A Review of Sick Bastards by Matt Shaw

So, I had to think very carefully about how I was going to review this book for various reasons. And I think the fact that the book comes with a warning will give you an idea why. The only reason I even picked up this eBook to begin with because I was dared to read it by a fellow book worm. Heed the book’s warning. Heed my warning: If you are in any way, shape, or form bothered by anything at all, do not read this book. With that said, I’ve actually read worse, but this is pretty bad.

The main character wakes up in a post apocalyptic world after a nuclear blast and he has no idea who he is. No name, no date of birth, no society he can reach in a dense wood. He is living with an older man, an older woman, and a young adult woman. There is only a family picture of them in the truck outside their cabin to show them that they are a family.

This book is a series of flashbacks mixed with present day events that weave this tale together for the reader. Though we are dropped right in the middle of an already unfolding story, every few pages we go back to the past, and that helps us to understand what’s going on. The elements of this story are the very basics in depravity: lust, incest, murder, rape, etc. This family is fighting their basest urges and protecting themselves against mutations outside their home.

I did not like this book at all. The characters are inhuman in the least. The storytelling was actually fairly good, but the subject matter and the all hope is lost ending left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I actually wanted to quick reading several times but the fact that this book was so short is the only thing that allowed me to keep reading. I give Sick Bastards a 2 out of 5 stars and only because I thought the writing style worked and the author did warn me that I mignt not  like it. The very fact this thing was written was an offense to me. Some things just need to stay in people’s heads. But at the same time, the finale of the book makes a great point into human psyche. I will leave it to you to decide…

A Review of The Watchmaker’s Hell: The Pit by LA Barnes

The Pit is book one in a series of four books. It begins with a group of people dropped randomly in hell. This story is told through the perspective of many different characters so I won’t get into one specific character as being the protagonist. Also, many characters are not what they seem so in order to not give anything away I won’t get into it much. The main conflict is a a war in hell some are trying to avoid while others are trying to figure out why they are in hell.

The character development in this book is exceptional. Each profile is given an extensive history and backstory. With that said, I feel like some of it is too much. This is an extremely long narrative and would serve its purpose better by cutting out some of it. As we navigate through perspectives there is a lot of rehashing of events both past and present and sometimes it becomes too redundant. This book shows there can be too much of a good thing. But honestly, this was my only complaint.

The story was told well and was always leaving me wanting more. There are a few twists that I wasn’t expecting and I was left wondering if what I was reading was the truth just like the characters. It’s fascinating to be left feeling betrayed because I often times felt very immersed in the plot.

Without giving too much away, my favorite sub plot was the reconnection of two characters, one who was the reincarnated lover of another. For most of the story I felt very drawn to them and their connection. I was rooting for them and vicariously living through their rekindling romance.

There is lots of foul language as well as sexual content both being discussed and implied acts. There are also a lot of religious overtones. The author goes into doctrines of many different belief systems. Besides being a bit too wordy in parts I did enjoy the book. I give it a 4 out of 5 stars and I think I would’ve given it a 5 if it had been edited more.

A Review of Revival by Stephen King

I finished this book a couple of weeks ago but I’ve had a crazy Christmas and New Year’s holiday with family visiting so I haven’t had time to write one up until now. Things have finally calmed down for me. I hope I can finally get some more reading done now.

Jamie Mortan first meets Pastor Charlie when he is only 6 years old. He comes to minister at the methodist church Jamie attends with his family. Even from this first meeting Jamie kn0ws that Pastor Charlie will be a lasting presence in his life.

This book doesn’t tell the details of a single event but rather gives an account of Jamie’s life and the many times Pastor Charlie has shown up, whether be coincidence or divine intervention. I feel like this is all I can tell you about this book without giving anything away as everything leads up to the big bang of an ending that this story has. What I can tell you is that we meet Jamie when he is six and his last account is in his sixties and his pastor friend has an unnatural fascination and grasp on electricity.

The pace of the book is unbelievably slow. All throughout I found myself at parts I really enjoyed but as soon as I started to really get into the story the arc would drop again into stuff I felt wasn’t necessary to the story. I think King was trying for a way to get the reader to really step into Jamie’s shoes but it became mundane too quickly.

With that said, the ending definitely went out with a bang. It is a slow lead up to a huge grand finale. But I’m not sure that I liked it even though it was intense. It was extremely bizarre with a major religious impact. That may be a turn off to some with strong religious convictions. I am a christian so that could be why I didn’t care for it. I generally like strange but this was a dismal strange to say the least.

I would say that it is my least favorite King work. I don’t think he was entirely successful in getting the reader to care for his characters and even though I can be a fan of slow burn horror, this was way too slow. I gave this one a 3 out of 5, the lowest I’ve ever scored a King book.

A Review of Alien: Out of the Shadows by Tim Lebbon

The events of Out of the Shadows take place right after Ellen Ripley is rescued from hyper sleep on board the Nostromo. This story is a canonical story that takes place in between the Alien film franchise installments 1 and 2, Alien and Aliens. It is now 37 years later and all Ripley wants to do is get back to earth to see her daughter who was 11 when she left. It is quite apparent after she is revived that the android that let the alien escape aboard the Nostromo has infiltrated the computer system after his body was destroyed. He is now hell bent on getting a xenomorph into a new human host so he can bring it and Ripley back to the corporation he works for on Earth, Weyland-Yutani.

I listened to this book in audiobook format. The first chapter is kind of slow as characters are introduced and background is established but after that this book is a non stop roller coaster thrill ride. It has every element of an Alien movie without the visual. But in this dialog driven story, you have the film running through your mind in real time. I was highly impressed.

As a full cast audio drama this works perfectly. Sigourney Weaver did not reprise her role of Ellen Ripley but the woman they got to voice the character was phenomenal and I had a hard time believing that it wasn’t Sigourney. I’m still not sure if I do. The characters were well developed and I began to like them enough to be affected if one of them died. I would say that the only real problem with the audio is that they used some radio transmissions and those were not clear enough. Some were obviously meant to be unintelligible but some had vital info that was really hard to understand.

Overall, I would give it a 5 out of 5. If you are a fan of the Alien franchise you will love this. It was fun, fast paced, and suspenseful. It ends on a cliffhanger and I absolutely can not wait to get the next audio book. This is one that I think would definitely be better in audio rather than book format. It’s set up like a radio program and puts me in mind of the suspense of classic radio programs like War of the Worlds. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.