Reho (#1) by D. L. Denham

10 Sep 2014 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, General, Science Fiction Tags: , , ,

Published: 30th July 2014
Goodreads badgePublisher: BlackHats Publishing
Pages: 334
Format: ebook
Genre: Science Fiction
★   ★   ★   ★  – 4 Stars

Nuclear war destroyed the OldWorld. But that was just the beginning. During humanity’s darkest hour, an ancient alien race struck, waging a two-year war with Earth’s survivors. Having lost, humankind scattered, waiting for the day to reclaim their planet.

Reho, a young, survival-hardened man wandering the Blastlands of Usona, searches for redemption as he teams up with a motley merchant crew on their way to deliver OldWorld GPS devices to New Afrika. Haunted by his past, Reho must discover the truth about his own origins while thrown headfirst into a war that will not only alter his future, but the future of all humankind.

 Note: I was provided a copy of this book for review

Having not read the prelude Red Denver, I knew nothing about Reho or about this world. It did not matter though, the story is intriguing and as you read you slowly understand what this world is like and the history of its people and past events. Denham writes in a way that gradually pulls you into the story, slowly bringing you into the world that has been created and the characters that fill it. I found it hard to stop reading once I started; wanting to know what was going to happen and wanting to find answers to the numerous mysteries that had been raised.

Information is given out as needed, mixing it together fluidly within the narrative and character thoughts freeing us from long information paragraphs making it seem very natural. The added bonus of this is also you get information and explanation at appropriate times and relevant to current scenes. You pick up on hints and clues, using references and descriptions to piece things together, but you are also given intentional history as well. This makes the narrative even better because while the story grabs you early on and sparks your interest, having a seamless story as well while still giving readers all the information they need is wonderful.

As a character Reho is quite likeable. He is young but tough, having survived on his own for years and often having to fight his way out of situations. In a post invasion, war-like world it is every man for himself, especially in the Blastlands. Reho has become hard and tired, but when he tries to return to his home it isn’t like it was before he left. With no real idea about where he is going, he teams up with a merchant crew, helping them deliver goods to New Afrika.

Through the book Reho’s nature softens a little, not a lot, but enough, no doubt from his engagement with other people that isn’t fighting, working with others, and finding pretty women to talk to. Reho is highlighted early on for being different, but for reasons neither he nor the reader fully understands yet.  But through his travels and the experiences Reho has, along with the numerous people he meets and joins forces with, it soon becomes clear just who Reho is and what his role is in the ongoing war to take back what the alien invasion has taken from humankind.

There are great, unexpected things in this story, not even huge twists exactly, but you never know what is going to happen and it makes the story exciting because anything could be in the next chapter and characters can say and do anything. Plans change, things are revealed, and what you thought you knew you no longer are sure of. The post invasion world Denham has created is fascinating with each settlement so different from one another and it shows how adaptable humans can be, but also how different people react to things and how they cope.

Along with helping the others, Reho has a mystery of his own to solve, and new ones come up the more he is exposed to other places. Denham always seems to give you something to look forward to, whether it is a new city, or finding out whether someone survives an attack, but also in the long run you look forward to finding out about the big picture, and what answers it will bring. There is a great feeling of suspense and anticipation as well that drives you towards the ending, with no way of knowing what is to come and it leaves you wanting more after the last page. This is a story that offers hope to its characters and the reader, but not without consequence, and it shows you that war is war and there are going to be casualties and costs.

If you don’t read the prelude, Reho is still a great introduction to the Hegemon Wars series. There is a fulfilling understanding and establishment of the history and the world, with character that are all unique, complicated, and mysterious as well as a conclusion that leaves you satisfied but eager for more. From what Denham has given us so far this series could go anywhere and I look forward to finding out where that is.

Hand of Chaos by J. Hamlet

01 Sep 2014 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, General Tags: , , , ,

Published: 4th September 2013
Goodreads badgePublisher: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Pages: 313
Format: ebook
Genre: Fantasy/Supernatural
★   ★   ★  – 3 Stars

Exhausted, cynical, and confused, Anna is always there to report for duty. She’s part of a clandestine government team that defends the nation against supernatural terrorism-which, in all honesty, is enough to drive anyone to drink. Toss in a fear of intimacy with a desire to have friends and lovers like a normal person and, well, Anna is a walking, talking contradiction, albeit one wrapped in a special agent with arcane, magical powers of her own. And at five-thirty in the morning with a zombie-infested apartment building in the heart of Washington, DC, you’ve got the makings of the worst morning…

Note: I was provided a copy for review

When I finished this book I was trying to find the words to describe it and interesting is what I came up with. Hamlet has created a story that is curious and engaging by giving us a supernatural aspect to our world that also looks at religious figures in a different way. Nothing is explained in detail to you, instead snippets and hints are referenced throughout and while there is a lot untold, what is revealed is adequate for the events in the story and still manage to help create rounded and detailed characters.

This style of writing doesn’t leave you confused, though in some ways you really could have a detailed background on each character because they are unique and fascinating, instead you tend to just accept who they are and move on, learning more about them through their actions rather than explanations. Hamlet also uses dialogue and narrative to allow the reader to pick up on details about these characters and still lets you discover more even towards the end.

I enjoyed the story Hamlet has created. It is a good concept and while a little daunting as you take in the grand scale of this supernatural world and the characters in it, it works really well and draws you in, each character playing their role well. Hamlet uses this fantasy/supernatural aspect wonderfully with complicated and complex details and depth making them believable and real, and helps the reader easily understand and accept that it could occur.

We are dropped into this story at the start of a new case for Anna and it is through this initial event that we start to understand the world. The supernatural elements are interesting because while the story takes place very much in the real world, the supernatural side is a hidden and secret part with magic and necromancers involved in our everyday lives, plus there is a curious take on religion that brings out the darker sides.

Since we are thrown into this alternate reality you must work to keep up with not just the story but discovering and learning about it as well. This makes it interesting and Hamlet’s engaging characters pull you alone nicely. They are very real and are able to acknowledge their flaws. With many background people involved though it can easily get confusing at times but nothing over the top and they all play a part in the overall story.

As a villain Ethan plays his role well. His cause is justified in his eyes and he is clever which makes him an interesting and engaging adversary. Anna and the others in the team are all different as well and through the story you pick up more of what they do and who they are. We are casually informed through the narrative and dialogue but there are moments where information and certain details are provided for reader purposes.

I thought there may be a sequel but it isn’t part of a series which is a shame because I could read more about these characters, learn more about who they are and see where the events of this book take them. This doesn’t mean there isn’t enough to satisfy. A good concept, interesting and well executed narrative plus engaging characters bring this novel together and while it is unique and creative, it is also consistently interesting and with enough reality, supernatural, and action balanced together, it keeps you turning the page and makes you wonder if there really is a little bit of the supernatural world hidden in plain sight.

 

Edit: I have just been informed it is going to be part of a series so that’s great! I look forward to reading the rest and seeing where it goes.

To the Dogs by Halfdan Hussey

30 Aug 2014 Leave a comment

by Amy in 5 Stars, Crime, General Tags: , , , ,

Published:  31st October 2010
Goodreads badgePublisher: Createspace
Pages: 360
Format: ebook
Genre: Crime/Suspense
★   ★   ★   ★   ★  – 5 Stars

TO THE DOGS, a transformative Irish and Mexican crime drama, explores true power. A young man’s losses incite his fall from integrity into the world of crime where he fights to rise. And with his rise, he falls to the gutter, to the dogs, where also lies the power of redemption. In 1949, young Jack Niesen, who lost his father to WWII, takes responsibility for a horrifying accident on his family farm. Jack, unable to face the guilt, takes off and hits the road. Jack soon experiences his first taste of crime; and, thereafter he enjoys a passionate encounter with a beautiful woman. Eventually, he lands in the orchards of Northern California, a time and place where Mexican labor and the Irish are fighting for land and money. Jack fights for power in this world while his brother, remaining in the heartland and coping with his losses, seeks love and the inner journey. An affair with Irish tycoon Tiernan’s sister and a brutal murder of a Mexican work crew propel Jack into an unwinnable situation that worsens when the girl he met on the road shows up pregnant. A bloody climax threatens everyone. Jack’s sons, Mick and Marcus, grow up successful criminals yet very different people. A family betrayal drives Marcus away from Mick and towards the world his father left behind. A surprise encounter offers Marcus a choice that will determine his power, his future and more.

Note: I was provided a copy of this book for review.

This is a wonderful story that Hussey has written. As you read you pick up connections and understand the story in a casual yet telling way that keeps you engaged from start to finish. Starting in the middle of a scene we are introduced to Jack and his brother, his mother by his side and it is from there we are brought into Jack’s life, going where he goes and watching as he tries to transform his life.

Jack’s downfall is his inability to express his emotions properly; he does not deal with them well, something obvious from the early pages and still evident to a point in the last. There is a lot you can not like in Jack, you can certainly disapprove of his behaviour and even at times not understand it. But it isn’t until later in the story that you realise why he does what he does and what he is trying to achieve that you start to see him as a whole. Before you accept it and come to this realisation his behaviour seems a bit over the top and you really don’t get it, but by the end it becomes clear and you can’t help but feel sorry for him in a way.

Starting in the 1940s the story jumps through time from then until the present day, moving from the past to the present as we follow Jack’s life in the past, to his sons in the present. The jumps in time and hints at relationships and events make your mind work through theories and wonder what happened in between and how things came to be. Hussey makes you keep reading to find out, even early on there is a need and desire to get answers and to keep reading, hoping to find out what we want to know and discover just what has happened during these gaps in time.

I like Jack. As a character he is fairly strange when we are first introduced but in a way he grows on you. He is determined and you soon understand all his peculiarities which makes you admire him a little bit. The same is almost true for Mike and Marcus, with less to understand you still get to know them through their stories and how their lives have shaped who they have become and what impact that has had on how they see themselves and their relationship to their family.

Hussey’s writing style is marvellous, it doesn’t seem extra grand or very special all the time, but there are moments where you admire how everything clicks in place, and everything has its place in the story. There are other times it is almost profound in how it alludes to the future and it gives a sense of foretelling in a way, but more often than not it is profound and cleverly placed in the story. Hussey uses his words well and everything has a point, each word has a job to do, to tell us about relationships, about futures, and about who these characters are.

Hussey has a talent in being able to capture the scene with great storytelling and you are able to picture the actions and feel the emotions really well, whether they are good, bad, or somewhere in-between. He is a master in showing not telling as information is given to us in the story and in style, not just because the reader should know but because it makes sense. Things don’t need to be addressed directly if you pay attention to what Hussey is trying to tell us through his characters and through his narrative. The answers to questions may not even be given for another chapter or until the last pages and only when it is necessary. Hussey gives the reader a story in its entirety but it is also not a story the reader is being told exactly, we are onlookers in a way. What I liked was that there weren’t moments where the story stopped to explain the missing time or other facts, instead this information is drawn out slowly; through conversation, thoughts, casual references, and by the end you know the whole story and you finish reading satisfied.

If you don’t love this book for the story, and you really do after awhile, you can’t help but admire the skill in the writing. The way Hussey has constructed this story makes you ask questions, fills in answers to other questions you didn’t know you wanted answers to and you get caught up in the smooth style and the captivating characters. We are given three points of view interchanging throughout; Jack and Mick are third person, while Marcus is given first person point of view. It is interesting why Hussey has done it this way; certainly Marcus offers more of an emotional aspect than the others. He is definitely meant to be the odd one out, even if he is still similar to his brother and father.

This is certainly a story that makes you pity Jack, and even the boys to an extent and you yearn for things to have gone differently for Jack. Though even after seeing what he has done in his life you actually don’t blame him in a strange way, he was created by his mother’s absence nature and he wasn’t able to cope, making him unable to find comfort and relief in himself or others. This is his downfall and while you are sad for him as you read his story, it isn’t until the end that you really pity him.

With a narrative that keeps you hooked and a variety of characters who fill their roles so perfectly, there is little to not like about this book. While being a crime novel there isn’t actually a lot of crime, and what there is isn’t over the top or gory. It is real and practical, and only adds to the rest of the story and its characters. Hussey manages to make you root for these characters, admire them, and he makes the crime world nice somehow and makes you feel compassion and see the good guy in those who most likely don’t deserve it. It is a wonderful and captivating read.

Dangerous Reflections (#1) by Shay West

25 Aug 2014 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, Adventures of Alexis Davenport, Science Fiction, Young Adult Tags: , , , , , ,

Published: 17th June 2014
Goodreads badgePublisher: Booktrope Editions
Pages: 214
Format: ebook
Genre: Young Adult/Historical/Science Fiction
★   ★   ★  – 3 Stars

Alexis Davenport wants to go home. She hates her new school, her mother for moving her away from her friends, and her father for walking out.

To make matters worse, Alex is haunted by images of strange girls reflected in her mirror. It’s bad enough juggling homework, a relentless bully, boys, and a deadbeat dad; now, she must save the world from an evil presence hell-bent on changing the past – and our futures. Who knew her A+ in history was going to be this important?

 Note: I was provided a copy of this book for review.

I like the concept that West has created, it is clever, interesting, and has room to grow and develop.  Trying to find out why someone is trying to alter history and change key moments in time is fascinating in itself, but added with the fact Alex is the one to stop them, a girl unaware of her abilities and thrown into this situation makes it an intriguing read. I enjoyed the gradual progression into discovering Alex’s abilities. Starting slow allows a believable development in the emergence of her gift and it also makes it a good introduction for the reader. Once Alex understands more so does the reader, and allows the narrative to move on and increases the enjoyment of the story that one step further. This progression ends when Alex is physically drawn in through the mirror and finds herself out of her own time and out of her own body. Alex is pulled against her will into history, not knowing where she will end up or why.

There is no real introduction into Alex’s abilities, we are confused just like she is, but she handles it surprisingly well. Whether her love of history trumps the fear of what has occurred, or even an ingrained sense of her abilities I don’t know. I think also that when you are living something, regardless of when or where, you get caught up in the situation, something which is evident in the events of not just Alex’s first journey but the others as well. It isn’t until she returns and has time to process that she can reflect on what has happened.

Alex’s ability to travel into the past is not the sole focus of the story. The novel starts with Alex and her mother moving to live with her aunt after her father leaves. This gives us an introduction into Alex and the anger she feels towards her mother and the inconvenience she believes it has added to her life. These feelings balance out somewhat, rearing their head on occasion, but it isn’t long before Alex settles in with new friends and learns to like her new town.

The two sides of the story are not connected by anything other than Alex at this point. Alex is still a regular girl trying to get through high school, survive bullies, and get the attention of the boy she likes. There is a message about self confidence and being yourself, as well as the troubles of being a teenager, especially a fifteen year old girl, trying to fit in. It is sad in the beginning watching Alex try to be a different person, trying to be the person she thought she should be but it’s nice watching this attitude change as the book goes on. Alex experiences new things through her time in the past and gains confidence in herself to be who she is and not worry about what others think.

Having said that she is still prone to the temper tantrums and hissy fits she has in the beginning. I understood Alex’s sullen and angry nature at the beginning when we are told about her dad and the move, but she falls into the whiny teenager very quickly when things don’t go her way. I understand there are factors such as bullying that lead to a few of these, but they seem so extreme and a little childish, not like a teenage outburst at all. I felt that when she got upset about something she almost changed personalities. She doesn’t seem selfish or childish until things don’t go her way and when this happens it doesn’t seem to fit.

I can’t put my finger on it but the writing style didn’t always sit right either. I liked the story when Alex is in the past, the writing feels natural and runs smoothly, but when it came to her everyday life something seemed off, maybe a little bit stilted, it wasn’t enough that it threw you off the story but I did notice a difference. I don’t think that was intentional, certainly the story itself was interesting though you could almost claim the story rushed in places, but perhaps it is because we stay more within Alex’s thoughts rather than alternating to others like her mother and her friends’ thoughts at times.

As I say, when she is in the past or discussing her journeys it is very engaging. The more often Alex goes on these journeys the better she gets at coping and you are able to see that she is learning. She gains more memories of the person she inhabits, hones in on her skills and adapts more easily. In West’s writing you are also able to see the smooth blending of Alex’s mind and the other person’s. She alternates effortlessly between her memories and those of the host, and she inhabits the body well, allowing you to accept for a moment she is actually the other person, not just Alex’s spirit inside another person.

West also gives us a small insight into the other side of the story, the perspective of the man trying to change history. Nothing is given away, but through hints and clues, and combined with what Alex learns the puzzle can be pieced together, but is still nowhere near complete. I like that this is added in the first book, it is a tease of what is happening and gives us a mystery to hang on to besides total uncertainty or having to wait for further books to know more.

What I liked with West’s writing was the way we often understand things after the fact. Through Alex’s journeys and the numerous perspectives, you are able to gain a small understanding about what is happening. Seeing the “villain’s” point on view offers some information, but Alex also helps us understand as she tries to make sense of it to herself. We also learn a little about Alex’s gift through others, but we aren’t told, West lets us piece it together, and even then there are a lot of unanswered questions.

There is a lot more I could say about this book, there is a lot going on from both sides of Alex’s life that are worth mentioning but I would end up with an essay. I enjoyed both sides of Alex’s life and see a great start to a series forming, certainly one that captures the modern and historical. I have no doubt we will learn a lot more about Alex and the mysterious man in the next book and it is evident West has created a premise that is intriguing enough to make you want to keep reading. With a cliff hanger of sorts West leaves enough open ends to tempt you but also enough answers to satisfy you with a creative concept that not only mystifies, but requires a solution and an explanation not just for the characters, but for the readers as well.

 

Purchase Dangerous Reflections via the following

Amazon

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Find Virgil: A Novel of Revenge by Frank Freudberg

21 Aug 2014 2 Comments

by Amy in 4 Stars, General, Thriller Tags: , , ,

Published: 15th October 2013
Goodreads badgePublisher: Inside Job Media
Pages: 358
Format: ebook
Genre: Thriller
★   ★   ★   ★  – 4 Stars

Get inside the mind of a serial killer as you never have before. 

 Is Martin Muntor a villain or a victim? Can you picture yourself rooting for a madman to succeed in an ingenious plot to kill hundreds of people?
It’s 1995, and the tobacco industry thinks it’s invincible. But is it? Second-hand smoke gave Muntor lung cancer, and he’s mad. Very mad…and he’s not going to go quietly.

Muntor devises a lethal plan to put the cigarette companies out of business, and he doesn’t care how many people have to die in order to make that happen.
Hapless private investigator Tommy Rhoads has to find Muntor, and fast. But that’s not going to be so easy. Muntor’s smart and has nothing to lose, and the FBI doesn’t want Rhoads’s help.
Rhoads has a lot at stake – personally and professionally – and he’s desperate to stop the killer.
Who will prevail? Big Tobacco or the dying madman?
Read Find Virgil now, and go along for the wild ride.
   You’ll never forget it.

Note: I was provided a copy of this book for review

I have to admit I wavered between three and four stars with this one; I thought about it and decided four was the way to go. For the parts I really liked made it more five than four, and easily outweighed the few parts that made it a three.

 Find Virgil follows Martin Muntor, a victim of second hand smoke that has resulted in lung cancer who now wants justice and revenge against the tobacco companies he believes to be at fault. We follow Muntor as he plans and executes his moment of triumph in his dying days; we also follow the FBI agents who hunt him, and the tobacco giant who is the focus of Muntor’s attention. Acting under the name Virgil, Muntor starts his plan to educate the world about the harm cigarettes will do, hoping to bring down the tobacco companies in the process.

I liked the concept of Find Virgil. I liked the idea of this guy, who had done everything right in his life to suddenly be struck down with cancer and wanting to take it out on those he feel wronged him. While I’ll admit it probably wasn’t the best way to go about it, and Muntor isn’t the greatest person personality-wise even before the cancer, it was extremely clever and well planned revenge. You can’t help but admire “Virgil” as he taunts the FBI. He is smart and his jovial nature and committed attitude make you like him even more, and watching as he manages to stay a step ahead and seeing the care and thought Muntor has put into his scheme is excellent.

While ‘Virgil’ takes the FBI’s attention, we get to see Martin Muntor behind the scenes, we see inside his head and how he is gradually moving towards his next stage in his scheme. There are a few secrets hidden from the reader, but not many, we stay a step behind Muntor, just as the FBI but we also have the benefit of Muntor’s point of view, providing us with partial plans and hints at what his next move will be.

There are moments where the story has the ability to pull you along quickly and you want to find out what will happen next. This is balanced by other times where you are quite content with the slower pace, intrigued by the FBI investigation and Muntor’s plans and simply watching it unfold; there always seems to be something happening to keep you reading.

The narrative covers a short period of time really well. The events in the novel occur in a period of about a month, with a lot happening in that time and Freudberg manages to capture a real time feel for the events that happen. This grounds the novel well, highlighting the realistic nature of Muntor’s acts and the FBI investigation and an overall natural feel to the entire storyline.

Set in the mid 1990s it is a great reminder of all the joys the 90s technology brought us like car phones, video tapes, and fax machines in cars. There is also the benefit of being less technologically advanced, meaning there is a greater focus on investigative and theoretic police work without a lot of reliability of technology, there is also greater room for Muntor to do his work with less restrictions and high tech security. That is not to say there isn’t some technology, being the FBI they have a few tools at their disposal, but there are also a lot of expert consultations with people who are leaders in their field that are a nice change from simply forensically analysing everything and relying on video footage at every possible chance. Trying to get inside the mind of ‘Virgil’ is the goal, and figuring out what he is going to do next.

Everyone has an agenda through this book; each character is looking for something, working towards something, and trying to get something from someone else. We not only follow Muntor and the FBI, but also Rhoads, the retired cop turned PI who has been mysteriously connected to the case, as well as Nicholas Pratt, the CEO of a tobacco company that is the focus of Muntor’s revenge. There are a range of additional characters and points of view that Freudberg uses in the story, all connected and intertwined with one another making a complicated array of characters. Because of this there are many things happening at once that overlap and interact with one another; highlighting each character’s personal motives and intentions.

I found that I really enjoyed Muntor’s story as well as the FBI’s search for him, but what I was not that fussed about was Pratt’s. I understand that they were all connected and one couldn’t happen without the other, but I felt that Muntor’s story was more engaging, while I never got into Pratt’s side as much. Granted they had very different storylines but I found myself not really caring about the people mixed up in Pratt’s line, whereas with Muntor’s and even Rhoads’ story I became easily caught up in what was happening. Because of this there was a steady rise and fall in my engagement as we switched focus. Not that Pratt’s side wasn’t interesting or clever, it just didn’t seem to hold my attention like Muntor’s did.

I’m sure it’s a bit wrong to enjoy the pleasure and total disregard ‘Virgil’ has, but I had to admire him. Muntor doesn’t care about the people he is hurting, as the FBI profilers determine, he thinks he is better than everyone else and he believes what he is doing is the right thing. As it says in the synopsis, you do actually find yourself rooting for the madman, which sounds terrible when you realise he plans to kill hundreds of innocent people but in a clever way Muntor doesn’t come across as a madman either. This is Freudberg ‘s great skill, we get inside Muntor’s head, his reasoning and justifications and you actually understand what he is doing. Freudberg  also focuses the plot around the characters a lot so you also don’t have time to contemplate just how evil Muntor’s plan is which manages to continually keep you on Muntor’s side. I did find myself rooting for both Muntor and the FBI. It’s like watching a nature documentary, you love the little baby impala and want it to be ok, but then you suddenly switch and start cheering on the lion that wants to eat it.

Freudberg’s story is driven with unique and curious characters and a well developed and complex narrative, that provides you with a good case of intrigue and wondering if, how, and when ‘Virgil’ will be caught, and who and how many will suffer in the meantime.

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