Back To The Bubble!

January 27th, 2012

Imagine for a second that the world is ending; that there are only a few thousand humans left on the planet, and they are unable to reproduce.  Oh…you can have a baby, but the chances of it living past day 2 are ZERO, which makes you the LAST in a very long line of humans that will eventually time out.

What would you do?

Would you..

A: Curl up into the fetal position and pretend it’s all just a bad dream?

B: Blame your eventual demise on the government? or

C: Do something about it?

The answer for Kira, the lead character in “Partials” by Dan Wells is C.  Do something about it.

“The human race is all but extinct after a war with Partials—engineered organic beings identical to humans—has decimated the population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by RM, a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island while the Partials have mysteriously retreated. The threat of the Partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to RM in more than a decade. Our time is running out.

“Kira, a sixteen-year-old medic-in-training, is on the front lines of this battle, seeing RM ravage the community while mandatory pregnancy laws have pushed what’s left of humanity to the brink of civil war, and she’s not content to stand by and watch. But as she makes a desperate decision to save the last of her race, she will find that the survival of humans and Partials alike rests in her attempts to uncover the connections between them—connections that humanity has forgotten, or perhaps never even knew were there.”

Now, in order to appreciate this book you must first understand a few things.  #1 it is a dystopian novel, but unlike the relatively fluffy ones that we enjoy (you know…the ones weighted down by forbidden love and teenage angst in a world gone mad) Partials is a “hard-core” dystopian.

What’s the difference?

Well… for starters, the plot is NOT about finding that special someone in the middle of the night whose duty is to hold your hand and tell you everything is ok; it’s about survival at it’s most basic of levels.  While there is technology, it is either your enemy, or you can’t use it for lack of power.  There is a government, but their moral compasses are…questionable, and though the world is wide enough to afford you freedom, you are not allowed freedom.

I’m not insinuating that there aren’t character connections, because there are, (in the most unlikely of places in fact) but they are vastly different from the books that are currently out there, which…is actually rather refreshing if you ask me.

The 2nd, and probably the most important factor to under before you dive into this 480 page adventure is that it is VERY detailed.  Now, while this doesn’t bother me, (I’m used to forensic anthropology novels that spend 80 pages establishing the live cycle of a maggot) it may drive some of you crazy.  Why? because it is science related.  Think of it as reading the manual to your microwave over and over and over.  Some of you might actually find it beneficial to skim (*gasp* yes… I said skim) these parts in order to reconnect with the plot.  Me? I’m not a skimmer, but I can see where several people might be tempted to put down the book and walk away when Wells starts to go on his robot rants if they don’t.

So, what did I think overall?

Well, despite the occasional meandering into clever-clever land, I actually really enjoyed it.  It was original, well thought out and had several sub-plots that helped establish the conditions of their post-war/virus lives.  While it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, it is definitely a winner for those of you that enjoy the battle of life, and as an added bonus…the ending was spot on, all the way down to it’s book #2 setup.

Happy Reading my fellow Kindle-ites and remember: it’s not about HOW far you will go, but WHY you are willing to.

(3.5/5)

 

Book Trailer

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I’m Still Falling

December 19th, 2011

Everyday I am asked the same question… mostly by authors (who obviously have the most at stake) but by my readers as well:

“Why are you so hard on books?”

So here, once and for all… I’m going to throw all of my cards on the table and tell you why.

The world is FULL of books.  Books about love, loss, hell… even decapitation… if you can think it up, most likely there is someone out there that has already put it down.  The beauty of books comes in their distinction.

Indulge me just for a second and think of two books you have read that have similar plots and/or characters.  Now…which one did you like better? There IS a clear winner correct? There has to be a clear winner or no one would ever be able to decide what to read next.

My equation is simple.  If the book is good, if I didn’t really find anything wrong with it, (aka enjoyed it,) it gets a 4.  If it’s good and there were a few issues a 3 (which is what you see the most from me) BUT…if it moves me, makes me cry, cringe or even shudder from fear that is when a book gets a 5.

After so many books, thousands upon thousand of words… if I don’t want to let the book go at the end of the day, that’s when I know it’s “distinction” was better than everyone else’s.

“Angelfall” is my reason for 5′s.

 

It’s been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.

Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels’ stronghold in San Francisco where she’ll risk everything to rescue her sister and he’ll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.

 

Now, before you write this book off thinking it “just another Angel book gone evil,” let me be very clear when I say it is not.  Yes, “Angelfall” has Angels, but they are only the shell of the story.  Redemption, Resurrection and Trust are what “Angelfall” is actually about. That said…post-apocalyptic reads are very quickly becoming one of my favorite genres to read.

Why?

Because they define human nature.  For example:

“The intersections are gridlocked with abandoned cars.  I’d never seen a gridlock in the valley before six weeks ago.  The drivers here were always as polite as can be.  But the thing that really convinces me that the apocalypse is here is the crunching of smartphones under my feet.  Nothing short of the end of the world would get our eco-conscious techies to toss their latest gadgets onto the street.  It’s practically sacrilegious, even if the gadgets are just dead weight now.”

Amazing…is it not? Six sentences.  It took just six sentences to sum up our existence as it currently stands.  Forget religion, forget our causes or our tabloid obsessive behaviors; no… it’s our devices that we will find ourselves clinging to when all else is lost.  It is THIS that Susan Ee portrays so brilliantly.  The realization that life is now one continuous string of coping mechanisms.

“I think about burying the body, but a cold part of my mind tells me that this is still the best deterrent I could have.  Any sane person who looks through the glass doors would run far, far away.  We now play a permanent game of I-am-crazier-and-scarier-than-you. And in that game, my mother is our secret weapon.”

As for the characters?  They are brilliant, and haunting, and in some moments… what nightmares are made of.  From the first page you are no longer a bystander in a world gone mad, instead you are the quivering hand helping to push them in their desolate journey.  You fall when they fall, you shake when they shake, you mourn when they mourn.

I must warn you however that this is not an overly pleasant read.  It is actually quite horrific (think blood and guts) in some parts and will take a person with a “strong constitution” to get through the central bulk of it.  But I assure you, if it were not for these descriptions, the final scenes would have lacked the emotional connection to make them work properly.  And at the end of the day…that’s what reading is all about. The connection.

So here it is… my final word on a book that literally took my breath away, get it, live it, love it…and pass it on.

You absolutely cannot go wrong with the 99 cents it will cost you to gobble this puppy up… I guarantee it.

Happy Reading my fellow Kindle-ites and remember: trust is difficult to earn, but worth the effort.

Click image for complete details.

(5/5)

Need more convincing? Read the first 5 chapters for free on Susan’s website!

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High Heels…More Than Just a Fashion Statement

September 30th, 2011

Ahhh…Fall. My favorite season. Not, for the reasons you might expect however.  Yes, I am quite happy to be rid of the daunting 118 degrees Texas heat, but cooler weather, and only 1 deodorant pit-stop a day pales in comparison to Fall’s true, most glorious of perks…Zombies.

Oh yes. Fall is the season for “Chiller” TV, “Zombie Girls from Mars” marathons and more importantly, post apocalyptic literature.  With Halloween in the not-so-distant-future, I get to lose myself in the slightly demented minds of people like King, Nicholson or Wallen, and not get judge harshly when I chuckle at a particularly gruesome passage.

Fall…the time of year when the freaks get freakier, and the books come along for the ride.

Today’s helping…”After The Virus” by Meghan Ciana Doidge.

“After the virus decimates 99.9% of the world’s population, and all traces of humanity along with it, Rhiannon and Will are forced to move beyond their past fame, fortune, and personal demons to rescue a mute girl from the clutches of two warring cults.”

I know what you are thinking…there is nothing in that synopsis that indicates Zombies, but trust me…they are there. To prove it, I’ll share a particularly brilliant passage with you.

“It cat-batted the jutting knife and got it loose along with a chunk of its brain. The mushed brain matter squelched under the knife as it hit ground.  They all, including it, just stared, dumbfounded at the goopy pile.”

Awesome right? I thought so.

Anyways, like all good its-the-end-of-the-world-and-we-know-it novels, the “Infected” as they are appropriately deemed in “After the Virus” are not the story.  Yes, they are ooey and gooey and like to pop up at the most inconvenient of times, but it’s the people trying to survive that drive the story, (think…The Walking Dead.)

Now, if I’m to be honest, I was a little concerned at the start of this story. The original blocking (story set up) was all over the place and the editing was a train-wreck (there were “he’s” where there should have been “she’s” and “it’s” where their should have been…well, I don’t know really.) The details felt rushed, the characters’ felt void, and despite my assumption as to what the hell was going on, it wasn’t really confirmed. Thankfully however, about 6 chapters in Doidge found her line and she rode it smoothly to the finish.  As a matter of fact, after I got past Doidge’s confusing 1st/2nd person mayhem I had difficulty putting the book down, (despite the 100 or so typos that followed *cough*)

The action was nonstop, the evil was surprising and by the end of the book I wanted to grab a gun and take part, (which says a lot considering I hate guns.)

Even better…Doidge’s choice to alternate chapters between Rhiannon’s point of view and Will’s slightly more frantic one was a stroke of genius, (so was the last damn sentence if you don’t mind me saying.)

Overall, a fantastic post apocalyptic/zombie/angsty/romance that delivers in all of the right areas, even if one of those areas does not include editing.

Happy Reading my fellow Kindle-ites and remember:  when in doubt, a high heel makes an excellent javelin.

Click image for complete details.

(4/5)

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Damn Machines!

September 8th, 2011

I am a tomboy.

Ok, that is a bit of an understatement. Let me correct that.

I am a horror obsessed, robot zombie junkie 14 year old boy stuck inside of a 30 year old housewife’s body.

Yeah, that’s a little better.

Anyways…because I am a tomboy I sometimes appreciate things WAY outside of the girly zone. Like ACTION. (stay with me…I have a point) That’s not to say I don’t appreciate a good love story (I do have those stubborn girly parts and like to peruse the Internet for steamy pictures of Ben Bass…hmm…that might have come out wrong, forget I said that) but I find that I get more excited by gun toting bad-asses like Alexis Stanton or Laura Croft than I do by Nicholas Sparks’ destitute (and always chronically ill) lovelorn beauties.

Why does this matter?

Well…it doesn’t really, (if I’m being completely honest…meaningless bullshit is kind of my forte) but I thought it couldn’t hurt to point out my opposing perceptions.

Why? (again)

Because “Eden” by Keary Taylor is the first book, (in a very long time,) that successfully ended the gender confusion death match that my brain has been hosting for years. (aka loads of action with a healthy dose of “Does he love me?!)

 

“Eve knew the stories of the Fall, of a time before she wandered into the colony of Eden, unable to recall anything but her name. She’s seen the aftermath of the technology that infused human DNA with cybernetic matter, able to grow new organs and limbs, how it evolved out of control. The machine took over and the soul vanished. A world quickly losing its humanity isn’t just a story to her though. At eighteen, this world is Eve’s reality. In their Fallen world, love feels like a selfish luxury, but not understanding what it is makes it difficult to choose between West, who makes her feel alive but keeps too many secrets, and Avian, who has always been there for her, but is seven years her senior. The technology wants to spread and it won’t stop until there is no new flesh to assimilate. With only two percent of the human population left, mankind is on the brink of extinction. While fighting to keep Eden alive, Eve will discover that being human is about what you will do for those you love, not what your insides may be made of. And even if it gets you killed, love is always what separates them from the Fallen.”

 

Ok, first off…this is NOT a dystopian novel. (Several people are spouting this on Amazon, so I just wanted to clear that up.) This is a post-apocalyptic novel. That’s right…end of the world, lets “rebuild society” not lets “uptopian-ize” and then over-throw the government.  If you need a better reference think: “Terminator” meets “The Village” meets “Resident Evil” (you are totally confused now aren’t you?)

I know…the concept sounds a little confusing, but let me assure you that it works.  Why? Because it has EVERYTHING.

Want gun fights and mysterious men than show up in the middle of the night trying to steal food? Got it.

Want man eating robots? Got that too.

Want a very confused girl who suddenly has to pick between her mentor and the aforementioned mysterious man? Coming right up.

BUT that’s not all (cue cheesy infomercial music) you can also thank Taylor for her uncanny ability to stage a robot battle royal, complicated illnesses, death, black-outs, fires, and create not 1 but 3 very oogie (if I do say so myself) scientist. (Told you it had everything.)

So was it good? (Because let’s face it…that’s all you really give a rats ass about anyways.) Yes…it was AWESOME. So much so that I talked about it non-stop for more than a week and emailed SEVERAL of my friends and told them to purchase it IMMEDIATLY.

In short, the plot was amazing, the development of the characters (and the trials they were forced to overcome due to their very unfortunate circumstances) was spot on, and the ending was Fan-freaking-tastic. (God I’m turning into one of those people that can’t think of interesting adjectives.)

Plain English: I loved it! (and for a very cheap $.99 I can (almost…I’m not an idiot) guarantee that you will love it too.)

Snag this one people, it’s a ride worth taking.

Happy reading my fellow Kindle-ites and remember: Robots need love too.

Click image for additional details.

(5/5)

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