See My Smashing Review Of. . .

The Girls Who Break Out

Having reviewed The Girls Who Come Back – the opening chapter of The Beyond series several weeks ago, I was itching to find out what happens next, in The Girls Who Break Out.

Here’s the blurb to set the mood:

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Kate, Caro, and Darcy are very special girls. They used to be dead, and now they’re not, but they are trapped in the Institute. Dr Kerry Sullivan, Kate’s mother, brought them back. Now she’s poking around inside their heads. And they don’t like it, especially Kate.

Kate starts to turn the girls against their keepers, making Kerry’s job even more difficult. And, as if Kerry doesn’t have enough to do keeping the girls in check, another crisis erupts threatening the future of the Institute and her work. When Kate learns their time might soon run out, she and the others form a plan to escape. Caro and Darcy don’t want to hurt anyone. But Kate doesn’t feel the same way. She’s getting out. Even if it means there will be blood.

*******

So, it would seem that all is not well in the world of Kate and Co, and they’re determined to change the playing field so that it suits their particular needs more readily. The trouble is, to do that, they have get out. And rightly so. The powers-that-be seem to have had enough of their antics, and, suspicious of the girl’s real motives and condition, are now intent on pulling the plug. Lives are in danger . . . But whose lives? And from where does the real danger originate?

Yes, events are beginning to spiral out of control within the institute, and everyone – living AND dead – are becoming embroiled in a situation that is as much cat and mouse as it is a game of chess. One wrong move and the hunters become the hunted.

But how to pick a side when the Beyond is determined to interfere?

I rather enjoyed this second installment of the series. The mood becomes far more menacing; the pace more frantic; the threads binding everything together, even more intriguing and complex than before.  And that’s a good thing. Because it’s often said that we are our own worst enemy. Do you see? We writers have to exploit that when it comes to storytelling. Authors need to bait their readers and trigger those parts of their imagination that conjure up all sorts of what-ifs and what-was-that’s? Yes, we have to squeeze their emotional triggers, because only then will we increase the tension and suspense in the minds of our audience. And L’Erin Ogle manages to achieve this quite well, as I couldn’t help but become involved in the fates of the various characters portrayed, while trying to work out what they Beyond might be, and what it is, exactly, that drives it. So kudos there.

And better still . . . there’s more to come.
(And I promise you, no mirrors or windows were hurt in making this review) 

Amazon Review Link

 See My Tempered Review of. . .

Iron Widow

I’ve often mentioned that I’m the kinda guy who is drawn to quality writing. But it isn’t just the quality that attracts me. No, to truly appeal, it has to be ‘different’ in an unconventional, offbeat way that makes it stand out as special. Ethereal, like Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere; Powerful, like Mike Shackle’s Last War series; unique, as is definitely the case with Tyler Whitesides’ Kingdom of Grit series . . .

. . . and as is definitely the case with Iron Widow, by cow-suit toting Xiran Jay Zhao.

Just fight your way past one of the most amazing covers I’ve seen in a long time, (you know me and my penchant for an eye-catching first impression), and take a look at the blurb. You’ll see why I was hooked from the outset.

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The boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant transforming robots that can battle the mecha aliens that lurk beyond the Great Wall. It doesn't matter that the girls often die from the mental strain.
 
When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it's to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister's death. But she gets her vengeance in a way nobody expected—she kills him through the psychic link between pilots and emerges from the cockpit unscathed. She is labeled an Iron Widow, a much-feared and much-silenced kind of female pilot who can sacrifice boys to power up Chrysalises instead.​
 
To tame her unnerving yet invaluable mental strength, she is paired up with Li Shimin, the strongest and most controversial male pilot in Huaxia​. But now that Zetian has had a taste of power, she will not cower so easily. She will miss no opportunity to leverage their combined might and infamy to survive attempt after attempt on her life, until she can figure out exactly why the pilot system works in its misogynist way—and stop more girls from being sacrificed.

**********

Bam!

Part of me finds it incredibly difficult to write a review about this book, because there’s sooo much detail I’d like to include that it would end up spoiling the actual surprise. So, I’ll leave that part for Xiran Jay Zhao and her champion – Wu Zetian, the Iron Maiden – to do that for me. As well I should, for you’ll soon be immersed in a tale that is as action packed as it is suspenseful; as exasperating as it is cathartic; and as is infuriating as it is fully satisfying.

Why?

Because this is as much a story about the fight against prejudice and bigotry as it is against the Hundun, a relentless foe from another world out to squash the human race from existence. As the blurb reveals, mankind’s system for fighting the Hundun is bias, for females are looked on as nothing more than elemental batteries, used by the male pilots to help power the giant combat mecha machines. And if their energy runs out? Well, that’s okay. After all, there are lots of other girls to take their place.

Oh really?

Enter Wu Zetian. . .

What follows is truly cinematic in scope. Think Pacific Rim meets The Hunger Games, but it all takes place within the Matrix. And everyone is Agent Smith, out to get you.

Better still; navigate the unfolding drama as if you’re Zetian. You’ll embark on a personal journey of revenge and revelation; of evolving love and devolving empathy; of duty, compromise and betrayal. Most of all, you’ll find yourself refusing to bend to an unfair, unjust system, and doing everything you possibly can to survive against overwhelming odds. And it’s all wrapped up in a rampaging, primal scream of an epic that will take your breath away. It really will, as there’s one hell of a twist on the final page that threatens to change everything!

(But the clues are there, seeded throughout the story if you care to look).

Iron Widow: Without doubt, one of the best science fiction/fantasy books I’ve read in a long time. And who knows, perhaps Xiran Jay Zhao will set a trend, encouraging us all to dress as our favorite farm animal?
(I’ll stick to my tutu for now) J

Amazon Review

 No Boomerangs Required!

See my Review of. . .

The Girls Who Come Back

I was drawn to this, the first of The Beyond series, as the subject matter is something that I’m sure intrigues us all: What happens when we die?
Better still, what happens if you try to answer that question within the setting of a dark fantasy thriller, where scientists are meddling in things that should best be left alone?

Here’s a clue:

*******

In the backwoods of the Midwest, Dr Kerry Sullivan is raising the dead. All she wants to do is fix the girls, so they don’t break again. And all Kate, Kerry’s daughter, wants is to escape this world, but Kerry keeps dragging her back into it.

What Kerry doesn’t know is that the girls didn’t come back from the grave alone. Something returned with them. And now they’re learning they have the power to change the world around them just by thinking about it.

As Kate starts to exert dominance over the other girls, tensions rise. Secrets come out. And the girls who came back don’t want to be fixed. Especially Kate. She wants something else.

Revenge.

 

*******

 

Yes, what would you do if you had the power to resurrect the dead? After all, it’s something that has captured the imagination of mankind for as long as we’ve been able to conceptualize the concept of death, and what might occur once our threescore years and ten have expired.

The thing is, if we ever did gain the ability to bring people back, should we? Well, L’Erin Ogle answers that question from a rather provocative angle within, The Girls Who Come Back.

Now, I apologize at the outset if certain aspects of the review are a little bland. As my readers know by now, I often sacrifice detail to maintain the element of surprise, especially if the plot is a corker. And The Girls Who Come Back promises exactly that. As the blurb hints, the subjects Dr. Kerry Sullivan brings back from the ‘other side’ are different.

Just how different is up to you to discover in a cracking thriller that maintains an eerie sense of tension, by telling the story through the various perspectives of all the different people involved – staff and girls alike. In doing so, Ogle manages to weave a subtle mood of sufferance, sterility and inevitability into their voices. A clever strategy, as that evokes an invasive detachment of emotion. It’s almost as if the victims accept the inevitability of their situation, as much as none of the staff really caring what happens to them. They’re dismissive. Dispassionate. Angry. And that anger is the blue touch paper to the flame threatening to ignite trouble.

And trouble is most definitely brewing. Because, while the girls might be dismissive of their safety, you end up wanting answers. You want closure. You want to know what is that comes back from the other side with the girls, and how it affects them.

As I say, this is a cleverly conceived, deep, and provocatively sinister psychological thriller. And something the darkness in all of us can relate to. 

I look forward to seeing how the story develops.

Amazon Review

Goodreads

 No Superglue Required!

This is One Story That Doesn't Need Fixing

This Broken World

I’ve been a follower of Charles E. Gannon for a while now, and his Caine Riordan novels in particular. I enjoy his writing style, and the effort he puts into his world building. So, when I heard he was releasing an epic fantasy novel, it was a foregone conclusion I’d just have to take a look. And This Broken World doesn’t disappoint.

Here’s a little taster of what you can expect:

 

*******

A young man must face dangers from without and within—and question everything he believes to be true.

Since boyhood, Druadaen expected he’d ascend to the command of an elite legion and become the leader his father predicted he would be. However, fate had something different in store.

Assigned instead to a small group of outriders tasked with watching nearby kingdoms, Druadaen discovers that the world beyond his homeland is riddled with impossibilities. How do humanoid raiders, known as the Bent, suffer staggering losses and yet return as a vast horde every decade? How do multi-ton dragons fly? How have fossils formed in a world which sacrists insist has existed for only ten millennia?

Determined to solve these mysteries, Druadaen journeys into the dank warrens of the Bent, seeks out a dragon’s lair, and ventures into long-buried ruins in search of ancient scrolls. But, whereas legends tell of heroes who encounter their greatest perils during just such forays into the unknown, Druadaen’s most lethal enemies might lurk in even more unusual places:

The temples and council chambers of his own homeland.

*******

Intrigued? You should be, as what follows is a rather delightful journey across the world of Arrdanc, as told from the prospective of Druadaen, a young man who is more – much more – than he appears. Orphaned; backed by hidden sponsors; possessed of inexplicable talents; naïve in many ways, and yet wise beyond his years, his life’s journey meanders through tragedy, disappointment, failure and frustration, through enforced mundanity, to eventual high adventure. And darn it all, I can’t go into any real detail, because to do so would give away important details from the story arc . . . and that kinda stuff you need to uncover for yourselves.

But you’ll be glad you did, as Gannon has created a truly astounding world that draws you in, only to keep you entertained from beginning to end. As well it should. Because remember, we’re following the personal experiences of young Druaden, who, along the way to becoming one of the most competent outriders the kingdom has ever produced, meets more than his fair share of adventures. Fortune hunters; assassins; denizens of the undergloom; friendly giants; unfriendly wayfarers; and to top it all, snarky dragons possessing a cutting wit.

It makes for great reading. The pace is comfortable, fluctuating to fit the situation; the dialogue is engaging, and keeps things nice and tight. (I personally loved Druaden’s personal reflections and insights – kudos there); and the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle our young hero is trying to fit together, thoroughly stimulating.

Yes, there’s something about Arrdanc that doesn’t add up. And now Druaden is on the case, a lot of mysterious people are becoming increasingly unhappy. You’ll see.

Treat yourself. This Broken World just has to be experienced.

Amazon Review

A Story With Bite

The Cursed Creatures

As I mentioned in my review of, The Cursed Caves (The Tales of Tupuqa), I was attracted to this series as it’s built on the ensuing mayhem that follows the recovery of hibernating specimens – belonging to an unknown species of animal – from a cave on an out-of-the-way Polynesian island. Not realizing what they’ve uncovered, those scientists pack their find away on a ship and make for the USA . . . only to discover to their cost those specimens aren’t as dormant as they think. By the time they make landfall, all hell as broken lose, as the blurb to this follow-up story, The Cursed Creatures reveals:

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The second busiest port in the world is a battlefield. National guardsman, Billy Swift and his squad are caught between evil creature’s killing all before them, and a black ops team who will try and cover the whole thing up at all costs. Dr Laura Rollins survived the crash, but can she assemble a group capable of destroying the species that she had longed to research?
The journey back to finish things at the caves of Tupuqa will be hell.
A dejected military man seeks retribution.
A scientist seeks redemption.
The caves have the answers.
The caves call to them.

*******

So, what happens this time out?

A similar blend of fast paced chaos and head spinning, think on your feet, Hail Mary maneuvers that see our ever dwindling band of survivors deciding anywhere would be safer than Long Beach Port and its environs. That’s what!

Along the way, we meet new characters – Some friendly, some downright sinister and obviously working to a secret agenda – Say goodbye to most of them fairly quickly. (This IS a gorefest after all). And follow along as the luckiest members of our shrinking cast make it to a seaworthy pleasure cruiser. Their intention?  To end this disaster movie in the making once and for all.

But to do that, they’ll have to make their way to where our story began. And who knows what terrors still lurk within the caves?

What could possibly go wrong?

You’ll find out, in a line-em-up and shoot-em-down extravaganza that is as fun to read as it is oh so refreshingly in-your-face. As the title says, we are dealing with cursed creatures after all.

 Amazon Review

Goodreads Review

 A 'Full Marks' Review For. . .

The Devil’s Mark

Like most of us, I’m inundated with adverts, filled with suggestions as to what I might like to read next. I don’t usually pay attention to them, as I have a pretty defined ‘go to’ source that never fails.

Saying that, the moment I saw the cover of, The Devil’s Mark, a crossover novel by Tony Acree and Lynn Tincher, I took a second look.

And then I read the blurb:

******

Homicide Detective Paige Aldridge has caught her fair share of killers. Yet she knows the Devil's Mark Killer is something different. Each victim has the mark of the Devil carved into their skin. Using her powers as a Reader, she searches the Collective Conscious searching for anyone thinking about the Devil's mark.

And she finds someone. Through their eyes, she sees they are over the body of a woman with the same mark carved into her chest. She sends the thought for the killer to look at his license and he does. She has her suspect - Victor McCain.

In this thrilling crossover novel featuring Lynn Tincher's Paige Aldridge and Tony Acree's Victor McCain, demons are on the loose and the bodies are piling up as an ancient evil seeks revenge on those who imprisoned him, as well as an unknown player who wants to destroy both Paige and Victor.

******

Those of you who follow my blog know I’m an avid fan of sci-fi & fantasy, dark fantasy, paranormal and good quality horror. On those occasions I do stray from that niche, I’m drawn to crime thrillers. (Think Clancy/Grisham, etc, and you’ll be on the right track).

Imagine my delight, then, when I read the blurb above, as it seemed to incorporate all the elements I would like. . .

And I wasn’t wrong!

No spoilers here, but what you get is a riotous, supernatural murder-mystery-whodunit, with just the right amount of (pull my finger) humor sprinkled in amongst the action. And there’s action aplenty in this saga of Good v Evil. Even better, the battle’s not as straight forward as you think it would be. There are fallen angels plotting foul deeds; demons running rampant; warriors of light wielding holy sword; mind-bending paranormal practitioners abusing decent, everyday folk; biker gangs ready to shoot anything that moves; and don’t forget the wayward band of religious zealots, hell-bent on making an already difficult situation nigh on impossible to deal with. You see? It’s all great fun.

And what I reeeally enjoyed about it?

Along with relatable characters, an engaging dialogue, and plenty of well paced action, The Devil’s Mark was built on the foundations of a firm plotline that – while giving you clues along the way – didn’t devalue the story by making it blatantly obvious as to who was responsible for what outrage . . . until it was time for the appropriate reveal, that is.

A definite ‘plus-mark’ there.
(And if Acree and Tincher incorporate this quality into all their novels, then I’m just gonna have to check out more about Victor McCain and Paige Aldridge, aren’t I?)

So, if you like your tales fiendishly fearsome and foul, this is one to add to your list.

Amazon DE Review

Goodreads Review

 Read My Bedeviling Review of. . .

The Cursed Caves

I was drawn to Adam Hulse’s, The Cursed Caves (The Tales of Tupuqa), as the premise centers on researchers unearthing a new – or possibly long extinct – species of animal in the caves of an isolated Polynesian island, Tupuqa. To me, it offered a refreshing change from the usual vampire/werewolf theme you find so often saturates the horror genre. And Hulse plays to that difference rather well, because, what would any scientist making such a discovery want to do?

Why, take them out and examine them of course. And THAT’s where the fun begins, as the blurb so succinctly reveals:

*******

Dr Laura Rollins is a leading Taxonomist brought to the island of Tupuqa after an exciting new species is found hibernating in recently exposed caves. The research team’s objective seems straightforward - travel by sea with the new species to America, where specialist laboratories await. Unaware that their cargo is the product of an ancient curse, the crew are trapped aboard the ship with creatures that rapidly breed and evolve.
Long Beach port doesn’t know what’s about to hit it…

*******

As you’ll find, nothing is straightforward about that journey back. And I have to say, it was rather fun.

Now, I’m never one to give away the plot with spoilers. But what I will say is that The Cursed Caves is a rather imaginative, well put together story that mixes science, ancient banes, mythology, and misadventure into a roister-doister tale of mishap and misery for all those concerned. It’s as character driven as it is jet propelled. And though the action is relentless, Hulse manages to keep the momentum going without the narrative becoming tedious or exhausting. In fact, it’s exhilarating, because Hulse takes a leaf out of George R. R. Martin’s book, and doesn’t insist on a happy ending. In fact, he’s rather cavalier about who lives and who becomes a mushy pile of blood and guts.

Gloriously visceral stuff. You’ll see.
(And I can’t wait to take a bite out of the next story)

Amazon Review

Also at

Goodreads Review