Signor Finzione Posted April 14, 2014 Author Share Posted April 14, 2014 Great review Laura! I know what you mean when you say it's easier to write about what you didn't like. Don't think I will be reading this one though... Thanks Tim! Yeah, I don't think you'd like it much since you didn't enjoy The Dragon's Path as much as I did either . . . although this one really is a lot better than I make it sound. Great review, Laura ! I also find it easier to write about what I didn't like about a book. I think what you say about Adare, the female protagonist, would annoy me too. You said the first 100 pages you found difficult to read, how many pages does the book have in total? I imagine maybe 600ish? I think it was actually just under 400 pages, so I suppose that's about a quarter of the book I didn't really enjoy that much. When you put it like that it sounds rubbish, but it really wasn't bad in the end! (And, on the plus side, the brand new hardback is only £7.50 on Amazon . . . which is the main reason I bought it!) Brilliant review, as per usual I think I would've thrown it out of the window, though. It sounds far too much like a 'Kent-kissing Sanderson book for my liking Oh, great, I can't wait to read Mistborn now! And thanks. I think I write better reviews when I have stuff to complain about . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Oh, great, I can't wait to read Mistborn now! I really think you'll like it I liked the first book - unfortunately, it lulled me into a false sense of security Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted April 15, 2014 Author Share Posted April 15, 2014 I liked the first book - unfortunately, it lulled me into a false sense of security Well, with that glowing praise, how could I not be excited to get stuck in to the series? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted April 15, 2014 Author Share Posted April 15, 2014 So, the rest of the books from my binge at The Works finally arrived! Aren't they beautiful? Has anyone read any of them before? Can anyone tell me why the cover image for Hyperion is a massive spiky arse? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 Aren't they beautiful? Has anyone read any of them before? I've read Fevre Dream. It's solid, if unspectacular. The Jon Courtenay Grimwood books really appeal but I've never got round to actually buying them, so I look forward to your review(s)! Can anyone tell me why the cover image for Hyperion is a massive spiky arse? It's not a massive spiky arse, it's a massive spiky helmet Which, taken out of context, is even worse, I suppose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 I've read Heart-Shaped Box which was a fun ghost-story-cum-thriller. I've got the Martin books on my TBR pile as well. It's not a massive spiky arse, it's a massive spiky helmet Which, taken out of context, is even worse, I suppose and now I can't un-see that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 Tee hee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 Those are beautiful books ! I loved Hyperion and have Heartshaped Box (Kindle), Fevre Dream and Wards of Faerie on my TBR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted April 16, 2014 Author Share Posted April 16, 2014 It's not a massive spiky arse, it's a massive spiky helmet Which, taken out of context, is even worse, I suppose Oh dear, I hope you don't expect me to take the book seriously after that! I've read Heart-Shaped Box which was a fun ghost-story-cum-thriller. I've got the Martin books on my TBR pile as well. I remember you recommending it. I'm looking forward to reading GRRM's Tuf Voyaging, as it's supposedly got more of a SF bent than his usual stories. Those are beautiful books ! I loved Hyperion and have Heartshaped Box (Kindle), Fevre Dream and Wards of Faerie on my TBR. Thank you! Yes, yet another one added to my growing pile labelled 'Terry Brooks books I've never read'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Thank you! Yes, yet another one added to my growing pile labelled 'Terry Brooks books I've never read'. I've got quite a few of those... i'll get around to them... one day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 I've got quite a few of those... i'll get around to them... one day x Me too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted April 17, 2014 Author Share Posted April 17, 2014 Glad it's not just me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted April 17, 2014 Author Share Posted April 17, 2014 Easter treats! Can't wait to read them all. I might even try and get through Ex-Heroes over the long weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted April 17, 2014 Author Share Posted April 17, 2014 Review: 'Red Moon' by Benjamin Percy They live among us. They are our neighbours, our mothers, our lovers.They change.When government agents kick down Claire Forrester's front door and murder her parents, Claire realizes just how different she is. Patrick Gamble was nothing special until the day he got on a plane and hours later stepped off it, the only passenger left alive, a hero. Chase Williams has sworn to protect the people of the United States from the menace in their midst, but he is becoming the very thing he has promised to destroy. So far, the threat has been controlled by laws and violence and drugs. But the night of the red moon is coming, when an unrecognizable world will emerge...and the battle for humanity will begin. I’m not generally a huge fan of paranormal fiction, but Red Moon – a dystopian, post-apocalyptic horror-thriller – isn't half bad. Set in something close to the present-day USA, the premise is that around 5% of the population are infected with Lobos, a prion that causes them to become werewolves, or lycans. Lycans – which are thought to have existed since around the 7th century – live amongst humans, but not as equals: most are feared and reviled, and a fierce political battle has been ongoing as to whether they should be treated as humans or second class citizens, people or dogs. Central to this debate is Chase Williams, a rebellious governor who has gained huge popular support due to his outspoken anti-lycan policies, which include forcing all lycans to sign a public register and declare their lycan status on all forms of ID. This sparks an escalating conflict between the American government and a small group of lycans led by the mysterious Balor, who will stop at nothing until the country belongs to the ‘superior’ lycan race. The story is told from several characters’ point of view, the central ones being Claire (a lycan since birth who dreams of going to college and meeting boys), Patrick (whose father fought against the lycans in the great wars) and Chase, the aforementioned politician. Each of these characters start out being interesting and sympathetic, and the fact that they each have completely different backgrounds means we’re given varying insights into the social and political situation. Other point of view characters include Miriam, Claire’s kick-ass lycan aunt, and Neal Desai, a scientist who has been working with Patrick’s father for years to try and produce a vaccine against Lobos. I said above that each of the main characters start out being interesting and sympathetic; unfortunately, for me, they didn’t really stay that way. Chase’s roguish disregard of everyone and everything other than himself was charming at first, but quickly became dull. Patrick switched from an insecure but likeable young man unsure of his place in the world to a flat and indistinct automaton. And, after her initial introduction, I found that I really didn’t sympathise much with Claire, and found her various shifts in personality (from her lack of emotion over her parent’s fates to her willingness to trust an entire fraternity of strange men to her sudden desire for revenge against her own race) to be very superficial and not developed thoroughly enough. This is partly a consequence of the many confusing time jumps, in which it’s often unclear exactly how much time has passed between events, resulting in seemingly unexplainable character personality shifts. Another aspect of the sequencing that jarred was the frequency of ‘fade to black’ moments, where the author seems to be building up to an exciting event only to suddenly end the chapter and have the character briefly recount the scene for us later, completely deflating the tension by insisting on telling rather than showing us what happened. I feel that, in this way, the author missed some crucial opportunities for making a good book great. My major gripe, however, was something I just couldn’t get away from. As a general rule I absolutely despise books written in the present tense: I find them jarring, annoying and totally non-immersive. There are very few exceptions to this rule, and unfortunately Red Moon is not one of them. This, coupled with the occasionally confusing timeline, did sometimes seem to make the book a bit of a chore to read; however, I appreciate that this is entirely a matter of personal preference. This may all seem a little harsh, but believe me, there’s also plenty to like here. The numerous scientific explanations of the Lobos infection are fascinating; I felt they were one of the novel’s strongest points, as they gave credence to the whole setup and occasionally had me sitting back and thinking, ‘yeah, this could totally happen!’. I mentioned above that I’m not usually a fan of werewolf stories, but the fact that the explanation for their transformation was scientific rather than paranormal made it a lot more palatable to me. Because of this I really enjoyed Neal Desai’s chapters, although unfortunately they are few and far between. He is easy to sympathise with, he has strong motives for everything he does, and the way he is coerced into joining Chase’s political campaign is really interesting. It’s just a shame he didn’t have more page time: I think the author really could have made something of him as a main character by focusing on his search for a cure. As it is, it never really feels like there’s that much at stake with regards to the vaccine, whereas I would have preferred to see this plotline built up a lot more. I did like the plentiful amount of subtext in the book, which was fairly ‘in your face’ yet not too preachy. The author manages to sneak in plenty of astute political and social commentary and criticism, from the politicians who only care about tragedy in terms of how it affects their campaign, to the terrorists who are somehow worse because they’re lycan terrorists, to the ‘big brother’-style state of domestic surveillance, to the ongoing battle between the US and the ‘Lycan Republic’ that they occupy. The beauty of the werewolf tale in general is that it works on many levels: as an allegory for race, social class, religion, you name it, it works. I think what I liked most about this particular use of such allegory was that it hammered home the point that there are bad people in every group, that it’s our actions rather than our race that determine whether we are human or monster, and that entire groups shouldn’t be demonised just for the actions of a few. Serious bits aside, the other main attraction of the book is that lots of things happen. It starts strongly with an opening scene full of great tension and visuals, and continues with generally strong, fast pacing throughout. The action is plentiful, fun and bloody, and there are some brilliantly gory and memorable images: those that particularly stand out are the massacre at the hot springs, the lycan attack on the plane, and of course the grisly human larder in the secret base. I have to say, though, it turns pretty bleak towards the end, although I think the author did well to avoid a clichéd ending (such as that in the movie adaptation of World War Z). And, despite its bleakness, I have to say I really liked the post-apocalyptic turn towards the end, set mainly in the newly-created, lycan-inhabited Ghostlands following a nuclear explosion. But, while the ending is open for a sequel, the main point of the ending is that we don’t know what will happen to humanity: I think, as an ending, it has way more impact if the author keeps it that way. My rating: 3/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 (edited) Ooo be interesting to see what you make of Ex-Heroes, had that on my wishlist for a while now. Hope you enjoy the others as well. Great review, Was that one of your freebies? I've never been particularly interested in werewolf stories. Except the original Teen Wolf of course Edited April 17, 2014 by Timstar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Can't wait to read them all. I might even try and get through Ex-Heroes over the long weekend. Looking forward to your thoughts on that one You must have run out of room on your shelves by now, surely?? My major gripe, however, was something I just couldn’t get away from. As a general rule I absolutely despise books written in the present tense: I find them jarring, annoying and totally non-immersive. I don't mind this so much, but it does have to be done well. Serious bits aside, the other main attraction of the book is that lots of things happen. It starts strongly with an opening scene full of great tension and visuals, and continues with generally strong, fast pacing throughout. The action is plentiful, fun and bloody, and there are some brilliantly gory and memorable images: those that particularly stand out are the massacre at the hot springs, the lycan attack on the plane, and of course the grisly human larder in the secret base. I have to say, though, it turns pretty bleak towards the end, although I think the author did well to avoid a clichéd ending (such as that in the movie adaptation of World War Z). And, despite its bleakness, I have to say I really liked the post-apocalyptic turn towards the end, set mainly in the newly-created, lycan-inhabited Ghostlands following a nuclear explosion. But, while the ending is open for a sequel, the main point of the ending is that we don’t know what will happen to humanity: I think, as an ending, it has way more impact if the author keeps it that way. Thanks for all that - saves having to read the book Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Congratulations on the new books ! Great review, it was very detailed and a joy to read . I also prefer when books are written in past tense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted April 19, 2014 Author Share Posted April 19, 2014 Ooo be interesting to see what you make of Ex-Heroes, had that on my wishlist for a while now. Hope you enjoy the others as well. Great review, Was that one of your freebies? I've never been particularly interested in werewolf stories. Except the original Teen Wolf of course Thanks Tim! It was indeed a freebie, and I didn't really fancy it much from the start. I'm not really interested in werewolf stories either - I read the Twilight series a few years ago and been traumatised ever since. I've never heard of Teen Wolf . . . Review of Ex-Heroes coming very shortly. You must have run out of room on your shelves by now, surely?? Yes! The solution? MORE SHELVES!! I don't mind this so much, but it does have to be done well. I don't even know why it annoys me so much. I think the only book I've read where I haven't minded it is The Hunger Games. Thanks for all that - saves having to read the book Like you would have read it anyway. Congratulations on the new books ! Great review, it was very detailed and a joy to read . I also prefer when books are written in past tense. Thanks Gaia! As usual it's easier to go into more detail about bad stuff than good. Yeah, for some reason present tense confuses me and makes me read a lot more slowly. Glad it's not just me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 Like you would have read it anyway. Yeah, you're right. I hate books with 'Moon' in the title. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted April 19, 2014 Author Share Posted April 19, 2014 Yeah, you're right. I hate books with 'Moon' in the title. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted April 19, 2014 Author Share Posted April 19, 2014 Review: 'Ex-Heroes' by Peter Clines The Mighty Dragon. Stealth. Gorgon. Regenerator. Cerberus. Zzzap.They were superheroes fighting to make Los Angeles a better place.Then the plague of living death spread. Billions died, civilization fell, and the City of Angels was left a desolate zombie wasteland.But the ex-humans aren't the only threats the heroes face. Another group is amassing power . . . led by an enemy with the most terrifying ability of all. This is going to be a fairly short one: there really isn’t that much to say about Peter Clines’ Ex-Heroes other than that it’s full of zombies, superheroes and fun. (Think ‘X-Men’ meets ‘The Walking Dead’.) Set in a post-apocalyptic future where the majority of the world’s population are zombies, or ‘ex-humans’, a small community struggle to survive in their makeshift town: a converted film studio in Los Angeles. Beset from all sides by millions of ‘exes’ and the remnants of a mean LA gang called the SS, the survivors are almost wholly dependent on the help of a group of superheroes. Yes, that’s right. Superheroes. St. George can fly and breathe fire; Gorgon can drain the strength from his opponents just by making eye contact; Stealth is a super-fast ninja who can blend with her surroundings; Cerberus has a kick-ass metal suit with cannons loaded onto the arms; and Regenerator can heal both himself and others with a touch. And that’s not even all of them. They’re basically the Avengers, but somehow cooler. And they have to work together to protect the survivors against a new threat: someone is co-ordinating the ex-humans, giving minds to the mindless and making them more dangerous than ever. And this mysterious someone has a personal grudge against one of our heroes . . . I honestly can’t remember the last time I had this much fun reading a book. I flew through the story in less than a day and was annoyed that I didn’t have the next book to hand. The heroes are all hugely likeable – my personal favourites were Gorgon, Zzzap, and of course St. George – and there’s a great blend of excitement, humour, horror and pathos. The action scenes are frequent and imaginative, and the author manages to strike a perfect balance between ridiculous and brilliant when it comes to the exaggerated powers of the superheroes. I can’t tell you how happy I am that there’s another three books in the series still waiting to be read. 5/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 That looks rather interesting.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 Sounds ace, Laura - glad it lives up to expectations Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 Laura, I've just realised I'm reading (well, listening to, actually) another book by Peter Clines at the moment, which I'm enjoying, so this one definitely goes on my wish list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted April 19, 2014 Author Share Posted April 19, 2014 Sounds ace, Laura - glad it lives up to expectations It certainly did, though it has plenty of less-than-glowing reviews on Goodreads so I'm not sure how much anyone else would enjoy it. Laura, I've just realised I'm reading (well, listening to, actually) another book by Peter Clines at the moment, which I'm enjoying, so this one definitely goes on my wish list. Awesome, Michelle, is it a similar genre? Apparently he used to write screenplays for TV shows! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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