RED RISING by Pierce Brown

March 29, 2014

Darrow was born and raised below the surface of Mars. It is the only life he’s ever known, but it is one of honor. Darrow and his kin are Reds, the first people sent to Mars. The people responsible for mining the very elements that will save Earth and allow the red planet to support life. Their work is hard, but the reward is great. Or so Darrow has always been taught.

Darrow and his people have been kept in the dark for generations; Mars has already been terraformed and settled. The new life they were promised has been kept from them and the Reds are now enslaved to the constant demand for helium-3 as the rest of Society spreads further and further through the galaxy.

But one group knows the truth. That very group wants to enact change and they need Darrow’s help to do so.

This first in Brown’s new trilogy is a powerful debut. The world building alone is magnificent—a terraformed Mars inhabited by a whole world of people, all divided into castes by color based on their professions and power. The Reds are at the bottom and the Golds at the very top. And within those castes, there is even further delineation.

Red Rising is a pretty brutal read, to be quite honest, but one that will surely appeal to both teen and adult dystopian fans.

3/14 Becky Lejeune

RED RISING by Pierce Brown. Del Rey (January 28, 2014). ISBN 978-0345539786. 382p.

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Posted by Stacy Alesi

REDDEVIL 4 by Eric C. Leuthardt

March 28, 2014

Three murders, three suspects caught in the act. For detectives Edwin Krantz and Tara Dezner, this Saturday in St. Louis is off to a bloody start. The scenes are shockingly similar but there’s seemingly no connection between the three killers, except for their doctor.

It’s 2053 and scientific achievements have significantly altered every aspect of daily life. Neroprosthetic implants connect people instantaneously, eliminating the need for phones and computers. Medical diagnostics have become more efficient and reliable, as have actual investigations. Dr. Hagan Maerici is a researcher and surgeon working on creating the world’s first true artificial intelligence.

Just as he begins to reach a breakthrough, however, he must turn is attention to the case at hand. All three suspects are his patients and all three are showing significant health deterioration in the wake of their arrests. Dezner is convinced that the medical anomalies are a ruse meant to disprove actual guilt, but Maerici is certain this isn’t the case. But aside from motive and connection, the thing that’s most mysterious is how the three killers have ended up in this state. And as long as the answer eludes them, they have no way of knowing if the crimes are isolated to their three suspects or if the city could be facing more to come.

Eric C. Leuthardt’s debut is a brilliant melding of science fiction and police procedural. And when I say brilliant, I do mean it – Leuthardt is a bio engineer and neurosurgeon.

The science aspects in RedDevil 4 can be a bit overwhelming for a layperson (like myself) but the story moves along at an incredible pace. The entire thing plays out in just over 36 hours as a whole and features almost non-stop action alongside a frighteningly easy to believe premise. In short, RedDevil 4 is an impossible to put down thriller.

3/14 Becky Lejeune

REDDEVIL 4 by Eric C. Leuthardt. Forge Books (February 4, 2014). ISBN 978-0765332561. 368p.

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Posted by Stacy Alesi

HOW ABOUT NEVER–IS NEVER GOOD FOR YOU? by Bob Mankoff

March 26, 2014

“My Life in Cartoons”

This is a memoir of sorts, from the cartoon editor of the New Yorker. If you’re not familiar, the New Yorker has long been home to some of the most intelligent and cutting edge cartoons and is often the first thing long time readers look at, including this one. Bob Mankoff explains how he got there and why he loves his jobs – not only is he editor, he is also a cartoonist.

If you love smart, witty and often political cartoons, then this is the book for you. If you are looking for tips on how to win the caption contests, this is also the book for you. And if you ever wondered how a cartoonist becomes a cartoonist and makes a career out of it, then this is definitely the book for you.

I must admit that I’m a long time New Yorker cartoon fan so I happily delved into this and was not disappointed. In fact, I raced through it in one night, laughing like a fool. Luckily, I was home alone and didn’t have to explain myself to anyone.

how-about-neverOften laugh out loud funny and always interesting, I really enjoyed this and highly recommend it to New Yorker fans and those who’ve even never picked up the magazine as well. When you need a break from heart pounding thrillers, thought provoking literary books or dystopian nightmares, this light, fast, funny read is the perfect respite.

 

 

 

3/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

HOW ABOUT NEVER–IS NEVER GOOD FOR YOU? by Bob Mankoff . Henry Holt and Co. (March 25, 2014). ISBN  978-0805095906. 304p.

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Posted by Stacy Alesi

APOCALYPSE by Dean Crawford

March 24, 2014


This is the third Crawford novel featuring Ethan Warner, continuing the trend of setting up a plot that is outside of the normal and involving him in scenarios that enter into the paranormal. Warner is summoned by the Defense Intelligence Agency to help with the investigation of a double murder of a woman and her daughter.

Within moments of arriving at the scene with his partner Nicola Lopez, Ethan is telephoned by the woman’s husband who tells him that he did not commit the murders, but he himself will be killed within 24 hours, knows the murderer who is not yet aware that he will kill, and predicts various events that will occur during the 24 hour period.

The opening throws Ethan and Nicola into an investigation that involves the Bermuda Triangle, and the mysteries surrounding it, a huge undersea installation first built by the military and taken over by a private company and a logically developed and explained method of seeing into the near future.

Crawford has a knack for grabbing the reader and drawing him or her into the book, explaining the possible science behind developments portrayed in easy to understand terms without making these events explained away by glossing over them. High adventure very well done with out of the ordinary plots continues to be Crawford’s forte and he guarantees sleepless nights for the reader engrossed in his book.

3/14 Paul Lane

APOCALYPSE by Dean Crawford. Touchstone (March 18, 2014). ISBN 978-1451659498. 416p.

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Posted by Stacy Alesi

FEARIE TALES ed by Stephen Jones

March 23, 2014


STORIES OF THE GRIMM AND GRUESOME

From Cinderella to Hansel and Gretel, the tales of the Brothers Grimm have been told for generations. Anyone who has read the original versions (the unedited for kids versions) knows these are dark and bloody stories indeed, but this latest collection edited by Stephen Jones takes the tales one step further with fifteen of today’s top horror authors adding their own twists to a variety of Grimm classics. Some of the stories are well known—Robert Shearman takes on Hansel and Gretel with his “Peckish” and both Ramsey Campbell and John Ajvide Lindqvist offer up very different versions of Rumpelstiltskin—while other tales may be a bit lesser so—Angela Slatter tackles The Robber Bridegroom and Garth Nix offers up a weird western version of The Hare’s Bride—but each tale is preceded by its Grimm inspiration.

A few of my personal favorites include Peter Crowther’s “The Artemis Line,” a dark and creepy tale inspired by the Grimm’s story of changelings; Neil Gaiman’s oddly lyrical “Down to a Sunless Sea,” inspired by The Singing Bone; Michael Marshall Smith’s super fun “Look Inside”; and of course John Ajvide Lindqvist’s “Come Unto Me,” which plays on the Scandinavian legend of the tomte.

For anyone who enjoys horror and fairy tales, this is the perfect collection (and it makes for some nightmarish bedtime reading!). Whether you like your stories gory and gruesome or chillingly atmospheric, there’s something in Fearie Tales for everyone.

Fearie Tales is out now in the UK and will be available in the U.S. 9/23/2014

Table of Contents:
Introduction: Don’t Scare the Children
The Wilful Child
Find my Name by Ramsey Campbell
The Singing Bone
Down to a Sunless Sea by Neil Gaiman
Rapunzel
Open Your Window, Golden Hair by Tanith Lee
The Hare’s Bride
Crossing the Line by Garth Nix
Hansel and Gretel
Peckish by Robert Shearman
The Three Little Men in the Wood
Look Inside by Michael Marshall Smith
The Story of a Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was
Fräulein Fearnot by Markus Heitz
Cinderella
The Ash-Boy by Christopher Fowler
The Elves #1
The Changeling by Brian Lumley
The Nixie of Mill-Pond
The Silken Drum by Reggie Oliver
The Robber Bridegroom
By the Weeping Gate by Angela Slatter
Fräu Trude
Anything to Me is Sweeter, Than to Cross Shock-Headed Peter by Brian Hodge
The Elves #2
The Artemis Line by Peter Crowther
The Old Woman in the Wood
The Silken People by Joanne Harris
Rumpelstiltskin
Come Unto Me by John Ajvide Lindqvist
The Shroud

3/14 Becky Lejeune

FEARIE TALES ed by Stephen Jones. Jo Fletcher Books (24 Oct 2013). ISBN 978-1782064701. 430p. (UK)
Jo Fletcher Books (September 23, 2014). ISBN 978-1623658069 (US)

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A MAN CAME OUT OF A DOOR IN THE MOUNTAIN by Adrianne Harun

March 21, 2014


The devil has come to town and for Leo Kreutzer and his friends life will never be the same.

Theirs is a small town, one that relies on the local logging industry for much of its economy. For years, native girls have been going missing but until now it’s never directly touched Leo and his friends. Recently graduated, they all find themselves in a bit of an odd spot: Leo is taking summer correspondence courses at his mother’s behest while also helping care for his ailing uncle, Jackie has taken a job in the kitchen at the logging camp, Ursie is working in housekeeping at one of the town’s few motels while her brother Bryan does the occasional work for the local drug gang, and Tessa spends her days looking after her sister’s kids. It’s this break—the time between school and really entering the real world—that leaves Ursie, Jackie, and Bryan particularly vulnerable to two strange newcomers: Hana Swann and Keven Seven.

Adrianne Harun’s debut is an oddball of a read. The story itself is a blending of mystery, folklore, and magical realism and Harun’s style is not only intriguing but somewhat hypnotic. The narrative is interspersed with legends and tales as told by Leo’s Uncle Lud. Each of the stories serve as little interludes that not only give the readers perspective into Leo’s character and the local culture, but also influence both the reader and Leo in teasing out the truth about Swann and Seven.

It’s a fascinating book that likely won’t appeal to everyone, but is a magical and engaging read for just the right audience.

3/14 Becky Lejeune

A MAN CAME OUT OF A DOOR IN THE MOUNTAIN by Adrianne Harun. Penguin Books (February 25, 2014). ISBN 978-0670786107. 272p.

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Posted by Stacy Alesi

THE SOUND OF BROKEN GLASS by Deborah Crombie

March 15, 2014


Vincent Arnott may seem like an unlikely candidate for kinky sex games and murder, but when DI Gemma James and her partner, DS Melody Talbot, are called to a scene at The Belvedere, that’s seemingly what they find. Arnott, a regular at the hotel, known to the staff as Mr. Smith, is found tied up and strangled on a Saturday morning.

As it turns out, Arnott was a local barrister whose wife suffered from Alzheimer’s. His regular routine included a Friday night dinner at his local pub and semi regular Friday night check-ins at The Belvedere – with secret female companions. It could be this time around Arnott simply chose the wrong woman, but it seems he was also involved in a bit of a dust up at the pub. Gemma and Melody end up questioning a local up-and-coming guitarist who, it’s soon revealed, has a bit of a connection to Gemma and her husband.

This latest from Crombie is the fifteenth title in her long running Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James series. Readers new to Crombie will find that there are quite a few references to previous installments but The Sound of Broken Glass does stand alone for the most part. All of the references are character development rather than plot related.

I’ve only read two titles in the series thus far – this one and its immediate predecessor, No Mark Upon Her – but I already love the characters and the setting. Crombie pays great attention to detail on London and its history, almost equal in fact to her depth of focus on building real and believable characters.

Crombie’s next title in the series, To Dwell in Darkness, is due out this fall.

3/14 Becky Lejeune

THE SOUND OF BROKEN GLASS by Deborah Crombie. William Morrow Paperbacks; Reprint edition (February 25, 2014). ISBN 978-0061990649. 384p.

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CONQUEST by John Connolly & Jennifer Ridyard

March 13, 2014


Book 1, The Chronicles of the Invaders Trilogy

Earth is on the brink of another Civil War. This time the enemy is the Illyri, a race of intelligent aliens who have mastered space travel using worm holes. They arrived on Earth just over sixteen years ago, breaking down infrastructure and quashing the military efforts of ever country, making this their new home. They say they want to live in peace, side by side with humans, but the human race isn’t going to go down quietly.

Syl Hellais, daughter of Lord Andrus – the Illyri governor of Britain and Ireland – was the first of her kind to be born on Earth. On her sixteenth birthday she’d hoped to head out and explore the village near their home but a string of violent attacks has her father in and out of political meetings. With that in mind, Syl is told to stay inside where she’s protected, an instruction she immediately sets about ignoring.

Syl’s little trip almost becomes fatal for both herself and her best friend. A number of explosions ring out around the village but the young Illyrians find themselves protected thanks to two human brothers, Paul and Steven Kerr. The brothers believe the girls are human and quickly drag them to safety. When they meet again, Paul and Steve have been convicted of terrorist attacks and are set to be executed.

This first in a new series from John Connolly and Jennifer Ridyard is definitely a different animal from what readers might expect of Connolly. It’s an overall fantastic start to a new science fiction series, one I believe will easily appeal to teen audiences as well as adults. (It does seem the series is being promoted as an adult one here in the States but is noted as “One of Amazon UK’s best young adult books of the year.”)

There’s a great deal of information introduced here – lots of setting the scene for the series as a whole, introducing the Illyri, their politics, their science, etc – and while Conquest may not stand well on its own (there’s a bit of a cliffhanger ending), it does serve as a captivating kick off.

There’s no word just yet on when the next title will release but I am absolutely dying to read it!

3/14 Becky Lejeune

CONQUEST by John Connolly & Jennifer Ridyard. Atria/Emily Bestler Books; First Edition edition (February 11, 2014). ISBN 978-1476757124. 448p.

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THE ORPHAN CHOIR by Sophie Hannah

March 11, 2014


Louise Beeston is on the brink of a complete meltdown. Distraught over being separated from her seven-year-old son, Louise is already in a sensitive place. But now her neighbor’s partying has kept her up late one too many times. Exhausted, Louise attempts to once more politely broach the subject with her neighbor. Her pleas are not only ignored, she’s ridiculed by Justin Clay and his friends.

Clay takes things one step further by blasting Louise’s walls with classical pieces and finally what sounds like choral music. Choral music like that her son has been performing at the elite Saviour College School. Louise reaches out to the local authorities but becomes convinced that their efforts will be in vain. Then she hears about a new second home community just over an hour away. It would mean peace and quiet, a break from the neighbor, a chance to recover and relax. But even here Louise can’t escape the haunting melodies and hymns. Now it seems Louise may truly be losing her mind… unless there’s another meaning behind the music.

This stand alone from Hannah had all the pieces of a potentially great chiller but unfortunately fell flat. While the book begins with good character development, setting the scene for Louise’s no doubt looming mental breakdown, the overall balance of the book is disappointing.

By the time Louise starts to find out more about her mysterious choral music, the book is fully three quarters through. Ultimately the end comes on much too quickly and with very little explanation.

3/14 Becky Lejeune

THE ORPHAN CHOIR by Sophie Hannah. Picador (January 28, 2014). ISBN 978-1250041029. 288p.

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Posted by Stacy Alesi

THE ACCIDENT by Chris Pavone

March 11, 2014


The author of The Expats returns with another mesmerizing espionage novel, this time centered on a novel written by someone styling themselves as “Anonymous.”

Isabel Reed, a top literary agent, is sent a manuscript which captures her immediately, revealing dark hidden secrets about a great man whose life and career could be destroyed if the book were ever published. At the same time, Hayden Gray, a CIA chief of station in Copenhagen, is attempting to prevent that publication from happening. The author of the manuscript is living the life of an expat in Zurich, attempting to make up for a life of lies and deceits with the publication of the book.

Pavone sets up a plot that moves quickly from danger and possibly murder for anyone that has a copy of the book, in attempts to squelch the revelations. Scenes move from New York to Europe and also to a road in upper New York State a quarter of a century earlier, when the subject of the book commits what becomes the point of the plot.

Chris Pavone is good at making his characters react and think as they would in real life and allow his readers to enjoy a fascinating internationally focused novel. An all nighter and one that will prompt interest in his next book.

3/14 Paul Lane

THE ACCIDENT by Chris Pavone. Crown (March 11, 2014). ISBN 978-0385348454. 400p.

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Posted by Stacy Alesi

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