Category: Genre

Winter Park by Graham Guest

Title: Winter Park Author: Graham Guest Pub Date: 4-Mar-2016 Rating: 3.7 Stars
Title: Winter Park
Author: Graham Guest
Pub Date: 4-Mar-2016
Rating: 3.7 Stars

Winter Park, the debut novel by Graham Guest, is an unusual read. In fact, I have never read anything like it. I think that is what intrigued me most about the novel. I found the plot a little lacking; yet, what Mr. Guest does do well is interject a mix of thought provoking ideas with an absurd sense of irony that really worked. Due to the lack of grammar, the prose can be difficult at times to follow and the characters are nothing short of bizarre.

The story starts with a young Philosophy PhD student, Eric Swanson, on spring break headed to Winter Park, CO to a reunion of sorts with friends he left behind. What ensues is a drug/drunken calamity that ends in murder. Part I abruptly ends when Eric wakes up from his stupor and recalls what happened.

In Part II, the reader is then whisked away to a rehabilitation camp in Texas called The Dude Ranch. The camp is run by a strange group of people. Eric has now metamorphosed into a paraplegic as a result of the trauma in Part I. He is then given an alias, as everyone is, of Wayne Ford and is paired with Harris Birdsong. Harris is a savant of sorts in that he has memorized the whole dictionary but appears to function on a social level of a young child. The story from this point is mainly a continuous stream of Harris’s thoughts. Without a doubt, the intent here is to recall the idiom “out of the mouth of babes”.

I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Impossible Fortress by Jason Rekulak

Title: The Impossible Fortress Author: Jason Rekulak Pub Date: 7-Jan-2017 Rating: 5 Stars
Title: The Impossible Fortress
Author: Jason Rekulak
Pub Date: 7-Feb-2017
Rating: 5 Stars

Vanna White in Playboy that is how it all started. All Billy and his friends, Alf and Clark, wanted was to get their hands on a copy. Simple… not at all. You have to be eighteen to purchase Playboy and they are always kept behind the counter at Zelinsky’s store. After several failed attempts to lay hands on the coveted prize, they hatch a plan to steal a copy. All they need is the code to the security alarm. The plan involves Billy cozying up to Mary, the shop owner’s computer nerd daughter, and getting it from her. Billy, a computer geek himself, ends up falling for Mary. What is a guy to do? Betray his friends or betray Mary?

Oh, the nostalgia! The Impossible Fortress, by Jason Rekulak, brought back a lot of memories for me. The story was great and I kept rooting for Billy even though I could see he was heading for trouble. The characters were flawed but in a good way. The story was paced well so you never got bored and it did not feel rushed either. Great coming-of-age story and thoroughly enjoyable!

I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

When Darkness Comes by John Anthony Miller

Title: When Darkness Comes Author: John Anthony Miller Pub Date: 8-Jul-2016 Rating: 5 Stars
Title: When Darkness Comes
Author: John Anthony Miller
Pub Date: 8-Jul-2016
Rating: 5 Stars

When Darkness Comes is another brilliant historical novel from John Anthony Miller. The story is fiction but the facts surrounding it are all too real. The story is about three people who are working for the French Resistant in Paris during World War II.  Each person has a reason to loath the Germans.  Yet, not all Parisians feel this way and some even profit from the occupation. In this kind of atmosphere it is difficult to know who you can trust. Your neighbor, a coworker, anyone can turn you over to the Gestapo.

In this incredibly dangerous environment, Rachel a young Jewish girl and her family barely escape Paris with their lives. The Resistant helps to resettle them in the country side with new identities. Yet, Rachel feels a strong need to help put an end to the Nazi occupation and decides to return to Paris to help the Resistant. Together with Claire, a book store owner, whose husband was killed during the initial invasion of France and Paul, a banker, whose wife and daughter where murdered by the Nazis, they work to gather information that will assist the Allies. After a dangerous turn of events, Rachel becomes involved with helping other Jews escape Paris via the underground tunnels in Paris. All is going smoothly when disaster strikes and it could cost all three their lives.

The story is truly a nail biting, suspenseful ride and you will not want to put it down. The story moves quickly and not all the characters are what they seem. Wonderfully written and sure to keep any reader up into the wee hours of the morning to finish. I was almost disappointed when I got to the end. It was that good!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Risen by Ron Rash

Title: The Risen Author: Ron Rash Pub Date: 16-Sep-2016 Rating: 5 Stars
Title: The Risen
Author: Ron Rash
Pub Date: 16-Sep-2016
Rating: 5 Star

The Risen is another Ron Rash novel that the prose just sings off the page. Rash never fails to disappoint me in his use of descriptive verse. He so easily transports me to the stage of his characters. It was as if I was sitting on that river bank soaking my toes in the icy waters of the mountain stream known as Panther Creek. The story itself is rather quiet and ambles along at a nice pace and then before you know it you have reached the end. Then I exhale in a long sigh because it is always bittersweet to come to the end of a story well told.

The book is both a coming of age story and a murder mystery wrapped up in one neat package.  The story revolves around two brothers, Eugene and Bill Matney, 16 and 20 respectively, and one pivotal summer in 1969. Bill is home from Wake Forest for the summer and he and Eugene have gone fishing after church, as they do every Sunday, when they meet Ligiea. Ligiea, 17 herself, has been exiled by her parents to her Uncle’s in rural Western North Carolina in an attempt to remove her from the drugs and counterculture of the 60s she has been involved in at Daytona Beach.

For these young boys/men, she is a temptress. She is worldly to their innocence and Eugene is captivated by her. With her, he experiences alcohol, drugs and sex for the first time. Bill, is much less progressive, while at first he joins in, later, after his girlfriend visits, he under goes a metamorphosis. A sibling rivalry of sorts ensues and the brothers drift apart.

Years later, Eugene is an alcoholic and his brother is a prominent surgeon in Asheville and though the physical distance between them is short, in reality, they are worlds apart. Then the unimaginable happens, a body is found near the spot where they fished that summer in 1969. The remains are identified as Ligiea’s. The police start asking questions. She can’t be dead, Eugene knows Ligiea was on a bus bound for Florida.

I have had this book on my desk for over a month. I kept putting it off for others that were more pressing. Now I want to read it again. Great Stuff!

God of the Internet by Lynn Lipinski

Title: God of the Internet Author: Lynn Lipinski Pub Date: 15-Aug-2016 My Rating: 5 Stars
Title: God of the Internet
Author: Lynn Lipinski
Pub Date: 15-Aug-2016
My Rating: 5 Stars

God of the Internet, by Lynn Lipinski, is a thriller about a Muslim extremist computer hacker, aka God_of_Internet, who has developed a worm that will infect computers in the western world in increasing disruptive acts. The story is fast paced and even though I figured out who the hacker was the story was so well written I didn’t care. In addition, the story is not a stretch at all. I can easily see this type of cyber terrorist attack happening and suspect it will only be a matter of time.

Ms. Lipinski did a good job of explaining the mechanics behind hacking and how through back doors and security lapses this type of scenario is possible. We, meaning humanity in general, are addicted to our technology. I shudder to think of the repercussions of an attack of this type would have on our society. Continue reading “God of the Internet by Lynn Lipinski”

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

Title: The Bear and The Nightingale Author: Katherine Arden Pub Date: 10-Jan-2017 My Rating: 4 Stars
Title: The Bear and The Nightingale
Author: Katherine Arden
Pub Date: 10-Jan-2017
My Rating: 4 Stars

The Bear and the Nightingale, by Katherine Arden, is an adult fairy tale. The story draws heavily on folklore and fairy tales and is set during Russian medieval times when belief in demons and witches was still prolific. The story is beautifully crafted and the imagery is elegantly presented. I did find the first thirty or so pages a little slow, but once I made it through the beginning I was thoroughly entertained.

The story is about a young girl, Vasilisa, who is the second daughter of Pyotr Vladimirovich, a Russian lord. Vasilisa, like her mother, is able to see the old spirits that protect the home and hearth. Though Christianity is starting to take a foot hold, even in the remote northern wilderness of Russia, the belief in these spirts is still strong. When Father Konstantin, a new priest, comes to Vasilisa’a small village he preaches against the old ways and forbids the honoring of the old spirits. Without the spirit’s protection evil is allowed to gain a foothold and crops fail and some of the villagers die. Vailisa must find a way and the courage to protect those she loves from the evil that abounds. Continue reading “The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden”

Sleeping Giants by Sylain Neuvel

Title: Sleeping Giants (Themis Files #1) Author: Sylvian Neuvel Pub Date: 26-Apr-2016
Title: Sleeping Giants (Themis Files #1)
Author: Sylvian Neuvel
Pub Date: 26-Apr-2016
Rating: 4 Stars

Sleeping Giants is the debut novel by Sylvain Neuvel. This novel uses an unusual technique, like found in World War Z, to tell the story. The narrator is an unknown person and you are reading the interview files of said narrator with a few journal notes and news reports as fillers. I was not expecting this, even though this technique is not new; yet, it really worked for me and I found it to be a very effective tool.  It gave a certain air of mystery and aloofness that I found enhanced the story.

The story opens with Rose Franklin riding her new bike on her 11th birthday and out of nowhere a huge hole opens up and swallows her. When rescue arrives it is discovered that she has fallen into a pit that contains an ancient artifact. This artifact is a gigantic metal hand and the hole is glowing and contains strange symbols on the walls. Skip forward twenty years and Rose is now a scientist and is leading a team of people to uncover the mystery behind the hand and the symbols. Continue reading “Sleeping Giants by Sylain Neuvel”