In the mean time: Book Reviews

Sorry about the radio silence folks. Stac and I have been concentrating on getting the podcast recorded. You know what sucks? Trying to schedule two very busy women together on Skype, that's what sucks. If I was a shut in, this wouldn't be a problem. Luckily it looks like we'll be recording this week and releasing next week. We'll be sure to announce it.

So in the mean time, here's some book recommendations to sling at ya!



Under The Dome

I finished the epic book that was Under The Dome last night. And you know what? I really enjoyed it. I think I enjoyed it more than I should since most things I've heard about it were mixed at best. But I have to admit, its up there as one of my favorite Stephen King novels I've read. Actually its one of the most engrossing novels I've read so far this year. Sir Stephen does an great job creating a thick tapestry of characters and interweaving story lines in this disaster tale. While at heart its definitely a Sci-Fi story, the atrocities presented in it are on par with any horror novel. I found myself comparing it to the "A Song of Fire and Ice" series by George R.R. Martin, but set in modern times. If you like a story with a huge interesting cast and a ton of power struggles, this one is up your alley. Plus it has one of the best villains I've every read, Big Jim Rennie, a man you LOVE to hate. I also have to give Sir Stephen some credit here for the female characters in this book. They are some tough and strong bitches, my favorite being Julia Shumway, the cynical and sharp newspaper editor.
As I stated earlier in another post, I sense the impending film adaptation of Under The Dome on the horizon. And I hope hope HOPE that they forgo a movie and instead do a seven part miniseries on HBO or Showtime or ANY pay cable network. There is so much detail to this story that it can't be told in an hour or two. And the horrors that happen really need to happen in full out gore and uncensored glory to get the point across that these people are fucked.
This book made me want to go back and read The Stand again to compare and contrast. There are a lot of parallels between the two, only Under the Dome is on a much smaller scale.
HIGHLY recommended.




Truthseekers: Welcome to Blackriver and Truthseekers II: Birthright

I mentioned my friend Rob St. Martin, in an article a while back and I skimmed over his books really quick in the article. Therefore I felt I need to come back and give a little more detail on what I consider crack. I'm sure none of you have heard of either of these books or of this author before. This is probably because his novels have been self published. And while Rob is a dear friend of mine, I really wouldn't bother posting an article on these books if I didn't think they were worth the read.
Truthseekers and Truthseekers II are young adult novels. I would not call them out and out horror novels, they have a lot of supernatural elements and creeptastic moments. But don't let that stop you from picking them up. The writing and story lines were sophisticated enough to keep my 34 year old brain entertained. The Truthseekers series follows a young woman, Ashley, who's parents were brutally murdered and she is sent to a small town of Blackriver to live with her cousin. And Blackriver? Well its kind of a strange, STRANGE place. The first book is comprised of many short stories about Ashely and her new friends confronting the weird and wild. While there is a bit of a threw line, each story stands alone very well. Mr. Rob writes a cast of very endearing characters and twists cliched elements such as vampires, ghosts, and cults to feel very fresh and new. I also have to commend him for writing teenage females like real teenage females. He never goes into the vapid girls constantly worrying about their make-up and kissing boys territory and truly gets into the mind of a young woman at that sensitive age. Granted, the Make-up and kissing boys are there but its not the ONLY thing that is there. Props to you Mr. Rob. Not many men can do that. And while sometimes the story feels like its meandering at times, it always picks itself back up and gets right back on track.
Truthseekers II: Birthright is a continuation of the story of Ashley and the gang. Personally I enjoyed this one more. The writing was tighter and the storyline that Mr. Rob is creating is becoming more and more relevant, making it feel much more like a novel and less like a short story anthology. And while the book will appeal to the younger set, he never ever dumbs down the threats and scares. Its not an out and out gore fest but it has a lot of suspense and some great creativity. Also, it has a battle of the bands where our leading lady shames someone in song....which is the only way I'd want to shame someone. Now that the summer months are approaching, these books would be perfect to pick up. Both are quick reads, perfect to put down then pick right back up again and fall into the story head on.
Truthseekers III: Level Up has finally been released and I am eagerly awaiting my copy.
Another high reccomend.

The Best Writers You're Not Reading!

I'm a bit on a book kick right now...mostly because my cable is was still being hooked up at our new place which has turned me to my books again. So I've decided to give a shout out to two authors who I feel have not gotten a lot of credit out in the writing world. And both of these writers are old friends of mine. I suppose you can consider this post a favor to a friend of sorts but honestly, I would not bother writing a post praising something I didn't like...unless its another attempt to tear into Exorcist: The Beginning. Regardless, they are both extremely talented writers and I feel deserve a shout out on our pithy little Internet soap box. So without further ado, here are two writers I truly feel are worth checking out.

Christine Morgan
Cured Meat found in The World is Dead Anthology and The Barrow Maid found in History is Dead Anthology
Christine's two zombie stories are stellar and I was lucky enough to be a beta reader for both stories. WHY she picked me is a bit of a mystery since my "superior" grammar and spelling is a tell tale sign that I am really not a writer. I think its because I am an avid zombie fan and she was just giving me a bone (No pun intended). And while both stories are about zombies they are completely different from each other .Cured Meat is a story told through a zombie's perspective and The Barrow Maid is a Nordic historical tale. The Barrow Maid is well researched as a historical piece and well...two words...Viking Zombies!! Its fun, action packed and gives you what you want; zombies swinging swords, kicking ass, and taking names. My particular favorite though is Cured Meat. It's an extremely unique story and Christine voices the zombie both in a human yet extremely creepy manner. Both are wonderful reads. The Anthologies have many other fantastic stories in them as well so I assure you they are worth picking up! But personally, Christine's are my favorite. You can find both anthologies on Amazon. And if you want to read more of Christine's work (she also writes fantasy, horror, and children's books!) check out her websites http://christine-morgan.net/ and http://www.sabledrake.com/.


Rob St. Martin
The Truthseekers Series
While this isn't strictly horror, Rob's Truthseekers books do have some elements of horror in them (vampires, zombies, magic, and some gruesome murders). So far he has two out and is working on a third...he BETTER be working on a third or I will go up to Canada and strangle it out of him. Truthseekers is a young adult series that I became addicted to at the age of thirty-three. The series follows a girl name Ashley, who moves to a small town named Blackriver after her parents are brutally murdered. Her adventures are told in a series of short stories that begin to revel strange conspiracies that involved her family and will soon involve her. Yes, I made that sound very vague but there is so much to the story and such a rich world created that I don't want to give anything away. The reason I became addicted to his series is because he never talks down to his audience, making his work intelligent and accessible to both teens and adults. Don't let the young adult label fool you, this is a great story, a interesting world, and some quirky characters.
You can pick up Truthseekers: Welcome to Blackriver and and Truthseekers: Birthright on Amazon. You can also order them from http://www.sabledrake.com/books.htm . And to find more on Rob's work you can go to his website: http://talyesin.com/

Enjoy!!