A place to find out author interviews along with book reviews of thier works in the following genres:
science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, crime, horror, history, arts and crafts, hobby, true life, real life, autobiography, zombie, paranormal, demons, vampires, religion and spirituality, thriller, mystery, psychological thriller, spy tory, techno thriller, humour.
Release Date: 14/03/13 Publisher: Black Library SYNOPSIS:
The feral warrior-kings of Fenris, the Space Wolves are the sons of Leman Russ. Savage heroes, few can match their ferocity in battle. After half a century apart, Space Wolves Ingvar and Gunnlaugr are reunited. Sent to defend an important shrine world against the plague-ridden Death Guard, the Grey Hunters clash with the pious Sisters of Battle, who see the Space Wolves as little better than the enemy they fight. As enemies close in around them and treachery is revealed, Gunnlaugr and his warriors must hold the defenders together - even as hidden tensions threaten to tear their pack apart.
REVIEW:
Usually I’m a huge fan of the Space Wolves and any action that they take part in, however this time there was just something about it that I couldn’t get into. It wasn’t a badly written book, far from it but for me I found the character one that I just couldn’t associate with, the action sequences seemed a lot of the same old what’s gone on before and for me it really didn’t give me something unique or a tale that stood out on its own.
That said, the author does give it some good action sequences, some solid prose but all round for me, it’s a book that I just couldn’t get on with.
Release Date: 17/04/13 Publisher: Titan SYNOPSIS:
The Sith have existed in the galaxy for centuries, lurking, waiting for their chance to seize control. In his quest for domination, Darth Sidious tracked down five pivotal Sith texts written by his most powerful predecessors. Then, drawing on the knowledge within the compiled pages, he wrote a sixth text - his own manifesto. Together, these documents shed light on the philosophy, achievements, and failures of the Sith Order.
REVIEW:
Fans of the Star Wars Universe will have a lot of fun with the latest companion that follows fast on the heels of the Jedi handbook as ancient Sith documents come together to give a fuller flavour of the darkside in a manuscript that has been owned by several known characters.
Carefully crafted, the reader gets top notch illustrations alongside the history of the anti-jedi order which all round makes this book a cracking title for the fan in your life’s shelf so much so that I can think of several who’ll be clamouring to be my own “apprentice.” Just remember those who follow the Sith path tend to murder their masters.
Release Date: 28/03/13 Publisher: Orbit SYNOPSIS:
WELCOME TO THE METROZONE Post-apocalyptic London, full of street gangs and homeless refugees. A dangerous city needs an equally dangerous saviour. Step forward Samuil Petrovitch, a genius with extensive cybernetic replacements, a built-in AI with god-like capabilities and a full armoury of Russian swear words. He's dragged the city back from the brink more than once - and made a few enemies on the way. So when his adopted daughter Lucy goes missing in Alaska, he has some clue who's responsible and why. It never occurs to him that guessing wrong could tip the delicate balance of nuclear-armed nations. This time it's not just a city that needs saving: it's the whole world.
REVIEW:
I really fell for Simon’s Sci-Fi last year when I read his Metrozone trilogy and to be honest its felt like one hell of a long wait to see what he’d return with. After all when an author’s writing style not only grabs you by the hand but by the unmentionables and threatens to crush you, you can’t help but get taken along for the ride and boy, was it one of those within.
As with Simon’s other titles, the prose is razor sharp, the character does his own thing and when the reader is treated to dialogue its snappy enough to make a crocodile worry. Back this up with a lead character that you can’t help but like, some cracking action sequences and of course an author who knows what he’s going to do the reader with the tale all round gives you not just an exciting story but one you just can’t let go. Great stuff.
Release Date: 11/04/13 Publisher: Head of Zeus SYNOPSIS:
Four days ago, US senator Lloyd Berns was killed in a hit-and-run on the island of Capri. His death deals a serious blow to President Carson's precarious new administration - but more worrying is that Berns was never officially on Capri. According to the White House, Berns was on a tour of the Ukraine. Agent Jack McClure is in Moscow, babysitting Carson's troubled daughter. But the President needs Jack to investigate the senator's final days in the Ukraine, and since Alli Carson won't be parted from her protector, he'll have to take her along. Their starting point is the senator's last known contact: K. Rochev. But all they find at Rochev's address is the body of a young woman, brutally executed. And now Jack and Alli have attracted dangerous attention from the Ukranian police, the FSB, and the Russian mafia...
REVIEW:
Here we have the second outing for Eric Van Lustbaders Jack McClure and as with the Bourne Series it is a high octane tale blended with some cracking double dealing, almost magical twists so much so that you’re never quite sure who’s on who’s side let alone what is truly happening.
The characters are detailed, fully recognisable and when added to the authors identifiable writing style gives the reader a thriller that is hard to put down.
Back this up with great prose, some cracking dialogues and an ending that leaves you gasping all round makes this something special. Cracking.
What has changed, and what has stayed the same? For the novelist whose subject is the ancient world, perhaps the greatest pleasure of the writing is in trying to answer this question, navigating between the eerily familiar and the utterly strange. There is much that is alien in classical civilisations – the acceptance of slavery and long dead religions, unusual rituals and unfathomable social structures. And yet for all the oddity on the surface, at its core it is a world that is still entirely recognisable. Ambitious and idealistic men seek to reshape the world with war, ordinary people wrestle with the eternal problems of love and loss, and philosophers ask, again and again, the simplest and most profound questions. When I started reading my source text, The Histories of Herodotus , my attitude was much as it might have been had I been going into an aviary of exotic birds. I expected colour and spectacle, to be surprised and entertained. I did not expect to find much in common with the people who had lived more than twenty five centuries before me. I was disabused of my foolishness within twenty pages when Croesus, then the richest man in the world, asks a question to a Greek philosopher, Solon. “Who is the happiest man you have ever known?” Croesus asks. The answer Solon gives was to shake an empire to pieces. I had thought the obsession with happiness to be a most contemporary one, and yet here was a man, two and half thousand years ago, asking this most modern of questions. It seemed to be the beginning of a story that I had to know the end to. But the end did not exist. I had to write it myself. That story has become a novel, and that novel will soon spawn a sequel, both revolving around that maddening, unanswerable question. What Croesus meant to ask, I think, was not “Who is the happiest man you have ever known?” What he meant, but was afraid to ask, is “What is happiness?” It should be disheartening, that after thousands of years of asking we seem to be no closer to solving this great riddle. But for me, it is wonderful. If there is anything that unites us all, across the world and all through time, it is this, to be wrestling with that same question, over and over again.
My story is set at the very beginnings of history, yet I fancy you could go back further than that, to very beginnings of the human race. Think of the people who painted on the walls of the Chauvet Cave. By day they hunted wooly mammoths in the arctic wastes of Southern France (it was a lot colder there 30,000 years ago). At night they gathered in a cave around a fire, painting animals on the walls and telling stories to pass the time. Could it be that around the fire one night, a man asked a woman, with the first words, at the very beginning of language, that familiar question: “What is happiness?”
Release Date: 09/04/13 Publisher: Head of Zeus SYNOPSIS:
A defeated king stands on top of a pyre. His conqueror, the Persian ruler Cyrus, signals to his guards; they step forward and touch flaming torches to the dry wood. Croesus, once the wealthiest man of the ancient world, is to be burned alive. As he watches the flames catch, Croesus thinks back over his life. He remembers the time he asked the old Athenian philosopher, Solon, who was the happiest man in the world. Croesus used to think it was him. But then all his riches could not remove the spear from his dying elder son's chest; could not bring his mute younger son to speak; could not make him as wise as his own chief slave; could not bring his wife's love back; could not prevent his army from being torn apart and his kingdom lost. As the old philosopher had replied, a man's happiness can only be measured when he is dead. The first coils of smoke wrap around Croesus' neck like a noose...
REVIEW:
Whilst I’m familiar with some of what’s been written about Ancient Greece I have to admit that I was completely in the dark about the subject of Tim’s book, Croesus which to be honest isn’t necessarily a bad thing as you’re never quite sure on what you’re going to get.
That adds not only a mystery to the book but also a wonderful sense of spice as the character is less than predicable. I love that, so I really couldn’t wait to embark into the ancient world to see what I would get.
What Tim presents is a novel that is thought provoking, gives the reader a story of epic proportions and wraps it up with neat prose, solid dialogue and wonderfully imagined storytelling which all in gives the reader something not only unique but something that will encourage others to go back and look at the text that inspired the tale. It’s a great read regardless of the fact that it’s a debut and all round I was more than a happy reader. Than k you Time for a wonderful piece of historical fiction, I’m looking forward to seeing what you come back with next time.
Release Date: 11/04/13 Publisher: Head of Zeus SYNOPSIS:
Butch Roberson was known by all as a local business owner, a hard worker, and a family man. Then he disappeared, leaving two dead bodies in his wake. Now he's known as a murderer - though Joe Pickett cannot believe someone as gentle as Butch could have the instincts of a killer.But when Joe hears the story of how Butch was bullied by the authorities, of how his longed-for retirement home was taken away from him, of how his finances were destroyed and his family torn apart - he starts to wonder if perhaps the man just cracked.Its an awful story. But is it the whole story? When Joe investigates further, he finds himself in the middle of a war he never expected and never wanted. Powerful forces want Roberson not just caught, but dead - and the same goes for anyone who stands in their way.
REVIEW:
Having been a little disappointed with CJ’s last book I was hoping that this one would not only pick up but would give me something a little special to sit back and enjoy. So whilst I delayed reading this for quite some time, I finally bit the bullet and sat back to see what would happen.
And boy was I pleased that I did, for what I got was a thriller that was absolutely action packed, twisted beyond imagination and whilst some of the elements within did feel a little farfetched they were believable when you see what governments will spend money upon.
Add to the mix solid characters, great prose and cracking dialogue and all round I was more than a happy reader. Great stuff.
Release Date: 11/04/13 Publisher: 2000AD (Rebellion) SYNOPSIS:
Sláine MacRoth Celtic warrior and High King of the tribes of the Earth Goddess Danu, continues his journey through time. Sláine arrives in thirteenth century France, where he comes face to face with Crusader Simon De Montfort, the sworn enemy of the Cathars. While searching for the tortured reincarnation of his lover Niamh, Sláine is compelled to join forces with De Montfort in order to seek out the Grail Stone. The quest won t be easy, however Sláine will have to defeat the dark forces of El if he is to stand any chance of saving Niamh s soul!
REVIEW:
A strange and weird trip into magick in the modern age as the past and present collide when a gift is opened within a soldiers mind though a terror attack. Its definitely strange and to be honest I liked the first part a lot more than the later as for me, it felt like it took a concept that was fascinating and flung it into the unknown.
Don’t get me wrong the storytelling worked wonderfully well, the artwork was beautiful and when added to the twisted minds at 2000AD, it all round was something that took you on an adventure but personally I’d have preferred it had they kept it to just the Neanderthal and the principle character. That was an idea I absolutely loved.
Release Date: 11/04/13 Publisher: 2000AD (Rebellion) SYNOPSIS:
There are an infinite number of realities within the multiverse. With the risk dimensional instability as an ever-present threat, these parallel worlds all need to be managed; enter Indigo Prime, troubleshooting reality agents. So what do Indigo Prime want with Lance Corporal Danny Redman? Why is a Neanderthal walking around in modern Britain? How do you catch a dimension-jumping Bewilderbeast? And where in the multiverse is Spacesick Steve? All of these questions and more are answered in this mind-warping adventure from the fertile minds of John Smith and Edmund Bagwell, the team who brought you Cradlegrave, and Lee Carter (Judge Dredd, Greg Area).
REVIEW:
A strange and weird trip into magick in the modern age as the past and present collide when a gift is opened within a soldiers mind though a terror attack. Its definitely strange and to be honest I liked the first part a lot more than the later as for me, it felt like it took a concept that was fascinating and flung it into the unknown.
Don’t get me wrong the storytelling worked wonderfully well, the artwork was beautiful and when added to the twisted minds at 2000AD, it all round was something that took you on an adventure but personally I’d have preferred it had they kept it to just the Neanderthal and the principle character. That was an idea I absolutely loved.
I love writing series. As a writer you get the chance to delve very deeply into the psyches of your main characters and really put them through a lot of pain and trouble before they come out victorious at the end. I love building in long term story arcs and seeding in things throughout early books that seem rather innocuous but become crucial plot points in the final book. It also makes it easier to stretch problems out over longer periods of time. In real life when people are facing intense difficulties of whatever type they are rarely solved in a day or a week. Some can last for months or even years. I think having fiction reflect this sends an underlying message that even though things seem bleak and your struggle has been going on for what seems like forever, there is an end coming to it and what that end is depends entirely on the steps you take on the road to it. For me, and many other writers, writing the middle of a book is the hardest part. You know where you’re starting and you know where you’re ending, its how you get there that can get muddled. At other times it’s just plain frustrating! The same is also true for the middle book in a series, that book can be the hardest and most frustrating to write. You’ve already done all the work of introducing your characters and the universe and taking them through their first major hurdle in book one. You’re not yet ready to write all the big reveals, revelations, triumphs and tragedies of the third book. You have to build on the momentum of the first book without jumping too quickly into the payoff of the third. Like I said, though, life rarely wraps itself up in neat little packages with bows on top and this is where you can really highlight that. There may have been a major triumph at the end of the first book, but now is the time for the character to learn that what they thought was the war was just the opening battle. They have to dig in and find the courage to keep moving forward, even when they’re tired and wounded and just want to believe that they’re done already. That said, the middle book really is special because it’s not just a bridge from the beginning to the end of a series, but it’s also the place where you can really change things up. This is the time to pose the hard questions about their fate and their resolve. I usually like to have my characters experience something life-altering at the end of the second book, something that will change the way they interact with the universe around them and ultimately save or doom them.
My Witch Hunt series has been an incredible joy to write, the fulfillment of a dream I had several years ago. In the first book, The Thirteenth Sacrifice, I was excited to introduce readers to the character of Samantha Ryan, a cop with a dark past, and to the world of witchcraft.
Now, in the second book, I get the opportunity to take everything Samantha thought she knew about her life and the events of the first book and challenge those beliefs. I also isolate her from the support network she enjoyed in the first book making it even more introspective and about understanding the darkness within as well as the darkness outside. Then, like most of my middle books, I’m happy to say that I threw in a twist for her character to grapple with at the very end. I’m excited for readers to see what I mean, because all I can say now is that it is a game changer.
Release Date: 04/04/13 Publisher: Arrow Books SYNOPSIS:
Police Detective Samantha Ryan is doing whatever she can to forget her terrible childhood in a dark and evil coven. But escaping who you are isn't easy. She is called in on a bizarre and horrific murder case, one is steeped in the occult, and Samantha is soon led deep into a powerful coven. As she works to uncover the connection with the murder, an earthquake rocks the Bay Area. That's when Samantha has a premonition: Something is coming. Something evil.
REVIEW:
Having enjoyed Debbie’s last title in this series, I really couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book as I knew that the way that she weaved magic, characters and storyline would more than give me something special to savour. What unfurled was a story that not only gave me what I wanted as a reader but helped expand upon the world of the original.
As with the first, the principle character was fun to be around, you cared for her and when added to some cracking twists, some real danger that made you want her to survive backed up with a real kickass plot made this an experience that I was more than pleased to enjoy.
All round a great book and a series that I can’t help but recommend to fans of the Urban Fantasy.
When I was first asked to consider writing a vampire story for young adults, I was horrified. Me? Did the person who asked even READ my stuff? Blood! Guts! Gore! Uh…"friendly" encounters! Not exactly something parents would approve of for their small humans. I thought about it (all right, I agonized) and, after much discussion with friends and family, agreed to try it. I wrote a short story with the specific intention to prove that I couldn't write for a younger audience. I deliberately went the complete opposite direction of what was expected of me. I didn't write about a girl turning into a vampire or finding out her boyfriend has joined a vampire clan or learning she's a vampire hunter. I wrote about a girl who learned she was a vampire healer. (Seriously, all these vampire hunters and slayers about and not one person takes pity on these poor fanged fellows? How awful! Not all slayers and hunters are competent, you know! Sometimes they miss and only wing the intended target. That has to hurt! So where does a hurt vampire go for help if they need it? That's the question I set out to answer.) My evil plan to prove I couldn't write for young adults backfired. The short story was loved. More was desired and after many drafts and over a year, the novel version of that original short story is available now as All Wounds. The main character, Rebecca, doesn't just heal vampires, she heals Ethereals in general. If it's supernatural or thought to be imaginary, chances are it will be coming to her for help at some point. From the back cover: It's said that when opportunity knocks on your door, you have only one chance to take it. No one said what you're supposed to do when it kicks it. All Rebecca MacDonnell wants to do is get through high school with grades good enough to win a prestigious scholarship so that she can finally leave her miserable life behind. One evening, after a particularly bad day, she finds out that people other than her aging grandmother need her help, and desperately so. Well, not "people," exactly. Vampires, werewolves, demons, ghosts, goblins, and other things thought only imaginary all need help sometime, and Rebecca was born with the unique ability to heal ethereal beings. She is about to turn seventeen, the age at which her talent will manifest in its entirety, and become a true Healer…if she lives through the event. A war between various ethereal factions is brewing, and Healers are a valuable commodity to any side. Those who wish to harness Rebecca’s manifesting healing powers for their own purposes must get to her before her seventeenth birthday. Only two vampires and a rogue werewolf stand between Rebecca and those determined to make her serve them, and the fact that Rebecca has no clue what she's doing doesn't exactly help matters. Neither does being seriously attracted to more than one of those just trying to protect her. For a soon-to-be seventeen-year-old Healer-in-training, that's a lot to handle. Especially on top of her homework.
Again, my plan backfired. I thought I'd write this one, get it out of my system, prove to everyone that Dina Can't Write Young Adult, and that would be that. Um, yeah. About that…. The series (that's right…it's a series now) is called Stranger Things, and its second book, titled Time Heals, is scheduled for release March 26, 2013 from Mundania Press. Here's the part where I let you all in on a little secret: there will be a third book in this series.
Its working title is Death Knell and that's all I can share with you for now. It's in the very early stages of becoming part of the Stranger Things series, and this is its official announcement to the world that such a thing exists.
For not being able to write young adult, I certainly seem to be doing quite a bit of it. Whether or not I do it well is entirely up to you.
Release Date:11/10/11 Publisher: Mundania Press SYNOPSIS:
It's said that when opportunity knocks on your door, you have only one chance to take it.
No one said what you're supposed to do when it kicks it.
All Rebecca MacDonnell wants to do is get through high school with grades good enough to win a prestigious scholarship so that she can finally leave her miserable life behind. One evening, after a particularly bad day, she finds out that people other than her aging grandmother need her help, and desperately so.
Well, not "people," exactly. Vampires, werewolves, demons, ghosts, goblins, and other things thought only imaginary all need help sometime, and Rebecca was born with the unique ability to heal ethereal beings. She is about to turn seventeen, the age at which her talent will manifest in its entirety, and become a true Healer…if she lives through the event. A war between various ethereal factions is brewing, and Healers are a valuable commodity to any side. Those who wish to harness Rebecca’s manifesting healing powers for their own purposes must get to her before her seventeenth birthday.
Only two vampires and a rogue werewolf stand between Rebecca and those determined to make her serve them, and the fact that Rebecca has no clue what she's doing doesn't exactly help matters.
Neither does being seriously attracted to more than one of those just trying to protect her.
For a soon-to-be seventeen-year-old Healer-in-training, that's a lot to handle.
Especially on top of her homework.
REVIEW:
OK, I have to admit this here, I’ve heard of Dina before now but I’ve not had the time to sit down and see what unfurls within until now. Here in this, her first Young Adult title, is a story that blends the supernatural world with the mortal one by giving the reader a story that not only will lure them in but introduces them to the weird and wonderful alongside the principle character.
It’s definitely quirky, the idea’s explored within are magical and to be honest I’m ashamed to have not read Dina’s work before. I love the way that the characters come to life in their own way, I loved the way that the dialogue felt realistic and also the way that the concepts within were explored. Add to this some cracking prose, a wonderful way of weaving the story and of course giving the reader what they wanted within by bringing a love story to fruition. Definitely something for the Teen market and one that I feel works very well. The only thing I was disappointed with was the way that it concluded a little bit too neatly. Other than that though, I was more than happy to have whiled away a day in her company. Great stuff.
Release Date: 26/03/13 Publisher: SYNOPSIS:
Rebecca MacDonnell is strange. More than that, she's a Stranger, a human born with the ability to use her own life's force to heal ethereal beings. Vampires, werewolves, demons, ghosts, goblins, and other things thought only imaginary all need help sometime, and when they do, they come to her. Some things, however, are beyond help. Something is stalking all Ethereals, great and small. Beings of every race are fleeing a terror no one will acknowledge, let alone name. At seventeen, Mistress Healer Rebecca is still learning to manage her power. She must learn to control it before it controls her. Unless it's already too late. When her burgeoning ability gets away from her, that which heals turns to harm and drives her loyal man-wolf bodyguard Billy straight into the arms of the unknown horror. Unlikely new friends are her only hope to finding out what's happened, and she must enter new--and dangerous--territory in order to do it.
REVIEW:
Having loved the first book by Dina in the Stranger Things series, I was lucky that the second title was only just out. It meant more time in the company of the newest healer alongside her otherworldly friends as well as getting to spend time in Dina’s imaginative world.
As with the original Dina increased the scope of her world’s inhabitants, enriched the populace with not only some character quirks but allowed the reader to see that the world isn’t simply black or white and added a solid kick-ass plot to keep the reader glued.
Throw into the mix character development among the main cast, some great dialogue alongside her keeping the main character grounded and all round I have to say that this is a series I’d recommend to all not just the YA market.
Hail Mighty Readers, Our friends at Warner Brothers Interactive and DC have let us know about the latest forthcoming game in the Arkham series currently set for release on the 25th October 2013. Here's what they've had to say: "Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment today announced Batman: Arkham Origins™ and Batman: Arkham OriginsBlackgate™, the next instalments of the blockbuster Batman: Arkham videogame franchise. Batman: Arkham Origins will be available for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 system, the Wii U™ system, and Windows PC. Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate™ will be available for the Nintendo 3DS™ handheld system, and PlayStation®Vita handheld entertainment system. Both titles are scheduled to release worldwide 25th October, 2013.
Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate is a 2.5-D game developed by Armature Studio that brings the Batman Arkham experience for the first time to Nintendo and Sony handheld systems. A companion game to Batman: Arkham Origins, players can continue the storyline of the console version and discover more details of the Dark Knight’s past.
Hail Mighty Readers and Followers of the Calloused Thumbs, Our friends at Warner Brothers have let us know all about the ultimate battle of superhero supremacy for the upcoming fighting game, Injustice: Gods Among Us.
This week we're up to the final and facing off are none other than:
Batman Vs Superman
So DC and Warner Brothers have given the reader a round up of the heroes and how they made it to the final round:
Release Date: 18/09/12 Publisher: Adams Media SYNOPSIS:
Master the fundamentals of spellcraft Written by noted Wiccan authorities Marian Singer, Trish MacGregor, and Skye Alexander, this collection of spells is perfect for understanding the basics of Wiccan philosophy and ideology. Starting with a brief rundown of Witchcraft tools and symbols, this book helps you create spells for virtually every aspect of your life. This new edition includes essential information on: The Wheel of the Year: the eight major holidays (or sabbats) in the Witches' calendar Keeping a grimoire or Book of Shadows Meditation, visualization, and manifestation Magickal correspondences and properties of stones Spirit animals and totems How to join or create a coven Filled with more than 100 Wiccan spells that have simple instructions, this book contains everything you need to know in order to create spells that work.
REVIEW:
I’m the sort of person that likes to keep an open mind when it comes to spirituality and rather than follow one particular doctrine or another I like to follow one simple piece of philosophy, that as long as you can look at yourself in the mirror and be proud of what you see, you’re doing well. So when I had the chance to sit down and read through a book that was more about promoting your own sense of well-being it was something I wanted to do.
This book follows the tenants of Wiccan and is aimed at helping the reader make their own life more fulfilling, through doing rather than being passive. Its brings your senses to the fore, increases your interaction through the world around you and allows you to make the most of the emotional aspects of those around you. It’s cleverly put together and more about following your own heart than listening to what is expected of you. It follows similar tenants to my own thoughts and is more about putting things into perspective rather than allowing you to sit back and be a passenger. All round a solid title.
Release Date: 26/03/13 Publisher: Solaris SYNOPSIS:
This omnibus contains two thrilling occult investigations featuring the urban fantasy sleuths Quincy Morris, grandson of Dracula's killer, and the white witch Libby Chastain. In Play With Fire, houses of worship are burning around the U.S., from churches, to synagogues, to mosques. Usually while the places are full of people. The fires are initially dismissed as random acts of violence, until Morris and Chastain uncover the deadly meaning behind the destruction, and the terrifying cause the arsonists seek to serve. In Midnight at the Oasis, Middle Eastern terrorists have conjured a deadly djinn that will lay waste to America unless Morris and Chastain can stop it first.
REVIEW:
It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Justin’s writing and to be honest I love the way that he brings other known characters from other authors into his world. It’s creative, works wonderfully and to be honest a lot of readers probably wonder why there haven’t been cross overs before.
What Justin brings in this book is two short stories that deliver not only kick ass action but wonderful character interactions as each investigation leaves its own marks upon the people within. Add to this cracking dialogue, a great use of misdirection and of course villains who challenge our heroes in a number of different ways and all round it’s a cracking read. My only real grumble was the abrupt way that the second title ended, it seemed a little to sudden and neat but even so, it was a book that I had a lot of fun with and I can’t wait to embark on Justin’s next outing, personally I think he’s one of the genres hidden gems.
Release Date: 17/10/12 Publisher: Adams Media SYNOPSIS:
C***! C***! C***! Whether you spend hours daydreaming about c***, or can't stand looking at the c*** next door, The C-Word is a thought-provoking look at all different types of c***. Captured in a variety of situations, you'll find page after page of all different types of c***-hairy and trimmed, fat and skinny, playful and mean. It's c*** galore with more c*** than you could ever imagine! One thing is for certain: You will not be able to put down this photo-celebration of everyone's favorite c-word-cats.
REVIEW:
OK, worry not, the C Word mentioned in the title here isn’t a bad word (unless of course you are fans of “man’s best friend.)
Here within the pages of this title are wall to wall images of our feline master’s, the furry ones who must be obeyed, worshipped and adored who rule our homes with their iron paws.
It’s fun, it’s a book that contains some little sweeties as well as some whose ire is all too clear. My only problem with this book is that it wasn’t “cat”agorised or accompanied with witty comments. Don’t get me wrong, it was fun to go through but all round, it needed a little something extra to make it “purr”fect.
Release Date: 19/03/13 Publisher: Tor (Pan Macmillan) SYNOPSIS:
In the last years of the Forerunner empire, chaos rules. The Flood -- a horrifying shape-changing parasite -- has arrived in force, aided by unexpected allies. Internal strife within the ecumene has desperately weakened Forerunner defences. Too little, too late, the legal rate of Juridicals is only now investigating possible crimes by the Master Builder and others. Evidence-gathering agents, known collectively as Catalog, have been dispatched to collect testimony from the Librarian and both Didacts: the Ur-Didact, treacherously abandoned in a Flood-infested system, and the Bornstellar Didact, who accompanies the Librarian as she preserves specimens against the dire possibility of Hal extermination. Facing the imminent collapse of their civilization, the Librarian and Ur-Didact reveal what they know about the relationship between the long-vanished Precursors and the Flood. The Precursors created many technological species, including humanity and the Forerunners. But the roots of the Flood may be found in an act of enormous barbarity, carried out beyond our galaxy ten million years before. Because of that barbarism, a greater evil looms. Only the Ur-Didact and the Librarian -- husband and wife pushed into desperate conflict -- hold the keys to a solution. Facing the consequences of a mythic tragedy, one of them must now commit the greatest atrocity of all time -- to prevent an insane evil from dominating the entire universe.
REVIEW:
You’ve savoured the games, loved the imaginative universe and currently are sat back wondering what to do in order to sit back and relax.
Well you may want to try the Forerunner Saga as it not only gives you something set in the same worlds but helps to flesh it all out in such a way that the reader gets not only something unique but something that is brought to them by a well-known name, in this case Greg Bear.
The characters are interesting, the idea’s within fascinating and when blended with the quandaries supplied by the premise leaves the reader asking quite a few questions which, in addition to providing a solid escape, really does give you a great experience. My only cautious note is that because of the complexities within you really should start with book one to get the full flavour.
Release Date: 30/03/13 Publisher: Black Library SYNOPSIS:
Gotrek and Felix: unsung heroes of the Empire, or nothing more than common thieves and murderers? The truth perhaps lies somewhere in between, and depends entirely upon whom you ask... Summoned back to Barak Varr by the outraged King Grundadrakk, the pair discover that a terrible crime has been committed – the dwarfen hold’s Book of Grudges has been stolen, right out of its sealed vault. Given that his own name appears upon its fading pages, Gotrek is honour-bound to join an expedition to recover the ancient tome. How far will the trail lead, and just what manner of individual would seek to rob the dwarfs of their vengeful legacy?
REVIEW:
A cracking short story that takes the Warhammer Worlds strangest companions on a journey to clear Gotrek’s name for a perceived slight from his mysterious past. It has top notch action, cracking pace and when added to solid story telling that gives the reader what they want (a high body count, dwarven ingenuity and some subtle twists) all round will give the reader a tale to enjoy whilst not only travelling but will raise the odd chuckle as it evolves within the readers imagination.
Back this up with an author who clearly loves the pair, has put a lot of time into making sure that the story works well into their already huge mythos all round gives you something that works wonders for the Warhammer World. A great tale all round and one that I’ll recommend to any fan of the duo.
Release Date: 21/03/13 Publisher: Gollancz SYNOPSIS:
A thousand miles east of Mirgorod, the great capital city of the Vlast, deep in the ancient forest, lies the most recent fallen angel, its vast stone form half-buried and fused into the rock by the violence of impact. As its dark energy leeches into the crash site, so a circle of death expands around it, slowly - inexorably - killing everything it touches. Alone in the wilderness, it reaches out with its mind. The endless forest and its antique folklore are no concern to Inspector Vissarion Lom, summoned to the capital in order to catch a terrorist - and ordered to report directly to the head of the secret police. A totalitarian state, worn down by an endless war, must be seen to crush home-grown terrorism with an iron fist. But Lom discovers Mirgorod to be more corrupted than he imagined: a murky world of secret police and revolutionaries, cabaret clubs and doomed artists. Lom has been chosen because he is an outsider, not involved in the struggle for power within the party. And because of the sliver of angel stone implanted in his head at the children's home. Lom's investigation reveals a conspiracy that extends to the top echelons of the party. When he exposes who - or rather what - is the controlling intelligence behind this, it is time for the detective to change sides. Pursued by rogue police agents and their man-crushing mudjhik, Lom must protect Kantor's step-daughter Maroussia, who has discovered what is hidden beneath police headquarters: a secret so ancient that only the forest remembers. As they try to escape the capital and flee down river, elemental forces are gathering. The earth itself is on the move.
REVIEW:
To be honest this book is difficult to categorise as, depending upon who reads it, it’ll fall into any number of categories, so the best way that I have to analogise the book, is that think of genre as a person and this is title is a chestburster. It has certain genetic imprints within it from the host but contains a whole lot of its own DNA to create something not only alien but unique to their donor.
This book is something that I found not only gripped me but one that left me puzzling things for quite some time as the machinations of the society to which the principle character pertains, led me a merry dance as I tried to figure it out. The world building is solid, the prose sharp and to be blunt it’s a story that has so many twists and turns within that you are left at times without a clue about which direction up is.
Throw into this rounded characters that take on a life of their own; some cracking dialogue which when backed with an author with a great idea of misdirection and sleight of hand which all round made this a book that I had a hell of a time putting down. Great stuff.
Release Date: 28/03/13 Publisher: Bantam SYNOPSIS:
"Rome: AD69, The Year of the Four Emperors". Three Emperors have ruled in Rome this year and a fourth, Vespasian, has been named in the East. As the legions march toward civil war, Sebastos Pantera, the spy whose name means leopard, returns to Rome intent on bribery, blackmail and persuasion: whatever it takes to bring the commanders and their men to Vespasian's side. But in Rome, as he uses every skill he has ever learned of subterfuge, codes and camouflage, it becomes clear that one of those closest to him is a traitor, who will let Rome fall to destroy him. Together the two spies spin a web of deceit with Rome as the prize and death the only escape.
REVIEW:
Manda has always been an historical fiction author that I like to spend time with, ever since I cracked open her Boudica titles. As with those, she has a talent for bringing characters to life for the time period in which they live. You get to know them intimately, you get a sense of friendship and each hurt that they suffer within, be it emotional or physical, the reader is there with them.
Following hard on the heels of Eagle of the Twelfth this book grabs the reader from the outset and takes them on a journey unlike any other as various character points of view give the reader a fully fleshed personal view of the characters within blended with established history. Back that up with writing that is not only personable but also something that readers will have a hard time putting down, which when backed with cracking prose, top notch dialogue made this a book that’s a standard setter for the year ahead.
Release Date: 26/03/13 Publisher: Take 2 Interactive SYNOPSIS:
Indebted to the wrong people, with his life on the line, veteran of the U.S. Cavalry and now hired gun, Booker De-Witt has only one opportunity to wipe his slate clean. He must rescue Elizabeth, a mysterious girl imprisoned since childhood and locked up in the flying city of Columbia. Forced to trust one another, Booker and Elizabeth form a powerful bond during their daring escape. Together, they learn to harness an expanding arsenal of weapons and abilities, as they fight on zeppelins in the clouds, along high-speed Sky-Lines, and down in the streets of Columbia, all while surviving the threats of the air-city and uncovering its dark secret.
Gameplay
BioShock Infinite is a first-person shooter with role-playing elements. As Booker, the player moves about the various structures of Columbia using a grappling hook, a series of railways connecting the buildings called the Skyline, and other transport means to search for Elizabeth. The player will gain weapons which can be used in numerous ways within the environment, including on the Skyline, to defeat enemies. Booker gains powers and abilities by using ‘vigors’ and wearing gear that are found through Columbia. Vigors grant activated powers such as telekinesis, electricity manipulation, or animal control, while selected gear are passive abilities that can improve the player's strength or damage resistance. With gear, the player has four available slots, and has to make decisions on which combination of offensive and defensive capabilities work for them. The key to success is to use vigor and weapons strategically – the player will be rewarded for considering all elements of the combat scenario and utilising the tools at Booker’s disposal in the best way possible!
Key Features
The City in the Sky – Leave the depths of Rapture to soar among the clouds of Columbia. A techno¬logical marvel, the flying city is a beautiful and vibrant world that holds a very dark secret.
Unlikely Mission – Set in 1912, hired gun Booker DeWitt must rescue a mysterious girl from the sky-city of Columbia or never leave it alive.
Whip, Zip, and Kill – Turn the city’s Sky-Lines into weaponized roller coasters as you zip through the flying city and dish out fatal hands-on punishment.
Tear Through Time – Open Tears in time and space to shape the battlefield and turn the tide in com¬bat by pulling weapons, turrets, and other resources out of thin air.
Vigorous Powers – Throw explosive fireballs, shoot lightning, and release murders of crows as dev-astatingly powerful Vigors surge through your body to be unleashed against all that oppose you.
Custom Combat Experience – With deadly weapons in one hand, powerful Vigors in the other, and the ability to open Tears in time and space, fight your own way through the floating city of Columbia to rescue Elizabeth and reach freedom.
1999 Mode – Upon finishing BioShock Infinite, the player can unlock a game mode called “1999 Mode” that gives experienced players a taste of the kind of design and balance that hardcore gamers enjoyed back in the 20th century.
REVIEW:
Having been a fan of Bioshock since picking up the second instalment I couldn’t wait to see what Take 2 Interactive would do when they took the reader into the skies. Giving the player something a little more open with an appearance of something that had infinite space rather than the oppressive feeling that the player was subjected to within Rapture.
It’s a whole new world design, various floating platforms and whilst you get that feeling that life has something unique for the citizens, you soon learn that appearances can be deceptive as Booker delves beneath the cities sheen into the dark murky world of Zachary Hale Comstock, prophet of the city of Columbia.
The game design is not only imaginative but there’s so many distractions to keep the player looking round each section carefully, whether its searching for sightseeing items like binoculars or the various movie players, tracking down trash cans to see what’s been thrown away like silver dollars and foods or seeing what the inhabitants are up to in this apparent paradise.
Add to this cracking characters with Booker and Elizabeth (whose interaction within the game grows and blends wonderfully well as they get to know each other) working in conjunction with Booker handling the combat while Elizabeth opens tears and picks locks, really brings new elements to the game. Whilst this alone for most players would be enough, throw into the mix Villains that vary in toughness and change strategies to give the player a challenge and it’s a game of multiple options, especially when you add the use of Vigors (Bioshock 2’s Plasmids) alongside a whole new set of hardware.
All in, this game is massive, the scenery breath-taking and when added to a storyline that twists and turns throwing the viewer a few curves that, when blended with Take 2’s ability to take the player into someplace new, all round made me a very happy gamer, especially when I found even more on a secondary play through looking to complete some of the challenges.
Lady Eleanor is Falcata Times Mistress of Mayhem, be it in the Horror Genre or on the console, she gives it her all and loves to blow the hell out of anyone who gets in her way. You can often find her perusing the game sites to get the latest gossip on what’s arriving next or checking out the latest movie/book releases to see what grabs her attention.
In addition to this Lady Eleanor is a lifelong fan of pin up and in particular the Fetish Queen of the 50’s Bettie Page and whilst the name is an alias, its due more to her love of a song by the same title by the group Lindisfarne rather than her dominating presence when she lays down the law. (Artwork by Isis Sousa for Falcata Times)
Release Date: 21/02/13 Publisher: Gollancz SYNOPSIS:
Something has gone wrong on the planet of Paradise. The human settlers - farmers and scientists - are finding that their crops won't grow and their lives are becoming more and more dangerous. The indigenous plant life - never entirely safe - is changing in unpredictable ways, and the imported plantings wither and die. And so the order is given - Paradise will be abandoned. All personnel will be removed and reassigned. And all human presence on the planet will be disestablished. Not all agree with the decision. There are some who believe that Paradise has more to offer the human race. That the planet is not finished with the intruders, and that the risks of staying are outweighed by the possible rewards. And so the leader of the research team and one of the demolition workers set off on a journey across the planet. Along the way they will encounter the last of the near-mythical Dendron, the vicious Reapers and the deadly Tattersall Weeds as they embark on an adventure which will bring them closer to nature, to each other and, eventually, to Paradise.
REVIEW:
OK, you want a book that brings a wonderfully imaginative world to the fore, brings cracking characters into a future society and blends it all with top notch story telling. Whilst this, in some respects, is a future dystopian novel, its one that takes a different flavour to a lot of the over titles out there at the moment, yes the cataclysm happened many years before, but when you throw the current population into a world of danger as well as what they perceive as magic, all round makes this a book that really does grip the reader from start to finish.
Add to this an author who has a clear idea on where he’s taking the reader, blends it with wonderfully imaginative flora and wraps it all up in prose that just keeps you gripped all round makes this a book that is definitely worth the Sci-Fi readers time. Cracking.
Release Date: 21/02/13 Publisher: Gollancz (UK), Ace (US) SYNOPSIS:
From one of the masters of SF comes this new collection of stories, all set on his most famous creation - the world of Majipoor. A massive world of adventure, romance and danger. A place where dreams can soothe the restless or flay the minds of the guilty. Where humans, aliens and natives live in a shifting, uneasy alliance and where two great men rule over all. No matter who bears the title, there is always a Coronal and a Pontifex, forever miles apart, forever striving to maintain the balance of their far-flung civilisation. Here, collected for the first time, are the final tales of Majipoor. From the earliest legends of the Shapeshifters to an untold mystery late in the reign of Valentine Pontifex, the seven stories in this collection expand upon and flesh out the remarkable world that Robert Silverberg has created. Spanning a decade of writing from one of the masters of science-fiction, this collection is both a fantastic introduction for those new to Majipoor and a welcome return for those who have visited before.
REVIEW:
To be honest I’ve never really tackled a book purely by Robert, yes I’ve read books he’s edited and yes I’ve read the odd short story but this was years ago when I was on an extremely limited budget so when I found this new title by Gollancz (and having remembered the name) I jumped at the chance to sit down and embark on my first full adventure with him.
What unfurls is a set of tales that are wonderfully woven around the one world. They have great characters, the prose is sharp and to be honest each tale stands alone wonderfully (even though they are interlinked.) Add to this the an author who has a clear idea about how the world would develop and has the talent to bring the reader an imaginative tale in a wonderfully direct way, all round made this a book that I had a lot of fun dipping into on my travels.
All round I loved this book, yes there was the odd story that I felt didn’t work quite as well but all round they helped fill out this imaginative world and added extra layers to the historical context. Great stuff.
Release Date: 12/03/13 Publisher: Orbit SYNOPSIS:
THE WAR HAS NOT BEEN LOST The countries of Cython and Hightspall are at war, with centuries of resentment and evil magic fuelling the flames. Rix has lost everything to traitors on his own side - his family, his reputation, even his right hand. Even so, he must fight. If he can reach his family's mountain fortress, perhaps he can save the refugees who follow him, and begin his own resistance. Tali has been imprisoned by those who wish to use her healing blood, but they may take even more than that. Her life will be forfeit if her captors discover her secret - that she holds the key to winning the war itself. But Rix's fortress holds secrets too, and his arrival sets off a chain of events that will bring old powers and figures out of myths back to the land ...
REVIEW:
Having sat back and enjoyed the first title, I really couldn’t wait to see what Ian would bring to the table in the second outing. As with the original it’s a solid paced, hard action book where regardless of the side that the individuals have taken you can fully admire the depth to which they’re committed to follow their convictions.
As with the first the prose is sharp, the characters a joy to be around and when added to an author who plays not only for keeps but also gives the reader some cracking twists which make the journey harder for the heroes all round gives you a book that is hard to put down. All round a top notch second book and whilst a reread of the original will be in order, it is something that was a pure joy to do. Great stuff.
