Review – Deathless

Let me first go on record by saying I have been a fan of the zombie genre since my first viewing of George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead, on VHS, re-watched until the tape wore thin enough that the player could no longer fix the tracking.  (If I lost you there at “tracking”, ask your parents folks)

For me, the zombie apocalypse represents the breakdown of the infrastructure that serves as the backbone of society, turns everything we take for granted on its head, and pushes you outside your comfort zone.  The writer does not take you on a fantastic voyage to some unknown world, where fierce and frightening monsters abound, returning you to normalcy as easily as closing the book (or the app I guess).  Instead, the writer denies the reader that power of separation of fact from fiction, and instilling that inkling of fear, however small, that zombies might just be possible.  That’s the beauty of the zombie genre; it strips away the fantastical nature of scary stories and brings the terror to the reader’s doorstep.

It is generally accepted that, while fun to imagine, vampires and werewolves and aliens just do not exist.  They are just folklore and spook stories; tales to keep little ones in their beds at night for fear of monsters hiding under their beds.  Nothing more.

What if, however, those old legends were not just tall tales?  What if someone in the past meant for the stories to serve as preparation for future generations to be ready for the apocalypse?  In his Deathless series, Chris Fox opens the reader’s mind to the possibility that not only could vampires and werewolves have existed, but what if they served a purpose?  What if they were created to save humanity?

 The Deathless series, currently comprised of 3 books plus 3 companion novellas, caught my interest in its gnarled claws and refused to let go.  It took my obsession with the zombie genre and exploded it in a whole new direction.  Never before had I read the possibility of pitting zombies against werewolves, vampires, super-powered humans, AND aliens!  Just when I thought the story was over, Chris left me on the edge of my seat begging for the next chapter in the story.  I recommend this series to any reader who enjoys fast paced storytelling, visceral more-than-human fights, oftentimes humorous dialogue, and not to mention questioning everything you had ever learned about ancient mythology.

Current books/novellas (in order of the author’s suggested reading):

Deathless

There’s No Such Thing as Werewolves

The First Ark  – novella

No Ordinary Zombie

Vampires Don’t Sparkle

The Great Pack (forthcoming)

Project Solaris

Hero Born – novella

Hero Rising – novella

As for me, I just picked up Destroyer, the first book in Chris’s new The Void Wrath trilogy, and am looking forward to reading it.

Off to be the Wizard (Magic 2.0 Book 1)

 

Off to be the Wizard (Magic 2.0 Book 1) by Scott Meyer.

 

What would you do if you found out your existence was governed by a file on some computer?  What would you do if that same file not only controlled aspects of your life, but the lives of everyone on the planet?  What would you do if you could change that file, and thereby change the world?  Would you make yourself the richest man alive?  Rain fire upon your enemies?  End world hunger?  Or maybe become a wizard?

 

These are questions Scott Meyer poses in his first novel, “Off to be the Wizard”.  Martin Banks, who dabbles in ‘innocent’ computer hacking as a hobby, uncovers a computer program that controls reality.  Through trial and error, he discovers that he has the ability to change his life for the better with nothing more than few measured keystrokes.  Unfortunately for him, his “adjustments” do not escape notice, and he quickly finds himself to be a “person of interest” by the government.  So he does what any self-respecting geek would do in a situation like that, escape to the middle ages to pose as a wizard.

 

Unfortunately for Martin, he finds that he was not unique in his discover, and then must prove himself to be deserving of his new found powers among other wizards.  Or be banished back to a life of normalcy and, you know, having to answer to the authorities.  As the author states, what could possibly go wrong?

 

As an avid reader of Scott’s online comic, Basic Instructions, I was excited to read his first novel.  I found it to be an enjoyable read, full of plenty of geeky references from the 80’s to current time (and the possible future).   It was filled with both witty and dry humor, complete with call outs to time travel, Star Trek, Tolkien, and Apple.  Time travel can be a tricky subject, but Scott handles the possible plot-holes and inconsistencies quite well.  I did not find myself rolling my eyes at his explanations of the workings of the environment, unless, of course, it was the author’s intent.  Even remembering the always “avoid the obvious joke” about staffs or wands.

 

Overall it was a great read, full of both complex and simple characters, and kept me turning the pages (or is that swiping on a kindle?) until the very end.  I immediately picked up the second book in the series (Spell or High Water), hungry to read more about Martin’s adventures as a techno-wizard.

 

I recommend this book not only to support a first time novel, but for anyone who enjoys gaming, geek culture, and as the amazon description states “a light comedic novel about computers, time travel, and human stupidity”.

 

If Scott Meyer reads this himself, well done, and I can’t wait to see what misadventures and unfortunate circumstances Martin finds himself in next.

The Zoo

Greetings lurkers and fellow crazy persons.  I am back again with another book recommendation.

 

 

The Zoo  is a novel written by powerhouse author James Patterson with Michael Ledwidge.  It has been heralded as James Patterson’s best book ever, an unputdownable, pulse-racing novel.

The Zoo centers on a subject that mankind, as a whole, takes for granted: we are the dominant species on the planet.  We have this idea that it is humans that rule the earth, and all other animals large and small are therefore subjugated by us who walk on two legs.  Humans are more adaptive, smarter and most importantly well-armed.

Then the book challenges us, as the readers, with the question: what if we’re wrong?  What if we are the dominant species only because animals believe we are not worth the effort and likely do not taste good?  What if something in the environment changed, and humans were viewed as prey?

The Zoo is a vicious look at a world where uprisings of predatory animals begin to occur small at first while the general populace ignores the issue as one or two disconnected occurrences, then focuses on how people would react if the issue became a world-wide extinction-threatening event for humankind.

Please note this is not a book for the faint of heart, the authors do well to describe the graphic detail of animal attacks, often times from the point-of-view of the beasts themselves.

The characters are well written, believable, and you’ll find yourself taking sides before too long; be those sides the struggling survivors, the government trying to cover up facts or keep the peace, or the animals themselves.  The protagonist, Jackson Oz, is a young biologist witnessing the brutal attacks first hand spanning from the wilds of Africa to our own backyard in the United States.  Along with the help of ecologist Chloe Tousignant, he fights to convince world leaders of the enormity of the problem before it’s too late.  In the end, the explanation for the apocalyptic event is a little contrived and a bit environmentalist, but is acceptable enough to keep with the overall feel of the story.

I recommend this book for an imaginative, white-knuckle read that will keep you turning the pages until the very end.

 

*On a side note.  There is also a CBS mini-series based on this novel.  I unfortunately felt that the mini-series was too loosely based on the book for me to enjoy, so I will leave it up to your judgement which is better. My recommendation, however, is to read the book and avoid the show.

 

Dark Anonymous Confessions

Greetings fellow lurkers in the darkness.  As you may have noticed here on the blog, I enjoy writing short stories…  The best way to be inspired to infect the world with new tales?  Reading amazing short stories!

I recently finished Dark Anonymous Confessions by Vincent V. Cava

 

Vincent has a way of capturing your attention with his deliciously dark stories, then driving a rusty knife deep into your back while you are otherwise mesmerized by his writing.  I especially enjoyed the story “The Eye of Ra”, which delved into Egyptian mysticism while at the same time revealing a much darker modern twist.

I absolutely recommend picking up this book, turning the lights down low, mixing in a bit of madness with a touch of macabre, and allowing yourself to be delightfully terrified!

Ready Player One

Greetings fellow visitors and inmates of the madhouse…

I have created a new feature here at the Asylum…call it a book cart, a shared library, or just a list of recommended reads…

When I am not writing myself, I look for inspiration from fellow authors and certifiable madmen…whether it is independently published anthologies, bloggers, established and well known authors, or just the musings of first-time writers trying to make their mark on the world.

In this inaugural post, I wanted to share a book I just finished by Ernest Cline called Ready Player One.

 

cover art from Amazon

In his first published book, Mr. Cline shares his vision of future of dystopia where economic downfall is the norm, everyday folks are starving and cluttered into refuge-like camps called the ‘stacks’, and the only escape from the hellish reality is an online world called OASIS.  The story’s main character, Wade Watts, is a teenager trying to survive day by day in the stacks while attending high school in the online OASIS environment.  When a multi-billionaire, the founder of OASIS, dies and leaves his fortune up for grabs as an ‘Easter egg’ hidden deep within the digital world, Wade becomes obsessed with joining the millions of other hunters, trying to obtain the unobtainable.  When he defeats the odds and discovers the first piece of the puzzle, he quickly finds that others are willing to kill for the information.

In Ready Player One, Ernest Cline shares with us his love (or perhaps obsession) with the ’80’s, filling the book with enough tidbits and pop culture from decades ago to take you on a trip not only to his vision of the future, but also back in time to the world of Family Ties, Pac-Man, War Games, Commodore 64’s, and enough other references to a time gone by to make anyone who lived through the 1980’s as a child or adult smile at fond memories.

Ready Player One is a fantastic novel, and I recommend it as great reading to while away the hours stuck here in the padded rooms.

 

 

 

Dark Tales

 

I would be performing a disservice, if I did not include this book in the Books section.

A little while ago, Vincent V. Cava and 12 other Reddit authors from /r/ShortScaryStories, /r/NoSleep, and/r/DarkTales came together to create this anthology for a good cause, Scares that Care!

Scares that Care is a charity that fights the REAL MONSTERS of childhood illness, burns and breast cancer by helping families that are experiencing these extraordinary hardships cope with the financial burden.  Check out their website for more info.

All proceeds from the sale of this book go to Scares that Care. Not a single dime will be going into anyone’s pocket besides the children who are in need so please be aware that not only will you be getting a delightfully horrific anthology but you will also be bringing joy to a child in need.

I was honored to have two of my never before seen stories, The Fool and Iron Gates,  be a part of this anthology.   The book is available on Amazon in ebook and audio formats – Dark Tales: 13 New Authors, One Twisted Anthology

Spread the word about these Dark Tales, and you’ll be sending help to a great cause!