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2013 Books For Forum Members
First book of 2013!
1) Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz - have not read a book by him in a long time. His earlier works that invariably started out as stories with supernatural elements and ended up as some sort of government conspiracy gradually turned me off. Struck me as a B-grade King clone back then.
Now I was surprised by this one. Great concepts and character in a book peopled with interesting characters. Not as good as The Dresden Files but I would not be adverse to reading another book by him and about this character. Sad and funny, often at the same time. This one engaged me emotionally.
1) Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz - have not read a book by him in a long time. His earlier works that invariably started out as stories with supernatural elements and ended up as some sort of government conspiracy gradually turned me off. Struck me as a B-grade King clone back then.
Now I was surprised by this one. Great concepts and character in a book peopled with interesting characters. Not as good as The Dresden Files but I would not be adverse to reading another book by him and about this character. Sad and funny, often at the same time. This one engaged me emotionally.
Comments
Up next my first exposure to Ramsey Campbell. Heard a lot about him so I am looking forward to finding out what he is like.
2) Shadows & Tall Trees - Volume 4 - edited by Michael Kelly - an independent horror anthology which is Mike's pet project - full confession I have met Mike several times and he is a great guy. Mike's aim with this series is more low key psychological horror and each volume improves upon the previous. This volume has great stories in it.
My fav was, 'We Don't Keep In Touch Anymore,' by Ralph Robert Moore. A tale of ghosts and loss.
2) Shadows & Tall Trees - Volume 4 - edited by Michael Kelly
3) The Twelve by Justin Cronin - partial - finished the last quarter.
From the 2012 thread
Completing the book reinforced my previous points. I found the book's jumbled timeline a real momentum killer but Cronin's craft with creating characters I care about is such that I was quite emotional during the final few chapters.
If it wasn't for that, I would not read the third book. And I fear a long revisit into the past in the third book maybe in order to flesh out Zero. Another annoying trend was Cronin taking the story up to moments of conflict that had been well setup only to jump forward and then tell what happened after the fact. Not a fan of that style of story telling.
This series had the scope and potential to become the next big thing Apocolyptic novel but as of this point in the story, this series will not supplant The Stand for me.
Curious as to what the general reception for The Twelve has been and Cronin's reaction/book sales have been.
For me, The Twelve is definitely a dissapointment.
2) Shadows & Tall Trees - Volume 4 - edited by Michael Kelly
3) The Twelve by Justin Cronin
4) Dresden Files: Blood Rites, the 6th book in the series, by Jim Butcher. Man, Butcher really puts Harry through the ringer. Dresden showed more power as a wizard than ever before but the cost of that was a permanent(?) physical infirmity and the discovery that his newly found power is tapping into a source of dubious nature. We learned more about Harry's family background and the discovery he has a half brother, who just happens to be a vampire. Harry finds upon his body a sigil mark of a talisman he believe securely locked away. He also learns his mentor, Ebenezar McCoy, is the Wizard's clean up man, who gets to break all the rules that he taught Harry should never be broken, and all other Wizards live by. Powerful stuff.
All that and the slow teasing that the feelings between him and his long time police contact, Karrin Murphy, maybe moving beyond friendship and heading towards something more. Given Harry's track record that would be a dangerously bad idea.
Oh and Harry ended up with a dog too. Of course it is no ordinary dog.
I'm definitely hooked on this series.
Not finishing - Creatures of the Pool by Ramsey Campbell - guess I picked the wrong book because this one is dull and soggy. Gave up after a third of the way through it.
2) Shadows & Tall Trees - Volume 4 - edited by Michael Kelly
3) The Twelve by Justin Cronin
4) Dresden Files: Blood Rites by Jim Butcher
5) Dresden Files: Dead Beat by Jim Butcher the 7th book in the Dresden series - Dead Beat. Seeds laid in the previous book come to the forefront right away in this book.
Really enjoying the character arc and growth for Harry. His power has grown substantially from the first book and so too have the choices Harry has to make. And the price he has to pay.
6) RedShirts by John Scalzi - A fun, quick read. It niftily skewers the model of TV writing that grew out of shows of the original Star Trek and it's ilk.
TV writing often operates under the dictum of, 'Don't need it good, need it Tuesday.'
Definitely a fun read but my biggest laugh was Scalzi's afterword where he boasts that Stargate:Universe, which he worked in, was a better written show than the Star Treks. S:U may have given its Redshirts more meaningful deaths but it had so many other writing problems.
Clever of Scalzi to take an oft discussed TV trope and turn it into a novel.
2) Shadows & Tall Trees - Volume 4 - edited by Michael Kelly
3) The Twelve by Justin Cronin
4) Dresden Files: Blood Rites by Jim Butcher
5) Dresden Files: Dead Beat by Jim Butcher
6) RedShirts by John Scalzi
7) Twenty-First Century King by Bev Vincent - many out there review King's works and your voice is one of the most clear and perceptive. I really enjoyed reading your takes on King's works since 2000 and on. Your insights at the least, crystallize concepts and themes King tackles; while often providing food for thought and new ways to view King's writing.
I treated this like candy, reading one review a day and was really sad when I reached the end.
Congrats on a job well done and another welcome addition to my King library.
PS - WebTV indeed! :D
2) Shadows & Tall Trees - Volume 4 - edited by Michael Kelly
3) The Twelve by Justin Cronin
4) Dresden Files: Blood Rites by Jim Butcher
5) Dresden Files: Dead Beat by Jim Butcher
6) RedShirts by John Scalzi
7) Twenty-First Century King by Bev Vincent
8) The Girl In The Glider by Brian Keene
A very raw and naked bout of self catharsis disguised thinly as a ghost story. This is an unflinching, warts and all, recounting of the hardships of being a midlister writer in today's world of brutal economics. Tough life if its the only skill set you have and never has the advice of not quitting your day job been more relevant. This story lays out a world other such writers like the recently deceased Rick Hautala are all too familar with.
An emotional experience for both writer and reader.
BTW Bev gets a mention in this story too.
9) Rita Hayworth & The Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King Reread this for our next Lilja&Lou podcast. Still a wonderful story but the movie is one of those rare cases where the adaptation exceeds the source material.
1) Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
2) Shadows & Tall Trees - Volume 4 - edited by Michael Kelly
3) The Twelve by Justin Cronin
4) Dresden Files: Blood Rites by Jim Butcher
5) Dresden Files: Dead Beat by Jim Butcher
6) RedShirts by John Scalzi
7) Twenty-First Century King by Bev Vincent
8) The Girl In The Glider by Brian Keene
9) Rita Hayworth & The Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King
10) Double Feature is a true delight! Congrats to Owen King. I am left with the conclusion that he is a man wiser than his years.
DF is a book filled with great characters, great life insights. It covers the spectrum of emotions and made me laugh outright at several passages.
What more can one ask for in a book?
Did anyone figure out who Bea's boyfriend is? I inclined to think it's - GASP! - Tom.
2) Shadows & Tall Trees - Volume 4 - edited by Michael Kelly
3) The Twelve by Justin Cronin
4) Dresden Files: Blood Rites by Jim Butcher
5) Dresden Files: Dead Beat by Jim Butcher
6) RedShirts by John Scalzi
7) Twenty-First Century King by Bev Vincent
8) The Girl In The Glider by Brian Keene
9) Rita Hayworth & The Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King
10) Double Feature By Owen
11) Wool by Hugh Howey A good book. A very good book. No signs of this being a self-published book in terms of edit checks and proof reading. The book hangs together very well with only a slight sag in the last quarter where the pacing is a bit off. Things drag a little in that section and then rush few some big moments in the last couple of chapters.
Howey has built up a very interesting concept in a dystopian future and peopled it with engaging characters most notably the protagonist - Juliette or Jules. And she is a jewel. There are many touching moments. All of it takes place in the small 140 level world of the Silo. Where society classes are built based on level location and function.
I look forward to further tales in the world of Wool.
2) Shadows & Tall Trees - Volume 4 - edited by Michael Kelly
3) The Twelve by Justin Cronin
4) Dresden Files: Blood Rites by Jim Butcher
5) Dresden Files: Dead Beat by Jim Butcher
6) RedShirts by John Scalzi
7) Twenty-First Century King by Bev Vincent
8) The Girl In The Glider by Brian Keene
9) Rita Hayworth & The Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King
10) Double Feature By Owen
11) Wool by Hugh Howey
12) Prophet of Bones by Ted Kosmatka - literally a real page turner. I knocked off over a 100 pages in my first sitting. This is a Michael Crichtonesque style thriller. The prose is lean and clean - complex emotional beats and ideas reduced to tight single lines of writing. It all revolves around a unique find of ancient human bones and the book is filled with much scientific jargon around genetics but never becomes dull or boring. The book dwells in the same conspiracy theater that other tomes such as The DaVinci Code do.
The interesting thing about the author is that he works as a writer for the videogame company Valve - maker of the classic Half Life series and Portal games. He writes the same brisk pace and economy of words employed with video games. Not my normal cup of tea but I enjoyed.
The major caveat with the book - as with most books of this type or TV shows - Hello Lost & X-Files - the buildup surpasses the payoff.
2) Shadows & Tall Trees - Volume 4 - edited by Michael Kelly
3) The Twelve by Justin Cronin
4) Dresden Files: Blood Rites by Jim Butcher
5) Dresden Files: Dead Beat by Jim Butcher
6) RedShirts by John Scalzi
7) Twenty-First Century King by Bev Vincent
8) The Girl In The Glider by Brian Keene
9) Rita Hayworth & The Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King
10) Double Feature By Owen
11) Wool by Hugh Howey
12) Prophet of Bones by Ted Kosmatka
13) Red Planet Blues by Robert J. Sawyer
Incorporating the first 10 chapters of Robert Sawyer's Identity Theft into this book, the story continues in this book answering all the dangling threads. This is a fun SF/mystery/noire mash up that pays hommage to stories like The Maltese Falcon.
The ability to transfer bodies to artificially constructed bodies keeps you guessing until the end who is whom. And who will live or die. This is a change of pace from Sawyer's previous novels as it does not contain any big idea concepts and is focused mainly on human motivations.
Rob's next book returns to the big idea concept and a very fascinating one at that. I eagerly anticipate that one but until then this is an excellent change of pace. Will we ever get to see Alex Lomax again? I wonder as his story does not seem finished...
Now reading The Dark Tower Companion by Bev Vincent
Hope you enjoy it!
2) Shadows & Tall Trees - Volume 4 - edited by Michael Kelly
3) The Twelve by Justin Cronin
4) Dresden Files: Blood Rites by Jim Butcher
5) Dresden Files: Dead Beat by Jim Butcher
6) RedShirts by John Scalzi
7) Twenty-First Century King by Bev Vincent
8) The Girl In The Glider by Brian Keene
9) Rita Hayworth & The Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King
10) Double Feature By Owen
11) Wool by Hugh Howey
12) Prophet of Bones by Ted Kosmatka
13) Red Planet Blues by Robert J. Sawyer
14) The Dark Tower Companion by Bev Vincent
Besides a personally guided tour by Stephen King himself, no one could do more a more insightful overview of The Dark Tower saga, and by extension the body of King's works, than Bev Vincent.
Long acknowledged a master of King lore, Bev uses that acumen to succinctly tie everything together. Not only does the book include a handy reference guide to the major characters, places, themes and tie-ins, but in typical Vincent fashion, Bev raises interesting possibilities beyond the material itself. Some are conjecture. Others of an insight that only comes to those mastered in their subject.
Bev Vincent proves himself a King Master with this book.
Well done, Bev!
2) Shadows & Tall Trees - Volume 4 - edited by Michael Kelly
3) The Twelve by Justin Cronin
4) Dresden Files: Blood Rites by Jim Butcher
5) Dresden Files: Dead Beat by Jim Butcher
6) RedShirts by John Scalzi
7) Twenty-First Century King by Bev Vincent
8) The Girl In The Glider by Brian Keene
9) Rita Hayworth & The Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King
10) Double Feature By Owen
11) Wool by Hugh Howey
12) Prophet of Bones by Ted Kosmatka
13) Red Planet Blues by Robert J. Sawyer
14) The Dark Tower Companion by Bev Vincent
15) Blue November Storm by Brian James Freeman This was a quick read - a novella length story about a shared dark secret between 5 men who are High School Football Buddies known as the Lightning Five. This bears much similarity to King's DreamCatcher. I would have preferred a longer book length version of the story to flesh out the characters and their back story more. Great illustrations by Glenn Chadbourne.
2) Shadows & Tall Trees - Volume 4 - edited by Michael Kelly
3) The Twelve by Justin Cronin
4) Dresden Files: Blood Rites by Jim Butcher
5) Dresden Files: Dead Beat by Jim Butcher
6) RedShirts by John Scalzi
7) Twenty-First Century King by Bev Vincent
8) The Girl In The Glider by Brian Keene
9) Rita Hayworth & The Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King
10) Double Feature By Owen
11) Wool by Hugh Howey
12) Prophet of Bones by Ted Kosmatka
13) Red Planet Blues by Robert J. Sawyer
14) The Dark Tower Companion by Bev Vincent
15) Blue November Storm by Brian James Freeman
16) N0S4A2 by Joe Hill
I loved this book! This one does what the best books do - connects with the reader emotionally. N0S4A2 creates an inscape reading reality inhabited by characters that you care about more and more as the story goes along. Joe Hill continues to create quirky, flawed characters that makes me feel positive and negative thoughts. By the time the story ends, my negative thoughts are forgotten. The Brat is one of the most interesting and flawed characters I have run across in a long time.
While Manx is the story's titular antagonist, it is his sidekick - Bing Patridge - who is the most revolting and terrifying. For he is a simple fellow that has managed to built his own complex inscape that allows him to carry out atrocities all the while believing he is doing good works. Scary.
This is my favorite type of story - bittersweet triumph tinged with sadness, gratefulness, and hope.
These are great days indeed when there are books to be read from not just Stephen King but his sons - Owen and Joe - too.
2) Shadows & Tall Trees - Volume 4 - edited by Michael Kelly
3) The Twelve by Justin Cronin
4) Dresden Files: Blood Rites by Jim Butcher
5) Dresden Files: Dead Beat by Jim Butcher
6) RedShirts by John Scalzi
7) Twenty-First Century King by Bev Vincent
8) The Girl In The Glider by Brian Keene
9) Rita Hayworth & The Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King
10) Double Feature By Owen
11) Wool by Hugh Howey
12) Prophet of Bones by Ted Kosmatka
13) Red Planet Blues by Robert J. Sawyer
14) The Dark Tower Companion by Bev Vincent
15) Blue November Storm by Brian James Freeman
16) N0S4A2 by Joe Hill
17) Joyland by Stephen King 283 pages & it felt like reading a short story. Eyes got prickly a few times. Another book with some memorable characters. As usual, well done Mr. King. Well done.
2) Shadows & Tall Trees - Volume 4 - edited by Michael Kelly
3) The Twelve by Justin Cronin
4) Dresden Files: Blood Rites by Jim Butcher
5) Dresden Files: Dead Beat by Jim Butcher
6) RedShirts by John Scalzi
7) Twenty-First Century King by Bev Vincent
8) The Girl In The Glider by Brian Keene
9) Rita Hayworth & The Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King
10) Double Feature By Owen
11) Wool by Hugh Howey
12) Prophet of Bones by Ted Kosmatka
13) Red Planet Blues by Robert J. Sawyer
14) The Dark Tower Companion by Bev Vincent
15) Blue November Storm by Brian James Freeman
16) N0S4A2 by Joe Hill
17) Joyland by Stephen King
18) The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
Wecker paints a romantic picture of times gone by - in New York circa 1899 & Syria - thousands of years ago. Two characters of folklore - Chava - a female golem and Ahmad - a male jinni. One a creature of cool earth and the other of a mercurial fire.
The mixing of historical New York with not one but two mythical characters allows for some fascinating dramatic explorations. It also provides not one but two unique perspectives on mankind - both pro & con.
It is also a love story about two creatures trying to cross the gulf of their very natures to connect with mankind and each other.
It all ties together a bit too neatly in the end but because of one's affection for these characters you have no qualms in granting the writer dispensation for it. Plus even though the main points of the story are tied up, with one loose end - Sophia, a young socialite acquaintance of Ahmad's fate is unclear, it is left to the reader to speculate on where the remaining characters go next.
An enchanting read.
2) Shadows & Tall Trees - Volume 4 - edited by Michael Kelly
3) The Twelve by Justin Cronin
4) Dresden Files: Blood Rites by Jim Butcher
5) Dresden Files: Dead Beat by Jim Butcher
6) RedShirts by John Scalzi
7) Twenty-First Century King by Bev Vincent
8) The Girl In The Glider by Brian Keene
9) Rita Hayworth & The Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King
10) Double Feature By Owen King
11) Wool by Hugh Howey
12) Prophet of Bones by Ted Kosmatka
13) Red Planet Blues by Robert J. Sawyer
14) The Dark Tower Companion by Bev Vincent
15) Blue November Storm by Brian James Freeman
16) N0S4A2 by Joe Hill
17) Joyland by Stephen King
18) The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
19) Black Hills aka Paha Sapa by Dan Simmons
This book totally caught me off guard and blew me away. Plain & simple. Partially because it does not seem to garner the same attention Simmons's other recent books do. And partially while I enjoy reading Simmons's books, he favors world building to that of character and I always find his characters somewhat cool and aloof. Not so with Paha Sapa. What a remarkable character and what a remarkable story Simmons tells about and through him.
I found the integration of his story with the history that was taking place during his life, plus the glimpses into other times, the most compelling of any book Simmoins has done to date.
In some aspects, and I mean this in the most complimentary way, this is like Simmon's version of Stephen King's - The Dead Zone. The tragedy that Paha Sapa endured for the majority of his life was heart breaking and I loved how you handled his life after meeting his granddaughter.
The recounting of the construction of Mount Rushmore, the Chicago World Fair of 1893, the building of the Brooklyn Bridge, the exploration of George Custer and his wife, plus the glimpses of the world past, present, and future; all so engrossing and fascinating.
Just looking at all the research material and people Simmons conversed with is staggering.
And it all comes together so seamlessly to so poignantly tell the life story of this Sioux, or Lakota or Natural Free Human Being.
This is now my favorite Simmons book.