Podcast novelist (and self-proclaimed future dark overlord) Scott Sigler burst onto the horror scene a couple of years ago Infected. If you've read (or listened to) Sigler's original novel, I need only say two words to make you shudder involuntarily -- chicken scissors. [Read more...]
Review: "The Republic of Thieves" by Scott Lynch
December 2, 2013 by Michael Hickerson
After years of anticipation and speculation, Lynch returns to the universe of his Gentlemen Bastards with the long-awaited third installment, The Republic of Thieves. [Read more...]
Review: "Parasite" by Mira Grant
November 30, 2013 by Michael Hickerson
Mira Grant's first novel Feed was one of the best novels of its year, garnering critical praise, a legion of fans and making the short list for the Hugo Award.
It deserved every bit of that attention thanks in large part thanks to a new take on the zombie thriller and a couple of interesting twists along the way that made me eager for the next installment in the trilogy. Unfortunately, the final two segments of the Newsflesh trilogy never quite lived up to the high bar set by the first book. [Read more...]
Review: "Helen and Troy's Epic Road Quest" by A. Lee Martinez
November 14, 2013 by Michael Hickerson
Helen and Troy are just your ordinary, average young Americans who work together at minimum wage jobs in a fast food restaurant.
Well, except for the small detail that Helen is a minotaur and the two have been given an epic quest by a hamburger god. [Read more...]
Review: "Doctor Sleep" by Stephen King
October 31, 2013 by Michael Hickerson
When I heard that Stephen King was writing a sequel to what I consider one of his best novels The Shining, I was both eager and hesitant to pick it up. Part of me was eager to see where King would take the characters from the world of the Overlook Hotel in the sequel and hesitant because of the track record of other authors with "long awaited" sequels. [Read more...]
Review: "Redshirts" by John Scalzi
If you’ve ever watched an episode of classic Star Trek, you’re probably familiar with the old adage, “Don’t wear a red shirt.” Odds are you won’t survive until the first commercial break.
John Scalzi’s latest novel Redshirts delves into that old adage as well as several other tropes from not only classic Trek but many of our favorite genre series. [Read more...]
Review: "Star Wars: Red Harvest"
February 7, 2011 by Michael Hickerson
Following the success of last year's "Death Troopers," "Red Harvest" gives us another zombie/"Star Wars" mash-up. This time instead of zombies attacking and eating the brains of storm troopers, it's the Jedi taking on zombies. And not just any Jedi, mind you but an isolated training camp of Sith apprentices. On the surface it seems […]
Review: "Feed" by Mira Grant
February 7, 2011 by Michael Hickerson
"Feed" is fascinating, compelling and while it runs for close to 600 pages, the novel never feels long or drawn out. Grant expertly sets up the world within the first 100 pages and then slowly begins to examine the implications of what we've learned about her universe over the rest of the novel. [Read more...]
Review: "Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void" by Mary Roach
October 14, 2010 by Michael Hickerson
A fascinating look at the realities of space travel. Science fiction movies and novels dealing with long exploration missions to deep space rarely deal with the complexities of our bodies surviving during the long journey through space. Or as the old question asks, "Where does Captain Kirk go to the bathroom?" Mary Roach's "Packing for […]
Review: "Night of the Living Trekkies"
September 7, 2010 by Michael Hickerson
Ever since zombies invaded the pages of Jane Austen with great success, publishers have been searching for the next great mash-up novel. Earlier this year, we got “Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter,” a funny take on the historical biography that asked what if Honest Abe was really a vampire slayer? On the other end of the spectrum is the Hugo-nominated zombie/steampunk novel “Boneshaker.” [Read more...]
Review: "I Am Number Four" by Pittacus Lore
August 10, 2010 by Michael Hickerson
John Smith looks like your average teenager, but he's hiding a deep secret. He's one of nine survivors from the alien world, Lorien, who fled to Earth and who are being hunted down. Thanks to a curse, the nine survivors have to be hunted down and killed in a certain order. If not, they're virtually […]
Review: "Freedom (TM)" by Daniel Suarez
March 9, 2010 by Michael Hickerson
Last year, Daniel Suarez's "Daemon" left us on one heck of a cliffhanger. Now, "Freedom (TM)" picks up that cliffhanger, resolves it and delves even further into a scary but all too possible near future in which a computer bot can seemingly take over the world. In terms of story and characters, "Freedom (TM)" picks […]
Review: "Horns" by Joe Hill
March 9, 2010 by Michael Hickerson
"Horns" starts with two of the most ingenious opening paragraphs I've read in a long while about Ignatius Perrish waking up from having spent the night before doing horrible things and getting ready to do a lot more. Also, Ig (as he's called) has a pair of horns growing out of his head. Joe Hill […]
Review: "Star Trek: Inception"
February 13, 2010 by Michael Hickerson
"Star Trek" novels (and media tie-in novels in general) walk a very fine line when it comes to revisiting familiar elements from their original source material. This can especially be true when it comes to giving the details behind the romantic liaisons of various character that took place off screen but are referenced and alluded […]
Review: "Under the Dome" by Stephen King
February 13, 2010 by Michael Hickerson
If you're not careful Stephen King's latest tome may hurt you. Weighing it at close to 1100 pages and almost four pounds, "Under the Dome" is a return to form for one of the best-selling authors of the past thirty years. [Read more...]
Review: "The Walls of the Universe" by Paul Melko
July 16, 2009 by Michael Hickerson
I really, really liked Paul Melko's "The Walls of the Universe." The problem is I wanted to love it. The first third of the novel unfolds at a breathless pace as we meet John Rayburn and his double from a parallel universe, John Prime. Prime has come to John's universe with a device that allows […]
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