A BiblioSanctum Co-Review: Nightlife by Matthew Quinn Martin
Posted on October 17, 2013 2 Comments
Nightlife by Matthew Quinn Martin
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Horror
Series: Book 1
Date of Publication: October 21, 2013
Publisher: Pocket Star/Simon & Schuster
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Nightlife takes readers to a New Harbor, Connecticut on Halloween night, where deep within its depths, an ancient breed of predator prepares to rise. The city’s outcasts, the forgotten and the homeless are the first victims, but the creatures’ hunger only grows. At New Harbor’s popular nightclub, Beth Becker arrives for her job as a bartender on one of her busiest days of the year, unaware that her life is about to be changed forever.
After that night, several people go missing, including Beth’s best friend Zoe. But when the police ignore her concerns, Beth decides to take things into her own hands. However, her investigations lead her to more questions than answers, to ominous tales about the “Night Angel”, and other horrors she never imagined possible. And when she encounters a mysterious stranger named Jack, Beth has to make a choice. New Harbor is about to fall to a new terror; will she run while she can, or stay and fight?
What did you think about Nightlife?
Mogsy: I think it was the idea of an “urban fantasy-horror” that first hooked me, because while something like that would naturally seem like the perfect combination of genres, I don’t think I’ve actually read anything like that before! And I wasn’t disappointed. I think it at once delivered everything I expected but also gave me a lot of surprises as well.
Wendy: The book begins very slowly, taking its time to introduce the characters, with the main focus being Beth and her relationships with best friend Zoe and boyfriend Ryan. Beth is a strong, independent woman and, despite Ryan’s implications about her party-going lifestyle, she seems to have her priorities straight and has a strong moral compass.
Mogsy: Yes, not surprisingly, the highlights for me are the characters. The story itself takes a bit of time to build up in the beginning, but I was kept interested by Beth and the other perspectives we’re given in this first part of the novel, not to mention the clever and snappy dialogue. Beth felt like a well-defined character almost from the get go, and I liked her.
Wendy: Things start to really kick off on Halloween night though, when several people go missing, including Zoe. The police won’t file a missing persons report after such a short period of time and Ryan doesn’t seem to care, leaving it up to Beth to find Zoe herself. Soon enough, Beth comes face to face with the monsters and meets Jack for the start of a very practical and interesting relationship.
I thought Martin’s monsters are the best part of Nightlife. Initially, they seem like seductive vampires, but there is so much more to them. Martin skillfully combines mythological creatures like the Japanese Kappa with real creatures, creating a frighteningly realistic monster.
Mogsy: I agree! Now I don’t want to spoil anything, but let’s just say he takes a familiar paranormal concept and adds his own twist and flavor of horror. Beth and Jack are pitted against something savage, primal and inhuman. I liked some of the theories presented here about them, especially the biological ones, because…let’s just say salt and those garlic sprays you can get for your garden make a lot of sense.
And though the overall tone of the novel is quite dark, there are some fun parts as well. Jack reminded me a bit of a low-tech Batman with his badass attitude and arsenal of jury-rigged weapons and gadgets! I would have liked to learn more about him, seeing as there’s a whole other side to this story that’s presented but mostly left up in the air, such as the mysterious organization Jack appears to be running from as well as his link to the homeless and self-professed prophet Gil. At times, these sections actually feel disconnected from the overall plot, but they also leave much for the next book to explore. I’m looking forward to it!
Book Review: Drakenfeld by Mark Charan Newton
Posted on October 16, 2013 Leave a Comment
Drakenfeld by Mark Charan Newton
Genre: Fantasy, Mystery
Series: Book 1 of Drakenfeld
Publisher: Tor UK
Date of Publication: October 10, 2013
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 5 of 5 stars – “Perfect blend of fantasy and
mystery with an excellent main character; its uniqueness made this one of my best reads this year”
If you ever get the opportunity to check out Drakenfeld, I highly recommend doing so! Go ahead and pick up the book, take your time to admire that striking, gorgeous cover, and give the first chapter a whirl. For myself, I was irrevocably hooked by the third page. It’s hard not to be intrigued by the opening scene, when the descriptions of a brutal, torturous act of punishment is at once juxtaposed by the eponymous main character’s deep regret and compassion, especially since he was the one who so doggedly hunted down the condemned in the first place.
This is the first book I’ve ever read by Mark Charan Newton, but it certainly won’t be my last. With its perfect blend of fantasy and mystery and an excellent cast of characters, Drakenfeld gave me one of the more unique reading experiences I’ve had this year, and I think those who enjoy both those genres will really like this one. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, definitely check this one out.
Waiting on Wednesday 10/16/13
Posted on October 16, 2013 Leave a Comment
“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that lets us feature upcoming releases that we can’t wait to get our hands on!
Until he finds his roommate’s dead body.
The Scott family cover-up machine swings into gear, but Fort is the only person trying to figure out who (or what) actually killed his friend. His hunt for a murderer leads to a creature that scares even his sociopathic family, and puts them all in deadly peril.
Keeping secrets, killing monsters, and still having to make it to work on time? Sometimes being a vampire really sucks.”
Graphic Novel Review: Five Ghosts vol.1: The Haunting of Fabian Gray by Frank J. Barbiere
Posted on October 15, 2013 Leave a Comment
Five Ghosts, Vol. 1: The Haunting of Fabian Gray by Frank J. Barbiere
Genre: Pulp Fiction, Adventure
Series: Collects Five Ghosts #1-5
Publisher: Image Comics
Publication Date: September 18, 2013
A tragic turn of events resulted in a Dreamstone embedding itself in adventurer Fabian Gray’s chest. On the plus side, he now can call upon the abilities of the five literary ghosts trapped within the Dreamstone to aid him in his treasure hunting.
The comic is written and drawn in a retro pulp fiction style and when Fabian Gray is first introduced, we immediately get to see his ghosts in action, conveniently aiding him in his daring feats. My first real introduction to pulp fiction was A Princess of Mars, where readers are frequently reminded of how awesome the manly main character is. I feared I’d be subjected to the same with Fabian Gray, but after the dashing introduction, we discover Gray might not be so awesome and that his exceptional powers come with a heavy price. Gray’s connection to the Dreamstone means that others, including the Nazis, know of him and are now hunting him.
The art took some time to grow on me. I liked the pulp style and layout, though the art itself wasn’t as clean as it could have been. Eventually, both story and art settled in to a comfortable groove. I appreciate the depth Barbiere attempts to give to the character, though the lessons Gray learns during his trials do take a bit of a leap. Still, with everything now established in the first volume, I think the story has a lot of potential to go places, with lots of opportunity for exciting adventures. Hopefully we’ll learn why these particular ghosts have manifested for Gray and what his personal connection is to them.
With thanks to NetGalley and Image Comics for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.
Mogsy’s WWReadathon Reading List
Posted on October 14, 2013 2 Comments
As you know, my friends at My Shelf Confessions just kicked off their Wonderfully Wicked Read-A-Thon, and until it ends at the end of this week I’m going to try to get as much reading time in as I can. Good news for me, seeing as I’m currently on vacation and can probably cram in more than usual!
As such, my WWReadathon goals are pretty ambitious. My internet access is going to be quite spotty while I’m traveling, so all I’m going to aim for at the moment is to get through as many of the following books as possible by the time the event is over and write up their reviews. I’m probably not going to be able to finish all of them, but I hope to make a good dent!
Book Review: Mister Monday by Garth Nix
Posted on October 14, 2013 Leave a Comment
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Children
Series: The Keys to the Kingdom #1
Publisher: Scholastic Books
Original Publication Date: July 2003
Author Info: www.garthnix.com
Twice I picked this book up from the library, and twice I returned it, unable to get much further than Arthur Penhaligon’s step into the mysterious house. However, because I did like the concept behind the Keys to the Kingdom series, I took advantage of the audiobook and finally managed to get through it. As a result, I can’t say I’m overly impressed, but I am intrigued and am not opposed to continuing the series through the full “week.”
This is a story about The Will of the Architect and its attempt to free itself from the hold of the seven days, each of whom hold a key that binds it. When Mister Monday attempts to exploit a loophole in the Will by giving his key to a dying Arthur, his plans are foiled because, with the help of The Will, Arthur does not succumb to his severe asthma after all. Now the keeper of the lesser key, Arthur becomes a target of Monday’s minions and his neighbourhood falls victim to a strange illness. Arthur must venture into the world of The Will to retrieve the greater key from Monday and get rid of the illness.
Nix has so many wonderful and unique ways of presenting magic and technology in his stories. In his Abhorsen Trilogy, which is where I first came to know the author, necromantic powers were connected to a series of bells. Shade’s Children is technology-based, and A Confusion of Princes combines technology and various psionic abilities. In The Keys to the Kingdom, magic is based on time and words have power. In fact, The Will initially appears as words magically printed in the air and the kingdom beyond is heavily focused on anything and everything to do with writing.
This is all very unique, but Nix sometimes goes too far with it by making it too easy for the characters to solve problems with conveniently written in magical plot devices. The deus ex machina mentality is troubling for me as an adult, but as this is aimed at a much younger audience, I can appreciate and accept the fun results.
So why did I have such trouble getting into the book? Perhaps Arthur was the problem. He’s not a particularly interesting character and his motivations are not keenly defined beyond the typical “no I don’t want to be keeper of the key” and “I’m only doing this to save my family etc.” Perhaps my problem had to do with the fact that a number of interesting characters were introduced that seemed poised to accompany Arthur on his journey, but were repeatedly left behind. Dorothy is a pretty dull character on her own. She needed her entourage for support and I think that was my problem here. Too much Arthur, too much Arthur escaping seemingly dire situations with easy magic, and not enough of the interesting supporting characters.
Still, as I said, the concept of the series in interesting and I’ve grown rather curious about what the other days of the week have in store…
Review Bite(r)s: The Walking Dead
Posted on October 13, 2013 Leave a Comment
October 13, 2013 is an auspicious day, what with the return of The Walking Dead and all. This has also been a pretty happy TWD year for me, what with getting to meet and have photos taken with some of the cast members. And so, in honour of all this, I have been doing a little TWD primer work in preparation for tonight’s premiere…
The Walking Dead, Vol. 1: Days Gone Bye by Robert Kirkman
Once a book is published, it’s out of the author’s hands, though inevitably, the author will likely see a million things they want to tweak or change or fix. It is rare that an author has the opportunity to retell their tale. Since I’m reading this long after falling in love with the TV series it’s impossible for me to review the source material for the show without comparison. But, keeping in mind that the show is Kirkman’s chance to retell his story, I really enjoyed it.
At the end of issue #1, Kirkman explains that he did not intend this to be a horror story. He intended this to be a survivalist adventure where we get to take the journey with Rick Grimes and see how he changes and grows. I also see it as a journey for Kirkman and can see how he has changed and matured in his writing.
Many of the scenes in the show are lifted almost exactly from the comic, but the show does one thing differently: it makes sure this isn’t just Rick’s journey. From the addition of Morgan’s wife in the show, to the extension and development of Shane’s character, we see humanity at its best and worst, but realize that we may be no better or worse if thrown into such a horrible situation.
Thus far, I don’t think the comics are as good as the show, but I think they are an important read for fans to see the the journey of both character and author.
The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor by Robert Kirkman
The death of his beloved wife years earlier had already ruined Philip Blake’s life, leaving him with a single purpose: to care for and protect his daughter, Penny. This does not change when the zombie apocalypse hits, but his circle of protection expands to include his two best friends, and, unfortunately, his hapless, sickly brother Brian.
The Governor has been a frightening inclusion in The Walking Dead series, but as with all truly good antagonists, he is not simply mad and/or evil. This trilogy serves to reveal what made the enigmatic leader of Woodbury who he is by first showing us what he was and reminding us just how much of a struggle leadership is, especially when all the rules have gone out of the window. Variations of the phrase “do what you have to do” comes up often and with necessity. Although I figured out the plot twist from the first few pages, the journey was still worthwhile and I’m curious to see where the rest of the trilogy goes.
Interestingly, the book is written in present tense. I’ve seen this done in another book originally intended to be a comic and I wondered if that was the original intention for this. As an audiobook, the tense works well, amplifying the tension of the characters and events.
As an added bonus, a gaming review! I’ve been voting for The Walking Dead game as Game of the Year and recommending it to TWD fans who might not even be gamers, so it was about time I actually got to playing it myself.
The game puts you in the shoes of the character, forcing you to make some increasingly difficult life and death decisions. I’ve only completed episode one, but can confirm that my pre-praise and recommendations have been justified. There are some technical annoyances with the gameplay, and there has been some yelling at the screen because it wouldn’t let me do exactly what I wanted in some places, but otherwise, I have no complaints. Rather, I’m moving into the next episode with trepidation because I know things are going to become more difficult and are going to play hard on my feels…
YA Weekend: Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
Posted on October 12, 2013 7 Comments
Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
Mogsy’s Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction/Fantasy
Series: Book 1 of Reckoners
Publisher: Delacorte
Date of Publication: September 24, 2013
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Everyone I know has been saying such great things about this book, so I’m afraid I can do little more than to add to the praise that’s already out there. In the interest of full disclosure though, I’m a big fan of Brandon Sanderson and he’s one of the handful of writers whose books I will insta-buy without a second thought. On the other hand, it’s also true that I often approach my favorite authors’ work with higher-than-average expectations.
Admittedly, this has also somewhat affected the way I looked at Steelheart, in that I went into it perceiving it as not so much a Young Adult novel, but rather as any other Sanderson novel. As a result, I confess that my expectations for this were at through-the-roof levels even before I started, and yet what’s amazing to me is that even those were met and in some cases exceeded. It also makes me feel more confident in reporting that despite its YA designation, Steelheart can probably be enjoyed and appreciated by a much wider audience.
So even if you have an interest in this book but don’t think you’re a “YA person”, please don’t let that be the only thing stopping you from checking it out! Because while Steelheart has many of the elements common in YA fantasy, Sanderson also brings his own brand of storytelling and amazing ideas to this superhero novel, making it special and stand out. And perhaps, it would actually be more accurate to call this one a “super-villain” novel, given how the people who manifest special powers in Steelheart — the book refers to them as Epics — turn out to be evil.
As such, there are no heroes in David’s world. Ten years ago, his father along with thousands of others died when the Epics took over, with the most powerful one of all who calls himself Steelheart declaring himself Emperor. Now Epics rule regular humans and kill them with impunity, but no one fights back. No one CAN fight back. Steelheart is near-invincible, and nobody can touch him unless his weakness is discovered somehow. David, however, seeks to do just that with the help of an underground group of rebels called the Reckoners. Together, they are determined to see the Epics’ reign end.
Once again, I’m reminded that Brandon Sanderson is a master-builder of worlds for a reason. One of the first things I noticed about the setting of Steelheart is how robust and “complete” it feels. As someone who reads quite a lot of YA, I notice that while books in this genre often present great ideas and feature highly imaginative worlds, many also tend to ignore or gloss over the infrastructure of their post-apocalyptic or dystopian societies. And in extreme cases, there is hardly an adult presence at all, which might make a lot of sense for a novel targeted at young adults, but this also makes a story much less realistic. Sanderson on the other hand seems to realize that even in a messed-up world where Epics have taken over, what’s left of civilization needs a system and a workforce in place to function. He’s included a lot of groundwork for his world that makes it more detailed and conceivable.
What’s more, it’s the same for the characters, who are all distinctive and have memorable personalities. I’m not so used to reading Sanderson books narrated in the first person, so it’s quite the new and refreshing experience to be right in the head of his main protagonist. And David is certainly…interesting. I like him, though I can’t say the same about his hopeless metaphors! Megan also gives me pause. I suppose if there’s one tiny itty-bitty thing I didn’t like too much about this book is how David falls for her. Though, it’s important to note that protagonists being attracted to love interests who treat them like crap is a long-held pet peeve of mine, and not even Sanderson could budge that.
Still, overall I loved Steelheart! I honestly cannot identify any “slow parts” in this novel, as it kept me interested the whole way through with its tension and foreshadowing. The level of suspense is kept at a constant high with the Reckoners racing against time to unravel the mystery of Steelheart’s weakness so that they can assassinate him. The action scenes are also phenomenal, and the many twists and surprises in the plot will definitely keep you guessing. This was the most fun I’ve had with a book in ages.
Wonderfully Wicked Read-a-thon (#WWReadathon) October 11-20, 2013
Posted on October 11, 2013 Leave a Comment
Our friends at My Shelf Confessions are hosting the 6th annual Wonderfully Wicked Read-a-Thon to encourage readers to get through those great big to-read piles! Look out for our posts tagged #WWReadathon to see what books are keeping us entertained.
Visit My Shelf Confessions to sign up.
Graphic Novel Review: Lazarus vol.1 Family by Greg Rucka and Michael Lark
Posted on October 11, 2013 Leave a Comment
Lazarus, Vol. 1: Family by Greg Rucka and Michael Lark
Genre: Dystopian Future, Science Fiction
Series: Collecting Lazarus #1-4 and the Preview
Publisher: Image Comics
Expected Publication Date: October 22, 2013
Author Info: gregrucka.com
Artist Info: Goodreads Profile
In Greg Rucka’s dystopian future, money is power and those without it are Waste. The Families are the ones with power and Forever Carlyle is a Lazarus, a Family member trained and augmented to serve and protect the family’s needs. As the codename implies, there is a lot of death involved in her life, but we quickly learn that, because of how much she understands physical death, there are a lot of unresolved emotions connected to killing that Forever should not be having. For now, she does her job to protect the Family, but her increasing empathy is probably going to be problematic.
Initially, this seemed like a cold-hearted killer with a warming heart story, but as I suspected, Rucka quickly brought in the heavy emotional content. With four other questionably loyal children to his name, Frank Carlyle increasingly turns to the one the siblings think the least of to handle conflicts. Forever serves willingly and with a smile, certain of her father’s love. This is where Forever’s Pinocchio story really struck me. How far will a child willingly go when she believes the commands are given out of love?
Forever is at the heart of this story, and surrounding her are the politics of the Families, the plight of the Wastes, the treachery and conflict between the Carlyle siblings and the technology of the Lazaruses and their connection to each other. All together, it makes for a gritty, tantalizing story, brought to life by the dark, confident lines of Michael Lark.
With thanks to Netgalley and Image Comics for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.
The BiblioSanctum 