Made in DNA
If you're a fan of 80s and 90s B sci-fi sexploitation movies then you're going to dig Moctezuma Johnson's Triangulum Stain. Utilizing male human body fluids against humanity as a weapon of replication, aliens invade the small town of Beaver Lick, Arizona. Fortunately, a group of hot female government agents are ready to do what it takes to save the planet.
Tongue firmly in cheek, Johnson penned this short work, to give readers a good laugh. Don't let that fool you thought, there are plenty of hardcore scenes, sexy honeys and manly man.
I look forward to this author's next sexploitation sci-fi work.
The story of Oscar and Doug, two life-long friends since kindergarten, Beer Craft Burning is a slice-of-life thriller with a microbrewery aficionado touch. As with Carl's other work, the novel concentrates heavily on the characters and their relationships with the others. Human to the core, they are flawed, giving the reader exactly whatever reader needs to connect and invest in them.
While revolving around the microbrewery scene, the book does not force the reader to understand any complicated “lingo” or processes to understand exactly what is going on. As a non-beer drinker myself, I found the information on beer crafting and the brewery scene to balanced perfectly to the point of being inviting.
Finally, as he proved with his first series, Gray Areas, the author proves that he not only knows the beer crafting scene intimately, but he's a native of the area he's writing about. Born in the Midwest, Carl knows the people, places and culture he's writing about. This isn't researched writing, this is a living perspective.
To be honest, this was a tough read. There points at which I thought it was a little too long-winded, especially the last chapter and the epilogue. There were points at which I really didn't know what was going on. There were other points I couldn't remember which character (Gary and Jim) was which (actually, I'm still a little confused). I'm not a fan of fiction where one friend's the jerk and the other is the nice guy; it just turns me off. This book starts off that way, but fortunately, it doesn't last the whole book.
Is the book bad? No, I don't think it's bad, but it just wasn't my thing. I thought it was going to be as the premise is interesting, but it just went in directions I couldn't fathom. Some readers will enjoy this of course, because, most definitely, it doesn't follow the pattern of normal zombie novels. In fact, it turns “reverse” zombie near the end where the zombies are the ones in danger from live humans. (Not a spoiler.)
I think people's mileage is going to vary on this one.
What happens when the world breaks down and the teens take over and then grow up? BE NICE. An interesting premise for a novel, and certainly one that has both strong roots and presence in our own world. This was not a difficult read, but some readers' mileage may vary as it didn't click perfectly with me.
I think the narrative “failed” me as a reader though were the extremely short “battle” scenes where action was too quick. Granted real fights and action are probably very similar to the book (over in a minute or so), but in a novel, readers expect a slow blow-by-blow description that is more like a movie.
I did enjoy the overall messages of the book; the biggest being: There is no one answer to the world's problems. So the book is not without merit, it might actually make for a great young adult novel if some of the violence were toned down. There wasn't too much of it to begin with, but there is a smidgeon.
BLECH - Great cover, horrible book. Steer clear.
This book proves that you can sell ANYTHING with a great cover. And that's exactly WHAT and ALL that this book has going for it. Terrible plotting that explained NOTHING as to the existence of the titular character or why the villainous corporate schmuck wanted her, horrible characters who had no redeeming value to them whatsoever, swearing for the sake of swearing (and swearing doesn't bother me). I read this book 2 years ago, and all the disgust I felt over reading it the first time hit me like a sack of bricks when I happened to catch sight it here at Amazon again by accident. I was perfectly happy to forget I set fire to money when I purchased it, and frankly, I'd rather set fire to my own head before I bought anything else by this author.
Rich, diverse, and cunning characters face off in a deadly world of endless war and scheming to solve the mystery of a dead comrade.
As a first time reader of Ms Hurley's work, I was stunned by the thought, care and ingenuity that when into devising this world. It stands out as a superior example of transhuman science fiction. I became an immediate fan. I WILL be picking up the GOD'S WAR trilogy after reading this.
Absolutely brilliant worldbuilding and relatable characters.
Colony ship in the depths of space on a long-term journey (to destination unknown!)
Stratification of classes.
Machiavellian schemes.
Brutal deaths.
Mysterious figures.
Living technology.
Such a wonderfully dark book.
The Good Morning terrorists are a group of seemingly unassociated teenagers ranging from 14 to 16. The one thing they all have in common though are missing memories. When Section 9 gets involved they are able to bring one of the boys, they dive into his e-brain to look for clues!
The Lost Memory was written by Junichi Fujisaku, who was a script writer (at the behest of Mamoru Oshii) for the Ghost in the Shell Complex TV series. Thus this novel contains the same grit, action, suspense and well-devised plot as the series did. Mr Fujusaku understands the characters that Shirow Masamune has created, and he faithfully re-creates them.
I was NOT expecting this book to be as good as it was. I picked it up for cheap and expected it to be one of the million run-of-the-mill amateur military SF novels. What I got was two ex-military professionals turned novelists channeling David Drake – pure excellence. What really set this 5-star review in stone was the fact that this first novel is a full novel in and of itself – there's nothing more to buy. The authors are not trying to capitalize on a multi-part novel that forces you to purchase 3 books to get the full story. Gritty, bloodsoaked, intelligent. I will be picking up further novels in this series.
Nearly every single resident in the mountain town of Snowfield, Colorado has disappeared. Now it's up to a military Biological Investigations Unit, to find out why.
A creepy book! I really loved it. Koontz knows how to keep an audience enthralled in a premise. Despite the title, this is not a ghost story. Recommended for sci-fi and biological thriller fans.
What would you do if you were confronted with a serial killer? Go to the police? Are you sure?
This short 180-page novella is perfect for quick reads between whatever you have going. Dead on in its characterization of both American and Japanese characters, its vivid scenery, its execution, and its portrayal of the Japanese society at this current point in time.
It's a realistic, grisly read that will make the hair on the back of your neck stand on end.
Set in the future, this is the story of Avery Cates who is not exactly a model citizen. In fact, if he had things his way, he would see the entirety of “society” and corrupt world government toppled. However, when he is approached by a man who wishes to hire him to assassinate the head of the Electric Church, he is going to need a helping hand from both government agents and the seedy underworld as well.
A post-cyberpunk book with heavy dystopian leanings. While I couldn't give it five stars, I did liked it. It lost a star because I felt it was a bit depressing and not always as compelling as I wished it had been. However, it did have several fine twists and will be checking out more of Jeff Somers work.
I am not a fan of YA fiction, but after I saw the preview for the upcoming Jackson movie version, I decided I needed to check out the original. I was pleasantly surprised I did, and I even bought the second book in the series. (Thankfully all the books are stand-alone stories, as I can't stand having to read 3 to 4 books just to get the full story.)
Set in a future distant from our own on a post-apocalyptic Earth devastated by war, the young protagonist, Tom who is on the cusp of becoming a a man, discovers all that he believes in and idolizes, is a thin veneer of lies by adults who wish to keep himself and the rest of his beloved city-on-wheels, London, in the dark. An assassination attempt literally throws his world into chaos as he discovers, first-hand, pirates, slavers, the enemy of the state, and death at every turn.
What really shook my foundation of belief that YA books are “childish” was the death and destruction in the novel. Not only was there death, but there was violent death. Not overly descriptive, but told straight-forward enough and well enough that there was no question as to what was happening. This may be simply my own inexperience with YA novels, but it was refreshing in a way, and I will be reading the series in complete. Kudos to the author on such beautiful world and character creation.
Otherland, is the story of several key players based in different parts of the world, who race to understand the virtual reality system–and the people who rule it–that has incorporated itself into the world at large, including the third-world: a woman consumed in finding a cure for her brother within the VR, a man trapped within a separate version of the realm seeking a way out, an aboriginal man on a quest, a wheel-chair confined man under house arrest, and others. The VR world is a vast, unlimited, golden realm of play and fun, it is also a dark and horrible world as possibly envisioned in the mind of Clive Barker; will the secrets hidden within be worth the sacrifices the protagonists have to make?
Tad Williams is a sharp writer of wit and thought. Richly written, this book will keep you enthralled for hours on end, which is saying a lot, considering the thickness of the book, and the volumes the complete story covers. Highly recommended.
Old-school, high-concept space opera. Really dug it, but as a lot of people remark, the stories of the aliens get a little redundant after a while. I wonder if the time spent on telling their tales couldn't have been better spent on exploration of the planet and its deadly inhabitants in the latter half of the book. Looking forward to the second and third books, but not without slight trepidation that they might not live up to expectation (as this book did not for some).
Spellbinding!
Set in the far future after man and AI-kind have settled Mars, this is the story of a place called Desolation Road, a town started by one man, where nothing existed before, and nothing was EVER supposed to exist. Yet, as the city grows in size, the story grows in scope, to cover generations of the original inhabitants and their ancestors. Life, death, birth, war, deception, betrayal, religion, sex and love...
For lovers of cyberpunk, biopunk, and space opera.
This is a book that would have appealed to my adolescent self. The story of a “naive” robot who is suddenly ‘transported' into unimaginable new world and finds she needs the help of a ‘genius' misfit who himself is utterly taken with the idea of an intelligent robot. Boy meets robot girl. Very 80s gag-me chic. Consequently I didn't finish the book; it was THAT boring.
Hardcore from beginning to end. Gabino Iglesias has always been a top tier indie author, but Zero Saints is a whole new level of crime thriller. Tense and gut-wrenching it holds your cojones in a vice for the entire novel. Filled with blood, gore and violence, yet every word is an exercise in elegance. The author digs deep into the darkness within all our hearts – our doubts, fears, the skeletons we thought we'd buried, the waking nightmares we cannot outrun – and exposes them in our reading relationship to the protagonist. Well-thought out. Perfectly paced. Realistically crafted. Just beautiful.
Excellent book. Excellent translation.
I'm confused. Why is it that other reviewers think that ‘something is lost in translation'? As a translator, I would consider that one of the biggest insults there is.
People, PROFESSIONAL tranlators are chosen for these jobs. They are persons who have worked for many, many, many years in the original language (Japanese in this case). Unless your Japanese is better than theirs', or you comprehend Japanese on par with them, how can you EVEN CONSIDER making such a statement!?
Have I read the original? YES. Do I comprehend Japanese? YES. And I am telling you, if you have any problems with the style, look no further than the original.
Do I think the original is lacking in anything? Most certainly not. They are both fine books. I enjoyed the Japaense original and the English translation.
Fantastic work about the far future in which vampires have given Earth its greatest technological advances after normal humans destroyed the world. Known as the Nobility, they are the rulers of a world that is dying with them. Inhabited by monsters and demons, the Earth is an amalgation of technology and medival settings. Similar to King's Gunslinger world in idea setting.
A fun read.
Read part of it. Not really my thing. Was given to me by a friend who doesn't know my tastes very well so I gave it 3 (average) stars.
It's an excellent study in short (serial) fiction from Japan during the Meiji Period.
Inspector Hanshichi has been an inspector in old Edo for decades, solving everything from mysteries to murders. Well-known and respected, he has the support of younger men under his wing. It is one of these men to whom the Inspector recounts the greatest mysteries he has faced.
Combining Japanese myth with mayhem, murder and mischievousness, this collection of 14 short stories is a fantastic look at life in Japan's capital nearly 200 years ago. Incorporates elements of the supernatural, history and fine arts.
If you love Rampo Edogawa or Sherlock Holmes, you'll devour CCoIH with relish.
Reality-based comedy. Dave Barry isn't a guru on Japanese culture by any stretch of the imagination, and this book is now pretty dated as it was published about ten years ago, but it was a funny read back in the day. And now that I live in Japan, I think I might give it a read again.
I read this in college when the unabridged version was re-introduced. It really shook me up in a way. It seeded my mind with the what-if horror factor of our existence on this planet. It's fiction, and yet, it seems completely plausible especially now that we are experiencing a H1N1 flu epidemic.
Great characterization interwoven with a modern-day setting and mythical/spiritual creatures. Tends to be a bit ‘wordy' but I loved every word of it.
