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Book Review: Absalom’s Wake, Part Three: The Whale Rider by Nancy A. Collins

Note: Absalom’s Wake is a six-part ebook serial. Check out these reviews of earlier parts of the story!

Absalom’s Wake, Part One: A Serial Adventure of Terror on the High Seas

Absalom’s Wake, Part Two: Terror on the Beach

 

Absalom’s Wake Part Three: The Whale Rider by Nancy A. Collins

Biting Dog Publications, 2013

ASIN: B00BQOAPE0

Available: eBook(Kindle, Nook, Smashwords)

 

This installment of Absalom’s Wake picks up where part two left off, with Jonah Padgett running for his life from cannibals.  Jonah is rescued by a native named Koro of the Aina tribe who spears one of the cannibals and chases the others into the sea.  The cannibals are of the Mano Kanaka tribe and are arch-enemies of the Aina.  They were after Jonah because of the dolphin medallion he wore, left to him by his uncle. Later, Koro accepts an offer to join the crew as a harpooner.  Koro and Jonah end up rooming together, as Jonah is promoted to Ship’s Cooper and life aboard returns to normal.  At Christmas, Koro tells the tale of Kamoho, King Of All The Sharks and father of the Mano Kanaka, The Eaters of Men.  Koro also tells the story of how he came to be born– a story that sounds very much like the story of how Jonah’s beloved uncle won his wife, years before.  A couple of weeks later, another of the Harpooners bets Koro that he can kill the next whale before Koro can.  At stake is a gold watch, against Jonah’s dolphin medallion.  The hunt is on.  Koro leaps onto a whale’s back and mortally wounds it.  The whale thrashes the sea, tossing the whaleboat about.  The call of “Man Overboard!” rings out, as Jonah slips beneath the waves.

This part of the story was well written and does a great job of slipping a few more tantalizing details in with the action sequences– details that  add a bit of tension and suspense to the overall storyline.  I  look forward to finding out just how Koro fits into Jonah’s life.  As with the previous two parts, the author paints a vivid picture of the environment, and the characters have individual voices.  The only complaint I have is that there is the occasional misspelling which tended to break the mood while I sorted out what was intended.   Recommended.

 

Reviewed by: Aaron Fletcher

 

 

 

 

Posted on August 29, 2014 by , Reply

Book Review: The Colony: Renegades by Michaelbrent Collings

The Colony: Renegades by Michaelbrent Collings

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2013

ISBN-13: 978-1492896456

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition, Audible Book

 

High school teacher Ken Strickland has seen the world come to an end– zombies are taking over. Ken, along with some fellow survivors and friends, Dorcas, Aaron, and Christopher, have gone to the Bank One building to save Ken’s family. While riding the elevator up to the 9th floor, the group encounters a nightmare from which there is no waking up.

These are not old fashioned zombies…they work together to hunt victims, trapping them in webs and vomiting acid. Ken finally finds his family– snagged in a zombie-web. They are all there and alive: his wife, Maggie; their son, Derek; their daughter, Hope; and Liz, the baby. He also finds two others yet uneaten: a man named Buck, and his mother. The band of survivors have to make their way out of the building, fighting zombies all the way.

This is Book 2 in The Colony saga, and it rocks. The plot keeps you in total suspense, guessing what’s going to happen, and you feel as if you are there with the characters, trapped in the building, fighting for your survival. I’ll be waiting with bells on for the conclusion of this exciting series. Recommended for high school and older.

Contains: zombie violence, gore, graphic description of dead bodies, mild profanity, lots of death.

Reviewed by Diana Lord

Posted on July 16, 2014 by , Reply

Book Review: In Hell by L. Marshall James

In Hell by L. Marshall James

Highwater Publishing, 2013

ASIN: B00E5MWIRC

Available: Kindle

 

Paul is just your average young American guy living in Pittsburgh; he loves his family, but spends little time with them. He has a decent job that he automatically dislikes. He tries to eat healthy, but usually goes the route of fast food and beer. He enjoys guns, sports, women, and one hobby that borders on childish obsession: Zombies. He grew up watching legions of zombies terrorize the earth in countless movies. He collected posters, action figures, undead memorabilia, and amassed a small weapons stash, preparing for the imaginary possibility of defending himself and his loved ones from the brain eaters. It was all good fun until he wakes one day to discover his fantasy is now real; zombies are everywhere.

The basic premise is good; an escape-to-a-better-place survival story. The characters have distinct voices, and I didn’t have trouble following them. The action is well described, very graphic and “in your face”, and I liked the twist at the end, which got me thinking a bit as I neared the finish. James has a good way of explaining how the Zombiepocalypse started and what the implications of it would be.

Unfortunately, the first person point of view, with so many sentences starting with “I,” became tiresome and actually got in the way of the story. There were also some typographical errors scattered throughout– not the worst I’ve read, but noticeable. In Hell was an okay read.

 

Contains:  Graphic Gore and violence, sexual situations, profanity.

Reviewed By:  Aaron Fletcher

 

A note from the editor: If you are curious about this book PLEASE use our link to find it. Searching Amazon for the book by title did not, for some reason, pull it up.

Posted on July 16, 2014 by , Reply
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