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Book Review: Indigo by Charlaine Harris, Christopher Golden, Jonathan Maberry, et al.

Indigo by Charlaine Harris, Christopher Golden, Jonathan Maberry, Kelley Armstrong, Tim Lebbon, Kat Richardson, Seanan McGuire, Cherie Priest, Mark Morris, and James A. Moore

St. Martin’s Press, 2017

ISBN-13: 978-1250076786

Available: Hardcover, Kindle edition, audiobook

 

The authors of this book all have produced amazing dark fantasy and horror fiction, both novels and short stories.  In this shared world anthology, they collaborated to tell a novel-length story, with each writer taking a turn to continue the narrative to its end. These talented storytellers have come up with an entertaining tale that can be enjoyed both by casual readers and by fans of the individual authors, although identifying which author has written which section is not as simple as it seems.

Nora Hesper works as an investigative reporter. She’s an intriguing character, with a curious backstory, and considerable personality. When she was a teen, Nora’s parents died, and to cope, she studied the occult at a monastery to deal with the pain and solitude. That plot summary suggests a tired retread of superhero origin stories, but then the story diverts.

Nora learns to harness the powers of the night.When the light is pulled away by the shadows, she becomes Indigo in the slivers of the moonlight. Indigo can use the shadows to manipulate the darkness into weapons and slip into the passing shadows to transport herself in and out of trouble across the globe.

Nora’s opponents are the Children of Phonos, a sadistic group who hold a darkness inside that rivals that of Indigo. The Children of Phonos are murdering children across New York City, and Nora realizes that she must eliminate all of them to protect the children. Then an event occurs that sheds light on her origin and family that throws her into chaos, a mess that she must solve to find the peace again in her life.

Combining all of these voices in one novel is tough. It’s not perfect, but it is entertaining. Go into it with that mindset, and you may find an enjoyable tale.

Contains: violence, child sacrifice

 

Reviewed by Dave Simms

Posted on November 8, 2017 by , Reply

Book Review: Three Minutes by Anders Roslund and Borge Hellstrom

Three Minutes by Anders Roslund and Borge Hellstrom

Quercus, 2017

ISBN-13: 978-1681444130

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition

 

Scandinavian thrillers have thoroughly invaded the bookshelves of North American readers. Roslund and Hellstrom have exploded onto the scene, first with Three Seconds and now with the sequel, Three Minutes.

Unknown settings make for exciting reads. Scandinavian thrillers are typically set in Scandinavian countries, but Roslund and Hellstrom change things up; Three Minutes is almost entirely set in South America.

Piet Hoffman is an ex-convict who has been recruited by the DEA as an informant. He has a brutal job; he is the bodyguard of a cartel master. His hands get pretty dirty, and the authors hold nothing back in the details. Hoffman is a beautifully fleshed-out protagonist/antihero, in the mold of Daniel Craig’s James Bond and F. Paul Wilson’s Repairman Jack. Hoffman is an intriguing main character, who, despite his actions, is entirely human; his flaws bleed onto the page.

Hoffmann finds himself in a wild plot where the Speaker of the House is kidnapped and held prisoner. The United States takes the low road, thankfully, in composing a kill list that targets much of the cartel – and their families. Hoffmann is definitely on the list, as is his family, provided with protection in the relocation due to his job. Since the DEA’s operations are black, the government doesn’t acknowledge Hoffman as someone who needs to be saved.

What ensues is a story that does not let up, from the shocking first chapter until the last page. To say more about the plot would be to name spoilers, and with the number of twists and turns in the authors’ story, the reader will want to experience it for the first time without clues.

The linchpin to any foreign novel is the translation. Elizabeth Clark Wessel’s fluent translation reads as if the novel was originally written in English.

Next up for this reviewer is to seek out and read the rest of the books in this series. Highly recommended for thriller lovers!

 

Reviewed by Dave Simms

 

 

 

 

Posted on November 3, 2017 by , Reply

Book Review: Buffy: The High School Years: Parental Parasite by Kel McDonald, art by Yishan Li

Buffy: The High School Years: Parental Parasite by Kel McDonald, art by Yishan Li

Dark Horse Comics, 2017

ISBN: 9781506703046

Available: print, Kindle, and comiXology ebook

Into every generation, a slayer is born: one girl in all the world, a chosen one.

So begins the story of Buffy, Angel, Giles, Willow, and Xander chasing down a demon who possesses adults, driving them to only take care of it. The demon takes the form of an adorable young child, but it as we all know with demons in the Buffy-verse, it is anything but. At the same time, Buffy and her mother are struggling with their own mother-daughter relationship. Joyce wants to spend more time with Buffy, but the Slayer heeds the never-ending call to protect Sunnydale. However, when Joyce becomes hypnotized by the child demon, Buffy faces a new kind of battle—one to save her mother from the clutches of evil. Can Buffy and Scoobies defeat the demon before it kills Joyce?

This book is set during season 1 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and is the third installment of the Buffy the High School Years series. The artwork is great and very manga-ish. This is definitely a good supplemental YA title if you’re introducing your kids to the Buffy-verse. The relationship between Buffy and Joyce is depicted as strained, but they clearly love each other. Buffy’s devotion to her Slayer responsibilities is obsessive, which I seem to remember her desire to protect overrode her need for education or familial duties to her mother in the television series. Frankly, it made me want to revisit the series. Admittedly it has been quite some time since I’ve seen it. Pick this one up if you want to explore content set in the early years of the Slayer! You won’t be disappointed. Highly recommended for die-hard Buffy fans and newbies alike.

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

 

Posted on November 3, 2017 by , Reply
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