We have some interesting choice of books that I think you would like. There
are huge cats, zombies, vampires and werewolves oh my! All your favorite
things of the season and each author has a unique take on each of these
characters. Well, as always enjoy
D.W. Jones
Xombies by Walter Greatshell
It seems that there has been a run on zombie books. Well,
since there was nothing in the library at the time I picked this up.
The cover was interesting and the book blurb sounded pretty
good. I wasn’t disappointed but it wasn’t as great as the concept
began.
You see the world through Lulu’s eyes, a young girl who
travels with her eccentric mother cross country to look for her
dead beat father. They finally arrive in an old vacation spot off
season and stay alone away from people. A month goes and
Lulu’s mother goes out for supplies. Only then do they find out
that the world has changed.
The world has been affected by Agent X. It changes women into deranged
psychopaths that can not be killed. They pass the infection to men while attacking
them. Now as Lulu and her mom look for help, her mother is infected and now Lulu is
on her own. She finds the landlord and together they find a base. But things there
aren’t what they seem. Now with the Agent X zombies coming after them and the fight
amongst the survivors, Lulu doesn’t know what kind of future she can expect.
Greatshell takes a very different approach to the whole zombie story, not necessary
the creation of zombies but the surrounding story. It is a very realistic approach which
makes this a scary element. Some items are a little unbelievable but it can be
overlooked. The characters are okay and but you don’t really care for them.
If you want something a little different in the zombie world, this maybe you book.
Ferocity by Stephen Laws
In looking for a book, I came across this one and it caught my
attention. It had some cool cover art and I never read anything
by Laws before. Ferocity is a good book that could be made into
the TV movie of the week.
Something has been stalking the people of the small town of
Numberland. Livestock have been taken and only one man
knows what is doing it. Drew Hall is a widower and has devoted
what life he has to find this thing. Noone believes him except for
Cath Lane, a writer mourning her own loss.
With his determination and Cath’s help, Drew captures one of
the beast and keeps it in his basement. Now the storm of the
century hits and he has more to worry about than the rain, another beast looking for
its mate. Will he and Cath survive the storm to tell the world of his prize?
Laws tells a good story that can be based in real life. The characters are convincingly
real and really keeps you interested in the storyline. Like I said in the beginning, it
would make for a good TV movie and that is not a bad thing. There are a few side
stories that add to the whole novel but aren’t necessarily part of the main story.
I recommend this book because it is a quiet read with a good storyline that is probably
a little predictable
A Drop of Scarlet by Jemiah Jefferson
I haven’t read a vampire book in quiet a while. I saw this book
and the praises and comparisons it got to Anne Rice and I was
intrigued. What I found was an extremely realistic approach to
vampirism that treats it as a disease. It was interesting and new
and definitely something I liked
The story takes you into the life of Ariane Dempsey, a vampire
trying to hang on to her human life while looking for a cure to help
her beloved John. She and another vampire made him but things
didn’t work out and he went mad.
After many tries she finally finds the cure to John’s illness, but
after trying it on herself. Ariane finds out that is does wonderful
things for her and now other vampires are looking to have some of this. Now her
world is coming apart as she has to provide this new drug to everyone, balance her
new life and fight to keep her love close to her.
Jefferson does an excellent job with this novel and takes an approach that I have
never seen. She speaks of all the characters in the first person. This give a unique
view of all of the characters and must of been quite a difficult thing to write. Her
characters are nicely written but not terribly exciting. But the storyline was nicely
written and keeps your interest.
If you looking for an original story on vampires, I recommend this book.
Shara by Steven E. Wedel
This was sent to our publisher and passed on to me. The
cover art was pretty good and something about the name got me
curious. I was definitely not disappointed and was pleasantly
surprised about this. Most books give you the before and after
picture but never in detail the middle. Wedel does a great job
with this.
The story tells you the life of Shara, a shy quiet girl with
overbearing parents and hardly any friends. After a life changing
moment in high school, she moves away to college and tries to
start fresh but finds it just as hard as high school. Suddenly she
is approached by a teacher promising to give a gift, a gift that will
give her strength and confidence, to never hide in the shadows. At a weak moment,
she says yes and she is changed forever.
Now she has to live her life as a werewolf and is taught by her teacher in the
beginning. But then he leaves so that she may find her own way. Will she succeed in
balancing a life as a werewolf and human or will she devolve in the familiar stereotype
of an out of control animal living only for the next kill?
Wedel does what I have only seen done for vampires. He gives the main character a
mentor and this is a fantastic idea and he does it with finesse. His characters are well
written and you feel for them. The storyline is unique in that it takes you from the
“attack”, the mentoring and the trials and tribulations of balancing human and
werewolf life outside the main character.
I strongly recommend this book for all werewolf fan and it is a must read.
Call to the Hunt by Steven E. Wedel
This is actually the first book I read by Wedel and gave me the
interest in reading Shara. Here Wedel put together a collection of
short stories about werewolves that is actually connected
throughout the entire collection.
I don’t want to give any of the stories away, one of my favorite
stories was Journey to a New World. It tells of the origin of Ulrik,
the thread throughout the book, his parents and how he adapts.
It is well told and you feel for the main characters. The other story
I did like was Call to the Hunt. I t tells of the story of a slave
running and his experience with Ulrik. This story is good because
you never know where you stand with the main character. It
keeps you on edge and wanting more.
Wedel does a good job with this collection and it really leaves wanting more and
wanting to know what happens in between these stories. He actually answers this with
his future books but this one gives you the taste of many characters. I recommend
this book because it starts you with the beginnings of a great series of books.
Zombies II: Inhuman by Eric S. Brown
Here is the second book here of zombies but this is different.
It gives you and updated view of the zombies and takes a
different that other books of this genre. It is a collection of short
stories about zombies which has a wide variety.
One of my favorite stories Evolution Like Lightning. It give you
a quite different look of the zombie and felt something I didn’t
expect. I won’t give it away but it surprises you. Another favorite
story was With an End in Sight. This takes you into the live of two
characters looking toward the end and what will eventually be a
way out.
Brown does something different with zombies that I have not
seen. It is fresh and good old fashioned storytelling. The
characters are simple but you feel for them. The stories are good but they tend to be
short leaving you wish he would stretch it out. I recommend this books for a quick
read and anyone who wants a change in the zombie scene.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
