Tag Archives: book

December 17, 2012 · 3:53 pm

Book Review – Bloodtrail by David R Lewis

Yes, yes, hello one and all! TrueJDK still slogging away through the hardships of life, and valiantly making it on here with a belated review. My apologies. Links for this will be at the bottom of the page (you know the score), and on with a review of Bloodtrail by David R Lewis available in e-book and traditional format through Amazon.

Synopsis: Casey is pretty much a model prisoner. Keeps himself to himself. Nobody messes with him in the yard, no one wants on his bad side. Especially when staying on his good side means that he can share a little of his healing ability – even to those with a medical death sentence. However, it’s that kind of skill that can get a man noticed on the outside. And when a curious party comes calling for the mysterious healer, Casey finds himself having to bust out of prison and on the run. Sharing his secrets, falling in love, tracking his long lost daughter, and ripping open the occasional neck or two. Life ain’t easy for a vampire, these days.

Yes. There. Let’s say it. Vampire. Or, rather Nosferati, as the undead are known by in Bloodtrail. It’s become an eye-rolling cliche. Another fragging vampire book. In fact, a vampire love story. Cue much banging-the-head-against-the-desk actions.

Or, there again, hold on. No sparkly vampires here. No twinkling in the daylight. No moping angst (well, only a little). In fact, the book kicks off with a bit of graphic sex and blood-letting. “Ah, so it’s True Blood-esque!” I hear you cry. And… no. Not really.

It’s getting harder and harder to reinvent the monsters these days. Zombies, werewolves, vampires, angels, they’re all being given the sparkly-glowy/historic parody/vicious and bloodthirsty/reinterpreting/whole mythos makeover. So, kudos to Lewis, who seems to have shrugged at all that and switched from trying so hard to be new and different, that it comes quite easily within the story to be just that.

The Nosferati owe a definite nod to the traditional vampire, but work a little more grounded in reality. Kind of. No burning in the sunshine and whatnot. Blood, yes. They still need blood, but there’s a kind of scientific explanation behind it, which still works with the elements of the supernatural.

Which ties in nicely with the story of Casey, our 400yr old vam… Nosferati, as he joins forces with Moira Flynn. She wants to know the secret of his healing skills. He wants to find his vam… Nosferati, damnit, daughter. On the way, the two find out about each other, the secret to what makes the Nosferati into blood-sucking superbeings, and hunt down his psychotic serial killing daughter.

Is it perfect? No. There’s a few flaws (a mere spattering of misspellings, more in line with speech patterns; some annoying speechifying and repetitive exposition; a couple of storyline plausibility issues; some annoying dialogue; and some of the action seems a little weak), but nothing that actually spoils the story. In fairness, even when the story starts to wander into cliche territory, Lewis puts his own mark on it and handles it nicely.

Overall, it’s a pretty pleasant read. The characters work. The story works. There’s a bit of a cop-out ending – purely because it goes against expectation, but it all works.

A great middle-ground between twinkly-sparkly-vampire-love-stories and down-and-dirty throat-ripping tales of the undead.

Definitely worth a look.

Available at:

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Bloodtrail-ebook/dp/B007BDM2LY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1355758248&sr=8-2&keywords=bloodtrail

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bloodtrail-ebook/dp/B007BDM2LY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1355757918&sr=8-1

Description: Tired of his life and weary of his sins, Joseph Casey places himself and his fate in the hands of medical researchers as an object of study. A 400 year old Nosferati now in the power of mere humans, he asks for only one thing in return: help in finding his 14 year old daughter, who he has not seen in over 150 years and who is the most bloodthirsty serial killer ever to walk the earth.

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September 27, 2012 · 11:40 am

Today’s grumble

Another rambling entry today.

I like to read. I love to read. When I was but a little youngling, I would more often than not be found reading a book. When we went on holiday, I would invariably seek out the local library and find something to keep me going. My suitcases have traditionally been heavier with books than with clothes (thank God for the Kindle!).

I have my favourite authors, and my favourite books. Friends and family have often expressed surprise that I can read the same book over and again. I will wait in eager anticipation of a new book from my favourite authors. Some authors fall in and out of favour, such is life. Since launching this blog and doing reviews, I have been utterly delighted to find new authors which aren’t well known yet (yet being a key word there – some of them deserve to be huge), and in some perverse way, I’ve also enjoyed reading the really bad books (just like we used to enjoy holding bad movie nights).

When I make my way to work, stuck on the often-delayed train service, I can while the time away enjoying a good story. When I want to relax, and escape from all the pressures of the real world, I love soaking in the tub with a good book.

I love epic, sprawling tales. Love them when they wander off in sequels, prequels, sidequels, diagoquels, parraleloquels and all sorts of nonsense.

I love standalone books. I love short stories.

I love it, as long as I can lose myself in it.

With the reviews I’m doing, I find myself reading stories and books that I might not normally have, and might not normally have kept going with, but can certainly appreciate.

However. Like yesterday’s entry, it’s all personal to me. What I like might reflect a majority, or a minority, but the more factors are considered, the more likely it is to be just me. It’s so rare as to be almost impossible to find someone with exactly the same tastes, who likes exactly the same books, stories, movies, comics, food, etc. Unless that cloning experiment I signed up for a few years back actually worked.

However, just as there are things that I enjoy, that are particular to me, there are also things which irk me. And again, these are also particular to me.

It seems that more and more, books are copying the habits of DVDs and Blu-Rays, with the inclusions of extras. Where these used to be limited to maps and glossaries, now it seems that more and more extras are appearing. I’ve never had a problem with maps, although I’ve never really seen much use for them. Nor with glossaries, tucked away at the back of the book – although I’ve never seen the point of them (surely your writing, through context and usage should allow those phrases to be understood?). I understand the value of these, though.

What I don’t get is writers who include commentaries, or random wafflings in their books. I enjoy useful information – The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, for example, includes a yearly summary of events in the industry, publishings, movies, etc and is accompanied by acknowledgements of those who have sadly passed away, and a list of useful contact information for publications, publishers, etc. I find this to be an invaluable addition, and a main reason for purchasing the title.

On the flip side, I have read books – usually collections of short stories, where the author wants to give a key insight into his or her thought process during the creation of their piece. Again, I don’t mind this in anthology collections, but where it’s something the author has put together, it just seems to be self-indulgent, and as a result, somewhat unsavoury for me. I don’t care what inspired you to write it. I don’t care what kind of mood you were in. I want to read your story and enjoy it. (Yes, I’m going to be curmudgeonly here. Another awesome word.)

I don’t want you to give me a long, waffling ramble about your state of mind when you wrote this piece, or about how you employed a meditative technique. I don’t want to flick through pages of you telling me about your formative years as a retail assistant. I want to read your damn book.

By all means, throw in a brief line or two – a paragraph at most, and I’ll read it. But I’m not so much interested in you. I want your story. When your introductions go on for pages, I feel bored and I feel cheated.

If your book is 250 pages, and 10 of those pages are you telling me about your life, along with a chapters list, an “Other titles by this author”, and whatnot, I will feel cheated that the 250 page book suddenly drops to about 230. Yes, I know I shouldn’t, but I do. If you’ve also thrown on a teaser chapter, I’ll feel really pissed off.

Again. I understand why you do it. DVD commentaries are great, in some cases. Blooper reels, outtakes, deleted scenes, and all that jazz. But in a book, I just don’t like them. I want your writing, your story, to do it all for me. To sell me on you. I want to finish your story with a sense of triumph and be hungering for your next book. If I’m that desperate to find out about you, I’ll go to your website and see everything I want to know (assuming you have one. If you haven’t, then get one).

And please, for the love of God, cut down the damn quotes. One at the start of the book is fine. One at the start of a section is acceptable. One at the start of every chapter is pushing it a bit. Two at the start of the book/section is pushing it. A whole page of them is just ridiculous.

Anyway. That’s me. That’s what bothers me. It won’t bother everyone – I’m sure a lot of people appreciate having these things a lot more than I do. And, of course, I can always just flip over them if I don’t want to read them. But, that’s me.

And I’m a cantankerous old grump today.

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September 4, 2012 · 1:15 pm

Book Review – Jennings Grove by J. Aaron Parish

Moving back to the review side of things, this time we’re taking a trip to a nasty little town, Jennings Grove by J Aaron Parish. Available for Kindle and paperback now through Amazon, links at the bottom of the page.

Synopsis – There’s something out there, in Jennings Grove. Something that makes sure the residents don’t go out after nightfall. Something that keeps folks up at night, surrounded by light. Newcomer Vernon Hamilton, and his family, are about to find out what lurks in Jennings Grove, and whether they can survive the night…

Jennings Grove is a perfectly fine book. I guess that’s the main thing I want to say, but obviously that’s not enough for a review, so here goes:

Parish has created an intriguing little town with a secret in Jennings Grove. And he’s given that secret a nice little twist, and obviously put some real thought into it. One of the major frustrations with this kind of scenario is to try and see any kind of reason for the protagonists (or indeed anyone else) to stay in a town filled with dark secrets, danger and death. Parish tackles that very nicely, looking at the kind of people who would end up living in Jennings Grove, and the kind of people that would stay there.

The threat itself is nicely done, and receives little explanation (something I personally like). However, the same thing that threatens and can be deadly dangerous, can also be light and tempting. It’s that kind of difference in behaviour and threat which really does need some more detail to work.

Vern Hamilton, the lead character, is a classically mixed bag. Our hero, thrust into challenging and distrubing circumstances, frequently displays some unpleasant behaviour. And yet, this makes him a little more human, a little more accessible, a little more real. Credit to Parish, he’s not alone. All of the characters are nicely written, nicely defined.

Overall, this is a perfectly fine book. My only real gripe is that there’s just nothing special about it. Were there a little more about the threat in the darkness, perhaps it would have worked more. Sure, there’s a couple of nice scenes, and a lot of thought gone into the realities and practicalities of dealing with these situations, but honestly, I don’t think this’ll ever stand out as a classic for me, and I suspect I’ll have forgotten it before long. There’s nothing wrong with that, by the way, so please don’t think that I’m criticising the book.

Overall, Jennings Grove is a good book to read in one sitting, alone with the lights out, for that wonderful creeping sensation, and then forgotten about in the daylight. Suitable for young adults.

And having said all that, I’m quite looking forward to seeing what Parish does next. I like his style. I like his ideas. I like his characters. I want to see something… more.

Jennings Grove is available at:

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Jennings-Grove-J-Aaron-Parish/dp/0983314144/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346759734&sr=8-1&keywords=jennings+grove

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jennings-Grove-ebook/dp/B008F4W8C6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346760810&sr=8-1

Description:

When Vernon Hamilton loses his job in Houston, he moves his family to a small community in far North Texas. They get an odd reception, and as the sun sets, they discover just how dark the country can get away from big city lights. They learn the darkness of Jennings Grove isn’t like other place. It’s alive, and it hungers. Can Vernon save his family from the night in his new home? Can he even save himself?

 

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August 24, 2012 · 4:16 pm

Rant here, rant now

As I write, I find that there’s certain words I’m instinctively drawn to use more and more often. There’s certain phrases I find creeping back, despite my best efforts. In fact, there’s a lot of bad habits I have – from punctuation and grammar, through to starting sentences, misspelling the same words time and again, layout, format, etc.

I know I’m not alone in this.

Sometimes I read my work back, and I cringe. Having scoured through Clown repeatedly, and polishing the writing over and again, I can still look at it now and find things I want to change. That’s me. They’re few and far between, but they stand out to me.

Some of the things I’m struggling with now are my turns of phrase, and my once mightily thesaurus-like brain struggling to find alternate words. There’s nothing more annoying for me than looking through a sentence and finding the same word (barring things like “the”) repeated. But I struggle sometimes, and I find myself staring into space, struggling to find a different word to say what I want. I worry too much about finding the perfect word first time round.

(You see what I did there, yes?)

Really, I should know better. Whatever I write will be looked at again and again, rewritten and editted. Why am I knocking myself out so much because I can’t find the right word right at that particular moment, when really I should be shoving something in and polishing it later?

Why do I worry that I’m starting too many sentences with “And”? That I’m writing paragraphs that are too short?

WHY?!

Because I want it all to be perfect first time. I want the first thing I write to be perfect and flawless in every way. A sparkling diamond of a book. I can sign off with a flourish, and publish instantly. I don’t want the hard work, I want immediate gratification. I don’t want to go through all that tedious re-reading, re-writing, editting, re-formatting, finding the right cover, beta-reading, advertising, promoting, etc.

I don’t. I don’t want it.

But damn it, I need it. And so does every author out there! Your book is the product of your work, and deserves your attention, your care, your effort. The finished product will reflect it. Some of the books I review, some of the ones I read, some of the ones I see, I’m almost appalled by what’s there.

And I guess this is what I’m getting at, really. (Crap. Just did the sentence starting with “And” again!) There’s a lot of negative attention on self-published books, mainly based on quality. When the market is flooded with writers who churn something out then instantly press the publish button for whatever reason, then it makes it harder to find the quality.

I appreciate the effort anyone makes when they write a book. It’s not easy. It’s bloody hard. Story, structure, content, characters, dialogue. But to do it right requires more effort. It doesn’t stop when you write the final word on your first draft. There’s still much more to do. You’ve done this much – DON’T STOP! Take that little bit of extra time. Resist the impulse to publish immediately.

Go back and re-read it. Read the dialogue out loud. Rewrite. Look at the words that crop up too often. Look at your formatting. Cut out the bits that don’t need to be there. Then do it again.

Don’t rely on your family and friends to be proofreaders. They love you. They don’t want to hurt you or your feelings, and they knew nobody likes to hear criticism from something they’ve worked so hard at. Find an impartial person to proofread and make suggestions. Don’t sulk. Listen and accept them.

Then go back and re-read it again. Read the dialogue out loud. Rewrite. Look at the words that crop up too often. Look at your formatting. Cut out the bits that don’t need to be there. Then do it again.

It bears repeating. Trust me.

And why do this? (Crap. ANOTHER “And” sentence!)Because it will benefit you in the long run. A reputation as a sloppy author is hard to shake off. There are books I’ve reviewed here and can see the effort the author has put in, and I know that I’d like to read more from them. There are books I’ve read/reviewed here and I can see the complete lack of effort that has gone into merely churning something out quickly. I won’t be looking at them again.

The more people trust you, the more they’ll forgive the occasional mistake. It’s easy to build that trust up from the start by providing a quality product. It’s a lot harder to catch up with it when you’ve churned out rubbish (no matter how good you think it is) to begin with. And with all due respect (last “And”, I promise), your opinion doesn’t count anywhere near as highly as the readers’.

Anyway. Off from my soapbox. Rant over. My glass house is now shattered by all the stones I have thrown. I’m going to find a drink…

 

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· 11:57 am

Book Review – An Atmosphere of Angels by HC Turk

Yes, it’s time for another review! An Atmosphere of Angels, by HC Turk, available now for Kindle through Amazon. Links are, as ever they were, as ever they will be, at the bottom of the page.

Synopsis - A team of Earth explorers arrive on a planet, ostensibly to secure a load of Ether Ore (the new wonder-fuel). Things, however, do not go to plan. Two of their number, Parno and Kathlynn, whilst studying the local lifeforms end up caught in an alien spaceship. Pursued by a ghostly demon, they struggle with alien tech and their own feelings as they look for a way to escape and return to their crew alive and sane.

I’ll admit, it took me a couple of tries to get into this book. What seems initially dense, however, soon settles down, for a frequently surprising read.

Lets’s get the basics out of the way with. It’s well written. The lead characters, once seperated from the others of their crew, develop nicely. Dialogue flows well, reads true. From a sci-fi point of view, the technology is well described, and the future-speak is understandable without being gobbledygook (a frequent pitfall for sci-fi writers).

The story itself is an odd one. Not so much the basic plot (explorers go to alien planet, find themselves in jeopardy, get chased, try to escape), but the handling of it. At times, the story veers between wanting to be a comedy, a thriller, a chiller, a horror. Mostly, this is well handled, but occasionally it jars. Ditto the dialogue – some lines and phrases just seem at odds with everything else being said. It’s those moments which take the reader out of the total immersion which a story merits.

That said, let’s make something very clear. The writing is beautiful. From a very cynical point of view, it’s almost as if Turk has some lines which are so well written that he drops them in just to have them there. They’re not always necessary, and sometimes their impact can be lessened by being casually thrown in. But there are some absolute gems (and I don’t just mean reading it and thinking “Aw, that’s nice”. More kind of “Wow, that’s beautiful”) – the kind of writing which makes you realise how powerful and emotive writing can be.

And whilst the story handling is odd, it also works. Alien tech is… alien. There’s a slow discovery of what it is, how it works. Sometimes it drags a little. But it makes sense in the end. Speaking of which, the ending is also a little different. Turk gives my favourite kind of frustrating ending (is every question answered? No. Good! Use your own imagination!).

Sometimes, with a book like this, the frustration of doing a review can creep through. Because I liked the book, but when I’m reviewing I have to pause and take notes here and there. This is, ultimately, the kind of book I would enjoy just sitting down and getting wrapped up in. In my major sci-fi phase, I would have adored this book. Now that I’ve read it for a review, I hope I can go back to it one day, and enjoy it as I should.

On a side note, the cover definitely needs to change.

So, wrapping up. A beautifully written book, with engaging characters and a great story. Maybe a little too short or too long, but certainly a worthwhile addition to your library.

An Atmosphere of Angels is available to buy at:

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/An-Atmosphere-Of-Angels-ebook/dp/B005R5ED6U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345805244&sr=8-1

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/An-Atmosphere-Of-Angels-ebook/dp/B005R5ED6U/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Product Description:

“In the 23rd century, Earth has achieved interstellar travel. The greatest find is a planet with deposits of ether ore: a mineral required for journeying across the ether lanes. Since the ore is protected by an indigenous race, Terrans must barter for the material as supervised by Earth Nations United.

Parno Hadjara is the chief anthropologist of the staff that journeys to Kapnos 3. Kathlynn Shumard is the ENU supervisor. Soon after landing, Parno and Kathlynn approach the indigenes. Though the two are adversaries, they are drawn to one another.

The indigenes soon begin a mass ritual filled with sex, violence, and voodoo. The rite reveals the location of an abandoned space vessel surpassing Earth technology. The indigenes offer the Terrans a bargain: Remove this vessel from our land, and the ether ore is yours.

The entry to the ship will open briefly. Parno rushes to the site and enters, followed by Kathlynn, and the entry closes. The Terrans are trapped in a huge ship whose crew was murdered. The one alien remaining is a ghost who can only achieve peace by killing Parno and Kathlynn.

In order to escape, the Terrans must learn the workings of the ship. The ghost tries to kill them via spontaneous combustion, offworld narcotics, drowning in alien viscera, high-tech disintegration, and common beatings. Though severely injured, Parno and Kathlynn are healed by the ship.

When the entire ship begins disintegrating, Parno and Kathlynn are forced to face the ghost. If they succeed, the ether ore is theirs. If they fail, they and the ghost will achieve unending peace.”

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August 20, 2012 · 11:44 am

Random musings for the day

Interesting times at TrueJDK writes, so thank you for bearing with me.

Having been reviewing for some little time now, I’ve come across the one thing I dreaded most. The book which I could not finish.

Out of respect for the author, who was nothing but polite and respectful in both their original submission and my responses, I won’t name the book, and I have no desire to bash it on these pages. Rather, I wanted to talk a little more generally.

The first problem with this submission was the format. I don’t claim to be a computer whizz, but can usually find my way around the basics. The author had submitted a pdf version, which is my preferred format (as I can then read it nicely on my iPad on the way to and from work). However, somewhere along the way something went wrong. From the author’s side, the copy was correct – and they had checked it accordingly. From my side, the formatting was a huge distraction, with different fonts and type sizes all the way through. To me, this isn’t the end of the world, but it’s something to keep your eyes open for and be aware of when making your submissions. Some reviewers can be VERY fussy about things like this. Me, I understand that things like this happen.

It is, however, very distracting.

Moving on from there, the author made a very ballsy decision to write in the present tense. I can’t remember the last time I read a book written in such a way, and I have to admit it distracted and bothered me.

There are other, more generic issues than these, but these are the two I wanted to pay most attention to. The problem with formatting is more as a warning, something to be aware of. Things can go wrong.

The present tense thing is a little more intriguing for me. To me, personally, it is very distracting and very annoying. However, I wrote that it’s a ballsy move, and it is. Writing needs people who will challenge convention, and change the rules. Writing appears in many wonderful forms, and has a number of wonderful writers who subtly and blatantly change the way we work. 

What may jar when first read may come to be the convention in time. Every trail begins with someone leading the way, sometimes fighting every step of the way so that those who follow may have an easier time of it. For that, I salute you. For that, oh author who shall remain anonymous, I applaud you.

And please remember, that just because one reviewer does not like a piece of work, it does not mean that everyone else will feel that way. The worlds biggest authors all have their fair share of bad reviews. If Stephen King can get himself a shedload of bad reviews, so can you. So can I. You can’t please everyone.

And why should you try?

You’re a writer. Your voice is your voice. Don’t change it to suit others. Out there, somewhere, there is an audience for your book. That audience may be one person, or thirty million. It may be that they don’t have a Kindle, that you never reach them, that they never get to read your work. It may be that they haven’t even been born yet, and you won’t be fully appreciated until long after you’re dead.

Does it matter? Really? I guess it depends on what you’re writing for. Yourself or others. Money, challenge, legacy, fun. Ah, but that’s a subject for another post.

Anyway. Wandered a little off-topic there. Did I have a topic to begin with? Hmm…

 

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August 1, 2012 · 11:28 am

When to give it up

Sometimes I have a problem. I refuse to give up on something. I will stubbornly refuse to back away from it, and will keep going on at it, despite knowing deep inside that doing so is futile.

In some ways, this is an admirable quality. Tenacity.

In some ways, this is a self-destructive quality. Futility.

Take writing, for example. There inevitably comes that moment when, having had a great idea, a concept so wonderful that it screams to be written down and become the next big thing – bigger than anything that came before. Even better, it’s a labour of love – something you feel so passionate about that you know, you know, that it’s going to be wonderful when you finish it. It’ll be your masterpiece, and everyone will be as in love with it as you are.

And so you set down to write.

The page looks blankly at you. Where, where to begin? Eventually, past all the distractions, you manage a word or two. Then you delete them, because you don’t like them. They’re not the way you want them to be - they don’t reflect you at your best. So you sit and stare at the screen again.
Some time later, you’ve managed to eke out a page or two. And it was torturous. You sweated for every damn letter that came out. Only each one is harder and harder to get out. In your head, it’s so simple – you can see exactly how it should be to be beautiful, to be perfect, to live to its full potential. But stubbornly, it sits there. It refuses to do what you want.
And, oh, it could be so perfect. It could be wonderful. It has so much potential. It just needs to be a little flexible – it needs to reach out to you, to help you. But no! Denied! It sits there, inanimate and uncaring. It does nothing, no matter how much you want it to. And you get frustrated. You get angry. It dominates your day. It’s always on your mind. “If only, if only…”
Like a fool, you go back to it, time and again, trying harder and harder. Each time, you end up more and more frustrated. Each page makes you suffer, and still you keep going, because it’ll all be worth it in the end.

Or will it?

True, history is littered with labours of love. There are a thousand phrases – “nothing good came easy”. But this is you. Or, in this case, me.

The cost to me, and to those around me has to be taken into account. Can I keep pouring myself into something like this, something which stubbornly sits there? Let me give it another analogy. Imagine this book as a relationship.

You love this person. You love them deeply. So much so that you would do anything for them – and you have. Over and again. You’ve sacrificed your vision, your beliefs, your principles, your pride for them. You have done everything for them. Lived for them, breathed for them. You’ve changed your thoughts, your actions, your behaviours for them. You want them to be happy. You have lived only for them.

You spend your money on them. You take them out, make extravagent romantic gestures. You live to serve them. Sure, you argue every now and then, but who doesn’t? You sit down with them, and try to address the problems calmly and rationally. You make plans for the future. You sort everything out for them.

And they, in turn, do nothing. They refuse to listen, they take no responsibility. They shrug and ignore you and all you’ve done. They make no effort themselves. You’ve seen this in a thousand Agony Aunt pages, and the advice is always the same. You can only do so much to help a person, before you have to cut your losses and live your life.

So, why persist with this labour of love? Stubborn pride, perhaps? A sign of weakness to walk away from it? “I couldn’t hack it, so I quit.” There’s a real stigma attached to it. But taking emotion aside from it, look objectively.

You’re in a relationship with this book (please feel free to substitute the word project, person, job, etc), and you’re the only one doing anything to make it work. It’s affecting your thoughts, your emotions, possibly even your health. What you used to enjoy, what you used to love is causing you pain and suffering. Is that right?
Are you getting anything in return? Chances are, no. I have scowled and cursed at the screen before. Something I once felt so good about, and I grew to dread it. Dread looking at that page, and trying, trying to find the right words.

The advantage with a book is that you can turn away from it. It might be hard, but you can step away from it, put it on the shelf, and possibly return to it at a much later date. In the meantime, you can turn to other subjects, and find something a little more fun and rewarding to put your efforts into (still writing, though!)
(And to step back to the relationship analogy, that’s a bit different. There comes a make or break point, where the only thing that can get things back on track is for the other person to change their ways and make a huge effort to make things work again. If only books could do the same thing!)

Why this subject? Because I’ve got that problem with a book. Something which I really want to write. A subject I’m passionate about, and want to put on paper everything that’s in my head. But the damned thing doesn’t want to flow! I’ve worked and worked on it, tried to get it to life, tried to bring out its potential. I’ve changed my vision for it, compromised on parts for it, sacrificed for it, done it all. And it just sits there, sullenly ignoring me.

So, I’m going to leave it for a while. I’ve done all I can with my tenacious spirit for the while. I’m going to let it rest, and fight against it no more. Instead, I shall head for a nice sunny break, clear my head, rest and relax, and look for something a little more fun instead. A little more rewarding.

Like a cocktail. Cheers!

 

 

 

 

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· 9:39 am

Book Review – Allah’s Revenge, by Pete Barber

Here we go with the last review for a week or so, as I’m off to sunnier shores. There to bask in sunshine, by the seaside (by the sea), with cocktails in hand and dusky maidens to eye. Anyway. Where was I?

Allah’s Revenge, by Pete Barber – available now through Amazon. Follow the review for the links at the bottom.

Synopsis - New technology is ever a double-edged sword, ready to help the world or threaten it. So it is here, as the terrorist group Allah’s Revenge sieze nanotechnology, designed to devour raw material and convert it into cheap fuel. In their hands, it’s an airborn threat, invisible, silent, deadly. Easily hidden, easily dispersed. And should they choose to make it so, unstoppable…

OK. I have to say this first. I want to dislike this book. I really want to dislike it. And why? Because of the opening scene. A terrorist attack on the London underground. It’s not that I find it in bad taste (taking aside the infamous 7/7 bombings). It’s more that using the Tube every day, there’s a couple of flaws in the execution and the description of the attack methodology. So that set it off on a bad foot for me.

Then, it moves into the old Muslim terrorists, mission from Allah territory. Again, I want to dislike this book.

It’s therefore pleasantly surprising and gratifying to realise that actually, I don’t dislike it. I actually enjoyed it. It’s a well thought out, well written, well paced book. The characters are credible and likeable. The love story is well handled. The multiple threats are (in a nice change) given solid and logical backstories, providing an interesting insight into their motivation and behaviours. The McGuffin (Nanotechnology) is plausible as both a benefit and a threat. Dialogue never rings false. The action scenes (particularly the finale) are handled very well – thrilling and with a genuine sense of threat. The technology is described well enough to hook the layman, but without bogging us down in too much science.

The characters themselves are wonderfully written, identifiable and easy to empathise with. Quinn may, I suspect, evolve into one of those literary detectives that survives book after book. And good for him – he deserves it.

Barber’s great skill here seems to be that he makes it all look easy. He avoids the cliches which would have been so easy, counterbalancing, for example, the evil Muslim terrorists, with human Muslims (their families, their likes, their dislikes, their relationships, their connection with Allah, etc).

The research, the cultural respect, the intelligence, the threat. All well handled. Staggering that this is Barber’s only book on Amazon. He has produced a book that sucks the reader in (barring the Tube incident) and keeps them hooked. An ideal Summer read, and one I would recommend. Thoroughly enjoyable. (Not sure about the cover image, though). 

Allah’s Revenge is available at:

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Allahs-Revenge-ebook/dp/B0084HM8GU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343808645&sr=8-1

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Allahs-Revenge-ebook/dp/B0084HM8GU/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t

Synopsis: A religious rite dating back to the seventh century inspires a young Muslim scientist and lights the fuse on a fast-paced, thrill-ride of a novel populated by larger-than-life characters, cutting edge technology, a hero you can root for, and villains you will love to hate. . .
An Arab genius creates a nanotechnology weapon capable of destroying the human race and yet small enough to conceal on a hint of perfume. Recruited by Allah’s Revenge, a Palestinian terrorist organization, he triggers worldwide panic when his weapon suffocates the passengers on a crowded London train in ninety seconds, filling their lungs with hard, black charcoal.
Quinn, an English detective, is first on the scene. A British journalist has a link to the terrorists, and Quinn uses him as bait to flush them out.
When their demands are not met, Allah’s Revenge wipes out the world leaders attending the G20 summit in South Korea, including the US Vice President.
Quinn tracks the terrorists to their lair in Jerusalem and seems to have the weapon under control, but it is unleashed again in Phoenix, Arizona, and Quinn needs all his wits and courage to prevent a horde of nanobots from decimating America.

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July 24, 2012 · 10:11 am

Book Review – He Who Shall Remain Shameless, by David Ewald

Cracking through the reading and reviews before I head off to sunnier climes for a well-earned break, it’s time for a review of He Who Shall Remain Shamless, by David Ewald and available now for Kindle through Amazon. Links, as ever, are at the bottom of the page.

Synopsis - Written in the first person, He Who Shall Remain Shameless follows our hero through a collection of related short stories, tracking down (at the behest of the internet) ghosts of those who should be better remembered. Each encounter leads him into greater conflict with the shadowy Meritocrat, and relationships which may or may not be to his advantage.

One of the perils of reading any book is that the writing will be awful. The characters poorly-defined, the dialogue painful to read, the situations lacking credibility. There are plenty of books out there which are a chore and a challenge to read, and even more challenging to find something positive to write about.

On the other side, one of the greatest rewards one can find is a hidden jewel. Something which is delightful to read, which one can get lost in. No ill-judged moments which jar the reader out of the story. Dialogue which flows smoothly. Characters which the reader can identify and invest it. Everything just works, and the only thing which is frustrating or upsetting is to see that no one is aware of it.

He Who Shall Remain Shamless is, without question, the latter. It is a wonderful piece. From a technical point of view, the writing is smooth and easy, and reads delightfully. The characters are all well written, easily identifiable, etc. The dialogue flows. Everything is a charm.

On the surface, the story of the obsessed hero, driven to bring recognition to the ghosts of those he believes really should have it works well. Dipping a little beneath the surface, subtly done, the author works in obsessions and madness, delusion and tragedy. Looking at memory and value, and how we choose to be seen/how others see us. It is wonderfully well written, with a sense of whimsy throughout.

There are some lovely moments of sly humour (particularly with a key name). The history of characters is well-researched. Everything works, and works well.

Is it a ghost story? A mystery? Suspense, horror, comedy, tragedy? A little of everything, perhaps. I try not to draw comparisons to other works in these pages, but the one which sprang most readily to my mind was Haruki Murikami. And it’s a favourable comparison.

As ever, I try to find something to balance the positive in each review, but in this event I’m genuinely stuck. The best I can come up with is that I’m not too keen on the cover. Petty, I know. Ewald has produced an absolute gem of a book, and I genuinely cannot wait for his next work.

He Who Shall Remain Shameless is available to buy at:

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Who-Shall-Remain-Shameless-ebook/dp/B0056B0VSY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343120487&sr=8-1&keywords=he+who+shall+remain+shameless

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Who-Shall-Remain-Shameless-ebook/dp/B0056B0VSY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1343118448&sr=8-2

Summary:

Do you know of Harriet Quimby? Christine Chubbuck? Christopher Coe?

What about King Aegeus? Andrew Kehoe? Leo Ryan?

These are just some of the spirits our hero and narrator David Michael Ewald (not the author of this book) encounters as he travels the world trying to convince those who died long ago and those who died more recently that their salvation lies with the Internet. Will these ghosts of the semi-famous, the would-be famous and the almost-forgotten accept his help and become part of the social-networking new world, or will the Meritocrat, our hero and narrator’s unruly, unwieldy, nebulous archnemesis triumph instead? Find out in He Who Shall Remain Shameless, a paranormal adventure novel comprised of fourteen linked stories by David Ewald.

 

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July 20, 2012 · 9:19 am

Book Review – Enhance Your Exports! by William Peskett

On and on we run, for another review at TrueJDK. Enhance Your Exports! by William Peskett, available now through Amazon for Kindle and as a paperback. Links, as ever, at the bottom of the page.

Synopsis: Dave, Daisy, Tim and Waldo are off on a business fact-finding mission to the planet of Kalista-mm, some 19 years from Earth. There, they tour the various nations, discuss business techniques, and run assorted adventures through comedic misunderstandings.

Whenever someone writes a book in a genre which has an established and well-loved classic, any new offerings are automatically going to draw comparisons. For example, a new fantasy epic about a mythic journey, featuring orcs and elves is going to get Lord of The Rings comparisons. That’s just the way it is.

And so it is here. Enhance Your Exports! for its style is going to draw comparisons with The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy, rightly or wrongly. It would seem that Peskett is a huge fan (but then again, who isn’t?), and this has a massive impact on his writing style. Is this a good thing? Is it a bad thing?

Well, Enhance Your Exports! kicks off with what could be an excerpt from the esteemed Guide, detailing customs and the likes of Kalista-mm, before beginning the story in earnest. What follows is the exploits of Dave, Daisy, Tim and Waldo as they travel through Kallista-mm’s nations, each with their own customs and ways. There are, as there must be, the usual mix of misunderstandings and misadventures – ranging from drunken exploits, falling in love with the locals, offending the locals, stumbling across international crimes, and being arrested.

Peskett uses the guise of a business trip to alien shores to mock our own earthly practises, occasionally with humourous and/or savage results. And the occasional wry smile is raised accordingly. Running gags and misconceptions are frequently used to varying degrees of success.

There are, as ever, both good and bad in the telling of this particular tale. On the down side, the characters are fairly bland and indistinguishable for the vast majority of the book (perhaps one too many); Peskett seems to rely a little too much on silly words and names; the teen “yoof” speak is painful; and the influence on the world of Kalista-mm of Ally McBeal just shouts “Futurama did this first!”.

On the plus side, that the opening reads like an excerpt from the Hitchhikers Guide is as much a positive as a negative – HHGTTG is a much beloved piece of work, but it’s someone else’s voice. Strong points are the swipes at earthly business practises, which are nicely played. Dialogue is nicely played, and it fits the whole tone of the book. And, by the end, the characters are comfortable. The best thing by far, though, is Peskett’s unbridled enthusiasm and creativity coupled with his mockery of our own business and worldly practises.

Peskett is obviously very creative and imaginitive, and has some strong ideas in here. Unfortunately, they seem to be lost in someone else’s world. I may be harping on about HHGTTG a bit too much, but that was something that overshadowed the whole story for me, and I would be remiss if I didn’t point out the obvious homage/influence.

Enhance Your Exports! is a fun read, and fairly likeable despite its flaws.

Enhance Your Exports! is available at:

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Enhance-Exports-Business-Planets-ebook/dp/B0081C6G5W/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=A7B2F8DUJ88VZ&qid=1342700857&sr=8-1

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Enhance-Exports-Business-Planets-ebook/dp/B0081C6G5W/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1342700141&sr=8-1

Description:

‘This is a serious business book. If it’s cheap laughs you want, stick with “In Search of Excellence”.’ So begins this satire of 21st century life disguised as a science-fiction guide to doing business on other planets.Follow Dave Smart, business studies lecturer, as he leads three business colleagues on a tour of discovery to the Smiling Disc star system, 19 light years from home. Their main purpose is to investigate business practice on Kalista-mm, the larger of the system’s two planets, and gather material for Dave’s new book, ‘Doing Business on Other Planets.’Visits to a sulphur mine, a old-established bank and a drinks company give the Earthlings surprising insights into the business practices of aliens who have developed along somewhat different lines from us. It’s not only that they have big moustaches and white blood, or that they drink sulphuric acid and lay eggs. The inhabitants of Kalista-mm are the epitome of political incorrectness, and are disarmingly honest about their shortcomings.

Of course, the main benefit of studying a way of life very different from ours is that it teaches us more about ourselves. The group’s observations provide plenty of scope for taking cruel swipes at many of things we hold precious about our own dear planet: government, big business, justice, democracy, climate change, science, religion and do-gooders generally. It all adds up to a hilarious jaunt around a little-known quadrant of the galaxy and a satisfying dig at many of our own sacred cows.

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