I love zombies, but I’ll admit, lately, I’ve been kind of on a kick, and I’m almost to the point where I’m zombie’d out. This was good news for VacatiI love zombies, but I’ll admit, lately, I’ve been kind of on a kick, and I’m almost to the point where I’m zombie’d out. This was good news for Vacation, though. I’m a fan of Matthew Costello from way back, so when Vacation was brought to my attention, I was quite excited to dive into it. Vacation has “zombies” of a sort, called Can Heads (cannibals, see?), and they’re driven by an unknown virus, possibly brought on by the terrible world conditions. Drought, famine, and economic collapse are a part of Jack Murphy’s life, and as one of the few remaining NYPD cops, he works hard to keep the streets safe for the people scraping by in this dangerous new world. He and his family live in relative, if tenuous, comfort, in a walled off section of the city and rarely venture outside. ‘Cause, baby, it’s nasty outside the walls, and increasingly clever Can Heads are finding their way inside the walls with alarming frequency. After an incident that leaves Jack’s partner dead, and Jack himself clinging to life, his boss urges him to take a vacation, suggesting the Paterville Family Camp, high in the Adirondacks, as as a getaway option. So Jack packs up his wife, Christie, and their son and daughter, and they hit the road.
The opening scenes in Vacation were exciting in their visceral, violent action, but really, it’s when the Murphy family hits the highway for the drive to Paterville that really brings the creep. Papers had to be filed and fees paid in order to pave the way through the official checkpoints and Jack is fighting increasing stress, while his family is eager to get out of the confines of the walls they’ve lived behind day in and day out for years. Jack just can’t put the cop away and relax, but trust me, this turns out to be a good thing. A nasty incident at a deserted rest stop doesn’t help to allay Jack’s fears, but he puts aside these feelings, hoping that Paterville will offer his family a little bit of freedom and happiness, if only for a short while. They manage to arrive at Paterville without further incident, but among the lake swims, fireworks, and admittedly good food served in the dining hall, there’s always a sense of “wrongness”, and the author does a great job at building dread. What I really appreciated about these characters, is when the proverbial “sh*t” finally hits the fan, and the nasty (really, really nasty) truth about Paterville comes to light, Jack’s wife, Christie, doesn’t question her spouse. She trusts him implicitly and shows an amazing resilience and toughness in the midst of a terrible situation. Too many times, in novels and movies, spouses (men and women both) show disbelief and hesitation when confronted with a situation that requires swift action. Christie is no slouch in the courage department, and she’ll do anything to protect her kids, and she never questions Jack’s devotion to his family. And make no mistake, he’s devoted. This is a horror story, to be sure, but at the forefront is Jack’s love for his family, and his determination to do anything possible to keep them safe. Vacation was unputdownable, and I read it in one evening. Never too gruesome, leaving just enough to the imagination, it will raise the little hairs on the back of your neck and keep you glued to the pages until the shocking end. Fans of zombies, creeping horror, and just plain good writing will eat this one up (pun totally intended.)...more
It’s 2044,and 18 year old Wade Watts lives in “the stacks”,which consists of layer upon layer of trailer homes (some reaching 20 high). Steeped in poverty,his only escape is OASIS (Ontologically Anthropocentric Sensory Immersive Simulation),a virtual world where he can attend school,never get beat up,and has every book,song,or piece of art he could ever imagine at his fingertips. The Great Recession is entering its third decade,and finding a job to help pay for his OASIS travels is pretty much out of the question. Fast food joints have 2 year waiting lists,fossil fuels are dwindling,and the human race is using OASIS more and more to escape from a world that is collapsing all around them.
When the creater of OASIS,the eccentric,80′s obsessed James Halliday,passes away,he leaves a legacy behind:hundreds of billions of dollars,there for the taking for anyone that can find a series of keys and gates within OASIS,and find the Easter Egg at the end. Millions have tried and failed,and years go by with no progress,the game becoming somewhat of a legend,something never to be solved,until Wade finds the Copper Key. When Wade’s crush,a female blogger named Art3mis,also finds the Copper Key,the race is on,like,well,Donkey Kong (sorry,couldn’t help it.)
Wade instantly becomes a celebrity,and others soon begin nipping at his heels,including IOI,a huge conglomerate bent on taking over OASIS and making it their own money making playground,using any means possible,and I do mean any. True gunters (OASIS freaks),are determined not to let this happen,but with vast resources at IOI’s disposal,they are a real threat,and when they make Wade an “offer he just can’t refuse”,his virtual,and real life may be at stake.
Told from Wade’s point of view,we get a glimpse into a future where a virtual world holds more sway than reality,and human reaction is played out inside an 80’s drenched world where old school video games are the norm,and every tiny detail has meaning. Wade has spent nearly his entire existence memorizing facts from Halliday’s manifesto,Anorak’s Almanac,watching hours and hours of 80’s sitcoms,listening to 80’s music,and soaking up anything else that Halliday has deemed important. Ready Player One is kind of like “It’s a Mad,Mad,Mad World” on steroids,and of course,involving millions of players instead of a handful. Yes,Wade’s best friend and crush are avatars,but what is that when you have an endless world at your fingertips,and you can be anything,and anyone,that you want?
One the surface,Ready Player One is a geekfest of the highest order. Children of the 80’s,like me,will thrill at the shear amount of nostalgia that packs these pages,and also at the absolutely wondrous virtual world that the author has created for his characters. The references are a blast,my favorites being a challenge that involves acting out the movie WarGames and a sequence involving a key scene from Blade Runner. Underneath the skin,however,is a story about an insecure,lonely teen that has been raised by a reality that just isn’t real,and who finds out that you really should be careful what you wish for. There’s a heartbreaking love story here too,and some lovely nuance underneath the geek. Ernest Cline’s writing is intricate,sharp and witty,and he delivers a story with plenty of action that will not only excite you with its race to the finish,but also make you think about what it means to be human. The power of friendship and love (even if it’s in virtual reality),and sheer determination are strong themes here,and as you move toward the ending,everything will click together perfectly like Tetris blocks,leaving you pleasantly exhausted and wondering where the time went. Ready Player One is a sci-fi gem you won’t want to miss!...more
It’s the perfect time for a zombie read,isn’t it? Halloween is just around the corner,spooky decorations are going up,and AMC’s The Walking Dead’s Season 2 premiered on Sunday night. Yep,perfect! If you’ve been following the blog for a while,it’s no secret that I’m a pretty rabid Jonathan Maberry fan,so when I got a copy of Dead of Night,it was all I could do not to drop my current read and dig in. Dead of Night is a zombie novel. It even says so right on the cover,but don’t expect your usual zombie fare. Dr. Herman Volker has been on a mission:a mission to punish those like the heinous killer that ravaged his mother and sister so many years ago. A retired government project called Lucifer 113 fit the bill rather nicely,so it’s a good thing that Volker had a hand in its development. When a savage serial killer is set to die by Dr. Volker’s hand,he sees an irresistible chance for vengeance. Lucifer 113 is injected into the killer,and his body is set to be buried in a pauper’s grave. This isn’t quite what happens though. An aunt no one knew existed orders the killer’s body be returned to her for burial,so Homer Gibbon is sent back to the small town of Stebbins. This will turn out to be a very unfortunate turn of events,first not only for mortician Doc Hartnup and his cleaning lady (who’s timing is just terrible,seriously),but for the entire town of Stebbins. A nasty,nasty virus is on the loose,and it’s turning its victims into rotting,slavering spitting corpses that just want to eat,and eat,and eat. Homer Gibbon isn’t quite like the other monsters though… He’s much,much worse.
Dead of Night’s narrative mainly goes back and forth between Officer Dez Fox and her partner J.T,and reporter Billy Trout and his camera man,with some interludes involving military and the upper levels of US government. Dez and Billy have a longtime,fiery,on again,off again relationship,and Billy would like nothing more than to be back with the woman he loves,yet Dez has spent her life pushing away anyone that really cares about her. Both of her parents died very young,and J.T. is very much a father figure to her. Dez is one tough cookie,though,and when the government begins to turn on the inhabitants of Stebbins,Dez may be their only hope. Meanwhile,Billy Trout is uncovering the horrible truth about the virus that is taking over the townspeople one by one. Dead of Night has man of the traditional zombie elements that fans have come to expect,but with Jonathan Maberry’s deft touch and relentless pacing,the story jumps off the page and takes a bite out of you from page one. These aren’t your run of the mill zombies,either. These are far more horrible than the usual mindless,ravening creatures. I won’t tell you why,because that’s a big part of the story,but suffice it to say that Maberry brings humanity to Dead of Night,just like he does in his Joe Ledger series,and some parts are simply heartbreaking. Zombie and horror fans won’t want to miss this,and even if it’s not your usual fare,I urge you to give it a try,because,in my opinion,it’s really hard to go wrong with anything that Jonathan Maberry writes. Horror and thriller elements combine explosively in a book of zombie apocalypse that you won’t soon forget!...more
Dead Mann Walking is zombies,but with a twist. These zombies aren’t mindless shamblers,instead they are sentient beings. They’re also not the risen dead come to life as a result of some sort of virus or spell. Using good ol’ American ingenuity,a solution to the rapid rise of innocent death penalty victims was born,and upon exoneration,were brought back from the dead. The process soon became somewhat of a fad,with families bringing back loved ones left and right. However,folks soon realized that what came back wasn’t quite the same. We’re not talking Pet Cemetery creeping evil here,but some people,upon coming back,did seem to lose some of their higher thinking ability,and the possibility of going feral always lingers. The undead now gather in enclaves,trying to keep to themselves and also staying hidden from the hakkers,groups that take pleasure in torturing and killing the chak (zombies.)
Hessius Mann,PI and ex-cop,is one such individual,having been exonerated after being convicted and put to death for the murder of his wife. Unfortunately,his memory isn’t what it used to be,and he relies on an LB (liveblood) assistant,Misty,to keep his daily affairs in order. The constant threat of rot and the near constant worry of going feral don’t make life easy,but when a client shows up and offers a wad of cash to find a missing person,Mann just can’t say no. Mann and his client travels into the Bedlands,an old mattress factory which now houses a large group of chaks. The man the client is looking for is rumored to be there,but finding the missing man is just one tiny part of this story. A serial killer is at work,decapitating chaks and keeping the heads as trophies,and the killer may have more to do with the case then Mann ever could have suspected. When a possible connection to his wife’s murder comes to light,Mann will have to dig very deep to find the truth,and what he finds may destroy everything he holds dear.
I loved this take on the zombie genre! The author has created a cast of characters that was great fun to get to know,and Hessius Mann is up there in my top ten list of favorite PIs,zombie or not. In Dead Mann Walking,you’ll explore a world where humans and chaks live very uneasily together,and chaks are treated like second class citizens. There’s definitely some commentary here on how we treat certain groups,using zombies as a metaphor,but nothing heavy handed,and it adds a humanity to the genre that is sometimes hard to find. Urban fantasy,horror,and noir fans will find a lot to love about Dead Mann Walking,and Mann’s vulnerability and his desire to find out the truth,drives this unusual and fascinating novel. This is the first book that I’ve read by Stefan Petrucha,and I love his writing style,his wit,and his uncanny ability for clever word play. Don’t miss Dead Mann Walking,a wonderful start to a series that will certainly be on my auto buy!...more
It’s 2168 and Secret Service Agent Ronan Dooley watches himself die for the 8th time. It’s not pretty. Strapped to a chair, blindfolded, beaten and helpless, Ronan watches as an unknown killer shoots him in the head multiple times. The killer makes it very clear that they do not want Ronan to return, but it’s too late for that. He’s already been reborn and the Secret Service wants him to find his own killer. At almost 200 years old, Ronan has seen a lot, and died a lot, but never like this, and he wants to get to the bottom of it as well. After being reluctantly partnered with a woman that he himself requested (but doesn’t remember doing so), he sets out to find the killer, before another attempt at his life is made. It also doesn’t help that he has a radical group after him called the One Resurrectionists (who do not believe in the Amortal Project), and there’s a possibility that one of his grandsons is involved. The thought of being “reborn” so many times makes me want to blink. A lot. The sheer amount of descendants Dooley has amassed in a little under 200 years is daunting (he’s on great grandson #6), and I can’t imagine what it would be like to know that if you’re killed, you’ll have another chance at life the next day. Dooly has a good guy streak a mile long, and none of the swagger that you would think would come from someone that is considered so important to the government that he’s the longest living man, with automatic rebirth following his death. People can purchase insurance that assures them they will be reborn, but the cost is exorbitant, and with this option available, medical advances have virtually stopped, leaving the poor with no recourse if they get sick, but the rich never have to worry, knowing they’ll be reborn as many times as they’d like. Amortals reads like a really good action flick (I mean that in a good way). I had no problem picturing how the action unfolded because the author’s descriptives are that good. The twists and turns are nearly constant and the author really gets across the terrifying implications that cloning can have for humanity. I never quite knew who to trust, except for our hero, who narrates the story, and I enjoyed seeing how things unfolded and the surprising direction some characters took. If you enjoy sci-fi action and plenty of cool gadgets, along with a hero to root for, you’ll love Amortals!...more
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