The Blasphemer by John Ling

The Blasphemer by John Ling
Kindle e-book
Kia Kaha Press (December 27, 2011)

I am a lover of horror and thrillers and sometimes SF. I have read a lot of thrillers in my time from Grisham to Child to Eisler, and I have to say John Ling's The Blasphemer kicked me in the teeth. This is one of the fastest and best books I have read in a long time.

The story is tight and flows. The characters are fresh, apart from two that are a tad cliched but that can't be helped in today's world of reality TV. The 'Kiwi-speak' was spot on and brought a smile to my lips read a language I knew so well.

This would make an excellent movie.

As a side note the author has a few articles in the back explaining what he has discovered in the research for this book, and although the book involves extremists it doesn't focus only on the negative side like so many books and movies do. It's an equal balance. There is one scene that sticks in my mind, it involves a woman breaking free of her religious barriers and an explosive cocktail.

This book is NOT to be missed by any lover of the thriller genre. But note: it is not a character driven novel, it is plot driven and it works well this way, though we do witness one character slowly starting to make a change, questioning his job choice and getting very paranoid.

Grab this book for you kindle and thank me later. You'll love it.

93%
(my highest ever rating for a book)

Zombiedead by Ian Woodhead

Zombiedead by Ian Woodhead
Kindle edition
Flayed Bones Publishing (c) 2011

This is the story of Dean, a scientist working in a secret underground lab trying to find a way to extend life. Believing they had found the answer and getting ready to celebrate one of the test mice goes nuts. The head scientist gets bitten and he go nuts a few minutes later. Lock-down is initiated and Dean escapes seconds before the doors lock.

Somehow the virus escapes and rips into London. Dean believes he has the answer and just needs time to work on the formula to prefect it. London is not the right place for that, so he returns home to Seeton.

There are a host of interesting characters in this book. There is Alison, who wants a new life and returns to Seeton, where she was raped by a high school teacher. Why has she gone back there? Revenge of course. There is a pimp and his two minders after Alison and they track her to Seeton. A father who wants to love his son but he is weak willed and folds to the thoughts of others around him. And a frisky senior citizen.

Oh, and the walking dead.

The story overall is quite good. It's gory when it needs to be not when it doesn't. There are several confusing spots where a flashback occurs out of the blue with no indication it's a flashback. There are people in a couple of scenes not mentioned earlier in the scene, they just start getting shot.

This book needs another edit.

But despite these issues, the story is engrossing. It's a plot driven tale and moves fast. For a quick and entertaining read, this is a zombie book to get. It ticks all the boxes.

What would Satan Do by Anthony Miller

What would Satan Do by Anthony Miller
Brother Maynard Publishing
ISBN: 0615540023
paperback Edition
392 pages

I bought this book based on two points:
1. The title is catchy.
2. Several people in Twitter were loving it.

Did I love it? Yes and No. It is a comedy and not to be taken seriously. The story is basically about Lucifer giving up his job in Hell ("Just popping out for a walk") and taking human form and living on Earth. He still has his powers and likes to squash frogs.

Satan is a teacher, who goes on a journey to stop the End of Times, which God is hell-bent on starting. You see, one day, the Devil read the bible and wasn't impressed with the fact he lost in the end, so he has decided not to let it happen. And does everything he can to stop it.

There are a whole lot of interesting characters in this book and the real fun starts after Satan is attacked and loses his memory and hooks up with a homeless dude: The prophet. And we meet the Antichrist.

The situations Satan finds himself in are serious but with a comedic bent. There are some really LOL moments in this book and some groans, but it was a fun read and well worth the time investment. There are a few typos but that's to be expected. The tale is a good one and the ending won't let you down.

All in all, a book well worth investing in and plopping on your bookcase.

83%

 

Humpty Dumpty by Billy Majestic

Humpty Dumpty by Billy Majestic
Revenger Comics, IDW
ISBN: 978-1-61377-068-9
Graphic Novel 88 pages

First off, let me say this book is amazing in graphic detail. The artwork is OUTSTANDING and almost photo-like in several scenes.

This graphic novel was advertised as graphic in content and the reviews rave about the depravity of the story line. One reviewer goes so far as to say, 'how do people think of this stuff?' Another: 'this is sick.' So, with reviews like that, I had to buy and I must say, I was disappointed. Did I buy the PG version by accident? I must have due to the back cover stating what I could not find in the book. The basic story line was in there -- and when I say basic, I mean basic story.

UFO crashes, hillbilly kills all the males, rapes the female (who has a hand type of tongue but doesn't defend herself with it) and takes her captive as his girlfriend. Sheriff gets wind of the cash, goes to investigate. 4 months later, alien chick is pregnant and disguised as a dog escapes and pops out an egg-shell shaped baby. A crazed egg with massive teeth and later...wings. Government agencies show up, capture the egg and end of story.

Judging by the hype and the fact a movie version is coming out, I really expected more. A decent story line with a few sub plots would have been nice and this comic could have been a serial of four or five books. I will watch the movie, but hope it's better than the book.

We'll see.

32%

Richard Castle's Deadly Storm

Richard castle: Deadly Storm (a Derrick Storm Mystery)
Publisher: Marvel
Story and art by: Brian Michael Bendis, Kelly Sue Deconnick, Lan Medina
Graphic Novel. Hardcover edition

Blurb: CASTLE fans rejoice! For the first time anywhere, CASTLE's titular hero Derrick Storm comes to life in the pages of this all-new graphic novel. This "adaptation" of Derrick Storm's first novel adventure takes our hero from the gritty world of the private eye all the way to the globe-hopping intrigue of the CIA. Eisner Award-winning Marvel Architect Brian Bendis and red hot Osborn writer Kelly Sue DeConnick worked closely with CASTLE creator Andrew Marlowe to create the one thing millions of CASTLE fans have been asking for: Their first real Derrick Storm adventure. A wall-to-wall, gritty, witty, globe-hopping detective thrill ride for fans of the hit TV show starring Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic, as well as fans of darn good comic books.

I'm not a major graphic novel reader. This is my second (first was 30 days of night). As a fan of the hit ABC series, I have bought two of the Richard Castle novels, Heat Wave and Heat Rises. The TV series mentions Derrick Storm on several occasions. So, I thought why not grab a copy and give it a read.

And I'm glad I did. It was better than the 'Heat' books and it moved at a much faster pace. Derrick Storm is a PI who gets hired by the CIA to track down an ex-CIA agent. A 'person of interest' that he was currently investigating of behalf of this agent's wife.

Things are not as they seem in this graphic novel as they are with all episodes of Castle. There are twists, turns and double dealing (better than Castle). There are a few confusing spots in the storyline and there are a few pages were Derrick Storm doesn't look anything like the Derrick Storm on other pages, especially hair colour and facial shape. In a graphic novel it is not just the story that counts, it's the details in the images as we need these to put two and two together and get five.

Overall, the story is pretty good and entertaining (as a story should be).

77%

In the Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami

In the miso Soup
Ryu Murakami
English Edition (c)2003 Ralph McCarthy
Publisher: Kodansha International

This is my first Ryu Murakami book and the story is about a sex tour guild taking an overweight American tourist through the Tokyo sex industry.

A day earlier there was a report in the newspaper of a "Compensated Dating" school student (aka high school dates older men for money, sometimes they shag for more money) murdered and cut into sections. There are no leads. Kenji, our tour guide, is shocked and disturbed by this murder. Maybe because his girlfriend used to do "Compensated Dating" before they met.

Kenji meets Frank and is hired to take him around the sex industry. Frank is different to all the other tourists Kenji has guided. Frank has a dark side to him and we are given brief glimpses of this whenever the character is angered -- but the face disappears quickly. He can also hypnotise people at will. And does, when he sends Kenji outside of a bar to talk with his GF outside.

Kenji returns to find a scene of absolute horror and for the horror and gore lover inside me, it was the best scene out of this book. But the scene did go on for a very long time and for several pages.

If you are expecting a horror novel, or a Hollywood type of book like Dan Brown with daggers, then you will be disappointed. This is a very Japanese book but it capture the social structure of Japan during the late 90's and possible still going on today.

76%

Full dark No Stars

Full Dark no Stars
Stephen King
2010 (c) Stephen King
Paperback edition with bonus story
Publisher: Hodder

A friend lent me this book as I've kind of lost interest in what King writes recently. But I'm glad I cracked the covers of this tome. It contains 4 long stories and one short bonus. None of the stories are horror but they are engaging.

1922 kicks off this collection and it is the story of a father and a son--a son in love with the neighbour's daughter. The story starts off with the killing of the father's wife. We get a glimpse into a woman who hates the farming life and wants to live in the city. Father and son do not. The wife's inherits 100 acres of land and father wants to add it to his 80 acres and farm it. The wife not impressed with this intends to sell the land to the highest bidder, which so happens to be a slaughter farm. Father convinces son to help him do away with the wife and concocts a cunning plan.

Deed done and the son is never the same again. He gets the girl next door pregnant and intends to marry her. The girl's father won't agree and he sends his daughter to a nunnery where they assist the girls in giving birth and putting the child up for adoption.

One day the son leaves a note for father and travels to the city to be with his love. The story is told through the eyes of father and this is the best story in the bunch and should be made into a movie. It would rock harder as a film, if it is done right.

The next story is Big Driver. It is basically a revenge story. Her reasons for revenge aren't as believable in today's world, but King entwines a great plot with flowing words you'd be sucked into the world and won't want to close the pages.

A Fair Extension is an awesome story. A man riddled with cancer makes a deal with a plump little man. But be warned it isn't your standard 'deal with the devil' story. I like King's take on this old tale.

A Good Marriage bored the crap out of me. Basically a wife stumbles onto a box in the garage that shows her husband to be someone he's not.  A well told story but just not to my taste.

The bonus story: Under the Weather is neat. I liked it and King hid the twist quiet well.

73%