Book Review- Sea of Greed by Clive Cussler and Graham Brown

“A Cussler novel is like a ride on a roller coaster: it's no secret where things will start, where they will end, or what's going to happen along the way, but the ride is thrilling nonetheless.”

Check out the full review at New York Journal of Books...

Book Review: Kill the Queen by Jennifer Estep

Jennifer Estep’s engaging style and a perfect balance of action and intrigue make this a strong first

installment of a promising new fantasy series.

“The day of the royal massacre started out like any other.” And with that hook, so begins Kill the Queen, the first installment of Jennifer Estep’s Crown of Shards series...

Read the full review at New York Journal of Books

Review: Murder in an English Village by Jessica Ellicott

I picked up the audiobook version of Murder in an English Village on a whim. (I think Audible might have had it on sale but I can't remember). It's not my usual fare, but I enjoy the occasional mystery novel, I like history, and I love British mystery shows like Foyle's War, Hinterland, and Broadchurch, so I thought I'd give it a go. I was not disappointed.

When two old school friends reunite in post-World War I England, their investigation into a young woman's disappearance leads to murder. Their search uncovers a variety of secrets, some dating back to the war years.

The pacing is slow and steady, but seemed about right for this type of story. The characters are interesting and the mystery intriguing with just enough twists and surprises to keep the pages turning. Like any good mystery, there were several times I was fairly certain I knew who the killer was (and I was wrong every time.) When I  neared the end of the book, I was particularly proud of having figured out that one particular person was no good, but then it turned out that I'd only figured out a tiny fraction of the real story. The conclusion wrapped everything up in a satisfying way that didn't leave any loose threads.

I particularly enjoyed the dialogue. The characters' vocabularies, idioms, and manners of speaking were appropriate to the time, place, and their respective social classes. In one of my favorite lines, one of the characters bemoans her friend's cooking skills, thinking that, "What had been done to the sausage was a bigger shame than the fate of the pigs that had provided it." I could almost see the Dowager Countess from Downton Abbey making such an observation.

The narration by Barbara Rosenblat is solid and her performance added to my enjoyment of the story.

Murder in an English Village is an engrossing tale certain to please cozy mystery fans.

This is the first book in the Beryl and Edwina Mysteries series, with the second book, Murder Flies the Coop, coming out next month.

Review- Apocalypse Nyx by Kameron Hurley

A former government assassin battles to survive in an apocalyptic world ravaged by war and infested with giant bugs in Apocalypse Nyx. Kameron Hurley has crafted a memorable anti-hero and set her loose to wreak havoc in a nightmarish world...

Click here to read the full review on New York Journal of Books

Review- Hope Never Dies: An Obama-Biden Mystery by Andrew T. Shaffer

Hope Never Dies: An Obama-Biden Mystery

Joe Biden is unhappy. Since leaving office, he spends his time doing projects around the house, adding inches to the spare tire around his midriff, and missing his best friend. At least, he thought they were best friends. Eight years and now Barack doesn’t even call. Meanwhile Barack Obama is busy partying on yachts with celebrities, tooling around in his aftermarket upgraded Escalade...

Check out the full review on New York Journal of Books

Audiobook review: Screening Stephen King by Simon Brown

Screening Stephen King: Adaptation and the Horror Genre in Film and Television
Written by Simon  Brown, narrated by Peter Lerman.

Screening Stephen King is an analysis of Stephen King's works with an eye toward how they have been adapted for the screen.  As a fan of Stephen King and an author who is curious about how novels and short stories are adapted for other forms of media, when this book showed up on AudiobookBoom I decided to give it a shot.

The author's approach is academic in nature, and very analytical. I didn't care for the first two chapters. They read like a grad student's report, and there were moments I felt the author had broken out the thesaurus a few too many times. A couple chapters in, though, the writing smoothed out. I woudln't go so far as to call the style engaging, but it was accessible and didn't detract from my enjoyment of the subject matter. The narrator does a solid job with what he is given, but there is only so much life that can be breathed into a book written in this particular style.

The parts I found most interesting regarded the subject of branding. Whether or not to present a particular adaptation as horror or another genre. At what point did Stephen King himself become a "brand" and in which instances was a particular film promoted more as a Stephen King project and not promoted on the merits of the story?

This book isn't for everyone. Even a Stephen King enthusiast will need to have an interest in the business side of the industry to really enjoy the book. I think the ideal reader/listener is a Stephen King fan who is interested in screenwriting, the process of adapting longer works to the screen, and marketing. If it sounds like your thing, check it out!

Book review: King of Ashes by Raymond E. Feist

Many fantasy readers cut their teeth on Raymond Feist’s early works. The Riftwar Saga is considered

a classic, and The Serpentwar Saga is another favorite. Over time, some readers drifted away as the neverending story of Midkemia played out over seven sagas, a few stand-alone titles, and even a video game tie-in novel. Five years after putting a wrap on the Midkemia stories, Raymond Feist is back with a new series set in a brand new universe...


Check out the full review at New York Journal of Books.

Book Review- Ready Player One

I finally got around to reading (listening to the audiobook version of) Ready Player One by Ernest

Cline. I wasn't expecting much, but wanted to see what all the hype was about. It turned out to be a fun read.

In a future world where society is in decline, people spend most of their time in the OASIS, a virtual reality world that offers endless entertainment and educational opportunities. There are elements of RPG, and heavy doses of geek culture and 1980s nostalgia. Imagine Sheldon Cooper created a version of Caprica's "V-World" and you won't be far off the mark.The creator of the OASIS left a scavenger hunt embedded within his massive virtual universe. The first to complete it will inherit massive wealth and gain control of the OASIS.

The book proceeds in typical YA fashion: underprivileged, outcast youth living in dystopia escapes into the OASIS. Eventually, with the help of a diverse cast of characters, he finds himself on the hunt for the prize, facing off against dangers within the OASIS and without, driven by the big, bad corporate entity that threatens to claim the virtual world and focus on maximizing revenue, thus squeezing out people like Wade (or Parcival, as he is known in the OASIS.) The plot plays out much like you would expect if you read a lot of YA literature.

The story is rife with nerd/geek and 1980s pop culture references: video games, board games, television, movies, music... I'm not much of a gamer, and there are many aspects of geek culture that don't interest me, but I still enjoyed the many references, and the allusions to things that aren't in my nerd wheelhouse didn't leave me feeling disconnected. In some sections, particularly in one early chapter, the story bogs down as Cline engages in some massive info-dumps. I can understand why some people gave up on the book at this stage (it's really that bad in a couple places) but I stuck with it and I'm glad I did.

The story poses a few questions that, as a former English teacher, I think would have made for interesting classroom discussion:
-Are virtual-world (online) friendships less "real" because the people haven't met in real life, or are they more real because they are primarily "mental" connections, our judgment unclouded by things like race, sexual orientation, or physical appearance, which tend to color our judgment (no pun intended)?
-Do the negatives of a virtual world outweigh the positives?
-Will the continued development of technology, and our many options for entertainment distract us from caring for the real world or even engaging in it?

There's nothing deep or profound here, and some of the diverse aspects of certain characters are treated as afterthoughts. ("Oh, by the way, now that the story is almost over, I should let you know my actual gender, race, and sexual orientation,  and then we'll pretty much forget I mentioned it.") Some critics have accused Cline of writing a wish-fulfillment story. Maybe it's true, but that's a criticism that could be leveled against many, many books. I've read plenty of other criticisms, which you can find via a simple web search if you're so inclined.

Overall, Ready Player One is a "by the numbers," yet entertaining novel. Wil Wheaton's narration of the audiobook is solid. This was the first of his narrations I've listened to, and he's very good.  I'll definitely give Cline's next book, Armada, a try.

Review- Red Sister by Mark Lawrence

I'm a huge fan of Mark Lawrence, and Red Sister is my favorite of his books so far! It tells the story of Nona Reeve (eventually Nona Grey), a girl saved at the eleventh hour from execution. Nona is
taken to the Convent of Sweet Mercy, where girls are trained to be killers. That's right: warrior nuns, espionage nuns, poisoner nuns, and nuns who command elements of the supernatural. The story is set on a planet orbiting a dying sun, almost completely encrusted in ice save a narrow band between the ice walls where the remnants of humankind survive.

The book invites inevitable comparisons to the Kingkiller Chronicle or the Harry Potter series for its "school" setting, but Lawrence successfully puts his own mark on the familiar trope. The result is a book that's accessible to mature YA readers but wholly satisfying to an adult audience. There is so much I loved about this book: the characters, the setting, the hand-to-hand combat, the intrigue, mystery, betrayal, and surprising twists. The story comes to a satisfying resolution of the main arc, but leaves the reader eager for the next in the series. Oh, and the epilogue made my head spin.

Though nowhere near as grimdark as Lawrence's Broken Empire series, the book is dark in tone, with a few mature elements. There's some gritty violence, particularly graphic in the final showdown. There's also one scene of animal abuse (by a villain) which serves the story, but might be upsetting for some. If you fall into that category, go ahead and give this terrific book a chance, and when you see the scene coming (you'll know what's about to happen) just assume the worst and skip a few pages.

Red Sister is the beginning of a fantastic new series. I can't wait for book two, and am crossing my fingers for a television series!