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Book Review: Z-Boat by Suzanne Robb

Z-Boat(Z-Boat Book 1) by Suzanne Robb

Permuted Press, 2013

ISBN-13: 978-1-61868-2-345

Available: Trade paperback, multiformat ebook edition (Kindle,Nook, Smashwords, Kobo)

Experienced submarine captain Brian Kingston has accepted a search and rescue mission– a simple enough job for him and his crew. The huge payoff– half up front and half upon completion– is enough to silence any warning thoughts. The target is The Peacemaker, one of the most impressive submarines in any fleet, that is essentially an underwater laboratory. A distress call had gone out from the scientists inside, sent to study decayed things underwater, and Kingston’s orders are to find The Peacemaker, obtain an unidentified item and collect any survivors.

The idea behind Z–Boat was really cool. In addition to the events of the rescue mission, the personality conflicts and intensity of emotions in a closed environment built up the tension, and I wondered how the story would play out in the submarine. While the action was fast-paced, it didn’t feel like the story took off until well into the book. Too much time was devoted to setup and background: I wanted to get on the zombie sub long before the author let me.

The description was well-done, and the characters Robb developed were interesting, although there were so many characters that occasionally they blended together for me. The biggest issue is that the book needs editing. There are multiple instances of missing words and odd turns of phrase that really made it tough for me to get into the story. There were also a couple of instances where the captain’s name, Brian,  was misspelled as “Brain”: funny and ironic but not appropriate. Overall, Z-Boat is an okay read with an interesting scenario that needs a bit more work. I have not read this author’s work in the past.

Contains: Gore, Swearing

Reviewed by Aaron Fletcher

Posted on December 31, 2015 by , Reply

Book Review: Memory of Water by Emmi Itaranta

Memory of Water by Emmi Itaranta

HarperVoyager, 2014

ISBN-13: 978-0062326157

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition

For a novel in which it seems that very little happens, Memory of Water packs an unexpected punch. The story takes place in a dystopian future that seems all too likely: one in which climate change has completely altered geography, shortages of oil and gas caused terrible wars, our fragile technology is broken, books have been destroyed, and the only uncontaminated water is controlled by the military and the government.

Noria, the first-person narrator, is the daughter and apprentice of the tea master in her village, and she has been entrusted with a secret– the tea master is the guardian of an illegal hidden spring of clear water, a crime punishable by execution. The new military leader, Commander Taro, is suspicious, but unable to find evidence. When Noria’s father dies, she becomes the guardian of the spring, but as the military closes in on her village and clean water becomes more and more severely rationed, she has to decide whether to share the secret.

Noria and her friend Sanja are both curious about past technology, and during a scavenging expedition they uncover evidence from an earlier time that there may be reserves of uncontaminated water, and, with their new knowledge, decide to leave on an expedition of exploration. Unfortunately, Noria’s movements have been observed, and she is separated from Sanja and isolated from the community in an effort to convince her to give up the location of the spring to the military.

Finnish author Itaranta communicates the history and present of her complex world without depending on long passages of exposition. The details of daily life, and the rituals of the tea ceremony, give structure and believability to the story without overwhelming it. This is a slow, deliberately told story, using lyrical and vivid language. Noria’s strong feelings about her relationships with her parents and Sanja, and about freedom and survival, bring it alive. The love and strong friendship between Noria and Sanja, while not the main focus of the story, is a powerful force within it. Because we only see through Noria’s eyes, and learn what she knows, the end of her story has an unusual impact. The end of Noria’s story is not the end of the story, though. Itaranta switches to third person narration that fills in many of the blanks, and ends on a bittersweet note of hope.

Memory of Water isn’t a horror novel, but it is powerful and imaginative. In a crushing world like the one Itaranta describes, one might not expect to find that there is still room for small acts make a difference, and a possibility of hope. It is easily one of the best books I’ve read this year.

The next time someone argues that dystopian fiction is bad for society,  hand them this book as evidence that sometimes it’s where we find hope for the future.

Reviewed by Kirsten Kowalewski

 

Posted on December 30, 2015 by , Reply

Book Review: A Darke Phantastique edited by Jason V. Brock


A Darke Phantastique: Encounters with the Uncanny and Other Magical Things, edited by Jason V. Brock, illustrated by Samuel Araya.

Cycatrix Press, 2014
ISBN-13: 978-0984167654
Available: New and used hardcover

 

There is a notion with publishers that anthologies don’t sell; that if you release one into the world that it is most likely going to be ignored and lost in the mix. In addition to “Year’s Best” volumes, and the many excellent anthologies produced by editors like Ellen Datlow, there are numerous themed anthologies focused on a particular subgenre, such as Lovecraftian fiction or paranormal romance. A Darke Phantastique takes a different approach: what unites this collection is more of a deft use of the surreal, or a dark shading over each story, rather than outright horror.

 

This is Brock’s first time as solo editor of an anthology. The Bleeding Edge and The Devil’s Coattails, anthologies he co-edited with William Nolan, were shorter and more concise; this one clocks in at over 700 pages, including stories, poems, art, and even a screenplay. Although that makes for a big book, Brock is a picky selector, and the anthology is worthy of the time and money a reader invests in it.  Standout stories nclude “Squatters”, by Nicole Cushing; “Lizard Man Dispatches”, by Ray Garton; and “Dust Made Into Words”, by Cody Goodfellow.

 

The only weakness is layout and design of the book. During his time as editor of literary horror magazines Dark Discoveries and Nameless Digest, he did a great job in layout and design. While the design of A Darke Phantastique is interesting, it sometimes seems to overwhelm the content. Just give me the stories!

 

While not inexpensive, A Darke Phantastique deserves to be in every library in the country that takes dark literature seriously. The high quality of the fiction makes this an anthology that stands above.
Posted on December 26, 2015 by , Reply
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