Ok...that was absolutely fantastic. If you want zombie apocalypse, then you read the Valace Standard. My only problem was it was too short. I wanted mOk...that was absolutely fantastic. If you want zombie apocalypse, then you read the Valace Standard. My only problem was it was too short. I wanted more, more, more! Like a blood thirsty zombie wanting to tear apart more flesh.
Only twenty three ratings on this brilliant short story. That needs to go up. It's so creative and dark with a very original concept. It's up there in my favourite short stories. I'm talking top three territory. It really is that good.
I've read two books by Ryan C Thomas. The other the Summer I Died, which was also fantastic. It's about time there was some fresh talent in the horror genre and this guy may just be the man to fill the void. Great effort Ryan!...more
"Once upon a time, man had a love affair with fire."
The best book in terms of pure enjoyment I've ever read. That's all you need to know. B[image]
"Once upon a time, man had a love affair with fire."
The best book in terms of pure enjoyment I've ever read. That's all you need to know. But to not give Swan Song a full review would be doing this book a complete disservice. After all, Mr Robert R McCammon gave us nearly one thousand pages of post apocalyptic goodness. The least I can do in return is spare a few minutes telling you how great this is. So here goes.
I'll start with the only negative point that I have and get that out the way. The premise centres around a catastrophic event brought about by the US government and military that leads to the destruction of most of the world's population. From the remains a group of characters arise that eventually form into two sides, good vs evil. One led by a female, touched by God and the other led by an antichrist figure with supernatural powers that eventually come together for the final battle. Sound familiar? You bet it does. This one follows the same script as the Stand. If that's the kind of thing that really bothers you then this may present a problem.
For me, I read for pure enjoyment and this one is substantially different from the aforementioned book and in many ways superior. It starts with the world's megalomaniac leaders bringing about the nuclear holocaust and McCammon portrays this amazingly in a truly terrifying depiction of what could happen. The writing here is superb with great imagery and description. McCammon is a brilliant writer and in Swan Song he is at the peak of his powers.
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"he was a scream wrapped up in straw, a little, weak, vicious thing gnashing inside a monstrous facade."
Any great story needs great characters and this one has many. Special mention needs to go to the three main characters on each side who are fantastic, original and well fleshed out. We have Josh (Black Frankenstein) an ex wrestler with a heart of gold, Sister Creep, a hobo with PTSD and Sue Wanda (Swan) a fragile young girl with an amazing power who form the foundation of the forces of good. Then Colonel Maklin, an ex war hero with sinister goings on upstairs, Rolland, a boy who has all the makings of a young Adolf Hitler and the man with the Scarlet Eye, a terrifying entity with supernatural powers. Add to this a fantastic cast of support characters and you have a group you fall in love with or learn to hate over the course of this epic tale.
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"take it one step at a time. One step and then the next gets you where you’re going"
The journey in this story is what it's all about in terms of the places the characters travel to and the development of each. It's quite staggering the places Swan Song takes you. Add to that the emotional depth McCammon weaves into the plot, making you laugh one minute, cry the next and you'll understand the greatness of this one. This book also contains some of the most intense action scenes I've ever read and it never lets up for one second. The author is a master of pacing and he creates the paradox of a huge novel that reads like a two hundred page thriller. It really doesn't let up for one second and I can honestly say that not at any point does this novel drag.
Ok, I've gushed enough about how absolutely awesome this book is. If you've read this far then give your self a medal soldier. You have what it takes to join the Army of Excellence and read Swan Song. So jump to it and prepare to be entertained more than you thought was possible....more
"Late last night and the night before, tommyknockers, tommyknockers knocking on my door. I wanna go out, don't know if I can 'cuz I'm so afr[image]
"Late last night and the night before, tommyknockers, tommyknockers knocking on my door. I wanna go out, don't know if I can 'cuz I'm so afraid of the tommyknocker man."
There's a lot of negativity surrounding this book. King himself called this a bad book, although stating there was a good three hundred page novel in there somewhere. He wrote this one at the height of his cocaine/alcohol addiction and that may explain his penchant for over writing and wandering in certain aspects of this book. Indeed, this was the first King novel I tried to read, at the tender age of thirteen, and it put me off him for years.
Fast forward twenty seven years and I have reached the stage of true enlightenment and am now a fully trained reading Jedi master. So I return to this book of dread without fear and true faith in my ability to overcome.
I don't know what I was worried about. It was an absolute blast. I absolutely love Sci Fi horror and this is full on sci fi horror. The premise, the set up the characters...are all top notch. Ok, putting my critique hat on this book does slooooooow down in the middle. It introduces and explores a range of characters and this is the main reason this book gets the flack it does. I didn't mind it at all. I love, love, love King's writing and the way he delves into a character and brings them to life. However, I'd love King to go back now and edit this one and see how it functions as a fast paced thriller. Maybe it could be one of his greatest books ever and get more recognition amongst the reading community.
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"The trouble with living alone, she had discovered-and the reason why most people she knew didn't like to be alone even for a little while-was that the longer you lived alone, the louder the voices on the right side of your brain got."
The premise in this one. Alien device located in the woods in the town of Haven starts taking over people. Some it makes geniuses, most it sends crazy. It's certainly not original, we've had it in Invasion of the Bodysnatchers. But in the hands of a supremely talented writer it's certainly an interesting concept to explore.
Like I've said the characters in this one are great. The two central ones, Bobbi and Gard are fantastic with some very interesting goings on in their individual psyche. Very underrated in the King pantheon of awesome characters. The plot does get a wee bit choppy as King riffs about exploring the effects of this alien presence throughout the town. But you know what, I enjoyed that.
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"Overhead was a sky blacker than jewlers' velvet, and a billion stars screamed down..."
So for me the book was still an awesome read. A special mention has to go to how King ends his novel. It's a misconception that he doesn't know how to end a story and once again he disproves that theory in this one. Without spoilers, its action packed, brutal and horrific. But that's what you paid your money for. It then ends with a really sweet moment that I enjoyed.
Overall I'm giving this a 4.5 rounded up to 5. Goodreads, if you're listening, time to update your rating system and give a little bit more flexibility. I was very, very tempted to give this a full five, but again, it does bog down a tad in the middle. But in the end, a fantastic reading experience....more
4.5 stars. Boy was this fun. Groovy little techno thriller. Short, sharp and sexy. Plus one of the most hilarious character names I've ever come acros4.5 stars. Boy was this fun. Groovy little techno thriller. Short, sharp and sexy. Plus one of the most hilarious character names I've ever come across lol If my boy Koontz can keep this up I'm all in....more
Fantastic, epic, brutal. Some of the words I'd use to describe this brilliant piece of fiction. King give us his take on Lord of The Flies as he proviFantastic, epic, brutal. Some of the words I'd use to describe this brilliant piece of fiction. King give us his take on Lord of The Flies as he provides us with an example of how society desolves when it is isolated and cut off from the rest of the world.
The best part of this novel is undoubtedly the characters. Everyone is developed and leaves an impression. Some good, some bad. And none badder than Big Jim Rennie!...more
Stephen King + zombies + apocalypse = awesome. This has one of the best starts to a Stephen King book I've read so far and this is number fourty sevenStephen King + zombies + apocalypse = awesome. This has one of the best starts to a Stephen King book I've read so far and this is number fourty seven for me. A slight lull in the second didn't detract from a very entertaining read....more
"What turns a person into a monster like this? Training? Some horrible event in his past? Genetics? How does a man lose his humanity?"
I've [image]
"What turns a person into a monster like this? Training? Some horrible event in his past? Genetics? How does a man lose his humanity?"
I've had this book sat on a shelf for nearly a year. Why the hell did it take this long for me to read it? It has pretty much everything I look for, violence, violence and more violence. All done with a quality of writing that draws you in and grips you from start to finish. Grips you like a bear trap!
This one is set in the small, quiet Wisconsin town of Safe Haven. A sleepy little hollow where nothing ever happens. That is until a crack team of blood thirsty, special forces maniacs goes on the rampage. This town is anything but a safe haven. If you've got a weak stomach, give this one a miss.
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"I’m not afraid of the dead,” Streng remembered saying. “I’m afraid of what made them dead."
The character work and quality of writing isn't amazing, Stephen King level, but it is solid and does the job very well. Where this book really shines is the breakneck pacing and over the top violence. Backstory and history is only given to the reader when absolutely necessary and never interferes with the action. It's very frantic, nail biting stuff.
Overall, I was very satisfied. I wanted a fresh, exciting horror experience and that's exactly what I got. Afraid is part of a trilogy and I'm all over it like a tramp on chips. I've heard the last installment is the best. It will have to go some to top this beautiful piece of literature.
"Americans were brought up to respect what was new and progressive—and more often than they wanted to admit, they died for their faith in wh[image]
"Americans were brought up to respect what was new and progressive—and more often than they wanted to admit, they died for their faith in what was bright and shiny."
Yes! 4.5 stars. Great fast paced and fun mind controlling awesomeness from the Koontzter.
The plot in this one centres around two villainous individuals who want to seize power over others through mind control. There's no shades of grey with these two as is so often the case with Dean Koontz baddies. We have Salsbury, a twisted and nasty little scientists, who gets off on his ability to control overs. Then there's his employer, Dawson, a full on megalomaniac hellbent on world domination. This leads them to the town of Black River, who's population become Guinea pigs for the dastardly pair.
A small group go unaffected by the drugs pumped into the water supply and it's their job to unravel the sinister plan and put a stop to things before it's too late. It's all very dramatic and there's some particular dark stuff in this one. Although a brilliant scientist, Salsbury is a full on psychopath who gets off on his ability to toy and play with others. This leads to some pretty unsettling scenes, so if you trigger easily this may not be the book for you.
The plot is fast-paced, as is the case with most Dean Koontz novels, and he keeps things dark and edgy. This is a hallmark of his early novels, before he got really religious and started to become preachy with his readers. It's why a lot of people tend to stay away from his newer stuff and it's a rule I tend to stick with. There's also no mutt taking centre stage, which has become an annoying feature of his stories throughout his career.
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"I’m an old-style liberal when it comes to most things. But this liberal line about compassion for the criminal—that’s ninety percent horseshit."
The characters are fairly consistent and do engage the reader to some extent, even if they are a bit one-dimensional. But character work is never a strong point for this author and in my mind it's what stops him from being considered a great. Sorry, but not sorry Koontz fans.
But what this story has going for it is the dark and dastardly vibe and narrative that keeps the reader fully engaged. The locations catch the imagination and there is enough action to make Night Chills a page-turner. It's certainly amongst my favourite Koontz books and if you're a fan of his then definitely give it a try.
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