Home » 2016 (Page 2)

Book Review: Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia


 
Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Thomas Dunne Books, 2016
ISBN-13: 978-1250099082
Available: Hardcover, Kindle edition, Audible
 

Certain Dark Things is an excellent example of what a vampire novel can be. The characters are strong, the writing is fast-paced, and it paints a vision of a world we have not seen before. There is a ton of vampire fiction out there, much of it unreadable, but Silvia Moreno-Garcia brings a fresh take to the genre in this page-turner.

In the world of Certain Dark Things, the existence of vampires became public knowledge in 1969. Slowly, the vampires have become a part of society. There are a variety of species and sub-species of vampires, and many have evolved geographically and culturally. Reading it, there is a sense that we are seeing just the tip of the iceberg. The book comes with a glossary which explains the ins and outs of the vampires and their history. I found this unnecessary, and only referred to it once. Many of the details listed at the back of the book have little bearing on this story, but it is clear the author has this whole world thought out in great detail. World-building is clearly one of the book’s great strengths.

Domingo is a homeless teenager surviving on the streets of Mexico City, whose life changes hen he meets Alt, a vampire that comes from a Aztec background. Alt’s biology requires that she feed from the young, but she doesn’t have to kill to feed. Domingo is fascinated with her: he has read about vampires, but never met one. Although gangs of vampires and drug cartels battle beyond the city limits, within Mexico City, vampires are illegal. Why would Alt risk coming to Mexico City? This is what drives the narrative.

The novel is well structured. Moreno-Garcia uses multiple points of view, switching easily between them. Character development is also impressive. Ana, the police detective, has a story interesting enough to carry its own novel. Watching Domingo fall deeper and deeper for Alt, readers learn just how inhuman she is. Some of the strongest moments of the book happen between them.

Moreno-Garcia isn’t the first to write about Mexican vampires, but every dark fiction author deserves a chance to put their spin on the creature, using the unique set of tools they bring to the table, and she has created a clever and original story.  We can only hope she will choose to return to this world with a sequel. Highly recommended.

 

Reviewed by David Agranoff


Posted on December 20, 2016 by , Reply

Book Review: Alabaster Shadows by Matt Gardner and Rashad Doucet

Alabaster Shadows by Matt Gardner and Rashad Doucet

Oni Press, 2016

ISBN: 9781620102640

Available: Paperback,  Kindle edition, comiXology

 

In this all-ages graphic novel, the Normandy family moves to a new neighborhood. The children, older brother Carter and little sister Polly, are nervous and excited about their new place. Upon arriving, they are welcomed by Mr. Randolph and Miss Crowe, his receptionist. Miss Crowe, who is clearly unenthusiastic about children, is also the head of the Community Council. Mr. Randolph, who seems to know there is something odd about the neighborhood, pointedly asks Carter and Polly to let him know if they see anything strange.

Carter is the first one to notice something out of place: a mysterious leak in the basement. The leak is walled up by the Community Council in his absence,  but Carter, returning before the mortar has fully dried, pulls a few bricks out of the wall to discover a giant water droplet hovering in the air: a portal to another world.

Carter is joined by Polly and a group of neighborhood kids on his journey to discover what is going on in his crazy neighborhood, Harley is the Mulder for the group; her brother Warren, is a devoted skeptic; and Dudley is a shy boy who sits at the back of the classroom, where he draws a mythical creature on his desk that he claims lives under his bed. Together, they solve problems through the dreamscape, decipher an ancient language with the help of a mysterious ring, and face shadowy monsters along the way.

The story has numerous Lovecraftian elements to it, which made it very enjoyable for me. The fact that it’s a great story for multiple age and reading levels is a bonus. I’ve been hunting for horror-themed graphic novels in particular for my youngest nephews, and this one fits the bill perfectly. The artwork is bright and colorful, without being garish, and the monsters are pretty great. This book also offers some needed diversity in graphic novels as Carter and Polly’s parents are a biracial couple.

Polly quickly became my favorite character when she faced one of these monsters after earning a separate detention from her brother’s, but I’ll leave that for you to find out what happens. I’m looking forward very much to the next book.

Highly recommended

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker


Posted on December 18, 2016 by , Reply

Book Review: Assassin’s Creed: Heresy by Christie Golden (Dueling Reviews)

Two for the price of one, today: Aaron Fletcher and I both reviewed Assassin’s Creed: Heresy. Read on to see what we thought!


Assassin’s Creed: Heresy by Christie Golden

Ubisoft Publishing, 2016

ISBN:  978-1-945-21002-0

Available:  Hardback, paperback, ebook (Kindle, Nook)

Review #1

Assassin’s Creed: Heresy is set in the universe of the Assassin’s Creed  action-adventure video game franchise produced by Ubisoft, and has been published recently, in order to take advantage of the soon-to-be-released Assassin’s Creed movie (note, this story is not a novelization of the movie but an original novel). The game takes advantage of real-world historical events and individuals, and sets up two opposing organizations, the Assassins and the Templars, who influence these events and people, and attempt to collect unique objects called Pieces of Eden. The Assassins fight for peace with free will, and the Templars fight with peace with control. I haven’t played the game, and read the book without knowing this, but it is my understanding that typically, players see what’s going on from the Assassins’ point of view.

Assassin’s Creed: Heresy is written from a Templar’s point of view. The Templars are able to send a person back in time to view history through an ancestor’s eyes. Simon Hathaway, the new head of Abstergo Industries’ historical research division and a recent initiate into the Templars’ inner circle, has an ancestor who knew Joan of Arc, who was the last person to wield the legendary sword Piece of Eden 25. When he requests time to show that a wider exploration of the time period will be more successful than the current approach, he is given one week to learn what happened to the lost sword and how to reactivate it.

This is where the book gets really interesting– Simon travels back to observe his ancestor’s interactions with Joan, and we get to experience his interactions with her, and the events around her.We get the impressions of both Simon’s ancestor, a French peasant boy who was her steadfast friend, and Simon the Templar historian, which means we get background and commentary while also immersed in the interactions with historical characters and events in the life of Joan of Arc. Christie Golden manages this without ever making it seem intrusive, and it’s like getting history without the slow parts. The present-day storyline wasn’t terribly interesting– the characters seemed flat, and I felt like I had been dropped into the middle of an ongoing tangle of intrigues that weren’t well-explained– but Golden’s handling of the historical sequences was very well done.  Despite having never played the game, I got into the book. With a little more background, this could have worked well as a stand alone novel  for a wider variety of readers. Assassin’s Creed: The Essential Guide (not reviewed here) was released at the same time as this book, and together, I am sure they make for a much more complete experience. With or without the additional background, though, both new and old fans and players of  Assassin’s Creed should enjoy this book. Recommended.

Contains: violence

Reviewed by Kirsten Kowalewski

 

Review #2

Joan of Arc is rumored to have possessed a sword that made her invincible: one of the legendary Swords of Eden, Piece of Eden 25.  Imbued with unique properties, little is known of its history.  Templars and Assassins alike have owned it over time, as they fought over control of mankind.  Now it is safely ensconced in the office of Alan Rikkin, CEO of Abstergo Industries, but its incredible powers of invincibility no longer function. Somehow, before Rikkin acquired it, it was damaged, and now it is just a sword.  Rikkin wants to make it whole again, for the Templars.

Simon Hathaway, the new head of Abstergo Industries’ historical research division, is determined to prove to his boss that his new approach is better than past techniques.  The Templars have a technique available that allows them to travel back in history at different points in the life of one of their ancestors, in order to track the location of Pieces of Eden. Instead of fast-forwarding through the life of Joan of Arc to the historically important parts, Simon will live alongside her as much as possible to get the maximum experience he can.  He follows Joan and finds out how she got the sword, what happened to it, and how to get it working again.  For history, for the Templars, and for mankind.

This is a very enjoyable story: a fun action-adventure with a historical setting that tied in perfectly with the video game franchise.  The plot and pacing were fast and kept me turning pages.  The descriptions were well done. I felt like I was right there with the characters! Christie Golden gives readers enough to keep them in the world, but still guessing what will happen next.  The suspense built very well, and I especially liked the ending.  I was pulled in from the first page and did not emerge until the last word.   I look forward to reading more from this series and this author.  I have not read any of this series or this author’s work in the past, though I have played a few of the video games this was based on. Highly recommended.

 Reviewed By:  Aaron Fletcher

 


 

Posted on December 17, 2016 by , Reply
First « 12345 » Last