Book Reviews
Review: “Empire State” by Adam Christopher
Rocket powered superheros, prohibition era bootleggers, private eyes, mysterious men in masks; and more twists and turns than you can imagine. Welcome to Adam Christopher’s Empire State, a Superhero-Noir Science Fiction story set in a dark distorted reflection of New York City of the ’30s.
Review: “Freedom (TM)” by Daniel Suarez
At its core, “Freedom (TM)” is a techno-thriller with elements of cyberpunk thrown in for fun. Suarez keeps the story moving at a good clip, creating some nicely done action sequences that could translate well to the big-screen whenever the movie version of the novels is made. But he also balances that out with sections examining the implications of technology and an over reliance on it.
Review: “The Hunter’s Blades” Trilogy by R. A. Salvatore
These are the first books by R. A. Salvatore that I’ve read. Now I know why he is a best seller. These books are not profound. They are not really awe-inspiring, even given the scope of the story. Aside from some journal entries by Drizzt, there is very little that is “deep” in these books.
But, they are a hell of a lot of fun to read, and surprisingly well written. I’m thinking I may have to check and see if he could indeed have written a good book based on Star Wars: Episode II.
Review: “Crater County” by Jonathan Miller
So there I am at Ice Escape, and a young man starts chatting me up about his book, Crater County: A Legal Thriller of New Mexico. It’s a slightly supernatural legal thriller, he says. And I says, “A slightly supernatural legal thriller? I don’t think I’ve ever read something like that.” And he says, “How’d you like to review the book?” I says, “Sure, why not?”
We said a lot.
Review: “Bitten” by K. L. Nappier
I am not familiar with Nappier’s previous work, so the Beast mythos was new to me. And I found myself reading on so that I could understand the rules involved in her take on the werewolf legends. Hunters David and Max had managed, within the first chapter, to bring an “incarnation” of the Beast. Usually, one stops once the werewolf is dead. But not in this universe.
Review: “The Prestige” by Christopher Priest
This is an odd, hard to define, impossible to put down book, first published in 1995, but out in a new paperback edition. The reason I’m bringing it to your attention is primarily due to news of an upcoming film: Christopher Nolan, director of Batman Begins and one of my personal favorites, Memento, will begin shooting an adaptation of The Prestige this month.
Review: “Platinum Pohl: The Collected Best Stories”
I’d never read Pohl before dipping into Platinum Pohl, but now I find myself eager to expand my Pohl-ian horizons. This is Grand Master science fiction at its finest. Each one of the stories in here is a gem, a well-crafted little machine.
Review: “Mercury Rises” by Robert Kroese
Mercury Rises is, above all things, a humorous book. It made me laugh, snicker, giggle, and snort (an embarrassing but satisfying thing to happen in the middle of a crowded room).
