Bibliophile
Monday, 10 February 2014
Friday, 7 February 2014
Thursday, 6 February 2014
REVIEWS...Dog Days/Deadly Passage
Any reviews I post on this blog are purely my own impressions.
DOG DAYS - JournalStone's Double Down Series Book III eBook
by Joe McKinney
Though this is not a genre I would normally choose, I decided to see what the attraction was.
From the perspective of a young teenage boy, Mark, the reader is taken through numerous experiences that perhaps wouldn't be as major if they had happened to an adult - the excitement of a storm that dumped a shrimp boat in a tree, seven miles inland; 'borrowing' a gun from the locked gun cabinet belonging to his policeman father ; curiousity overcoming obedience, but then, the unreality and discovery of several horrifically mutilated bodies.
From there, the author meanders through a teenage crush, friendships and fights with the bad boys - none seeming to really be of great interest even to Mark, till more bodies start appearing, many bodies... Eventually it all links together and you discover why and how, but it takes an awfully long time to get there.
I appreciate the opportunity of reading this book, kindly supplied by Journal Stone, but still came to the conclusion that this genre is not for me.
It took me a while to get to reading the second story in the book, but as this is a Double Down Series, I continued on.
★★✮✩✩
DEADLY PASSAGE - JournalStone's Double Down Series Book III eBook pt. 2
by Sanford Allen
This book held my interest longer, not for the story as a whole, but for the portrayal of the conditions on board a slave ship, the cruelty of the time and the decency of some, which was undermined by being forced to eke out punishment by whipping. Some were forced to watch such punishment, no matter how galling, in fear of receiving the same treatment.
It lost me when the bodies kept piling up, each more grotesquely dealt with than the last. Not even the fact that some of the 'bad guys' were killed, justified the numbers.. it was gratuitous to say the least.
If you like horror, a touch of the supernatural and an involved story, then this may be the book for you. I puzzled at parts as the
' huge creature' could somehow fit into very tiny spaces... and it became a guessing game as to who was next. One way to tie up loose threads I guess, kill off all the characters.
I feel it is slightly better written than DOG DAYS, but that didn't save the story...
★★★✩✩
A BOOK THAT MAKES YOU GO 'AAHHH!
It's not often that I follow the trends and read the latest best seller, but this is one book that I was very keen to read, simply because it is such a contrast to Matthew Reilly's normal genre...
It was also touted as an historical novel, a genre I do like reading. I wasn't at all disappointed... it took me just a short while to delve into this intriguing story... set in the era of a time of great upheaval, 1546. I was wondering how a young man of the 21st century would write 'with the voice' of a 13 year old Queen Elizabeth 1. He does it so well, not that I think too many of today's 13 year olds would have the confidence of Bess (Elizabeth) as portrayed, nor would they need the skills of self preservation.
A very clever aspect was the inclusion of so many well known characters of that era, including Michelangelo... remembering that this is a factional story, it still makes these characters 'come to life'.
I would rather not divulge the basis of the story, except to say that it was surprising, revealing, intriguing and well worth reading.
http://www.matthewreilly.com/the-novels/the-tournament
★ ★ ★ ★
WHICH BOOK, WHAT FORMAT?
(c) not licensed
This explains all... so many wonderful books waiting to be explored...
The debate goes on, re 'real' books, versus eBooks... to me, there is room for both.
I know, I can't believe I just wrote that either, but having experienced both, I've come to accept that.
While I love traditional books, sometimes it is very convenient to read eBooks...
So, whatever your choice, you will find references here to both.
(c) not licensed
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