Fantasy
Published: 2011
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
The Book Depository
Smashwords
Kobo
Amazon UK

"Fezariu's Epiphany" by David M. Brown is the first book in a new fantasy series entitled "The Elencheran Chronicles". One of the big things I look for in a fantasy book such as this has to be the world itself and I think the author did a great thing with this one. It is rather colourful and varied place that has a lot of potential within it available for any future books in the series.

The novel itself was focused on the life of Fezariu whose life seems to have been surrounded by tragedy from early on. Trying to escape from the perceived curse he feels that has been plaguing his young life he leaves his family and joins up with a mercenary group. After years of training and hard work he becomes a great soldier and along with his friends sets out on an adventure. However, all the time the events of his past continue to lurk in the back of his mind filling him with dread and guilt.

The first portion of the story was a little bit slow as the world and the characters were introduced to the reader, but as it progressed the pace picked up and the plot developed into quite an interesting and sombre tale. I found the overall journey that the book takes the reader on to be an enjoyable and emotional one that delved into Fezariu's life and covered so many aspects, from periods of heartache, pain and guilt to those of love, joy and redemption.

One issue I did have with the story itself was in the manner that it was actually told. There were so many sections that were related in letters or in someone's comment about a past event. As a reader, I hardly actually got to witness any of these events actually going on, it seemed like this interesting and entertaining story was mainly being told to me in a series of summaries. Perhaps the author didn't want to make this novel a massive tome, I don't know but either way I was a little bit disappointed that I didn't get to actually follow some of the events in an in depth manner.

In regards to the characters, I have to admit that I really felt something for Fezariu, the way in which misinterpretation and random events had conspired to lead him to a life of guilt and anger was rather sad to behold and I really wanted him to turn his life around. However, outside of this I think the characters on the whole were a little bit flat which was probably influenced by the use of letters and people's comments to tell large portions of the story. There were no real surprises from any of the characters and in particular, I never saw any evidence as to why anyone feared the story's main protagonist. Considering it is mainly due to his actions that Fezariu's life went the way it did, it would have been nice to see something that actually explained why people were so scared of him.

Overall, I found "Fezariu's Epiphany" to be an enjoyable fantasy novel that covers the usual hallmarks of the genre with tyranny and cruelty being offset by loyalty and self-sacrifice. Whilst, there were some flaws that I felt were related to the manner in which some of the story was told, it is still an interesting and emotional journey in a well developed world that most fantasy readers should enjoy. I now look forward to continue reading "The Elencheran Chronicles" as new books are released.

Challenges Book Counts Towards:
Ebook Reading Challenge (The Eclectic Bookshelf)
Ebook Reading Challenge (Workaday Reads)
Free Reads Challenge
Speculative Fiction Challenge

The Two Faces of Tomorrow - James P. Hogan

2012-02-22T09:55:00.001Z

Title: The Two Faces of Tomorrow
Author: James P. Hogan
Genre: Sci-Fi
Published: 1979
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Baen Books (Free Ebook)
Amazon
The Book Depository
Amazon UK

I only ended up reading "The Two Faces of Tomorrow" by John P. Hogan thanks to the 2012 Sci-Fi Reader Challenge. As part of the challenge I had to read an "Adult" Science Fiction novel and as I didn't really know how to really define this, I decided that a "Hard" Science Fiction novel would surely fit the requirement. So I hunted the internet and I discovered "The Two Faces of Tomorrow" which was in a few top ten lists of Hard Science Fiction, and as an added bonus, the e-book could be obtained for free from Baen Books. So, thanks to the power of the internet and a book challenge I ended up reading what turned out to be a very interesting and engrossing novel.

The novel is set in the mid-21st century and follows a team of scientists lead by Dr Raymond Dyer who are attempting to develop a computer programme that is capable of learning, adapting and using something similar to the common sense inherent in humans. When a computer programme manages to almost kill a group of engineers due to its logical handling of a situation, Dr Dyer and his team are brought in to discuss the ramifications. The various discussions and thoughts around the situation leads to the government agreeing to conduct an experiment on a newly constructed space station whereby, the military alongside various scientists will attempt to shut down an Artificial Intelligence that has been coded with a survival instinct. The outcome however, is more that anyone imagined or planned for and therefore things quickly get out of hand.

I have to admit that the core of the story probably doesn't really cover anything new in the genre as it is primary based around the exploits of Artificial Intelligence and what it could do in an attempt to ensure its survival. As most people have probably seen the "Terminator" movies they can probably easily imagine the types of things that would happen in this novel. However, I did think the ending itself was rather satisfying and was actually quite unexpected and different to many of the other man vs. machine type scenarios I have read about or seen.

The main issue with the book that some readers may have is the pacing in the initial portions of the book. Hogan delves quite deeply into some philosophical debates about the nature of technology and its use by humanity. After a while the whole thing did begin to feel like it was dragging on, so that it was affecting the overall forward momentum of the plot. Personally, I found the debate and descriptions used in the initial sections of the novel to be rather interesting so I didn't mind the meandering pace, but I can imagine it is not going to be everyone's cup of tea.

However, once the story moves onto the space station and the face-off between humanity and the computer began, the book really started to pick up the pace. Basically, at this stage, the book becomes more about the action and imagery, than discussion and ideas and I found it to be very entertaining. The book really does cover both thoughtful philosophy and enjoyable adventure in equal doses; it was just a shame that Hogan didn't find a way to mix them up in a manner that ensured the entire plot from start to finish moved forward with purpose.

In regards to the characters, I haven't read any other Hogan novels but I am curious now to know if he has gotten better since writing this novel at their utilisation and development. They just all felt very flat and there were a lot of them that I can't even remember now only a week or so after reading the book. In addition, at several points he seems to fall back on using cliques, this was particularly true in regards to the romantic relationship between Dr Dyer and Laura which felt like the standard, "we act like we don't like each other, but we really do" style of relationship. None of this really affected my enjoyment of the story but I feel the novel could have been even better if the characters had a little bit more development and variety.

Overall, I found the story to be an enjoyable mix of hard science and entertainment which shows that a book doesn't have to sacrifice one element for the other. If you enjoy science fiction, and in particular like to dabble in hard science fiction then you probably won't go wrong in picking this novel up to read.

Challenges Book Counts Towards:
Speculative Fiction Challenge
Sci-Fi Reader Challenge

Containment - Christian Cantrell

2012-02-18T12:03:00.000Z

Title: Containment
Author: Christian Cantrell
Genre: Sci-Fi
Published: 2010
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
The Book Depository
Amazon UK

"Containment" by Christian Cantrell was a book I picked up without knowing anything about it beyond it being Science Fiction. I basically won a competition that enabled me to pick any book under a certain price from Amazon and "Containment" was the highest ranked Science Fiction e-book available at the time for that price.

The story is set in the future on a colony set up on Venus by the Global Space Agency (GSA) after humanity had almost devastated Earth. Arik is a member of the first group of children born on the colony who are collectively known as Gen V. The birth of these children however has taken the population to 1100 which is the maximum limit the colony can safely support. Arik, as one of the smartest of his generation is tasked with helping solve this issue and increasing the ability of the colony to sustain future generations. The pressure on Arik to solve the conundrum however is increased he discovers that his wife is pregnant with a child that the colony would currently be unable to sustain.

Considering that I picked up this book due to the luck of the current sales rankings; I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Cantrell has created a vivid and interesting picture of how a colony on another planet could function. He also combines the elements of science, plot and Arik's characterisation really well to ensure the reader is fully engaged in the overall plight of the colony. However, whilst all of this helped keep the reader engaged, I felt the characters beyond Arik were all a little bit flat and this let the novel down as it didn't really allow me to form any attachment. I particularly found that Arik's wife was almost a non entity even though it appeared that most of what he was doing was for her and their child.

The book was a little bit different to many of the other books I have recently read in that it definitely is not faced paced. The story creeps along, gently revealing more and more information about both the past and present in an interesting and controlled manner that kept me hooked. In fact, the only fast paced element of the story was probably in relation to the superb twist in the plot that I only saw coming a few pages before it was actually revealed. I actually quite liked how the reveal at this stage was told in this different manner to the rest of the story.

A minor issue I did have with the story was mainly in regards to the skipping back and forth in time. Basically, it wasn't always easy to realise what time period you were reading about and sometimes you could be a few pages in before you knew. I think the utilisation of the flashbacks did help to increase the tension and mystery around what could actually be going on, but I think the author could have found a way to make it clearer which time period I was reading about upon starting a chapter etc.

An issue I think some readers may have with the book is that this book is quite a "hard" Science Fiction book in that it doesn't hold back any punches in relation to the details utilised to describe some of the computing, technology and science. Some readers may therefore find that it all goes a little bit over their heads and slows the pace down even more. For myself, I found some of the details rather interesting although I did feel that Cantrell would sometimes descend into describing something at rather strange points in the novel. For example, he launches into a detailed description of the maglev system towards the end of the novel in a manner that I felt upset the flow of the plot which had been building up quite nicely to that point. This was compounded by the fact that I had already been introduced to the maglev several times previously and had already formed my own picture of it and its function.

Overall, I found Containment to be an enjoyable and interesting example of Hard Science Fiction that seems to have modelled itself on novels such as "2001: A Space Odyssey". As long as you can look past the rather detailed description utilised throughout the novel, then the engaging plot and well constructed setting should be enough to keep you entertained.

Challenges Book Counts Towards:
Ebook Reading Challenge (The Eclectic Bookshelf)
Ebook Reading Challenge (Workaday Reads)
Free Reads Challenge
Speculative Fiction Challenge

Gamers (Gamers Series Book 1) - Thomas K Carpenter

2012-02-15T12:04:00.000Z

Title: Gamers (Gamers Series Book 1)
Author: Thomas K Carpenter
Genre: Sci-Fi
Published: 2011
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
The Book Depository
Smashwords
Kobo
Amazon UK

"Gamers" by Thomas K. Carpenter is a fun and enjoyable adventure through a world littered with references to video gaming, both modern and classic. As someone who grew up playing video games, I couldn't help but smile throughout the story as I recognised the various references.

The story itself follows the antics of a High School girl named Gabby. High School is this world is based around taking part in LifeGame which is a virtual augmented reality where students receive points based on various actions they may perform throughout the day. The student's score in LifeGame at graduation is then used to decide if they can go on to University or if they are demoted into taking on a "lesser" job. However, Gabby soon discovers there is more to her augmented reality than she ever knew and so begins her adventure to learn the truth whilst still trying to ensure a successful graduation.

I found the novel comprise of two parts, the first part basically set up the world, characters and overall series plot in a relatively slow and detailed manner that had me rather intrigued and interested. Then, the second part develops into an action-packed fast paced adventure through Gabby's graduation test, which takes the form of a Role Play Game (RPG) where she encounters, giants, dragons and many other fantasy related clichés. Both sections of the novel entertained me for rather different reasons. The first part got me hooked into the overall story and the opportunities that may appear in the remaining books of the series, whilst the second part just basically took me on an enjoyable ride through a virtual fantasy world that reminded me strongly of my own online RPG playing days.

One of the warnings I need to make about the book though is in relation to the language used. The story is infused with quite a lot of Massive Multiplayer Online Role Play Game (MMORPG) terminology that could be very confusing to someone who has not been involved in some of the more hardcore online RPG games. I managed to understand most of it but if for example the word "Debuff" means very little to you then you are probably going to struggle a little to follow the story. Personally, I enjoyed this use of online slang, but my wife constantly tells me I am gaming geek so that could be why.

The only issue I personally had with the novel was probably in relation to the characters themselves. They all just felt a little bit flat and un-developed, even Gabby herself didn't mean much more to me that being an intelligent hacker caricature. Some of the issue here is that the characters can change their appearance, roles and so much more based on which aspect of LifeGame there are in, therefore it is hard to really find a core personality beneath it all. I just hope that in the sequel we get to see more of the "real world" and gain a better understanding of the characters themselves.

Overall, I found this to be a fun, light hearted adventure story that offers the opportunity of a deeper and more dystopian outlook in future novels. If you are someone who has been involved in playing MMORPG over the years then I suspect you will find aspects of this book to be highly entertaining and enjoyable. The whole thing felt a little bit different from many other dystopian books which I appreciated and I now look forward to reading the sequel.

Challenges Book Counts Towards:
Ebook Reading Challenge (The Eclectic Bookshelf)
Ebook Reading Challenge (Workaday Reads)
Free Reads Challenge
Speculative Fiction Challenge

Happy 1 Year Blogoversary to Me!

2012-02-11T10:00:00.000Z

My blog first opened its doors to the pulbic one year ago without any real aim or target. I probably only started the blog to be a place to chat about the books I have read and any other book related topics that came to my head. I was filled with a little bit of trepidation however wasn't sure if I actually had the ability to write reviews that people would be able to follow, never mind be interested in.

However, a year later and I am still here with my posts receiving the odd comments and over 80 followers. Maybe not many compared to many other blogs out there, but as long as it appears some people are reading and discussing my posts then I feel that it has become what I wanted it to be.

For anyone interested, I thought I would share some of my year 1 stats.

Total Pageviews: 16,530
Top Three Visiting Nations: USA, UK & Germany

Review with the highest views: What Happened at Midnight
Total Number of books reviewed: 87

Number of Star Trek books reviewed: 9

I have to admit I have really enjoyed running the blog as it has made me delve deeper into books than I ever did before and has introduced me to many other interesting blogs, websites and people. Anyway, thank you all again for reading my blog and commenting over the year so that I didn't feel all alone in the big blogging world!

Port of Errors (Born of Tyranny Book 1) - Steve V. Cypert

2012-02-10T12:36:00.000Z

Title: Port of Errors (Born of Tyranny Book 1)
Author: Steve V. Cypert
Genre: Historical Fiction
Published: 2011
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Smashwords
Kobo
Amazon UK

"Port of Errors" by Steve V. Cypert is the first in a proposed series of novels titled "Born of Tyranny". It is an enjoyable and colourful historical fiction novel that involves everyone's favourite anti-heroes, the swash-buckling pirates of the 1700's.

The story is set in a time when relations between the major European powers, England, Spain and France are at a low point and the seas have become a perfect hunting ground for privateers and pirates. Into this world are born Davey and Joseph, two friends who grew up in the same orphanage. However, after an accident they become separated and embark upon very different lives. Joseph is adopted and renamed Daniel prior to becoming a Captain in the Royal Navy, meanwhile Davey turns to piracy and becomes known as the dreaded pirate captain, Black Hearted. Now on opposing sides, these two former friends being a game of cat and mouse in an attempt to hunt down and kill each other, without realising that their foe is actually a long lost friend.

Everything you could expect from a pirate based novel is contained in "Port of Errors", there are tall ships, sea battles, damsels in distress and elements of tyranny, friendship and loyalty. This was all packaged up in a novel that started slowly but soon developed into a fun, fast paced read that included a few elements of dark humour. There was also plenty of action and adventure interspersed throughout and the plot itself was rather detailed and quite intricate at times.

The intricate plot though does have its disadvantages as it results in a large variety of characters and there is a fair bit of jumping back and forth in time. This was made worse by the fact that various characters changed names and allegiances throughout the book so it could get a little bit confusing. In addition, I felt that the Cypert struggled to fully realise all the characters due to the number involved. Some of them were superbly developed and I enjoyed following them, but other just didn't grab me to any real extent and some even felt a little bit unneeded.

I did note that there is a fair amount of graphic violence in the novel, which is to be expected considering the type of people it is based around. However, if you are someone who is not fond of reading a detailed description of someone being keel hauled etc. then you may wish to give this book a wide berth.

Overall, this was an enjoyable adventure novel with an interesting and intricate plotline that really kept me hooked once it got going. The ending also came together very nicely and it leaves an interesting opening for future novels in the series that I now look forward to reading. I just hope that the author doesn't throw many more characters into the next novel or my head may just explode.

Challenges Book Counts Towards:
Ebook Reading Challenge (The Eclectic Bookshelf)
Ebook Reading Challenge (Workaday Reads)
Free Reads Challenge

Star Trek Enterprise: Daedalus's Children - Dave Stern

2012-02-07T12:08:00.000Z

Title: Daedalus's Children
Author: Dave Stern
Genre: Sci-Fi
Published: 2004
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Kobo
Amazon UK

"Daedalus's Children" by Dave Stern is is the latest book in my Star Trek Reading Challenge and it follows on directly from "Daedalus" which I have previously reviewed here. As this is a sequel to "Daedalus" then I must warn you that some of this review may include spoilers in relation to that novel. In all honesty though, if you haven't read the first book then reading this one would probably be pointless anyway as this novel jumps straight back into the ongoing story.

As stated above, the story follows on from "Daedalus", in which the Enterprise and her crew are trapped in a parallel Universe. Archer and the majority of his crew are prisoners of the Denari government, whilst Trip and Hoshi are working with an opposition movement to try and track down the Enterprise. However, due to previous actions that left the leader of the Denar government, General Sadir, dead, events are spiraling out of control and the threat of civil war looms. The Enterprise and her crew must now not only try and survive the ongoing crisis; they also need to find a way to return to their own Universe.

Once again, Stern fills the novel with surprises and twists alongside an entertaining and action packed plot. I also found the pacing to be perfect and I found myself really rocketing through the book as it held my attention superbly.

The aspect of this novel that I really appreciated was that unlike "Daedalus" which mainly focused on Trip, this novel centered on the entire crew. I felt that Stern really brought out the characters well and I enjoyed being able to witness events from multiple viewpoints. I did feel that some of the ways in which some of the crew members stumbled upon each other as the story progressed were a little bit too coincidental but this is a minor quibble really.

Stern's minor characters from the parallel Universe also continued to play an important part in the novel. There were superbly portrayed, the relationships between themselves and the Enterprise crew were interesting to follow and added a little bit of emotion to the story. I will admit that the number of characters can get a little bit much at times for you to follow easily. However, overall I think these characters added to the story so I wouldn't really fault the novel much for this.

In summary, this was an entertaining and enjoyable conclusion to the story initiated in "Daedalus". It is fast paced, action packed and a real page turner that anyone who enjoyed reading "Daedalus" will struggle to put down.

Challenges Book Counts Towards:
Ebook Reading Challenge (The Eclectic Bookshelf)
Ebook Reading Challenge (Workaday Reads)

Star Trek Enterprise: Daedalus - Dave Stern

2012-02-04T08:33:00.000Z

Title: Daedalus
Author: Dave Stern
Genre: Sci-Fi
Published: 2003
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
The Book Depository
Kobo
Amazon UK

"Daedalus" by Dave Stern is the latest book in my Star Trek Reading Challenge. I was actually a little bit confused at first as I had assumed prior to reading the blurb that this book would actually be based on the "Enterprise" TV episode of the same name. However, this is not the case and both stories are entirely different from each other which wasn't an issue to me as I actually prefer an original novels to a novelization of an episode.

The story itself mainly follows the antics of Commander Tucker after an investigation into an anomaly leaves the Enterprise crippled before then being attacked and captured by an alien species known as the Denar. Tucker manages to escape alongside Ensign Sato and they are then both rescued by a group calling themselves the Guild who are at war with the very people who attacked the Enterprise. The Guild request Trip's assistance in the form of technological help in return for them helping him find and rescue the Enterprise and its crew. Trip of course is a bit wary about helping too much after previous experiences in influencing less advanced species, but when a further discovery related to his past results in his world being turned upside down, it becomes harder for him to refuse to help.

The first thing I need to say is that this is probably the best Enterprise novel I have read so far although there hasn't been much competition. I found the plot to be simple but interesting, the characters were engaging and there was enough action and plot twists to keep me entertained from start to finish. Now, it isn't what someone would call a classic Science Fiction novel by any stretch of the imagination, but I think it will be a fun read for anyone who was a fan of the show.

In regards to the characters, this book is pretty much all about Trip. The bulk of the storyline is basically built around him although Hoshi is around as well, but her role is hugely limited as well, which I found rather reminiscent of the TV series. That is really about it though in regards to the other crewmembers, a few odd appearances but nothing else, Stern spends more time developing and showcasing his own original Denari characters instead. Personally, I quite enjoyed seeing the development of some interesting and original characters, but it would have also been nice to see a little bit more from the other Enterprise crewmembers in regards to their own predicament.

I have to say that the ending itself was a little bit of a let down due to its cliff hanger nature. There is no real closure when you complete the novel, you basically have to read the sequel "Daedalus's Children" to find out what happens. It annoyed me a little as "Daedalus" wasn't the longest of novels I have read in the Star Trek Universe and it felt to me like the book was split into two parts as a money making idea to fleece the fans some more.

In summary this is a very enjoyable Enterprise novel that had me hooked to the point that I just abandoned my reading list and picked up the sequel as soon as I finished. I will add that as with many other Star Trek books I have read, this book is unlikely to really appeal to someone who isn't normally interested in the show, but any fans should hopefully find something to pique their interest.

Challenges Book Counts Towards:
Ebook Reading Challenge (The Eclectic Bookshelf)
Ebook Reading Challenge (Workaday Reads)

This Dark Magic - Chryse Wymer

2012-01-30T12:06:00.000Z

Title: This Dark Magic
Author: Chryse Wymer
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Published: 2010
Formats: Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Smashwords
Kobo
Amazon UK

"This Dark Magic" by Chryse Wymer is a self published dark fantasy novella set in a city that appears to have fallen on bad times. It basically follows the trials of journalist Charlie Landers as he gets caught up in the machinations of someone using dark magic to control and exploit people for their own gain.

The story is quite quirky as it tries to embrace fantasy, horror and even a little comedy. The setting of the novel was nicely handled with a short and punchy sentence structure that helped make you feel the desolation in the city and its residents. As it is a novella don't expect any deep character development but the protagonist himself was the best part of the novel in my opinion; his wit, and dry humour was enjoyable to read. Then there were the chapter titles, all of them seemed to contain a little bit of humour within that had me smiling as I started each one.

The novella itself seemed to be well edited to me which was nice to see in a self-published book as I have seen some horror shows in the past. The one issue I did have with the writing though was in some of the descriptive techniques used: some aspects of the story would have better served by a straightforward description than by using some rather convoluted metaphors or similes. The best example of that is the following line, “The skyscraper resembled a rectangular soup can, not brooding and cool but ugly and barely functional”. In all honesty I am still not sure what this sentence is even trying to make me picture in my mind.

I also think the shortness of the story did let it down a little bit as it seemed to result in the author quickly jumping from scene to scene which did leave me a little bit confused at times as I tried to follow what had happened. However, this did reduce as the novel progressed and by the last few chapters I felt I could follow the scene changes without any real issue.

Overall, I think this would be a good quick buy for people that enjoy Urban Fantasy and want to try out something new. Personally, I found the wit and dry humour in the story to be enjoyable, and it was just a shame that the short length resulted in a rather jumpy narrative.

Challenges Book Counts Towards:
Ebook Reading Challenge (The Eclectic Bookshelf)
Ebook Reading Challenge (Workaday Reads)
Free Reads Challenge
Speculative Fiction Challenge

Mockingjay (The Hunger Games Trilogy Book 3) - Suzanne Collins

2012-01-28T17:09:00.000Z

Title: Mockingjay (The Hunger Games Trilogy Book 3)
Author: Suzanne Collins
Genre: Sci-Fi
Published: 2010
Formats: Hardback/Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
The Book Depository
Amazon UK

"Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins is the 3rd and final book in her "The Hunger Games" trilogy which was started by the novel, "The Hunger Games" reviewed here and it's sequel "Catching Fire" reviewed here.

The story is set a month after the conclusion of "Catching Fire" with Katniss Everdeen now hiding in the underground city of District 13. At the same time, the other districts have begun a rebellion against "The Capitol" and President Snow which has lead to heavy losses and the complete destruction of Katniss' home, District 12. As the war continues, the leaders of the rebellion turn to Katniss herself and ask her to be the face of the rebellion, a role to which she is initially loathe to take on. However, soon her desire for revenge leads her to accept the role even though it leads her along a path that could cause her to risk losing everything.

I am going to start by being honest and say I probably enjoyed this novel more than "Catching Fire". It just felt like Katniss was a little bit more in charge of her own destiny that she had been in the previous book. In addition, it was nice to see a slightly different story from the first two novels which had really followed the same overall plot structure in my opinion. In the end though, the book still wasn't as satisfying as "The Hunger Games" itself had been but it is always hard to match up the first book in a series.

The book is full of enjoyable and entertaining periods of action, suspense and adventure, but this time I also think there is a deeper sense of depression and gloom around which did make for an interesting read. This was specifically so in the case for Peeta who has a terrible time of it in this novel and is quite psychologically damaged at one point in the story which was really intriguing to follow.

The shame of it though, was that some of the more shocking moments and saddening episodes within the novel just weren't brought across very well. Several characters die during this book but they mainly seem to be dealt with by only a single line with Katniss then moping about it for a few more. There is no real "oh my god, no!" moment from the reader because it is over in a flash and isn't really written that well by Collins. For one character's death specifically I didn't even realise that it had actually happened until a few pages later.

I also once again I found myself getting irritated by a lover triangle that I really didn't care that much about. Katniss continued to just come across as a little bit uncaring about either Peeta or Gale and it made it hard for me to really care then if she even ended up with one of them. Then when she does end up with one of them, it almost feels like Katniss has just ended up picking them because of the way things occurred without any specific reason.

In summary, whilst I have listed some of my issues above this was still another enjoyable book in the series but it just doesn't match up to the feelings I had when I read "The Hunger Games". The ending is also little bit sudden I think and it would have been nicer to actually watch Katniss live during the years after the main events in the novel rather than just getting a quick and un-satisfying snapshot from the future. Basically, if you have read and enjoyed the previous books in this series then you will want to read this book and should find something in it to enjoy but don't expect it to fulfil all the desires you may have wanted for a final book.

Challenges Book Counts Towards:
Speculative Fiction Challenge
Sci-Fi Reader Challenge

Hide & Seek - Thomas Kaplan-Maxfield

2012-01-22T10:22:00.000Z

Title: Hide & Seek
Author: Thomas Kaplan-Maxfield
Genre: Crime & Mystery
Published: 2011
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
The Book Depository
Smashwords
Kobo
Amazon UK

"Hide & Seek" by Thomas Kaplan-Maxfield is an enjoyable and unique mystery novel that runs differently to how a traditional murder mystery would normally be set up. The difference is that the reader finds out early on who the murder actually is and the mystery revolves around the identity of the person who is seemingly trying to catch the murderer.

The story is set in Boston with most of the characters being from the high society of the city. The killer, David Draper is a poet who has been discounted by the police as a suspect and he therefore seems free to live with just his own guilt and remorse over what he has done. However, when his sister invites him to a murder mystery weekend on a tiny island off Cape Cod he becomes convinced that one of the other guests is aware of his secret and is using the murder mystery to uncover him.

I must admit that I only read mystery novels ever so often but this book definitely ignited a desire to read more of them as I thoroughly enjoyed it. The mystery itself is wonderfully complex with jealousy, greed and hatred all mixed up to create a superb story full of suspense and intrigue. In addition, the book is nicely written and the author has filled the plot with enough twists and red herrings to keep most readers guessing right until the ending.

I found all the characters to be brilliantly written with each of them having their own link to the murder victim. I enjoyed reading about all of them as they all had their own quirks, weaknesses and secrets that came out as the story progressed. In regards to David himself, it is actually difficult to dislike even with his memory of the murder at the fore front as he has been crafted into a multi-faceted person superbly by Kaplan-Maxfield.

Overall, this was a fun and enjoyable murder mystery novel with a unique twist that really kept my attention throughout. The setting in the old hotel actually made the story feel a little bit like the game Cluedo (aka Clue in the USA) except you know who the murder is. I think anyone who enjoys mystery novels would love to read this book so go pick it up but make sure you don't cheat and read the ending as Kaplan-Maxfield finishes the novel with a brilliant curve ball.

Challenges Book Counts Towards:
Ebook Reading Challenge (The Eclectic Bookshelf)
Ebook Reading Challenge (Workaday Reads)
Free Reads Challenge

Star Trek The Eugenics Wars: The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh Vol 2 - Greg Cox

2012-01-18T12:04:00.000Z

Title: The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh Vol 2
Author: Greg Cox
Genre: Sci-Fi
Published: 2002
Formats: Hardback/Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Amazon UK

"The Rise and Fall of Khan Nonnien Singh Volume 2" by Greg Cox is the latest book in my Star Trek Reading Challenge and it follows on directly from Volume 1 which I have previously reviewed here.

At the start of the novel Khan has managed to become a dictator with control over parts of India and has begun the process of bringing together his fellow genetically engineered humans in the hope of the uniting the world under his leadership. However, when a meeting between various other superhuman warlords, generals and leaders goes wrong, war breaks out amongst them. Gary Seven and his colleagues are then left with the unenviable job of trying to deal with Khan and his superhuman brethren before they do irreparable damage to the planet and humanity.

My initial comment on the novel is that it has much more action packed than the preceding novel as the older Khan and his brethren now take a greater role in the various proceedings. Cox also once again manages to cleverly entwine what really happened in the 1990's with the story of the Eugenics Wars. What he has created is an interesting enough story and I am sure some fans will love the fact he has reconciled reality with the Star Trek Universe.

However, personally I felt let down by this as what Cox has created is nowhere near as interesting or exciting as what I had envisioned from watching the TV show. There are no great battles and high levels of casualties, Khan doesn't control large parts of Asia and he isn't feared or even really known by the population. The entire Eugenics Wars seem to have been relegated to a collection of skirmishes between some minor warlords, most of which are covered up by various governments so the population know nothing about it. I just felt that this determination to use real events actually ruins the image of the Eugenics Wars and Khan himself that the reader may have formed from watching the TV show or movie.

The next issue I have is actually something that may appeal to some Star Trek fans but just irritated me thoroughly. It is the constant use of characters from other Star Trek stories that at times added nothing to the story at all. As I wrote in my review for the first novel, the odd cameo is nice and fun to read about but the number interspersed throughout this novel is uncalled for. There is also the problem that a number of these name-dropping moments don't actually add anything at all the story and just detract from the rest of the story. The number of nods and winks to the fans out there can only make me think that Cox maybe didn't think enough of the novel as a good book shouldn't need this level of "fanwank" to appeal to its readers.

In summary I was rather disappointed in this novel although it wasn't to do with the writing or the plot itself. The issue I had is that it didn't really depict what I imagined the Eugenics Wars would involve and I think it also weakened the character of Khan into little more than a petty warlord. Whilst some people will like the manner in which Cox has attempted to merge reality and Star Trek history I would much rather have seen an alternate history with much greater divergence from reality. Basically, if you loved the first novel then you are probably going to enjoy this one as well. However, if you had some reservations then it is likely that these will be even greater after reading this volume.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I'd Recommend To Someone Who Doesn't Read Science Fiction

2012-01-17T12:28:00.000Z

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish which I am taking part in.

This week's top ten is for me to list the ten books I would recommend to someone who didn't normally read a specific type or genre of book. I didn't take long to think about what genre to base my top ten on as it had to be Science Fiction. It is the number one love of my reading life and has been since I was a child. It is so varied, wondrous and exciting and these are the pick of the best that I would always recommend to people wanting to try it out.

The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

This dystopian thriller is an enjoyable yet easy to read adventure that opens up the less hard aspects of Science Fiction and should appeal to the YA readers out there although I suspect most of them have already read it.

The War of the Worlds - HG Wells

A Classic story that can reveal some of the earlier forms of Science Fiction literature. It is a wonderful tale following one man's journey across a country reeling under the attack of a superior force.

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
A prime example of how Science Fiction can be superbly funny and witty without resorting to in-jokes or jargon.

The Real Story - Stephen Donaldson

This book was always going to be on this list as it is the first novel in my all time favourite Science Fiction Series. The Gap Cycle series is Space Opera at it's best and the manner in which Donaldson takes a truly despicable, evil and hated character and turns him into someone that you actually want to win is amazing to behold.

Dune - Frank Herbert

Many people have seen the rather disappointing film but nothing compares to the wonderful novel that Frank Herbert created. I am still gutted that Herbert died before finishing the whole series of novels.

The Reality Dysfunction - Peter F. Hamilton

I always love to advertise British Authors and Peter F. Hamilton has to be up there as one my current all time favourite Space Opera authors. This book is clever, enjoyable and left me desperate for more once I completed it as we follow a plague of dead souls taking over the bodies of the living across the great human inter-solar confederacy.

Starship Troopers - Robert A. Heinlein

Action packed and incredibly clever story showing the war against an alien menace from the viewpoint of the infantry soldiers on the front line. Thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish!

Doomsday Book - Connie Willis

A time travel book that really explores and brings out the suffering and danger in medieval Britain. I only read this recently but it really has to be one of my all time favourite time travel stories, probably because it mixes both Science Fiction and Historical Fiction very well.

Red Mars - Kim Stanley Robinson

This book is a rather large tome but it is still a superb story following the journey of mankind to Mars. I loved every one of the varied characters and think it shows some of the more complicated Science Fiction forms at it's best.

Jurassic Park - Michael Crichton

Without doubt, nothing sells Science Fiction as well as Dinosaurs being back and around in modern days! This novel though is fun, exciting and so much more complex than the movie.

Peter Pan (Peter & Wendy) - J.M. Barrie

2012-01-14T08:51:00.000Z

Title: Peter Pan (Peter & Wendy)
Author: J.M. Barrie
Genre: Fantasy
Published: 1911 as a novelization of 1904 play
Formats: Hardback/Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
The Book Depository
Project Gutenberg (Free Ebook)
Amazon UK

"Peter Pan" by J.M. Barrie was originally published in 1911 under the title "Peter & Wendy" and it was a novelization of Barrie's 1904 play. This story is a well loved classic that has spawned multiple films, plays, pantomimes, etc. and I am sure like me many of you who read this review will have come across the story in one form or another. I have actually had this book on my to be read pile for quite a bit after I picked it up in ebook format from Project Gutenberg as it is a public domain title. I have finally read the novel now thanks to signing up to several reading challenges for 2012 that the book actually satisfies.

The story begins with the Darling family comprised of Mr. Darling, his wife, and their three children Wendy, John and Michael living in a London home. During the night, the children are visited by Peter Pan who is hunting for his shadow that escaped during a previous visit to the house. After Wendy reattaches the shadow Peter convinces her and her brothers to fly with him to Neverland so they can take part in his adventures. Once there, they discover a land full of pirates, Native Americans, mermaids and other wondrous things.

Most of you are probably well aware of the basic storyline as mentioned above, however the story that JM Barrie wrote feels a little bit darker and also deeper than many of the other versions out there I have seen. The darkness to me was really shown in one scene where Tinkerbell actually attempts to have Wendy killed in a fit of jealousy which is well beyond what I have seen in any other telling of the tale. In addition I also found the story to be very eccentric and slightly random, for example the Darlings actually have a dog as their children's nanny! I really had to read over some sections a few times to make sure I was correct in how I had understood it.

The real eye opener though for me was in regards to the character of Peter Pan himself. Like any child he is self-centred, cocky, immature and rather hard to like at times. However, there is also something there in regards to his imagination, fearlessness and drive to take risks and undertake new adventures that is rather interesting and enjoyable to witness. My feelings on Peter ranged between dislike and like, as well as a feeling of sorrow for the boy as I witnessed his life and antics.

One aspect of the book I really enjoyed was the utilisation of the narrator within the actual story. It feels like he is actually a character in his own right and I enjoyed following his comments and anecdotes as he tells the story. In addition, the narrator also actually talks to and tries to involve the reader in the proceedings which was a nice little novelty that I assume relates back to the actual play when audience participation would have been likely.

Overall, I did enjoy reading Peter Pan which I found to be nice, eccentric yet mournful fairy tale that shows us both the joys of youth and the reasons why we must all grow up. I think the book will appeal to children and adults on different levels, a child may enjoy the adventure and strangeness of the story whilst an adult you can understand and see the real need for people to grow up and leave their childhood behind. I would advise that if you have enjoyed the other variants of Peter Pan then you should give this book a go so that you can see some of the deeper points in the story.

Challenges Book Counts Towards:
Ebook Reading Challenge (Workaday Reads)
Free Reads Challenge
Speculative Fiction Challenge
Year of the Fantasy Classic Challenge

Project Ultra - James Michael White

2012-01-11T12:04:00.000Z

Title: Project Ultra
Author: James Michael White
Genre: Paranormal
Published: 2011
Formats: Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Smashwords
Kobo
Amazon UK

"Project Ultra" by James Michael White is a relatively short paranormal thriller with some elements of Science Fiction thrown in. I am not sure it is something that I would have picked up normally but when the author asked to me give it a read I decided I may as well give it a go.

The story itself starts in 1947 and follows Victor Williams, an American CIA agent who was tasked with setting up and running a psychic warfare branch to counter the perceived threat from a similar Soviet programme. The story then follows Victor over several decades as he becomes a scapegoat, then a hero before he finally betrays the programme to help a friend.

I have to say that the book did have an interesting premise and it was enjoyable reading about some of the espionage attempts seemingly linked to psychic powers. However, I do think the short length actually harmed the book a little bit as it did feel like the book jumped very quickly between events and therefore I never felt the characters were built up to mean much to me as a reader. It does keep the book moving at a quick pace, but this isn't really an action book so I would rather have had the pace slowed and a little bit more character building included.

I am also going to admit that I didn't really understand the ending very well, there is a nice little twist in it that I didn't see coming but I then get lost as Victor rambles on some information to his interrogators that I couldn't follow. I am not sure if it was showing Victor having one last laugh or if it was meant to be some deep a meaningful truth. It was a shame really, as I do think the ending ruined some of my enjoyment of the novel. If anyone else has read this book and can explain what the ending is trying to be to me then please drop me a message.

Overall, I am quite torn on how to rate this book. I did enjoy it and was actually quite impressed with the little twist at the end regarding Victor's interrogators but the overall ending itself just didn't capture me. If you are interested in reading a short story about paranormal espionage over the previous decades then feel free to give this book a try as I suspect you will enjoy the majority of it.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Authors I Wish Would Write Another Book

2012-01-10T12:36:00.000Z

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish which I am taking part in.

It has been quite a while since I did a Top Ten Tuesday but decided this was a nice one to join in on and read the other blogs for some more reading ideas. Anyway, the Top Ten Authors I Wish Would Write Another Book are below:

Frank Herbert
I know his son and others have tried to continue the Dune saga but nothing can compare to what Frank Herbert himself wrote. I still remember getting to the end of "Chapter House of Dune" and realising there would be no more from this great author.

Robert Jordan
As with Frank Herbert, others have continued the story he created but I would much rather have read the final novels in the massive wheel of time series as he would have written them.

HG Wells
I would love to see what this amazing Science Fiction author could come up with nowadays in a world full of technology well in excess of what he could have imagined.

Roald Dahl
His books were some of the ones I loved the most in my childhood and I just wish there were more out there to read for myself and my own children.

Tom Clancy
It seems that every book nowadays with his name on it seem to be written by or with someone else. Tom, I loved the books you wrote on your own! Please write another one without the help of someone else!

Rabbie Burns
The Scottish Bard who wrote some amazing pieces of literature, poetry and song in the late 18th Century. I would love to see what he could write about his beloved homeland now in the present day.

J.R.R Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings and his entire Middle Earth novels were superb and I would have loved to read more from this hugely detailed world.

Agatha Christie
I have probably watched a multitude of TV shows based upon her novels but those TV producers really need some new material. If only she was still around to provide it!

Peter F. Hamilton
Peter is very alive and still writing books but he never writes them quick enough! Forget that I just read his last book of short stories at the tail end of 2011! He needs to bring out more superb space opera and he needs to do it now!

Christopher Pike
The author of my youth actually writes Adult Fiction in between churning out the latest Last Vampire novel. I just wish he would hurry up and produce some more, I think the last adult novel he wrote was back in 2007!

Star Trek The Eugenics Wars: The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh Vol 1 - Greg Cox

2012-01-09T12:09:00.000Z

Title: The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh Vol 1
Author: Greg Cox
Genre: Sci-Fi
Published: 2001
Formats: Hardback/Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
The Book Depository
Amazon UK

"The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh Volume 1" by Greg Cox is the latest book in my Star Trek Reading Challenge. This book is the first in the challenge whose time period I had missed when putting the stories into a chronological order. Whilst the framing story is set in the 2260s, the main plotline is actually set in the 1970s and 1980s and therefore should probably have been read prior to the novels I had been reading. There is an argument in regards to if you should use the framing story or the main plotline period when trying to read novels in some sort of chronological order but I try to stick with using the main plotline, especially in a Universe like the Star Trek one which I already know a fair about. Anyway, I have now realised my little mistake in not reading this previously and I have now finished it and will read Volume 2 before continuing any further with the books set in the later time periods.

The story itself starts with a framing story in which Kirk and his crew are heading to a colony that has been practicing genetic engineering on humans. This inspires the captain to research the historical records from the late 20th century which was when a group of genetically engineered super-humans attempted to take over the planet. The book then moves onto the main story which follows the exploits of Gary Seven and his colleagues, Roberta Lincoln and Isis in the late twentieth century as they try to ensure that humanity doesn't destroy itself. Together they begin an investigation into some missing scientists which leads them to a secret group known as the Chrysalis Project who have managed to create several genetically engineered children, one of whom is the infamous Khan Noonian Singh. Gary Seven and his team therefore begin to keep tabs on the super-human children over the following years with a specific interest in the charismatic Khan in the hope that none of them use their intellect and strength to threaten humanity's future.

I found the novel to be interesting read that explores some of the back-story to one of Star Trek's most infamous characters and builds up a little bit more information about his history. Cox writes the novel with an obvious love for Star Trek and its lore as he includes various characters from other Trek stories within this novel and I did quite enjoy seeing the odd cameo in the novel. However, I do feel that Cox perhaps overdid it a little bit as by the end of the book I was finding it a little bit ridiculous the way in which everything happening seemed to involve some sort of meeting with another characters from the Trek Universe. Some people will love these constant references but I just found there was a little bit to much of it.

Cox also goes a little bit further than just using elements from other Star Trek stories in the novel; he also uses real life events from history as well. It was at times quite interesting to view the manner in which he linked these various real life events such as the Bhopal Disaster into the story in a manner which gave them an enhanced effect and reason for occuring beyond the real thing. In a way though, I think this was a little bit of a missed opportunity as personally I would rather have seen how things had gone differently because of Kahn being around instead of how his and other actions were hidden etc.

The main issue I did have with the novel though was that I found the story to be a little bit slow at times. It takes quite a while to even get to Kahn's introduction and even then he is just a toddler so other readers shouldn't expect an action packed novel full of battles and destruction. In addition, I think the concentration on Gary Seven in the story kind of ruined the entire premise of the novel. It mainly felt like a spy novel following his team's exploits than being about Kahn and his super-human colleagues.

Overall, I did enjoy the novel and it was nice to get some more information on Kahn and how he became the person he did. I doubt however that the book will really appeal to anyone not already aware of the Star Trek universe as there is so many elements that will appear random and pointless to the reader unless you understand the links to other stories. This is a shame really as the entire Eugenics War premise would be an interesting topic for any Alternate History novel and could have also appealed to non Star Trek fans if the novel had been aimed slightly differently.

Hexult - Perry Aylen

2012-01-04T12:17:00.000Z

Title: Hexult
Author: Perry Aylen
Genre: Sci-Fi
Published: 2011
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Smashwords
Amazon UK

"Hexult" by Perry Aylen is an enjoyable adventure story with the shadings of a post-apocalyptic and dystopian tone. It is firmly aimed at the earlier end of the young adults market although I believe that even younger children will also enjoy having this light and easy going story read to them. The genre of this story was am interesting aspect as I had to decide on if I would call this Science-Fiction or Fantasy. However, as the premise appears to imply the story is set in the Earth at an undefined future date I decided just to lean towards classing this as a Science-Fiction novel.

The story is set on a world where the temperature has dropped substantially and is now mainly covered in ice and people now use boats adapted to slide across the ice rather than sail upon water. On this world there is the land of Hexult which is a collection of islands that poke out of the ice, the islands are kept habitable thanks to the heating effects of various elements of geothermal activity.

When, Aulf a mailman and his crew member, Ingar discover a wreck on the ice they find two survivors, mysterious twins named Jacob and Elya who claim to have come from a land far across the frozen wasteland. These two youngsters have an understanding of science far beyond that of those on the islands and this science is soon mistaken for magic by a people who have forgotten much of the knowledge that may have been known in the past. Very soon, the twins find themselves the centre of fearsome prophecy and their attempts to save both their lives and reputation leads them on an adventure across the frozen wastes to all corners of the Hexult island chain.

I have to admit that I am well past the target age group for this novel but I still thoroughly enjoyed reading it as the plot was engaging and moved at a decent rate. The world that has been created by the author is imaginative and exciting although I will say that it was a shame that it felt like the surface has only just been scratched. I now hope that in the proposed sequel we get to uncover even more about this interesting place and the people who live there.

One element I really appreciated was the various utilisations of knowledge and technology thrown into the book regarding things such as compasses, steel, ice lenses, mirrors, etc. I can actually envision children reading this novel and then asking their parents or teachers more about the interesting elements contained. I myself actually went and read up a little bit more on steel production and its history after reading "Hexult". Any book that can inspire the search for more information and knowledge in either me or others is a great thing in my opinion.

I found the main characters to all be rather endearing and there was an innocence present that was quite nice to behold. It really helps to draws you in so that you actually care about them and wish them on to succeed in their various endeavours. However, it did feel like there was something lacking a little in the characters to make them feel fully rounded. Basically, the large amount of innocence present within the various people in the story meant that it was hard to see any other elements personality, especially in regards to charisma. Even some of the various leaders in the isles just seemed to be missing a spark that I would have expected to see. It doesn't spoil the story but it just meant that the characters feel slightly unreal to me.

Overall, this was an enjoyable and interesting adventure story that should appeal to most young readers. I fully intend to read it with my own children when they are old enough to understand it and hopefully it will inspire some interest in the science and technology utilised in the novel. If you are a younger reader who wants to read something different form the current trend in vampires, zombies, etc. then you should give this a try.

Catching Fire (The Hunger Games Trilogy Book 2) - Suzanne Collins

2011-12-30T14:37:00.001Z

Title: Catching Fire (The Hunger Games Trilogy Book 2)
Author: Suzanne Collins
Genre: Sci-Fi
Published: 2009
Formats: Hardback/Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
The Book Depository
Amazon UK

"Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins is the 2nd book in her "The Hunger Games" trilogy which was started by the novel of the same name, "The Hunger Games" which I previous reviewed here.

The story itself follows on a short period after the end of "The Hunger Games" with Katniss now living in the Victor's Village with her family. However, life is still not really peaceful for Katniss as her actions during the Hunger Games have drawn the unhappy attention of the government and in particular, President Snow who believes that Katniss' actions in the Hunger Games have resulted in talk of rebellion and uprisings. The story then follows her attempts to try and show the nation that she acted as she did at the Hunger Games out of love and not for any lofty goals. She therefore now has to attempt and persuade the nation and the government that her love for Peeta is real and it was for that reason alone that she acted the way she did during the Games.

This entry in the trilogy is full of suspense, thrills and the odd shock just like its forerunner, but whilst it was still incredibly enjoyable to read, it just didn't seem to engross me to the same extent. The main reason why I think this happened is that I could really see where most things were going and there is nothing much new there to really wow the reader. It was just a little bit too similar at times to "The Hunger Games".

The book does also start off a little bit slowly although the pace does at least pick up as the story progresses. The later half of the book is really stuffed full of action, adventure and some really thrilling moments that keeps you going right to the very end. However, the ending itself isn't really as successful as the previous book in my opinion because it doesn't complete the story and instead it just leaves the reader on a massive cliff-hanger. Basically, it has fallen into the usual trap of many other middle books in that the ending has been designed to set up the finale rather than to actually complete the novel as a semi stand-alone piece.

There isn't really that much to say about the characters in that they are all very similar to what was seen in "The Hunger Games". I found that Peeta is still as nice and kind as always whilst Katniss continues to be her usual rather irritating self with an astounding inability to see obvious things that are right in front of her. I have to admit that Collins has done a superb job in creating someone in Katniss who irritates me no end and yet also makes me feel for her at times and will her on to succeed.

However, the biggest issue I had with the book is probably more due to a personal dislike. I hate love triangles and in this book Collins has brought a love triangle more into the story thereby forcing me to hold down my irritation as I read. I just wish Katniss would just pick one of the guys and thereby end this stupid fawning and sulking that goes on intermittently throughout the novel. Honestly, I really wish this current fad of love triangles would die off and never rear its ugly annoying head again.

It may look from my review as if I disliked this book but in all honesty I didn't. The story was still exciting and fun to read and I will be defiantly reading the follow-up. However, I think that it just fell into the rut that nearly every other middle book in a trilogy falls into with the lack of anything really new and an ending that just leaves you irritated and wanting more. If you have read and enjoyed "The Hunger Games" then you need to go and pick this book up as I am sure you will love it, just don't expect it to capture you in the same way.

Monster Story - McCarty Griffin

2011-12-26T12:23:00.000Z

Title: Monster Story
Author: McCarty Griffin
Genre: Horror
Published: 2010
Formats: Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Smashwords
Kobo
Amazon UK

"Monster Story" by McCarty Griffin is a rather enjoyable horror suspense novel. This type of story is something I rarely pick up these days even though in my youth this genre was almost all I read. This novel like many I read in my youth was light and easy read which I felt really captured the feel of many made for TV early evening horror movies.

The story follows a young woman named Christy who has travelled back to her hillbilly hometown in West Virginia due to the death of her Grandmother. Unfortunately she has returned at the same time as vicious deaths start occurring in the woods and the police force can't be sure if it is some wild animal or even a savage serial killer. Christy and her friends soon find themselves caught up in the danger and must find a way to face this terror that is now stalking them.

I found that the story moved at a reasonable pace although in the earlier stages I felt that it did sometimes meander a little bit between different scenes without any obvious connections. The story was full of light hearted drama, suspense and at times a little bit of humour that helped really lighten the entire story beyond being a dark and savage horror tale. I particularly loved the back woods hillbilly style that the author has captured and used to bring out some of the humour in the story.

However, this book is still a horror story at its core and therefore there is violence and horror involved. However, whilst there are some graphic descriptions that some people may dislike, I felt that the author handled it all very well. There is no gore porn here and every detail utilised seems to have its place and reasoning for being there.

What I particularly liked though were the main characters, Christy and her group of friends are a superb eclectic mix of people who's wonderful and varied interactions as the suspense and danger drives them together were one of the main reasons I struggled at times to put the book down. The only issue I had was that there were also so many characters within the novel beyond the main core group. It could get a little bit confusing trying to remember who everyone was and some of them were used so little that they came across a little flat and at times seemed a little bit surplus to requirements.

Overall, I found this to be a fun and light read with some rather engrossing moments of horror, drama and suspense. I think that if you are the type of person that enjoys made for TV horror films full of thrilling build ups, interesting eclectic groups of characters and a little bit of humour then I suspect you will love this novel.

City of Pearl (The Wess'har Wars Book 1) - Karen Traviss

2011-12-21T18:29:00.000Z

Title: City of Pearl (The Wess'har Wars Book 1)
Author: Karen Traviss
Genre: Sci-Fi
Published: 2004
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
The Book Depository
Kobo
Amazon UK

"City of Pearl" by Karen Traviss is the first book in her "The Wess'har Wars" series of Science Fiction novels and was the December read for Women of Science Fiction Book Club. As with many of the other books I have read as part of this book club, I had never actually heard of this one before. At least this time the author was also known to me via her Gears of War novels although I have to admit that I have never read them either.

The story is set at a time when various governments have merged together in an attempt to combat the growing powers of corporations. The main protagonist, Shan Frankland is a police officer for one of these governments who is preparing to retire from her duties in Environmental Hazards unit. However, when a government minister then offers her the chance to visit another world she decides to take on one more job. Her team of scientists and marines are heading out to the only habitable planet known to Earth in an attempt to find out what happened to the colonist who headed there many years earlier. When they arrive, to their surprise they find that the colony has survived, however they also discover that the planet is hot spot between three other sentient alien species that all have their own agendas and ideas of what could be defined as right and wrong.

The first comment I will make about the story is that it doesn't paint a pretty picture of humanity. The author seems to take as many negative aspects about our species as she can and crams them all in to such an extent that I wonder if she even actually likes being human. Whilst, I am more than happy for novels to portray people in a more realistic way, it did all seem a little bit too negative for me. In particular I couldn't believe the way that the scientists involved in the novel have been portrayed, I don't think I have ever seen such an obnoxious, selfish, unethical group of thoroughly un-likeable people as them and I just don't believe that they would really all act in this rather self-obsessed manner.

I suspect that Traviss is trying to make a point in the novel about how we as a species act and treat our environment but I just found it all a little bit too preachy. The worst aspect of this was in regards to the way that one of the alien species seemed to be so horrified at humans eating meat or other animal products. Honestly, if there was one thing that got my back up in this book it was some of these almost blatant attempts at promoting a Vegan diet.

However, if I ignore the almost over the top negativity about humanity and some of the preachy tendencies then I am more than willing to state that this is actually a well written and interesting, character driven science fiction novel. The plot is well-paced and whilst it is quite light on the action front, there was enough there to keep the story entertaining. It really explores ecology and the way in which humanity and others can interact and affect each other without truly understanding the differing consequences for each group.

One element I really think Traviss has excelled at is in her portrayal of the different alien species. She has developed them to a level that the reader can visualise and understand some of their actions without getting bogged down in excessive descriptions. Each species has their own foibles and cultural elements that really highlight the differences between both humanity and each of them.

The characters in the story both impressed me and yet also depressed me for differing reasons. When I considered the two main characters, Shan and her alien friend Aras, I found them to have been wonderfully developed. I felt that I could really understand the various reasons for their thoughts, ideas and actions as the story progressed. In particular, I found Aras to be superb, his loneliness was palpable and the manner in which his association with humanity was affecting his personality and choices was engrossing to read. However, the supporting characters are a different thing entirely; most of them seemed nothing more than cardboard cut-outs put in place as something for Shan and Aras to complain about in some way. As I said earlier in the review, the scientists were nothing more than obnoxious nasty people, but the Marines were also on the whole nothing more than names that just followed orders. It was a shame really as the few characters that Traviss did at least provide a little development on such as a marine called Ade and a journalist called Eddie seemed like they could be thoroughly interesting to understand further. I just hope that in the future novels we get a little bit more development into them in particular.

In summary, this was an interesting and enjoyable novel that was probably slightly let down by what I saw as an over the top attempt at preaching to the reader about how bad we all are. I think this book will appeal to anyone who enjoys character driven and thought provoking Science Fiction. The way the plot has been written in my opinion also offers a lot of growth for the future and I look forward with anticipation to the prospect of future books incorporating some action and adventure to go alongside the character driven elements showcased in this novel.

Classic Fantasy Challenge

2011-12-19T13:50:00.000Z

Runs from January 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012
Hosted by Lurv a la Mode

To be honest the rules of this challenge are rather open in that the host hasn't actually got any rules. Therefore I am going to make up a couple of my own rules that I will follow for this challenge.

1. Classic Fantasy Books must all have been initially published prior to 1981 (My Birth Year)
2. I will only count a book against this challenge if it is a stand-a-lone or the first in a series.

My Quota
My overall aim in this challenge is to read 12 books in 2012 that meet my own rules above and those from the hosting blog itself.

You can track my progress on my 2012 Challenge Page.

Reboot - Carl Rauscher

2011-12-17T10:41:00.000Z

Title: Reboot
Author: Carl Rauscher
Genre: Sci-Fi
Published: 2011
Formats: Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Smashwords
Kobo
Amazon UK

"Reboot" by Carl Rauscher is an entertaining post-apocalyptic Sci-Fi novel that I managed to complete within a couple of days. The basic premise of the story is that an electromagnetic event known as "The Pulse" was set off in order to wipe out a dangerous computer virus. The result of this was that all micro-processors were destroyed, from those in high end super computers right down to those that were running elevators and doing other mundane task. Now, several years later the majority of America is utilising very low levels of technology and there is barely any communication between different areas of the country. Into this world is thrown Oscar, a man who has been sent out by the government to try and inject some more technology into various communities in an attempt help improve the lives of the people there. However, when Oscar arrives at a small town after being beaten and shot, he spends the winter trying to both help the there and deal with those who had attacked him.

I will start by saying that I really enjoyed the novel and I found the reason for the demise of civilization to be a little bit more original than some other post-apocalyptic stories. In a genre that can become a bit "samey" it was nice to read something that didn't head down in the usual dictatorial government or zombie route. The author has also put a lot of consideration into the story and has detailed quite thoroughly the issues and problems that would face people when the basic items we take for granted today are no longer available.

The plot itself moves at a reasonable pace and there is ample adventure, mystery, humour and drama to keep most readers entertained. The characters all seemed to be believable and well developed which meant that I actually found myself caring what would happen to them all as the story progressed. The only weak character would probably be the "bad guy" of the story who seems to hide and avoid the townspeople even though he could easily do what he wanted without being stopped. I still don't really understand what he was doing or why he was doing it, considering the position of importance and safety he found himself.

One negative aspect I did observe is that the plot became distracted by the fact that a fair bit of the novel is told from the perspective of a young girl called Rabbit instead of Oscar himself. In my opinion, it just meant that parts of the story become bogged down in rather mundane and uninteresting aspects like how much she liked a toy that Oscar had made for her. I just felt that there was so much more I would have loved to know about Oscar and his past but there was little time to investigate this in the novel due to the elements involving Rabbit and other side characters.

In summary, I really enjoyed this book and it was actually nice to read a post-apocalyptic novel that ended up with some real hope and a government that was trying to actually do the right thing. I read this book very quickly once I started and I really hope that there is more novels in the future that will continue Oscar's journey. If you enjoy post-apocalyptic novels that don't go into mutations, magic powers or zombies then go ahead and pick this up as it is an interesting read.

The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games Trilogy Book 1) - Suzanne Collins

2011-12-14T12:03:00.001Z

Title: The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games Trilogy Book 1)
Author: Suzanne Collins
Genre: Sci-Fi
Published: 2008
Formats: Hardback/Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
The Book Depository
Amazon UK
Waterstones

"The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins is a novel that prior to starting my book blog I had never heard of. However, I have seen it praised across multiple blogs and review sites, therefore I decided that I should finally pick it up and give it a read. What I discovered was a thoroughly enjoyable young adult novel full of action, thrills and some superb suspense.

The story itself is set in a dystopian North America that has been divided into 12 districts and is ruled by an oppressive government situated in an area known simply as the Capitol. As a reminder of the power of the Capitol, the 12 districts are ordered to provide both a boy and a girl between the ages of 12 and 18 to participate in the annual Hunger Games. Theses games are set in a large dangerous arena and involve the 24 children fighting to the death whilst the entire event is being shown live across the nation.

The story is focused on Katniss Everdeen, a 16-year-old girl from District 12, who volunteers to fight in the games so that her 12 year old sister will be spared having to take part. Upon arrival at the Capitol, Katniss' team formulate a plan to try and tug the heartstrings of the audience to increase her chances of survival. However, in the end, Katniss must use her own wits, courage and intellect to try and survive the games.

I have to admit that when I read the synopsis the first thing that came to my head was "Battle Royale" which is another novel that follows a future government sending children to fight to the death in a dangerous wild arena. The plot is very similar, however after having watched the movie adaptation of "Battle Royale" I would have to say that it is much more violent and bloody and is aimed much more at adults whereas "The Hunger Games" is a little lighter on the violence front and does at times focus more on the various relationships between the central characters as you would expect from a YA novel.

Either way, the plot in "The Hunger Games" is riveting and I couldn't put it down as Katniss battles both the competitors and the arena itself with hunger, thirst and fire proving to be almost as deadly as the other children. The thrills and action scenes come quickly and often once the games themselves get underway and this section moved along at a quick pace. Some of the more violent action scenes can be a little disturbing when you consider the age of the characters involved but I felt that the author doesn't go into any unneeded details. I suspect however that some people may find the premise itself enough to put them off reading no matter how much the author may hold back on the savagery. However, the book is more than just this as some of the best parts of the novel in my opinion are the strategies, battle of wills and manipulation of the game viewers that goes on.

The main characters in the story, Katniss herself and the boy from District 12, Peeta are both likeable enough people. They are both on the whole "good" in how they act and the author has developed them into deep enough people although I have to admit that I did begin to wonder if Katniss could actually do anything badly or wrong at times. However, she did turn out to have at least one flaw in that she was as dense as a rock when it came to understanding some of the more complex emotional aspects relationships. Whilst this did lead to some rather amusing scenes it also irritated me a little bit as I couldn't believe anyone could really be that blind to what was staring them in the face.

In addition to these two main characters, Collins has also created an interesting mix of varied and engaging support characters. I specifically thoroughly enjoyed watching the drunken Haymitch alter as he realised that maybe this time he wouldn't have to just sit and watch those he was helping die without a chance.

The biggest thing lacking for me in the story was a little bit more information on the world itself and its history. The reader does get little titbits of information throughout the novel but nothing really in-depth or meaty that helps build up a good picture. It doesn't cause any issues with following the plot or enjoying the novel but I just think there is a great world here and wish that I could have found out more about it.

One other little issue I did have is that I thought it was a bit obvious how the story and Hunger Games would end although I will admit that Collins did throw a little curveball that had me thinking the book could actually go somewhere else for a few pages. I also felt the ending itself was a little bit too sudden and abrupt, it does lead well into the sequel but it isn't a very satisfying conclusion for the book itself.

Overall, "The Hunger Games" was a brilliant read that kept me entertained from start to finish with a turely riveting plot. In my opinion the violence and premise make the novel more suited at the older side of the YA market and adults than to young teens but it really does depend on what other works of fiction the child may normally read or watch. I am now looking forward to reading the sequel and hope that I will learn more about the world itself and some of its history that has only been briefly touched upon in "The Hunger Games".

Laughing Dog - D.C. Burns

2011-12-11T16:42:00.000Z

Title: Laughing Dog
Author: D.C. Burns
Genre: General Fiction
Published: 2011
Formats: Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Smashwords
Kobo
Amazon UK

"Laughing Dog" by D.C. Burns is a rather quirky little story that follows the life of a woman named Lauren as she tries to recover from a debilitating illness. Along the way she receives help and advice from a ghost, God and her rather eccentric little dog called O'Poo.

There is quite a large amount of the novel that is based around the relationship between Lauren and O'Poo and I have to admit that early on this almost caused me to give up on the book. I am not much of a dog fan and don't really understand the relationships that some people seem to build between themselves and their dog. So after the first few chapters that seemed to mainly concentrate on this type of a relationship I found myself struggling to keep reading. However, I did keep at it and the amount of plot and story that was heavily based on the interaction between Lauren and O'Poo decreased to a level that I found easier to follow.

Besides that, I found it to be an interesting and in the end, quite a heart-warming story. The reader follows Lauren through all her traumas and problems from a woman that can barely walk into a woman who works on a ranch and has her own child. The writing was also competent enough and the story was amusingly quirky at times, I found myself smiling when some rather random events occurred such as when a Scottish ghost appeared and spoke with Lauren.

The novel does suffer a little from its short length though in that it does seem to jump very quickly from one important aspect in Lauren's life to the next. This was a shame really as it would have been nice to really see some more development of the characters and relationships that were built up around her. I specifically found that whilst the relationship between Lauren and her dog is well defined and both of them are well developed, the other characters in the novel seemed quite light.

Overall, I found this to be an interesting and quirky story that could easily have been expanded further into a longer novel. I suspect that if you are a dog lover then some aspects of this novel will really appeal to you and I would therefore advise you to give this book a read for the dog sections alone. However, if you are like me and don't "do" dogs then you may find it a little hard going at times but there is still a nice little story there for you to read and enjoy.

2012 Speculative Fiction Challenge

2011-12-08T12:02:00.000Z

Runs from January 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012
Hosted by Adventures of 2.0

Speculative fiction is my love with a particular fondness for Science Fiction so I am looking forward to this challenge.

Anyway, there are only a few basic rules for this Challenge which I have taken straight from the hosting site:

Sign Up

Anyone can join, blog or not, you just need somewhere to post your reviews to share with the world. If you have a blog, a post about the challenge would be nice! Just add your details to the linky below to sign up.

I’ve made a couple of buttons and have modified the traditional challenge button for this year. Feel free to put them in your sidebar and use them in your review posts! Just save the image of your choice to your computer first please!

Timeline: 01 Jan 2012 - 31 Dec 2012. You can sign up from now right up until 31 Nov 2012.

Rules: The levels are back this year! Just pick your level and declare it in your post or in the comments below:

• Nosey: 3 novels
• Excited: 6 novels
• Content: 12 novels
• In Nirvana: 24 novels
• Obsessed: 48 novels

There is no need to list your books now (unless you are like me and love making lists), just pick as you go along and have fun! Books can most definitely be counted towards other challenges.

I will post a monthly link up for you to share your reviews. There are no prizes other that a sense of satisfaction at reaching your goal (*interpretation* We are broke college students with no sneakily awesome publishing contacts).

Any book format (ebook, print, audio) counts!

And because it can sometimes get a bit confusing (from Carolyns original post), Genres:

• Science Fiction: hard/soft SF, cyberpunk, time travel, alternative history, space opera
• Fantasy Fiction: dark fantasy, urban fantasy, magic realism, quest, mythical fantasy, steampunk
• Horror Fiction: paranormal, gothic literature, splatterpunk
• Supernatural Fiction
• Superhero Fiction
• Utopian and Dystopian Fiction
• Apocalyptic and Post-Apocalyptic Fiction

My Quota
Well, I have decided to go out with this challenge and have targeted the Obsessed level of 48 books.

You can track my progress on my 2012 Challenge Page.

A Life of Death - Weston Kincade

2011-12-07T12:07:00.000Z

Title: A life of Death
Author: Weston Kincade
Genre: Paranormal
Published: 2011
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
The Book Depository
Smashwords
Kobo
Amazon UK

"A Life of Death" by Weston Kincade is an intriguing coming of age drama with a paranormal twist. However, there is more to the novel than just this as mystery, suspense and even a little romance help to make this a really memorable read.

The novel's plot is set around Alex Drummand re-telling part of his life to his son, specifically a period when he was a teenager that changed his life forever. In this period of his life, Alex has lost his father to a drunk driver and now lives with his mother and alcoholic step father who beats on him. He has become an outcast at school and his step-siblings are nothing more than an annoyance. However, one day he suddenly develops an ability that allows him to touch objects and re-live the deaths of the various people who were touching the same object when they died. Using these visions, he sets out on a mission to try and help those who had died in any manner he can, especially when one vision uncovers a possible threat to his new family.

The story is quite simply, absolutely superb and once I started reading I couldn't put the book down as it has some great intense scenes and an interesting tight plot. In addition, the tension has been conveyed amazingly well. The characters are also well-developed and realistic which really helps bring the story to life and illicit some great emotion in the reader. I have to admit that at one point the emotions raised within me almost had me in tears but as I am a "tough guy" I held them in!

Overall, I loved this book, it was an emotional and entertaining journey that had me hooked very early own. I have to say that this book is in my opinion, probably one of the best written indie books I have been asked to review. If you enjoy paranormal mystery of suspense novels then I think you would be mad to miss up the chance to read this. Personally, I hope that Weston Kincade decides to write some more mystery stories set in the world of Alex Drummand as I would be sure to pick them up.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Childhood Favourites

2011-12-06T12:34:00.001Z

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish which I am taking part in.

This week's top ten is my top ten childhood favourites which I have taken to mean anything I read prior to turning 13 and becoming a dreaded teenager.

The Famous Five Series by Enid Blyton

My mother had a huge omnibus edition of these stories and I remember loving getting a few chapters read to me and my sister every night.

Help! I'm a Prisoner in a Toothpaste Factory by John Antrobus
I loved this amusing book when I was a child, the title itself was just plain superb.

Anything by Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl seemed to be everywhere when I was at Primary School as all my friends seemed to read them. I don't think there was a single one I didn't enjoy although my favourite has to be George's Marvellous Medicine.

The Nome Trilogy by Terry Pratchett

My first ever experience of Terry Pratchett and I remember laughing like never before when I read them. After reading these I became obsessed with his Discworld novels.

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
I was made to read this one at Primary School but I still loved it. When I read this it was probably the only time in my life that I actually thought spiders were nice.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
This is a beautiful book full of vivid colours that I am sure many children have experienced. My daughter actually has her very own copy although she has pulled out half the pop up bits....

Winnie the Pooh by A.A Milne

Another book that I suspect many children will have read and loved over the years. I have even asked Santa Clausto bring my daughter a copy this year. I actually think my parents may still even have my own copy sitting in their house somewhere.

The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy

These books were the talk of the other children at Primary School and once I managed to get a hold of a copy I understood why. They had the ability to really make me laugh.

The Lifeguard by Richie Tankersley Cusick

My first taste of Point Horror novels and it was a reasonable experience that persuaded me to continue robbing them out of my sister's bedroom.

Monster by Christopher Pike

I have mentioned this book in many other top tens as this was the book that really got me hooked on reading. I thank you Christopher Pike for ensuring that just before I became a dreaded teenager this book was there for me.

So what was everyone else’s top ten books as a child?

Manhattan in Reverse - Peter F. Hamilton

2011-12-03T15:15:00.001Z

Title: Manhattan in Reverse
Author: Peter F. Hamilton
Genre: Sci-Fi
Published: 2011
Formats: Hardback/Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
The Book Depository
Kobo
Amazon UK

I will admit straight away that I love Peter Hamilton; I think the Epic Space Opera he creates is superb and I am always quick to try and pick up his books. So, when "Manhattan in Reverse" was released I made sure that it was right at the top of my reading pile. This is a collection of some of his short stories and as I haven't actually read any of his short stories before I was really looking forward to seeing what he could do in this format, especially considering he is an author who normally writes massive door stop style novels.

In regards to the stories, the first one called "Watching Trees Grow" is actually the longest. I found it rather interesting in that it traced a murder investigation across several centuries in an alternate version of Earth. Basically, in this world, the Romans never lost their empire and therefore technology continued to develop at a much faster pace than reality. As the years pass we follow the investigator utilise new technologies as they appear to ensure that the perpetrator of the murder is finally brought to justice.

The second story is "Footvote" which was quite a quick read, especially compared to the previous story, "Watching Trees Grow". It takes a slightly satirical look at the contemporary politics of the UK which did bring a little bit of a smile to my face at times. The story itself looks at how the Britain copes with a wormhole to a new planet being opened. The wormhole's creator has allowed a short period for people to immigrate and has implemented stringent regulations on who can and can't actually pass through. I did find it to be one of the more limited stories in the collection though, mainly due to the fact that the ending is based around a rather chance encounter. Either way though, out of everything in this collection, I think this is the story that I would most like to see expanded out into a full novel as there is a great basis here.

Following this we have "If at first..." which was probably my favorite story in the collection outside those that were based on the author's Commonwealth Universe. This is a rather amusing story in which we follow a Detective who accidentally ends up chasing a time traveler back in time, where he then tweaks history for his own benefit. Of course, this doesn't go as well as he hopes which leads on to an ending that I found to be rather clever and well fitted to the story.

"The Forever Kitten" is the forth story in the collection and it is incredibly short at only 1000 words long. It basically deals with the quest for 'forever youth' and involves a rather disturbing finale that I could see coming even though I hoped I would be wrong.

The next story in the collection is the first of those set in the Commonwealth Universe and it is a nice little story detailing some of the history of Inigo who was a character in the Void Trilogy. I would say that it doesn't really tell the reader much more than you would actually learn in the Void Trilogy but it was nice to see the Inigo's history fleshed out a little. It does still work as a standalone story but I think it is something that will really appeal more to those who have read the trilogy.

The final two stories in the collections follow another character from the Commonwealth Universe, namely Investigator Paula Myo who is the scourge of criminals everywhere. I will admit that I always found her to be an intriguing and enjoyable character to follow so these were probably the stories I was really looking forward to.

The first of these is "The Demon Trap" which is set prior to the events of "Pandora's Star" and follows Paula as she investigates the terrorist activities being conducted by a group trying to enable a planet to become Independent. The story really brings out how relentless Paula is in ensuring that justice is done and I really enjoyed the political intrigue that was brought out during the investigation. This was probably my favorite story in the entire collection, but this may have been biased by the fact that I am aware of aspects of Peter's other works which really enhance the enjoyment of this story.

The final story is "Manhattan in Reverse" which is a new story created for this collection and is set after the events of the Starflyer War in "Judas Unchained". However, I do not think having read the other books really makes any difference to this story as it is very standalone with only a few references to the other novels. In this story we follow Paula and she travels to another planet to investigate why a supposedly non sentient alien species has started attacking colonists. The story itself is rather enjoyable although I am not sure Paula really adds much to this story really and I think the real stars of the show are the alien creatures themselves.

Overall, I have to say that this is an enjoyable and varied collection of thought-provoking stories that showcase many of Hamilton's strengths and skill as an author. It does show that if he puts his mind to it he can create focused and intimate short stories that still capture some of the grand ideas he infuses into his larger novels. The one weakness is minor and it is that to really appreciate some of these stories you need to be aware of the other novels Hamilton has written. I think newcomers to his work probably won't gain the same level of enjoyment and interest from the stories as longer time fans may do. So, in conclusion I would say that any current fan of Peter Hamilton's works will probably love this collection, but there are probably better books for someone new to his writing to start with.

The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood

2011-11-30T12:01:00.000Z

Title: The Handmaid's Tale
Author: Margaret Atwood
Genre: Sci-Fi
Published: 1985
Formats: Hardback/Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
The Book Depository
Amazon UK
Waterstones

"The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood was chosen as the November read for the Women of Science Fiction Book Club. I was a little bit unsure about this at first as to be honest, I knew Margaret Atwood was the author of one of my wife's books and to be honest, her books aren't always my cup of tea.

The story is set within a bleak and totalitarian, Christian fundamentalist, dystopian Northern United States. Any opposition to the regime or failure to follow the strict rules is punishable by death or deportation to the labour colonies. In this society, most people have been given specific regimented roles that no one can venture away from. None more so that the "Handmaids" who are women seen as being fertile who, due to plummeting birth rates are enslaved as breeding machines for the political leaders of the nation. The story follows one of these "Handmaids" and lets the reader witness the oppression and fears she must endure just to stay alive.

To be honest, the plot is rather standard for a dystopian novel but I did find it interesting enough and Atwood has created a society that truly is chilling and depressing. She has taken so many of the negative aspects of our world and utilised them in some great world development. What she created when she wrote this back in the 1980's is something that feels eerily similar to the stories and reports that come out about some totalitarian Islamic societies today. Personally though, I have to admit that I did find it a little bit unbelievable that the US society could have degraded as quickly and badly as it did in this manner, but as this is a speculative fiction novel I was willing to just accept the premise anyway.

The novel is written in the present tense, purely from the point of view of the main character, Offred with the overall plot being interspersed with various flashbacks of her life. At times I found this to be very interesting as it teased out some of the back story, but at other times it just irritated me as some of the flashbacks were "inaccurate" due to Offred's distorted memories. I understand that these distortions in some of flashbacks were probably there to let the reader understand the state that Offred had now fallen to, but I just got a little bit bored of the repetition of the same type of thing. In addition I have to admit that I found the transitions between present and these flashbacks weren't always the best or easiest to follow which could at times interrupt the flow of the novel.

In regards to the pace, this book really does crawl along; I am actually quite impressed I managed to finish it in as quick a period as I actually did. But this is probably because at its heart the book does have a rather interesting and meaningful story that I was willing to follow although it was a struggle at times. In addition, I think Atwood has maybe intentionally utilised a slow pace to highlight how tedious and relentless Offred's existence actually was. Basically, I wouldn't advise anyone to pick this up as a light read for the beach or train journey as it really needs some dedication in my opinion.

The writing style itself wasn't really for me to be honest; it is too full of metaphors, similes and some strangely constructed prose. In particular, I couldn't stand the lack of speech marks; it just made the book harder to read in my opinion, especially considering it is a rather deep book to try and follow anyway. There is a reason I dropped English Literature & Language classes at 16 and that is because I read to be entertained, not to marvel in the complexities of the English Language. I suspect my wife would probably love it but I can't say this experience of Atwood's style has persuaded me to pick up any of her other novels at the moment.

Overall, I felt that "The Handmaid's Tale" was a reasonable novel if a little slow going. Personally, I have to say that whilst I found the book to be enjoyable enough, I think it has a reputation way beyond what I think it deserves, however we all have our own opinions and mine may just be at odds with the majority due to my own various likes and dislikes. I will say that due to its reputation, I think that think anyone interested in dystopian novels should pick this up and give it a read. In addition I think it would also probably appeal to those who like contemporary fiction with deeper meanings and complex, novel use of the English language.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books on my TBR list for Winter

2011-11-29T12:32:00.003Z

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish which I am taking part in.

It has been quite a while since I did a Top Ten Tuesday but decided this was a nice one to join in on and read the other blogs for some more reading ideas. Anyway, the Top Ten Books on my TBR list for winter are below:

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

I just read The Hunger Games last week so this book has moved up high on my TBR list now, I just hope I enjoy this book as much.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Yes, I enjoyed The Hunger Games so much that I know the third book will also be easily read this Winter.

The Expanse by J.M. Dillard
This is the next novel in my Star Trek reading challenge and I am looking forward to read it and push on towards at least completing the Enterprise novels sooner rather than later.

City of Pearl by Karen Traviss

This is the last book in the Women of Sci-Fi Book challenge that I have been reading over 2011 and I am looking forward to it. I just hope some of the challenges I join in 2012 reveal some other interesting reads.

The Two Faces of Tomorrow by James P. Hogan
This is actually the first book I am reading in the 2012 Sci-Fi challenge I have joined and I am excited about what it could hold. This is supposedly quite a hard sci-fi novel which is a sub-genre I haven't read in a while.

Port of Errors by Steve V Cypert
This is a book that I have been asked to review that looks rather interesting. This adventure novel set around pirates and the seas should hopefully keep me hooked.

Containment by Christian Cantrell

I won this book in a competition and picked it because it was the highest selling low value Sci-Fi ebook on Amazon at the time. It sounded like I might enjoy it and hopefully there was a good reason why it was selling well on the charts at the times.

Project Ultra by James Michael White

This is another book I have been asked to review but this one sounded like it might be an enjoyable paranormal thriller. Set in the 1940's it follows the intelligence agencies using psychics to combat each other.

The Last Man on Earth Club by Paul R. Hardy

This book sounded very interesting in that it follows the last people alive being rescued from parallel worlds where an apocalypse has occured. I just don't know how well this will work but I look forward to finding out.

Monster Story by McCarty Griffin

This will probably be the next book I actually read and as I haven't read a good horror story in ages I hope that I will enjoy this. There is nothing in the dark cold nights than curling up with a good scary book. As long as my wife is also there to help keep me warm!!

Anyway, is there anything interesting in your own TBR list for Winter? Anything I should maybe check out? Let me know!

The Game of Pawns (Darkness Series Book 3) - Leonard D Hilley II

2011-11-27T18:47:00.002Z

Title: The Game of Pawns (Darkness Series Book 3)
Author: Leonard D Hilley II
Genre: Sci-Fi
Published: 2010
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
The Book Depository
Smashwords
Amazon UK

"The Game of Pawns" by Leonard D. Hilley II is the third book in his excellent Darkness series which follows the previous novels; Predators of Darkness and Beyond the Darkness, both of which I have previously reviewed here & here. I do have to say that whilst I enjoyed this book immensely, I don't think I enjoyed it as much as the first two books. I just don't think that the multiple plot lines came together as well as they did in the previous novels.

The story itself is set mainly around Kat Gaddis who was introduced as a minor character in the last book and Lucian the clone. They are investigating a series of murders in Newark, New Jersey after they discovered that several of the victims worked for a Biotech company called GenTech. The strangest aspect of the crimes is that a red pawn is left on each of the bodies as a signature. When a body then appears with a black pawn, Kat and Lucian get dragged into an explosive secret war being fought between two companies who are using genetically engineered clones and cybernetic killing machines.

Whilst I don't think it was as good as the previous books, this was still an exciting, action packed thriller than I struggled to put down. The pace moves along at a breath taking speed right from the first chapter until the very end. I did feel that in this novel, Hilley has tried to delve even more into the emotions of his characters with even more emphasis being placed on the various relationships involved which was quite nice to see.

In regards to the characters, most of the previous main ones do show their faces but this book does mainly concentrate on the newer or those that previously only had minor roles. I have to admit that I didn't really love these newer characters as much as I had the original ones and those very same original characters didn't feel quite "right" when compared to what was seen in the earlier novels. In addition I found that all these new characters on top of the quite large collection of previous ones did further complicate the multiple plots which did make the novel a bit unwieldy at times.

One thing about the novel though that I really did love was the vast amount of humour that filled the story. Morton the cat once again steals the show when it comes to witty one liners, but in addition there are now some talking rats that have some brilliant scenes that ensured the novel never became over burdened with gloom and seriousness.

Overall, I have to say that the "Game of Pawns" is another great Sci-Fi Thriller from a talented author that really knows how to get the reader hooked. If you have read the other novels in the series then I doubt I need to recommend you go out and pick this one up as you probably already have. If you haven't read this series then I recommend that you do so, it is a thrilling adventure that really deserves to be read by more people than I expect it has been. For myself, I now have to wait and hope that the little teaser at the end of the book actually leads on to another book in this brilliant series.

Star Trek Enterprise: Surak's Soul - J.M. Dillard

2011-11-23T12:06:00.001Z

Title: Surak's Soul
Author: J.M. Dillard
Genre: Sci-Fi
Published: 2003
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Apple iBookstore US
Kobo
Amazon UK
Apple iBookstore UK

"Surak's Soul" by J.M. Dillard is the latest book in my ongoing saga to read every Star Trek book in chronological order as per my Star Trek Reading Challenge. Whilst it is a reasonably well written original Star Trek story, the overall plot isn't that complex, deep or really anything we haven't seen before. It actually reminded me of the type of plot we would have seen on the original series. In fact, I could easily visualise the talking alien energy life form, present within the story, in Technicolor glory like we would have seen on the TV show! It also wasn't helped by the fact that, as with the previous Star Trek books I have read during this challenge, I was able to figure out what had happened very quickly thereby destroying any suspense that may have been built up.

Anyway, in regards to the story, it follows the Enterprise responding to a distress signal that leads them to a civilization on the brink of extinction due to a mysterious illness. As the crew explores the planet, T'Pol is forced to kill the last remaining survivor to ensure the survival of Hoshi. This leads to a type of identity crisis for T'Pol as she begins to suspect that spending her time with humans was leading her to go against the teachings of Surak regarding non-violence.

As T'Pol tries to get to grips with her thoughts and choices, the Enterprise remains to investigate what happened to the planet's inhabitants. As the investigation progresses, a mysterious energy based life form known as the Wanderer turns up and offers to assist, which is greatly appreciated by the crew. Especially when they also begin to fall foul of the same illness that claimed the inhabitants on the planet below.

My biggest disappointment with the story though was actually the very little attention actually given to T'Pol and her inner struggle to come to terms with what she did and if is really against Surak's teachings. She just seems to meditate once and then decide that she is going to give up all violence, even if it would save a member of the crew. It was a big let down as the book synopsis had left me thinking it would be a good character driven story exploring T'Pol's character and the guilt she was suffering which it really wasn't.

The little bit that did focus on T'Pol's thoughts was something that I did actually enjoy and it was quite nice to see her comparisons between Surak & Gandhi. However, besides this comparison there is nothing really in this book about Surak at all. It really appears to me that, with this and what I highlighted in the last paragraph, this book should be 'done' for false advertising! Or maybe it was my own fault for reading too much into the title and synopsis.

Now that I have got my disappointments out of the way I will talk about some of the merits. The story does move at a good pace and whilst the story isn't anything special it is entertaining enough. I also think that the author's characterizations were probably the best I have seen so far in an Enterprise novel although I would expect this to be the case as it is currently the latest one that I have read.

Overall "Surak's Soul" was another reasonable Star Trek Enterprise novel that won't win any awards but kept me entertained enough. It was especially nice to see an author really capture the characters form the show well. It is a shame that the book didn't really live up to what I was expecting in regards to really going into T'Pol's soul searching or give us some more information on Surak as I think that I would have really loved the book had this been the case.

2012 Free Reads Challenge

2011-11-22T13:30:00.000Z

Runs from January 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012
Hosted by Bookish Ardour

What It’s All About
Are you one of those book lovers who receive lots of books for presents? Have unread books lying around that you won in giveaways, received as ARCs, were given second hand, or even found lying around in the street! Then you might want to join in this challenge because we’re aiming to read all those unread books received as freebies in some form.

The Deets

The Main Rule: Read books you’ve received without purchasing, gifts, ARCs, prizes (not library books), that you haven’t read yet.
Running Dates: 1st of January – 31st of December 2012
When Can I Sign Up: All the way up to the last two weeks of December!
Crossover Genres: Anything! As long as they were free when you got them, it doesn’t matter..
Mr Linky: To use the Mr Linky you’ll need to click on the graphic held at the hosting site then enter your link. These will be updated and posted into the host page every couple of weeks or so.
Further Details: Crossover challenges are fine, you can change levels at any time, this is eBook, short story, and graphic novel friendly, and you don’t need a blog to join in (read further for details).

The How To

Choose Your Level: These are listed further down and you can change levels at any time.
Grab The Badge: Place it somewhere on your blog, profile, or in a signature where possible and link back (main host site or the hosting challenge page, it’s up to you).
Sign Up Post: Create a post on your blog, in a group, or on a forum (only if allowed) to let others see what you’re aiming for (a predefined list of books is optional).
Link Up: Grab the direct URL to your sign up post, not your blog, click the Mr Linky graphic on the hosting site challenge page and enter your link!
Blogless? Don’t worry, you can sign up with your social network profile (YouTube, Twitter, GoodReads, Shelfari included), just make sure you link to your review list, shelf, tweet, or category. If you don’t have any of those feel free to comment!

Afterwards

Your Reviews: Reviewing is optional! But if you do review we’d love for you to share them by submitting them on the hosting site Review Page (including social networks).
Finished: When you’re done it’s completion post time and you can share these on the hosting site Completion Post page!

Challenge Levels

For Me? – Choose 5 books to read
On The Cheap – Choose 15 books to read
Bargain – Choose 30 books to read
Presents – Choose 50 books to read
So Free – Choose 75 books to read
Gift Addict – Choose between 76-135 books to read
Speechless – Choose between 136-200 books to read

Extra Challenges
If you feel like that extra kick to your reading challenges here’s a couple you can choose from.

World: Choose a country as your theme, reading only books from that country or where it’s the setting. For how high you go you can choose more than one country;
Level For Me? and On The Cheap: Choose one country
Level Bargain and Presents: Choose two countries
Level So Free to end of Gift Addict: Choose three countries
Level Speechless: Choose four countries.

Gender Battle: Read books only by female or male authors. Another alternative is to read equal amounts of both.

My Quota
I have decided to target the Bargain level as I am pretty sure I can manage 30 books considering the number of review books I get sent from indie authors. I may actually be able to meet the next level but I do like to try and read books I bought ever so often so won't try and aim to high.

You can track my progress on my 2012 Challenge Page.

Beyond The Darkness (Darkness Series Book 2) - Leonard D Hilley II

2011-11-21T12:05:00.000Z

Title: Beyond The Darkness (Darkness Series Book 2)
Author: Leonard D Hilley II
Genre: Sci-Fi
Published: 2008
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
The Book Depository
Smashwords
Kobo
Amazon UK
Waterstones

"Beyond The Darkness" by Leonard D. Hilley II is the 2nd book in his "Darkness Series" and it is set a few years after the events of "Predators of Darkness" which I have previously reviewed here. I am happy to say that just like the first book, this one is stuffed full of action, thrills and a fast paced plot that never seems to let up. However, it is also a little different in regards to its sub-genre; basically the first novel was very much a dystopian horror novel whilst I found "Beyond The Darkness" to be more of a futuristic thriller.

The story itself follows the lives of the survivors from the first book and how they are dealing with the trauma. Daniel, them main character from "Predators of Darkness" for one is having nightmares about his time in Pittsburgh and can't shake the feeling that something else is still to come. Then, out of the blue his friend Lucas is caught on camera killing a senator, but when Lucas calls Daniel from police custody and informs him that it must have been his clone, Daniel realises that there is something sinister at work again. Before he knows it, Daniel and the other survivors are all drawn into a nefarious scheme that once again puts all their lives in danger.

I will admit that I really wasn't sure where this story would go at first; I felt the ending to "Predators of Darkness" was pretty solid and couldn't easily see how much could be made of any loose ends. However, I quickly found that those odd loose ends grew into a superb thriller with various inter-linked plot lines that both intrigued and entertained. The pace was also once again superbly balanced, with the exciting action and various plot twists keeping me hooked right up to the end.

The characters from the previous book have grown and adapted to their new lives and this has helped enhance them into really interesting, dynamic, multi-faceted characters. It really felt like they had learned something in the past and were now acting in a way to avoid the same mistakes. Even some of the characters I wasn't that bothered about in the previous novel really began to shine in this book; Lydia & Johanna being two of the characters that spring to mind. The best character though had to be Morton; this shape shifting cat really stole the show with his wits, charm and loyalty to his new family. Even if the darkest parts of the story his humorous comments ensured that I still had a wry smile on my face.

Overall, this has been another enjoyable book in what is really turning out to be a great series. The superb characters, enjoyably twisting and multi-faceted plotlines and great pace have been brought together well to create a book that should appeal to anyone who has already read the first book. For myself, I am now looking forward to where the sequel "Game of Pawns" will take the series and already had it sitting on my Kindle waiting to be read.

Star Trek Enterprise: Shockwave - Paul Ruditis

2011-11-19T17:06:00.041Z

Title: Shockwave
Author: Paul Ruditis
Genre: Sci-Fi
Published: 2002
Formats: Hardback/Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Apple iBookstore US
The Book Depository
Kobo
Amazon UK
Apple iBookstore UK

"Shockwave" by Paul Ruditis is the latest book in my Star Trek Reading Challenge and it is a novelization of two Star Trek episodes; namely the Season 1 Finale and the Season 2 premier. I have to admit that I found Shockwave to be one of the better stories in the initial few seasons of the show so I was looking forward to refreshing my memory with this novel.

The basic premise of the story is that the Enterprise manages to vaporise several thousand people in a major accident whilst visiting a planet. Then, as the Enterprise prepares to be recalled back to Earth, Captain Archer is visited by a time traveller who explains that history had never recorded this incident and it is all part of the temporal cold war that was previously mentioned in the first Enterprise novel; Broken Bow. Thus begins an adventure through time, ranging from several months back to thousands of years in the future as the crew tries to unravel what has occurred and why.

The first thing I have to comment on is that it does stick very closely to the TV show and there isn't really anything new added in terms of the story or characters that you couldn't have gained by watching the show, but to be honest that is not a new issue when it comes to novelizations. I did note that various flashbacks to earlier episodes in season 1 have been added to the story. It is a nice way of ensuring that people who haven't seen the show will still understand aspects of the story. I actually appreciated it myself as it was many years ago that I watched the show and can only vaguely remember some of the episodes.

Paul Ruditis, has written the story well enough with his descriptions really bringing you into the centre of the story and the plot is well paced. Basically, I found the novel to be just as entertaining and interesting as I remembered the episodes were.

In summary, this book is a very faithful adaptation of a very enjoyable double episode. However, in a way this is its flaw as I still believe Star Trek books mainly appeal to those who have watched the TV show. Therefore, most people who pick this up will already know the story and it doesn't really add anything new to the experience. So, if you have already seen the Shockwave episodes, the only real reason to pick this up is to re-immerse yourself in this enjoyable story in another form which is perfectly reasonable. If you haven't seen the TV series then I think you will find this a fun and light Sci-Fi adventure book, although I would advise that you read Broken Arrow first as it does give some background and set-up for the overall plot.

Another 2012 E-Book Reading Challenge

2011-11-17T12:06:00.000Z

Runs from January 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012
Hosted by Workaday Reads

Well, I had already signed up for another 2012 eBook reading challenge so though I may as well sign up to this one as well. Mainly because this one has allowed to me to target a higher number of books.

Challenge Guidelines:

This challenge will run from Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012.
Anyone can join, you don't need to be a blogger. If you don't have a blog, feel free to sign-up in the comments. You can post reviews to any book site (i.e. Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, Goodreads, etc).
Any genre or length of book counts, as long as it is in ebook format.
You can list your books in advance or just put them in a wrap-up post. If you list them, feel free to change them as the mood takes you.
When you sign up in the linky, put the direct link to your post about joining the E-Book Reading Challenge.
You can move up levels, but no moving down.
Sign-ups will be open until Dec 15, 2012, so feel free to join at any time throughout the year.

Levels:

Floppy disk - 5 ebooks
CD - 10 ebooks
DVD - 25 ebooks
Memory stick - 50 ebooks
Hard drive - 75 ebooks
Server - 100 ebooks
Human brain - 150 ebooks

At the beginning of each month there will be a roundup post for you to add your reviews for that month. If you forget, feel free to add your reviews in the following month. Any reviews submitted will be entered into the draw for that month.

Yes, there will be draws every month for participants. As long as you are signed up below, every review you add to the monthly roundups will get one entry into the giveaway for that month.

There will also be a grand giveaway at the end of the year for eveyone who achieves their goal level (or higher). There may be different prizes for different levels, but that is not decided yet. If you are an author and want to contribute to the monthly or grand prizes, please contact me.

My Quota
I have decided to target the Memory Stick level as I am pretty sure I can manage 50 ebooks this but the next level up may be pushing it a bit. Afterall, I do still read some paperbacks now and then.

You can track my progress on my 2012 Challenge Page.

2012 Science Fiction Reader Challenge

2011-11-16T12:26:00.000Z

Runs from January 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012
Hosted by Working for the Mandroid

I love Science Fiction so it was probably expected that sooner or later I would sign up for a 2012 Sci-Fi reading challenge sooner or later. And so, when I saw this challenge pop up I just had to sign up for it, especially as it seemed to offer a decent way to read a range of different categories within the Science Fiction genre.

Anyway, there are only a few basic rules for this Sci-Fi Challenge which I have taken straight from the hosting site:

1. The challenge begins January 1, 2012 and runs through December 31, 2012. Books started before January 1 don't count towards the challenge. Re-reads do count, but a new review must be written. Any format of book counts - hard copy, audiobook, e-book - we're not picky.

2. A review has to be written and posted for each book in the challenge. If you don't have a blog, they can be posted on Goodreads, LibraryThing, Amazon, Shelfari, Facebook, anywhere else book reviews are accepted and can be linked to.

3. Any books read for another challenge that fit into a category here can count towards this one. One book, however, cannot fill multiple categories in this challenge. For example, Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game technically fits into at least four of the categories. It can only count for one though.

4. A post will be set up on Working for the Mandroid beginning January 1 for participants to add their review links. I personally will put up a post at the end of each month to track my own progress. That's where you can comment, brag and/or complain about how impossible it is to get through Dune.

5. At the end of the year, I will put all the people who signed up for the challenge and finished 6 of the 12 categories in a contest for a not yet determined prize. Those who finish all 12 of the categories will be entered into a different,better contest. Additional contests throughout the year might also become available depending on participation of readers and availability of prizes. Note: The more participants, the more likely I can get some science fiction friendly sponsors, the more contests.

There are twelve categories to this challenge, so essentially a book for each month.

The categories are:

Young Adult/Middle Grade Science Fiction title
Adult Science Fiction title
Hugo Winner
Pre-1950s Science Fiction Classic
Modern Science Fiction Classic (1951-1992)
Steampunk
Robots/Cyborgs/Androids
Spaceships/Aliens
Time Travel/Alternate History/Parallel Universe
Apocalyptic/Dystopian/Utopian
Cyberpunk
Mad Scientists/Genetic Testing/Environmental Disaster

If you aren't sure what one of the categories are, or can't thing of something to read for a category, just visit the host site, Working for the Mandroid for some inspiration! Under each category header on the main post for this challenge, there are links to lists of titles that will fulfil the requirements.

My Quota
Well, twelve books shouldn't be to much of a problem, the biggest issue was actually trying to decide what book to read for each category as there are so many interesting books out there. However, I settled on the following:

Young Adult/Middle Grade Science Fiction title:
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Adult Science Fiction title:
The Two Faces of Tomorrow by James P Hogan
Hugo Winner:
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
Pre-1950s Science Fiction Classic:
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Modern Science Fiction Classic (1951-1992):
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein
Steampunk:
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
Robots/Cyborgs/Androids:
Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson
Spaceships/Aliens:
Star Trek Enterprise: The Expanse by J.M. Dillard
Time Travel/Alternate History/Parallel Universe:
The End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov
Apocalyptic/Dystopian/Utopian:
The Postman by David Brin
Cyberpunk:
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
Mad Scientists/Genetic Testing/Environmental Disaster:
Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman

You can track my progress on my 2012 Challenge Page.

Predators of Darkness (Darkness Series Book 1) - Leonard D Hilley II

2011-11-15T12:03:00.001Z

Title: Predators of Darkness (Darkness Series Book 1)
Author: Leonard D Hilley II
Genre: Sci-Fi
Published: 2007
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
The Book Depository
Smashwords
Amazon UK

When Leonard D. Hilley II sent me an email and asked me if I would like to read and review "Predators of Darkness" along with the next two in the series I wasn't sure at first if I should do it. This is because taking on three books from an author I hadn't read was a bit of a risk, but the synopsis and premise drew me in and in the end I was unable to say no. Now that I have finished this first book in the series I can honestly say that I am glad I took the risk as I loved the story and am happy to say that I am already 70% of the way through the sequel!

The story is set in 2073 in the city of Pittsburgh after it has been hit by a nuclear strike that has wiped out most of the city and its inhabitants. However, thanks to a well prepared scientist, several students and staff members have survived in an underground bunker beneath the University Campus. However, after several years when they leave their sanctuary to forage for more supplies they find strange and deadly creatures called Shifters now roaming the streets. These creatures heal quickly, can change their bodies and appearance, are savage killers and love to hunt down those humans that are still alive.

The story follows several of the survivors from the underground bunker in this world whose numbers have been diminishing due to the seemingly never ending, rapidly evolving Shifters. When the leader of the group Daniel finds some information out in the ruined city, he realises there may be a way to actually save the remnants of the group and finally live a decent live. He just now has to try and uncover a murderer in their group, understand the strange objectives of the scientist who originally saved all their lives and finally decide if his best friend is someone he can really trust.

As someone that loves dystopian sci-fi stories and horror it was probably no wonder that I really enjoyed this book. The plot is exciting, entertaining, fast paced and also interestingly complex with several great surprises thrown in along the way. There was also some great sub-plots and layers that seemed at times to be very random and insane but they all came together nicely in the end with a rather satisfying conclusion. The action is also quite constant with danger lurking around every corner which really keeps the suspense level up high. I would have to say that the book isn't for the faint hearted though as the author isn't afraid to detail the violence, blood, gore and downright savagery of the world he has created.

In regards to the characters, I found the main character Daniel to be rather engaging and easy to like. Even in the primitive society that has now evolved where the group's leaders were chosen and even paired off with women via physical violence, he is still a decent, yet haunted man who is trying his best for everyone. He and the other main characters were all well written and I found them all to be rather interesting if at times a little bit type cast. One issue I did have is that sometimes they did specific things that seemed rather stupid and unrealistic for people who had survived so much already and were blatantly just a way to move the plot on in a specific direction.

The secondary characters were rather weak and were nothing more than cardboard cut-outs with a few words here and there to describe who they were. In a way, this made it hard for you to really care about them and it didn't really provide you with a feeling of a close group fighting against adversity. Therefore, the best secondary characters in the book seem to be the Shifters themselves and these are more than adequately detailed. These intelligent, sexually deviant, savage and downright dangerous creatures are really the stuff of nightmares. I found them to be really impressive "monsters" and it was also nice to see them contrasted by a "good" Shifter that appears later in the story and adds a little bit of comic relief to the story.

In summary, this book is a cracking Sci-Fi Horror novel which takes an action packed end of the world scenario and mixes it with dangerous shape-shifting monsters, conspiracy and even the odd bit of romance. Basically, if you enjoy post apocalyptic horror and like to read books that don't take the safe and obvious route then I think you will love this novel.

Star Trek Enterprise: What Price Honor? - Dave Stern

2011-11-11T19:45:00.001Z

Title: What Price Honor?
Author: Dave Stern
Genre: Sci-Fi
Published: 2002
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Apple iBookstore US
Kobo
Amazon UK
Apple iBookstore UK

What Price Honor? by Dave Stern is the latest book in my Star Trek Reading Challenge and whilst it was not a novelization of an episode, it did feel like it could easily have been pulled from a mid-season episode from any of the Star Trek series.

The story is set around Armoury Officer Malcolm Reed who has recently killed Ensign Alana Hart when he tried to stop her attempts to sabotage the Enterprise. Malcolm is now riddled with guilt over what has happened and is trying to uncover why the Ensign acted in the manner she did. It soon transpires that an ongoing conflict between two civilisations may actually be linked to Ensign Hart's actions which results in the Enterprise and its crew getting dragged deeper and deeper into the conflict.

Fundamentally this novel is a rather conventional 'whodunit' Star Trek storyline and I managed to correctly guess within the first few chapters what had actually happened. It got so obvious at times that I wanted to slap the characters around because they were being that blind to the clues. Perhaps I have just seen too many Star Trek episodes before but it would have been nicer if the mystery had been a bit deeper and less obvious. In addition it really wasn't the easiest of stories to follow at times as a lot of the plot is brought out via various slightly muddled flashbacks. The reader therefore really needs to concentrate to ensure they understand when and what they are reading about.

What I did like is that the novel was focused on Malcolm Reed who was criminally underutilised in the TV series. I was happy to see some expansion of his character, in particular his relationship with Ensign Hart really helped to humanise him more and show that there was more to him that the strict and proper officer he could come across like.

A final comment I want to make is that I got a little bit confused at the beginning of the story as the dates referenced seemed to have put it prior to the actual launch of the Enterprise whilst the narrative states that it was a year into the exploration mission. This was a little bit annoying to see as it is such a basic error, especially considering I managed to find the fictional launch date for the Enterprise myself without any real difficulty. Star Trek fans can be quite particular about various "facts" and I think this type of thing may irritate quite a few of them.

In Summary this wasn't the best Star Trek novel in the world but it also wasn't the worst. I suspect if you are a fan of Malcolm Reed you may enjoy this book but anyone else may just get a little bit frustrated by the rather basic mystery plot.

The Apocalypse Gene Giveaway Winner!

2011-11-09T12:19:00.002Z

Well thanks to my friends at random.org the results of the giveaway to win an ebook copy of The Apocalypse Gene by Suki Michelle & Carlyle Clark are in and I can now announce the winner.

So, a big congratulations to Madlen.

My commiserations to all the entrants who didn't win, but there is still another giveaway on my blog for the excellent legal drama, "The Accidental Activist" by Alon Shalev which is available here.

Paradise: A Divine Comedy - Glenn Myers

2011-11-07T04:25:00.001Z

Title: Paradise - A Divine Comedy
Author: Glenn Myers
Genre: Comedy Fantasy
Published: 2010
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
The Book Depository
Apple iBookstore US
Kobo
Smashwords
Amazon UK
Waterstones
Apple iBookstore UK

Paradise - A Divine Comedy by Glenn Myers is a comic fantasy novel, written in a manner that is reminiscent of many British comic authors such as Robert Rankin, Terry Pratchett or Douglas Adams.

The story itself is set a round web designer Jamie and criminal lawyer Keziah who, after being involved in a car crash, end up heading to the afterlife together. Once there, they get captured by some spirits who seem intent on forcing them to live in an artificial paradise in an attempt to trial a new form of spiritual worship. The story follows Jamie and Keziah's experiences in this artificial paradise as they face off against each other and the spirits who are holding them captive.

The humour and wit that the author has used in the book is there to try and enhance and complement the serious themes being discussed and it does work to an extent. For example, the wit and banter that is present throughout the novel did make me smile and laugh, especially the discussions between Jamie and Caroline who was basically a self imagined version of his ex girlfriend. However, as the story progressed I have to admit that I began to find it harder to pick up the novel and finish it as the theological elements of the novel became more important to the plot which required me to really try and grasp the points being made. Then again this was probably my own fault as I read the final parts of the book after taking part in a 24 hour read-a-thon!

In regards to the characters, I found it quite hard to dislike Jamie even though he was self-absorbed, a coward and selfish. I think these traits actually increased the level at which the reader could be amused as they were utilised cleverly by the author to create entertaining scenes between him and the other characters. I actually don't think any of the other characters are really developed in as good a detail as him, even Keziah who is one of the other main characters. They all mainly seem to be there as different foils for Jamie to bounce his wits against.

Overall, this was a funny and amusing story and I did enjoy the humorous elements, however I struggled a little bit to keep going through the theological elements. Basically, I believe that this book will probably appeal to people that like the humour of Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett but also want to read something with a deeper underlying meaning.

The Accidental Activist - Alon Shalev (Review & Giveaway)

2011-11-04T04:00:00.041Z

I have taken part in a blog tour this month that is being hosted by Premier Virtual Author Book Tours for "The Accidental Activist" by Alon Shalev. My post on this tour includes a review and giveaway but I hope you all visit some of the other sites in the tour for further guest posts, intereviews, reviews and giveaways.

Review

Title: The Accidental Activist
Author: Alon Shalev
Genre: Legal Thriller
Published: 2010
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
The Book Depository
Apple iBookstore US
Smashwords
Kobo
Amazon UK
Apple iBookstore UK

The Accidental Activist by Alon Shalev is a novel that has been based on the so called "McLibel" case that took place in England in the 1990's. I was looking forward to reading this as I love legal TV dramas and I was hoping that a novel could interest and entertain me just as well. On the whole I have to say that this book did manage this; of course as it is based in part on reality and is set in England there is less flamboyance during the courtroom scenes compared with what may see on the fictional TV shows. However the story was still enjoyable and overall the book is a really good courtroom drama.

The story itself follows two activists who decide to take on a multinational corporation after it tries to silence them with threats of libel. Meanwhile a computer programmer who is the narrator of the story discovers the possibilities of the internet and sets up a website to help support the case as he has become involved in a relationship with one of the activists. The book takes us through the work done via the internet and various volunteers to collect information and create a strategy, before taking the reader through the actual court case itself and the results.

I found the actual legal case and courtroom drama to be thoroughly engrossing and it held my attention very well. The story flows well and I appreciated the manner in which the author had written it with the narrator varying between telling us factual information on the case and legal system in England before then detailing the various amusing and dynamic interactions between the characters. I felt that this ensured that you actually care for the characters and will them on to win in addition to understanding some of the intricacies of the court case itself.

As with any underdog story, it was quite inspirational to read about regular people fighting a huge corporation on something they felt was right. In addition it was superb to read about and remember the rise of the internet in the 1990's. The way the characters use the internet to help level the playing field between the individuals and the corporate machine was nice to see. It could make the story seem dated because we are now so used to the internet, but as long as the reader understands when the story has been set it shouldn't really cause an issue.

An issue I did have with the book is a possibly more a personal one and it is something I have seen many times that isn't limited to this book. Basically, there were several statements throughout the book referring to British law and specifically British Libel law. There is actually no such thing as British law; there is English law and Scots law which are independent of each other. I am not a law expert so perhaps both English and Scots law may be similar in the case of libel (although I have read that Scots law doesn't even differentiate between libel and slander), however it is factually incorrect to call something British law. It doesn't really affect the story in any way; it was just a minor irritation to me.

Overall, I found this to be an interesting and enjoyable story that should appeal to anyone interested in courtroom dramas and underdog stories. The whole story ignited my interest in the actual case the story was based on and I have enjoyed doing a little reading up on that. Any story that can persuade you to find out a little more about the facts and reality is good in my opinion.

Giveaway

The winner of this giveaway will recieve either an Ebook or Paperback copy of The Accidental Activist based on the following:

If the winner is from the U.S. or Canada, they will have the choice of paperback or ebook.
If the winner is International, they will receive the ebook.

Rules:

The giveaway will finish at 23.59 GMT November 18.

Winners will be picked by random.org and announced on November 19 by email & on this blog.

All entrants just need to leave a comment with their name and email address.

Good luck!

Learn more about The Accidental Activist at…
Goodreads | Author Website

Next stop on the blog tour: Bound & Determined to Find a Good Read

A Kingdom's Cost (The Douglas Trilogy Book 1) - J.R. Tomlin

2011-10-31T12:17:00.001Z

Title: A Kingdom's Cost (The Douglas Trilogy Book 1)
Author: J.R. Tomlin
Genre: Historical Fiction
Published: 2011
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Kobo
Smashwords
Amazon UK

“A Kingdom’s Cost” is the first book of the Douglas Trilogy which continues the story of the Scottish Wars of Independence started in Tomlin’s previous book, “Freedom’s Sword”. The novel is mainly about James Douglas, who would become known as The Black Douglas, an important follower of Robert de Bruce. The story follows Douglas from his life in Paris where he was hidden by his father to avoid being used as a hostage, through his time as a squire to a Scottish Bishop and then to his service under the newly crowned King of Scots, Robert de Bruce. This progressed from the early military defeats, then on to some of the guerrilla raids and finally to the battle of Loudon Hill where the outnumbered Scottish forces proved they could beat the English in a battle.

As a Scottish person I was looking forward to reading this book and its depiction of a rather pivotal point in Scottish history. I was actually glad to see the story was being told from the view point of James Douglas as I will admit I didn’t know much about him beyond the fact he had been called The Black Douglas. As with “Freedom’s Sword” it was nice to see some detail and importance being given to someone that wasn’t Bruce or Wallace.

The plot really draws you along as you want to know what happens next to the characters and I enjoyed it immensely. The action sequences are gripping and I have to say that J.R. Tomlin once again describes the battles in a manner that really enables the reader to picture the horror of medieval warfare and feel part of it all. I would note that the violence detailed is all relevant to telling the story and none if it came across as being gratuitous or excessive. It isn’t just the battles that Tomlin has created well; she really brings out the individual experiences such as the weight of armour, the various smells and the difficult life that people in those ages would have suffered through.

One nice improvement I saw in this book over “Freedom’s Sword” was that there was more time spent exploring the personal lives of the characters and the build up to various events and battles. Whilst some of the character development was probably hampered by having to stick to some historical facts, the author has done well in creating characters who you are interested in. I think that the author has been able to do this by spreading the story of Douglas over a trilogy rather than trying to cram it all into one single novel. Simply put, the balance between the military encounters and the personal aspects is good and I think it will ensure the book appeals to more people.

In summary, I really enjoyed this novel and will be looking forward to the second instalment. After reading it, I was quickly on the internet to learn a little bit more about James Douglas, in my opinion that shows what a good historical fiction novel this is. It has inspired me to really try and learn more about this man and I hope it will inspire some other readers to also find out a little bit more about this very colourful and interesting period of history.

Halloween Hop

2011-10-28T12:13:00.001+01:00

Well I decided to post something here in regards to the Halloween Hop that is running from 28th October to 31st October although there isn't any actual requirement. If any of you are interested in finding some more blogs involved in the hop then go check out the hosting site "Jeremy Bates Blog".

I am mainly going to use this post though to talk about some Halloween related facts about myself and hope that it may open some debate;

2011 Halloween Costume: Pirate
Favourite Horror Movie: The Evil Dead
Favourite Horror Novel: Phantoms by Dean Koontz
Favourite Horror Video Game: Aliens Vs Predator 2
Favourite Horror TV Show: Supernatural
Favourite Horror Board Game: Atmosfear

Anyway, as a little extra, here is a photograph of my wife and I in the pirate costumes that we are wearing tonight at a Ghost Tour & Party.

So why don't some of you tell me some Halloween related facts about yourselves.

The Apocalypse Gene - Suki Michelle & Carlyle Clark (Review, Interview & Giveaway)

2011-10-25T08:00:00.007+01:00

Well this is a triple first for me, it is the first blog tour I have taken part in, my first author interview and my first ever giveaway. The blog tour itself is being hosted by Unputdownable Books for "The Apocalypse Gene" by Suki Michelle & Carlyle Clark and I hope you all visit some of the other sites in the tour for further guest posts, intereviews, reviews and giveaways.

Review

Title: The Apocalypse Gene

Author: Suki Michelle & Carlyle Clark

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Published: 2011

Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Amazon UK

I wasn't that sure about this book at first to be honest, a YA Urban Fantasy book had me dreading that this book was going to be more like Paranormal Romance as I have seen in the past with YA Urban Fantasy books. I needn't have worried however as The Apocalypse Gene is an exciting fast paced adventure full of thoughtful twists that are both surprising and well executed.

The story itself is set in Chicago, on a future Earth that has been ravaged by a disease. This pandemic has changed life into something that is quite unrecognizable, and many families have actually turned their own homes into hospices for dying patients. One of these families is the Wright-Ono family comprised of the books main character, Olivya and her mother. Olivya has an attitude problem, stubborn, and to be honest, is a bit of a pain in the arse to her mother; in other words she is like many other typical teenagers. However, Olivya does seem to have a special psychic gift that enables her to actually see aura's of life energy around people.

Olivya herself has a crush on a boy named Mikah whom she goes to school with and seems to accept her revelation of psychic abilities without any issues. The only problem Olivya has is that they go to school online so they have never actually met in person. When the two of them finally decide to meet up, they become involved in a much bigger event involving quasi-demons and angelic like creatures that threatens the very existence of all life on Earth.

I loved the entire novel; it mixed so many different topics and ideas together brilliantly. There was no doubting this was a futuristic novel with a healthy dose of sci-fi but there were also dystopian, paranormal, romantic and humorous elements present throughout. In addition, the action and adventure present really kept the story moving at an enjoyably fast pace that kept me turning the pages to find out what was going to happen next.

The writing flowed incredibly well although the plot could get a little bit confusing at times due to the incredibly fast pace and the amount of information that was being put across. But all this information helps create a superbly fascinating world, full of its own slang, mysteries and wonders. It is a great world and story that the authors have created and I would love to read some sequels that can expand this Universe further.

The main characters themselves come across as being fresh and young, I can imagine many teenagers who the book is obviously aimed at could relate too and understand them well. The supporting characters themselves also all have their own merits and have obviously been written with care and attention from the authors, in particular I found the sim version of Olivya to be absolutely brilliant; I couldn’t help but laugh and enjoy her nuances and eccentricities.

In summary, this is thoroughly enjoyable original story full of action, adventure, thrills and some humour. Whilst the plot did get a little bit complex but the characters are fun and there is probably something in this book for everyone due to the superb mix of genre. Therefore, I just have to recommend that you go out, buy this book and enjoy.

Interview

Can you tell the readers a little bit about The Apocalypse Gene?

The Apocalypse Gene takes place in the near future during a time of global pandemic. Our protagonists (Olivya and Mikah) are a pair of highly gifted psychics, Olivya with aura-sight and Mikah an elite Empath from a clan of demon hybrids called the Kindred. Mikah learns that the Kindred are linked to the pandemic, but without initiation, he is barred from learning their truths. When Olivya’s mother falls ill, Olivya and Mikah embark on a quest to uncover Kindred secrets. In the shadow of the Kindred leader, a monstrous brooding immortal, and with the arrival of a long prophesied winged being, the two discover that the pandemic is far more than a mere disease.

What was it like co-writing a book compared with writing something on your own?

Suki: Carlyle’s greatest talent is to unwind a plot and knowing where to put “reveals”. I’m happier writing description and conveying emotion and “voice”.

Carlyle: I draft out a scene, the what-happens-next stuff. Suki writes it real time. Then we pass it back and forth, each tweaking and massaging until we’re both satisfied, and we never ever argue (cough).

Suki: When writing alone, Carlyle is free and wild. He lets it flow. By contrast, I can tweak a single sentence for hours.

Carlyle: With my wild energy and Suki’s obsessive perfectionism, The Apocalypse Gene couldn’t have been written by either of us alone.

Where did the inspiration for The Apocalypse Gene's plot, characters and setting come from?

Suki: I own a medical transcription company and type all day. With my wild imagination and low tolerance for boredom, I entertain myself with the what-if game. During a long day typing medical reports, I thought, what if the cure to a disease was far outside than realm of science and squarely in the hands of kids and mystics, and what if it went pandemic? That was the seed of the plot. Also, Olivya has been brewing in my mind for years, a gifted girl who would rather be like everyone else, but circumstances teach her to embrace her uniqueness. Mikah is based on a boy I once knew, sensitive and intelligent with magical qualities. The inspiration for setting is Chicago where joy, despair, beauty, and magic breathe on every corner.

The writing process differs from author to author. What are your writing processes?

Suki: When I’m about to write, I squinch up my eyebrows, stamp my feet, get a sweaty red face, and tell myself I cannot do this, I’ll NEVER be able to do it, I suck, why bother? Then I sit down and do it anyway.

Carlyle: I favor the spray-n-pray technique. I gush out everything that skitters across my noggin and then go back and scalpel out all the stuff that doesn’t work. Coming from opposite ends of the spectrum, our conversations about writing can get, shall we say, passionate, but that makes for passionate writing too.

What’s your favorite and least favorite part of being a writer?

Suki: Favorite part – Writing a kick-ass scene, an unusual turn of phrase, a subtle yet accurate metaphor, or an economical sentence. Least favorite – self-doubt.

Carlyle: Favorite part: Having the chance to share my imagination and birth something new into the world that other might enjoy. Least favorite: the time waiting from when the novel is done until it is published.

What’s next? What projects are you currently working on and what do we all have to look forward to?

Suki: We’re in the process of drafting out the sequel to The Apocalypse Gene, which Parker Publishing is eager to produce. Carlyle is also finishing up his novel, The Black Song Inside, a semi-finalist in the Faulkner Wisdom Competition. I have two novels in the works, one literary fiction and one YA speculative fiction.

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

Be open to criticism. Take what’s useful and shelf the rest but consider it all, good, bad, gentle, harsh. While praise is valuable and encouraging, the harsh stuff is the best teacher. Workshop your writing. Seek input from others more experienced, and be gracious and thankful, especially when their words hurt. When your tears dry, sit up and rewrite. The results are worth the pain.

Where can readers find out more about you and your books?

http://www.theapocalypsegene.com (Primary Website)
http://www.theapocalypsegene.com/cy-chi (Blog)
http://www.facebook.com/TheApocalypseGene (Olivya’s fan page)
http://www.facebook.com/MichellePlusClark (Co-Author FB page)
http://www.Storymavens/wordpress.org (Author blog)
http://www.Parker-Publishing.com
http://www.Twitter@Suki-Michelle

Giveaway

The winner of this giveaway will recieve an Ebook copy of The Apocalypse Gene

Rules:

The giveaway will finish at 23.59 GMT November 8.

Winners will be picked by random.org and announced on November 9 by email & on this blog.

All entrants just need to leave a comment with their name and email address.

Good luck!

Learn more about The Apocalypse Gene at…
Goodreads | Website | Trailer | Facebook

Next stop on the blog tour: Unputdownable Books

Read-a-Thon Wrap Up Post

2011-10-23T13:37:00.001+01:00

Well that's the read-a-thon finished until 2012 and I enjoyed it hugely! So now I just need to post my final status and complete the final meme.

Completed Books:

Predators of Darkness by Leonard D Hilley II
Aaaarrgghh, Spider! by Lydia Monks
Star Trek Enterprise: Shockwave by Paul Ruditis
Star Trek Enterprise: Surak's Soul by J.M. Dillard
Paradise - A Divine Comedy by Glenn Myers

Total Pages Read: 905

Total Time Spent Reading: 10hr 25 minutes

Final Event Meme:

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
Had to be Hour 11, It was after 11pm my time and everyone else was asleep

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
No, none of mine were that interesting to be honest unless you like Star Trek.

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
Not at the moment, I may need to think about it over the longer term.

4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
The Mini Challenges were superb. They were all varied and entertaining to take part in and watch others taking part in.

5. How many books did you read?
5

6. What were the names of the books you read?

Predators of Darkness by Leonard D Hilley II
Aaaarrgghh, Spider! by Lydia Monks
Star Trek Enterprise: Shockwave by Paul Ruditis
Star Trek Enterprise: Surak's Soul by J.M. Dillard
Paradise - A Divine Comedy by Glenn Myers

7. Which book did you enjoy most?
Predators of Darkness by Leonard D Hilley II

8. Which did you enjoy least?
Paradise - A Divine Comedy by Glenn Myers

9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?
Just keep those blog comments going, they help a lot!

10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
I will be there for the next one and will probably take on the reader role again.

Read-a-Thon Update - Hour 22 Complete

2011-10-23T11:01:00.000+01:00

That's the 22nd Hour of the read-a-thon now complete and time for the last update before we all get to finish!

Completed Books:

Predators of Darkness by Leonard D Hilley II
Aaaarrgghh, Spider! by Lydia Monks
Star Trek Enterprise: Shockwave by Paul Ruditis
Star Trek Enterprise: Surak's Soul by J.M. Dillard

Currently Reading: Paradise - A Divine Comedy by Glenn Myers

Total Pages Read: 748

Total Time Spent Reading: 8hr 55 minutes

I just finished my latest Star Trek book and decided I will now take a break from Star Trek books for a while! For now until the end of the read-a-thon I think I have picked up Paradise - A Divine Comedy which I have been reading on and off for the last 2 weeks.

Read-a-Thon Mini Challenge - Reading Zombies

2011-10-23T09:43:00.000+01:00

Well, the next mini challenge of the read-a-thon that will get it's own post on my blog is now up at the site Truth, Beauty, Freedom & Books. The aim here is for me to "zombify" one of the books I have read as part of the Read-a-thon.

Well, I have altered the cover for the book I am currently reading:

I suck at arty type things but I actually enjoyed this, I will need to remember the picnik site I used for the future.

Read-a-Thon Update - Hour 20 Complete

2011-10-23T09:07:00.000+01:00

That's the 20th Hour of the read-a-thon now complete and time for an update!

Completed Books:

Predators of Darkness by Leonard D Hilley II
Aaaarrgghh, Spider! by Lydia Monks
Star Trek Enterprise: Shockwave by Paul Ruditis

Currently Reading: Star Trek Enterprise: Surak's Soul by J.M. Dillard

Total Pages Read: 628

Total Time Spent Reading: 8hr 00 minutes

Well I am getting through my latest Star Trek book quite quickly and suspect I can easily have it finished before the read-a-thon ends. In addition to reading the book though I have had some breakfast and even did a little yoga which was an interesting experience.

Read-a-Thon Update - Hour 18 Complete

2011-10-23T07:14:00.000+01:00

Well, my loving son woke me up at 6.30am here so that's me up and reading again and now it is update time as the Read-a-thon has completed it's 18th Hour.

Completed Books:

Predators of Darkness by Leonard D Hilley II
Aaaarrgghh, Spider! by Lydia Monks
Star Trek Enterprise: Shockwave by Paul Ruditis

Currently Reading: Star Trek Enterprise: Surak's Soul by J.M. Dillard

Total Pages Read: 530

Total Time Spent Reading: 6hr 40 minutes

So between the last update I have slept and completed another book! Hoorah for me although I do feel like I cheated due to the sleep.

Read-a-Thon Update - Hour 10 Complete

2011-10-22T23:03:00.000+01:00

Well, it's time for my next update for the Read-a-thon which has now completed it's 10th Hour so here it is.

Completed Books:

Predators of Darkness by Leonard D Hilley II
Aaaarrgghh, Spider! by Lydia Monks

Currently Reading: Star Trek Enterprise: Shockwave by Paul Ruditis

Total Pages Read: 460

Total Time Spent Reading: 6hr 20 minutes

Well, I am getting very close to finishing my current novel and will probably have it done within the next 30 minutes. After that though I think sleep will win out so there probably won't be anymore updates until Hour 18 or so.

Read-a-Thon Mini Challenge - Book Sentence Challenge

2011-10-22T21:27:00.002+01:00

Well, the next mini challenge of the read-a-thon that will get it's own post on my blog is now up at the site Midnight Book Girl. The aim here is for me to take a photograph of some books from my library that I can form a sentence with out of the titles.

Well, I have take the following picture:

This sentence is: Man walks into a pub on green dolphin street dancing to armageddon.

I have to admit, I was struggling because I mainly use ebooks but I gave it a go!

Read-a-Thon Update - Hour 8 Complete

2011-10-22T21:03:00.001+01:00

Well, it's time for my next update for the Read-a-thon which has now completed it's 8th Hour so here it is.

Completed Books:

Predators of Darkness by Leonard D Hilley II
Aaaarrgghh, Spider! by Lydia Monks

Currently Reading: Star Trek Enterprise: Shockwave by Paul Ruditis

Total Pages Read: 317

Total Time Spent Reading: 5hr 10 minutes

I completed another book in this period although I will admit it was only 24 pages long and was the book I read to my daughter at bed time. However, every book counts in my opinion and it was quite nice reading something light and fluffy.

I have now moved to the bedroom to read now as it is easier to relax there and I don't have to listen to the really bad singing on X-Factor.

Read-a-Thon Update - Hour 6 Complete

2011-10-22T19:04:00.000+01:00

Well, it's time for my next update for the Read-a-thon which has now completed it's 6th Hour so here it is.

Completed Books: Predators of Darkness by Leonard D Hilley II

Currently Reading: Star Trek Enterprise: Shockwave by Paul Ruditis

Total Pages Read: 213

Total Time Spent Reading: 3hr 50 minutes

Well I managed to cook dinner, eat, clean the dishes, clean up a very messy 2 year old and still finish my first book. Therefore I am going to call the last 2 hour period a resounding success.

I will admit that I have also had two beers but it hasn't affected my reading so far!

Read-a-Thon Update - Hour 4 Complete

2011-10-22T17:08:00.000+01:00

Well, it's time for my next update for the Read-a-thon which has now completed it's 4th Hour so here it is.

Completed Books: None

Currently Reading: Predators of Darkness by Leonard D Hilley II

Total Pages Read: 156

Total Time Spent Reading: 2hr 50 minutes

I am actually only about 50 pages away now from completing Predators of Darkness so hopefully it will done before the next update. Then again I have to cook and eat between now and then so it may be tight to get it all in!

My wife has also bought me some beer to "help" me through the read-a-thon although I think this is more likely to sabotage my reading to be honest :-)

Read-a-Thon Update - Hour 2 Complete

2011-10-22T15:07:00.001+01:00

Well, it's my first actual update for the Read-a-thon which has now completed it's 2nd Hour so here is a quick status update.

Completed Books: None

Currently Reading: Predators of Darkness by Leonard D Hilley II

Total Pages Read: 75

Total Time Spent Reading: 1hr 20 minutes

I haven't gotten through as much of this book as I was planning but I did have to take a break to change a nappy (diaper) before so I will just have to be happy with what I have achieved.

Read-a-Thon Mini Challenge - Character Pictures

2011-10-22T14:13:00.003+01:00

Well, the first mini challenge of the read-a-thon is up at the site At Home With Books. The aim here is for me to take a photograph that represents characters from one of the books I am planning on reading today.

Well, I have take the following picture:

It is a spider to represent the many spiders within the book Aaaarrgghh, Spiders! by Lydia Monks that I will be reading with my daughter later.

Read-a-Thon Underway!!

2011-10-22T13:06:00.001+01:00

Well, my first ever read-a-thon is underway and I managed to make it back from softplay with my children this morning in time for the start! I really am not sure what my overall aim is going to be for the read-a-thon but I will probably just progress through my personnal reading list rather than my review queue as I think that is the best way to make sure I can keep on reading. In addition, I will probably maybe read a few of my children's books with them as well to mix things up although the longest most of these books will last is 5 minutes.

Anyway, I will be posting some updates as the day progresses so there will be a lot more posts today than normal. However don't get too worried as I will be back to normal by Sunday afternoon with my regular posting rate!

All I can now say is good luck everybody who's reading (and cheerleading) today! Hopefully I will be able to pay some other readers a visit a later on.

Now lets get on and answer the questions that have been asked for the kick-off

1)Where are you reading from today?
My living room in Armadale, Scotland. The movie "Cars" is currently on TV to entertain my daughter whilst I lie back on the sofa.

2)Three random facts about me…
I am a scotsman who married an english woman.
I am a big Sci-Fi Geek
I am a Kilmarnock FC fan (Hence my online nickname Killie)

3)How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?
Including the book I am currently reading, only 3 and I will be happy if I can complete them.

4)Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)?
I think if I can get my total reading time upto about 8 hours or so I will be more than happy considering the mad house I live in :-)

5)If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time?
I am a read-a-thon virgin!!! So please go easy on me!

Now I am going to start my reading with the book I was in the middle of reading already Predators of Darkness by Leonard D Hilley II.

Book Blogger Hop #10

2011-10-21T12:35:00.002+01:00

Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme hosted by Crazy for Books

This week’s question is;

“What is your favorite type of candy?”

I have to admit that I really hate the word "candy", I can only assume it is some weird British sensibility of mine, but it sounds like nails on a chalkboard to me whenever I hear it.

However, I can still answer the question and my favourite sweet (see what I did there... :-p) has to be a Cadbury's Wispa Bar. The interesting thing about this chocolate bar is that it was originally launched as a trial the same year I was born, so maybe there is some secret voodoo involved that makes me love them.

The Wispa has an interesting history and it was originally discontinued in 2003 which of course left me gutted. However, thanks to the power of the internet, a campaign was put in place that led to the re-release of these amazing chocolate bars in 2007 and I can now pick one up whenever I fill my car up with petrol.

Anyway, do any of you have a favourite of your own or have any of you ever tried a Wispa? I would love to hear your own comments.

2012 E-Book Reading Challenge

2011-10-20T11:16:00.002+01:00

Runs from January 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012
Hosted by The Eclectic Bookshelf

The Rules:

Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate. Create a post about the challenge and link your challenge post up in the linky on the hosting blog.
Non-Bloggers: Post your list of books in the comment section of the wrap-up post on the hosting blog.
No Audio or Print books.
No need to list your books in advance. You may select books as you go. Even if you list them now, you can change the list if needed.

There are four levels:

The Mini E-Book Challenge – Read 5 E-Books.
The "Fun Size" E-Book Challenge – Read 10 E-Books.
The Jumbo Size E-Book Challenge – Read 20 E-Books.
The Mega Size E-Book Reading Challenge - Read 25+ E-Books.

My Quota
I'll be doing the Mega Size challenge which shouldn't be very difficult as I usually only read eBooks. The challenge will actually be how quickly I can actually get there. I think I will be aiming for trying to complete it by the end of May.

You can track my progress on my 2012 Challenge Page.

Dewey's Read-a-Thon

2011-10-19T20:24:00.000+01:00

Well I have decided to sign up for Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon that is occuring on October 22nd. I have never taken part in a read-a-thon before so this is a whole new experience for me. I will admit that I won't take part for the full 24 hours due to family commitments but I will do as much as I can.

I am actually looking forward to this and as it starts at noon (GMT) which is when my youngest is asleep I will probably manage to at least be there right at the start. I will probably just trundle through my review queue and make a real effort to get it reduced.

Is anyone else out there taking part? If so, what are you planning to read?

Star Trek Enterprise: By The Book - Dean Wesley Smith & Kristine Kathryn Rusch

2011-10-19T14:33:00.001+01:00

Title: By The Book

Author: Dean Wesley Smith & Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Genre: Sci-Fi
Published: 2002
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Apple iBookstore US
Kobo
Amazon UK
Apple iBookstore UK

By The Book is the 2nd novel in my marathon Star Trek Challenge to try and read all the books in as close to chronological order as I can fathom. This book is actually the first original novel that was written for the Enterprise novel, so I was looking forward to reading this as it would be something new.

The story itself is actually fairly standard for the Star Trek Universe, but it was still reasonably enjoyable. The Enterprise and its crew encounter a new planet which seems to have two distinct species. Unfortunately Captain Archer blows first contact with one of the species due to his enthusiasm and lack of patience. Things then go downhill from that point and when a crew member is incapacitated during contact with the planet's 2nd species it seems like humanity's attempts at peaceful communications with these two races may be doomed before they really have begun.

The first comment I am going to have to make about this story is that alongside the first contact plotline there is a sub-plot going on which follows a selection of crew member that are playing a table top role play game. I have to admit that this sub-plot did at times distract from the main storyline and it almost felt like the authors were rushing through some sections of the story so they could get back to talking about the game. It didn't bother me hugely but I just found it hard to get excited or overly interested in some characters in a fictional universe pretending to be some other characters in another fictional universe. The role play game plot did dovetail with the main first contact storyline if you really delved into it and grasped that both the game and what they were going through on the planet were making the same point in regards to not just jumping into things but I don't think it was really required. I may have accepted the need for the game more if it really enhanced some of the characters but it is mainly secondary characters playing the game and none of them are really expanded upon anyway.

Outside the role play game I did fine the story to be quite interesting and enjoyable but it was definitely a cerebral story with very little action or suspense involved. A large portion of the story covered the crew trying to understand the two species on the planet below and what protocols and structures they should be following in regards to both first contact and the running of the ship itself. This does means the story can move along quite slowly which does make it quite hard to get into. However, once the story was in full flow, I did find the debates and discourse between the various characters to be rather thought provoking and engaging.

The biggest issue though with the novel though is probably the characters; some of them seem to act in very strange ways that don't really match what I know of them from the TV series. This is probably understandable though, as when the book was written the TV series itself hadn't had enough time to produce any real character development to assist the authors. I did feel that the characterization was at least slightly better than the previous novel, Broken Bow. Therefore, I am expecting that as these books progress the ability of the authors to capture the characters will improve.

In addition to that I also felt that some characters were mentioned at various times to make sure that they would be in the book. The main one I am thinking about here is Trip; he just seemed to spend the entire novel hanging around the bridge for no real reason. It just got a little bit irritating constantly seeing pointless narrative about Trip standing there or making some inane comment.

In summary, no matter the issues I have detailed above, I did actually find the book to be a reasonably enjoyable afternoon read. The small issues with the how the characters acted compared with what a reader may have seen on the TV show was understandable and it didn't really affect my enjoyment of the book anyway. If you don't normally read Star Trek then the characterization aspects won't mean a thing to you anyway, so if you want to try out a first contact storyline in an established Universe then consider this but be aware that this book is more about the ideas and thoughts than the action. For Star Trek fans, I believe that if you enjoy the more thoughtful and slow paced stories then you will probably enjoy this book as long as you take into account when this book was written.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Read Because Of The Cover Or Title

2011-10-18T10:14:00.001+01:00

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish which I am taking part in.

This weeks Top Ten was in regards to books I have decided to read because of the cover or the title. I usuall use the synopsis to pick a book although I do admit covers & titles can pull me in so that I do actually read the synopsis and then decide to read the book. Anyway, the books I have read because of the cover or title are listed below;

Star Trek: First Frontier by Diane Carey & Dr. James I. Kirkland
This Star Trek book had what looked like a dinosaur on the cover alongside Kirk & Spock, I just couldn’t resist Star Trek & dinosaurs so I picked it up. A rather simple reason for buying a book but when there were so many Star Trek books out there it felt like as a good a reason for reading this one over any of the others.

Monster by Christopher Pike
I have spoken about Christopher Pike before and how his books got me into reading. This was actually the first of his book I read and it was the simple title that attracted me as I wanted to read a horror book and at least I knew that this book would probably have monsters in it.

The Reality Dysfunction by Peter F. Hamilton
The title of this book didn’t actually appeal to me much, however the cover seemed to have loads of spaceships on the front and I assumed it could be a big Space Opera styled story. I was actually correct and since this book I read Peter F. Hamilton books no matter the title or cover.

Chernobyl by Frederik Pohl
Quite simply I was interested in Chernobyl, and the title of this book implied it would be about Chernobyl so I picked it up.

2010: Odyssey Two by Arthur C. Clarke
I will admit that I had already seen the movie, but this superb cover art persuaded me that I had to read the book as well.

Ruled Britannia by Harry Turtledove
This title attracted me as it was an interesting take of the saying “Rule Britannia” and I was intrigued in the thought that this book would about a conquered Britain.

Under The Dome by Stephen King
This cover is stunning in my opinion, I would probably have read this book anyway as I do read Stephen King but when I saw this in the library I just couldn’t resist picking it up then and there.

Armageddon: The Musical by Robert Rankin
Quite simply, the title of this book intrigued me; any book that tried to make fun of Armageddon by calling it a musical sounded like it might me funny.

I only managed 8 it seems, but why don't you all tell me some of the books you have read due to the cover or title.

GoneReading.com - A Philanthropic Book Related Website

2011-10-16T10:17:00.000+01:00

I recently recieved an email from Bradley S. Wirz, Founder & CEO of Gone Reading International, LLC. He asked me if I could bring the website GoneReading.com to the attention of my blog readers and highlight to you all that 100% of their profits go to fund new reading libraries in the developing world, as well as other literacy projects.

I have to admit that normally I don't tend to post requests like that, however, once I read a little about the company I felt I should put something up on my blog. Because, in my opinion, any person, group or company that wishes to try and spread the joy of reading to those who can not normally access books deserves to be mentioned.

Anyway, GoneReading features many book related gifts which have original designs and slogans that should appeal to any book lovers out there. So if you are looking for gifts or something for yourself then please go and check out their wonderful collection and know that if you could be helping the less fortunate experience a joy that many of us take for granted.

Farthing (Small Change Book 1) - Jo Walton

2011-10-15T07:48:00.000+01:00

Title: Farthing (Small Change Book 1)
Author: Jo Walton
Genre: Alternative History
Published: 2006
Formats: Hardback/Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Apple iBookstore US
Kobo
Amazon UK
Alibris UK

Farthing by Jo Walton was chosen as the October read for the Women of Science Fiction Book Club. I have to admit that personally I wouldn't really have defined this book as being Science Fiction. I understand that some people always classify Alternate History as being Science Fiction but I don't and I would probably have placed this novel in the Mystery/Crime genre. Either way though I am glad it was included in the book club as I really did enjoy it.

The story is set in an alternate Britain, one that had made peace with Nazi Germany in 1941. Now in the late 1940's Britain is enjoying it's peace with Germany and the people who helped create this peace are some of the mover's and shakers of society. However, their position is not absolute as is proven when one of them is found murdered during a party at Farthing Hall on the eve of their attempts to take further control of the governing Conservative Party. Even though the evidence all seems to point at communists and Jews as the culprits, a thoughtful detective from Scotland Yard keeps investigating and uncovers secrets and a conspiracy that lead to the very heart of government.

To be honest, Alternate History books about Nazi Germany are rather common; it probably has to be the greatest "what if" scenario of the twentieth century. A fair number of these books tend to mainly speculate on the big international picture and how it affects everyday people. Farthing however seemed to concentrate on the lives and outcomes for the very people who had actually created the peace with

Germany

which I found to be rather refreshing.

In addition I found that the Britain she had created was rather realistic and frightening in the way that you could actually understand and see why Britain was heading the way portrayed in the novel. It isn't a Britain any reader will recognise as the class system within

Britain

has actually been reinforced by the earlier peace. There is no NHS, the rich and the poor are as far apart as always and the government was talking about banning anyone who had not been to private education from going to University.

In regards to the story, it actually reminded me at times of a country-house murder mystery of the type you could have expected from Agatha Christie. It is very atmospheric and well set up so that it really evoked the feeling of the very period where the country-house murder mystery was so popular a genre. I did note that some of the regular aspects of this genre are visible such as the huge amount of logic involved in every part of solving the crime, to the rather simple and contrived way the truth ends up being revealed. However, in all honesty the mystery aspects of the story I think are more a side show to the characters and the world that Jo Walton has created.

The plotline itself is progressed by switching between two alternating perspectives, the first of which is a the third person narration of the actions of the Scotland Yard detective, Carmichael and the second is a first person recollection of Lucy Kahn, who is the daughter of the family that own Farthing House. I found that this alternating narrative ensured you never got bored and I loved how both characters came to their own conclusions about the murder via the use of different methods and ideas. It really ensured that the reader knew more that either of these characters individually knew and could therefore come to an all around appreciation for what had actually occurred and why.

In regards to the main characters, I really liked both Lucy and Carmichael as they came across as being authentic and believable. I really loved how Lucy for example comes across a slightly absentminded woman of her time, but underneath this a strong willed individual with common-sense and a decent level of morality. Carmichael also showed some decency at his core as he strove to uncover the truth and gain justice even when others were taking the easy route out.

The other characters however weren't developed to any great detail and were more used as a caricature of prejudices and the different classes in society to enable the reader to understand more the type of world they were living in. Many of them didn't actually come across as really being good or evil; they just accepted what was happening and accepted it because that was how society "worked". These characters and some of the overall political information being fed to the reader I think were being used to show how

Britain

itself was slowly slipping into a fascist state.

The end of the novel did leave a rather nasty taste in my mouth, and actually left me a little disheartened. It does fit with the tone and feeling of the overall novel, but I can't say I was really expecting it. I really think the future for Britain itself was looking bleak and dangerous by the final pages. I suspect I will now pick up the remaining books in this series just to see if there will be some sort of light at the end of the tunnel or not.

Overall, I really did enjoy reading this book; it was interesting to read a mystery novel set in this fascinating and well written alternate Britain that Jo Walton had created. The book does have quite a slow pace as you can sometimes expect in mystery novels, however it isn't dull, the world and characters are slowly fleshed out as you progress which did manage to keep me reading. I do think this book will appeal to quite a lot of different people, obviously I think that people who enjoy Alternate History books should enjoy this book on at least some level. In addition, I also think people who enjoy non-contemporary crime writers such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle or Agatha Christie will also enjoy this book even.

Book Blogger Hop #9

2011-10-14T12:28:00.000+01:00

Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme hosted by Crazy for Books

This week’s question is;

“What is your favorite spooky book (i.e. mystery/suspense, thriller, ghost story, etc.)?”

Wow, this one was actually quite tough because I have read so many spooky styled books over the years. Picking my favourite hasn't been easy and to be honest there are two I would really to mention, but as I have to pick one then it will have to be Phantoms by Dean Koontz.

This is probably the first book that I actually felt chills down my back as I read it. The scenes of horror that are slowly revealed to the characters really built up the tension and creepy factor. The story is just great fun and I have always recommened it to anyone looking for a good horror story.

And for anyone that is interested, the 2nd book I mentioned that is probably equal with this one was It by Stephen King. Another superb horror story that I would always recommend to people.

Heartbeasts - Rick Boven

2011-10-12T12:02:00.000+01:00

Title: Heartbeasts
Author: Rick Boven
Genre: Graphic Novel
Published: 2011
Formats: Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Amazon UK

Heartbeasts is a collection of three short stories told in graphic form that try to bring across some strong emotional points. These three stories are some of the first that Rick Boven produced and I have to admit the imagery didn't seem quite as refined as what I saw in his later book, The Last Pict which I have previously read and reviewed. Although, I actually think this has worked quite well as some of the stark imagery created does a good job at conveying the tales of heartbreak and woe that are being presented.

I won't really go into the stories themselves in any depth as I don't want to spoil it for anyone that does decide to pick up the collection. However, they do all touch on some of the darker aspects of love and relationships and therefore I felt that the stories can come across as being very angst ridden and "emo" in their style and message which may not appeal to everyone. What I did like though was the way that all three of the stories varied in relation to length and the level of usage of text and artwork to convey the story. It meant that each story felt slightly different, both in substance and style.

The minor issue I did have with this collection though was in regards to the formatting of the eBook on the Kindle. Some of the sections of the story had some very small text which forced me to really concentrate and strain my eyes so that I could actually read it. The only other option seemed to be for me to change the aspect between portrait and landscape which did increase the font size slightly but doing this was a little bit irritating. I still managed to read the story but some people may find the text is rather hard to read in sections if they are using a standard Kindle.

In summary, I do like the use of a graphic medium when creating short stories such as those present here. The limitations of low word counts are counteracted by the ability to use imagery to really convey some of the stories aspects. Personally, I have to admit that the stories felt a little bit too "emo" for me, probably due to the time in his life when Rick Boven was writing them. However, the stories are an impressive collection of graphic work and I suspect there will be plenty of teenagers out there who can relate well to some of these stories much better than I could.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Wish I Could Read Again For The First Time

2011-10-11T12:12:00.000+01:00

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish which I am taking part in.

This weeks Top Ten was actually a little bit of a challenge for me. Mainly due to the fact that when I really sat down and thought about it, I would probably love to read everything again for the first time. Nearly every book has that little something that you can never get back once you complete it. However, I was able to find ten that left a mark of my reading life more than any others and I think it is them that I would love to read again for the first time. Anyway, they are listed below;

The Lord of The Rings by JRR Tolkien
To get back the joy and interest of reading this Epic Fantasy series for the first time would be superb.

The Gap Series by Stephen Donaldson

Probably still my all time favourite Space Opera series, the manner in which the cruel villian could become an anti-hero who you wanted to win and felt sorry for is superb.

Monster by Christopher Pike

The book that ignited my love for reading when I was a young teen, I would really enjoy having that early feeling of "Wow, this reading thing is great" back again

The Stand by Stephen King

An amazing Dystopian Apocalyptic novel that I loved as a teen which had so many moments of suspense, drama and chills.

Magician by Raymond E Fiest

The Riftwar Saga seems to have gone on for ever, but this was the first book in the collection and by the far the most magical as you get introduced to a great world and great characters

Sahara by Clive Cussler

A book that introduced me to a new genre, I loved the excitement, thrills and action alongside a little bit of humour

Mort by Terry Pratchett
I still remember having this book recommended to me by a friend, James Gould, I salute you! It introduced me to the amazingly funny Discworld.

Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling
When I first read this, I couldn't believe the fun, enjoyment and excitement available in this magical world.

It by Stephen King
Another Stephen King book, but this book was so amazingly powerful and memorable that I still have vivid memories of what it was like reading it.

War of the Worlds by HG Wells
I picked this up at the library and it was brilliant, it showed me that the classic novels could be just as exciting, inventive as anything modern.

So feel free to share you own thoughts and ideas on this topic. I suspect some of these may be in your own list, but there maybe some that I have never heard of.

The Jaguar's Heart - James Morgan Ayres

2011-10-08T19:15:00.000+01:00

Title: The Jaguar's Heart
Author: James Morgan Ayres
Genre: Adventure
Published: 2009
Formats: Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Apple iBookstore US
Smashwords
Amazon UK
Apple iBookstore UK

When I first started reading this book I really wasn't sure what genre to describe it as: at times I would have said thriller, then I would think it was more fantasy. Finally though I have settled on describing it as a fast paced exciting adventure story that reminded me of the Indiana Jones franchise. For example, the book is set in an historical setting and there are exotic locations, archaeological discoveries, political intrigue, occult sorcery & some really enjoyable action scenes.

The story itself follows Jesse J. Rideout, a former covert operative who is hiding in Mexico after an altercation with his US governmental employer. His amateur interest in archaeology leads him to uncover a secret society full of politicians and criminals who believe in the sorcery once practised by the pre-Columbian natives in Central America. The reader then gets taken on an enjoyable journey across Mexico as Jesse attempts to get revenge for the death of a close friend and understand what this secret group are really up to and why they seem determined to get a hold of an artefact he has uncovered.

I have to say that I really enjoyed this book; it was delivered brilliantly with a superb mix of thrills, mystery, fantasy, action and drama. More importantly though, it had a gripping plot that was fun to read: I struggled to put it down several times and found that it really was a page-turner. In addition, it really felt like the author knew Mexico, it was wonderfully detailed and there was a love and warmth for the country that really came through in the novel.

The characters were well defined and quite memorable with Jesse himself really coming across like a mix of Indiana Jones and James Bond. But it was more than just him, all the characters seemed to have clear motivations that made sense with everyone having a purpose and specific drive. There were no ornamental characters; the female characters especially were strong, independent women who knew what they wanted and how to achieve it which was nice to see as sometimes I have seen adventure books use the women screaming, moaning side-kicks.

In summary, this book was an enjoyable, entertaining, fast paced adventure story that has me turning the pages with anticipation. In addition, the writing itself was decent and the author has crafted some superb characters. Simply put, if you like adventure stories then I think you would love this book and should therefore pick it up for a read.

North of Sunset - Henry Baum

2011-10-06T12:10:00.001+01:00

Title: North of Sunset
Author: Henry Baum
Genre: Thriller
Published: 2006
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Apple iBookstore US
Kobo
Amazon UK
Apple iBookstore UK

North of Sunset is a rather enjoyable thriller set in the rather self-obsessed celebrity world of Hollywood. It mainly focuses on two characters, the first is gifted movie star Michael Sennet who is world famous, has a gorgeous wife and lives a life where pretty everything revolves around him. However, he has become bored and is already looking for the next big thing to take him to a new level of fame and experience. Then there is Curt Knudsen, a follower of a group that talks about the perceived ills of the world, but secretly he is a serial killer that the media have named the Vanity Plate Killer. He randomly targets and kills people based on their vanity plates and his personal feelings on the person. The story follows these two characters and the various people they interact with over a couple of weeks in which various actions lead these two people from very different worlds towards each other.

The story is engrossing, with scandal, sex, murder and deceit visible throughout. However, it is more than just a exciting thriller, the author also takes a very satirical look at the obsession with celebrity culture and the dark underbelly of Hollywood. The prime example of this is that even though there is a serial killer on the loose, everyone in the novel seems to be thinking about how great a movie it would possibly make rather than about the loss of lives or the possible risk to their own.

At first I wasn’t that sure about the characters, I didn’t really like them that much due to the vain and arrogant attitudes constantly on display. However, I can actually believe that these people would really act like that and I am sure that many other readers could easily imagine the people of Hollywood acting in this manner. In addition they are well written and due to the nature of the writing, you really feel like you get into their heads and understand what they are doing and why.

One warning I do have to make is that Henry Baum has included a fair amount of strong profanity throughout the novel. Whilst I felt the characters and their attitudes fitted this language, I know that some readers may find this to be rather unappealing.

To be honest, the only thing that I wasn’t fond about in the novel was the ending. Whilst I will admit I was surprised by the route the story took, I felt that it was all a little bit too clean and contrived for my liking. Funnily enough, the ending actually reminded me of something you may see in a movie but perhaps that was actually the point.

In summary, North of Sunset is an exciting thriller told in a fast pace with an entertaining mix of sex, scandal and deceit that would actually probably make North of Sunset a decent movie. However, this book is more than this, with the satirical look at Hollywood and the excellent narrative enhancing the novel and making it a great page-turner.

Star Trek Enterprise: Broken Bow - Diane Carey

2011-10-03T12:37:00.003+01:00

Title: Broken Bow
Author: Diane Carey
Genre: Sci-Fi
Published: 2001
Formats: Hardback/Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
Amazon
Kobo
Amazon UK
Alibris UK

I have to admit that I have let my geeky tendencies out with this latest review. Basically I decided that I will try and read through all the Star Trek novels I can obtain in as close to chronological order as I can work out for a challenge. I suspect some of these books will be bad, I suspect some will be good, but it will be an adventure either way! Anyway, the first book to read was Broken Bow by Diane Carey which is actually a novelization of the Star Trek Enterprise pilot episode of the same name.

The story itself is set 150 years from now and humanity has basically made contact with a few other races but they haven't ventured out much into the Universe yet. However, the newly formed Starfleet is getting it's latest high speed ship ready to head out and explore the cosmos, even though their allies and more advanced mentors, the Vulcans don't believe they are mature enough. When two alien species start a fight on Earth, the crew of this new ship are drawn into an adventure involving time travel, genetic engineering and political intrigue.

I have to be honest here and say that I was a little bit disappointed in this novel. I felt that this was a good opportunity to try and enhance what was a rather average episode but instead it is just a basic retelling of the pilot without anything original in terms of characters or some storyline enhancement. It is a shame really as an improved story could also have been used to try and draw new people into this series.

The main issue I did have with the story though were the characters, I am aware that they do improve and grow to be quite likeable as the series progresses but at this stage I didn't really like them. I just felt they were all quite weakly developed and rather petty to be honest. The bickering, talking behind backs and basic childishness that goes on is all rather pathetic and I found it irritating. I understand there is obviously some issues that humanity has regarding aliens and the way they have been treated but I believe they would have been a bit more professional than what we see here.

After all this you would probably expect me to say that I disliked the entire novel but that isn't actually true. The story itself wasn't that bad and had an enjoyable mix of adventure and political intrigue. There also isn't any real techno-babble here and it does feel a bit more down to earth feel than some of the other Star Trek series set in future years. If you have never seen the TV series then it is perfectly adequate introduction to the universe and the characters.

In summary, I have to say that this book was a mildly interesting sci-fi adventure that does at least ensure the reader is introduced to all the new characters that will be involved in the Star Trek Enterprise series. I felt that it didn't really add anything new the Star Trek universe and an average TV episode has just become an average novel. Basically if you want to read every Star Trek book then go ahead and read this, but to be honest if you have seen the TV episode already then I wouldn't bother picking this up.

Book Blogger Hop #8

2011-09-30T12:24:00.000+01:00

Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme hosted by Crazy for Books

This week’s question is;

“In honor of Banned Books Week, what is your favorite “banned or frequently challenged book”?”

After reading this question I decided to actually look up details of some books that have been banned or challenged. Therefore I was horrified to find Tolkien's Lord of The Rings detailed as being banned and even burned in some areas because it is supposedly "Satanic". I actually think some people are deluded but this book easily must be favourite book that has been banned or challenged.