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| Latest Book Reviews... |
 Mr.
Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
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] |
 Madam
President by Jerry Beller
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] |
The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester
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] |
 The
Prophet by Ethan Cross
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]
|
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
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] |
Disillusioned by William Manchee
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] |
Act Normal by William Manchee
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] |
Deadly Distractions by William Manchee
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] |
 Wool
by Hugh Howey
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]
|
 State
of Mind by Sven Michael Davison
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] |
Care and Feeding of Sprites by Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly
Black
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] |
 Getting
Rid of Matthew by Jane Fallon
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] |
 Blue
Friday by Mike French
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]
|
 Camera
4 by Martyn Ellington
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]
|
 The
Boy Who Played With Dark Matter by Holy Ghost Writer
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] |
Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
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] |
The Killing of Hamlet by Ann Morven
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] |
| Archives |
If you've come down this far you may
be interested in our Archives,
the place where all the old reviews go. 
|
| Column Ends |
|
Keith Rommel...
NewCon Press Sampler
...and a Happy New Year
hehehe...
Kindle Formatting Made Easy
