Book Review - Red Moon by Benjamin Percy

Hardback: 344 pages
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Publication date: 9 May 2013
ISBN13: 9781444724998

First Line - "He cannot sleep."

Every teenage girl thinks she's different. When government agents kick down Claire Forrester's front door and murder her parents, Claire realises 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.

President Chase Williams has vowed to eradicate the menace. Unknown to the electorate, however, he is becoming the very thing he has sworn to destroy.

Each of them is caught up in a war that so far has been controlled with laws and violence and drugs. But an uprising is about to leave them damaged, lost, and tied to one another for ever.

The night of the red moon is coming, when an unrecognizable world will emerge, and the battle for humanity will begin.

I was very excited about this one when I was sent a lovely big hardback to review. Everthing I'd read about it suggested a werewolf apocalypse and I was all over it. It took a long time to get into though as the writing style is not something I enjoyed in the beginning. It's very strange. I eventually stopped noticing it (as much) and made my peace with it but now that I'm finished I'm not sure what to think overall. It's well written and it's interesting and it does have werewolves (lycans) in it but I didn't really get the apocalypse that I was looking forward to so I'm a bit disappointed.

I've seen this compared to The Twelve by Justin Cronin and that should have rung warning bells for me as I struggled to get through that one too.

The Red Moon of the title only made one appearance on page 400-ish and the end of the world it heralded didn't really happen. At least, not in a way that conforms to my idea of 'end of the world'.

'Political Allegory' are words that seem to be bandied about in the reviews I've seen here and other sites and that's probably closest to what this is all about, it just has some of the cast stricken with the lycan virus. I'm not big on 'Political' so maybe that's why I didn't like it more. I'm not sure...

I'm sure a lot of readers will rave about this but unfortunately I'm not one of them.

Book Review - Stardust by Carla Stewart

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: FaithWords
Publication date: June 7 2013
ISBN13: 9781455504282

First Line - "My marriage to O’Dell Peyton was already over when he washed up on the shores of Zion."

Shortly after burying her unfaithful husband, Georgia Peyton unexpectedly inherits the derelict Stardust motel from a distant relative. Despite doubts from the community and the aunt who raised her, she is determined to breathe new life into it. But the guests who arrive aren't what Georgia expects: Her gin-loving mother-in-law; her dead husband's mistress; an attractive but down-on-his-luck drifter who's tired of the endless road; and an aging Vaudeville entertainer with a disturbing link to Georgia's past.

Can Georgia find the courage to forgive those who've betrayed her, the grace to shelter those who need her, and the moxy to face the future? And will her dream of a new life under the flickering neon of the STARDUST ever come true?

1950's Texas Motel near the Bayou. Such a sweet read. Since finishing this I've found out it's classed as a 'Christian' read, if I'd known that before starting I might have been a bit leery of it. I've got beliefs but I'm not religious and I try to steer clear of anything that might be a bit preachy. That kind of stuff just rubs me up the wrong way. I didn't get preachy with this book though, I just got a lovely, sweet story.

The narrator Georgia is a recent widow and she hasn't had an easy life, she was abandoned as a child, married young to a womaniser and is now in sole charge of two young daughters and has inherited a run-down motel complex. Add to that the polio epidemic, her late husband's mistress and her children, a difficult mother in law, a little romance and money worries and it all makes for a really interesting story. It touches slightly on racial prejudices but as with everything in this book it's handled in a way that is touching and heartwarming.

I really liked this story and I might overlook the 'Christian' tag from now on as this is a great ambassador for the genre. Georgia is such a lovely person and I really enjoyed reading about her. The ending wasn't brilliant and there were a couple of things I would have liked more closure for but overall it was a good read.

Book Review - Outbreak: The Zombie Apocalypse by Craig Jones

Paperback: 372 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace
Publication date: Sept 17 2012
ISBN13: 9781479335220

First Line - "The public didn't take what was going on seriously until the Government cancelled football matches and they stopped filming Eastenders."

With no warning, a Zombie epidemic sweeps across modern Great Britain causing the victims to attack and feed on their friends, family and neighbours. In a small village in South Wales, two brothers, protected because of privilege and wealth, are forced to offer help and assistance and to make choices that will change their lives forever.

Epic, and I loved it!!! Apart from the last 2 pages which I hated!

Firstly, it should be noted that I'm not usually a massive fan of first person narrative. Second point worthy of notice is that I was halfway through this book before I even realised that it's written in first person narrative.

It's just that good!

At first it's a traditional zombie story...Nobody suspects anything in the beginning - then weird stuff is reported on the News - people start sitting up and taking notice - the shit hits the fan and everyone tries to survive and avoid being chomped on. We zombie fan's know the drill. At this stage the zombies are also traditional. Slow, lumbering, not very bright, driven by instinct - that sort of thing. We've all seen it before countless times but there are enough little differences to keep it interesting up to this point.

Then the pace changes and I wasn't very sure where it was going. It slowed right down, and had a definite 'Shaun of the Dead' feel to it and although I liked that section quite a bit as it progressed I had doubt's. I still had a good two thirds of the book to go and I was getting a bit worried that it would all just drag on and on and fizzle to a close.

Wrong!

Under different circumstances the twist that kicked off the third and final section could be viewed as a 'comedic episode', complete with Benny Hill chase music. The reality of it all was anything but funny though. Ramped-up crazies the likes of which would make the 28 Days Later zombies wet their pants. Made of awesome!

I loved it. Loved. It.

Apart from one little thing...The last two pages. They had a definite 'Omega Man' feel to them and just slapped all the love out of me. Well, maybe two pages worth of love was slapped out of me, if I'm honest. But they did bug me.

I'll be thinking of this one for quite a while. It's my favourite book of 2013 so far and has made it on to my 'favourite' shelf on Goodreads. The paperback I bought has quite a few typo's and error's that the proof reader(s) missed and that gets on my nerves but I can't fault the content. It's a winner!! :D

I'd definitely recommend this to any and all zombie fans! Go get it now, run like the wind. Read it!

...and there better be a sequel to this!

Book Review - The Complaints by Ian Rankin

Paperback: 452 pages
Publisher: Orion
Publication date: August 5 2010
ISBN13: 9781409103479

First Line - "There was a smattering of applause as Malcolm Fox entered the room."

Nobody likes The Complaints - they're the cops who investigate other cops. Complaints and Conduct Department, to give them their full title, but known colloquially as 'the Dark Side', or simply 'The Complaints'. Malcolm Fox works for The Complaints. He's just had a result, and should be feeling good about himself. But he's middle-aged, sour and unwell. He also has a father in a care home and a sister who persists in an abusive relationship.

In the midst of an aggressive Edinburgh winter, the reluctant Fox is given a new task. There's a cop called Jamie Breck, and he's dirty. Problem is, no one can prove it. But as Fox takes on the job, he learns that there's more to Breck than anyone thinks. This knowledge will prove dangerous, especially when murder intervenes.

Well now, a new genre for me. This is my first proper foray into this genre and I'm unfamiliar with everything that goes with it. Crime/mystery/thriller...police procedure, I'm not sure yet what it's best known as but I like it. From a bit of digging online I've found that the buzz word for this particular branch of the genre is 'Tartan Noir', which roughly translated means it's police procedure thriller set in Scotland...and I think they're all written by Scots too. Anyway, it's looking good.

I picked up this one because I actually want to read the second book in this series (The Impossible Dead) so had to get to this one first. That second book caught my eye as it's set in a town that I'm intimately familiar with and Malcolm Fox (the lead character) is based in the Lothian and Borders (Edinburgh) police force.

So, the story - I thought it was great! I raced though it and even before I got half way through I knew this was going to be the start of a new obsession. I loved the tension and how all the little loose ends were drawn together and it was like watching a police drama unfold on tv. I could see each of the characters clearly in my head, I could hear the voices and the dialogue, the setting...loved it all.

There's no Hollywood treatment here, it's ground level Scottish policing and it's really well done. I have a friend on the same police force and I could see him fitting in with these guys without any difficulty.

I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship between Tartan Noir and I :D

Book Review - Dawn of the Dead by George Ramero

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Sphere
Publication date: May 10 2012
ISBN13: 9780751549157

First Line - "Sleep did not come easily to Francine Parker."

When there is no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth.

The world is being devastated by zombies. No one knows how far they have spread, or how to stop them. And as the living fight to save themselves, society collapses.

Four people escape the chaos of downtown Philadelphia and find shelter in a shopping mall. As the survivors exhaust their greed and the undead scrape at the doors, the refuge becomes a prison.

And soon there will be nowhere left to hide . . .

My first finish of 2013! Hope it's the first of many :)

If you've seen Dawn of the Dead in movie form then you won't be getting anything new by reading the book - but you will be losing the cheesiness and most of the lameness.

Usually when a book spawn's a movie, 9 times out of 10 the book is better. This time I have to say that even though they're virtually scene for scene exactly the same, the book is still better.

I never really got with the program on the Dawn of the Dead cult movie fandom. The acting was lame and the zombie's were hysterical and overall it just had a really, really bad 'B' movie feel to it. I know, I know...that's what makes it cult...I just didn't buy into it. The book wasn't that bad though, all things considered.

The characters don't seem so cardboard and the zombies seem a 'tiny' bit more menacing, somehow, and I think that if this book was the first of it's kind (as the movie was) then this would be great, but it's not the first and it's far from the best. The characters get a bit of an upgrade and have more of a 'zombie apocalypse survivor' feel to them. They're a bit more savvy and hardened to the situation and they're given a bit of backstory each, which makes them a little more fleshed out but you'd still recognise them from the film.

I don't know why I was hoping for a better ending this time, since I knew what was coming but still I hoped for a bit more closure this time around. I was left hoping...

If you've seen the film it's worth reading for the little bits of 'what's going on in their head' moments, and if you haven't seen the film then it's still worth reading as it's actually an OK zombie book. Consider it written at the same time as the film and you'll have an idea of what to expect. It's a 1970's zombie book. That's pretty much the size of it.

Book Review - Exit Kingdom by Alden Bell

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Tor
Publication date: November 8th 2012
ISBN13: 9780230766747

First Line - "And so the living persist, stubbornly, and the memories, and the crumbling road, and the stories."

In a world where the undead outnumber the living, Moses Todd roams the post-apocalyptic plains of America. His reprobate brother, Abraham - his only companion - has known little else. Together, they journey because they have to; because they have nowhere to go, and no one to answer to other than themselves.

Travelling the bloody wastelands of this ruined world, Moses is looking for a kernel of truth, and a reason to keep going. And a chance encounter presents him with the Vestal Amata, a beguiling and mysterious woman who may hold the key to salvation. But he is not the only one seeking the Vestal. For the Vestal has a gift: a gift that might help save what is left of humanity. And it may take everything he has to free her from the clutches of those who most desire her.

I loved 'The Reaper's are the Angels' so much, I thought it was wonderful. Great book! I was sad at the end though as it seemed to indicate that it was destined to be a stand-alone novel. It didn't seem to leave any openings for further books.

When I saw that there was to be a sequel I jumped on the order button and could not wait to get my hands on it!

This story is told by Moses Todd (from the first book) and he is now traveling with his adopted charge Maury who he inherited by default from Temple. Things seem to be much the same in the world as when we last saw it, the zombies are still out there and the people are still getting by as best they can.

Although this is a sequel it feels like a prequel at times due to the story being told from a mostly 'flashback' Point Of View. We learn Moses' history as he traveled the zombie infested lands with his brother Abraham, and at the same time we see the over-run world become a little more fleshed out in the telling. There are a lot of new characters to meet and their story's are mostly interesting but it just didn't move me the same way the first book did.

For two books set in the same world they seems so different.

It's not a terrible book....it's just not as likeable as the first one. It would take something quite epic to fill the gap left by Temple, I think, so it had a lot to live up to. It was an ok read but not one I'd go back to.

Book Review - Winter Wonderland by Belinda Jones

Paperback: 297 pages
Publisher: Hodder
Publication date: November 8th 2012
ISBN13: 9780340994467

First Line - "I'm lying on a bed of ice."

Imagine waking up in a snow globe. . .

That's how travel journalist Krista feels when she arrives in magical Quebec to report on Canada's glittering Winter Carnival.

Over ten sub-zero days Krista's formerly frozen heart begins to melt as she discovers an enchanting world of ice palaces, husky dog-sledding and maple-syrup treats galore. And then she meets Jacques, a man as handsome and rugged as he is mysterious. . .

The two share a secret that could bond them forever, but can they find a way to break through the protective layers around their hearts to warm up this winter wonderland?

. . . let the snow-spangled adventure begin

This was so fabulous!! I loved every second of it!

It's got a Travelogue feel to it and that's one of the pluses for me. Krista runs a travel itinerary website and visits the destinations so she can deliver a first class low-down for the prospective vacationers. She's been unlucky in love and is mending a broken heart so she wouldn't say no to the chance of a holiday romance to cheer her spirits, if it presents itself. On this trip she is visiting Quebec and throughout the book we get to go with her and see first hand all the 'must see/do' things that Quebec has to offer. We also get to tag along on her romantic endevours and misadventures and it's all just so wonderful.

I wasn't sure of the location accuracies while I was reading, but since finishing and Googling everything that was in the book I've found out that it's a all exactly as she tells it - The places, the food, the customs, the activities - it's all there! Bonhomme and the annual carnival sound like so much fun and the restaurants Krista visited sound so yummy. The people sound wonderful, the weather seems inviting and just everything about the book/place drew me in.

The story/romance side of the book was done to perfection too and had all the usual setbacks, misunderstandings and obstacles that comes with good chick-lit. It was funny, it was touching, it had a bit of mystery and it had just the right mix of will they/won't they to keep it interesting.

I just loved it all! It's a keeper and a favourite and I really wish there was a website called Va-Va-Vacation! to see all the wonderful photo's and reportage from Krista's trip! I spent a good couple of hours after finishing the book going over all the travel websites I could find, trying to find the best deal on a package trip to Quebec for next year. Seriously, as soon as I find the best deal I'm booking up!!! :D