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Latest Book Reviews...
Review - Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
Average Review Rating Average Rating [9/10] (2 Reviews)
Chrissi and Nigel have both reviewed Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan. Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon out of his life as a San Francisco Web-design drone - and serendipity, coupled with sheer curiosity, has landed him a new job working the night shift at Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. But after just a few days, Clay begins to realize that this store is even more curious than the name suggests. There are only a few customers, but they come in repeatedly and never seem to actually buy anything, instead they simply borrow impossibly obscure volumes from strange corners of the store, all according to some elaborate, long-standing arrangement with the gnomic Mr. Penumbra. The store must be a front for something larger, Clay concludes, and soon he's embarked on a complex analysis of the customers' behaviour and roped his friends into helping to figure out just what's going on. But once they bring their findings to Mr. Penumbra, it turns out the secrets extend far outside the walls of the bookstore... more»»
Chrissi 30th April 2013 [8/10]
Nigel 30th April 2013 [9/10]
Review - Madam PresidentMadam President by Jerry Beller
Average Review Rating Average Rating [9/10] (1 Review)
Paul has sent in a review for Madam President by Jerry Beller.The story follows President Kalinda Resbo, the first female and black president, as she runs for re-election while fulfilling the many duties that come with the most difficult job in the world. With the election as a backdrop, madam weaves through an Iranian Crisis, an investigation into moles and corruption in the FBI, Congress and corporate America. Beller addresses many real events and people who are part of current events for the USA during 2012, while also creating many interesting fictional characters. President Resbo’s runs for re-election as an independent, running against congress and the two party system, advocating a different approach to politics, solutions that go outside those the democrats and republicans squabble over... more»»
Paul Lappen 30th April 2013 [9/10]
Review - The Demolished Man The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester
Average Review Rating Average Rating [7/10] (1 Review)
Annett Grosser-Rogoff has sent in a review for The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester. In the year 2301, guns are only museum pieces and benign telepaths sweep the minds of the populace to detect crimes before they happen. In 2301 murder is virtually impossible, but one man is about to change that... Ben Reich, a psychopathic business magnate, has devised the ultimate scheme to eliminate the competition and destroy the order of his society. In a world policed by telepaths, Ben Reich plans to commit a crime that hasn't been heard of in 70 years: murder. That's the only option left for Reich, whose company is losing a 10-year death struggle with rival D'Courtney Enterprises. Terrorized in his dreams by The Man With No Face and driven to the edge after D'Courtney refuses a merger offer, Reich murders his rival and bribes a high-ranking telepath to help him cover his tracks. But while police prefect Lincoln Powell knows Reich is guilty, his telepath's knowledge is a far cry from admissible evidence... more»»
Annett Grosser-Rogoff 30th April 2013 [7/10]
Review - The ProphetThe Prophet by Ethan Cross
Average Review Rating Average Rating [8/10] (1 Review)
Chrissi has reviewed The Prophet by Ethan Cross. Francis Ackerman Jr. is one of America's most prolific serial killers. Having kept a low profile for the past year, he is ready to return to work - and he's more brutal, cunning, and dangerous than ever. Scarred from their past battles, Special Agent Marcus Williams cannot shake Ackerman from his mind. But now Marcus must focus on catching the Anarchist, a new killer who drugs and kidnaps women before burning them alive. Marcus knows the Anarchist will strike again soon. And Ackerman is still free. But worse than this is a mysterious figure, unknown to the authorities, who controls the actions of the Anarchist and many like him. He is the Prophet - and his plans are more terrible than even his own disciples can imagine. With attacks coming from every side, Marcus faces a race against time to save the lives of a group of innocent people chosen as sacrifices in the Prophet's final dark ritual... more»»
Chrissi 31st March 2013 [8/10]
Review - Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
Average Review Rating Average Rating [9/10] (1 Review)
Annett Grosser-Rogoff has sent in a review for Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson, the best chronicle of drug-soaked, addle-brained, rollicking good times ever committed to the printed page. It is also the tale of a long weekend road trip that has gone down in the annals of American pop culture as one of the strangest journeys ever undertaken. Hunter S. Thompson is roaring down the desert highway to Las Vegas with his attorney, the Samoan, to find the dark side of the American Dream. Armed with a drug arsenal of stupendous proportions, the duo engage in a surreal succession of chemically enhanced confrontations with casino operators, police officers and assorted Middle Americans... more»»
Annett Grosser-Rogoff 31st March 2013 [9/10]
Review - Disillusioned Disillusioned by William Manchee
Average Review Rating Average Rating [9/10] (1 Review)
Molly has sent in a review for Disillusioned: Stan Turner Book 9 by William Manchee. After being discharged from the United States Marine Corps, Stan ends up in Dallas where he intends to finish law school. In the spring of 1976, while attending SMU, he is recruited into the Republican Party, elected county chairman, and finds himself helping President Gerald Ford in his campaign against Jimmy Carter. The campaign is marred, however, by an untimely FBI investigation into the financial dealings of a major party contributor, Brad Thornton. The investigation unleashes an avalanche of misfortune beginning with the alleged murder-suicide of Stan’s friend, Rob Shepard, his wife Cindy and their three children and culminating in the resignation of two Republican candidates for the 67th District's state representative seat... more»»
Molly Martin 31st March 2013 [9/10]
Review - Act Normal Act Normal by William Manchee
Average Review Rating Average Rating [9/10] (1 Review)
Molly has sent in a review for Act Normal: Stan Turner Book 8 by William Manchee. In this 8th episode of the series Dallas attorney Stan Turner struggles to keep his practice going in the wake of the tragic loss of his son and his rapidly disintegrating marriage. Stan, who has been recruited by the CIA for its ultra top secret Tarizon Repopulation project, gets his first assignment to defend a woman accused of murdering her children and alien husband. The alien husband, however, is not from Mexico but Tarizon, a planet in another solar system. Stan must not only prove his client innocent but also make sure nobody finds out that the government is allowing aliens to live and propagate on Earth. While Stan is busy with his CIA project, Paula is asked to defend the accused in the arson-murder of a prominent scientist and his family... more»»
Molly Martin 31st March 2013 [9/10]
Review - Deadly Distractions Deadly Distractions by William Manchee
Average Review Rating Average Rating [9/10] (1 Review)
Molly has sent in a review for Deadly Distractions: Stan Turner Book 5 by William Manchee. After two tough years practicing law, Stan and his family take a well deserved vacation to Colorado. Unfortunately the vacation is cut short when a client is found standing over the body of a dead IRS agent. It appears to be an open and shut case since Dusty Thomas has had a long feud with the dead agent Bobby Tuttle, and more than enough motive to kill him, yet he claims to be innocent. Stan's new partner Paula Waters convinces Stan to finish his vacation promising to handle Dusty Thomas' arraignment and get an investigation underway. While Stan is away, she makes good on her promise and even manages to arrange financing for Dusty's defence. But Stan is mortified when he reads in the Colorado papers that a radical paramilitary group, the Citizens Defence Alliance or CDA, is doing the funding... more»»
Molly Martin 31st March 2013 [9/10]
Review -  WoolWool by Hugh Howey
Average Review Rating Average Rating [9/10] (1 Review)
Nigel has reviewed Wool by Hugh Howey. In a ruined and hostile landscape, in a future few have been unlucky enough to survive, a community exists in a giant underground silo. Inside, men and women live an enclosed life full of rules and regulations, of secrets and lies. To live, you must follow the rules. But some don't. These are the dangerous ones; these are the people who dare to hope and dream, and who infect others with their optimism. Their punishment is simple and deadly. They are allowed outside. Jules is one of these people. She may well be the last. An epic story of survival at all odds and one of the most anticipated books of the year... more»»
Nigel 9th March 2013 [9/10]
Review - State of MindState of Mind by Sven Michael Davison
Average Review Rating Average Rating [9/10] (1 Review)
Paul has sent in a review for State of Mind by Sven Michael Davison. In the not-too-distant future, freedom is just a word that you willingly trade for a dozen donuts, based on the dubious promise that you can eat what you want and never gain weight. You can also take drugs with no ill effects or call a friend while surfing the web without a phone or computer. All this and more will be yours following the simple installation of a P-Chip in your brain. After botching the arrest of the governor’s son in Los Angeles, Commander Jake Travissi is banned from law enforcement. The workaholic homicide cop spirals into depression...until he is given a rare second chance. The price? Volunteer for chip implantation and join Homeland Security’s experimental Enhanced Unit. The grisly assassination of a prominent Nobel Laureate brings the newly formed Unit on the scene to investigate. But as the body count rises, Jake begins to realize that his actions, and even his thoughts, are not his own... more»»
Paul Lappen 28th February 2013 [9/10]
Review - Care and Feeding of Sprites Care and Feeding of Sprites by Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black
Average Review Rating Average Rating [8/10] (1 Review)
Molly has sent in a review for The Spiderwick Chronicles: Care and Feeding of Sprites by Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black. When Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You was published, it revealed an unbelievable assortment of faeries, each one more exquisite than the next. Now, in this beautiful companion, readers are offered a detailed in-sight to one particularly prominent and intriguing species of faeries, the Sprites. Because of their easy nature, more and more Sprites have become part of the common household ~ often to the surprise of the people who live there ~ and many have been taken in as pets by those who have developed 'the Sight' to see them. Offering guidelines to keeping Sprites healthy and happy by learning how to identify them, feed them, dress them, and house them, this unique book shows these colourful faeries in their full glory... more»»
Molly Martin 28th February 2013 [8/10]
Review - Getting Rid of MatthewGetting Rid of Matthew by Jane Fallon
Average Review Rating Average Rating [9/10] (1 Review)
Jessica has sent in a review for Getting Rid of Matthew by Jane Fallon. What to do if Matthew, your secret lover of the past four years, finally decides to leave his wife Sophie and their two daughters and move into your flat, just when you're thinking that you might not want him anymore... PLAN A: Stop shaving your armpits. And your bikini line. Tell him you have a moustache that you wax every six weeks. Stop having sex with him. Pick holes in the way he dresses. Don't brush your teeth. Or your hair. Or pluck out the stray hag-whisker that grows out of your chin. Buy incontinence pads and leave them lying around. PLAN B: Accidentally on purpose bump into his wife Sophie. Give yourself a fake name and identity. Befriend Sophie. Actually begin to really like Sophie. Snog Matthew's son (who's the same age as you by the way. You're not a paedophile). Buy a cat and give it a fake name and identity. Befriend Matthew's children. Unsuccessfully. Watch your whole plan go absolutely horribly wrong... more»»
Jessica 28th February 2013 [9/10]
Review - Blue Friday Blue Friday by Mike French
Average Review Rating Average Rating [8/10] (1 Review)
Chrissi has reviewed Blue Friday by Mike French. In the Britain of 2034 overtime for married couples is banned, there is enforced viewing of family television (much of it repeats of old shows from the sixties and seventies), monitored family meal-times and a coming of age where twenty-five year-olds are automatically assigned a spouse by the state computer if they have failed to marry. Only the Overtime Underground network resists. Dystopian science fiction, Blue Friday tells of a future where many live in fear of the Family Protection Agency, a special police division enforcing the strict legislation that has been introduced to protect the family unit. Combining dark humour with a vision of the future that is almost an inverse of the classic dystopian nightmare of 1984, the latest novel from Mike French follows in the tradition of great Speculative Fiction satirists such as Jonathan Swift... more»»
Chrissi 31st January 2013 [8/10]
Review -  Camera 4Camera 4 by Martyn Ellington
Average Review Rating Average Rating [7/10] (1 Review)
Nigel has reviewed Camera 4 by Martyn Ellington. Many believe that a werewolf becomes such a beast by the full moon and takes human form again once the night has ended. But the oldest legends tell us that once you turn you are always the beast that lies within the darkest reassesses of your soul, for after it is let free it can never be controlled again. For a film crew investigating one such legend this night will provide them with the proof they didn't expect and a fight for their survival they didn't want and may not win. There is a beast in all of us. Can yours be controlled... more»»
Nigel 31st January 2013 [7/10]
Review - The Boy Who Played With Dark MatterThe Boy Who Played With Dark Matter by Holy Ghost Writer
Average Review Rating Average Rating [9/10] (1 Review)
Paul has sent in a review for The Boy Who Played With Dark Matter by Holy Ghost Writer. Zeddy, a 6 year old boy in the year 2099, finds himself setting out on an incredible adventure following the mysterious disappearance of his father. Zeddy discovers that there is more to the world than meets the eye and things in the universe that he never imagined. As the journey begins, Zeddy encounters sorcerers, strange creatures from another world, and a professor who may just hold the answers to the location of Zeddy's father. Unfortunately in 2099, the world is a much different place than now. An International Government rules the planet and attempts to thwart the search for Zeddy's father. Will Zeddy's adventure continue or will his father be lost forever... more»»
Paul Lappen 31st January 2013 [9/10]
Review - The Pleasure of my Company Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
Average Review Rating Average Rating [10/10] (2 Reviews)
Amber has sent in a review for Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin. In this delightful novel death is a beginning, a new start. Liz is killed in a hit-and-run accident and her 'life' takes a very unexpected turn. At nearly sixteen she knows she will never get married, never have children, and perhaps never fall in love. But in 'Elsewhere' all things carry on almost as they did on earth except that the inhabitants get younger, dogs and humans can communicate (at last), new relationships are formed and old ones, sadly interupted on earth, are renewed. Full of the most ingenious detail and woven around the most touching and charming relationships this is a novel of hope, of redemption and (literally) of re-birth. It is a novel that tells of sadness with heart-breaking honesty and of love and happiness with uplifting brilliance... more»»
Amber 31st January 2013 [10/10]
Review - The Killing of Hamlet The Killing of Hamlet by Ann Morven
Average Review Rating Average Rating [9/10] (1 Review)
Cathy Macleod has sent in a review for The Killing of Hamlet by Ann Morven. Visiting folksinger Sheil B. Wright, hired to sing old ballads, witnesses a real murder on stage during the premiere of a newly discovered Shakespeare play. The English village audience, however, see Sheil as the killer. To clear her name, she must challenge the hi-tech evidence of the British Police. She is a dunce at deduction but well versed in human folly and traumas of the heart. The assassin strikes again while experts squabble over authenticity of the Shakespeare manuscript. Sheil discovers the 400-year-old Shakespeare link to the modern murders, and this makes her the killer’s next target... more»»
Cathy Macleod 31st January 2013 [9/10]
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